I don't get to post often anymore. Mostly, it's the darn Master's Degree, just months away now for my fingers to grasp. Today, I can't help but take my lunch time to point out something pretty freaking disturbing. In The Hill today, there's a post up on a letter from the AFL-CIO to Congress on the possible Colombian Free Trade Agreement. The crux of the letter is this:

Included with the letter was a list of names of the 22 union leaders who have been killed in Colombia, 15 of those after the United States agreed to a labor action plan with the South American country in April to improve its labor rights record, according to the AFL-CIO. Labor has long vehemently opposed a trade deal with Colombia because of its record of violence against union activists.

Colombia kills union activists. And this, is somehow, reason to celebrate in the comments section on The Hill

Could we get them to do it here? There are more than enough union thug bosses already. BY David on 09/27/2011 at 10:52

yeah, I believe this guy is a CEO, right:

I serve as President of a major corporation in the U.S. All these people want to do is create trouble for us. I look forward to the day we have a government that is sympathetic to the job creators and allow us to handle the unions like Columbia has done.BY RG Brewer on 09/27/2011 at 11:08

I wonder if those killing the labor slugs in Colombia can outsource that work here.BY canuck on 09/26/2011 at 19:00

There are worse comments. They are mostly a jumble of thinly veiled threats against union activists from folks who use pithy comment names like: hateslibs, Holyman, imam obama, Justice For All and Tea Party Patriot and of course the thinly veiled racist comments like the one referring to the President as a "pimp" and the person who thinks "imam obama" was a pithy by line, an out right reference to Obama being Muslim. As of now, the most vile and offensive of the posts have finally been moderated by the hill, but the stench from reading the vile comments can't be removed. If you feel you need to see how horrible and violent and offensive, head over to Dave's post today. He has some of the worst, even ones I would not reprint here. In a world that is increasingly inter-connected and complex, the only salvation we really have is to see each other as human beings. When people degrade and "joke" about violence or cheer the death of others, it makes me sick and it horrifies me to think of the kind of world my daughter is going to inherit. I had really hoped we'd found a way to turn down the violent rhetoric, but apparently, I'm wrong, dead wrong.

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Well, not in the US of course, just in Colombia. Apparently, it's okay if unionists die:

It is true that Colombia has a history of violence. But since President Álvaro Uribe took office in 2002, that violence has been substantially reduced. The homicide rate through the end of 2007 was down by 40.4% and the rate among union members was down almost 87%. There is nothing "consistent" about a drop to 26 union member murders in 2007 from 155 in 2000.

As for prosecutions: In union-member killings, there were zero convictions from 1991-2000 and one in 2001. But from 2002-2007, there were 80. According to the Colombian attorney general's office, 29% of those murders were "found to have been results of theft, petty crime and random violence unrelated to union activity." Mr. Uribe has nonetheless created a special investigative unit for crimes against union members, and he expanded a special government protection program for unions.

Goodness knows, that according to the Wall Street Journal, we should just TRUST Colombia when they say that murders are due to petty crime or theft. Colombia's such a bastion of truth, no wait, I meant the Wall Street Journal, no wait, I think I mean both of them.

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Free Trade with Colombia is not a "no brainer" like Mr. McSame said tonight. Let me remind you why:

I suppose the death last week of yet another Colombian union activist is just an example of how far Colombia has come in addressing their issues. Well, I guess if you're a moron, that is.

or how about Uribe who thought it was okay to address this issue, an issue of AMERICAN politics:

"I deplore the fact that Senator Obama, aspiring to be president of the United States, should be unaware of Colombia's efforts," said President Alvaro Uribe in a statement released by the presidency. "I think it is for political calculations that he is making a statement that does not correspond to Colombia's reality."

Don't worry, before the vote in the Senate this is what Obama said:

"I will oppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement if President Bush insists on sending it to Congress because the violence against unions in Colombia would make a mockery of the very labour protections we have insisted be included in these kinds of agreements," Obama said Wednesday at a meeting of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.

And there's Coca Cola and years of intimidation and murder of union activists:

The body of Isidro Gil lay inside the plant. The first bullet had hit him between the eyes. The remaining five shots were fired out of spite or bravado. Another Coca-Cola union leader had been disposed of.

But here's the real kicker:

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) puts the conviction rate of trade union murderers at 1%. Certainly President Uribe has shown little inclination to rectify this situation. “There are no assassinations of workers in Colombia,” he has stated, adding that there are “rotten apples” in the trade union movement.

On Labourstart, there are 100 stories of strikes, deaths, intimidation, and other issues within Colombia. The no brainer here Mr. McCain is that Colombia kills, intimidates and silences trade unionists. Free trade, No Fucking Way!!

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So, it's been delievered to Congress now and President Bush has decided to answer all the complaints about abuses of union activists and flagrant disregard for worker's rights with this amazing statement captured by the AP:

The president disagrees, saying Colombia has addressed the issues.

Disagrees? With who, well, Congress of course:

The agreement, which would tear down trade barriers between the two nations, is heavily opposed by Democrats in Congress. Democrats contend that Colombia has not done enough to halt violence, protect labor activists and demobilize paramilitary organizations.

I suppose the death last week of yet another Colombian union activist is just an example of how far Colombia has come in addressing their issues. Well, I guess if you're a moron, that is.

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I told a friend this week that Senator Clinton speaks like she's blue collar; as if she understands our issues. For me, it's always sounded forced, fake, like she was staging it. Especially when she'd talk about union issues and then have someone like Mark Penn around, hypocritical just doesn't begin to cover it.

Well, today in the Independent, they take Clinton to task for Penn and his recent LOBBYING on behalf of Colombia, you know, the country that stands by and watches as Union Activists are murdered.

Mrs Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, has been forced to apologise after he was discovered lobbying for a free-trade agreement her campaign opposes. The proposed Colombia trade agreement is bitterly opposed by trade unions and human rights groups, and there are growing calls on Mrs Clinton to axe him.

Mr Penn has kept his $3m (£1.5m) a year job as head of the British-owned lobbying firm Burson-Marsteller while guiding Mrs Clinton's campaign. The man who helped Bill Clinton get into the White House has produced some of Mrs Clinton's most effective ads, including the recent "3am in the morning" ad, which stressed her round-the-clock capacity for handling crises.

Mr Penn described his lobbying meeting with Colombia's ambassador as "an error of judgment".

Error in judgment, my ass.

Now, here's the thing; I really hate (okay, despise) Penn. His desire to continue to work for anti-union groups makes me sick. I just have no idea how he can sleep at night when he's lobbying on behalf of his firm for a Colombian Free Trade Agreement that is not only bad for the US, but particularly bad for Colombian trade union activists.

But, don't take my word for it, listen to the President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe

"I deplore the fact that Senator Obama, aspiring to be president of the United States, should be unaware of Colombia's efforts," said President Alvaro Uribe in a statement released by the presidency. "I think it is for political calculations that he is making a statement that does not correspond to Colombia's reality."

SNIP

"I will oppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement if President Bush insists on sending it to Congress because the violence against unions in Colombia would make a mockery of the very labour protections we have insisted be included in these kinds of agreements," Obama said Wednesday at a meeting of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.

Why are Uribe's comments so important? Look at who they're directed at...Obama, not Clinton. It's about Obama's opposition to a Colombian FTA. I believe she will vote against the agreement, but Uribe is making Obama's stand on issue. Sure seems to me that Clinton and Penn are sitting in that tree, talking Colombian FTA.

UPDATE:
ABC has been reporting that Penn has left.

It's being reported as breaking news on Dailykos.

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