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Ear to the Ground

Going Bananas for Terrorists

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Posted on Mar 15, 2007
Banana farm
film.queensu.ca

Chiquita has agreed to pay $25 million in fines for bribing Colombian terrorist groups to safeguard its banana plantations. One of the groups, a right-wing paramilitary organization, has been guilty of some of Colombia’s worst atrocities.


AP:

In court documents filed Wednesday, federal prosecutors said the Cincinnati-based company and several unnamed high-ranking corporate officers paid about $1.7 million between 1997 and 2004 to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, known as AUC for its Spanish initials.

The AUC has been responsible for some of the worst massacres in Colombia’s civil conflict and for a sizable percentage of the country’s cocaine exports. The U.S. government designated the right-wing militia a terrorist organization in September 2001.

Prosecutors said the company made the payments in exchange for protection for its workers. In addition to paying the AUC, prosecutors said, Chiquita made payments to the National Liberation Army, or ELN, and the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, as control of the company’s banana-growing area shifted.

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By Bert, March 15, 2007 at 2:52 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

One more product to boycott, there, along with gasoline…never used the drugs to begin with. I wish they’d get their shit together and actually build the US/Mexico border fence and forget the globalization stuff…

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By Terry Sloth, March 15, 2007 at 11:44 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

“The AUC has been responsible for some of the worst massacres in Colombia’s civil conflict and for a sizable percentage of the country’s cocaine exports. The U.S. government designated the right-wing militia a terrorist organization in September 2001.”

In effect, Chiquita Brands International has been paying off gangsters for protection—-so what else is new—this behavior has been going on forever in Latin America; multi-nationals have constantly supported the most dictatorial regimes, and have allowed thousands to be tortured and killed only to ensure profits—didn’t the U.S. support the Pinochet regime, and don’t we always turn a blind eye to drug trafficking; i.e., Mexico and Afghanistan. 

Didn’t everyone see the massive demonstrations last week against Bush, while he was doing the conga through Latin America—-well, now we know, exactly why they hate us for our freedom!

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By Quy Tran, March 15, 2007 at 10:54 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

But at least Chiquita had bananas to sell for its benefits while Bush/Cheney are trying to annihilate terrorists but only have phantom results ! Between Chiquita and Bush/Cheney which ones is better ?

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By HeadlessHessian, March 15, 2007 at 9:12 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Remember the old Chiquita jingle…‘I’m Chiquita banana and I’m here to explain….’, try this
“I’m chiquita banana and I’m here to explain, helping terroristas is the name of the game!”

Bastards…
Never trust corporations or their puppet republicans.

Headless

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By Christopher Robin, March 15, 2007 at 7:55 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Two and one half star,

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says:

“Yes! We Have No Bananas”

Audio link: 
http://www.authentichistory.com/1920s/Billy_Jones-Yes_We_Have_No_Bananas.html

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A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
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