tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post4533325484119859537..comments2024-03-22T00:38:12.095-07:00Comments on Mike's Bogota Blog: Colombia's Paramilitaries: Chasing Guerrillas or Drug Money?Miguelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15388030533444193686noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-24595636917460080012013-01-19T02:00:36.845-08:002013-01-19T02:00:36.845-08:00Correct. Which brings us back to my point. Like yo...Correct. Which brings us back to my point. Like you say wholesale murder is committed by both sides. It makes no sense reverting to such discussions as an issue of paramilitaries (or guerrillas). Except to propagate a bias, or ideological indication. A much more progressive take would be to focus on the crime rather than the perpetrator for whatever reason(s). To continue talking in such motivated ways does no service to intelligence. There's many dubious people in Europe and North America that like to talk all day long about such paramilitary and governmental crimes but conveniently (for their own ideologies) say nothing of that by the guerrillas. To be fair they have no real knowledge of the conflict from their sources of dubious information. The situation needs to be talked about in a logical (not ideological) sense. Other examples can be cited from elsewhere in the globe if needed.Stuart Oswaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08935995451698556144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-89872737740736460962013-01-18T18:10:56.233-08:002013-01-18T18:10:56.233-08:00Protecting is one thing. Wholesale slaughter, whic...Protecting is one thing. Wholesale slaughter, which the paramilitaries (and the guerrillas) committed, is altogether something else. <br /><br />MikeMiguelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15388030533444193686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-86376628009332783002013-01-18T06:04:17.073-08:002013-01-18T06:04:17.073-08:00If only good people were not denied the rights to ...If only good people were not denied the rights to protect themselves and their property.Stuart Oswaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08935995451698556144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-6423500095954344682013-01-17T20:19:21.212-08:002013-01-17T20:19:21.212-08:00Hi Juan,
You are certainly correct about paramil...Hi Juan, <br /><br />You are certainly correct about paramilitarism's unconscionability. However, it's not only a matter of establishing government presence thruought this huge country, which is unrealistic, in any case. It's also a matter of eliminating the illegal groups which prey on civilians and almost inevitably produce paramilitarism as a response. <br /><b>, </b>, <br />MikeMiguelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15388030533444193686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-3928123246107250052013-01-16T22:09:00.223-08:002013-01-16T22:09:00.223-08:00State-sanctioned paramilitary activity is unconsci...State-sanctioned paramilitary activity is unconscionable, period. In their heyday, basically they were guns-for-hire, funded by regional stakeholders (cattleranchers, govt. officials (sometimes one and the same)), with the national govt. turning a blind eye (at best). With the dismantling of their hegemony, they splintered into microtraficking gangs, just like the guerilla have become. Unless the state steps up their presence in the provinces, these forces (both "guerillas" and "paras") are just going to fester and grow deep roots.. <br /><br />Something the government would be stupid to ignore.. Alas, their track record ain't too stellar..Juan Duquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17283289921019455056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-45745955164550781612013-01-15T18:11:31.105-08:002013-01-15T18:11:31.105-08:00I've often thot that in a moral sense, tho not...I've often thot that in a moral sense, tho not a legal one, Colombia's guerrillas have a responsibility for the paramilitaries' crimes. After all, the paramilitaries were a predictable and inevitable result of the guerrillas' actions. <br /><b>, </b>, <br />MikeMiguelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15388030533444193686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-27378169448579871762013-01-14T23:29:08.944-08:002013-01-14T23:29:08.944-08:00"or worse" is not a balanced or educated..."or worse" is not a balanced or educated view but an ideological bias. And on the point of sate collaboration, the state is by no means a saintly organization.Stuart Oswaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08935995451698556144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-16015615982180591642013-01-14T18:05:08.814-08:002013-01-14T18:05:08.814-08:00It seems to me that the paramilitaries are a clear...It seems to me that the paramilitaries are a clear case of the cure being as bad or worse than the disease, with the added evil of state collaboration. <br /><b>, </b>, <br />MikeMiguelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15388030533444193686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-84643952796853615212013-01-14T10:47:42.091-08:002013-01-14T10:47:42.091-08:00elusiveworld, you've again missed the points o...elusiveworld, you've again missed the points of my reply to this post and have just perpetrated the same errors. The tiresome debate needs to move away from ideologies and onto criminal grounds.Stuart Oswaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08935995451698556144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-1984407838516632882013-01-14T05:40:21.100-08:002013-01-14T05:40:21.100-08:00it s important to identify who did what to evolve ...it s important to identify who did what to evolve from a culture of impunity to one of justice and reconciliation. Anonymity cannot achieve this. elusiveworldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258489195585134927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-38912257088009185152013-01-14T05:39:10.604-08:002013-01-14T05:39:10.604-08:00Whether paramilitaries made Colombia more secure i...Whether paramilitaries made Colombia more secure is highly contested. Visit a human rights NGO and ask for access to their databases to garner a more accurate impression.elusiveworldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258489195585134927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655683135628692725.post-55110728209148889062013-01-14T04:17:16.780-08:002013-01-14T04:17:16.780-08:00It might be better to draw a line in how these cri...It might be better to draw a line in how these crimes are discussed. It is not so important as to which organization done what. By calling up Paramilitaries it can give a very misguided impression that the crimes are due to perpetrators being paramilitaries (even though you lightly try to equal blame to other "groups"). Paramilitaries achieved a lot good in fending off the scourges of Marxist guerrillas and provided protection to populations that the government could not reach. This blog as an influential source of information to English speakers interested in Colombia, needs to do more to be balanced and impartial when talking about Colombia's highly politicized past (and present).Stuart Oswaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08935995451698556144noreply@blogger.com