This story was originally posted largely as a reaction to one or two contributors who have implied that middle and upper class Colombians are usually self serving who support Uribe because he improves their lifestyle at the expense of the oppressed. This story was just to illustrate that maybe some people, whatever their motives are prepared to take risks to show compassion. And I, for one, won't knock that!!! It was to illustrate that to generalise however well intentioned can end up as a misrepresentation of the truth.

I did not realise that using the word Marxist was inflammatory and I apologise if this was how it seemed. I have believed that socialism and socialists sometimes believe that the Church (whichever brand) was a tool of the state and an equal oppressor, even if only of the mind. As it appears that, amongst the contributors, a predominately socialist philosophy was held, I used the term a little tongue in cheek' trying to say, look past your feelings about the dogma and look at the motivations of the hearts involved.... are they trying to oppress or help, even if it comes with a dollop of godliness!!!

I have a great many reservations about the merits or not of evangelising, but I have to say, the ONLY people I have met in Colombia who, in a humanitarian sense, reach out in any way to the poor and especially the indigenous people tend to be the Christians. And a very large percentage of them are middle class. They don't worry about the risks they take, (and they are huge, one group I know tried to evangelise to the guerrillas, three weeks in the mountains, and they all came back safely!!) they believe God protects them. So the risks are worthwhile. I have argued with them on many occasions, that their faith is not enough, they have to change the system as well and this sadly  tends to fall on deaf ears, they truly believe that God will find a solution. I have asked myself many times, does this philosophy makes them indirect, unintentional supporters of the system? A question I have yet to answer fully.

I think that you have to look a little behind the rhetoric as they are not writing in their first language. I agree completely with Bill Conroy that to say "the people had been robbed blind" is a better way to express the history, but I don't think they were looking from a historical perspective (rightly or wrongly). They were trying to show (I think) that the people had assets they were not aware of..... assets that they could use to improve their lives.....

The accounts Bill gave of the Indian massacre are fascinating, if that is the right word, but I have trouble equating the actions I reported with either version given. Firstly, the Christians were not there, like Father Perrig, to help the oppressors, and in doing so ending up also tending to the oppressed. The Christians were there for the oppressed. I am not aware of any sympathies for example with the paramilitaries although they would, given the opportunity, undoubtedly try to turn them to God. So I see the Christians as like Father Perrig but different in that they are there for the indigenous not the 'cavalry'.

I also feel that the Christian perspective is a little different today. I think in their hearts they genuinely believe that only good can come from evangelising. And it is not white oppressor Christian teaching indigenous heathens Christian morals as they are both Colombian. But surely what is important is that, for whatever reason, they are showing they care and that will give a sense of personal inner value that is sadly missing in such a high percentage of the poor.

Bill Conroy asks whether Jesus would be a socialist or a capitalist. Well certainly not a capitalist, socialist maybe or maybe a liberal.... after all he also healed (if one believes the bible) Romans, the oppressors, as well as the Jews.

Bill goes on to ask about whether being a Christian makes you a better person or automatically on the side of truth and justice. Absolutely not!!! I cannot state that sufficiently. I have witnessed self serving Christians and I have been in the home of a pastor of extreme wealth in Cali, whom I consider to be exploiting his flock on a daily basis. First class air tickets back home to the USA, big house, big car etc etc. For over 20 years this 'Gringo', and I use that word deliberately and without any humour whatsoever, has been exploiting Colombian people......... However, no thanks to him, his 'flock' do wonderful work within the community off their own backs. One girl in her twenties runs a project for pregnant street children which I have witnessed change tens of lives for the better. I support her with all my heart, she comes from a very poor background herself, she lives in a village called Montebello 20 minutes up in the mountains from Cali, were she lives in a shack with her mother, sister and baby nephew all sleeping, living and eating in one room. No running water, they use rain water collected in a bucket to shower and drinking water is delivered once a week. I am proud to say that I am godfather to her nephew, Santiago, even if I am not sure that I believe in God myself.

Bill goes on to ask, am I with the Indians or the mission? I hope I am with the Indians, but sometimes I find that I have moved closer to the mission than I would like. That's my honest answer!! And what is the truth? 48 years and I still every time I think I find it. it slips through my fingers.......

Joe Weins has reservations about the relevance of whether individual members of the middle class are self serving or not. In one way I agree with him. On one level the people I speak of are self serving, but the reward they believe they will receive is apparently not of this world. To that extent we are ALL self serving! If you helped to bring about real political change in Colombia you would, I suspect, feel pretty good about it, even proud to be a part. That is self serving too.

As I wrote earlier, the self serving I am referring to is that expressed in the story by Laura del Castillo when she writes;

"But so that those sectors of the middle class (generally made up of “social climbers”) and of the upper classes (generally made up of ranchers, industrialists, businessmen and high society folks who are simply trying to safeguard their property and wealth)"

This sentiment has been expressed in more forthright terms by other contributors, but I have chosen to express it as 'self serving'. Please Laura, correct me if I am wrong, but the impression I get is that you believe these groups of society are looking for the state to serve their needs at the expense of the poor and oppressed. So that to me is self serving, no?

And it is an important point for a number of reasons. Firstly, one of the reasons that many individuals I approach in England decide not to help the people of Colombia preferring to give aid to other countries is because of the image of the Colombian people themselves. So, continually repeating these comments about the richer classes solicits the reaction, "they can do it themselves then can't they". Which although true, does not put food on a table or vaccinations in a child’s arm TODAY. So am I suggesting that you cover up the truth? Absolutely not, but I do suggest that the words in parenthesis were a sweeping generalisation, particularly about the middle class and were in any case unnecessary as the story would have had equal impact without them. What I am trying to do is address the balance. I am not pretending that all middle class Colombians care, far from it, or that the government of President Uribe is even close to making the changes necessary, but I want to try to show that there are decent socially minded people at every level. And the world needs to know about them.

Interestingly all Servibanca cash machines in Cali offer the opportunity to make donations to a foundation for children and in the Supermarket Exito, shoppers, middle class and above, are asked if they want to make a donation to foundations for health and education. I have never seen this here in England or in the United States. It's not a one day fundraiser; it's 365 days a year. Corporations trying to do something and the people responding. Sure you can argue, it's too little, it's the responsibility of the state, it's appeasing consciences, these corporations do way more harm than good, whatever... Those responses are ALL correct to a greater or lesser extent, but on one level part of me doesn't care really..... those donations make a difference faster than ANY government will (left or right) and that speed saves lives.......

Secondly it is an insult to a huge number of people who make huge personal sacrifices. People like the woman who owns a large chain of hairdressers in Cali. She earns an awful lot of money, even by our terms. She lives in a very modest house her only luxury, in our terms, is that she has a 4 wheel drive vehicle and a driver, as she cannot drive. The reason she has a four wheel drive is because she spends a huge amount of time in the poorest barrios where she supports single handed five schools to my knowledge along with countless other projects. In short she gives almost all her money to the poor. I believe she has a right to be represented fairly!!

Now if I have come across so many different people helping as best they can, how many more are there I haven't met? The wealthy classes are about 5 million out of 50 million and I have found that maybe 5% of the 100 or so people from this social group that I know sufficiently to be aware of their motivations are not self serving. So if that 5% is multiplied across the country......Hell forget 5 lets look at just 1%.....Well you do the maths........... It's an awful lot of people being misjudged......50,000 to be exact. Only 0.1% of the total population agreed but interestingly that is possibly more than the total number of people reported to being in the paramilitaries and the guerrillas put together. But bear in mind using these statistics 45 million of the 50 million are not in a position to really help anyway. So 0.1% is misleading. The bottom line is that for any one person who is really oppressing, not just closing there eyes to the oppression, there is someone, however misguided you feel they are, trying to help!!

What Joel are you suggesting, that the indigenous people have to wait for ideologically correct political change? They will all be wiped out before that happens. If I found socialists in these communities I would want to praise them from the rooftops. But they, in my experience, are not there!!!! Why... I don't know. I would relish the opportunity to hear of politically motivated projects with the poor, working in these very dangerous communities. I would want to support them immediately. So, however patronising it seems, surely something is better than nothing!! And what is wrong with teaching them to use what assets they have left. Is it better to just fill them with anger and hate? Angry people still need to eat. They still need medicine. They still need to feel that someone cares about them.

Joel forgive me, but I do not understand why you feel that people who endanger their own lives to do what they believe is helping their oppressed countryman is on a par with Apartheid. Maybe they should just stay at home?? They, I believe, are trying to share as they can, they do not see the indigenous as cursed. They are not, at this time, able to carry out a more fundamental distribution of wealth. I do share your beliefs on the charity of giving/sharing and I am sure that they do get some feeling of inner goodness from this sharing, but I must try to convey my feeling that the people I originally wrote about are doing this because they have an obligation to give back!! They believe the bible tells them this. I am not a theologian so I do not know how accurate it is, but I have seen with my own eyes, children happier and healthier as a consequence, so I can't knock it, sorry!!

The mainstream press does not tell the world about these kinds of works, nothing of the positives. Recently I wrote to channel 4 in England complaining how in a documentary they were again painting Colombia as full of thieves and murderers. The trouble is many people then believe that represents the entire population. And you and I both know that is not true of any country in the world and certainly not, in my experience, Colombia. Laura in writing her article is, in spite of my misgivings, bravely trying to make a difference, all be from her perspective, and I have to acknowledge that equally loudly.

Maybe, just maybe, Narco News can help to redress the balance, without watering down its philosophies and without selling out to Bush, Uribe or any other politician or government. Political change can come from many directions.

Sorry to be so long winded.... but this is all very dear to me.

I think we all have the same dream..... it’s just that we see the road there a little differently.