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Amabassador Blasts Bruce Willis' Comments ("US should invade Columbia to end cocaine trade")
Associated Press ^ | 3/13/06

Posted on 03/13/2006 8:49:19 AM PST by presidio9

Colombia's ambassador to the United States is criticizing Bruce Willis for comments he made during a press conference to promote his new film, "16 Blocks."

The actor said the United States should consider "going to Colombia and doing whatever it takes to end the cocaine trade."

In a harshly worded letter made public, Andres Pastrana told the actor that the source of the lucrative cocaine trade was an "enormous appetite for drugs, in particular in the United States and Europe."

Pastrana, who as president in 2000 launched an anti-drug effort with billions in aid from the United States, added that no country has sacrificed more than his own to rein in drug trafficking. Every year, he said, thousands of innocent civilians are killed as a result of anti-drug efforts.

Inviting Willis to visit Colombia, Pastrana said "if you accept, you will see that, beyond Hollywood cliches, 44 million Colombians are waging a real war against drugs."

President Alvaro Uribe called the actor arrogant and ignorant last week, saying his comments were "a shock to Colombia's dignity."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: brucewillis; hollywoodpinglist; wodlist
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To: 4bbldowndraft; george wythe
The war on (some) drugs is a joke.

Amen, George. Smartest thing I've read here.

I've seen the same thing posted a thousand times on FR. What's so smart about aping the drug advocates?

21 posted on 03/13/2006 9:05:19 AM PST by Moonman62 (Federal creed: If it moves tax it. If it keeps moving regulate it. If it stops moving subsidize it)
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To: Publius6961
"Star Wars", which was "only" 85% effective was a joke...

The War on [some] Drugs in Afghanistan is more like 90% ineffective.

Occupied Afghanistan supplies almost 90 percent of global opium and heroin.

If you take into consideration the damaged infrastructure and the landlocked location of the place, it's almost a feat worth studying how so much drug trade can continue in a country occupied by the US and its allies.

Can you tell me that Colombia would be a better success?

22 posted on 03/13/2006 9:05:22 AM PST by george wythe
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To: CROSSHIGHWAYMAN

I actually like your idea quite a lot.


23 posted on 03/13/2006 9:08:19 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (E)
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To: Publius6961
What's "Columbia"?

A high end sportswear company.

24 posted on 03/13/2006 9:09:08 AM PST by afnamvet
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To: presidio9

Hey..fine by me.

The last time I watched the Peacemaker, I winced at seeing Clooney in a US Army Ranger's Uniform...geeeeeshhhh doest this guy ever read a history book that's not a pop-up.

Good for Bruce...it may be a simplistic approach but some times it's pretty obvious when diplomacy fails. Unfortunately for the Columbian Government, they only control 70% of their own country.

So, if their ambassador truly thought about it...such an action would probably help their country. It'll never happen though but US SOF groups will continue to use the jungles of Peru and Columbia for training and killing drug lords.


25 posted on 03/13/2006 9:10:25 AM PST by in hoc signo vinces ("Houston, TX...a waiting quagmire for jihadis. American gals are worth fighting for!")
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To: CROSSHIGHWAYMAN

Wow, mass murder, great idea!


26 posted on 03/13/2006 9:11:33 AM PST by The Old Hoosier (Right makes might.)
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To: Publius6961

A university in NYC?


27 posted on 03/13/2006 9:12:30 AM PST by The Old Hoosier (Right makes might.)
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To: robertpaulsen
I wasn't aware that we invaded Afghanistan to stop opium production. What are you saying? Kinda like, hey since we're there, let's do that too?

I guess you missed that commercial telling US consumers that buying drugs was paramount to underwriting terrorism.

At any rate, the political class keeps telling us that Columbian rebels and drug lords are in cahoots, just like the Afghan terrorists and the local drug barons:

"Terrorists and narcotics are very close, they're supporting each other," says Helmand province governor Mohammed Daoud. "When narcotics production is up, terrorism automatically goes up."

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Worsley from the some 3,500 British forces that are deploying into the province bit by bit agrees. "Taliban and drugs feed each other. You cannot separate them here," he says.


28 posted on 03/13/2006 9:12:42 AM PST by george wythe
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To: misterrob

He snubbed one of the last remaining allies we have left in SA and the only nation that cooperates with us in fighting drug production and trafficking. He never mentioned Bolivia or Mexico. Wonder why?


29 posted on 03/13/2006 9:13:10 AM PST by Mi-kha-el ((There is no Pravda in Izvestiya and no Izvestiya in Pravda.))
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To: ClearCase_guy

Or they could engineer a bread mold that likes to eat the stuff, so that it will turn nasty in a week or two.


30 posted on 03/13/2006 9:17:38 AM PST by Constantine XIII
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To: Publius6961


The capital of South Carolina?

Guilty of misspelling the SA country myself...happens.


31 posted on 03/13/2006 9:17:45 AM PST by in hoc signo vinces ("Houston, TX...a waiting quagmire for jihadis. American gals are worth fighting for!")
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To: 4bbldowndraft

Considering all the billions that have spent locking people up, it is no "joke" to the taxpayers.


32 posted on 03/13/2006 9:24:13 AM PST by Captain Kirk
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To: presidio9
You would think that 44 million Colombianos would soon triumph over the drug cartels, but the cartels control much of what happens in Colombia through big bribes to prominent pols, military and police. Corruption is rife there too what with two import systems operating at the same time, the legal one and the illegal system.

During my last visit there, I was shown how easy it is (hopefully was) to get anything you want at the illegal warehouse and they said that if they didn't have it on hand, they could get it in less than a week. It was exceedingly tough to run a business there legally. You were up against an "open" no duty import system vs. the legal one requiring high import duties.

33 posted on 03/13/2006 9:29:32 AM PST by Paulus Invictus
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To: The Old Hoosier
Wow, mass murder, great idea!

Nope.....just pro choice.

You can choose to use or not to use......

the right decision could save your life......(promo ad)

34 posted on 03/13/2006 9:36:48 AM PST by CROSSHIGHWAYMAN (Toon Town, Iran...........where reality is the real fantasy.)
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To: presidio9

Way to go, Bruno!


35 posted on 03/13/2006 9:38:10 AM PST by PzLdr ("The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am" - Darth Vader)
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To: CROSSHIGHWAYMAN

I'm sorry, but your simple-minded thinking just begs for the type of "what about the children" response that you guys hate so much.


36 posted on 03/13/2006 9:40:36 AM PST by presidio9 ("Bird Flu" is the new Y2K Virus -Only without the inconvenient deadline.)
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To: george wythe

We won't because it would turn the locals against us more than they already are. There were plans to spray the poppy fields with Roundup, but that got stopped.


37 posted on 03/13/2006 9:42:52 AM PST by redgolum ("God is dead" -- Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" -- God.)
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To: presidio9
I'm sorry, but your simple-minded thinking just begs for the type of "what about the children" response that you guys hate so much.

I'm a calloused old fart......

I have never used drugs and I don't give a damn about anyone who does!!

My cousin and I took our baseball bats to his son's middle school an hour after school many years ago and confronted a drug dealer.

The fellow retired shortly after that.

We gave him an offer he couldn't refuse.

38 posted on 03/13/2006 9:45:52 AM PST by CROSSHIGHWAYMAN (Toon Town, Iran...........where reality is the real fantasy.)
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To: mnehrling

Sure, an invasion of Colombia, a nation comprised of Jungle, the Andees and mountain peeks of 19000 ft would be a cake walk.


39 posted on 03/13/2006 9:46:45 AM PST by H. Paul Pressler IV
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To: CROSSHIGHWAYMAN

Hey, super! What's your point?


40 posted on 03/13/2006 9:49:21 AM PST by presidio9 ("Bird Flu" is the new Y2K Virus -Only without the inconvenient deadline.)
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