The Things We Keep

This is just short, and personal. I've been searching my garage for this quilting book I got from my grandma when she died, and so I've been going through all these boxes, some of which I haven't really looked in for years.

Since I've posted on this site about my enduring ... admiration for John Cusack, I thought I would share a page from one of the fun things I found today--a program from the free campus screening of The Sure Thing, his first big hit and the movie that cemented him in my mind as a huge talent.

McCain, Free Trade, and the Release of the FARC Captives

I heard earlier today about John McCain being in Colombia today to campaign for the adoption of the bilateral Colombia Free Trade Agreement (not to be confused with CAFTA, now CAFTA-DR, which is the Central American (+ the Dominican Republic) Free Trade Agreement).

I then heard about the liberation, courtesy of the Colombian government, of a group of people, including Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate, and a number of American Pentagon contractors.

I couldn't help but think...coincidence? Coincidence that McCain just happens to be in Colombia on the day these people are freed? And apparently, he got briefed about the action before it happened. Wow! How...presidential sounding! And it was so coincidental that he was there just in time for the rescue!

I couldn't help but be reminded of other captives, hostages that were held longer to help a new American president be elected, freed on an Inauguration Day many years ago. An American president whose administration would subsequently be involved in the trade of arms for hostages in the Iran-Contra scandal.

McCain supports the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, and has apparently (to my knowledge) never seen a Free Trade Agreement that he didn't like. Obama on the other hand has gone on record opposing the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. The current administration of Colombia wants this agreement to happen. It doesn't take a brilliant mind to surmise that they might have a vested interest in doing anything they can do to help McCain look the hero.

Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries for labor organizers--over 2500 have been killed since 2005 and although murders of union activists are apparently down under Uribe, the current President, they have been picking up lately. Between that and--dare I say?--the drugs, it's no wonder that a FTA with Colombia is so desired by the neoliberals.

Links:
McCain briefed on rescue operation in Colombia, Washington Post
Al Jazeera's report on the release of the captives
NYT article about the murder of union organizers in Colombia and the proposed FTA
The US Trade Representative's web page with links to information about trade agreements
Wikipedia entry on Iran-Contra