Colombia President Uribe's Allies Gather Signatures For 3rd Term

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Dow Jones

Colombia President Uribe's Allies Gather Signatures For 3rd Term
02-07-081146ET

BOGOTA -(Dow Jones)- A Colombian political party allied with President Alvaro Uribe said Thursday it will start to gather signatures from voters to hold a referendum to allow the president to bid for a third consecutive term in 2010.

"The only leader we consider is able to run the country at this point is President Uribe," said Carlos Garcia, president of the Party for National Unity, the U party, Thursday. "We want to open the possibility to the people to decide whether they want to change the constitution to allow a third term."

Luis Guillermo Giraldo, the party's secretary, had started gathering signatures of voters in November as part of a private initiative, now his party decided to follow him.
(snip)

In late 2007, Uribe, 55, said he might seek a third term when his current four-year term ends if a "disaster" happens. He didn't specify what kind of disaster would justify his running. Since then, Uribe has dodged the issue in public appearances.



Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080207%5CACQDJON200802071146DOWJONESDJONLINE000830.htm&

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[Judi Lynn]

1. Free trade with Colombia means more drugs

Guest Commentary : Free trade with Colombia means more drugs
BY ALISON PAUL Minuteman Media

Posted on Thursday, February 7, 2008

In his last State of the Union address, President George W. Bush told Congress of his plans to push stubbornly forward the controversial free trade agreement with Colombia: "The first agreement that will come before you is with Colombia, a friend of America that is confronting violence and terror, and fighting drug traffickers. "An ironic statement, given that promoting this NAFTA-style free trade agreement will undermine the war on drugs and fuel terrorist groups in Colombia.

The deal's proponents and critics agree that Colombian family farmers will be hit the hardest by the "adjustments "to the local economy brought on by the trade agreement. Any doubters can look to post-NAFTA Mexico where an estimated 3 million family farmers lost their livelihoods, driving undocumented immigration to the United States. What will be the escape valve for Colombian farmers ? There are several options One, they turn to growing coca crops, the raw material for cocaine of which Colombia is the number one producer, thus fueling the violent drug trade. Two, they can join one of Colombia's illegal armed groups such as the leftist rebels or the right-wing paramilitary, thus fueling Colombia's 50-year long conflict. Both of these marauders are on the U. S. terrorist list. Or three, they can flee either to Colombia's already crowded cities or to join the estimated 14 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Apparently, in Washington the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. First, the U. S. Congress sends $ 5 billion to Colombia in a supposed attempt to curb the drug trade and then the Bush administration promotes a trade policy that will give farmers more incentives to grow coca.

Advocates of the free trade agreement argue that small-scale farming is something of the past. The future is factory farms specialized in tropical goods. Colombia's rural population of over 10 million, as you can imagine, feels quite differently. Over 90 percent of small-scale grain farmers have consistently rejected the free trade agreement in local referendums. These family farmers know the writing is on the wall, just as it was in Mexico. The proposed free trade agreement is not an agreement between equals and therefore many Colombians will be left with few other options except coca.

More:
http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/62007/

[Peace Patriot]

2. DICTATOR! DICTATOR! DICTATOR! 'PRESIDENT FOR LIFE!'

POWERMONGERING TYRANT! DID I SAY "DICTATOR"? DICTATOR! SCUM! BULLY! COMMUNIST! DICTATOR! DICTATOR! DICTATOR!

Oh, oops, I must have stumbled into the wrong thread. It's BUSH'S PAL Uribe who wants to run for a third term! That's different. That's okay. Not one word will I say against that. I'll just creep away now, in my disguise as "Peace Patriot," and go find a Hugo Chavez thread. You didn't hear this. I didn't say it. Maybe I'll self-delete.

Who am I?

[Peace Patriot]

3. K&R for truth! (I'm myself again.) nt

[boricua79]

4. if he does it, it's ok. If Hugo does it, he's setting up a dictatorship

see the hypocrisy?