COLOMBIA NEEDS US NOW

We need to be in Colombia now. The Aug. 6 Viewpoints letter from Mark J.
Trentalange, "Don't interfere in Colombia," makes several points that prove
his lack of understanding of the Colombian culture and his lack of knowledge
on the events unfolding in Colombia.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia is not a new revolutionary group,
with utopian views or a desire to make Colombia better; it is a remnant of
the communist movement that has been trying to infiltrate the democratic
republics of South America for decades.

FARC can be traced back to the Cuban-backed communists who financed the
likes of Che Guevara. FARC has become the protector of the cocaine fields
and labs for the lucrative drug trade and has not given up on its original
goal of taking over the democratic republic of Colombia and forming its own
communist state.

Not all Colombian farmers who grow coca do so willingly -- many are growing
coca to merely survive. Their lack of participation would ultimately cost
them their lives, because refusal to participate brings the threat of brutal
murder.

There are some brave farmers and other concerned citizens who have banded
together and formed the "paramilitary" units now opposing FARC and the drug
cartels. The lack of security in their own land and a strong desire to live
as free men has forced them to take matters into their own hands.

There are areas the government is unable to defend. A government which does
not have the resources to defend its people has given way to this vigilante
group, and the fight against the drug cartels is taking its toll.

This war raging in Colombia is not a civil war, but more of a social war --
much like the war fought here against the likes of Mafia boss Al Capone.

If the rebels were ever to succeed in overthrowing the government, the
consequences would be tragic: Colombia would become a haven for murderers an
d cutthroats, openly supplying the world with all the drugs it demanded.

The fact that the Colombian people continue to fight this war is a credit to
their character and perseverance. Colombians are a proud people willing to
fight for their land and their freedoms. This is the oldest working
democracy in South America.

A social welfare program of government handouts will not guarantee basic
freedoms, nor will it ensure a democratic society. But providing resources
in support of the cause for democratic freedoms will.

Martin E. Brand, Houston