When I say Betancourt and the others were well treated, I am making a comparison with the reality FARC confronts in opposing a long line of brutal, oppressive, torturing regimes in Colombia supported by the world’s biggest and cruelest torturer–The USA. Living in capitivity in a jungle for over six years is naturally a hard life. But she was not tortured—no water boarding as with Bush, or other horrible, painful techniques they use and have used for two centuries. Look at the history and present School of the Americas, under a new name, where learning how to torture is part of the curriculum.

Had Betancourt been tortured or sexual molested why would she not say so and with proof? She acts as does McCain about this story. He has made a career out the myth of being tortured. The mass media, just like CNN’s King’s interview with Betancourt, simply take his and her statements for granted. Yet at least two of McCain’s US co-prisoners in Vietnam do not think he was tortured rather that he collaborated with the Vietnamese–the socalled “enemy”.

Betancourt refuses to give any description of ill treatment or torture. She just says it was awful and everyone was tortured. She does state, though, that she never saw anyone killed. She also escaped and refused to give details of how she was captured and what happened to her and others who attempted escape. By refusing to answer she leaves everthing up to innuendo and speculation. She was able to speak with her mother and other family members EVERYDAY over radio. (Ron)

How many FARC prisoners in Uribe’s torture chambers get to speak with their families everyday? Or in Afhganistan, Iraq….Or even the brave Cuban Five incarcerated as political prisoners in US cells?

Ron Ridenour

I’m just going to copy a couple of excerpts from an interview to Ingrid Betancourt by Larry King (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0807/09/lkl.01.html). Was she well treated?
Are you so delusional that you really cannot see the bunch of sadistic mafiosi, murderers, and scumbags that integrate the FARC?
I don’t know who to consider more dangerous, the FARC or people like you who defend them. Viva Colombia and viva Uribe!

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KING: You were physically tortured, as well as mentally tortured?

BETANCOURT: We all were. We all were.

KING: You never, obviously, forget that. Were you ever blindfolded? Did your captors hide your faces from anyone?

BETANCOURT: Yes, we had all that. We had all that. We had chains. We had — we had to be covered. We had to hide. We had to run. We also had eyes covered.
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KING: You said that you suffered terribly during the captivity.

What was the worst thing you experienced?

BETANCOURT: I think that the worst thing is realizing that mankind — that — that human beings can be so horrible to other human beings.

KING: I guess you know it when you read about Nazis or others. But when you experience it yourself, it has to really come to life.

Were you in the jungle the whole time?

BETANCOURT: Yes, the whole time. It was very enduring, because in the jungle, you don’t have a horizon. You don’t see the sky. You are in a cave of vegetation. So it’s very (INAUDIBLE).

KING: Did they move you around a lot?

BETANCOURT: Yes, we had — that’s one of the things that you have to endure. You — you never know what’s going to happen to you. So you can be just having your lunch and then a second after you are complied to do your — I mean to pack your bag and to get ready to go. And you have five minutes to get ready. And that can happen at any time. Sometimes you stay in a camp for a day or you can stay in a camp for six months. You never know.

KING: The obvious question, were you sexually mistreated?

BETANCOURT: I won’t answer that question, Larry. I think that — no, I won’t answer those questions.

KING: OK.

BETANCOURT: I told you that there are things…

KING: You do not have to.

BETANCOURT: …that are going to stay in the jungle.

KING: I understand.

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