Today is Independence Day in Colombia. No big deal, really; no fireworks, no general jubilation, just a few military parades, and that’s about it.

Of course an Independence Day for a country that is essentially a regional puppet for the US government is never going to really fly. Independence? What independence? All the orders that matter come from the US embassy complex. Government Palace is just a proxy.

Here in Cali the celebrations will be marked by the replacement of the water mains. Yes, for 48 hours, starting last night, 80% of households in this city of several million will be without running water until Saturday night at midnight. At least it’s for a good cause — the mains have to be replaced to finish construction of the new electric trole bus system, which should go a long way toward preventing Lima-like pollution in the future.

Some things you can only see in Colombia. There I was, walking to the supermarket yesterday, when I came across a small, blocked off street with men and women practicing marching. They were four wide and six deep and a man in front carried a white flag held forward at a 45 degree angle.

Walking past I got a good side view of the four women in the bunch. Groowr. Stiff-backed, head high and chest out, oh so chest out, they were all short and skinny and fake titties out to here to keep them afloat when the Titanic goes down.

Only in Colombia.

Update: The Colombian Air Force made a big showing last Friday, demonstrating the very latest in military technology.

Where’s the Black Sheep Squadron when you really need them?

Thanks to Danny Hancock for the photo.