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Judi Lynn

(160,501 posts)
Sat Jun 9, 2012, 02:17 AM Jun 2012

What drives US policy in Central America?

What drives US policy in Central America?
As investigators probe an anti-drug raid that killed four Hondurans we discuss the US' security strategy in the region.
Last Modified: 08 Jun 2012 11:19

- Video at link -

The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has launched an investigation into a raid on a remote Honduran village that killed four people including two pregnant women. Four others were also injured in the operation in May.

In the waking hours of May 11, a group of indigenous villagers travelling by canoe in the Mosquita region came under helicopter fire. Four of them including two pregnant women and a child died.

US officials said the killings followed a sighting of men unloading cocaine onto a truck nearby. The US State Department-owned helicopters were sent to investigate.

Initially the US denied any civilians were killed, but later said Americans were only involved in a supporting role.

~snip~
"This is a really terrifying thing by US troops and US-funded troops…(US media only picked it up much later) otherwise we won't be hearing about (the raid), which is part of what's so terrifying…This is really, really, really scary that the US is not acknowledging that this happened."

- Dana Frank, a Honduras historian

More:
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryamericas/2012/06/201268104039976309.html

5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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What drives US policy in Central America? (Original Post) Judi Lynn Jun 2012 OP
Spam deleted by Morning Dew (MIR Team) Heather4 Jun 2012 #1
Um, mahina Jun 2012 #3
How can the govt not acknowledge this is happening at the same time as the DEA launches an investi mahina Jun 2012 #2
Why are U.S. helicopters killing ANYBODY on SUSPICION of drug trafficking? Peace Patriot Jun 2012 #4
I agree 100% we shouldn't be there naaman fletcher Jun 2012 #5

mahina

(17,637 posts)
2. How can the govt not acknowledge this is happening at the same time as the DEA launches an investi
Sat Jun 9, 2012, 03:41 AM
Jun 2012

gation?

I am no fan of our country's bloody policies in central America going back generations, but still. And I confess I didn't rtfa. Tomorrow.

Peace Patriot

(24,010 posts)
4. Why are U.S. helicopters killing ANYBODY on SUSPICION of drug trafficking?
Sun Jun 10, 2012, 01:40 PM
Jun 2012

Last edited Mon Jun 11, 2012, 10:06 AM - Edit history (1)

Jeez. This is so outrageous. People are INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY even in Honduras!

But I think this is only the "tip of the iceberg." I think that not only did the Bushwhacks turned the "war on drugs" on its head, to eliminate uncooperative rival drug networks and all the "little players" (like the 5 MILLION peasant farmers brutally driven from their lands in Colombia with the Colombian military using U.S. technology, support and training and $7 BILLION U.S. tax dollars)--in order to consolidate the trillion dollar cocaine trade into fewer hands and to CONTROL that revenue stream, but they also permitted U.S. military 'contractors' and possibly U.S. military personnel to engage in "turkey shoots" of the peasants in Colombia and other horrors (targeted assassination of trade unionists and community leaders?).

This is just ONE example of this utterly twisted, blood-drenched U.S. policy and it is difficult to know how much control President Obama has over it. Ever since freshman Senator Jim DeMint (SC-Diebold) openly blackmailed Obama on the Honduran coup and interfered with his LatAm appointments, I have wondered WHO is actually running U.S. LatAm policy.

Further pondering the obvious U.S. protection and coddling of Alvaro Uribe (the Bush Junta's mob boss in Colombia)--with all the evidence for this occurring since 2009, and also with Bush Sr.'s crony, Leon Panetta, having taken a personal interest in it the moment he became CIA Director (appointed by Obama)--you gotta wonder if it isn't Bush Sr. calling the shots in Colombia, Honduras and all along the cocaine travel route up through Central America.

Part of what Obama/Panetta are involved in is most certainly a coverup of U.S. crimes in Colombia during the Bush Junta (for instance, keeping Uribe's mouth shut and getting key witnesses against him out of Colombia). But the other part is even more worrisome (not to mention disgusting), and that is that elements of the U.S. drug agencies and military are still operating in this upside down way--to smooth the way for the favored cocaine operations.

So here we have an explanation of why "U.S. State Department-owned helicopters" and U.S. personnel might be shooting up completely innocent people in a remote Honduran jungle. They were DETERMINED to ELIMINATE (murder) the NON-COOPERATING drug operation that they SUSPECTED was rivaling the BIG drug operations that know who to PAY. And--as for U.S. personnel participating in this "turkey shoot"--believe me, no "U.S. State Department-owned helicopters" are going to be turned over to Honduran military pilots and commanders!

My chief suspect as to who authorized "U.S. State Department-owned helicopters" to shoot up a Honduran jungle would be William Brownfield, former U.S. ambassador to Colombia (during mob boss Uribe's tenure) and all-around bad guy, whom Obama kicked upstairs to run the entire corrupt, murderous, failed U.S. "war on drugs" in Latin America, under pressure of the far right here and its operative, Jim DeMint (my suspicion--DeMint acting for the Bush Cartel).

There is one other explanation, and that is that these U.S. personnel or U.S. military 'contractor' personnel and their Honduran military buds were PRACTICING for shoot-em-up's ELSEWHERE. (Last year, the U.S. State Department "fined" Blackwater for "unauthorized" "trainings" of "foreign persons" IN COLOMBIA "for use in Iraq and Afghanistan"--the "fine" likely being a coverup of Bush Junta-AUTHORIZED practice murders. Blackwater has since changed its name to Xe and repaired to the U.A.E.).

But on the whole I favor the upside down "war on drugs" (the war to CONTROL the cocaine revenue stream) as the likely explanation for these U.S. murders.

There is one more layer to this story. It is likely that Big Pharma is ready to make its move as to the legalization of drugs and monopolizing the trade (which is why the leaders of U.S. client states, including Colombia, are the ones most visibly calling for drug legalization--it doesn't make sense otherwise). IF this is true (and I think it is), then what the Bush Cartel has been doing over the last decade (and on-going) is getting themselves ready for Big Pharma's big move--among other things, by using the U.S. "war on drugs" to eliminate rival drug gangs. This also may explain why corporate running-dog U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is bothering to shut down little medical marijuana dispensaries in California (which are legal in California). It is yet another preliminary to Big Pharma's taking over the market.

 

naaman fletcher

(7,362 posts)
5. I agree 100% we shouldn't be there
Sun Jun 10, 2012, 02:21 PM
Jun 2012

But the explanation I think is simply the momentum of the "security state". This is also true of the new US "base" in Chile. We all understand the "military-industrial complex" but what has risen since 9/11 by it's side is the "security-industrial complex".

They are both similar.

Whereas the military industrial complex is: Military, Industry, Politicians, the security state is as well. It's just somewhat different industries and somewhat different sectors of the military (who do have their different leading commanders and pandering politicians).

The security-industrial complex has close relationships with US law enforcement and other federal branches, thus it's ties to the DEA and the drug war (the military has had them, but this is closer).

The "base" in Chile is not really a base, it is a training facility for Chilean special forces. However, these special forces will not be fighting in wars (they might of course) but they will be fighting drug traffickers and "terrorists", hence my using the term "security-industrial state".

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