letters

Thank you Eric Jackson! Keep the good work!

My Panama web page may help your readers. See http://www.geocities.com/rhtuggle13 .

God Bless,

Rick
Panama

Editor’s Note: Rick has a useful site about the basics of gardening here, in my opinion.

Terrorism is a tool. It is not something that is a tangible entity and so therefore one cannot wage a conventional war against it. By doing so it enables the people in power to fight a war for whatever reason they choose to with the outward appearance of moral justification to the general population. This is so because of the harsh connotations associated with terrorism and the fear it invokes in people. By playing off of people's fears it is letting terrorists win and by fighting a conventional war it makes the conditions that produce terror in the first place more prevalent.

This is a vicious cycle and it must be broken somehow.

The fact is if a group of people wants to kill others they can. A rogue act by an individual or a few people against others cannot be stopped. Think about it: if you wanted to perform an act of violence on your fellow man couldn't you do it if you really wanted too? The only way you could stop events like this would be to live under a totalitarian rule where the very rights you hold to be self evident are put on the back burner for security. Even then you would still have the occasional wing-nut or two slip through the cracks of the system. The way you fight terrorism is by making the underlying motivations for it to become null and void. You do this through the principles of what made this country great to begin with, egalitarian compromise and open debate. This is the complete antithesis of how this "War on Terror" is being fought and it almost seems intentionally so.

Terrorists do not fight because they hate our freedom or for any other jingoistic factor. The reason why they attack us or other groups of people is because they have a political agenda whose needs are not being met. People are inherently good, including terrorists, and will not fight unless they have a legitimate reason to do so. This is just human nature. Usually when a group resorts to violence it is because one or more of their basic human rights are being violated. This is universally true in almost all instances of terror and all one has to do to understand this is to try to be objective and put themselves in the other person's shoes and ask themselves what they would do if they were in that situation.

I do not ask these difficult questions with a motivation to try to justify terror. I am not. I only ask these questions to try to get people to understand the root causalities of terror with an effort to try to rid the world of them. People will not fight if they have decent paying jobs and are not poor. People will not fight if they have food in their stomachs. People will not fight if they have an opportunity for social advancement. People will not fight if they have an education. People will not fight if they have a decent environment to raise a family. People will not fight if their land is not forcefully taken from them. And people will not fight if their land is not under constant occupation.

So by making these conditions manifest in the world is the real way you fight terror. By doing what we are doing in this country it will only make these conditions worse and it will only increase terror for years to come. We are losing this war because we are going about fighting it in the wrong way and we are less safe three years after 9-11 for doing it. What kind of a world will our children have if the people currently in power have their way by waging a hundred year war on terror? Will it be a world worth living in?

In summary the way that we are fighting terrorism is wrong. It is in fact making the world a less safe place to live in. The only way to stop terrorism by a conventional war would be to take away the basic human rights that we Americans hold dear to the point that it would be a complete contradiction to the very principles this country was founded on. The real way you fight terror is to cure the underlining causes by wiping out poverty and hunger. A global redistribution of wealth is called for and it is the only way this world will last and get past the Dark Age that it has currently found itself in.

Joseph J. Hrevnack
Stratford, NJ

In a world where politicians often grow rich and the people become unemployed to the point of poverty, King Solomon although blessed by God with riches, was able to attain prosperity for his people.

As Panama enters the reign of a new administration, I consider it appropriate to point out the history of King Solomon. Solomon and his people worked together and with others, they planned their goal's and objectives and prayed for the things they wanted to accomplish.

II CHRONICLES: KING SOLOMON

The first chapter of the book points to a time when Solomon, the son of David began his reign as king. In his quest to advance his people, he called all his people to a conference like gathering which included but was not limited to: institutions directors, elders and the clergy. The conference was held at a sacred site in the city, there they paid honors to their ancestors in hope of generating the motivation to accomplish the task ahead of them as a people.

Verse 7 tells us that while Solomon was sleeping, God appeared before him and incited Solomon to request the desires of his heart. Solomon expressed his fondness for the relationship God had with his father David and the blessings God bestowed upon David. He also expressed great concern for the numerous people he was called upon to lead.

Finally Solomon got down to business and asked God to bless him with wisdom and knowledge to rule over his people. Solomon did not ask for riches nor popularity nor did he wish any wrong for the enemies of his people.

God granted Solomon his wishes, he also granted him riches as you will learn how Solomon accomplished great things. Later chapters revealed Solomon's leadership style in organizing directing and financing the projects his administration set out to accomplish.

Most important in the accomplishment of Solomon's mission was the act of praying. Solomon and his people prayed for:

• Advancing the moral character of his people

• For the enemies of his people

• For the prosperity of his people

• For the strangers in his land

• For his public policies

• To reduce disturbance and discontent amongst his people

• For the clergy

• Prevention of disasters

PANAMA, LET THE PRAYERS BEGIN:

• For: The Panamanian president, governors and mayors

• For: The Panamanian people

• For: The Panamanian politician

• Against racism and discrimination

• For: Juvenile delinquents

• For: The sick

• Against Corrupt politicians

• To prevent natural disasters

• For: Enlargement of the Canal

• For: Free trade agreement ratification

• For: Decrease in unemployment

Raymond A. Grant
Falls Church, Virginia

Mr. Grant is a graduate of Colegio Jose Guardia Vega in Colon, Panama, class of 1969.

I am a writer but I could never have written this piece better than you did!

I came to Panama to get away from the "culture" of the USA and was more than willing to accept the culture of the Panamanians. It bothers me to see "gringos" in all areas of the country acting as though they are on a higher social plane. This is Panama; WE are the foreigners here. Either we accept the local culture or we will be faced with an "Ugly American" syndrome sometime in the near future. Generally I find that the Panamanians are the kindest, gentlest, and most honorable and happy people I have ever known. I hope they remain as such!

Thank you for a revealing piece and, with your permission, I shall forward it to every expat I know, plus any that are planning to move here.

Wulf Kroekel

Editor's note: Pirating my work for commercial purposes is one thing, but forwarding it to other people as you suggest is something that I consider "fair use." It is always polite, however, to note the source.

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