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Letters start and end in faith, go to interesting places

¿Donde está Héctor Gallego?

Please may I say how much I enjoyed the recent article by Silvio Sirias on the tragic disappearance of Father Héctor Gallego, the well-loved priest of Santa Fe, whose work with the campesinos brought him into direct conflict with the military rule of Omar Torrijos.

Whilst I agree with many of the conclusions reached by Silvio, I disagree strongly with his belief that Torrijos knew nothing about the abduction and probable murder of Father Gallego.

The same “ignorance of events” was used by many high-ranking Nazis at Nuremberg, where many tried to protect Hitler’s memory by claiming that he knew nothing about the death camps, and it was all the work of Himmler, and Himmler alone.

Every time some one goes digging at a former military base, further corpses always seem to be unearthed --- victims of an era that most Torrijos apologists tend to forget.

In any other democracy, there would be strenuous efforts to locate and properly bury such tragic victims, but not in Panama.

So we wait, and we hope that one day, maybe some one, somewhere, will find the bones of Father Gallego, and allow us to bury the man who did so much to help those less fortunate than himself.

Only then can we stop asking the question “¿Donde está Héctor Gallego?”

Saludos,

Jim Marsh

United Kingdom

Inappropriate inference on Panama News Briefs article

(FSU-Panama student slain)

Unless you know for sure all of these students are studying to be emergency paramedics, your tongue-in-cheek inference on FSU-Panama academic standards in light of an unfortunate tragedy, is absolutely inappropriate. A student died and you should report only on the facts with sensitivity to the loss of family in mind. I believe you should immediately retract the last sentence of that article. An apology is also in order, but that is your decision.

I look forward to reading the Panama News because it is the only medium in English I have found, and I can tell you put in a lot of work to collect, assemble, and post the news, but I am annoyed when I have to sort through your personal interjections and political bias to get to the facts. This one went way beyond that, and you need to know that.

Joseph Myers

Editor's note: Tongue in cheek? I was being as serious as a heart attack. The people at a college students' party let someone bleed to death from a leg wound, when I have met many a 12-year-old girl scout who would know how to stop such an injury from causing death by using a tourniquet or by putting pressure on the wound. There is an educational or a moral problem or both at FSU, and it contributed to the young man's death. That's newsworthy. Just because Panama's corporate mainstream media, which are by and large directed by people who would never consider risking blood stains on their clothes to save someone else's life, may think that it's good manners not to mention the fatal shortcomings of the other FSU students at the party doesn't mean I have to follow that perverse standard. And excuse me if I don't buy your argument that unless one is a specialist it's OK to stand by and let someone die when tragedy can be readily prevented through basic first aid.

FSU students

I have read your newspaper for a long time and respect your position of trying to deal with real problems. I was reading this issue and decided to write. I am a long time resident of La Boca and am worried about these students from FSU who live in the neighborhood. We have seen them grow in numbers and we have also seen how they seem to spend more time getting drunk and using drugs. Ask anyone who lives in La Boca and they will tell you about the parties in which you can see half naked girls (no joke), booze, pot and coke.

Who is looking out for these kids? I went to college and we had nowhere near the liberty the FSU students have. You can see these kids on weekdays stumbling around drunk! Nobody here in La Boca is surprised that someone died. If you mix kids who are coming from the US with the Panamanian culture, and no supervision, it does not take a genius to predict someone will get hurt.

It is very sad that this kid died and that the other one is in jail. I hope someone will take a hand in bringing these kids under control.

La Boca Resident

Thanks for all of your hard work

I want to commend you on your never-ending hard work in maintaining the high quality of The Panama News. I look forward to each issue to learn more about Panama, its culture and its people. Your articles are always insightful and informative, for both locals and we gringos up north. In must take an incredible amount of work, research and "nosiness" to put together your publication. Please keep up the good work, it is appreciated.

Michael Zack

Pontiac, Michigan

Milestones reached

With great pleasure I announce that Spay/Panama has been granted the non-profit NGO status the same day we reached 8,000 animals sterilized. 

May God bless all our furry friends.

Pat Chan

http://www.spaypanama.org

Your unfriend Al Marsh's letter

Hope you are well.

I wanted to say I appreciated the article on Venezuela and I referred it to readers via a letter to the editor of our local weekly alt. http://bohemian.com/. (Past tense is dependent upon my letter in print.)

Also, I noticed the way that Al Marsh of FVG writes is VERRRY similar to how the scamsters in Bocas wrote to and about you. I guess they are all cut from the same mold.

Keep up the good work.

Arlie

Racism on Panama's beaches, etc.

Panamanians in Panama have to do what the people in the West Indies Caribbean islands did. They asserted the fact that it's their beaches and their lands. The tourists and others who came after to enjoy the land have to accept the native inhabitants of Panama and they are to be respected regardless of economic status, color of skin etc.  The people have got to rise up and stop this situation before it gets out of hand.

name withheld

Praises pope for pulling plug

I commend Pope Benedict XVI for pulling the plug on electric guitars and modern music in the church. Pop music is aimed at the phenomenon of the masses, is industrially produced, and ultimately has to be described as the cult of the banal. Rock music is the expression of elemental passions, and at rock festivals it assumes a cultic character, a form of worship, in fact, in opposition to Christian worship. People are released from themselves by the experience of being part of a crowd and by the emotional shock of rhythm, noise, and special lighting effects. Here there is little chance for the sober inebriation of faith to take place. Rap music has a downward deflection that is condescending in nature. Traditional choirs and Gregorian chants, on the other hand, possess that solemn cadence capable of creating the correct ambience for perceiving God's mystery.

For those Catholics tired of the empty freedom experienced through pop music at Holy Mass and other liturgical events the Pope’s latest condemnation of modern music is both refreshing and welcome. May leaders of other religious faiths follow Pope Benedict’s good example.

Paul Kokoski

Hamilton, Ontario

Canada