| Submit your comments on this article |
| Fifth Column |
| A FARC Fan's Notes |
| 2008-03-25 |
| Wall Street Journal house editorial A hard drive recovered from the computer of a killed Colombian guerrilla has offered more insights into the opposition of House Democrats to the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. A military strike three weeks ago killed Raúl Reyes, No. 2 in command of the FARC, Colombia's most notorious terrorist group. The Reyes hard drive reveals an ardent effort to do business directly with the FARC by Congressman James McGovern (D., Mass.), a leading opponent of the free-trade deal. Mr. McGovern has been working with an American go-between, who has been offering the rebels help in undermining Colombia's elected and popular government. . . . The intervenor with the FARC is James C. Jones, who the Congressman's office says is a "development expert and a former consultant to the United Nations." Accounts of Mr. Jones's exchanges with the FARC appeared in Colombia's Semana magazine on March 15. . . . "Receive my warm greetings, as always, from Washington," Mr. Jones began in a letter to the rebels last fall. "The big news is that I spoke for several hours with the Democratic Congressman James McGovern. In the meeting we had the opportunity to exchange some ideas that will be, I believe, of interest to the FARC-EP [popular army]." . . . Semana reports that Mr. Jones made some proposals to the FARC, including a Caracas meeting with representatives of Venezuela, Colombia, the FARC, other South American countries, U.S. Congressmen and the Catholic Church. "It would be almost impossible for Uribe to reject such a meeting," Mr. Jones wrote, "without burning himself a lot, nationally and internationally. If he persists in being against it, I have understood that there are ways to pressure him from my country [the U.S.]." In a letter to Semana, Mr. Jones said his words were taken out of context. He says he is not in favor of the "violent methods of the guerrilla" or "the military solutions" of the government. He had only a professional relationship with the FARC and had to address them as he did because he had to build trust. Mr. McGovern's office says it knew what Mr. Jones was doing and engaged with him because "we need to find an interlocutor who could discuss these things including the safe haven" for the guerrillas. We think the documents reveal something else entirely: Some Democrats oppose the Colombia trade deal because they sympathize more with FARC's terrorists than with a U.S. antiterror ally. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #5 I'm sure there's a way, tip - I doubt there's a will. >:-( |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-03-25 18:49 |
| #4 Is there any way to prosecute McGovern & Jones for aiding & abetting a terrorist organization? |
| Posted by: tipover 2008-03-25 12:12 |
| #3 "Bringing people together". Another reason not to vote for any Democrat no matter what their spiel. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-03-25 11:41 |
| #2 I live in his district and can gaurantee you that no one will ever hear of this unless they personally read WSJ or Rantburg. I have not supported a victorious pol in MA outside of a few Govs in my 35 years of voting here. True Blue lives forever!! 8^P (yeah there were probably one or two others but you get the point) |
| Posted by: AlanC 2008-03-25 09:43 |
| #1 Jeeesuuuus H. Keeriist, do you think this will catch the attention of the voters in his district? Nah, maybe not. All the commies view this as a positive, pro-active outlook. What a sorry state this has become. Fat Ted, Traitor Kerry, Deval and all. Damn, the pride of the Pilgrims shot to shit. |
| Posted by: Woozle Elmeter 2700 2008-03-25 09:23 |