#they defend cordell like he's sam

[walker-extended-universe]

I feel like some Cordell stans are forgetting that he really didn't have to miss August's big day.

He didn't have to check out the zoo right then. Multiple people told him to leave it for another day and Trey even reminded him of the boot camp graduation. He had ample warning and opportunity to NOT do something that would cause him to miss out on something so big.

And he chose to do that anyway. No on twisted his arm. He was the one who decided this was so important it had to be done right away based on pretty much zero evidence.

Liam is right to be upset with Cordell for him missing out on something so big. August is right to be disappointed that Cordell wasn't there.

Cordell is NOT right to brush Liam off with a "I'll make it up to him". Because missing a once-in-a-lifetime event isn't something you can easily make up.

Dark place or not, Cordell is a PARENT. He has a responsibility to August that's just as (and I would say more) important than his responsibility to his job.

TL;DR: It's okay for your fave to be in the wrong sometimes. You don't have to defend their every move.

[lonnieontherun]

So I finally got around to finish season 1 of Walker! (Spoiler review)

Yeah it took a while and I’m not going to lie. If it wasn’t for Jared Padalecki, Walker is not the kind of show I would usually even attempt to watch. It’s just not my thing. The season has a slow start. A lot characters and storylines to set up afterall. It’s one of the reasons why it took a long time for me to finish it. Also the amount of hiatuses this show had was ridiculous. That is no way to air a show CW. That’s just plain annoying and I can’t imagine that doing the show any favors. So that also made me want to wait to continue to watch so I could watch a little less interrupted.

I’m gonna put it under the cut in case since it gets a bit long.

That being said the show gets a lot better as it goes on so I’m glad I didn’t stop watching after the slow start. Of the earlier episodes “Duke” (1x05) was a great one. “A Tale of Two Families” (1x12) is great, but made me feel rather negatively about the Walker family and how they threated Cordell after the loss of his wife. At the same time they do get a nice developement by the end so I forgive it.

“Defend the Ranch” (1x13) is easily in the top 3 best episodes along with the two last episodes “Dig” (1x17) (directed by Richard (Gabriel in SPN) so that’s always fun) and “Drive” (1x18). So yeah I do find the most action packed episodes the best, but by this point in the show I do care for more of the characters and actually enjoy the quiet moments too.

There’s some real stupid moments in the show for sure. Like the throwback clips to before the kids were born... and we’re supposed to believe they looked the same 16 years ago? A little hard to swallow and I admit I laughed out real loud at that. I adore Jared, but dude. That age gap and seemingly no attempt to make them seem younger? Also the manips in one of the last episodes of Cordell in some photographs? Holy s*it that was terrible photoshop hahahha. Minor moments, but quite cringy.

The acting in the show I think is in general good. Nothing too mind blowing, but I do think Jared and Lindsey Morgan are fantastic. They have some real good acting moments and I love their characters and their bond. Jeff Pierre as Trey is also real great and Matt Barr! I loved Hoyt! It was such a mistake to kill of that character so soon! So Jared, Lindsey, Matt and Jeff are def. stand outs for me in this show so far! The kids are not bad either and I do appreciate that they are actually played by actual kids. That’s not always a given in Hollywood. As for the bad acting I don’t quite love Walker’s mom, played by Molly Hagan. She’s not terrible, but I’m not real fond of her character. And I really wish they had hired someone else for Emily Walker because I have never found Genevieve Padalecki a good actress at all and it’s painfully obvious the only reason she got the job is because she’s married to the lead. Luckily she’s not that much in the show, but her scenes could have been so much better with a better actress. As for the future I hope we don’t see too much of her, but mainly because Cordell needs to move on.

So I should round this up and talk about the reason I watched the show. Jared Padalecki. I keep seeing some peope say they can’t stop seeing Sam Winchester in Cordell and i’m like ??? Get out. If you actually watch the show you will see a great difference between the characters. It’s not Jared’s fault his face is the same lmao. I think he does great and gets even better as the show goes on. Cordell is very likeable and very flawed and is a lot of fun to watch him deal with everything. I can’t wait for the next season and see where this continues!

And on a superficial note, he looks bloody fantastic! A feast for the eyes! Like most of the men in this show ;D

[msgrumpygills]

Social Media Anon here!

Jared's Q scores will follow Sam, Sam/Jared and Jared.

Actors tend to have higher Q scores in the them/character categories. They often confuse themselves and believe they have higher engagement in the personal category. Hence them being shocked when follow on series aren't a success. "But they want to watch MMMMMEEEEEEE"!!!... No they don't, they want to watch you playing Sam Winchester.

What Jared now needs high Q scores in Walker, Walker/Jared and Jared as well as his historic "Sam" (because that cash cow needs milking).

People who are fans (not stans) of Jared may not engage enough to fan Walker or Walker/Jared and may positively dislike the mix. That is the dilemma. This is more so when the show has a genre change as with Fantasy to Cop Show/Soap Opera (whatever Walker is trying to be).

Jared is trying to be Jared, Jared/Padacouple, Jared/entrepeneur, Jared/SPN and Jared/Walker.

He's trying to identify in so many areas, it's making my head spin!

Basically, he's been lazy. He needed to establish Jared and Jared/Padacouple in a separate time frame from Jared/entrepeneur and Jared/Walker.

At the moment everyone is confused because he's just bombarding fans with stuff about his needs and wants and nothing about them. There is no "Jared" in his social media, and that's what people want and that he should want them to want. Ultimately, that's where all his power to diversify in padacouple, entrepeneur and Walker comes from.

He really needs a strong professional social media manager if he's going to try and engage in social media to improve his position. At the moment he's doing it wrong, pure and simple.

Jensen is doing it better, he draws fans in with the personal Jensen on an infrequent basis (with some music which for him is personal), it will uplift over the year and then he will move into Jensen/new role. He is embedding Jensen first.

People who say Jared won the lottery because he got another lead first ignore that converting to a new character without a break is hard. He's had Walker in the bag for 2 years, he should have been embedding Jared, but I suspect he confused Jared with Jared/Sam (as actors have been for decades). This is EXACTLY what "typecasting" is and what actors work on their personal profiles to avoid.

Lots of people wanted Jared/SPN II and they were never going to get it. He should have used the two years separating himself from Sam by an appealing media image and then diversified...

Elephant in the room is that busting upon your staff's faces and waving presidents at the police kibosh's a lot of the last two years image improvement for Jared. He is his history and a lot of recent history is him being an Asshole.

His recent re-writing of history as "I may have been roofied" may help that, but he's always going to suffer. The way forward was to push through, not to go silent for 2 years.

Welcome back! 

Honestly, one of the common complaints from the fans who came from Supernatural directly to Walker was that they can’t seem to separate Sam and Cordell. I think you’re right that Jared should have taken that time to build himself as something separate from Sam, but he didn’t. 

I think it also doesn’t help that even the fans who came in excited for Jared in a new role, couldn’t see anything but Sam Winchester in a cowboy hat. I’m not an expert on acting, but I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s not great when you can’t make a distinction between the characters. 

I still stand by my theory that Jared continues to act like a frat boy because he hasn’t faced real consequences. Everyone covers for him, babies him, and defends his actions so he’s going to keep doing it. 

Him claiming he was roofied sounds like a crock of shit. If that was the case, why not bring that up in the first place to try and save your image? Why make jokes about your drunken antics? No, he got drunk and stupid and wants to make things better and try to save face. 

I swear he gets more and more intolerable by the day. Lord help us.

[ryoceann]

Walker- 1x05~spoilers~

bye this shouldn’t have taken a month but here we are and I have no excuse other than the fact that I was avoiding tumblr anyways

~spoilers~ last warning!!!

4 MONTHS FLASHBACK WAS SO WELL SET UP!!! Walker in the Duke outfit looked good enough to eat <3 Ok and I liked Twyla in the beginning PLEASE.

‘‘Hope you can count to 11′‘ JDSJHJDSH SASS ON POINT <3

The scene of Walker shoving his head in the sink of water to ground himself was heartbreaking but at the same time so...badass idk man. Walker Ily.

‘‘August is grounded’‘ ‘‘You really want to test me? After this?’‘ SNAPPP. But like August is so scared of his dad leaving :( (i need to stop comparing sam and august in my head bye)

TRICKI!!! Micki and Trey’s interaction over his job was so cute i LOVE THEMMM. ‘’sports medicine’’ trey that’s not a thing but issok ily. Trey wanting to introduce Micki to his mom :’) OK BUT MY FAV PART WAS THAT AFTER MICKI SNAPPED AT TREY SHE IMMEDIATELY APOLOGIZED LIKE HELLO COMMUNICATION!!! WE STAN A COUPLE LIKE THIS SO MUCH!!!

SHIRTLESS WALKER ALERT SHIRTLESS WALKER ALERT H E L P.

‘‘Keep the circle small and the lies honest’‘ dAMN new instagram caption

I hate Graves. Like so much. Bitch diE. LIAM DEFENDING HIS BROTHER SO TRUE <33 MICKI DEFENDING WALKER! SO! TRUE!

JARED CALLING TWYLA BABY GIRL AND BABY DOLL PLEASE SOMEONE H E L P, LIGHTING MYSELF ON FIRE

sexy times we love ;) ‘’garlic bread and whiskey(?)’’ YUH SAME WALKER SAME.

WHY TF DOES EVERYONE THINK HE STOLE THE MONEY STAY AWAY FROM MY BOY :(

I don’t like Ruby ok. Someone tell her to go far away from August pls

MICKI GOING UNDERCOVER TO HELP WALKER SO TRUE AND SHE LOOKS SO GOERGEOUS MICKI HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THIS MARRY ME.

HER GOING AFTER TO HELP WALKER EVEN WHEN GRAVES TOLD HER NOT TOO I AKDJHJDHD EXPLOSION. CW HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO NOT SHIP THEM.

MICKI’S ACCENT HEEEELLLLLPPPPPPPP. ALSO WALKER’S ACCENT AS DUKEEE HELPPPPPPP. I have an accent kink apparently.

HAHHAHAHSAHJS TWYLA QUESTIONING MICKI(ADRIANA) AS TO WHO DUKE’S BEST FRIEND IS AND MICKI GUESSING IT CORRECTLY I LOVE HER. And that smug smirk she had when talking about putting him in lockup JSHJHSGS YES MICK WE KNOWWW.

‘‘there’s something she’s gotta do first’‘ I IMMEDIATELY KNEW THIS WAS GONNA BE THE BULL SCENE AND I KID U NOT IT WAS EPIC. IT DELIVERED. I LOVE THAT SCENE SM<3

But the one before that! Walker and Micki’s convo! Micki ribbing Walker for being a jackass<33 and Walker knowing that she stood up for him SHUT UP I LOVE THEMMM. Walker yelling in Micki’s ear JDSJDHJ ‘’still think i’m crooked Graves?’’ a) which kinda crooked walker ;) and b) graves i hate u bye

AUGUST COMING TO FIND HIS DAD OVER THERE. OHMYGOD OK LISTEN I LOVE U BUT U ARE AN IDIOT. Legitimately i was so mad Walker didn’t scold August for doing what he did. The conversation really broke my heart though. Walker was just pleADING with his eyes for August to go away but *sighs*.

Trey and Stella’s interaction was the cUTEST!!! I love Trey so much actually. And him being coach is smth I’m also very excited to see more of, he’s gonna be great!!!(this is a very nice time to add that Jeff Pierre liked my comment on insta<33)

And then we get to the best scene of this episode. Walker and Micki along with the others about to ‘’plan’’ the new raid so they can cover the missing 300K, walker being stressed about the August situation, shaking his hand and visibly trembling, MICKI HOLDING HIS HAND TO GROUND HIM SOMEONE TAKE ME AWAY I AM D E C E A S E D. THAT SO VERY TINY SCENE MOVED ME SO MUCH SHUT UP I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM.

THE WHOLE SHOOTOUT GOING THERE ENTIRE SCENE!!!! YES BADASS TEXAS RANGERS AWESOME GUN FIGHTING BAM BAM BAM.

Also i really loved the flashbacks of Duke’s undercover time. They were really well done and flowed with the story so much, how is this show real.

But Jared Padalecki i-

‘‘I lost someone....My brother’‘ YOU LITTLE- YOU KNEW. YOU KNEW WHAT THAT WOULD DO TO US I WILL CHEW ROCKS. ‘‘he was my best friend’‘ JARED WHY WHY WHY WHY.

‘‘butch and sundance’‘ i hate this show.

Loved Walker’s fake attempt to escape, so he doesn’t blow his cover, I don’t like Twyla anymore :) but i liked Duke, the character he was and ngl I ship Twyla and Duke, no one come after me for this.

WHEN HE GOT SHOT OHMYGOD FOR A SECOND I FREAKED SO BAD.(It’s just my Sam ptsd activating no biggie :/ i need to get over spn for my own good ohmyGod)

So as far as Twyla or Clint goes, Duke’s dead.......that might....come bite them in the ass later(after watching episode 6: oops i spoke too soon:) )

Clint and Crystal’s last dance moment was cute ok dont @ me bye

LIAM AND CORDELL ARE SO CUTE OHMYGOD. Liam calling Cordell ‘Cordi’ I’m in my feels no one touch me. The hand on his necK NO ONE TOUCH ME. PROTECTIVE!LIAM RIGHTS!!!

CORDELL TELLING LIAM NONE OF THAT WITH CLINT WAS ON HIM H E L P PROTECTIVE BIG BROTHER JDJSDJD I LOVE. 

THE HUG!!!! <33333

WALKER COMING HOME TO HIS KIDS AND EXPLAINING THE SITUATION!!! WE LOVE COMMUNICATION. ‘’Duke is dead’’ CHILLS.

Them burning everything, and getting rid of it all and being a family, i teared up again damn this show.

‘‘Emily’s murder....something is off,’‘ YEAH GET ON THE TRAIN BRO WHAT HAS WALKER BEEN SAYING

Micki and Trey scene!!!! I love them again, and the fact that they open up to each other and talk about what’s real and important! I love tricki so much <3

ANYWAYS THIS EPISODE WAS A BLAST!!!!! VERY WELL AND NICELY DONE WALKER JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER!!! Also so glad it didn’t end on a cliffhanger <3

Speculation/Thoughts for Episode 6:- (what i felt when i first watched the promo since this is being uploaded after the 6th ep has aired i’m an idiot ok)

WHY IS GERI SELLING THE BAR I REALLY LIKE IT! SIDESTEP SHOULD REMAIN P L E A S E. ALSO HOYT RAWLINS IS COMIGN BACK OMG OMG OMG I LOVE HIM OK YEEEEE!!! And um Liam and James investigating Emily’s murder...........without informing Walker.........that’s gonna go well.....AND HELLO WHAT DO THEY FIND??? IK SOMEONE ON THE INSIDE IS INVOLVED OK. 

Micki’s mom is coming in this ep! I wanna see how that one plays out since we know they don’t have the best relationship. *sighs* parents :) 

i cant wait 3 weeks wtf. bring walker back.

[katchwreck]

u.$ imperialist interventionism:

U.S. Interventions in Latin America

Just thought you should know about this.

© 1996 by Mark Rosenfelder

Key:

Military incursions

Covert or indirect operations

! Other events of note

1846

The U.S., fulfilling the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, goes to war with Mexico and ends up with a third of Mexico's territory.

1850, 1853, 1854, 1857

U.S. interventions in Nicaragua.

1855

Tennessee adventurer William Walker and his mercenaries take over Nicaragua, institute forced labor, and legalize slavery.

"Los yankis... have burst their way like a fertilizing torrent through the barriers of barbarism." --N.Y. Daily News

He's ousted two years later by a Central American coalition largely inspired by Cornelius Vanderbilt, whose trade Walker was infringing.

"The enemies of American civilization-- for such are the enemies of slavery-- seem to be more on the alert than its friends." --William Walker

1856

First of five U.S. interventions in Panama to protect the Atlantic-Pacific railroad from Panamanian nationalists.

1898

U.S. declares war on Spain, blaming it for destruction of the Maine. (In 1976, a U.S. Navy commission will conclude that the explosion was probably an accident.) The war enables the U.S. to occupy Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

1903

The Platt Amendment inserted into the Cuban constitution grants the U.S. the right to intervene when it sees fit.

1903

When negotiations with Colombia break down, the U.S. sends ten warships to back a rebellion in Panama in order to acquire the land for the Panama Canal. The Frenchman Philippe Bunau-Varilla negotiates the Canal Treaty and writes Panama's constitution.

1904

U.S. sends customs agents to take over finances of the Dominican Republic to assure payment of its external debt.

1905

U.S. Marines help Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz crush a strike in Sonora.

1905

U.S. troops land in Honduras for the first of 5 times in next 20 years.

1906

Marines occupy Cuba for two years in order to prevent a civil war.

1907

Marines intervene in Honduras to settle a war with Nicaragua.

1908

U.S. troops intervene in Panama for first of 4 times in next decade.

1909

Liberal President José Santos Zelaya of Nicaragua proposes that American mining and banana companies pay taxes; he has also appropriated church lands and legalized divorce, done business with European firms, and executed two Americans for participating in a rebellion. Forced to resign through U.S. pressure. The new president, Adolfo Díaz, is the former treasurer of an American mining company.

1910

U.S. Marines occupy Nicaragua to help support the Díaz regime.

1911

The Liberal regime of Miguel Dávila in Honduras has irked the State Department by being too friendly with Zelaya and by getting into debt with Britain. He is overthrown by former president Manuel Bonilla, aided by American banana tycoon Sam Zemurray and American mercenary Lee Christmas, who becomes commander-in-chief of the Honduran army.

1912

U.S. Marines intervene in Cuba to put down a rebellion of sugar workers.

1912

Nicaragua occupied again by the U.S., to shore up the inept Díaz government. An election is called to resolve the crisis: there are 4000 eligible voters, and one candidate, Díaz. The U.S. maintains troops and advisors in the country until 1925.

1914

U.S. bombs and then occupies Vera Cruz, in a conflict arising out of a dispute with Mexico's new government. President Victoriano Huerta resigns.

1915

U.S. Marines occupy Haiti to restore order, and establish a protectorate which lasts till 1934. The president of Haiti is barred from the U.S. Officers' Club in Port-au-Prince, because he is black.

"Think of it-- niggers speaking French!" --secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, briefed on the Haitian situation

1916

Marines occupy the Dominican Republic, staying till 1924.

! 1916

Pancho Villa, in the sole act of Latin American aggression against the U.S, raids the city of Columbus, New Mexico, killing 17 Americans.

"Am sure Villa's attacks are made in Germany." --James Gerard, U.S. ambassador to Berlin

1917

U.S. troops enter Mexico to pursue Pancho Villa. They can't catch him.

1917

Marines intervene again in Cuba, to guarantee sugar exports during WWI.

1918

U.S. Marines occupy Panamanian province of Chiriqui for two years to maintain public order.

1921

President Coolidge strongly suggests the overthrow of Guatemalan President Carlos Herrera, in the interests of United Fruit. The Guatemalans comply.

1925

U.S. Army troops occupy Panama City to break a rent strike and keep order.

1926

Marines, out of Nicaragua for less than a year, occupy the country again, to settle a volatile political situation. Secretary of State Kellogg describes a "Nicaraguan-Mexican-Soviet" conspiracy to inspire a "Mexican-Bolshevist hegemony" within striking distance of the Canal.

"That intervention is not now, never was, and never will be a set policy of the United States is one of the most important facts President-elect Hoover has made clear." --NYT, 1928

1929

U.S. establishes a military academy in Nicaragua to train a National Guard as the country's army. Similar forces are trained in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

"There is no room for any outside influence other than ours in this region. We could not tolerate such a thing without incurring grave risks... Until now Central America has always understood that governments which we recognize and support stay in power, while those which we do not recognize and support fall. Nicaragua has become a test case. It is difficult to see how we can afford to be defeated." --Undersecretary of State Robert Olds

1930

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo emerges from the U.S.-trained National Guard to become dictator of the Dominican Republic.

1932

The U.S. rushes warships to El Salvador in response to a communist-led uprising. President Martínez, however, prefers to put down the rebellion with his own forces, killing over 8000 people (the rebels had killed about 100).

! 1933

President Roosevelt announces the Good Neighbor policy.

1933

Marines finally leave Nicaragua, unable to suppress the guerrilla warfare of General Augusto César Sandino. Anastasio Somoza García becomes the first Nicaraguan commander of the National Guard.

"The Nicaraguans are better fighters than the Haitians, being of Indian blood, and as warriors similar to the aborigines who resisted the advance of civilization in this country." --NYT correspondent Harold Denny

1933

Roosevelt sends warships to Cuba to intimidate Gerardo Machado y Morales, who is massacring the people to put down nationwide strikes and riots. Machado resigns. The first provisional government lasts only 17 days; the second Roosevelt finds too left-wing and refuses to recognize. A pro-Machado counter-coup is put down by Fulgencio Batista, who with Roosevelt's blessing becomes Cuba's new strongman.

! 1934

Platt Amendment repealed.

1934

Sandino assassinated by agents of Somoza, with U.S. approval. Somoza assumes the presidency of Nicaragua two years later. To block his ascent, Secretary of State Cordell Hull explains, would be to intervene in the internal affairs of Nicaragua.

! 1936

U.S. relinquishes rights to unilateral intervention in Panama.

1941

Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia deposes Panamanian president Arias in a military coup-- first clearing it with the U.S. Ambassador.

It was "a great relief to us, because Arias had been very troublesome and very pro-Nazi." --Secretary of War Henry Stimson

1943

The editor of the Honduran opposition paper El Cronista is summoned to the U.S. embassy and told that criticism of the dictator Tiburcio Carías Andino is damaging to the war effort. Shortly afterward, the paper is shut down by the government.

1944

The dictator Maximiliano Hernández Martínez of El Salvador is ousted by a revolution; the interim government is overthrown five months later by the dictator's former chief of police. The U.S.'s immediate recognition of the new dictator does much to tarnish Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy in the eyes of Latin Americans.

1946

U.S. Army School of the Americas opens in Panama as a hemisphere-wide military academy. Its linchpin is the doctrine of National Security, by which the chief threat to a nation is internal subversion; this will be the guiding principle behind dictatorships in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Central America, and elsewhere.

1948

José Figueres Ferrer wins a short civil war to become President of Costa Rica. Figueres is supported by the U.S., which has informed San José that its forces in the Panama Canal are ready to come to the capital to end "communist control" of Costa Rica.

1954

Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán, elected president of Guatemala, introduces land reform and seizes some idle lands of United Fruit-- proposing to pay for them the value United Fruit claimed on its tax returns. The CIA organizes a small force to overthrow him and begins training it in Honduras. When Arbenz naively asks for U.S. military help to meet this threat, he is refused; when he buys arms from Czechoslovakia it only proves he's a Red.

Guatemala is "openly and diligently toiling to create a Communist state in Central America... only two hours' bombing time from the Panama Canal." --Life

The CIA broadcasts reports detailing the imaginary advance of the "rebel army," and provides planes to strafe the capital. The army refuses to defend Arbenz, who resigns. The U.S.'s hand-picked dictator, Carlos Castillo Armas, outlaws political parties, reduces the franchise, and establishes the death penalty for strikers, as well as undoing Arbenz's land reform. Over 100,000 citizens are killed in the next 30 years of military rule.

"This is the first instance in history where a Communist government has been replaced by a free one." --Richard Nixon

1957

Eisenhower establishes Office of Public Safety to train Latin American police forces.

! 1959

Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba. Several months earlier he had undertaken a triumphal tour through the U.S., which included a CIA briefing on the Red menace.

"Castro's continued tawdry little melodrama of invasion." --Time, of Castro's warnings of an imminent U.S. invasion

1960

Eisenhower authorizes covert actions to get rid of Castro. Among other things, the CIA tries assassinating him with exploding cigars and poisoned milkshakes. Other covert actions against Cuba include burning sugar fields, blowing up boats in Cuban harbors, and sabotaging industrial equipment.

1960

The Canal Zone becomes the focus of U.S. counterinsurgency training.

1960

A new junta in El Salvador promises free elections; Eisenhower, fearing leftist tendencies, withholds recognition. A more attractive right-wing counter-coup comes along in three months.

"Governments of the civil-military type of El Salvador are the most effective in containing communist penetration in Latin America." --John F. Kennedy, after the coup

1960

Guatemalan officers attempt to overthrow the regime of Presidente Fuentes; Eisenhower stations warships and 2000 Marines offshore while Fuentes puts down the revolt. [Another source says that the U.S. provided air support for Fuentes.]

1960s

U.S. Green Berets train Guatemalan army in counterinsurgency techniques. Guatemalan efforts against its insurgents include aerial bombing, scorched-earth assaults on towns suspected of aiding the rebels, and death squads, which killed 20,000 people between 1966 and 1976. U.S. Army Col. John Webber claims that it was at his instigation that "the technique of counter-terror had been implemented by the army."

"If it is necessary to turn the country into a cemetary in order to pacify it, I will not hesitate to do so." --President Carlos Arana Osorio

1961

U.S. organizes force of 1400 anti-Castro Cubans, ships it to the Bahía de los Cochinos. Castro's army routs it.

1961

CIA-backed coup overthrows elected Pres. J. M. Velasco Ibarra of Ecuador, who has been too friendly with Cuba.

1962

CIA engages in campaign in Brazil to keep João Goulart from achieving control of Congress.

1963

CIA-backed coup overthrows elected social democrat Juan Bosch in the Dominican Republic.

1963

A far-right-wing coup in Guatemala, apparently U.S.-supported, forestalls elections in which "extreme leftist" Juan José Arévalo was favored to win.

"It is difficult to develop stable and democratic government [in Guatemala], because so many of the nation's Indians are illiterate and superstitious." --School textbook, 1964

1964

João Goulart of Brazil proposes agrarian reform, nationalization of oil. Ousted by U.S.-supported military coup.

! 1964

The free market in Nicaragua:

The Somoza family controls "about one-tenth of the cultivable land in Nicaragua, and just about everything else worth owning, the country's only airline, one television station, a newspaper, a cement plant, textile mill, several sugar refineries, half-a-dozen breweries and distilleries, and a Mercedes-Benz agency." --Life World Library

1965

A coup in the Dominican Republic attempts to restore Bosch's government. The U.S. invades and occupies the country to stop this "Communist rebellion," with the help of the dictators of Brazil, Paraguay, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

"Representative democracy cannot work in a country such as the Dominican Republic," Bosch declares later. Now why would he say that?

1966

U.S. sends arms, advisors, and Green Berets to Guatemala to implement a counterinsurgency campaign.

"To eliminate a few hundred guerrillas, the government killed perhaps 10,000 Guatemalan peasants." --State Dept. report on the program

1967

A team of Green Berets is sent to Bolivia to help find and assassinate Che Guevara.

1968

Gen. José Alberto Medrano, who is on the payroll of the CIA, organizes the ORDEN paramilitary force, considered the precursor of El Salvador's death squads.

! 1970

In this year (just as an example), U.S. investments in Latin America earn $1.3 billion; while new investments total $302 million.

1970

Salvador Allende Gossens elected in Chile. Suspends foreign loans, nationalizes foreign companies. For the phone system, pays ITT the company's minimized valuation for tax purposes. The CIA provides covert financial support for Allende's opponents, both during and after his election.

1972

U.S. stands by as military suspends an election in El Salvador in which centrist José Napoleón Duarte was favored to win. (Compare with the emphasis placed on the 1982 elections.)

1973

U.S.-supported military coup kills Allende and brings Augusto Pinochet Ugarte to power. Pinochet imprisons well over a hundred thousand Chileans (torture and rape are the usual methods of interrogation), terminates civil liberties, abolishes unions, extends the work week to 48 hours, and reverses Allende's land reforms.

1973

Military takes power in Uruguay, supported by U.S. The subsequent repression reportedly features the world's highest percentage of the population imprisoned for political reasons.

1974

Office of Public Safety is abolished when it is revealed that police are being taught torture techniques.

! 1976

Election of Jimmy Carter leads to a new emphasis on human rights in Central America. Carter cuts off aid to the Guatemalan military (or tries to; some slips through) and reduces aid to El Salvador.

! 1979

Ratification of the Panama Canal treaty which is to return the Canal to Panama by 1999.

"Once again, Uncle Sam put his tail between his legs and crept away rather than face trouble." --Ronald Reagan

1980

A right-wing junta takes over in El Salvador. U.S. begins massively supporting El Salvador, assisting the military in its fight against FMLN guerrillas. Death squads proliferate; Archbishop Romero is assassinated by right-wing terrorists; 35,000 civilians are killed in 1978-81. The rape and murder of four U.S. churchwomen results in the suspension of U.S. military aid for one month.

The U.S. demands that the junta undertake land reform. Within 3 years, however, the reform program is halted by the oligarchy.

"The Soviet Union underlies all the unrest that is going on." --Ronald Reagan

1980

U.S., seeking a stable base for its actions in El Salvador and Nicaragua, tells the Honduran military to clean up its act and hold elections. The U.S. starts pouring in $100 million of aid a year and basing the contras on Honduran territory.

Death squads are also active in Honduras, and the contras tend to act as a state within a state.

1981

The CIA steps in to organize the contras in Nicaragua, who started the previous year as a group of 60 ex-National Guardsmen; by 1985 there are about 12,000 of them. 46 of the 48 top military leaders are ex-Guardsmen. The U.S. also sets up an economic embargo of Nicaragua and pressures the IMF and the World Bank to limit or halt loans to Nicaragua.

1981

Gen. Torrijos of Panama is killed in a plane crash. There is a suspicion of CIA involvement, due to Torrijos' nationalism and friendly relations with Cuba.

1982

A coup brings Gen. Efraín Ríos Montt to power in Guatemala, and gives the Reagan administration the opportunity to increase military aid. Ríos Montt's evangelical beliefs do not prevent him from accelerating the counterinsurgency campaign.

1983

Another coup in Guatemala replaces Ríos Montt. The new President, Oscar Mejía Víctores, was trained by the U.S. and seems to have cleared his coup beforehand with U.S. authorities.

1983

U.S. troops take over tiny Granada. Rather oddly, it intervenes shortly after a coup has overthrown the previous, socialist leader. One of the justifications for the action is the building of a new airport with Cuban help, which Granada claimed was for tourism and Reagan argued was for Soviet use. Later the U.S. announces plans to finish the airport... to develop tourism.

1983

Boland Amendment prohibits CIA and Defense Dept. from spending money to overthrow the government of Nicaragua-- a law the Reagan administration cheerfully violates.

1984

CIA mines three Nicaraguan harbors. Nicaragua takes this action to the World Court, which brings an $18 billion judgment against the U.S. The U.S. refuses to recognize the Court's jurisdiction in the case.

1984

U.S. spends $10 million to orchestrate elections in El Salvador-- something of a farce, since left-wing parties are under heavy repression, and the military has already declared that it will not answer to the elected president.

1989

U.S. invades Panama to dislodge CIA boy gone wrong Manuel Noriega, an event which marks the evolution of the U.S.'s favorite excuse from Communism to drugs.

1996

The U.S. battles global Communism by extending most-favored-nation trading status for China, and tightening the trade embargo on Castro's Cuba.

SOURCE

[kakoliberlin]

Blood in the Water: Threats loom large for our ocean wildlife

Shark Week Brings a Much-Needed Spotlight to Threats Facing Sharks and Our Ocean Habitats

By Elias Levy

It’s late July, and that can only mean one thing: it’s Shark Week!

This year’s Shark Week kicked off with what was hailed as an epic battle of man versus beast when Michael Phelps took on a great white shark in a swimming contest. Well, the shark turned out to be just a computer simulated representation that took the Olympian to task—so much for the “drama.”

As fascinating as a Phelps/Jaws-style mashup promised to be—and truly it does pique one’s interest—it’s not the best way to learn about the very real challenges facing sharks today. (It’s not likely outracing an Olympic swimmer is one of them—with a top speed of 25 mph compared to Phelps’ top speed of 6 mph, great white sharks have nothing to fear). The reality is that many species of sharks are facing extraordinary threats to their very existence. Of the 465 known species of sharks, 141 are currently listed as threatened or near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, including 26 species that are endangered or critically endangered.

So, instead of manufacturing drama between man and fake fish, Defenders will use this opportunity to address two battles affecting sharks taking place right now: President Trump’s executive order calling for the “review” of six national marine sanctuaries and five marine national monuments, and the devastating and exploitative practice of shark finning (to be addressed in a blog entry later this week—stay tuned!).

Troubled Waters

Back in April, President Trump added insult to injury when he issued an executive order shortly after his order directing the Secretary of the Interior to “review” 27 national monuments for potential elimination or reduction in size or protections. Executive Order 13795 directs the Secretary of Commerce to similarly “review” six national marine sanctuaries in addition to the five marine national monuments already under review by the Secretary of the Interior. This may be the first step towards reducing the size of or the legal protections for these incredibly important marine habitats in an effort to open these places to the fossil fuel industry and commercial fishing. Any reduction in the protections for these marine monuments and sanctuaries could have devastating effects on the numerous species of sharks, as well as thousands of other marine species, that call these places home.

Opening up these marine monuments and sanctuaries to commercial fishing would greatly increase the take of sharks, whether through intentional catch or incidental bycatch. The loss of sharks to the commercial fishing industry is a leading cause of their rapid population declines worldwide. Some estimates put the annual bycatch rate of commercial fisheries at 50 million sharks per year!

Habitat degradation and loss are also major threats to sharks, which are known to be highly susceptible to pollution and environmental contamination because of their position at the top of the marine food chain. Opening these important marine habitats to oil and gas development and commercial fishing would expose already-fragile populations to increased risks. And as a top predator, the negative impacts on sharks from extraction and fishing would have cascading effects throughout these ecosystems and on marine life they support.

Take action now to protect marine habitats for sharks and countless ocean life.

What’s at Stake?

Following is a brief review of the habitats on the chopping block—and potentially the auction block—for the fossil fuel industry and other commercial interests: The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (Off the coast of California near Santa Barbara)

By Elias Levy

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary encompasses 1,470 square miles surrounding five of the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara. The sanctuary’s location at the confluence of two major ocean current creates remarkable biodiversity. Among the many species that can be spotted in and around the sanctuary are a variety of shark species, including swell sharks, Pacific angel sharks, leopard sharks, horn sharks, great white sharks (vulnerable[1]), blue sharks, bluntnose sixgill sharks, broadnose sevengill sharks, shortfin mako sharks (vulnerable), hammerhead sharks (several species are vulnerable or endangered), thresher sharks, and soupfin sharks (vulnerable).

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Off the coast of California near San Francisco)

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary covers 1,286 square miles off the coast of northern California, bounded to the north, south, and east by the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. It is often referred to as the “albatross capital of the northern hemisphere.” It is also one of the most important feeding grounds in the world for the imperiled humpback whale. In addition to these distinguishing factors and the multitude of other sealife it supports, Cordell Bank also supports various shark species including: blue sharks, salmon sharks, bluntnose sixgill sharks, great white sharks (vulnerable), and thresher sharks (vulnerable).

Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (Off the coast of California near San Francisco) Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, off the northern and central California coast, is home to one of the most significant great white shark (vulnerable) populations on the planet. At 3,295 square miles, it is larger than the State of Rhode Island, and consists of a diversity of landscape features, from rocky intertidal areas to wetlands, coastal beaches to subtidal reefs. In addition to its impressive population of great white sharks, the Greater Farallones also provides habitat for basking sharks (vulnerable) and is home to the largest concentration of breeding seabirds in the continental U.S.

by Maxime Guilbot

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (Off the coast of California near Monterey) Off the coast of central California, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is the largest marine sanctuary in the continental U.S. at 6,094 square miles. It is often referred to as the “Serengeti of the Sea” because of its vast ecosystem diversity and extensive kelp forests. That diversity is illustrated by the array of sharks this sanctuary supports: blue shark, filetail catshark, great white shark (vulnerable), leopard shark, broadnose sevengill shark, swell shark, horn shark, common thresher shark (vulnerable), basking shark (vulnerable), shortfin mako (vulnerable), salmon shark, brown catshark, longnose catshark, tope shark (vulnerable), grey smoothhound shark, brown smoothhound shark, bluntnose sixgill shark, prickly shark, Pacific sleeper shark, and Pacific angel shark. Of course, the sanctuary is perhaps best known for its population of southern sea otters (listed as threatened on the Endangered Species Act and endangered on the IUCN Red List).

The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (Off the coast of American Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean) The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa takes the prize as the largest—and most remote—sanctuary at 13,581 square miles. It is the only true tropical reef in the sanctuary system and is home to an estimated 1,400 invertebrates. It is also a favorite spot for shark species, such as blacktip and whitetip reef sharks. Hammerhead sharks (several species are vulnerable or endangered), tiger sharks and whale sharks (endangered) have also been known to frequent its waters.

by Eric Johnson, NOAA Corps

Rose Atoll Marine National Monument (Near the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean) Rose Atoll Marine National Monument (13,393 square miles) remains one of the most pristine atolls in the world. Its dynamic reef ecosystem is home to a broad diversity of shark species, including blacktip, whitetip and gray reef sharks. The monument also provides habitat for the greatest number of nesting sea turtles in American Samoa, including the endangered green and hawksbill sea turtles.

Marianas Trench Marine National Monument (Near the Northern Mariana Islands in the North Pacific Ocean) Marianas Trench Marine National Monument preserves the deepest point on earth, at nearly 11,000 meters below sea level. Active volcanoes and thermal vents support life that survives despite the immense water pressure and constant darkness of this environment. The Marianas Trench is among the most biodiverse waters in the western Pacific, and contains the greatest diversity of seamount and hydrothermal vent life in the world. It is possible that extreme conditions like those in the monument were the first incubators of life. This seascape is home to large numbers of sharks, including bluntnose sixgill sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks (vulnerable), silky sharks, smalltooth sandtiger sharks (vulnerable) and whale sharks (vulnerable).

By Sam Farkas, NOAA

Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (Near the Hawaiian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean) The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument is the fourth largest marine reserve in the world at 490,300 square miles—roughly the size of Texas, Georgia and California put together. It is also one of the largest refuges for sharks in the world. Sharks known to frequent its waters include whale sharks (endangered), silky sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks (vulnerable), gray reef sharks and whitetip sharks.  The monument is also home to a vast array of other species, 15 to 44 percent of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Near the Hawaiian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean) Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (583,000 square miles) is the second largest marine reserve on earth and one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet. It supports more than 7,000 species in its coral reef system, of which approximately 25 percent are unique to the Hawaiian Islands. Its diversity of species and unique ecology has garnered it the nickname of “America’s Galapagos.” Sharks are key species in the ecosystems of the monument and the adjacent areas. At least a dozen species of sharks inhabit the open ocean area adjacent to the monument, including blue sharks, three species of thresher sharks (vulnerable), and both species of mako sharks—longfin and shortfin (both vulnerable. The monument area itself supports tiger sharks, Galapagos sharks and endangered scalloped hammerhead sharks amongst many others.

Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument (Off the New England coast in the Atlantic Ocean) The only marine national monument in the Atlantic is found off the coast of New England. The unique topography and ecology of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument (4,913 square miles) supports hundreds of marine species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. The canyons influence the distribution patterns of sharks as well as other highly migratory species like the endangered sperm, fin and sei whales. The seamounts provide shelter for predators, increased food, nurseries, and spawning grounds. More than ten species of shark, including great white sharks (vulnerable) and Greenland sharks, are known to utilize the feeding grounds of the canyon and seamount area.

Also on the Chopping Block: Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (Off the coast of Michigan in Lake Huron)

With a name like Thunder Bay, you can image the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary would be an ideal hangout for apex predators like sharks, but it is in fact the first marine sanctuary designated in the Great Lakes. It does, however, support a wide range of freshwater fish. The risk to this ecosystem from fossil fuel development has its own set of dangers, not the least of which is that fact that the Great Lakes make up 20 percent of the world’s freshwater supply.

Preserve These Marine Habitats Now

These marine monuments and sanctuaries are important refuges for imperiled sharks and the multitude of other threatened and endangered species that call them home. Sharks play a key role in their marine ecosystems; any threat to their survival is a threat to the health and vitality of the entire environment where they live. If protections for these sensitive ecosystems are diminished or revoked, it could have devastating effects on our ocean wildlife and their habitats.

Act now to preserve our marine monuments and sanctuaries for sharks and all the wildlife they support!

[1] As defined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Vulnerable species are defined as those facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Endangered species are those considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. For more information, visit: IUCN Red List information

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