What Really Happened in Colombia? "A Rescue Staged for the Screen"

[leftchick]

http://counterpunch.com/ross07072008.html


By CLIFTON ROSS

What drew me to the Sunday edition of Diario Vea wasn't just the headline "Venezuela will never again be a colony of anyone" and a cover photo of women soldiers in full uniform, wearing make-up and carrying bazookas on their shoulders. I confess to a weakness for strong women and this was so very Venezuelan: The women, demonstrating the strength of the nation, nevertheless didn't neglect putting on eyeliner, eyeshadow and lip gloss. And for me the clincher was the woman in the middle of the photo, looking over her bazooka at the camera and smiling widely, as if to say, "Even in war we won't lose our warmth nor our sense of humor." But if you spend any time at all in Venezuela it's hard to avoid that conclusion.

<snip>

Such has been the case this week in the wake of the "dramatic rescue" of Ingrid Betancourt, the three U.S. mercenaries and ten or so soldiers and police flown by helicopter into Bogotá while U.S. presidential candidate John McCain coincidentally toured the country. The whole event, even as broadcast here in Venezuela on government television stations, had the look and feel of an event staged for the screen and today's Diario Vea points out that the reason was because it was, indeed, an event staged for the screen and the "facts," which remain unacknowledged by the mainstream press in the U.S. and Colombia, tell a very different story from the media's fairy tale version of the event.

The story entitled "There was no such rescue but a media 'show'" that appeared in today's Diario Vea was drawn from the work of Bolivarian Press Agency writer Narciso Isa Conde and the Popular News Agency of Venezuela. According to the article the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) had agreed to turn over Ingrid Betancourt and the other hostages to Swiss and French negotiators who agreed to arrange to pick up the hostages from various locations in two helicopters. The Colombian military got wind of the upcoming release and took control of the helicopters. The collusion of the U.S. in the media spin, while yet to be proven, is quite likely, especially since McCain just "happened" to be in the neighborhood and would be able to take the spotlight in a crassly opportunistic attempt to boost his pathetic presidential campaign.

And so the "rescue" ironically turned out to be a hostage taking in reverse in which the FARC's goodwill gesture was blindsided for the glorification the paramilitary, drug-dealing President Uribe and his friend, John McCain, as the armed forces of Colombia seized two civilian helicopters full of prisoners, who had, in fact, been released, and not "rescued." But presidential vanity wasn't the only thing behind this media show. The mainstream media leaked what may have been the major motives. In the July 5 edition of the Houston Chronicle, Bennett Roth writes, in a story entitled "Hostage rescue (sic) will likely reinforce U.S. ties" that the media show, which Roth calls a "commando operation," will "strengthen…security ties with the United States" with Colombia. The article quotes Riordan Roett of Johns Hopkins as saying that the non-event of the "rescue" "validates to a great degree Plan Colombia."

<snip>

So much for the lessons about this "bold rescue" from the perspective of the U.S. press and Ms. Betancourt. Colombians who have suffered terror and worse at the hands of the narco-government of Alvaro Uribe with his media shows and many other Latin Americans who have watched the civil war in Colombia for many years know otherwise. In this same issue of today's Diario Vea there is an exclusive interview with Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista, "Gabino," the commander of the National Liberation Army, Colombia's other major guerrilla, composed of revolutionary Christians, Marxists and workers from the oil fields and others. He reminds readers of Diario Vea that the last time leftists lay down their arms and took up legal paths of political struggle, the Colombian state and oligarchy murdered six thousand militants, beheading the legal left of Colombia. For Gabino, Chavez can play a much greater role in the conflict as mediator, despite his recent calls for the Colombian guerrilla to what appears to be an unconditional surrender. "His declarations are no obstacle to his being a facilitator for peace in Colombia. His essential role as ruler and his status as leader on the continent hasn't changed."

[watrwefitinfor]

1. ..

[anigbrowl]

2. If that's true, the Swiss and French can blow a hole in the narrative any time

Personally, I'm not holding my breath. I'm not too confident in the quality of this story.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

4. Shhhh.... Don't apply simple logic to the reflexive anti-Americanism...

Clearly, the anti-American conspiracy theory rantings of an obscure FARC sympathizer are always to be believed over the statements of a large international coalition, including Americans, Swiss, Columbians, and French.

And if you don't believe that, you're not with the Communist "anti-corporatist" program, that all true-progressives^®, as opposed to Democrats, are supposed to believe on the D.U.

- C.D. Proud Member of Reality Based Community

[tkmorris]

5. You DO realize that such stunts are pulled all the time?

I'm not saying that the report in the OP is necessarily true, but the fact is it COULD be. To dismiss it out of hand, and to do so while delivering a steaming truckload of snark to leftist DU'ers, is as absurdly non-objective as you seem to believe some DU'ers are.

See: Jessica Lynch, Saddam Hussein capture, etc.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

9. Actually, if it was purely U.S. military, I'd grant you that point

Especially since the Bush administration has thrown honor to the dogs. It could take months before the truth began to trickle out, as it always does - always. ( You forgot Pat Tillman. )

Still, as expected, because this bulls**t macro conspiracy theory is anti-American in nature, it is instantly recommended in the DU with not one shred of evidence, confirming the exact same Republican hate-America caricature I am always fighting against when talking to friends and neighbors in my very Republican neck of the woods.

I just wish these ultra leftists would give the US military the same benefit of the doubt that they do to drug dealers and rapists.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[AlphaCentauri]

8. don't miss the point that it was a release not a rescue, not a raid

the headlines have been impressing slow minded individuals with those allegations. The fact are coming out like the early release to match McCain visit to Colombia

[EFerrari]

3. Chavez has not called for an unconditional surrender at all.

He's called for an unconditional commitment to a peace process, something very different. That's risky enough, as it is.

[RB TexLa]

6. I know they didn't intend to write comedy, but that shit is funny!

:spray:

:rofl:

[malaise]

7. That's an understatement

The Swiss have already blown holes in it and more than a few European newspapers mention US$20M paid by the French. Sarkozy was all over this one. Even McSame wasn't brave enough to fly home with the contractors.

This is fall down funny but the story line was worse than a C movie.
It didn't get much airplay because of the holiday weekend. Poor fools.