As the group nears a campground after the day’s 12-mile march against a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, a red-cheeked man yells out of his vehicle: “Stop the drugs! Build the fence!”

But all along the three-county route of the march, voices against the fence have dominated the discussion. Ranchers and river entrepreneurs, school administrators and students oppose the fence and question whether it’s a better deterrent of illegal migration and illicit drugs than beefed-up Border Patrol forces and high-tech blockades. (more…)

El gobierno de George W. Bush y algunos legisladores conservadores han buscado transformar el tema de la incursión militar de Colombia en Ecuador en motivo para calificar de “terrorista” al gobierno de Venezuela.

Hoy, dos representantes republicanos federales de Florida, la cubanoestadunidense Ileana Ros-Lehtinen y Connie Mack, presentaron una resolución ante la cámara baja, que insta al gobierno de Bush a “designar a Venezuela patrocinador estatal del terrorismo”.

Vale recordar que en el Congreso hay mayoría demócrata, y que esos dos legisladores no tienen poder para garantizar la aprobación de resoluciones o proyectos. Sin embargo, esa iniciativa está ligada con una serie de declaraciones del gobierno de Bush, esta semana, que critican a la administración de Hugo Chávez. (more…)

Nevertheless, South Americans are left with a lingering sense of hypocrisy, and a feeling that perhaps this chapter in history is not yet completely written. (more…)

In response to criticism that Ecuador harbors Colombian rebels, Ecuadorian President Correa has told Bush to either send troops or shut up.

“Mr Bush, bring over your soldiers, let your soldiers be the ones who get killed at the southern border with Colombia,” Correa said two weeks after Bogota raided a Colombian rebel camp inside Ecuador killing a top rebel leader.

“Lets see if American citizens will accept such a tremendous barbarity. Otherwise, shut up and try to understand what’s happening in Latin America,” the Ecuadorian leader added. (more…)

“Uribe narcoterrorista.” “Vivan las FARC-EP.” “Raúl vive.” Las pintadas pueden verse en todos los barrios de Caracas. En Chacaíto, en Sabana Grande, en el complejo de monoblocks 23 de Enero. Los mensajes tienen algo en común: los firma la Coordinadora Simón Bolívar, uno de los movimientos sociales que forman parte del chavismo. La CSB surgió en el barrio 23 de Enero. Se hizo conocida en el enfrentamiento cotidiano contra la policía metropolitana de Caracas, que en otros tiempos respondía al ex alcalde mayor Alfredo Peña, de la oposición. Uno de sus fundadores, Alexis González, fue asesinado por la policía el día del golpe de Estado contra Hugo Chávez. Hoy el principal dirigente de la CSB es Juan Contreras. Su lugar de mando es un cuartito de la casa de la amistad bolivariana Freddy Parra. El bunker chavista del 23 de Enero. (more…)

Over the last few weeks, a strange set of events have taken place in both South America and the USA revolving around Colombia’s attack on bases of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (known by their Spanish acronym “FARC”) in Ecuador. The facts are rather straight forward. Military units of Colombia attacked a FARC base that was NOT in Colombia. In the ensuing attack, they killed a top commander of the FARC - Raul Reyes - along with more than 20 other people, several of whom were non-combatants. Following the attack, the Colombians claimed that they had captured a laptop computer which contained evidence that proved the governments of Venezuela and Ecuador had been assisting the FARC.

At this point, the plot thickened. First, the governments of Ecuador and Venezuela condemned the attack and mobilized their respective militaries to move to their borders with Colombia. The outcome of this was and actually is unpredictable. (more…)

Here at Radio Diaspora, we thought that it would be good if you could hear for yourselves, your voices and the voices of men and women, congratulating women in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as to other women from other continents around the world.

We all need to celebrate the March 8 because women are half the population… and mothers of the other half! So we call on all activists, students, individuals, broadcasters and Radio Diaspora fans, who feel and are in solidarity with the struggles and the victories of women.

How do you do it? Very easy. Send us a greeting with your recorded voice. Make it brief though, about 30-60 seconds, so we can put many greetings and testimonies live during the show on March 8th.
In the greeting:

Say your name
From what city and  country you recording
And your personal testimony on the work that you have done, or who you are honoring, why or what you want for women in this March 8.

That’s it! Record your greeting and send us an mp3 sound compressed or as a wav. File by mail to info@lacccenter.org

RECORD IT NOW!!

You can also send us your written comments and we will air them live during the show.

Caracas, Venezuela — On Saturday March 1st Colombia’s Air Force carried out a military operation in Ecuador, violating the sovereignty of its western neighbor nation.  The bombing resulted in at least 17 deaths.  One of the people reported to be among the victims is Raúl Reyes, commander and spokesperson for the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC). This attack is the continuation and escalation of an on-going war in Colombia that has persisted for 40 years due to US military funding and training of Armed Forces in Colombia.  The United States has a long history of intervention in Latin America, ranging from military occupations, to financial support for the overthrow of democratically elected presidents to economic sabotage to military trainings of state and private death squads.  In Colombia, the United States has taken particular interest in the oil, land, water, and agricultural resources as well as the ports and profitable cocaine trade, and more recently Colombia’s strategic location in relation to Venezuela and Ecuador. (more…)