DEJA VU

Here we go again. It seems that once again we are militarily intervening in
a country's internal affairs for a noble cause. This time we are fighting a
war on drugs and are rescuing Colombians from the "narco-guerrillas." Last
year it was Kosovo for "humanitarian" reasons. In the '80s it was Central
America and the cause was defeat of the "evil empire" and the spread of
democracy. Before that it was Grenada and Vietnam.

It is always done with good intentions. The sad fact is that the road to
hell is often paved with good intentions. In Central America our military
involvement caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. In Kosovo, the bombing
caused hundreds of thousands of refugees and unnecessary deaths of
thousands of innocents on both sides. Also our allies, the KLA, have become
ethnic cleansers themselves and the biggest threat to peace in the Balkans
today. In Colombia, militarization of the conflict through "Plan Colombia"
is fanning the flames of war and hatred.

What are our strategic interests in all of these places? Behind the noble
cause cover the answer is always the same: greed, oil, and domination. In
Colombia the real reasons are oil, the need for American military presence
close to the Panama Canal and the need to neutralize the threat of Hugo
Sanchez, president of neighboring Venezuela, who has openly challenged
American hegemony in Latin America.

Don't let history repeat itself. Speak up against this misguided policy!

Pete Mandrapa, Eugene