Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez got a belated Christmas present today: A top Marxist rebel leader, Ricardo Palmera, a.k.a. Simon Trinidad, was arrested in a joint Colombian/U.S. military operation. Palmera was a member of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), Colombia's most powerful "rebel" group. The ELN (National Liberation Army) ranks second among Colombia's left-wing murderers. To balance off the left-wing extremists, Colombia has its share of right-wing murderers, like the AUC (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia). According to the Council on Foreign Relations,

Today, the FARC, the ELN, and the AUC--motivated by a mix of ideology, hunger for drug money, and desire for power--engage in terrorism and the narcotics trade...

Maybe there was a time when the FARC had something legitimate to fight for. They claim to stand up for the rural peasants, but I don't believe for a second they do anymore. All's they do now is kill innocent civilians in random acts of terror.

My G#d, what a total mess Colombia is now:

...Colombia’s ongoing civil war, feeble central government, powerful guerrillas and paramilitary groups, and wealthy drug lords have made the country a sanctuary for homegrown terrorist groups that carry out bombings, extortion, kidnapping, and assassination.

I am hopeful that President Uribe can bring stability and peace to Colombia. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, former governor of the Antioquia province, and one-time mayor of Medellin, he was elected Colombia's president by a landslide in May 2002. Uribe has been accused of having links to drug traffickers and right-wing paramilitaries, but no one has substantiated the charges. His 2002 campaign platform promised to get tough on the Marxist FARC and ELN. Colombia's voters obviously liked his message -- and disdained his predecessor, Andres Pastrana.

The idiota Pastrana thought placating the Marxists would bring peace to Colombia. He gave them control over 1/3 of the country. The FARC wasn't satisfied and thanked Pastrana with ultra-violence (terrorism).

Uribe has been pretty tough on the Marxist murderers. Let's hope he's just as tough on the right-wing paramilitaries. The U.S. is backing Uribe with $600 million per year in aid through 2005. I'm not sure how effective this aid will be, as it is mostly aimed at stopping Colombia's illicit drug production and trafficking. With North America and Europe's voracious drug demands, it is likely that some Colombians will find ways to provide supply.

While I have traveled in South America, I have never been to Colombia. My astute partner here at netWMD, Donnel Jones, has visited Colombia and has written several brilliant essays about the situation there. I invite all interested netWMD visitors to take the time to read Donnel's insightful works:

• Oh Colombia!
• Not A Solution
• Happy Birthday, Colombia!
• It Is Only A Flesh Wound
• Second Chance