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What happened at Dos Erres

2012-06-11 15:35:46.549275+00 by Dan Lyke 3 comments

This American Life: What Happened at Dos Erres was strongly suggested in my Facebook feed. I haven't had a chance to listen to it, but apparently it's about the events recounted in Pro Publica: Finding Oscar: Massacre, Memory and Justice in Guatemala. Back in the Reagan Years when we were supporting "anti-communists" no matter the rest of their agenda, government forces went in to the Guatemala town of Dos Erres and killed 200 people, sparing only 2 young boys. One of the commandos raised one of those boys on his own, and the boy later moved to the United States, without the benefit of documentation.

Then one day he got an email from a prosecutor in Guatemala, offering help with his immigration status if he took a DNA test. Turns out the father of one of those boys was working in another town on that fateful day...

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comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2012-06-12 08:42:58.747236+00 by: andylyke

I heard that one a few weeks ago. Hearing it, coupled with my own (slight) acquaintance with Guatemala led me to seriously think about sending my passport back.

#Comment Re: made: 2012-06-12 16:43:08.348811+00 by: Dan Lyke

It's yet another good reminder that the intelligence services of the United States need to be reigned way in, and while I've got mixed feelings about overt interventionism, I'm very much an isolationist when it comes to covert activity.

#Comment Re: made: 2012-06-12 22:30:02.140207+00 by: andylyke

I heartily recommend any book by Andrew J Bacevich. Start with "Washington Rules".

Covert information gathering I can support. Covert (or overt) nose in everybody's business aggression has ruined our reputation throughout the world.