Former Assemblyman Fausto Cobo (retired Colonel) responds to the insults of Correa

OPEN LETTER

As usual, on Saturday December 12, 2015 during the “sabatina” (weekly address), Rafael Correa Delgado lashed out with a series of insults and defamatory, full of hatred and complexes, against me, a reason why I have considered necessary and appropriate to respond to these grievances through this open letter.

During his speech, amid cheers and glorifications of the alleged personal triumphs and his famous “revolution,” he said literally, the following words:

“…… It hurts, it hurts when you come to the country and you have to meet so much primitivism, an example of this is Lourdes Tiban; Fausto Cobo, you can not imagine that a man so elementary like him was the Director of the War Academy; can you imagine that? …. Fausto Cobo ….. I would not even appoint him as … as a sandwiches street vendor , that poor man … and he was Director of the War Academy…. “

My reply is not addressed to him, he does not deserve it; I rather make it public to you Ecuadorians, to make my position clear about the statements of this egomaniac.

1. With regard to “sir,” Correa is right, I come from a respectable family, full of love and values. My parents were always my example. They instilled in me that you are not born as a “sir,” you become a “sir;” and to achieve this you have to begin respecting your parents, in word and deed. Years later I consolidated these teachings in my military career, preaching that motto that guides our War Academy: “Rather to be than to pretend.”

2. Correa refers to me as “elementary.” This attributive adjective has two connotations: one is positive and the other is negative. Knowing the superiority complex the arrogant insulter has, who paradoxically says “he does not believe he is superior to anyone” but who refers to Lourdes Tiban as “primitive,” this should refer to the negative meaning, which is “limited knowledge.”

In this regard, I think I will respond with the positive meaning of “elemental:” fundamental, basic, simple, not complicated, easy to understand. These concepts match with those they taught me at the noble military institution and at home, because while it may appear redundant, none of them ever had problems with the law, on the contrary, they were always recognized as exemplary citizens and now they rest in peace.

Within the “elemental” it is important to emphasize that the fundamental thing in life is not dragging complex traumas of childhood and youth that make people distill hatred, in that sense I had a childhood and a youth full of love.

3. Correa, in spite of being the highest authority of the Armed Forces for over nine years, he does not actually know what the military institution means for Ecuadorians and, therefore, he permanently attacks it. Hundreds of military officials who have been trained in the “War Academy,” are those who for generations have guided the destinies of the Army, the Armed Forces and even the state in historical situations.

I was honored to be part of this process. I was the best student, Professor, Deputy Director and Director of the War Academy, after a rigorous process of selection and appointment, so when referring disparagingly about me, he does so in an intrinsically way to the military institution.

4. With regard to “poor” you are right. The soldiers are a religion of honest men. We are not used to swallow checks, or counterfeit degrees to accumulate ill-gotten wealth. Our greatest fortune is to be good men.

5. In terms of “man” you are also right. I have no problems with my sex or my gender. I live in fullness and happily married.

6. You say you “would not even appoint as a sandwiches street vendor;” on the one hand, I would not accept that because that would imply to be corrupted and subjected to the “little boss” to stay in office; and on the other, the superiority complex emerges from the depths of the heart of this pseudo-revolutionary, he refers to “sell sandwiches” as a humiliating job, of little value. Any honorable work dignifies men.

I am an old soldier of the Army Special Forces and I still believe I´m in the fullness of my physical faculties, and it would not be appropriate for to you to test them with your well-known challenges, since you must remember that as a Boy Scout you never not learned to tie your boots laces. This is not my comparison and I do not like being abusive.

My conscience remains clear, now more than ever we can not remain impassive and in silence before these abuses of power and therefore I consider that these affronts of Correa are a recognition of the struggle for freedom and democracy.

FORMER COLONEL FAUSTO A. COBO M.