Letters to the editor

Reader concerns, plus some sad news

About Jorge Dunn

Editor's note: In the last issue a reader asked about what happened to Jorge Dunn, the artist who used to work and sell his drawings and paintings in front of the Farmacia Arrocha in Paitilla. Silvio Sirias made some inquiries and was informed that this past December 13 Dunn suffered a stroke, which he did not survive. Although the news did not particularly rock the upscale gallery scene, Dunn's passing was a sorely felt loss to the Panamanian arts.

Front page article (excellent story)

I read your front page story with much interest after reading an identical story on Panama Guide by Don Winner (is it pronounced Whin-er?). I have become recently alienated with the “super-Norte-Americano” stance this guy takes with reporting the so called "news" that he "finds", and the murder of the SUNTRACS construction worker was no different. However, the reporting of information and the depth that Panama Guide went to is nothing short of "abysmal." That term "abysmal" of course is an oxymoron because of the contributed status of just about every piece of "news" on Panama Guide. The Panama News by comparison and contrast (on the same piece of news), presented a clearly factual, and "non-maligning of the victims involved" view.

Panama and the rest of the world can thank you, Eric Jackson, for keeping up the good work of Panama journalism. While some of the reporting is objective, it is in no way "self-serving" or downright "untrue" as reported in Panama Guide. I cannot begin to count the number of retractions/corrections Mr. Winner (please tell me it's pronounced Wine-er) has produced time and time again for shooting off untruths in the name of factual journalism. Score another victory for the Panama News, and another for factual, truthful, and non-unsavory reporting practices.

K. Blocker

Editor's note: There was plenty of blame and were plenty of victims to go around in the recent disturbances, and I have my point of view, which differs from those of many other people, including many readers of The Panama News. Although I have had occasions to disagree with union leaders in my life, my basic social allegiance is to labor rather than management. But I do try to report the facts, whether or not they uphold my point of view. And then there are those who hardly ever do any actual reporting, and rarely let the facts get in the way of what they want to write. The recent labor troubles were hard to report because so much was happening in so many places at once, because I personally was out of circulation on doctor's orders for most of one day of the disturbances, and because police are ever more hostile to any reporter who is not "embedded" in their side. But against this I had people sending me news of what they saw and photos that they had taken, and I linked to some video reports from media with very different perspectives than my own. And let me not become conceited if others make a correction because I'm neither infallible nor such a snot as to pretend to be such and have thus had occasion to correct errors in the past and surely will in the future.

???

Your lie is going around the world!

Thoughts on yesterday's SUNTRACS revolt

Nothing like a little political unrest and police action to wake you up in the morning. Most of us stayed close to home yesterday and watched the activities on TV.

This stuff happens quite often in various Latin countries --- let alone Europe --- where labor/syndicates are always at odds with the political powers that be. France and other countries have had many violent clashes in the streets for years now between the masses and the government entities who run the police. I guess we can stand one day in Panama every couple of years.

This has been brewing here in Panama a while as well. There was a general strike for a couple months I believe, about two years ago just before I moved here --- and in my opinion, the government and business owners don’t do enough to build bridges/relations with the poor working class in Panama. And these poorer people are getting squeezed out of Panama's progress with a fast growing rise in cost of living while wages don’t grow anywhere near the level if at all. It’s not hard to understand their resentment against that reality. It’s too bad that it takes syndicates/unions and other organizations to band together before reasonable discussions can be had on the issues. But, that is also the history in our US of A as well.

Reading the papers today, it is interesting to read at least the papers version or choice of interviews with the locals. Most voices support the workers right to demonstrate --- but not to the level of violence and interfering with third parties needing to move about safely and getting to work. And the poor are getting tired of the "police state" mentality here. The authorities are very aggressive in maintaining order. While that may be good as far as providing relative safety and security in the street, it is starting to build mass local dissension --- which may NOT be good. As usual, it is the "rocks" against the "guns" --- and a small country like this is going to react negatively to police shooting demonstrators in the back which is what happened in Colon and started yesterday's free for all.

On a positive note, the sound of construction is back everywhere in my neighborhood today. The Panamanians are laid back, react like Latinos when they are provoked, but then go back to their work and peaceful ways. I DO hope some positive steps will be taken based on yesterday’s obvious working class revolt. Down here unfortunately it takes shouting --- and sometimes shootings --- before anyone pays attention to what needs to be done.

Edward Thurston
Panama City

Barack Obama's fireside chat abroad

Barack Obama's con call to thousands of Americans abroad today was an idea as fresh and innovative as Roosevelt's famous fireside chats. He spoke about the issues that particularly touch those living far away, but without in any way minimizing the weight of the issues at home in the United States. For old folks it brought back memories of how families used to sit around the radio at night to listen to the news together. This call touched a nerve in the emotions of Americans everywhere and will go down in history as a landmark when the global community came together at 16.15 European time on February 11, 2008 to listen to a man who might become the President of the United States.
This is not a political endorsement, but an objective observation about a very unique way to personally reach citizens outside the country.

Marina

Why don't Hispanics think of improving
Latin America as a priority?

What most of our readers fail to understand, is that we live in two different worlds --- The Old World, and the New World.

I say, let the United Nations take care of European, Middle Eastern Asian and African problems, which are just a continuation of Medieval conflicts and civilization.

We the Latin Americans should primarily focus on the Americas, which is the New World, and I refer to the Western Hemisphere, and in particular the OAS (Organization of American States). For example, let's talk about the "Fourth Annual Competition for Innovative Social Projects Organizations," organized by ECLAC with support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

Initiatives from all 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries are invited to participate.

The competition focuses on innovative initiatives in eight areas: community health, primary education, youth programs, income generation, corporate social responsibility, volunteer work, rural/agricultural development and food security/nutrition.

These are all projects that the United States and Canada are promoting with Latin America, but instead we are focusing on the Wars in the Middle East, and Europe, that have been going on since biblical times. Those people have no right or moral authority to involve us in their perennial conflicts.

I think "The Americas" need to be our first priority, in taking care of our own backyard security, and economic and industrial development first. Ours should be a new and different civilization.

As Europe and the Middle East move backward, the Americas must move forward.

Art Hassan
Los Angeles, California

Fidel Castro's resignation

World influence in the transition Cuba will face now that Fidel Castro’s rule has come to an end should be decidedly geared towards the implementation of a new democracy with free and fair elections.

Cuba’s present communist government falsely presents itself as the authentic spokesman for the aspirations of the people, and claims to be able, though by recourse to violent means, to bring about the radical changes which will put an end to the oppression and misery of people.

Marxist communism, is characterized by the "class struggle" which implies that society is founded on violence. Within this perspective, any reference to ethical requirements calling for courageous and radical institutional and structural reforms makes no sense. In this system, every affirmation of faith or of theology is subordinated to a political criterion, which in turn depends on the class struggle, the driving force of history.

Participation in the class struggle is presented as a requirement of charity itself. The desire to love everyone here and now, despite his class, and to go out to meet him with the non-violent means of dialogue and persuasion, is denounced as counterproductive.

With the changing of the guard in Cuba, let us hope a new wave of freedom from the tyranny of communism is on the horizon.

Paul Kokoski
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada