Hillary's Latin America: DK: Hillary's Legacy of Blood Money in Colombia

[amborin]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/16/1459730/-Sec-Clinton-s-legacy-Colombia-blood-money

Hillary Clinton’s campaign has made foreign policy a center piece of her 2016 brand. Specifically, she has emphasized the Secretary-of-State term (2009-2013) in the Obama administration. In that period, several events of some significance occurred. Events in Colombia, in particular the free-trade agreement between the United States and Colombia, are one of them.

Her Colombian legacy is one of ill-gotten gains and the violence inspired by such insatiable greed, of blood money. That is the subject of this article.
Background
Colombia travel advisory map. Yellow: Caution, Orange: Reconsider, Red: Do not travel.

Colombia has been rife with conflict due to the ongoing insurgency (spanning decades) of the FARC, among others. Needless to say, the United States was heavily involved in this fight, both due to its “War on Drugs” & and its “War on Communism”. This confluence of anti-Leftism & the drug wars has led to significant human rights abuses, including extra-judicial killings, civilian displacement, and other sorts of violence. From Human Rights Watch: “Human rights defenders, trade unionists, journalists, indigenous and Afro-Colombian leaders, and other community activists face death threats and violence.”

The 2000s brought some changes, as reported by Human Rights Watch: [previous citation]

“Between 2003 and 2006, right-wing paramilitary organizations with close ties to security forces and politicians underwent a deeply flawed government demobilization process in which many members remained active and reorganized into new groups. Successor groups to paramilitaries, often led by members of demobilized paramilitary organizations, commit widespread abuses, such as killings, disappearances, and sexual violence.”

In 2006 a free-trade agreement between the United States & Colombia was signed by the Bush administration, but not approved before the term ended. At the same time, during the 2008 presidential race, as NPR reports: “When running for president in 2007 and 2008, [Clinton] spoke strongly against potential agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.” So strongly in-fact that she [via NPR citation] “...will do everything I can to urge the Congress to reject the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.”

As the agreement was signed, all eyes turned to the Congress and the burgeoning presidential race, and that’s where this article begins.
Analysis

The Bush administration sent the bill to Congress in April, 2007. By the end of 2008, it was still not approved. At the same time, the Democratic presidential primary required an official position from the candidates.

That’s where the Clinton legacy beings.
Two sides, one issue

As reported by the L.A. Times:

“Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged Tuesday to defeat a free-trade agreement with Colombia”. A direct quote from when she spoke to the Communications Workers of America: [via NPR citation] “As I have said for months, I oppose the deal. I have spoken out against the deal, I will vote against the deal, and I will do everything I can to urge the Congress to reject the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.”

Yet at the same time: [previous NPR citation]

“Her husband was in favor of it, her campaign had to distance her from his position, and her senior strategist Mark Penn was demoted because of ties to Colombia through his communications firm.”

Or alternatively as reported by the L.A. Times: [previous citation]

“Her camp acknowledged reports that Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, supports the deal with Colombia” & “Penn was demoted last weekend from his job as the campaign's chief strategist over his business contact with the Colombian government in his role as head of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.”

Coincidentally, the Clinton Foundation has also received money from these pro-agreement interests.

That’s not all, as reported by the Huffington Post:

“Former President Bill Clinton has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars speaking on behalf of a Colombia-based group pushing the trade pact, and representatives of that organization tell The Huffington Post that the former president shared their sentiment.”

Tellingly, as Andres Franco was quoted: [via Huffington Post citation]

“Right now it became a campaign issues and that is sad, because it needs to go through.”

In 2007, Bill Clinton got a government award in a push to better Colombia’s representation and increase approval for the agreement. Bill Clinton’s support was so valuable that it was even trumpeted by the Colombian government. When asked during the campaign about this conflict-of-interest, her response was, among others:

In contrast: [previous Huffington Post citation]

“In May, former Vice President Al Gore backed out of an environmental conference to avoid appearing alongside Uribe, concerned about his countries poor humanitarian practices.”

Bernie Sanders: [via Progressive]

”Mr. President, what about the Colombia trade agreement? It is understandable why the CEOs of multi-national corporations would like this free trade agreement. After all, Colombia is one of the most anti-union countries on the planet. Since 1986, over 2,800 trade unionists have been assassinated in Colombia -- more than the rest of the world combined. Less than 6 percent of these murders have been prosecuted by the Colombian government. Last year alone, more than 50 trade unionists were assassinated in Colombia, up nine percent from 2009. 23 trade unionists have been murdered this year alone... Mr. President, think for a moment. If we found out that 50 CEOs had been assassinated last year in Colombia, do you think we would be on the verge of approving a free trade agreement with that country? I don't think so.”

Flip-flopping past the Graveyard

When Barack Obama won the presidency, he appointed Hillary Clinton to be Secretary-of-State. In that position, she began the final push for the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, in spite of her past positions and ignoring union pleas.

As she stated to RCN television: [via previous NPR citation]

“First, let me underscore President Obama's and my commitment to the Free Trade Agreement. We are going to continue to work to obtain the votes in the Congress to be able to pass it. We think it's strongly in the interests of both Colombia and the United States. And I return very invigorated ... to begin a very intensive effort to try to obtain the votes

[PufPuf23]

1. Drummond Coal based in AL, large coal mines in Colombia

Drummond Coal was founded in 1935 and is still based in AL. Drummond coal is privately owned but has sold 20% of Colombia operations to a Chinese company.

DC was one of the largest domestic coal producers until buying coal mines in Colombia in the 1990s. A port and railroad was developed to serve the Colombia mines, one of which is the largest coal mine in Colombia and alone produces about 5% of the global coal export trade. DC is the 5th largest coal exporter in the world. Colombian coal is burned in AL Power and other southern coal plants, replacing historic domestic mines and union labor.

DC had operated a number of union coal mines in AL and later a large coal mine in WY. All except one small mine in AL have been closed and replaced with the Colombian coal from two large mines (that is also sold to Europe).

DC developed a coal export facility and railroad in Colombia. The railroad was bombed by FARC.

The cheap and high quality coal from Colombia now burned in the southeastern USA retards the conversion to natural gas and renewable energy from solar and wind because of the low cost coal.

There has been violence and murders against native peoples and trade unionists in Colombia for actions post 9 / 11 but prosecution failed.

There was a large dump of raw coal in the Caribbean in 2003 that DC tried to cover up and ultimately was fined.

Read these links and you will not be happy as to one now trans-national that benefits from the Colombia free trade agreement:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Drummond

1 Company History
2 Colombian Coal 2.1 Conflict in Colombia
2.2 WikiLeaks cables regarding paramilitary forces
2.3 Coverup of coal barge sinking

3 Alabama coal 3.1 Alabama Coal port expansion

4 Political and Public Influence 4.1 Coal Execs Invite Presidential Hopeful Jeb Bush to Closed-Door Weekend Retreat (2015)
4.2 Political Contributions
4.3 Lobbying

5 Corporate Accountability 5.1 Labor
5.2 Human Rights

6 Protests against Drummond 6.1 July 2007: Protesters demand justice for murdered workers

7 Contact Information
8 Articles and Resources 8.1 Sources
8.2 Related SourceWatch articles
8.3 External Articles



http://www.drummondco.com/about/history/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drummond_Company

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_N._Drummond

In 1979-1980, with his brother Larry and another executive, Clyde Black, Drummond was indicted of bribing three Alabama legislators, by supplying them with prostitutes.[3][6][7][8] The trial lasted three months, but it was dismissed by Judge Frank McFadden; the record is now sealed.[3][6]

In the 1980s, Drummond began looking for coal in Colombia, even though the country was at war.[3] He established their first coal mine in 1995.[3] Shortly after, the FARC bombed the railway track which carried coal from the Drummond mine to their port off the Caribbean Sea.[3]

Drummond made donations to Republican politicians such as Richard Shelby, Terry Everett, Robert Aderholt, Butch Otter, Mike Rogers, Jo Bonner, as well as to the 2004 re-election of President George W. Bush.[12] He also donated to Coalpac, a political action committee for the National Mining Association.[12] He also donated US$50,000 to Bob Riley's 2002 gubernatorial campaign.[13]

As of 2015, Forbes lists Drummond as the wealthiest individual in Alabama, with an estimated wealth of US$980 million.[1]

[Luminous Animal]

2. Colombia, Haiti, Honduras… she's been dogged by protests at a least 6 events in CA. Media mute.