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Colombia Quotes

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Colombia Quotes

“The problem was that Panama technically belonged to Colombia, which refused to sign a treaty leasing it to the United States. So Roosevelt sent a gunboat filled with marines down to Panama, just on the off chance that a revolution might suddenly break out, and darned if one didn't, two days later. Not only that, but the leaders of the new nation of Panama-talk about lucky breaks!-were absolutely thrilled to have the United States build a canal there. 'Really, it's our pleasure,' they told the marines, adding, 'Don't shoot.'”

IfsTwoStatesProblemMightNationsChancePleasureUnitedLeaderBreakUnited StatesRevolutionLuckyFilledMarineTreatiesTwo DaysBreak OutColombiaCanalsPanamaLucky Breaks
Book:Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States
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“Since the advent of the atomic bomb, the United States has always needed two kinds of enemies. On one level, it has needed a tactical enemy that it can go out and fight in the field in a shooting war. Since 1945, these enemies have been created and appeared as North Korea, North Vietnam, Grenada, El Salvador, Panama, Iraq and now Colombia. On another level, however, the US needs a strategic enemy that will justify outrageous expenditures of capital for strategic weapon systems like ICBMs, Trident submarines and "Star Wars" missile defence systems.”

NeedsKindHas BeensTwoWarStatesFightingStarsLevelsUnitedEnemyUnited StatesFieldsNeededWeaponsIraqShootingBombsJustifyVietnamKoreaDefenceStrategicNorth KoreaOutrageousMissilesAdventAtomic BombExpendituresColombiaTacticalSubmarinesPanamaEl SalvadorGrenada
Author:Michael Ruppert
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“If my goal is to change Colombia, which it is because I really think Columbia has to change in many, many ways - I think it has to be a very profound, nearly spiritual maturing process in the Colombian society because I think you have to first be aware of what's happening and it's not easy because many people don't want to see what's happening.”

PeopleIfsThinkingWayWantFirstsSpiritualEasyProcessGoalHappeningsProfoundMatureColumbiaColombia
Author:Ingrid Betancourt
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“It was shameful that, after Haiti, Colombia was the second most unequal country in Latin America. But we've achieved some things; the inequality is coming down, and coming down fast. The growing economy has provided us with the funds to finance a very progressive social policy that has reduced extreme poverty. We have the lowest inflation rate of all Latin-America countries and the highest growth rate.”

CountryAmericaSocialGrowthPovertyEconomyGrowingPolicyHighestDown AndRateExtremesFinanceInequalityFundLatinProgressiveLowestInflationShamefulLatin AmericaHaitiColombiaExtreme PovertySocial PolicyGrowing Economy
Author:Juan Manuel Santos
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“For many years, they said the drug lords in Colombia were unbeatable, but all the same, we've eliminated all the big capos (as the drug lords are called in Colombia). The homicide rate is as low as it was 40 years ago and the kidnapping rate has dropped to the level of 1964. Now we'll be able to bring down the street criminals specializing in extortion and robbery.”

YearsSaidBigsAbleLevelsLordStreetsDrugLowsYears AgoRateCriminalsThey SaidColombiaRobberyKidnappingHomicideUnbeatableExtortion
Author:Juan Manuel Santos
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“I returned to Kabul after a 27-year absence. I came away with some optimism but not as much as I had hoped for. The two major issues in Afghanistan are a lack of security outside Kabul (particularly in the south and east) and the powerful warlords ruling over the provinces with little or no allegiance to the central government. The other rapidly rising concern is the narcotic trade which, if not dealt with, may turn Afghanistan into another Bolivia or Colombia.”

IfsYearsMayLittlesTwoGovernmentTurnsPowerfulIssuesSecurityMajorsConcernOptimismTradeSouthEastAbsenceRisingAfghanistanRulingAllegianceProvincesColombiaNarcoticsBoliviaKabulCentral GovernmentWarlords
Author:Khaled Hosseini
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“Colombia was a big wheat producer in the 1950's. That was eliminated by what sounds like a nice plan, called "Food for Peace. " It's a plan by which US taxpayers subsidized US agribusiness to send food to poor countries. This, of course, destroyed the domestic agricultural markets of these countries, opening these markets to US agribusiness.”

CountryBigsCoursesSoundPoorNicePlansOpeningProducersDestroyedTaxpayersWheatColombiaPoor CountriesAgribusiness
Author:Noam Chomsky
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“Every night I get many letters, and after every talk I get many questions from people who say, "I want to change things. What can I do?" I never hear these questions from peasants in southern Colombia or Kurds in southeastern Turkey under miserable repression or anybody who is suffering. They don't ask what they can do; they tell you what they're doing.”

PeopleWantNightSufferingAsksCan DoLettersMiserableSouthernEvery NightTurkeysPeasantsRepressionColombiaKurds
Author:Noam Chomsky
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“I would argue with my father [Pablo Escobar] about his violent attitude and I would tell him to stop his violent ways and to think about peace as an alternative, especially given the many problems he was having. However, he would reply almost immediately by telling me "you are forgetting that the first bomb that exploded in Colombia was an attempt against you, your sister, and your mother - I did not invent narcoterrorism, narcoterrorism was first used against my family.”

ThinkingWayFirstsProblemUsedMotherFatherGivenForgetAttitudeMy FamilyArguingViolentAlternativesBombsColombiaPablo Escobar
Author:Juan Pablo Escobar
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“The rich and powerful countries are trying to wreck as much as possible. You know, go off the cliff as soon as you can. Extract every drop of hydrocarbons off the ground and destroy the environment. At the opposite extreme are countries like Bolivia and Ecuador, indigenous people around the world, and first nations in Canada and tribal people in India, campesinos in Colombia... They're trying to save the commons.”

PeopleKnowsWorldTryingFirstsCountryNationsPowerfulRichEnvironmentOppositesIndiaExtremesAround The WorldCanadaIndigenousCliffsWrecksColombiaIndigenous PeopleBoliviaEcuadorHydrocarbonsPowerful Countries
Author:Noam Chomsky
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“There is no logical basis for the prohibition of marijuana. $7.7 billion is a lot of money, but that is one of the lesser evils. Our failure to successfully enforce these laws is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in Colombia. I haven't even included the harm to young people. It's absolutely disgraceful to think of picking up a 22-year-old for smoking pot. More disgraceful is the denial of marijuana for medical purposes.”

PeopleThinkingYearsLawYoungPurposeEvilPoliticsHavensBasesResponsibleHarmMedicalBillionsDenialSmokingLogicalPotMarijuanaLots Of MoneyProhibitionSuccess FailureColombiaDisgracefulLesser EvilSmoking Pot
Author:Milton Friedman
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