Bush and Harper Ignore Colombia’s Labor Rights Reality

[Judi Lynn]

December 10, 2007
Bush and Harper Ignore Colombia’s Labor Rights Reality
by Garry Leech

In the past year, there have been ongoing debates in both Washington and Ottawa about potential free trade agreements with Colombia. The failure to implement a hemisphere-wide agreement has led the governments of both President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to push for bilateral pacts with their ideologically-aligned ally in Colombia, President Alvaro Uribe. Both Bush and Harper are facing domestic opposition that seeks to thwart the signing and ratification of the agreements due to ongoing human rights abuses in Colombia, particularly against unionists. The US and Canadian governments repeatedly point to a recent reduction in the number of Colombian labor leaders killed as justification for a free trade agreement. However, in actuality, the intensity of attacks against Colombian workers has increased, not decreased, under the Uribe government—and state security forces are directly responsible for an increasing number of the abuses.

The Bush administration signed a free trade pact with Colombia in November 2006, but congressional Democrats have stalled its ratification on human rights grounds. For its part, the Harper government is currently negotiating its own bilateral deal with the Uribe administration, but it is also facing increasing opposition at home as critics point to the severity of continuing abuses against Colombian workers.
(snip)

In the past 20 years, more than 3,000 Colombian unionists have been assassinated. And of the 144 unionists killed worldwide last year, 78 were Colombian—eight more than the previous year. According to the International Confederation of Trade Unions (ICFTU), there were 1,165 documented murders of Colombian trade union members between 1994 and 2006. However, the state has convicted the perpetrators in only 14 of these cases—an impunity rate of over 95 percent.

This dirty war against workers, in conjunction with the implementation of neoliberal economic reforms, has devastated union organizations and their membership. More than 195 trade union organizations were dissolved between 1991 and 2001, with union membership declining by more than 100,000 workers during that period. In fact, with only four percent of the workforce unionized—compared to 15 percent 20 years ago—Colombia now has the lowest unionization rate in Latin America.

More:
http://www.colombiajournal.org/colombia268.htm

[Peace Patriot]

1. Donald Rumsfeld wants 'free' trade with Colombia. Need we know any more?

And his purpose for wanting 'free' trade with Colombia is to wage war against Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador--countries with governments that side with the majority--workers and the poor--with governments that don't chainsaw union leaders and throw their body parts into mass graves, that don't tolerate the exploitation, torture and deaths of workers by global corporate predators like Chiquita, countries with governments that force oil giants like Exxon-Mobile to pay their fair share of taxes, and that oppose the murderous, corrupt U.S./Bush "war on drugs," and that are throwing the U.S. military off their soil, and that are creating an amazing peaceful, democratic revolution in South America, with goals of regional independence and self-help, full participatory democracy and social justice. The left has swept the region, with leftist (majorityist) governments elected in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Nicaragua, and with the Bolivarian governments--Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, and also Argentina and Nicaragua--leading the way in bold new ideas and institutions, such as the Bank of the South.

Donald Rumsfeld knows that the Bolivarian governments must be stopped, and he proposes Colombia as the launching pad for the horrors he has in mind, because there is not another government left on the entire continent like the corrupt, U.S.-dominated, militaristic, fascist government of Colombia, a special pet of the Bush Cartel, already larded with billions of U.S. tax dollars in military and other aid, and rife with bloodshed, oppression and fear, and with widespread, high level drugs and weapons trafficking. It's the kind of government that Donald Rumsfeld loves, in which ordinary people have no protection from global corporate predators, and from well-organized crime syndicates, and no say in government policy. Organize a union in Colombia and get whacked. Expose human rights abuses, try to protect the environment, speak up for democracy and good government, get whacked.

Read it here--Donald Rumsfeld's plan for South America:

"The Smart Way to Beat Tyrants Like Chávez," By Donald Rumsfeld
Sunday, December 2, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113001800.html

Discussion here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x323889

He also threatens direct U.S. military (or will it be mercenary?) intervention in Venezuela and other countries, in support of fascist coups (Bush Cartel "friends and allies" in the region, who are already receiving millions of U.S. tax dollars through USAID/NED and other budgets to destabilize their own countries and plot against democratically elected leaders).

Rumsfeld calls Chavez a "tyrant." Take that for what it's worth. Who he is really talking about are the PEOPLE of Venezuela, who dared to elect this social justice leader who "tyrannizes" over Exxon-Mobile, on behalf of the people who elected him, and the PEOPLE of Bolivia and Ecuador, who have also elected strong social justice leaders and governments. And of course we know who the real tyrants are--the tyrants here and wannabe tyrants there, the thieves, murderers, torturers and world dominationists of the Bush Junta and their global corporate predator puppetmasters. The focus on Hugo Chavez and the utter slanders against him--an unbelievable campaign of disinformation in which every corporate news monopoly in the western world has taken part--has been a major initiative in Rumsfeld's dirty war. Venezuela has the most transparent elections on earth, and one of the liveliest political cultures in the western hemisphere. You wouldn't know it from the egregious lies we see every day in the corporate news media. Chavez is a PRODUCT of that passionately democratic culture, not its tyrant. The slander is really against democracy--against the people. It is they who are the target. Read Rumsfeld to know what the war plan against them is, and where its headquarters will be--Colombia.

Even more chilling, read what Rumsfeld says about dismantling the "checks and balances" of our own government (such as they are)--the "too slow" deliberations of Congress, and the bureaucratic obstacles--so that the U.S. can act "swiftly" in support of rightwing coups in South America. The Congressional Democrats' obstruction of 'free' trade with Colombia really sticks in his craw. Rumsfeld would as soon abolish Congress. He doesn't say it directly. But that is what he means. They have to eliminate the last vestiges of democracy here, in order to get at the people THERE--or rather get at their oil, gas and other resources. We now begin to see the full implications of the "unitary executive." Hitler invading Poland and Czechoslovakia, with no flak at home. The plan worked as to Iraq. It is not working as to Iran. Will it work as to South America?

No, it will not. But that doesn't mean that Donald Rumsfeld and cabal can't create hell on earth for some people in South America, before their dirty rotten schemes are defeated.

At least one assassination plot against Hugo Chavez, out of Colombia, has been defeated. (Note: Assassination would be used to effect destabilization. The people and their democracy are the true target.) At least four Bush Cartel schemes to topple the Chavez government have been defeated (2002 rightwing military coup attempt; oil bosses shutdown; recall election; and riots, deaths, corporate news disinformation, boycotts, artificial food shortages, falsified opinion polls, and other attempts to disrupt several elections.)*

And the Bush Cartel's "divide and conquer" strategy--to force South American leaders to "isolate" Venezuela and the Chavez government--has been defeated. Leaders like Lulu in Brazil, Kirchner in Argentina, Correa in Ecuador, Morales in Bolivia, and Vasquez in Uruguay, have defied the Bushites and have strongly supported Chavez. The OAS has strongly supported the Chavez government, notably by voting Venezuelan onto its human rights commission. Mercosur (South American trade group) has made Venezuela a full member. And even center-right governments, like that in Paraguay, see the merit of Venezuela's policies and initiatives, and recently joined the Bank of the South. And leaders who have played along with Bushite schemes, even to a small degree--such as Batchelet, the socialist head of government in Chile, who let Condi Rice bully her into Chile abstaining on a vote that would have placed Venezuela on the UN Security Council--have paid a political price. Her own ambassador publicly criticized that decision.

Chavez is VERY popular in South America--and for a very good reason. He is emboldening every one of them to assert South American self-determination. And he is obviously running a clean, democratic and beneficial government.

Rumsfeld's corrupt, murderous, dictatorial plan will fail--even if the Bushites, through threats, blackmail, bribery and other means, bully U.S. Congressional Democrats into a 'free' trade deal with the fascists in Colombia for the benefit of global corporate predators (--and, given this Democratic Congress' track record, I will be very surprised if they do not cave). (I call them the "Diebold II Congress," because there is hardly a one of them who can prove that they were actually elected.) If that happens, the U.S. will lose yet another opportunity to improve its image in the world, to support democracy and social justice, and to engage our economy with FAIR trade countries and their peoples. Our name will become equivalent with fascism. And we will end up being the biggest 'Banana Republic' on earth--because corporate 'free' trade is as much a plot against us, as it is a plot against the third world.




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*(I'm beginning to think that the FARC hostage negotiation was also plot against Chavez that was defeated. Uribe (Bush Cartel client) invited Chavez to try to negotiate the release of American, Belgian-Colombian and other hostages, held for many years by this armed leftist group. Chavez began to do so, in good faith, and made immediate progress, by obtaining "proof of life." When that was about to be announced--days before the recent Venezuelan referendum on constitutional amendments proposed by the Chavez government (which were narrowly defeated by the voters)--Uribe suddenly announced that he was cutting off the hostage negotiation, using a lame excuse. Several FARC members were arrested--the ones carrying the "proof of life" documents. The Colombian government tried to take credit for it, but the hostages families' quickly credited Chavez and begged Uribe to let Chavez continue. (Uribe has refused.)

The excuse Uribe used to cut off negotiations was that Chavez had made a phone call to a Colombian military general. So Uribe claimed--but it was actually a Colombian Senator, working with Chavez, who made the call. She says it was to determine how many Colombian soldiers FARC had kidnapped. I think it more likely (or in addition) was to gain assurances from the Colombian military with regard to the safety of both Chavez and the FARC negotiators. It was at this point, I suspect, that a "trap" against Chavez was foiled. And it wouldn't surprise me at all if Rumsfeld was behind it. Purpose: to embarrass and discredit Chavez in some way, to deny him credit as a peace negotiator just prior to the Venezuelan referendum, and/or even to get him killed in some kind of confused crossfire situation (which there may have been a rehearsal of, about six months ago, when a different group of FARC hostages were inexplicably murdered by an unknown group of shooters, in what was initially reported as a confused crossfire situation--in truth, the attackers had targeted the hostages). It's looking more and more like Uribe was a lure. There were reports of a new friendship between Uribe and Chavez--a surprising development, since they are opposite poles, politically. Uribe buttered him up. Lured him in. Asked him to negotiate with FARC....and SOMEBODY tipped him off. THEN Uribe suddenly shut it down. It failed (as a plot to discredit or harm Chavez). Was it Chavez's contact with the Colombian military? Sure looks like it.)