National Call in Day, April 26th

In the past five years the United States has poured over three billion dollars into Colombia's armed forces. Attempts at a military solution to the illegal drug problem and Colombia's internal conflict have failed miserably. While the Bush Administration wants to continue with the same failed policy, time is up for Plan Colombia. We call for a new approach that combines social assistance in Colombia with drug treatment and prevention programs at home.

Currently, eighty percent of U.S. funding supports the Colombian armed forces through weapons, combat helicopters, fumigation support, military training and hard cash. The San José de Apartado Peace community holds the Colombian military accountable for the torture and assassination of eight community members in the February 21-22, 2005 massacre.

For years members of Congress have responded to our litany of complaints on fumigations and human rights abuses in by asking what we want instead. Finally we've got it in a new publication, the "Blueprint for A New Colombia Policy." [PDF format] This combined effort of some 30 human rights, church, union, and grassroots groups in the United States and Colombia lays out a comprehensive plan for a new approach based on the principles of peace, justice, and human rights. Click here for a summary of its policy recommendations.

April 26th, NATIONAL CALL IN DAY, is the day designated to take the message to our elected officials. Time is up for Plan Colombia. Peace is possible, but not through the barrel of a gun and fumigating chemical cocktails. How does respectfully demanding a humane U.S. policy promote justice in Colombia? Minimally, Colombians seeking the nonviolent path need a tolerant, non-threatening environment. The San José case painfully illustrates why.

A just, compassionate plan from the U.S. will help create space for confronting impunity and peacemaking in this war-torn land. Give voice to a policy that speaks our hopes and prayers. Make a difference at this critical moment. Refer your Member of Congress to the Blueprint and say you want a change in U.S./Colombia policy. Now.

The day after the National Call-In Day, Secretary of State Rice will visit Colombia. Read an alert from the Latin America Working Group, complete with a sample letter to the editor.