Dining With Terrorists: America's Backyard. 17 Feb 09 - Pt 2

[R3dp055um]

Phil Rees is such a damn good journalist. This is journalism the way it used to be practiced, and an art practically extinct in the USA.

Much respect to Phil Rees, and for that matter, a certain somewhat-grudging measure of respect for the FARC, as well.

[Corzizzle]

all dumb shits

[Halahalahala08]

Why is this show obsess with showing people cleaning their guns ?? it's true man there's like over 10 scene of ppl cleaning their guns. It seems like all the rebels do is clean their guns.

[TheMaraudingGuy]

The word "terrorist" is really hard to label. I mean if you look at it this way, the French Resistance Force fighting Nazi Germany might as well be terrorists, they smuggled guns to the Allies and aided them with intelligence... I think its comes down to the cause, if you fight for wealth, power or just for the sake of destroying something you should be labeled a terrorist. If you fight for freedom, your family and home you should be labeled a resistance fighter. Thats atleat how I look at it.

[MsH3LLq8]

@TheMaraudingGuy

best comment ever 

[VegaMC]

7:54 - 8:26 correct answer on a good question

[DaBlastBeets]

Reagan is burning in hell, thank god.

[Fader18100]

American white Suburbia is funding the FARC

[FernQ2]

US army are terrosists and should all burn alive

[Corzizzle]

@FernQ2 go die

[Chucho232]

The reporter seems sympathetic to the FARC.

[Neoklaki]

Sometimes, the "terrorist" group is in the right. This is what this guy is setting out to do: to investigate from an objective standpoint whether the groups dubbed "terroist" have a valid right to do what they do. Sometimes, that is the case. Other times it isn't.

[TheTollundWoman]

In order for the ends to justify the means, the ends themselves must be justified.

In Nicaragua, both the ends and the means used by the Contras were completely unjustifiable. The *means* were identical to those used by the IRA, ETA, and other groups considered terrorist. And the ends amounted to nothing but American imperialism- undermining a sovereign government because of the (relatively minor) threat that government posed to American interests.

[TheTollundWoman]

The airstrip was most likely a defensive measure taken by the Sandanista government when it realized the likelihood of an American invasion; Nicaragua/the Sandanistas probably had no intention of using it to mount an attack on the US. Moreover, the US government probably knew this; they used the airstrip as a pretext for an invasion, to give the illusion of a preemptive strike when it was really a pure act of aggression. Kind of like the "WMD" story.

[TeriyakiBoy]

I hope we all remember that our very own founding-fathers were called terrorists by the English

[renegadecossack1]

@TeriyakiBoy - Our founding fathers didn't kidnap women and children for money.

[TeriyakiBoy]

@renegadecossack1 - Our founding fathers most definitely DID kidnap, rape, desecrate, murder, betray, rob and steal money and much much more. Read up on the history of our founding fathers such as Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington. Then you will see all of the horrible things that our country has hidden deep within the folds of our past. At one point in time every revolutionary was called a terrorist no matter how just the cause.

[allforall48]

som of those terrorists r HOT!!!!!!!!!

[qairrr]

its funny how US/West uses the word 'TERRORIST' always for their own benefit no matter how many kill.. but they are not terrorist and can never b terrorist... pathetic

[jmack619]

funny thing ---all the drugs are smugglud where ?? to the west U S A ! ironic isn,t it

[decimator333]

So the FARC are communist rebels who are also kidnappers and drug dealers.

Terrorists? No. Bad guys? I'd say so.

[samdonuge]

i think the problem is that good guys get 'neutralized'

[fairtradeplease]

You fucking idiot. What do u think the United States does, help people? They deal more drugs, kill more people than all these "terrorist groups" do. Stop getting so brainwashed by the media and governments. makes me sad.

[decimator333]

Fuck off asshole. I'm not on you're side but that doesn't make me brainwashed. I said they ARE NOT terrorists and I didn't say a thing about USA.

The FARC are violent commie scum.

[Chanocksanchez]

hhmm from the sounds of it, it seems the U.S. Government is a HUGE bully. The only people I THINK are REAL terrorists, are the Zetas in North Mexico, or the gangs that live on the u.s. those are terrorist, how come we are not fighting against them? ..... hmm never thought of that.

[elnegro5695]

zetas dont really fit in the category of terrorist, they are not trying to overthrown mexican goverment or anything like that they are the private army of the gulf cartel, they are a criminal organization one of the most powerfull & well organized, im not trying to defend them they are making our streets less safe everyday & i hate the motherfuckers but they are not terrorist

[absentspace]

First, The FARC must have the cleanest weapons on the planet.

But seriously, what are we supposed to take away from this? The US pursues a hypocritical foreign policy? Does that mean FARC is justifiably kidnapping citizens and holding them for Ransom? The juxtaposition is made a little haphazardly.

[maofas]

re: 8:13 I pray that in 3 generations or so Americans will be so sick of their government that they'll do the same.

[SteilAmSeil]

i think i can summ this up

if some group has a use for the USA

its not terrorist

every other group is terrorist

fuck america

[americasuck007]

the real terrorist AMERICA

[mujahid313]

The Islamic Resistance all over the world are also freedom fighters because they are fighting to end the occupation of their lands and to end the rule of corrupt dictators imposed on them as a result of Western colonialism.

They are working towards the re-establishment of the Khilafah; which is the duty of all Muslims.

[Naqib777]

america is the real terrorist

[dawoudii]

great show!!!!!so logical......

[hudinisghost]

Of course if Columbia was to become a Russian or Chinese missile or army base then the FARC would be considered freedom fighters by America. It seems that America believe they invented the word terrorism and get to define who or what terrorism is. Al-Quadea (apologies for spelling) is of course a terrorist organisation, it is a typical over spoilt rich boy having fun with rockets and bombs at the worlds expense. Their bombings on civilians serve no purpose, however a group like FARC could be FF

[durt1000]

FARC guns are from USA!

[SteilAmSeil]

of course america is the biggest weapon dealer in the world

[brotherbob1978]

Excellent....

[lenesu86]

No wonder US sponsored terrorism. What's the point of helping others when you must first help yourself.

[valken666]

Labeling groups as terrorists is a very effective way of turning a nation against an armed group. And it is usually supported by their means of getting money, since they don't have an economy.

[R3dp055um]

Overall, though, this is an excellent report. Very well done.

It is a bit cliche in spots, a bit over-dramatic in the mainstream media style, as compared to the stark, blunt realism that is the usual reportorial style of Al Jazeera English.

[R3dp055um]

Noam Chomsky is making a big deal about the CIA manual instructing the Contras to kill judges and cops. Yes, it's true the CIA manual said that, and of course "neutralise" means kill.

But we're talking classic Maoist Stage One insurgency here. Without offering any moral judgement one way or the other, let's recognise that this is how guerilla armies operate.

Now if you want to say the US was wrong to fund the Contras in the first place, that's a legitimate point.

[juancsmix]

giving FARC the chance of being considered an army of and for the poor through this programme is extremely wrong, irresponsible and ridiculous. I dont care if a journalist went to the jungle and had lunch with a group of guerrilleros, if he considers that having a chat and listening to their lies is grounds to giving them the benefit of the doubt then he should really wake up and start interviewing a lot more people and investigating the reality of the country.

[juancsmix]

you can't place the doubt on FARC's supposed altruistic ideals and status as a terrorist group. I do not measure terrorism according to the United States hypocritical definition, but I measure it by reality. I know there are many people around the world with naive and romantic views on revolutionary armed groups, in the case of Colombia and FARC this view is completely wrong, confirmed even by FARC's own soldiers, and confirmed by the reality of the death and destruction they cause.

[ubuibiok]

*****

[rjbonacolta]

Terrorism is a set of tactics

[Malgorzata64]

It's very good and interesting. Labeling people with the "terrorist" lable does not explain anything and does not solve anything. Especially if double standards are used, as pointed in the movie.

[americasuck007]

FUCK AMERICA

[TECHKLEC]

americasucks007 is the biggest asshole on YT.

[americasuck007]

fuck you gay boy get a life

[TECHKLEC]

Go fuck a goat, raghead.

[sleeplessintokyo]

great stuff..

[hisunand]

fuck al jazeera. farc is a terrorist organisation

[iamtexas]

The terrorist label is pointless? This completely leaves out the hundreads of bombings FARC has staged in major cities in Colombia. Not to mention their explotation and extortion of the same indigenous farmers they claim to protect. At the same the same time I'm the last person that wants to defend a scumbag like Uribe.

[xxashyy]

Yeah but what about the hundreds and thousands of bombing carried out by the United States, Israel, and Britain? Shall we go down the list? Vietnam, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and other nations too many to name terrorized by the United States. Not to mention the financing of terrorism in the 3rd world nations by the CIA and company. So if FARC is a terror organization the US and the other occupying nations are TERROR governments.

[iamtexas]

I'm aware of the attrocities that the US has committed internationally and I do not condone them. But arguing against a group like FARC should not lead people to believe that I automatically support Uribe and the US initiative. I'm sure most Colombians don't support FARC or Uribe and the US.

[Damazigh]

but why is it imperative for you to call FARC terrorists but not the US. I mean like you said they both committed a lot of atrocities.

[iamtexas]

First, because FARC is the focus of this video. Secondly, I know most people in the US do not condone the policies of it's government and are either unaware or unable to change it as such. These people aren't the terroists so saying that all of the US is terrorist would be foolish. But I'll never hesitate to tell you, any day, that Henry Kissinger is a terrorist or Donald Rumsfeld is a terrorist or Álvaro Uribe is a terrorist.