LITTLE ASA AND THE HIDDEN NATION

A Tale of Two Bolivias

March 5th was a day of extremes in Bolivia. In the morning, in one of
the most luxurious hotels of the East, in the Amazon city of Santa
Cruz de la Sierra, the boss of the DEA, Asa Hutchinson, found himself
amidst a mountain of bureaucrats from different countries for the 20th
International Drug Control Conference.

But by nightfall, in the Andean western corner of La Paz, more than
5,000 peasants from all regions of the country proclaimed Evo Morales,
the coca growers' leader, as their candidate for President of the
Republic in the election that will be held on June 30th.

From one extreme to the other, let's go together to both locations,
comparing their words and so that we can deduce what is happening.

We go first to the Conquistador Salon (notice the symbolism of the
name) in the Los Tabijos Hotel. The dark suits of the anti-drug czars,
the special prosecutors and the bureaucrats of drug enforcement from
half a hundred countries found themselves in the middle of a humid
heat wave.

Look over there, at the man with almost white hair, chopped military
style, with the face of a good little boy, offering hugs and smiles
accompanied by a few words in Spanish. His black suit glistens when he
stands onstage and thanks Bolivia for its hospitality, declaring that
his government, with its seat in Washington, continues and will
continue supporting President Jorge Quiroga in the fight against drug
trafficking and the eradication of the sacred coca leaf. It's Little
Asa Hutchinson, the chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA), one of the most lethal instruments of gringo penetration in
Latin America.

Meanwhile, a peasant's march paralyzes the principal avenues of La
Paz, arriving at the auditorium where the Movement Toward Socialism
party (MAS, in its Spanish initials) proclaimed Evo Morales - coca
grower, former Congressman, declared a "terrorist" by the Gringo
Viceroy-Ambassador Manuel Rocha - as its candidate for the nation's
commander in chief.

The people, festive and carrying banners, shouted slogans (I swear to
you that this correspondent heard "Evo Yes! Yankees No!" in at least
four original languages of our America). They came from the South, the
Center, from all the provinces, Quechuas, Aymaras, Garanies and
Chipayas, farmers and workers.

This is about, as Evo affirmed some hours later, "the marginalized,
the victims of savage capitalism, principally imposed by the United
States."

But I digress, Narco News readers.

We return now to the sweaty climate of the 20th International Drug
Control Conference. In his inaugural speech, the Bolivian Foreign
Minister, Gustavo Fernandez, stunned the attendees: It turns out that
this year, according to governmental statistics, this country is now
producing twice as much marijuana as cocaine. According to the
Secretary, in 2001 seven tons of marijuana were seized as opposed to
four tons of coca paste and a half-ton of cocaine hydrochloride.
Interesting, no? Because in spite of the diminished activity by
narco-traffickers in cocaine, President Quiroga's Men, always obeying
the dictates of the United States government, have exclusively
dedicated themselves to combat the peasants who grow coca.

Now we move on calmly to the words of the Assistant Secretary of
Social Development Oswaldo Antezana, the Bolivian bureaucrat in charge
of eradicating the coca plant, of repressing the coca growers, even if
that requires massacring them. He said that Bolivia has complied with
its eradication quotas, that the task continues in the Chapare region,
but has become more difficult, because the farmers have found new
methods of planting: In small plots of three square feet, shadowed by
large trees and far from the traditional cultivation zones.

Antezana said, seriously and decisively, that because of that, the
U.S. satellite images already are "not as trustworthy as before." And
left the stage with an unexpected surprise: Although his speech was,
in any light, a challenge to the authority of the United States,
Little Asa Hutchinson hugged him and congratulated him as he left the
stage.

Leopoldo Fernandez, who, until yesterday, was the government's
Interior Minister, also participated in the event.

He recognized that the United States did not view his November talks
and agreements with the coca growers of the Chapare enthusiastically
(recall the Sacaba War over the traditional coca leaf marketplaces).
Fernandez, speaking about it today, insisted that his boss, his
colleagues and he did everything they could to comply with the Plan
Dignity (the local version of Plan Colombia). Upon saying goodbye, the
now ex-number two man in the Bolivian government said that he leaves
office with the clear conscience and said, "I hope that those on the
outside take account of the balance," in an open reference to the
government of President George W. Bush. And he assured that the
government did all that it could do to comply with Plan Dignity to
eradicate the excess and illegal coca crops and in the frontal assault
on narco-trafficking.

Okay, then the Little Asa Hutchinson spoke, but with diplomatic grace
eluded referring to the delicate issues in Latin America, such as the
report cards handed out by the United States (the celebrated
"certification" of nations in the anti-drug plan). He dedicated almost
his entire speech to the subject of "ecstacy," that little pill that
is so popular in the First World and that, in recent years, has begun
to appear in Latin American markets.

He did not respond with the usual arrogance that gringo officials are
accustomed to use when his work was criticized. Asa Hutchinson seemed
more in the vibe of the ecstasy of a convention of Bible salesmen in
Salt Lake City than in that of a conference about drugs.

He socialized, slapped officials on the back, and conversed with
various colleagues from throughout the world.

What has happened?

It's simple: Some days ago, the official U.S. State Department reports
about Combat against Narco-Trafficking (the famous "certifications"),
and about the state of human rights in the world, were released to the
public.

In them, and there are specific statements by some Bush administration
officials, it became clear that Bolivia has stopped being the model
student that shines the apple for the teacher in its homework of
erasing the coca leaf from the map of the earth.

And, of course, in the theme of Human Rights, the record of Jorge
"Tuto" Quiroga is spiny: 57 assassinations by the State against
citizens in the first 180 days of his government. And all this, for
The mass of people, happy, almost all of them dark-skinned, then began
a festive march to the Plaza of Heroes, the popular meeting place, par
excellence, in La Paz. Your correspondent decided to get to the
computer. He knew that we'd all see each other soon enough and it was
time to place ourselves in contact with the Narco News community.

On this night, the Hidden Nation placed its destiny back in its own
hands. The die is cast. And Little Asa, for now, can sleep peacefully
remembering his speeches about ecstasy and money laundering throughout
the world.

One of these days, if he's still at his job, the men and women of
Bolivia are going to steal this dream.