January 2007

Are you in the district of a newly-elected senator or representative? If so, there are many actions you can take to introduce your new legislator to Colombia. Here is an educational packet on various issues related to U.S.-Colombia policy that is designed for you to give new members of Congress. You can give it to your representative or senator during a meeting, or you can mail it to him/her with letter explaining why you care about Colombia.

Educational Packet for New Members of Congress:
(Easy to print version: download all documents in one pdf file here)

• Letter for constituents to adapt (Microsoft Word). This letter, drafted by LAWG, is for you to give to your member of Congress with the informational packet. Remember to personalize the letter: if you have been to Colombia or have a personal connection to the country through your church or a local organization, be sure to include that! It will add a personal touch to your message and help your legislator understand why you care about this issue.
  
  
• The Very Definition of Failure: the Drug War in Colombia (pdf). A memo by the Center for International Policy
  
  
• Colombia: Government Gives “Green Light” to Attacks against Human Rights Activists (pdf). A press release from Amnesty International denouncing the recent surge in attacks against human rights defenders.
  
  
• Colombia: Free Trade, Workers Rights, Violence and Impunity (pdf). A memo by the US Labor Education of the Americas Project (USLEAP).
  
  
• Free Trade = Insecurity (pdf). A memo by the Institute for Policy Studies that promotes an improved U.S. trade agenda in Colombia.
  
  
• Need for Careful Congressional Monitoring of Paramilitary Demobilization in Colombia (pdf). A memo by the US Office on Colombia and the Washington Office on Latin America.
  
  
• Aerial Spraying in Colombia (pdf). A memo by the Inter-American Association for Environmental Defense.
  
  
• Victims of Terror Left Bereft: Refugee and Asylee Rejection Provisions (pdf). A memo from Jesuit Relief Services detailing the U.S. material support bar and its effect on Colombian refugees.
  
  
• Ecumenical letter to President Bush (pdf) from leaders and members of U.S. congregations and faith-based organizations, calling for a reassessment of U.S. policy in Colombia.
  
  
• Blueprint for a New Colombia Policy (pdf). A report written by LAWGEF, the Center for International Policy, the US Office on Colombia and the Washington Office on Latin America. Members of Congress are constantly asking, "But what's the alternative?" This is our unequivocal answer. Help turn the tide in favor of a new policy based on the principles of peace, justice, and human rights- not guns and chemicals.

You can also add to your packet print out of the news articles that we’ve linked to below. They help to dramatize and put a human face on what’s happening in Colombia.

• Colombia’s Coca Survives U.S. Plan to Uproot It
  A New York Times article by Juan Forero
• Colombia Unearthing Plight of its ‘Disappeared’
  A New York Times article by Juan Forero
• Killing Haunts Colombia’s Peace Plan
  An L.A. Times article by Chris Kraul, Feb. 8, 2007
• Paramilitary Scandal Takes Colombian Elite by Surprise
  A Washington Post article by Juan Forero, Feb. 22, 2007