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News :: Civil & Human Rights : Elections & Legislation : Government Secrecy : International Relations : Latin America : Protest Activity : Right Wing |
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Congressman Jerry Weller - marrying daughter of notoriously violent Guatemalan ex-dictator |
Current rating: 0 |
by FHRG via email
(No verified email address) |
19 Sep 2004
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Jerry Weller is running for re-election in the neighboring 11th Congressional District that includes parts of Bloomington-Normal and other areas to the north and west. |
Congressman Jerry Weller plans on marrying the daughter of Guatemalan
ex-dictator, and author of massacres, Efrain Rios Montt. It is a
conflict of interest for him to continue his position on the Committee
on International Relations. Please take a look at the Human Rights
Public Collaboration website and let your representatives know that
Congressman Jerry Weller needs to resign fromt he Committee on
International Relations.
http://fhrgtwiki.dyndns.org/twiki/bin/view/FHRGpublic/HrCampaigns
or
http://fhrg.org (click on yellow box at left)
Below is a letter (English and Spanish) which was sent to U.S. Congress
and to the press, stating the situation.
******
Also see the website for updates on the situation in which a U.S.
journalist, investigating the situation, has been attacked in his home
town of Morris, Illinois.
******
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Letter sent to Congress by FHRG Sept, 2004
(espanol abajo)
Foundation for Human Rights in Guatemala
Sept. 12, 2004
U.S. House International Relations Committee
Representative Henry J. Hyde - Chairman
Representative Christopher H. Smith - Vice Chair
Representative Tom Lantos - Ranking Minority Member
Honorable Sirs:
On behalf of the community of survivors of political violence, we
respectfully call for the immediate resignation of Congressman Jerry
Weller from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International
Relations.
In July of this year, United States Congressman Jerry Weller announced
his intent to marry Zury RÃos Sosa, member of Guatemalan Congress and
political spokesperson for her father, former Guatemalan Dictator,
Efrain RÃos Montt. In 1982, RÃos Montt took control of Guatemala in a
military coup. His regime is recognized by the United Nations sponsored
Truth Commission (La Comisión para el Esclaricimiento Histórico) as
having been responsible for a scorched earth military campaign against
suspected guerrillas resulting in hundreds of massacres and the deaths
and disappearances of thousands, mostly Mayan villagers. RÃos Montt is
currently under house arrest for the alleged inciting of national
rioting in a desperate attempt to apply pressure for the changing of the
Guatemalan Constitution to allow a former dictator to run for President.
The rioting involved scores of injuries and the death of a Guatemalan
journalist.
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International Relations,
of which Congressman Weller is a member, makes recommendations on
foreign policy issues. Among the important issues dealt with by the
Committee are terrorism, homeland and international security and human
rights. The American people depend on the judgment of the members of
this Committee to review policy and set direction in these areas.
Mr. Weller has forfeited his ability to express unbiased opinions on
these matters by the clear conflict of interests of his Congressional
responsibilities and his impending family ties. This is evidenced by the
fact that Mr. Weller has already publicly refrained from making any
inference of impropriety on the part of his future father-in-law, RÃos
Montt. Mr. Weller has obviously ignored the outrage of the hundreds of
thousands of Guatemalan survivors of strategic violence. Many feel that
imparting U.S. congressional legitimacy to a former dictator such as
RÃos Montt is no different than doing so to Saddam Hussein.
RÃos Montt has not been able to leave Guatemala, fearing arrest by
international legal bodies pursuing cases against him for war crimes. He
no doubt sees the planned wedding as a stroke of good fortune, which
might imply U.S. forgiveness of his sordid past and raise the prospect
of his obtaining political asylum in the United States.
When a United States Congressman decides to marry into the family of a
former Central American dictator and author of massacres, it is
inappropriate, to say the least. When that same Congressman sits on a
congressional committee charged with making recommendations on issues
affecting international well being, it represents a gross conflict of
interest and does a disservice to the American people as well as to
nations impacted by United States policy.
We respectfully call for the immediate resignation of Congressman Jerry
Weller from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International
Relations.
David J. Lindstrom - Director
Carlos Gomez - Coordinator
Foundation for Human Rights in Guatemala
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(version espanol)
Fundación para los Derechos Humanos en Guatemala
11 de septiembre, 2004
Comisión de Relaciones Internacionales, Cámara de Representantes, EEUU
Represente el Sr. Henry J. Hyde - Presidente
Represente el Sr. Christopher H. Smith - Vicepresidente
Represente el Sr. Tom Lantos - Miembro Prestigioso de la MinorÃa
Estimados Senores:
De parte de la comunidad de sobrevivientes de violencia polÃtica,
pedimos con respeto, la renuncia inmediata del congresista, Jerry Weller
de su cargo en la Comisión de Relaciones Internacionales de la Cámara de
Representantes de los Estados Unidos.
En julio de este año, el congresista estadounidense, Jerry Weller
anunció su propósito de casarse con Zury RÃos Sosa, miembro del congreso
Guatemalteco he hija del dictador guatemalteco, EfraÃn RÃos Montt. En
1982, RÃos Montt asumió la presidencia Guatemalteca a través de un golpe
de estado. La Comisión para el Esclarecimiento Histórico responsabilizó
a Rios Montt por su campaña contra insurgente, tierra arrazada, que se
efectuó contra los pueblos indigenas y supuestas guerrillas. Como
producto de esta campaña resultaron cientos de massacres, miles de
asesinatos y desapariciones forzadas de las comuninidades Mayas en su
mayoria. RÃos Montt actualmente bajo arresto domiciliario por los
disturbios provacados los dias 24 y 25 de Julio con el fin de presionar
y provocar cambios en la constitución de Guatemala para que se le
permitiera ser candidato presidencial. Los disturbios produjeron decenas
de heridos y la muerte de un periodista guatemalteco.
La Comisión de Relaciones Internacionales de la Cámara de Representantes
de Los Estados Unidos a la cual pertene el congresista Weller, hace
recomendaciones sobre la polÃtica internacional. Entre los temas más
importantes tratados por la comisión son: el terrorismo, la seguridad
nacional e internacional y los derechos humanos. El pueblo americano
depende de en un juicio crÃtico de parte de los miembros de esta
comisión para examinar la polÃtica y proveer la dirección en estas
áreas.
El Sr. Weller ha perdido su habilidad de opinar sin prejuicio en éstos
temas por el claro conflicto de intereses por sus responsabilidades y
hobligaciones familiares. Esto es evidente por el único hecho que el Sr.
Weller se ha abstenido de hacer cualquier comentario a la reputación de
su futuro suegro, el señor RÃos Montt. Obviamente el Sr. Weller no ha
hecho caso al clamor expresado por los cientos de miles de guatemaltecas
sobrevivientes de la represión provocada por el antiguo dictador. Mucha
gente siente que es otorgarle legitimidad a un dictador como RÃos Montt
que cuenta con un oscuro pasado similar al del dictador Saddam Hussein.
RÃos Montt no puede salir de Guatemala ya que corre con la posibilidad
de ser detenido por cuerpos legales internacionales que siguen casos
contra el por los crÃmenes de guerra. Sin duda parece que para RÃos
Montt la boda de su hija puede resultar un golpe de suerte que implica
el perdón de parte de los Estados Unidos para su nefasta historia y que
podrÃa abrir la posibilidad para obtener asilo polÃtico en los Estados
Unidos.
Consideramos que para un congresista estadounidense poder casarse con la
familia de un dictador de cualquier paÃs latinoamericano quien es
acusado de ser autor de masacres, asesinatos y secuestros es inadecuado.
Tomando en cuenta que el Sr. Weller es parte de la comisión del congreso
encargada de hacer recomendaciones sobre temas que afectan el bienestar
internacional.
Por lo anteriormente expuesto con mucho respeto pedimos la renuncia
inmediata del congresista, Jerry Weller de su cargo en la Comisión de
Relaciones Internacionales de la Cámara de Representantes de los Estados
Unidos.
Sinceramente,
David J. Lindstrom - Director
Carlos Gomez - Coordinador
La Fundacion para los Derechos Humanos en Guatemala
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See also:
http://fhrg.org/
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This work licensed under a
Creative Commons license |
Comments
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Hollinger Fires Reporter on the Beat of Congressman Weller and His Guatemalan Ex-Dictator's Daughter Bride-to-Be |
by Michael Green Fonte
michaelfonte (nospam) yahoo.com (verified) |
Current rating: 0
02 Oct 2004
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Dear editors,
Last week events in Illinois proved that the corporate corruption of the Enron of newspapers, Hollinger International, has seeped into the local community publications of the Chicago suburbs.
After filing my second investigative report into the engagement of U.S. Congressman Jerry Weller and Guatemalan Diputada Zury Rios Sosa, I was terminated—not by my editors or publisher, but by corporate. During that week they killed all my stories as well as those by others. Now other journalists are leaving The Herald News while others remain in an environment of paranoia and disillusionment. They feel the First Amendment has been shredded and the American experiment is collapsing.
In my second report, I included two sections that are a threat to to Hollinger's Republican board members.
First, I included background info on the U.S. role in Guatemala under the leadership of Henry Kissinger. Second, I reported on how editorials in the Chicago Sun-Times has argued that new intelligence Czar Porter Goss, will be a great fit for instilling democracy in Iraq. They cite his success in working with Kissinger in Central America, specifically Honduras.
The facts about the conditions in Central America are undeniable. They are documented in U.S. Department of State reports and those by the Drug Enforcement Agency, as well as U.N. bodies.
Labor conditions, terrorism, narco-trafficking, etc. is still all controlled—specifically in Guatemala—by mafia elements. These are parallel powers and clandestine groups that operate in conjunction with the Guatemalan Republican Front, the party founded by Efrain Rios Montt, the father of Congressman Weller's fiancée.
Back to my termination. Hollinger has only cited that I am not a good fit for the company and there have been disruptions since I have worked in the newsroom. This is, of course, not adequate for the termination of a guild member that has never received a verbal warning or any other documentation of dereliction of duties.
I want to be clear that this editorial is not about the Weller engagement. Though I was recommended by The Herald News to write a column on it after my first report, I elected not to. I did not wish to take a position and become a biased reporter. Therefore, this editorial is about the collapse of the free press in the heart of America.
While it has been reported from within The Herald News that Hollinger is prepared to create a smear campaign against me, it is also well-known that this will be difficult. Thus, I wish to set the record straight on where I stand politically.
Most journalists wish to say they are objective, but we all know it is impossible for someone to not be influenced by their own interpretations. In order to create an objective article, the writer must become conscious of his own bias. Once this realization occurs, the reporter can then go where he normally wouldn't. He will look for other sides to the story that interpret the events differently than those he first spoke to.
A great example of this is my talking to Byron Vasquez. He is the editor of Guatemala en USA. When I spoke to him in Los Angeles, he informed me of his work for Prensa Libre, a paper in Guatemala City.
Vasquez told me that he tries to be objective and the fact is that it didn't matter who was in charge during the time of Rios Montt. Rios Montt would preside over genocide no matter what, because Washington is the true people in control of Central America, Vasquez said.
Closer to me personally, I must admit that I am a registered Republican. I assisted Andrea Jones in designing specific areas of the youth campaign for Senator John McCain's bid for president.
Those that wish to make me out as a Hollywood liberal, since I was educated at the University of Southern California, will also find it difficult to pin me to democrats. My professors will argue, and my term papers prove it, that I was a thorn in the side of progressive, Marxist media theorists. I worked toward using science to break through the dead end of Postmodernism.
In addition I was born and raised for 13 years in West Virginia. Though it is a democratic state, most of my family are republicans. Some have even held office as Republicans. The democrats, though of independent thinking, including Byrd and Rockefeller, are economically liberal but socially conservative. Therefore, any smear campaign by Hollinger will not work. I am not a leftist and the facts prove it.
Now that the stage has been set, I wish to talk about the dangerous violations to the Constitution that have taken place by Hollinger at The Herald News. They have killed stories, censored stories, and wrongfully terminated me. This is illegal and Un-American.
I wrote a fair and balanced story published in The Herald News on August 15. One month later I was found in a pool of my own blood around my head outside my apartment in Morris. Though I have been completely transparent by informing local authorities that I had been drinking that night at a local bar, many human rights authorities, the doctor that examined me, and investigators within the Joliet Police Department, all believe I was most likely attacked by the FRG as an act of intimidation. They often act on anniversary of events that damage their cause.
This attack also came as I was preparing to file my next story that reports what analysts think of the Weller engagement. This includes information about the Central American Free Trade Agreement, drug trafficking connected to the FRG and Weller political fundraisers in Morris, terrorism, and comparisons between the U.S. regime change in Guatemala and Iraq.
But what is so frightening is that terrorism has now been invited into Illinois by the very politicians that say they are fighting it.
Despite the action alerts by the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission in Washington, and the filing of my police report, the Morris Police Department have not even contacted me to ask me questions. They also did not inspect my wounds after the incident. Nor did they cordon off the potential crime scene for forensic analysis. They only reportedly gathered blood samples from the carpet.
This seems unbelievable, yet perhaps understandable when you consider the small-town of Morris and the fact that the Morris police chief is a Republican candidate for State Legislature.
The cowboy Republicans at the highest levels down to within our communities have hijacked not only our newspaper but the party of Lincoln. The people of Illinois deserve to have free speech restored.
I will continue to provide the answers the people want to know about Wellergate, but meanwhile I have begun work on the larger threat that has emerged. That threat is the shredding of the First Amendment.
We now face the most challenging hurdle in using the media to educate our citizenship and our children. To solve this problem, others and myself have joined to found the Grundy County Multi-Media Literacy Institute. Based in historic downtown Morris across from the courthouse, the institute will work toward guaranteeing a return of the free press and preserving the past with the technology of the future.
GCMLI was first founded by Zachary J. Pucel and myself. It now has partnerships around the globe, including the Institute for Multi-Media Literacy at the University of Southern California. USC is especially interested in helping out Grundy County because the school's president, Steven B. Sample, is an Illinois-native and graduate of the University of Illinois. Just like Sample, Pucel is also an engineer. With the co-leadership of myself based in the arts and Pucel based in a technical field as well as being a college athlete, the institute hopes to begin a new era in Grundy County. Other partnerships with Hollywood and other academic institutions around the world will soon crystallize.
GCMLI's mission is to act as a hub for Grundy County educators to find supplemental funding for multi-media education. The institute will connect them with not only local donations but with private, government, and non-profit entities. This will help alleviate the threat of cutting programs in the arts and sports due to tax-revenue dilemmas.
In addition, the institute will introduce students and the entire community to the history of Grundy County's media. A multi-media installation is currently in the design stages. This exhibit will trace the evolution of media from as far back as Native Americans up to newspapers, television and to the current rise of the Internet. The institute calls this evolution from local to global media, glocalization. Glocalism is the new era of journalism that is emerging in Grundy County and around the world.
Glocalism educates local people on how international issues affect them directly. In addition to the Weller engagement, the influx of Latinos and even Russians are now challenging Morris schools in complying with the No Child Left Behind initiative. Glocalism is clearly needed for the people of Grundy County.
In regards to the scandal within Hollinger's subsidiaries, there has been a criticism of me by using character assassination that molds me as a conspiracy theorist. The facts prove this untrue. The Bloomington Pantagraph contacted The Herald News to ask about my termination. They specifically asked if a conspiracy was occurring at the paper. Of course, they said no. I, too, say no.
It is not a conspiracy. It is out in the open. Just read the paper. It is obvious that they are killing controversial stories. If you read the managing editor's column called Cloak and Dagger that ran after my termination, it is clear that he is disillusioned with the position of which Hollinger has placed him. He is losing his best writers and is currently forced to kill his best stories. His career is now in danger due to Hollinger.
I urge all readers to cancel their subscriptions to all Hollinger publications, including The Herald News and the Sun-Times. I also ask that local businessmen stand up to this corruption by stopping advertising in these publications. This money will only go into the pockets of corrupt executives and foreign investors. We need to keep our money in our community. We do not need the fantastic local entrepreneurs off-shoring our resources to people across our borders.
Please don't allow the assault on free speech to continue under the direction of both political parties with the assistance of The Patriot Act and the War on Terror. Please save America.
Sincerely,
Michael Green Fonte |
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