Pubdate: Thu, 19 Jul 2007
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2007 The Dallas Morning News
Contact:  http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n858/a06.html
Author: Colleen Minter McCool

Folly Of The War On Drugs

COLOMBIAN SPRAYING HURTS MORE THAN IT HELPS

Re: "Guns at the Ready - Colombia's FARC a threat still worth 
fighting," Monday Editorials.

Colombia's civil war is 38 years old; we don't need to be involved. 
Corporations that sell helicopters and drill for oil benefit from 
Plan Colombia at the price of human sacrifice. According to 
Colombians, 12 percent of the acreage that we sprayed was coca and 88 
percent food crops.

The American Medical Association, at its 2004 convention, said the 
spraying is causing widespread illnesses, destroying pastures, 
destroying food crops, poisoning livestock, displacing thousands of 
small farmers and killing birds, mammals, aquatic life and natural plants.

Our government's 2006 survey showed Colombia had 144,000 acres of 
coca being cultivated - more than when Plan Colombia began.

When will we declare our independence from big government's 
scandalous waste of our precious lives and resources?

Colleen Minter McCool, Stephenville
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman