google is Alert

I love google news alerts, even if google probably is invading my privacy. hey, programmers have to get their kicks too.

But let's be serious, because the news today from Colombia was not great. For one, Amnesty International: Colombia turning blind eye to attacks on human rights workers:

President Alvaro Uribe incensed the public when he lashed out against human rights groups in a 2003 speech, calling them "politickers for terrorism" and "communists in disguise." He later apologized. "By not investigating threats, and discrediting their work publicly, the government is essentially giving a green light to their continued persecution," Sofia Nordenmark, author of the Amnesty report, told The Associated Press.

Often the threats are coming from sources embarassingly (and outrageously!) close to the government itself.

On a related note, I'm sorry to see a good paper like the Guardian buying the Uribist security discourse. It's so similar to the Bushie terrorism siren call; I'm surprised they weren't more critical of the explanations given by the Colombian national government in this article: 'Safer' Colombia launches tourism drive.

Let's start with this sentence: "The president's hardline stance against leftist rebels and the demobilisation of more than 30,000 rightwing paramilitary fighters have seen kidnappings drop 73% and murders fall 37% since Mr Uribe first took office in 2002."

But murders started falling in the 90s, when changes in the Constitution allowed Bogota to elect its first mayor, Jaime Castro. Most urban observers have attributed the safety gains in Bogota to the series of innovative mayors that followed this essential shift. See: Bogota, Island in a Land at War (I know, you've all heard this song and dance before, but I can't believe people are still attributing urban homicide rate declines to Uribe...)

There's another problem with that article, though. Yesterday El Tiempo reported that the crime rates for 2005 were massaged (actually, just falsified) to make it appear that crime went down this year. An honest man at the chamber of commerce noticed that the numbers for last year's crimes were suddenly much, much higher in the 2006 report than in the 2005 report created for the central city government. What a pleasant surprise! Party hardy, tourists. You're safer here than you would have been in the imaginary version we created of last year's city.

Patterns of violent death in Bogota 1997-2003:

As you can see, homicides began their decade-long decline before the current president took office in 2002.

Colombia meets opposition in privatization of nation oil company. Where's Evo when you need him?

One last thing in today's CO news buffet: "The head of the army has accused his troops, including two officers, of participating in a deadly car-bombing on the eve of President Alvaro Uribe's swearing-in ceremony last month that was originally blamed on leftist rebels. Montoya also said corrupt soldiers were behind the high-profile seizure in recent weeks of several weapon stockpiles that authorities originally said belonged to rebels but which now appear to have been staged to impress their superiors." Full article here.

Gee, when you can't trust the Colombian army, who can you trust? Unfortunately army service is still compulsory. The Red Juvenil in Medellin includes many conscientious objectors who are persecuted for their decision.