The comparison doesn’t mean much, as is their wont, each country has its own specific conditions, for example the UK prefers to kill defenceless civilians on foreign fields, that way you get to travel to somewhere warmer and serve the establishment’s blood lust. Although must be said New Labour have been big fans of the death squads. But spare a thought for Colombians, the front runner in their presidential election Juan Manuel Santos a ‘centrist‘ conservative and Uribe & US approved former defence minister presided over a military that killed a couple of thousand civilians, made it look like they were guerrillas and the US Plan Colombia dollars kept rolling in. Although in better news, the Green candidate Antanas Mockus (ht2 Otto), is in second place!
(IPS) – The front-runner in the polls for Colombia’s presidential elections, Juan Manuel Santos, has come under fire from his rivals for his role in the scandal over young civilians killed by the army and passed off as guerrilla casualties, which broke out while he was defence minister.
“All you have to do is look at the statistics: the period when the highest number of non-combat killings was…when Santos was minister,” the opposition Liberal Party’s presidential candidate Rafael Pardo said in early March.
Santos, who was defence minister from July 2006 to May 2009, is the candidate backed by right-wing President Álvaro Uribe, in office since 2002.
The scandal, which broke out in September 2008, led to the removal of three generals and 24 other officers and noncommissioned officers, as well as the November 2008 resignation of then army chief Gen. Mario Montoya, regarded as one of the promoters of the so-called “body count” system, which used incentives like weekend passes, cash bonuses, promotions and trips abroad to reward soldiers and officers for “results” in the counterinsurgency effort.
The magnitude of the phenomenon was such that more than 60 prosecutors have been assigned to the nearly 1,300 cases involving the murders of over 2,000 civilians – including 59 minors and 122 women – who were presented as battlefield casualties.
PS. Though as Commenter Mike points out–
No, not 2,000:
This research coincides with the Office for National Statistics announcement today that there were 22‚400 excess winter deaths of older people last year.
From:
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/worry-warm-winter-271108.asp
Old figures admittedly, but politicians still kill thousands each year in this country with their genocide by omission policies.
Ten Percent 
12 April, 2010 at 9:37 pm
No, not 2,000:
From:
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/worry-warm-winter-271108.asp
Old figures admittedly, but politicians still kill thousands each year in this country with their genocide by omission policies.
Often, it seems, because they are too busy spending money killing people elsewhere.
12 April, 2010 at 9:39 pm
I stand corrected.
(Well at least they didn’t dress them up as guerilla’s and say there were Al Qaeda)
Will update.
12 April, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Daily Telegraph for this year:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/6997427/Britains-cold-weather-deaths-soar-as-winter-takes-its-toll.html
Two thousand is beginning to sound like a walk in the park (unless your one of them).
12 April, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Crucifixion’s a doddle.
Meanwhile, you know you’re only considering one incident under Santos when quoting that 2,000 person number. Just for fun(!) let’s forget the approx 20,000 illegal deaths (yep, twenty thousand) in the Uribe era that were not uniformed on either side and just note the cutely phrased “internally displaced” (aka a refugee that doens’t need a passport), right now counted at three million colombians (ahaahha!!!!) that can’t go back to where they want to live.
It’s actually an old tactic; the Inca empire would deal with a pesky troublemaking village under its rule, not by slaughtering them by by wholesale uprooting. They’d send the village on TheLongMarch to the other end of the kingdom, thus subduing their rebel tendencies. Even these days you have strange pockets of people in Ecuador (for example) who speak Bolivian dialects and look totally different from others.
By the way Rick, guerrilla has two “R”s. Its base is the word “guerra” meaning ‘war’.
12 April, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Found it (minute 2:47)
12 April, 2010 at 11:27 pm
12 April, 2010 at 11:27 pm
so why isn’t this embedding?
12 April, 2010 at 11:28 pm
ah..it is now. Sorry about the multiple comments
12 April, 2010 at 11:40 pm
‘Oddball’
r’s is fixed, yes not a total or a full picture but I suppose what it comes down to is different ruling elites find different ways to abuse the people and ours are not quite as brazen for the moment. Although as Mike points out we let the system kill through neglect and the atomised society and a refusal to share resources to ensure even basic life support.
‘a spoon’
‘Well done sergeant’
makes me think of
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/the-ricin-plot-that-didnt-add-up-to-a-row-of-beans-489545.html
13 April, 2010 at 12:59 am
Otto, saw your latest on Mockus
http://incakolanews.blogspot.com/2010/04/antanas-mockus-has-parkinsons-disease.html
Like you hope this creates some awareness, understanding and does not impact his campaign, as you say this will not affect his term in office (if he wins).
13 April, 2010 at 1:17 am
Yeah, and the more i look the more i think the Mockus guy is in with a squeak of winning it. The righties are now lining up behind Santos (today a bunch of 40 middle ranking politicos from Noemi Sanín’s conservative party (sad to say the same name exists there) abandoned their official candidate and pledged alliegance to Santos and his U party), which means that the direct threat against mockus grabbing 2nd spot and his place in the run-off has been weakened again.
There’s also his personality. He’s a bit of an wonky guy, which strangley enough seems to work in his favour. one of the things Colombians like about Uribe is is wonky nature and Mockus wins charm bonus points for the way he is. Certainly has more about him than the brute Santos. And yeah he’s honest, straight-talking, left leaning but not a classic lefty and says all the right pro-biz things that will not alienate him to a people brought up to blindly love the Foreign Direct Investment nursing bottle (fools they might be on that score, but today is realpolitik and not ideology).
Be clear that Santos is still favourite and it’s still probably his to lose, but Mockus has a shot at the title in the runoff. If enough mud sticks on the current eavesdropping scandal there’s a chance of sanity in Colombia.
And there’s his name; “Antanas Mockus”. It has a very cool ring to it (and sounds unusual in Spanish, too…i don’t think i’ve ever met and Antanas)
13 April, 2010 at 8:30 pm
I think it’s amazing a liberal-y green is so prominent, even if he loses it surely must make the conservatives/pro-Uribe grouping realise time to incorporate some of those policy ideas, at least a bit, maybe? And also, y’know, not kill so many people. At least Uribe lost his term extension scam.
13 April, 2010 at 1:06 am
Beware of the “perveted branch of Islam”… My ass! I’m more afraid of my own government in the US. When planning for the emergency response to the “Swine flu” epidemic the policy from on high was that no one over the age of 60 was to receive any innoculations. That even held true when their was no epidemic, the aged were the last authorized to receive the vaccine. My cynical evaluation was that it was a government plan to eliminate the future Social Secirity shortfall of funds. I suppose you could also call “genocide by omission” a budget balancing tool in the US.
13 April, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Neoliberals seeking to limit public expenditure regardless of social wellbeing, Malthus would be proud, but whatever did happen to that epidemic, almost as if the media failed to report science responsibly!
19 April, 2010 at 2:33 am
Wouldn’t it be hysterical if Clegg becomes your next Prime Minister?
I joined lots of people in calling Blair “Bush’s Poodle.” I’ve decided my nickname for Clegg is “Mr. None of the Above.”
19 April, 2010 at 8:20 pm
It would be good but not because he will be any better, but people will have their illusions stripped away, we are a one ideology state which is managed by different parties.