For those of you who do not know me, my name is Victor Brown, I among of the computer specialists at FSU-Panama, and I am also an FSU alumnus.

I am sending this letter to inform you of a very embarrassing and unfortunate situation that I experienced on Friday March 22, 2002. As my cousin and I attempted to enter the Tavern at Bennigans, we were stopped at the door by a bouncer that demanded that we presented "invitation" tickets or else we would not be able to enter the establishment.

"Invitation" tickets to enter the Bennigans' Tavern on a 3 for 1 Friday?

As the bouncer very rudely tried to explain the situation, we stood and watched people walk right in without showing any invitation, nor even been asked to show any invitation. As we stood at the door I also saw other members of the FSU-Panama community inside of the Bennigans' establishment. Later, when I questioned those same members about having to show an "invitation" prior to entering the Tavern, they looked at me befuddled, and commented that no one was, or has ever been asked for any invitation to enter the Tavern. My next step was to try to contact one of the managers about this embarrassing situation. However, very conveniently, the manager was nowhere to be found.

I am a young black professional, and I think it is very sad and unfortunate that someone could experience a discriminatory situation such as the one I experienced this past Friday. It is almost impossible to believe that something like this is happening in the society and era that we are living in today. I strongly believe that FSU-Panama community members should RECONSIDER promoting or staging any further events at Bennigans' Tavern in Panama.

Thank you for reading and allowing me to express my opinion.

Victor Brown
FSU-Panama
Computer Specialist

I just wanted to say that I love The Panama News. I was stationed in Panama awhile back and fell in love with the country and people. Unlike most GI's I went out and saw the REAL Panama and had many friends and went on the buses everywhere. My best friend is still there: he teaches English at the American English Overseas Center.

Well, keep up the good work. I love to know what's going on in La Republica.

Paz
Patricio MacCormack

I have recently returned from the Middle East after being away for six months. What I have returned to is staggering.  I'm going to put aside the fifty-dollar words and political expressions and get down to basics. With this new law concerning the licensing of journalists that the legislature is considering, we have a big problem. Our freedom is slowly being curbed by the government. 

The basic idea of "freedom of the press" is just that --- the freedom to put on paper what you wish for others to read. Period. End. Stop. 

You can add all sorts of addendums, clauses, etc. to try to better define this concept, but in the end you'll end up right back where you started. The right to put on paper whatever it is you want for others to read. 

Now, here's the scary part, and keep in mind that the freedom of the press idea is just an extension of another very basic concept, freedom of speech. When the extension is limited, so is the original idea.  Got that? That's all there is to it. 

This new law will in fact limit OUR freedom of speech. No matter how it's turned or twisted this is what will happen, and it will have a snowball effect. Give a little now and later, when a new peice of legislation is proposed that will limit us to a number of words that can be spoken in public, we'll be asking ourselves: "What happened?". 

The only person to blame for this is that person that stares back at you in the mirror every day. WE control the government. These members of the "ruling class" like to think that they have control, but they don't. They only have what WE allow them to have, and now it's time to rein them in a bit. WE need to awaken them to the fact that their beautiful castles are only made of glass. In a government by the people it is OUR responsibility to limit those who would limit us. 

Stop and think about that a minute. It is OUR duty to ensure that those we elect to represent us in government represent us and not themselves. There is a storm cloud brewing on the horizon with this licensing of journalists and it is up to US to dispell it peacefully before it grows bigger and wreaks havoc upon our freedom.

 
Sincerely,
SGMKevin

1. First they arrest Moh'd Saleh, a Palestinian aged 23. So far nothing is wrong with the picture....

2. Then they pin Moh'd on the ground, suspecting he had bombs attached to him. Still nothing out of the ordinary?

3. Then, as they have him on the ground, they try to question a second Palestinian on the scene. They seem to have definitely overpowered him, and have full control over the situation.

4. That's not enough? OK! Now they have to strip him to make sure he doesn't have any bombs on him. As we can see, he is almost naked on the ground (at least they had the decency to keep his underwear on), he is obviously overpowered and unarmed, there is no sign of a bomb or any resistance. So what would a democratic country such as Israel, a country which claims to respect human dignity and life, do? Take him to prison?

5. The pictures speak for themselves.

The least you can do, while sitting in the comfort of your home, is to forward this letter to as many people as possible --- especially westerners --- so they can have a glimpse of what Palestinians go through.

name withheld

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