The Washington Post today gives us yet more proof that the so-called "War on Terrorism" (or is it just the "War on Terror" now?) is nothing more than thinly-disguised imperialism. It's apparently not terrorism when wealthy Republican executives and multibillion-dollar U.S. corporations do it:
The Justice Department notified Chiquita Brands International yesterday that it will not seek to criminally charge its former top executive and other former high-ranking officers over the company's payment of bribes to a Colombian organization on the State Department's list of terrorist groups.
The multibillion-dollar banana company pleaded guilty earlier this year to making $1.7 million in illegal payments to a right-wing Colombian paramilitary group from 1997 to 2004. Until now, three of its officers were under investigation for authorizing and approving the payments to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, known as AUC, after federal prosecutors warned them in April 2003 that such bribes violated the nation's anti-terrorism laws.
Considering Chiquita was likely paying the right-wing death squads to murder union organizers and uppity peasants getting in the way of business, it's not surprising that the Bush administration is letting Chiquita executives get away with murder here. I won't even get into Chiquita's long and tangled relationship with U.S. Imperialism in Central and South America (mostly back when it was still known as the United Fruit Company), but let's just say this is nothing new.
UPDATE: Here are two good blog posts on Chiquita's recent dealings with terrorists: How Chiquita Banana funded terrorism and Ex-Chiquita execs support terrorists, go free
As usual, cross-posted at A la Gauche
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