You Shall Know Them By Their T-Shirts

There are a couple delicious details about the Colombian government’s perfect hostage rescue I really didn’t notice until I read them this morning.

First, not only did Colombian special forces rescue the hostages without firing a shot, they also captured the leader of a special FARC ring that deals only with hostages. So not only do they have the hostages but also a very valuable intelligence source.

Second, and the one that made me laugh right out loud, was how the special forces managed to dupe the FARCers. it turns out all they had to do was dress in the same uniform.

Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told reporters earlier in the day that the rescue mission had been made possible by “a special intelligence” operation that had penetrated the highest reaches of the FARC, including the group’s seven-man directorate and one of the rings of specialized rebel units entrusted with guarding hostages. Santos said that ring, commanded by a rebel known by the alias Cesar, was tricked into believing that the FARC’s leader had called for the hostages to be brought to him.

Yesterday, two white helicopters arrived in a jungle clearing where the hostages were being held. The men in the helicopters looked like guerrillas, Betancourt later said, describing details of the rescue at the military airport.

“Absolutely surreal,” she said, noting that some of the men who got off the helicopter wore T-shirts emblazoned with the iconic image of the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara. “I thought this was the FARC,” she said.

Except they weren’t. They were only dressed like the brutal fascists.

Which should make you wonder the next time you see some young person walking down the street in their Che t-shirt. Are they wearing it out of ignorance or solidarity? I suggest that the Colombians keep those shirts, though. You never know when they might want to get into a MoveOn rally or the Democratic National Convention without undue hassle.

Tags: Colombia, Democrats, No More Tyrants