Comments on: The Price Of Bananas

Steve Kroft On How Colombian Paramilitaries Landed A U.S. Corporation In Hot Water

[iaspire]

THe Translation of Gloria Cuartes, the mayaor of Partado, contained gross mistatements. As part of her interview, she began to describe a scene in which a 12 year-old child was beheaded.

At oone point, the English translation of her interview stated the following: "100 hundred girls and boys were with me," when in fact, what she said in Spanish was the following, " I saw how the animals ate the bodies of the people."

I am very concerned with the inaccurate translation. I fear it may have been changed because her eyewitness account of what happened may have been too disturbing for viewers. If this was the reason why, it disturbs me to know that a story was not aired in a truthful and accurate manner. I hope 60 minutes and the producer, Andy Court, will issue a correction and an explanaition.

Jose Rene
Hartford, CT

[mia_b54]

Chiquita is guilty guilty guilty. I will find other ways to get my Potasium. They should have pulled out and found another less tortuous place to grow bananas. Americans do not give over to terriorists under any circumstances. That money is BLOOD money. All American companies doing business in such a manner should pay dearly. On this Mother''s Day my heart aches for the Mother that lost her 12 year old son. Americans need to come together and boycott all companies doing business abroad and paying anything other than a fair wage and fair benefits. Those busineses have an out. There are other places to go to conduct their business in a reasonable manner. I will not buy chiquita bananas ever again. Shame on them.
Mia

[allthetime24]

Of course the lawyers are lining up to bring down a company that was up front and honest about what was extortion money. If Chiquita didn''t pay and one employee was killed the lawyers would be lining up to sue Chiquita for being negligent to their keep employes safe.

[FileMakerGuru]

If Chiquita grows bananas in the United States, they also have to pay extortion payments (property tax) or choose the barrel of a gun (jail) or the loss of their land. Similarly, the taxes support foreign occupation (Iraq war) by scary men with guns wearing camouflage (US Armed Services). We can conclude Chiquita continues business in Columbia because Columbia''s extortion fees are cheaper than US extortion fees.

Alan Smith
Austin, TX

[estabwary]

Everyone should google United Fruit Comapany and Standard Fruit Company to read the long, long histories of getting bananas to your stores. Not the company PR sites, the investigative stories. It is a education.

[FileMakerGuru]

If Chiquita grows bananas in the United States, they also have to pay extortion payments (property tax) or choose the barrel of a gun (jail) or the loss of their land. Similarly, the taxes support foreign occupation (Iraq war) by scary men with guns wearing camouflage (US Armed Services). We can conclude Chiquita continues business in Columbia because Columbia''s extortion fees are cheaper than US extortion fees.

Alan Smith
Austin, TX

[iunderstand1]

i can''t belelive what i have just heard about these people going after chiquitia. Whos next me because i eat bananas from chiquitia. do i support terrorism for supporting chiquitia. what about the lawyers going after them do they eat these bananas and support terrorism where does it end?

[puritan9]

The Chaquita Banana case as reported by CBS is an attempt to white wash with gobbledygook. I am ashamed that CBS has not taken a stronger honest and truthful perspective as is readily available from Democracy Now by Amy Goodman. CBS should not be complicit with our (USA) corporate controlled government, in destroying other countries for corporate profits. If CBS wants to return to the respectable stature that it once enjoyed it has to stop acting like Fox News. Guys, show some backbone stand up with responsibility to honor your profession as bestowed upon you by the Constitution. The US is being corrupted because you guys have started pandering to the politicians and stopped doing your jobs.

From the case that you present, Chiquita has done nothing wrong. They''ve paid extortionists to protect their employees and their business. If they aren''t popular in Columbia, it is for other reasons. I think that there are serious problems with Chiquita, such as their use of chemicals that have endangered entire species of migratory birds, but you should go after them for things they are doing wrong. As for U.S. law making it a serious crime to pay an extortionist, I can''t wait for a case to come to court. I don''t blame Chiquita executives for lying to protect themselves from mere harassment; moreover, it''s only lying if it can be reasonably expected to deceive someone.

[vfrankli2]

The banana barons actually reaped what they sowed. Next, do a program featuring how many deaths Chiquita and the US military are responsible for in an effort to protect the banana monopoly and the railroad built to transport the bananas.

[reply60min]

I agree with ttinsly.
read stephen kinzer''s "Overthrow: America''s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq". google united fruit and understand how cia connections abuse power to control outside country resources (dulles, bush).
it''s going on today. read john perkins'' "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" and watch bbc world news and you will see how as predicted, wolfowitz championed the invasion, then was appointed to the world bank. the highest paid multinational oil company lawyers drafted a 400 page PSA they want iraq to sign that gives away 50% of their oil. oh, and bremmer did his part by attempting to slip in a law "allowing mineral rights to be owned by outside companies who had the right to export all the profits" days before fleeing.
Talk about forcing people to sign under pressure! officials in iraq are not free to act in their national interests (hemmed-in just like congress members who can''t/won''t investigate blackwater killings). Hasty contracts at this point is like the difference to occupied cuba between AND/OR in "the us may utilize guantanamo bay until cuba AND the u.s. agree otherwise" (1900''s).
do this: next time you hear of a iranian boat skirmish TRY to pinpoint the exact gps location on a map of the hormuz straits and territorial waters. you just may find another gulf of tonkin war lie being perpetrated.

[rushman71]

Hey, Chiquita!!! Hola, way!!!! Chingao somali, ok!!! Me vali verga todo!!!

[prinzowhales]

acolton1--Obama bowled a 35...a blind 78 year old man bowled a 300. Hats off to Mr. Davis!

[acolton1]

Did you read about:

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A blind Iowa man scored a perfect 300 game at the Century Lanes bowling alley on Saturday, The Storm Lake Times reported.

The Times said Dale Davis, 78, of Alta, called the game "quite a thrill." He rolled 12 back-to-back strikes, the first-ever perfect game at the Century Lanes, The Times reported.

[acolton1]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A blind Iowa man scored a perfect 300 game at the Century Lanes bowling alley on Saturday, The Storm Lake Times reported.

The Times said Dale Davis, 78, of Alta, called the game "quite a thrill." He rolled 12 back-to-back strikes, the first-ever perfect game at the Century Lanes, The Times reported.

[prinzowhales]

Gee, today someone may well be stupid enough to believe them...but its the same old story as with United Fruit Company....which is what Chiquita was known as in the past before it was taken over by Carl Lindner...the same sinister gangster that helped his former "associate" (in the ''Walmart'' sense of the word)start up Charles Keating in his Arizona crime empire--S&L rackets--the one that gave us the infamous Keating Five...five corrupt politicians who found their way into his pocket...one of whom was named John McCain.

[guadalcanal3]

Oh they did..did they?

[walt1944-2009]

The Great Emperor Bush II is upset with CBS 60 Minutes for showing a segment involving the deceit and extortion that goes on in Columbia.

The Great Emperor fears that if Congress sees this segment, it will doom any hope he has for CFTA to be passed, even if the Great Pretender, "Bagdad John McBush" McCain becomes Great Emperor. Then how will the Great Emperor explain to his wealthy corporate buddies that they can''t more jobs to Columbia after all!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, DEFINITELY MORE OF THE SAME, McCain!!!