Rumsfeld: El Salvador Can Be Iraq Model

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- Iraq can learn from the recent history of El Salvador, a country wracked by civil war that has developed into a stable democracy and close U.S. ally, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday.

Rumsfeld, speaking at the U.S. Embassy here, thanked the Salvadorans for supplying troops for U.S. operations in Iraq. El Salvador, with about 370 soldiers in the only other country in the Western Hemisphere that currently has troops there.

"We are deeply in your debt," Rumsfeld said during a Veterans Day ceremony honoring U.S. and Salvadoran soldiers. He held up El Salvador as "a nation that understands well the human struggle for liberty and democracy."

From 1979 to 1992, El Salvador suffered a bloody civil war with leftist guerillas that left 75,000 dead in this nation of 6.5 million, where half live in poverty.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-rumsfeld,0,7316464.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

then claim as a triumph. Whew! :evilfrown:

a LoveLy gang that has been exported to america!

Rumsfeld is :crazy:

1) The war in El Salvador was political, not religious. 2) While we had "advisors" on the ground in E.S., we never staged a massive invasion. 3) We did not dismantle the Salvadoran army leaving a power vaccuum-though it can be argued we should have. 4) El Salvador is a hell of a lot more politically and culturally homogeneous than Iraq EVER WILL BE. 5) Shut the fuck up, you fucking murderous moron.

result we can hope for, esp. with these morons in charge.

We trained El Salvador's military at the School of the Americas and then they carried out the US policy of SCORCHED EARTH just like we're doing once again in Iraq.

<clips>

...United Nations Truth Commission Report: This report on El Salvador cites over 60 Salvadoran officers as committing the worst atrocities during that country's brutal civil war. Over 2/3 of those named were alumni of the SOA. For example:

> 19 of 26 cited for the assassination of 6 Jesuit priests and 2 co-workers.
> 10 of 12 cited for the massacre of over 900 at El Mozote.
> 2 of 3 cited for the assassination of Archbishop Romero.
> 3 of 5 cited for the murder of 4 U.S. church women.
> 2 of 3 cited for the murder of several union leaders.

http://www.soawne.org/SOAFacts.html

http://www.soaw.org/new/index.php

and impoverishment, Iraq will also be able to survive the US's "help."

It would be funny if I didn't think Rummy was too optimistic by half. Unlike ES, Iraq has oil and therefore is destined to keep receiving US "help."

I would expect they'd try to follow their death squad strategy.

Let me guess: Iran is playing the part of Nicaragua this time?

manual teaches same thing that happens in Latin America and Abu Ghraib. Declassified docs describe the same techniques. :puke:

<clips>

PRISONER ABUSE: PATTERNS FROM THE PAST

National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 122

Cold War U.S. Interrogation Manuals Counseled "Coercive Techniques"
Cheney Informed of "Objectionable" Interrogation Guides in 1992
"Inconsistent with U.S. Government Policy"
National Security Archive Posts CIA Training Manuals from 60s, 80s, and
Investigative memos on earlier controversy on human rights abuses

http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB122/

case...13 year war...mass graves..that's some consolation Rummy

El Salvador

media will not do any background

those who came of age after the years leading to the 'success' know little about the history.....most adults at the time DID NOT PAY ATTENTION

not

A very illuminating remark....