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 By John Lindsay-Poland
After meeting with a wide variety of Mexicans, we are compelled to value their lives. We see the same devaluation of Mexican life that is expressed in the punitive enforcement and use of force against immigrants as in the rationalizations for a gun industry that is feeding the nearly genocidal organized crime in Mexico, an attitude that Mexican citizens don't matter, deserve less than US citizens. A correlate of this devaluation is the idea that persons breaking a law, especially persons of color, can be treated in any manner, even murdered with impunity. This is a death squad approach to law-breaking. For both laws that are just as well as laws that need revision, we reject it. Read more.
 By Gina Spigarelli
The turnover of a calendar year is a time for rebirth and re-evaluation, a time of resolutions and looking forward to an even better year to come. January 2013 brought something new to the peace community - low flying aerial fumigation planes. Fumigation has been a reality for Afro-Colombian, indigenous, and campesino communities in other parts of Colombia since the 1990s, when the Colombian government began trying to eradicate coca production. This method of eradication was never used around the peace community before… until now. A neighbor pointed out to me this month, “If this continues to happen, and they really fumigate all of the peace community’s crops, what are we going to do?" Read more.
By Susana Pimiento
The 2013 New Year came with some good news of hope for justice. On January 18, the Colombian Constitutional Court published a decision that incorporated conditions that the peace community of San José de Apartadó has long articulated as necessary for re-establishing dialogue and overcoming its eight-year-old rupture with the Colombian government. We urge readers to contact Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to press him to comply with the ruling. Read more.
 Every Spring, communities across the United States come together and join in Days of Prayer and Action with our Colombian brothers and sisters to show policymakers that now is the time for real change in U.S.-Colombia policy. The stakes have never been higher. Colombia is counting on us to join the Days of Prayer and Action this April 26-29. The time for peace and justice is now as Colombia is currently engaged in a peace process with the FARC, the oldest and largest guerilla group. Read more.
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Landmark Legal Victory for the Peace Community
