Streams of WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks, What a scandal!
By John R. Holtz

So far La Nación and Inside Costa Rica have not published anything that either we did not already know or at least suspect. However, the plethora of reader comments published in La Nación by Ticos has been reflective of an angry and disappointed Costa Rica.

Of course, the U.S. was opposed to the recognition of China by Costa Rica. Moreover, most of the globe was opposed to how that recognition came about.

The sad truth is that Costa Rica sold her heart and soul for money and the hope China would promote Costa Rica to receive a seat on the UN Security Council (2007) which would also put Arias “…once again on the world stage,“ but that never came to fruition.

Please, do not lecture me about the environment when we authorized gold mining, close our eyes to shark finning, cut trees at random to build luxury homes, condos and resorts, pollute the air with 6.8 tons of perpetual carbon monoxide, use 300 tons of pesticides per year on home grown crops, and not to mention we have become a drug cartel branch office for laundering money and hiding out big time Narco heads; a lot with the collaboration of government officials and police.

Yesterday, WikiLeaks – La Nación published that in 2007 Costa Rica did, in fact, begin a program to allow its “special” police to train in the United States at the infamous southern command. And even suggested allowing select students to “discreetly” also be trained in the US.

Nobel Laureate, former president, Oscar Arias has made a career speaking against evil, violence, promoting democracy and human rights. He has also raked the United States over the red hot coals for its militaristic behavior and global arms sales.

Yet in one swift moment he sold Taiwan out to the Chinese who have none, I mean zero, of our social, political and legal qualities. And talk about arms?

Ex-president Arias forfeited his moral right ever again to lecture the US or any other country regarding arms, killing, profiling and justice. He gave all that up years ago for….money, 200 police cars and a really nice stadium.

The people of Costa Rica who criticize the US for its lack of human rights and war like mentality need to sober up, and look around to see who are their bed partners and stop being so naive.

Has any country sent troops to the northern border yet? Why would the U.S. when the Chinchilla administration elected to use the international diplomatic system to prove Costa Rica´s point and the government is so reluctant to let US ships dock to refuel and buy supplies much more than provide defense.

So the WikiLeaks makes sense and so do the tone of the drafts which seem confounded by this abrupt and unexplained change in moral attitude of Costa Rica.

La Nación reader comments regarding WikiLeaks´ cables are primarily as much anti-USA as anti-CR politicos when in fact, they should be reflective of a dysfunctional and hypocritical society named Costa Rica then and still lead by a Nobel Laureate who has spent these last several months attacking the press and explaining his administration to a disillusioned public.

*John Holtz can be reached at jrh@modernmanagement.org