America's War on Drugs Leaves Poor Bolivian Farmers Hungry and Desperate

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAELZOCHJD.html

IBUELO ALTO, Bolivia (AP) - One morning last April, Hilaria Perez Prado began her day as always - hoping soldiers wouldn't burst from the jungle and tear her farm to pieces.

They did come, though. They trampled her fields. And then one shot her in the chest as they left.

Perez, 41, is out of the hospital. But her lung is damaged and so is her hope of eking out a living for her family farming deep in the Chapare, a remote Bolivian region that is deep in America's war on drugs.

Over the past seven years, Washington has spent $470 million on a militarized campaign to deter Perez and other poor farmers from growing coca.

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[htuttle]

1. NarcoNews.com is a good resource for more background on this

...including recent developments in the whole region:
http://www.narconews.com/

I saw a PBS program recently about this issue, 'Coca and the Congressman'.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/cocaleros/

There have been some political gains inside Bolivia recently by the (mostly indigenous) coca growers. They've gotten someone (Evo Morales) into the Senate now. He came in second place in a recent Presidential election.

What I found interesting in the PBS program (and didn't know before) was how closely the coca growing was tied into the need for coca leaves by miners (who chew them while they work in the mines).

[eablair3]

4. thanks, .. and I'll second you on Narconews.com

narconews.com is a really good source for alternative info coming out of south and central america. One of the person's behind the site is Al Giordano. I've heard him interviewed on Flashpoints radio show many times. There is always more to the story it seems. Giordano has left little unsaid about the establishment reporter Juan ? (can't remember his last name) that works for the NY Times. That reporter recently did a piece for "Frontline/World" on PBS. Because I had heard about the guy's bias from Giordano, I really watched his report on PBS about Venezuela with a critical eye. I concluded after watching recent Frontline show that Juan was indeed very biased as Giordano had claimed. Giordano claimed that Juan Torres (i think that was his name) was biased against Chavez and in favor of the business interests opposing Chavez. It seemed that way to me.
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/venezuela/

The radio show that has Giordano on regularly is at
http://www.flashpoints.net

They have an archive there, and you might be able to still listen to some of Giordano's audio reports and interviews online. He doesn't hold back. found %3BGFNT%3Accff99%3BLC%3A660000%3BLH%3A61%3BBGC%3Acc6600%3BAH%3Acenter%3BVLC%3A660000%3BGL%3A2%3BGALT%3Affff33%3BAWFID%3A75b02c38f399b153%3B&domains=www.flashpoints.net&sitesearch=www.flashpoints.net">some of em by a searching here


sorry for the diversion.

thanks for heads up on the PBS program Coca and the Congressman. My local PBS stations don't have the Wide Angle series on the schedule. Sucks.

[Abe Linkman]

2. Drug Wars are a blessing for so many very special interests

First of all, these are not Wars on Drugs. They are a business opportunity for a select group, and they a powerful tool of political repression, used my the United States and other countries.

Who benefits? Some of the greatful beneficiaries include:

Police (way too many different ones to list here)
Lawyers
Prosecutors
Judges
Bail Bondsmen/women
Military
MAFIA
DEA
CIA
FBI
Prison Industry Complex companies
Tobacco companies
Alcoholic Beverages Industry
Rx Companies
Weapons suppliers
1,000 other companies which supply all those Drug "warriors"
Repressive governments
DRUG LORDS
Etc. etc. etc.

[HawkerHurricane]

3. Grandpa Hurricane used to say

only 3 people benefited from prohibition:

1. Police
2. Politicians
3. Bootleggers

These are the same groups benefiting from the War on Some Drugs.