Vital Interview: GalacticU Radio w/Sierra Neblina Interviews Brian & Bob -- Archive of Today's Show

Copied from Brian Kelly's Blog 
GalacticU Radio w/Sierra Neblina Interviews Brian & Bob at 2:30 pst Today
August 8, 2013

Bob and I just finished the recording with Sierra a couple of hours ago. For anyone who feels like they need a deeper understanding of how our monetary system works, how all loans are fraud, the strawman account and where we believe the new value system is headed, I highly suggest giving this a listen. I also think this would be a good dialogue to share with those who still may need some convincing. I'll probably go back and listen to it again myself ;) ~BK

Just received this comment from Caroline on Facebook:"Brian, am listening to your interview with GalactU Radio -- it is brilliant. Encouraging everyone I know to listen to it." - Caroline

People from all around the world have enjoyed Sierra's ground breaking work during her days at The 2012 Scenario and Golden Age of Gaia. Sierra's journey has recently inspired her to blaze her own trail, culminating in the creation of GalacticU, an interactive website as well as weekly radio show. An incredible Soul and active Truth Seeker, Sierra is committed to raising awareness and playing her part in the shifting of human consciousness. What a crucial role she has signed up for indeed. Bob and I are honored to be on the show today with Sierra at 2:30. It's guaranteed to be packed full of relevant info and discussion of current events and our perception of where developments are headed in the days and weeks to come. We have found ourselves in the most exciting time to be alive in human history. Join us as we ready ourselves for the next great chapter of the Human experience, a show you do not want to miss! ~BK

GalacticU Radio is an interactive radio show with Sierra Neblina where you can call in to ask questions that pertain to Ascension, disclosure, Galactic energy downloads, Walk-Ins, Starseeds, Cities of Light, the Golden Age of Gaia, NESARA and more.

Today we are talking to Brian Kelly and his co-host Bob Wright from www.5Dmedianetwork.com. We are focusing on the financial institutions around the world and the upcoming changes to it.  

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sierra-neblina/2013/08/08/galacticu-radio-with-sierra-neblina

Be sure to call in during the live show with your questions or listen to archives. (646) 478-3085

Also, explore spiritual Ascension and your own Galactic nature this fall at GalacticU's Ascension Rising Conference happening in Sedona October 25,26, 27th: http://www.galacticu.com/live.html read more

http://www.galacticu.com

http://www.facebook.com/#!/GalacticUniversity

Copied from GalacticU homepage:

Welcome to GalacticU, a place of Galactic teachings from your Family in the sky. Our dream is to connect with you, to help you find the truth of who you are and who you can be.

The time for cooperation among those on Earth and our Galactic Family is now. Galactic beings are no longer deep in the shadow. They walk among you and you will be truly invigorated by what they can share with you this day.

GalacticU represents collaboration among those on board ship around the planet and those who walk among you, including Sierra Neblina, the founder of GalacticU. Sierra is a walk-in of Pleiadian decent who has come to share spiritual guidance for those ready for Ascension.

Your deep affinity for the sky and what lies beyond could be a strong indication that you are part of our Star Family. We want to share our teachings and come to know and help you understand your role in the shift of the planet. Our work began with Gaia’s cry for help. For decades we have worked toward this time, this day, this period of coming together and finding true joy on planet Earth.

Remember to be the bright shining light that you are. You are unique and you have something to contribute to this world! Now let’s get started!

"GalacticU is about discovering your innate wisdom, bringing Soul Families together and empowering you with the tools you need to successfully navigate Physical Ascension while leveraging all the help we can get from our Galactic Family." - Sierra Neblina

Read More

"Hello Scotia Mocatta, This Is JPMorgan - We Urgently Need Some Of Your Gold"

Thanks to Dan for finding this one... -AK

"Hello Scotia Mocatta, This Is JPMorgan - We Urgently Need Some Of Your Gold"
Tyler Durden's pictureSubmitted by Tyler Durden on 08/08/2013 16:27 -0400

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-08/hello-scotia-mocatta-jpmorgan-we-urgently-need-some-your-gold


Yesterday, it was HSBC. Today, the lucky respondent to JPM's polite gold 'procurement' request, is the second "fullest" New York commercial gold vault: Scotia Mocatta.

As ZH reported previously, following the announcement of an imminent withdrawal of 63.5k ounces of its gold (16% of the total), JPM's vault operations team promptly called around and to its disappointment was only able to procure a tiny 6.4k ounces: not nearly enough to preserve the impression that it is well-stocked. We then said, "None of which changes the fact that in a few days, the inventory in JPM's gold vault will drop to another record low of only 380K ounces and the JPM "rescue" pleas from HSBC and other Comex members will become ever louder and more desperate until one day they may just go straight to voicemail."

Today, as we predicted, the calls into HSBC indeed appear to have gone straight to voicemail (perhaps HSBC did not have any more unencumbered gold to share, perhaps it just didn't want to) which left JPM with just one option: go down the list.

Sure enough, as the just released Comex update shows, JPM was forced to receive a "completely unsolicited" handout of some 20.2K ounces from Scotia Mocatta, the vault best known for being situated under 4 WTC during September 11 (and whose current physical vault can be found conveniently within spitting distance of JFK airport).


However, what is notable today unlike yesterday, is that JPM's pleas seem to be getting more shrill: while yesterday HSBC released eligible inventory, today Scotia was forced to hand over registered gold straight into JPM's eligible pile: this is perhaps the first time we have seen this happen laterally between two vaults, without an intermediate warrant detachment step. Furthermore, with HSBC moving 43.4K oz from Registered to Eligible, we would expect either another major Comex withdrawal in the next few days from HSBC, or this is merely HSBC making room for further gold "requests" by JPM.

Either way, assuming that first the HSBC transfer, and now the Scotia Mocatta gold delivery, aren't entirely unsolicited, how long until someone inquires just why it is that the biggest bank by assets is forced to run around town and beg for whatever gold it can get its hands on?

***

And for those who missed it, here is yesterday's lateral gold move from HSBC to JPM:

So which bank's gold stash will JPM politely plunder tomorrow having already gone through the two top commercial gold vaults? Find out tomorrow: same time, same place.

Read More

Court officially declares Bitcoin a real currency

Court officially declares Bitcoin a real currency
Published time: August 08, 2013 15:54 Get short URL
http://rt.com/usa/bitcoin-sec-shavers-texas-231/

A federal judge has for the first time ruled that Bitcoin is a legitimate currency, opening up the possibility for the digital crypto-cash to soon be regulated by governmental overseers.

United States Magistrate Judge Amos Mazzant for the Eastern District of Texas ruled Tuesday that the US Securities and Exchange Commission can proceed with a lawsuit against the operator of a Bitcoin-based hedge fund because, despite existing only on the digital realm, “Bitcoin is a currency or form of money.”

Trendon Shavers of Bitcoin Savings & Trust (BTCST) was accused last year of scamming customers out of roughly $4.5 million worth of the cryptocurrency through his online hedge-fund. Shavers promised investors a weekly return of 7 percent, according to the federal complaint, but shut-down his site after collecting upwards of 700,000 bitcoins. When the SEC charged Shavers last month with operating a Ponzi scheme, he fought back by saying Bitcoin is not actual currency and can’t be regulated.

“The SEC asserts that Shavers made a number of misrepresentations to investors regarding the nature of the investments and that he defrauded investors. However, the question currently before the Court is whether the BTCST investments in this case are securities as defined by Federal Securities Laws,” Judge Mazzant wrote this week. “Shavers argues that the BTCST investments are not securities because Bitcoin is not money, and is not part of anything regulated by the United States. Shavers also contends that his transactions were all Bitcoin transactions and that no money ever exchanged hands. The SEC argues that the BTCST investments are both investment contracts and notes, and, thus, are securities.”

Despite Shavers’ argument, Mazzant weighed in this week with an opinion that’s not only quite the contrary, but could have widespread repercussions in the world of Bitcoin.

“It is clear that Bitcoin can be used as money,” Mazzant wrote. “It can be used to purchase goods or services, and as Shavers stated, used to pay for individual living expenses. The only limitation of Bitcoin is that it is limited to those places that accept it as currency. However, it can also be exchanged for conventional currencies, such as the US dollar, Euro, Yen and Yuan. Therefore, Bitcoin is a currency or form of money, and investors wishing to invest in BTCST provided an investment of money.”

Bitcoin investments "meet the definition of investment contract, and as such, are securities,” the judge added.

Now with the magistrate’s blessing, the SEC can continue with its case against Shavers and his site. With that same ruling, though, the government is for now getting the go ahead for what could lead to the rampant regulation of Bitcoin.

  SEC v Shavers, August 6

“The ruling, while certainly a victory for the Commission, is also likely to have farther-reaching ramifications as federal regulators increasingly encounter investment fraud based on non-traditional investment vehicles,” securities and business law attorney Jordan Maglich wrote in a Forbes op-ed this week.



“The case is notable in several aspects. First, it is the first known enforcement action predicated on a Bitcoin-based investment scheme, and comes at a time when US and foreign governments are devoting increasing scrutiny to the unregulated nature of the Bitcoin currency structure. In addition to these issues, the case may also have deeper ramifications going forward. Indeed, the case comes as federal regulators are increasingly tasked with policing non-traditional investments that share few characteristics with traditional investment vehicles such as stocks and notes,” Maglich wrote.

Even if this week’s ruling is a landmark decision with regards to Bitcoin, it certainly isn’t the first time as of late Uncle Sam intervened in the digital marketplace. In May, the US Department of Homeland Security seized a payment processing account Tuesday belonging to the largest international Bitcoin trader, claiming the monetary exchange service falsified financial documents.

Read More

Water from Billboards in Peru

Read More

$700k windfall: Russian man outwits bankwith hand-written credit contract

Oleg Tinkov, head of Tinkoff Group
 (RIA Novosti / Ramil Sitdikov)

http://on.rt.com/movrvj
This is probably one of those moments when a corporation really wishes it wasn't a "person" in a contract.... LOL!!! I don't recommend trying this, but this is very funny... -Bill

$700k windfall: Russian man outwits bank with hand-written credit contract
Published time: August 08, 2013 11:59
Edited time: August 08, 2013 15:55

A Russian man who decided to write his own small print in a credit card contract has had his changes upheld in court. He's now suing the country's leading online bank for more than 24 million rubles ($727,000) in compensation.

Disappointed by the terms of the unsolicited offer for a credit card from Tinkoff Credit Systems in 2008, a  42-year-old Dmitry Agarkov from the city of Voronezh decided to hand write his own credits terms.

The trick was that Agarkov simply scanned the bank’s document and ‘amended’ the small print with his own terms.

He opted for a 0 percent interest rate and no fees, adding that the customer "is not obliged to pay any fees and charges imposed by bank tariffs." The bank, however, didn’t read ‘the amendments’, as it signed and certified the document, as well as sent the man a credit card. Under the agreement, the bank OK'd to provide unlimited credit, according to Agarkov’s lawyer Dmitry Mikhalevich talking to Kommersant daily.

"The opened credit line was unlimited. He could afford to buy an island somewhere in Malaysia, and the bank would have to pay for it by law," Mikhalevich added.


Agarkov also changed the URL of the site where the terms and conditions were published and hedged against the bank’s breaking of the agreement. For each unilateral change in the terms provided in the agreement, the bank would be asked to pay the customer (Agarkov) 3 million rubles ($91,000), or a cancelation fee of 6 million rubles ($182,000).

A headquarters of Tinkoff Credit Systems bank in
 Moscow (RIA Novosti / Ramil Sitdikov)

However, after two years of active use, the bank decided to terminate Agarkov's credit card  because of overdue payments. In 2012, the bank sued Agarkov for 45,000 rubles ($1,363) - an amount that included the remaining balance, fees, and late payment charges, which violated the actual agreement. The court decided that the agreement Agarkov crafted was valid, and required him to settle only his balance of 19,000 rubles ($575).

The bankers had to admit the mistake, says Agarkov’s representative  Dmitry Mikhalevich.

"They signed the documents without looking. They said what usually their borrowers say in court: 'We have not read it,'” says Mikhalevich.

Despite the victory, Agarkov decided to sue Tinkoff Credit Systems for fines of 24 million rubles ($727,000) for not honoring the terms of the agreement, and the decision to terminate the contract without paying 6 million rubles ($182,000) fee.

"Our lawyers think, he is going to get not 24 million, but really four years in prison for fraud. Now it's a matter of principle for @ tcsbank,” founder of the bank Oleg Tinkov tweeted.

“We don’t have small print, everything is clear and transparent. Try to open a card - then we'll talk. Stealing is a sin - in my opinion, of course. Not all in Russia think so,” Tinkov tweeted.

The next hearing will be held in September.

Read More

The Protest Plate

Personally I think he should sell a model with "Your corporation has been foreclosed!" :) - BILL

Visit Steve's website at:  http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/protest-plate

Short Summary

My name is Steve Zarpas. I am a creative problem solver. I am a risk taker. I am a very passionate man and willing to stand up for what I believe even if it may cause me pain. I believe that the United States was created against all odds and that the Constitution was divinely inspired to promote human rights.

At no time in the history of our country have our freedoms been under greater attack. At the same time, people are angry and interested in doing something but they are not sure exactly what to do.

The Protest Plate not only protects a person from unconstitutional infringements, it informs others of a desire to stand up and fight back. As our numbers grow, it will become increasingly obvious to our governments that there are way more of us than there are of them.

By mass producing the Protest Plate, I can sell them cheaply enough that the cost will not stop anybody from joining the movement against tyranny.

I do not advocate speeding or running red lights. I respect the police and the job they do. What I am saying is that there are rules that apply if the government wants to take your money or convict you of a crime.

In the United States a person is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That concept forms the very foundation of our judicial system. Prior to that concept, a king or nobleman could simply accuse a person of a crime and have them thrown into jail.

Furthermore, the burden to prove guilt is on the court. If they want to charge and convict a citizen of a crime, it is up to them to prove it. The burden is NOT on the citizen to prove he is innocent. The traffic cameras have turned that concept upside down.



What I Need & What You Get

The first Protest Plate I made took me 12 hours to finish. It did not look very good. The letters were not lined up well and did not lay flat on the frame. After making about ten of them, I got it down to four hours. That is still way too long. I would have to sell them for $100 each to survive.

One of my closest fraternity brothers from college owns a manufacturing business in the Bronx. He explained a much easier way to manufacture the device. Before it can go into mass production however, the prototype must be tightened up. It must be made water proof for instance. That requires CAD/CAM drawings.

Once the device is in a digital format, we can design changes more easily. After that, an injection mold will be made. Finally, every factory charges a fee to put the mold on the machine and load the machine with the proper media.

Getting the pieces made is just half the battle. Besides the marketing their is also the fulfillment phase or taking orders and mailing them out. My friend's company also handles that.

I've been very successful at marketing over the years. For ten years I owned and operated some of the most popular bars and nightclubs in Washington. I've recieved hundreds of articles and interviews over the years including many pieces in the Washington Post. I've also been interviewed on "All Things Considered" on National Public Radio. I am very excited about the marketing campaign for this product.

I also worked in public affairs television for years. Some of the shows I worked on include Hardball with Chris Matthews, Meet the Press, O'Reilly Factor and Crossfire. I even did media training at the Brookings Institution studio. I plan to use my existing contacts in that industry to get the word out. Nothing would make me happier than getting in front of the camera debating a judge or NSA representative.

The truth has an amazing ability to compel viewers. Character does count. Slick media training and talking points are having less and less of an impact as more and more people wake up to the injustice that is occuring in our country.

Having been a partner in many businesses, I recognize the risk of seed money investors. Nobody wants to throw their money away. I can assure you that I have lived, breathed and slept with this idea for many months. I will do everything possible to ensure success.

I will recognize and reward you as best I can. To those early supporters, I can hand make Protest Plates with any words or images you like. I can put an American flag or the name of your organization on the plate.

The Impact

Back in the seventies, when the hostages were taken in Iran, somebody took a cue from the Tony Orlando song, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree." They tied a yellow ribbon on the tree in their front yard to let the hostages and their felow Americans know that we had not forgotten them. That movement had a profound effect on me as a kid.

I will never forget the first day I saw one on the way to church. I cried. Something came over me. The thought that total strangers were coming together in an act of solidarity, patriotism and love, really got to me.

I may be crazy but I am picturing parking lots full of these plates. I am seeing a movement being created. I am seeing the impossible becoming possible and Americans finally having enough of being treated like criminals and being spied upon and being presumed to be guilty.

We must have a way to identify ourselves. The Protest Plate may be it. If nothing more, what if it gives rise to other creative ways to show our solidarity?

Something else comes to mind. A few years ago, business owners in Palermo Sicily finally got fed up with the Mafia demanding protection money. The owners got together and stood up. They told the cops they would no longer turn a blind eye to the police accepting bribes and when the gangsters came into the businesses, the owners called the police and the gangsters were arrested and run out of town.

Nobody thought it would have been possible. Paying tributes was simply a way of life in Italy. So was the Mafia. Not anymore.

Other Ways You Can Help

I am fifty two years old. I am not the greatest at social media. I also have five children including a six and three-year old. I would be deeply indebted to anyone who helps get the word out about my campaign.

Everyday new organizations are being created to fight tyranny. If you hear of one, send them a link to my campaign. In addition to the words "FIGHT BACK," I can imagine the names of organizations like EPIC or the ACLU being printed on the plates. Let them know there is a new way their members can inform the world of membership and support.

And don't forget to use the Indiegogo tools to share this message.

Warmest personal regards - Steve Zarpas

Read More

Costa Rica News: Flying high with 24 tons of Cocaine

Flying high with 24 tons of Cocaine. I did a quick calculation at $30,000 per kilo on the street that's $680.4 billion dollars of blow in one plane.  Some bank somewhere needing some quick cash? - Bill

Costa Rica Will Stop Sending Cocaine to Miami
Posted by Jaime Lopez on August 5, 2013 in Costa Rica News, Politics News

According to an official press release from the Organization of Judicial Investigations (OIJ in Spanish), Costa Rica will no longer send cocaine or other controlled substances to the United States, at least for the time being. The announcement comes in the wake of news reports about nearly 24 tons of cocaine transported by the U.S. Air Force to Miami on Saturday, July 27th 2013.

The OIJ further explained that officials in Costa Rica had spoken to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) about the temporary lack of an incinerator to destroy seized powder cocaine, marijuana and other illegal drugs. Prior to the massive airlift of cocaine to Miami in late July, the OIJ had managed to destroy almost 23 tons of drugs over the years at a cement factory in Cartago, but a couple of unfortunate incidents resulted in the stockpiling of confiscated drugs, and the OIJ ended up with too much coke.

A Warehouse Full of Yeyo

Before a Boeing C-17 Globemaster from the U.S. Air Force landed at the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR) in late July to transport pallets upon pallets of cocaine to Miami, the OIJ evidence warehouse in San Joaquin de Flores, province of Heredia, was ready to burst from all the drugs contained therein -particularly cocaine hydrochloride in powder form. The only incinerator in Costa Rica to handle the destruction of tons of drugs, routinely seized by the OIJ, Fuerza Publica (the national police force), the Border Police, and the National Coast Guard Service is currently out of commission.



At one time, the OIJ entrusted a cement and concrete factory in Cartago to handle the destruction of seized drugs in its massive incinerators. In 2009, however, a bag holding 20 kilograms of flake was stolen by employees of the cement factory during the destruction of 4,300 kilos. The individuals responsible for the theft were caught, tried and given prison sentences between 6 and 7 years, and the OIJ stopped using that factory altogether.

By 2011, OIJ employees complained that they could not even walk around the warehouse because of all the cocaine stuffed inside. The cement factory agreed to donate an incinerator the size of a jacuzzi to the OIJ, and agents got busy destroying up to 300 kilograms per hour. By February of 2012, however, agents had burned so much coke that the incinerator began to malfunction. Fumes were escaping the incinerator’s chambers and those involved in the destruction -who included judges in charge of supervision- were basically getting high, and thus the OIJ went back to stockpiling seized drugs.

The U.S. Air Force to the Rescue

The OIJ has acknowledged that storing that much cocaine in Costa Rica is an inherent risk, and thus the DEA was called in to help. This is when things start to get a bit murky. Apparently the OIJ took the matter to the Judicial Branch and the Ministry of Public Safety (MSP in Spanish); but, according to online news daily CRHoy, which broke the story, at least two magistrates at the Judicial Branch were in the dark about the U.S. Air Force arriving in Costa Rica to pick up a massive amount of cocaine.

One of the magistrates who did not know about the operation, which was shrouded in secrecy until CRHoy’s Alvaro Sanchez investigated, is Carlos Chinchilla, President of the Criminal Affairs Committee of the Supreme Court in Costa Rica. Magistrate Chinchilla explained that the OIJ and DEA were supposed to file a request for a legislative permit that would grant permission for a foreign military aircraft to land in Costa Rica.

The OIJ assured CRHoy that the C-17 Globemaster was not armed and had legislative permission to enter Costa Rica’s airspace, land and fly away loaded with cocaine with Miami as its ultimate destination. The problem is that no legislator recalls seeing such request or permission come through the docket at the National Assembly. When questioned about the type of aircraft, the OIJ repeated that it was “from the U.S. Air Force with a legislative permit.” The Minister of Public Safety, Mario Zamora, said that he was thankful that the United States arrived to transport cocaine away from Costa Rica, but he was quick to mention that the OIJ was responsible for obtaining all permits.

Passing the Buck

Even the identification of the C-17 from the U.S. Air Force remained a mystery until recently. CRHoy obtained a series of documents related to the ongoing investigation, which apparently include a letter signed on July 10th by a U.S. Coast Guard Commander named B.J. Ripkey requesting permission for a military aircraft from the U.S. to land in Costa Rica with 12 individuals aboard. According to that letter, the aircraft would not fly directly to Miami after takeoff: it would first stop in Nicaragua and later in Honduras while carrying all that cocaine.

The letter was addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the MSP and the Director of Air Surveillance -a special police unit in Costa Rica that is known for their presence at our airports. According to a 2011 Coast Guard document, there is a Commander Bradley Ripkey assigned to DDE-COSTA RICA SEC ASST. Somehow his request ended up in the hands of Gerardo Masis Delgado, who is apparently in charge of Aeronautical Operations of Costa Rica’s Civil Aviation Directorate. Mr. Masis issued an interesting letter that authorizes:

“aircraft type C-17 with registration 00534, or alternatively 10186, 66165, 66167, 66168, 77169, 77170, 77173, 77174, 77175, 77176, or 7717”

to enter Costa Rica’s airspace and land between the 26th and 28th of July. Mr. Masis also ordered reminded that no airport costs should be assessed to any of the aircraft above. It is interesting to note that the number 77178 corresponds to the “Spirit of Delaware,” which is the C-17 Globemaster III out of Dover Air Force Base pictured in this article, and that number happens to have been underlined with an ink pen on the letter above.

What is also interesting about the above is that Civil Aviation has been admonished by the Constitutional Chamber Court (Sala Cuarta), the highest court in Costa Rica, of having illegally approved the arrival of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters prior to President Barack Obama’s historic visit to our country earlier this year. Civil Aviation seems to the the go-to guy, or maybe the fall guy, in these matters; but, many legislators in Costa Rica are not amused. The Constitution clearly requires legislative permission for foreign military forces to enter Costa Rica, and the U.S. has a history of being snubbed in this regard.

So What Happened to All That Cocaine?

The OIJ’s official press release assures that the controversial payload left Costa Rica on Saturday July 27th, at 2:00 in the afternoon. The C-17 presumably stopped in Nicaragua and Honduras before landing in Miami, this is in accordance to the letter signed by USCG Commander B.J. Ripkey. A judge from Costa Rica supposedly flew with all the blow and met with the Consul in Miami, who was the last link in the chain of command to certify the arrival and destruction of the drugs.

The Consulate usually answers to the Ministry of Foreign Relations, but in this case that entity has not published anything on the matter. The OIJ, however, assures that the destruction process started at 6:00 am on Monday, July 29th, and that it lasted five hours until the last bag was incinerated. The OIJ also mentioned that U.S. and Costa Rican officials were present during the process, although there are no local media reports to corroborate.

As to the matter of legislative permit for this operation, some legislators interviewed by CRHoy indicated that everything was fine as long as the military aircraft did not land with bellicose intent. The OIJ mentioned that the C-17 was not armed, but a legal expert interviewed by CRHoy mentioned:

“Do you really think that the U.S. Air Force would risk picking 24 tons of cocaine in Costa Rica and then land in Nicaragua and Honduras without some sort of armed escort or weaponry to defend the aircraft and crew?”

The Need for Legislative Permits

News about this incident have prompted debate on the requirement of legislative permits for U.S. military forces to enter Costa Rica. Many people think that such permits add a layer of bureaucracy to worthy causes such as drug interdiction. No one is questioning the value of the assistance by the U.S. Air Force and other authorities from that country in taking away a prodigious amount of drugs that our country could not destroy; the problem is one of transparency and sovereignty.

The original story by Alvaro Sanchez of CRHoy and the English language version by The Costa Rica Star were picked up by various international media outlets, and many of the comments left by readers indicate a significant level of skepticism about the operation. Allowing foreign military forces to enter a country to transport narcotics in bulk calls for a certain amount of transparency that can be achieved with legislative permits.

History has shown that nothing good happens when you the U.S. government interests transport controlled substances from Central America. When such operations take place in a shadowy manner, you end up with Colonel Oliver North of the U.S. Marine Corps, the late American pilot Barry Seal smuggling for the CIA, shady companies such as DIASCA and Frigorificos de Puntarenas, and other kinds of malfeasance. The people of Costa Rica have a right to know about these things; this can be accomplished with legislative permits.

The short answer as to why that U.S. Air Force C-17 should have had permission to land in Costa Rica is: Because our Constitution requires it. The rationale is simple: As a country who abolished her military more than six decades ago, Costa Rica can’t afford to have foreign military or forces entering the country at their pleasure or with a permit issued by a mid-level government official. We have enough problems with Nicaraguan Army invasions and paramilitaries entering the country. As a peace-loving representative democracy, Costa Rica must discuss and decide these matters at the legislative level.

- See more at: http://news.co.cr/costa-rica-will-stop-sending-cocaine-to-miami/24277/

Read More