letters

Very esteemed editor of ThePanamaNews.com:

The article of Mr. Jackson about myself ("Guillermo Endara reminds me of...") is, I must recognize and be thankful for, fairly favorable to me.

I don't argue, in the face of such respect, matters of opinion, in which there will be such differences as are usually given in all situations like that which occurred in Panama with my ascent to presidential power as well as the period that I served as chief executive of my nation, and all opinions are worthy of being taken into account. I am only interested in pointing out a paragraph that contains from head to tail crude and insulting lies. I refer to the following paragraph:

"Endara was chosen to head the anti-Noriega slate at a meeting hosted by the US ambassador and the Catholic archbishop. He was sworn in under the auspices of the US Southern Command during the 1989 invasion, and when his presidency began the Palacio de las Garzas was under foreign military occupation, with low-ranking American soldiers telling him which parts of his official residence he could use and which he couldn't. The elder George Bush treated him as a jovial figurehead, assigned US military officers to oversee each Panamanian ministry, and tried to run the government through Vice-president Ricardo Arias Calderón. I have no doubt that in the coming campaign all this will be used to denigrate Endara's patriotic credentials."

I proceed to consier each of these erroneous assertions:

1. "Endara was chosen to head the anti-Noriega slate at a meeting hosted by the US ambassador and the Catholic archbishop." My presidential candidacy was the subject of a negotiation in which only the representatives of the parties that nominated me (Authentic Liberal, MOLIRENA and Christian Democrat) participated, along with members of the Civilista Crusade. At no time were the United States Ambassador (who according to my memory was absent from Panama during all of the electoral period), any member or representative of the US Embassy, nor the Archbishop of Panama, nor any representative of the Catholic Church or any other church, religion or sect present or participating.

2. "He was sworn in under the auspices of the US Southern Command during the 1989 invasion...." On the night of December 19, 1989 the chargé d'affaires of the United States told the vicepresidents and me that in the early hours of the following day, the 20th, they would initiate the military action today generally known as "the invasion," and moreover that President Bush (the father, then president) had decided to recognize us --- due to the fact that we had effectively won the elections of May 7, 1989 --- as the legitimate government of Panama when we "assume the government of Panama." He never spoke to us of the swearing in, but we ourselves pointed out that under the Constitution of Panama we would have to take the oaths as president and vice-presidents and we appointed the two persons we wanted as witnesses, and none of them was in any way a member of the Southern Command of the US Armed Forces. The chosen ones were two distinguished Panamanian citizens, the president and vice-president of the Panamanian human rights organization. At the swearing in ceremony on the vice-presidents, the two witnesses and I participated and there was a photographer and videographer and his team which perhaps --- but I can't say for sure --- were non-combatant, unarmed members of the Southern Command.

3. "...and when his presidency began the Palacio de las Garzas was under foreign military occupation, with low-ranking American soldiers telling him which parts of his official residence he could use and which he couldn't." I did not begin the exercise of my presidency in the Palacio de las Garzas. The exercise began at the Justo Arosemena Legislative Palace, for one or two days, and there the persons whom I had designated as my cabinet took possession of their posts. Later I moved to the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then located on Plaza Porras. I believe it was January 2, 1990, when I decided to move into the Palacio de las Garzas. I moved there without protection of any kind from the Americans, except for a 9 millimeter service pistol that an officer of the Southern Command gave me, and arm that I have always kept (and is duly registered). The allegation that the Palacio de las Garzas was occupied by US soldiers is false and infamous, and its false and moreover an insult that I ever would have accepted any foreigner telling me which rooms or salons of the Presidential Palace I could or could not use. What is true is that when I arrives at the Palacio de las Garzas I encountered three soldiers, two men and a woman. I asked them what they were doing there, and they told me that they came by boat because they had reports that as the palace had been left empty, some persons had entered to steal equipment (which turned out to be true because in the inventory it was discovered that several objects were missing, I specifically recall various televisions). The soldiers informed me that they were going to call their commander to fetch them. Later they informed me that their commander was going to pick them up the next day or the day after that, and they asked me to tell them where they could stay until they would be picked up. I told then on the last floor, which consists of only one room which was known as "the pigeon house." The truth is that these three soldiers stayed almost a week, because their colleagues didn't come to get them, but they had nothing else to do. They were my semi-guests, and when their rations ran out I logically ordered them fed.

4. "The elder George Bush treated him as a jovial figurehead, assigned US military officers to oversee each Panamanian ministry, and tried to run the government through Vice-president Ricardo Arias Calderón." Again you're dealing with lies that are nothing more than slurs invented to denigrate our cabinet. I can't spek for each of my ministers, but I am sure that they --- civilistas, nationalists and renowned anti-militarists proven by years of struggle --- would never submit to the dictates of a foreign military officer. Moreover the preposterous assertion that President Bush governed Panama through Vice-President Ricardo Arias Calderón is not only a huge insult to my person, but much more to Dr. Arias Calderón himself.

5. "I have no doubt that in the coming campaign all this will be used to denigrate Endara's patriotic credentials". This may be the one assertion that might be a somewhat correct prediction by Mr. Jackson.

It was very unfair for you to use a review of this year's Carnival celebrations to claim that "... this past New Year's, the Centennial Commission, headed by the blue-eyed horse killer who would be Panama's president, withdrew its funding from a concert because one of the performers was Rubén Blades."

If you want to disparage the presidential ambitions of José Miguel Alemán, you should do it in the opinion section, you should name him, and you should talk about issues that matter to Panamanians. New Year parties and the color of a candidate's eyes don't matter.

Calling the ex-foreign minister a "horse killer" distorts an unfortunate coincidence to make a decent man look like a monster. Yes, José Miguel Alemán rode a horse when he carried the Chiriqui flag into last year's David International Fair. Yes, the horse died later that day. No, you can't prove that the then-foreign minister caused the horse's death. Surely you can make a better argument than by beating this dead horse.

Mr. Jackson:

I read your editorials often. As a Panamanian (of Caribbean roots), I know too well the institutionalized racism that exists and has existed in my country. Tragically, even those of us of Caibean or West Indian descent, refuse to acknowledge that racism exists in Panama, preferring to believe that it is found in the USA only.

I certainly enjoy reading about Panama and the happenings of the government in your paper. My wife and I come to Panama about every other year as my wife has relatives there. Keep up the good work.

Just what we need --- another know-it-all! This guy seems to know how the world has gotten into its current morass and guess what? Its all the fault of the United States and... George Bush!! This guy should call Rush Limbaugh and try his theories in that forum. He needs to provide more than just an ambiguous charge that the US funded the al Queda terrorist organization. If my memory serves me, didn't that funding come from Europe? Mr. Gutman needs to be a bit more judicious in his allegations and maybe look to see who the real villains in this world are.

BTW, I enjoy reading your newspaper on the net. As a frequent visitor to your beautiful country, I am always interested in knowing what is happening there.

I am looking for a newspaper reporter by the name of Bienvenido Brown.

His wife Elena was the maid of honor when I married my wive in 1959. Somehow, these two ladies lost contact with each other. My wife would like to find Elena. They were good friends and it has been over 40 years since they have had any contact with each other. If you know Mr. Bienvenido Brown, please pass this message on to him.

Thanking you in advance,

I would like to share in your 'new look' which is much more colorful, and yes, iIlike it, after all... Panama IS a very colorful place!! and thanks for all the volunteers whose aid $ enable The Panama News to continue. As an editor (sleeping on the floor sometimes) one can relate, because I had actually 'lived' in my shop (manufacturing jewlery) in Honolulu for several years, and saved lots of money doing this --- which allowed me to survive and succeed, with a kind of determined-bulldog tenaciousness!

Eric Jackson knows what it takes to make things work. Many readers in the USA, really NEED this brave publication, for various items such as Internet access to LOCAL real estate dealers who are reliable, reasonable, knowledgable, etc. So far, I have only found ONE realtor who is "on the web" in Panama (in Volcan).

I am very curious about actual GOLD prospecting areas of Panama, and gemstones. I often compile articles about gold and gem areas in the US, and a magazine (Gems and Minerals) DEPENDS on these stories, to bring in readers. In fact the LURE of gold (be it antique treasures or found gold) is a huge draw for magazine articles.

Remember when the dude in Florida found the Atocha treasure? Well, I suspect there is gold in Panama, with spanish galleons and stories to be told. Furthermore, there were these British guys in southern Costa Rica with a digital camera, who documented (with pictures) their entire trip in Central America and they showed local prospectors finding gold --- just north of the Panama border. These Brits then ventured into Panama --- which benifited Panama greatly, as they were 4-wheel driving the back roads. I followed their trip with great excitement, on Panama until they wound up in Panama City, and I got to SEE all this ON THE WEB! I now knew much more about Panama, thanks to these dudes from England. Beliveve me when I say the back roads of Panama are yet to be revealed!

(Dale "Dawk" McFarlane is a lifetime conceptual artist living in the Arizona desert, as a writer-artist doing "actual gemstone cartoons." See 60 images of his art at http://www.sito.org/artchive and his website, www.stoneclones.com .

(Editor's note: It has been a long time since The Panama News covered gold prospecting --- the story is in my book, 9&Mac176;N --- and whatever glamor that first occur to your mind, understand that it's generally illegal. The Panamanian government claims ownership of all mineral rights within Panama, foreigners are especially unwanted either as treasure hunters or prospectors, and commercial gold extraction operations tend to be hated by the neighbors because they tend to pollute adjacent streams. But yes, there is gold in those hills.)

For the sake of God, help Iraq's innocent people. Don't let their blood be shed like the Jews whom Hitler's Nazis killed in the Second World War.

Right after the Second World War I was transferred to a ship off of Japan. When we were allowed to have liberty in Japan, I went with a group that had not had a liberty for fourteen months. When we hit shore, I discovered they only had one thing on their mind. Later on in another trip from San Francisco to Japan, to Hawaii, to Panama, and to Norfolk, Virginia. One of the other men noted that when we were crossing the Pacific between Hawaii and Panama, the men in the focsle laying in their bunks, in a puddle of sweat, were in a fetal position with their hands between their legs.

When we arrived at Norfolk I looked for the signs that said "Dogs and Sailors, stay off the grass." I did not see any. The war was over.

This instigated my study of the development of ethics. When mankind were still apes they learned that females and males had a competitive, but necessary relationship. If they were to survive, they had to learn not to eat their babies. Tribes only survived if they had an acceptable ethical relationship to each other. Most tribes did not survive. Those that did had to have some sort of acceptable relationship between the males and females, and between aggressive and submissive individuals.

Ethics became more complicated after the invention of fire because mankind became master of their environment. As long as they had fire they were protected from other animals, but they still had no protection from each other. They had much less problem finding food, but fire was very painful, and they could hurt each other. It was almost a million years before they learned how to breed other animals, and then how to breed themselves, but then they became afraid of each other's families.