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New situations

If you happen to be a bright-eyed kitten then everything in the world is new. From the jaded perspective of an old buzzard, on the other hand, there is nothing new under the sun.

But as much as this editor likes the prospect of circling on a thermal, sniffing for something gross to eat, the past few weeks have put Panama and the world into some different situations.

Panama has a vote on the UN Security Council again, and the government has a mandate --- with baggage --- to build a new set of Panama Canal locks. The equations about a free trade agreement with the United States that existed this time last year are altered, first by a sweeping Democratic victory in the congressional elections and maybe also by movements toward a compromise in the stalled World Trade Organization Doha Round talks. The Bush administration is weakened in the region not only by the Republican defeat at the polls but also by the failure of attempts to sway the Nicaraguan presidential election by way of threats and the incredibly stupid expedient of sending Ollie North to Managua to rally the right-wing forces.

Daniel Ortega's return to the Nicaraguan presidency would at first blush seem to be the cause of much rejoicing among leftists in Latin America and elsewhere. However, even for people apt to apply an orthodox Marxist analytical method it's not so simple. Nearly 90 years after the Bolshevik Revolution the world has seen a lot, the extent that "communist" is a term whose meaning is as disputed as the concept of "Baptist" would be between Jesse Jackson and Jesse Helms. A century of theses and antitheses have produced some syntheses. So what if one aspect of your politics is a lean to the left, and another is a commitment to fight corruption? What if you are a Liberation Theology Catholic who supported the Sandinista Revolution way back when on the basis of certain moral principles?

George W. Bush should not mistake the misgivings that many people who opposed the Contra War have with Daniel Ortega as a green light for the resumption of destabilization and warfare, but there are unmistakable misgivings out there. Nicaraguan-American columnist Silvio Sirias discusses his concerns about the past and future Nicaraguan president in the English-language opinion section, as does a radical Nicaraguan Jesuit priest in a Spanish-language column.

The news in Panama is dominated by the scandal over tainted medicines produced and distributed by Seguro Social. The death toll is up to 43 and the arrest toll up to seven, and all manner of maneuvers are being made to shield top management from blame. Ah, but as lawyers and judges have been saying since the days of ancient Rome, res ipsa loquitur --- the thing speaks for itself. The demands for the health minister's and Seguro social director's removal are not going away.

Meanwhile in the news, there's a Panama-related story that someone, probably in the Pentagon, has been trying to suppress. Months ago I heard the tale of someone who had been stationed at the US Army's Tropical Test Center receiving an ominous warning when trying to look up old buddies from his days in the service, and in recent weeks I have heard essentially the same story from others. People don't want to be quoted or identified, and it's not only a matter of fear but also a matter of not wanting to damage the reputation of a US Army that they still respect after all the problems caused by testing Agent Orange and other unhealthy practices at that facility.

However, the sinister and totalitarian "we're watching you" routine that has been played gives these same people the creeps. In fact, it's one small part of a Bush administration modus operandi that gave a lot of American voters the creeps, and even if Nancy Pelosi is disinclined to consider impeachment --- though she would have a much stronger case that Bill and Monica gave the Republicans when the shoe was on the other foot --- the new Congress will surely investigate some of the many infringements of American freedoms that have taken place in recent years.

Do not misread the situation in the false light of defamatory election campaign epithets, here or there. Patriotism is alive and well among Americans (as it is among Panamanians) and those who voted against the religious right in the US elections did so not because they are amoral but because they have different moral values.

The October 22 referendum and the November 7 congressional elections carry with them implications for the next presidential elections here and in the United States, and although things can change between now and November of 2008 or May of 2009, it is a reasonable time to look ahead.

We also look ahead to things cultural. Those of you who live outside of Panama and plan to come down for a February visit may want to adjust your itinerary to catch an amazing show with the Mighty Sparrow and a lot of very good Panamanian acts.

(If, however, you are more interested in visiting other parts of the world, this issue also takes you to Germany with Ivan Klasovsky and the biblical and quranic Holy Land  via NASA satellite.)

A Balboa Academy student saved me --- and you --- from my dark views and experiences of teenaged angst. But I did go to the school's presentation of The Breakfast Club at the Valent Auditorium and I did enjoy the show, even if I am ever so happy to see someone else review it. Another contributor reviews an event in Boquete, a dog show with a surprise winner.

The Panama News is unlikely to ever swim in the corporate mainstream, but with valued contributions like these it is bit by bit becoming a true community newspaper rather than a one-man show. Along with the Wappin' radio show that's now podcast via these pages, it's also expanding into a multimedia enterprise, a process that will grow over time.

Enjoy.

Eric Jackson

the editor