U.S. Embassy Intelligence

I recently discovered that I had been added to the e-mail warning list sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in La Paz. Every now and then I get forwarded a message to people the Embassy refers to as "wardens' updating me on things that I need, as a U.S. citizen, to be careful about.

A Note: I really wish I had gotten such a warning a few years ago at Christmastime about some tainted 'papa rellenos" at IC Norte – little contaminated devils that left me and my two older kids tied up to I.V. tubes in a local clinic. But I think that is too much to ask of any government.

This week's warning had the following to say abut Cochabamba:

Protests in Cochabamba: The Bolivian press is also reporting that social groups from across Bolivia will gather in Cochabamba on Thursday, September 13, 2007. There may be limited mobility in Cochabamba on this date, as well as the potential for violence between conflicting groups.

We recommend that American Citizens exercise caution and stay away from these demonstrations, as press reports indicate there is the potential for confrontations between opposing groups. Since the timing and routes of marches, protests, and demonstrations are always subject to change, American citizens should monitor local media sources for new developments. We wish to remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence at any time. American citizens are encouraged to avoid areas where mass assemblies and demonstrations are expected to occur.

I have to give the Embassy credit on this one. The streets of Cochabamba are jammed with marchers this morning. The noise outside our downtown office is deafening as I write. The marching crowds have not stopped for hours and must number in the thousands.

One problem – they are carrying glockenspiels. They also seem to be playing an awful lot of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" and "From the Halls of Montezuma". Oh yeah, they are mostly all high school students.

Friday is Cochabamba Day, the anniversary of the city. So today downtown is packed with the annual assembly of school marching bands and dour looking civil servants who, for some reason, have a tradition of putting on ties and heels (either one or the other) and marching in between the high school bands. While I like imagining the people who work in the Department of Motor Vehicles or Social Security Office doing this in the U.S., I think it is unlikely.

To be honest, if the Embassy staff had asked, anyone here in Cochabamba could have told them that Thursday would be a lousy day for protests. In a tangle between either Manfredistas or cocaleros versus a hundred marching bands, my money is on the marching bands.

And so much for all the conspiracies about CIA intelligence being gathered through the country. Of course, the report on glockenspiels was probably classified.