Pubdate: Mon, 19 Oct 2000 Source: U.S. News and World Report (US) Copyright: 2000 U.S. News & World Report Contact: 1050 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20007-3871 Fax: (202) 955-2685 Feedback: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/usinfo/infomain.htm Website: http://www.usnews.com/ Forum: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/forum.htm Author: Mike Plylar MISSION'S MOTIVES "Plan Colombia" is nothing but a ruse to protect large U.S. corporate political donors' oil, timber, and mining interests in South America and to send pork from Washington, D.C., to states around the country for the purchase of munitions and military hardware, which will be used to provide the protection ["Columbia's Messy, Complicated War," September 4]. While the world's citizens are led to believe that this quixotic mission will somehow stem the flow of illegal narcotics, our government officials collude with corporate lobbyists to protect their selfish interests in this virtually untapped region. Mike Plylar Kremmling, Colo. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens