Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (KY) Copyright: 2005 Lexington Herald-Leader Contact: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/240 Author: Regina Wink Swinford Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/colombia.htm (Colombia) PAPER IGNORING COLOMBIA Did you know that Colombia is second after Sudan for having the most displaced people? Colombia receives the third-largest amount of U.S. foreign aid -- only Israel and Egypt receive more. Despite having the worst humanitarian conditions in our hemisphere, 80 percent of our aid to Colombia is military. Did you know the primary rationale for sending $4 billion to Colombia over the past five years has been to curb the flow of drugs into the United States? Kentucky's U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Ben Chandler are on congressional committees that will decide to either help the Colombian people with humanitarian aid or continue wasting our money on failed military policies. If you are counting on the Herald-Leader for your information, you probably don't know these things. But at least you are well-informed about Michael Jackson and the status of pet monkeys. Regina Wink Swinford Frankfort - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin