opinion

Letters about many things this time

Police brutality

Why is it that everyone wants to blame everyone but the government? The National Police Chief Rolando Mirones said it was self-defense and then we have 12 people witness that the man was shot in back and doctor confirms it. Then we find out of the police harassment of the families involved and the president say calm down and deflects the situation to militant blacks. What kind garbage is this? Are the Panameños that stupid to swallow this garbage? The government is covering up and nothing will ever get better in Panama until we call it like it is and deal with it accordingly.

We were going to take a trip to Panama at Christmas time but I don't know now.

The safety of the workplaces is very important, but men are falling from those high-rise condos and they have no fall protection and nothing is mandated by the government. Again it's the government's fault for this they do nothing.

The cost of living is going up and minimum wage is $1.57 an hour. Please, folks. Communism comes to a country when the working class is treated like dogs and eventually they bite back. Ask the Czar of Russia. He was stupid. He treated the people badly and the rest is history.

The government of Panama is the problem. Why is National Police Chief Rolando Mirones still employed? But I think I understand he is a reflection of Torrijos.

Dan

The polls

There's too much inconsistency with other polls published in the principal media!

Whom and what are they manipulating?

See http://www.cidgallup.com/.

Luis E. Varela

Editor's note: For some undisclosed reason, EPASA, the parent corporation that publishes El Panama America and La Critica, has ended its relationship with polling company CID/Gallup, so the February poll shown at the web address above was not published in those papers. The poll shows Juan Carlos Varela not only with a substantial lead over Alberto Vallarino in the Panameñista primary but also narrowly leading Ricardo Martinelli as the most popular opposition candidate. Polls have their margins of error and are snapshots in time --- in this case just before the recent labor disturbances that appear to have hurt the government's popularity --- but I think that this particular survey is credible for what it is. The other major reputable pollster who works Panama, Dichter & Neira, uses different methodologies and the people who sponsor its polls (La Prensa) have them ask some odd questions and not ask some of the other obvious ones, so there are sometimes results that look very contradictory but upon closer examination really aren't.

Calling all Panamanians abroad: register now to vote in 2009

There are thousands of Panamanians abroad who would like to renew and/or obtain their new digitized cedula (flag in background), and to be able for the first time to participate in the upcoming election cycle of the year 2009. When we consider the financial savings, plus not having to form those long lines at the Cedulacion in Panama, this is no doubt a great opportunity. If you are interested in obtaining your new cedula and/or participating in the democratic elections of 2009, just visit the Tribunal Electoral web site indicated below. Pre-registration will help the Tribunal Electoral --- gather your pertinent information so as to be able to present you with your new cedula upon payment of a small fee of $50. You must start the process right away. The deadline for registration is April 30.

VIVA PANAMA!

Paul

PS: For pre-registration via the Internet, go to the Tribunal Electoral website at https://Ve.Tribunal-Electoral.Gob.pa/PreRegistroCedula

Documents that will be requested by the Tribunal Electoral:

expired cedula number / or Panamanian passport;

Panamanian birth certificate; or

proof of a known Panamanian address)

Don Winner

I don't understand how he gets away with so much. ???? I have read a few of your articles, (Eric Jackson). Even before I read yours, I had already decided the guy was a jerk! Why do all these Americans Living in Panama "worship" this guy and a few others like him?

Oh by the way, I was banned from the Americans Living In Panama for speaking my opinion and asking questions I guess I should have not asked, and cursing. I see cursing on their website and e-mails all the time, but I am not in the clique. By the way, I am back on under an assumed name. I don't quit that easy.

Keep up the good work!

Donnie

Editor's note: From the golden calf to Baal to the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, all sorts of false gods and prophets have always seemed to find devotees. However, I don't think that Don Winner's following is actually all that large. Despite his claims, his website's rankings don't show that. It's an extreme right-wing fringe among a section of the American community, nothing remotely approaching a majority in Panama's large English-speaking community or its American component, or even within his narrowly described "expat community."

Review and other things

I have become an avid reader of your newspaper and really enjoy reading and digesting it every issue. I am an African-American thinking of retiring to Panama in the very near future. However I am troubled by some of your accounts and that of Mr. Raúl Leis latest in this month's issue about the treatment of blacks in your

country. Is this systemic and is this what I may expect in Panama? I am wavering

between Panama and Mexico. Now I realize that there is discrimination wherever in the world. I certainly face this in this country, though I am well established

financially, educationally and in employment. I am about to retire from my second

career. I am looking for your perspective in this matter.

Fred Howard

Editor's note: We have racism in Panama, with a dominant class composed of a tiny sliver of the white minority that itself amounts to less than 10 percent of the national population. The indigenous nations are on the bottom of the social and economic heap, living in appalling conditions. Expressions of anti-Chinese racism are unfortunately socially tolerated. Panama held Africans in slavery and one of our major political parties had its origins in a 1920s movement that borrowed the symbols of the Ku Klux Klan. (Were Harmodio and Arnulfo wizards under the sheets?)

Despite all of this unpleasant news, Panama isn't nearly so obsessed about race as is the United States. We never had a religious tradition that preached that interracial marriage was sinful. We never had Black Codes that made it a crime to teach a black child to read. While the primary social division in the USA has traditionally been about race, here it's mainly about class.

We're far short of Nirvana, but compared to the United States race relations in Panama are laid back.

Pio Pio coffee

I travel to Panama to see family a lot, and love Pio Pio. I was surprised to have the best cup of coffee ever there. Do you know which brand they serve? Is it Panamanian?

Editor's note: I believe that it's Duran --- at least this fellow Pio Pio junkie has seen that brand name on their coffee makers. Of course, Duran has several different grades of coffee. I would not be surprised if they use the fine-ground "de altura" blend.

To import fruit for planting?

I want to bring some mangosteen and some other small fruit trees or seeds or fruit that I can remove the seeds from to Panama to plant. I can not find a good source of info to discover import laws or regulations for bringing fresh fruit or cuttings into the country. Can you point me in the right direction?

Scott Tompkins

Editor's note: It would have to pass agricultural quarantine, which has been reorganized in the past year or so. Cuarentena's director listed on their website is

Ruben Serracin, email rserracin@mida.gob.pa. The phone number of Cuarentena Agropecuaria at Tocumen Airport is (507) 238-4234.

I believe that they have special alerts/bans for specific things, and then they want to inspect whatever it is when you come in to make sure that you are not bringing in agricultural pests. I have from time to time over the years heard of some exceptionally arbitrary and possibly corrupt decisions at Cuarentena, but somehow legal traffic in seeds and plants continues.

You really do want to contact them before coming here with your stuff to be sure.

From Costa Rica, about Mark Boswell alias Rex Freeman

How are things going with Mr. Freeman?

Here [in Costa Rica] Mr. Boswell has now closed all of his operations. I imagine that "Rex Freeman" will stay on in Panama.

Here we are trying to get the prosecutor to request extradition but it's a slow process. At least there's an arrest order against Rex Freeman and his wife to be brought before the prosecutor for economic crimes, but it's only enforceable on national territory. I imagine that with this it will now be impossible to see Rex in Costa Rica without a pair of handcuffs.

I see that on the Internet Rex Freeman continues his defamatory campaign.

Editor's note: There is now an August 20 trial date for Mark Boswell alias Rex Freeman's criminal defamation charge against me. Among other things, he claims that my story about him lied about him being arrested in Colorado. Win some, lose some, Rex....

New ID card

Will the new Panama cedula affect me?

My status is Turista Pensionado.

Please advise.

Rick Tuggle

Editor's note: Yes, you will have to register in the new registry of foreigners, and once that happens you will have to notify the government every time you move or if anything that affects your status changes.

I am not sure if the two-year review will apply to you (or to people who have been here for decades) or not.

A lot of the details will be left up to administrative regulations left to be written.

See the immigration decree in its Spanish original here.

Publisher seeking Panama guidebook writer

I am the Acquisitions Editor for Avalon Travel Publishing. We are an American publishing house that produces the Moon Handbook and Rick Steves travel series. I am currently seeking an author for our upcoming guidebook, Moon Living Abroad in Panama, and I thought this opportunity would be of interest to your staff and/or your contributors. I have included the description of the position below. Please feel free to pass it along to anyone you may think would be interested.

Avalon Travel Publishing is seeking a professional writer to author the Moon Living Abroad in Panama guidebook. THIS IS A CONTRACT POSITION, NOT A FULL-TIME OFFICE JOB.

The writer must have experience living as an expatriate in Panama and must be very knowledgeable about the process of moving to New Panama for North Americans and red tape and documents involved. The writer should also be familiar with all aspects of daily life in Panama, including the cost of living, education, health care, employment, real estate, and transportation.

The writer should also know the best places to live within Panama and have previous experience writing about Panama, travel, and/or living abroad.

ATP writers are compensated with an advance and royalty. This guidebook will be in the Moon Living Abroad format, and the writer selected to be the guidebook author will be responsible for updating the book every three years.

Interested applicants should send a résumé, a cover letter, up to five relevant clips to acquisitions@avalonpub.com as attachments. In the cover letter, explain why you are the best person to write Moon Living Abroad in Panama. Please include "Moon Living Abroad in Panama" in the subject line of your message. Visit http://www.avalontravelbooks.com/acquisitions.php for more information about our expectations and the work involved.

No phone calls, please. Qualified applicants will be contacted and invited to submit a proposal for further consideration. (Note: There is no need to submit a full proposal at this point.) We apologize that we may not be able to respond personally to each applicant.

Research project on North Americans in Central America

My name is Jennifer Pera, and I am a graduate student conducting research on North Americans (US and Canadian citizens) who have relocated to Panama, Costa Rica and/or Nicaragua either permanently or temporarily. I am interested in how these countries are responding to and benefiting from foreign residents who may invest in real estate and/or businesses, recent changes in residency requirements, and why North Americans are choosing to relocate to the places they have.

As a US or Canadian citizen in Central America, I would greatly appreciate you taking 10-15 minutes to complete an online survey I have designed and helping me get the word out to your colleagues and friends about this survey.

The survey link is http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=869240.

It is completely confidential and asks for no personal information. You may feel free to skip any question(s) you do not want to answer. If you would like to receive the results in the aggregate once I have completed the research, you may email me and I will send you the results by June 2008.

Your participation will greatly help my research and I would appreciate you forwarding the survey link to any North Americans you know residing in Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may at jpera@uoregon.edu.

About the researcher and the research

I am a geography and public policy graduate student residing in Oregon. I lived in Costa Rica for a couple of years and have traveled in Nicaragua and Panama. While in Central America I was surprised by the numbers of foreigners, especially North Americans, choosing to relocate there. I am interested in learning more about North Americans' experiences and impressions of living in Central America. Many researchers study Latin American migration to the United States, but there is little information available on migration by North Americans to Latin America, although this type of migration is growing. I hope you will help with my research by taking the survey and forwarding it on to any others you may know. If you have questions regarding your rights as a research subject, contact the Office for Protection of Human Subjects, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, (541) 346-2510. This Office oversees the review of the research to protect your rights and is not involved with this study.

Again, feel free to contact me with any questions and thanks for your time and participation!

The Gathering of the Dance of Oneness

A couple of years ago, from among our Circle of Sevens, a few began to hear a song from Mother Earth. When others listened to the song, they reported that there was another voice singing with Mother Earth. Those who heard the songs most clearly stated that there were two voices singing: Mother Earth and Grandmother Spirit. We did not know it at the time, but Grandmother Spirit was singing that the time of suffering for humanity was to come to an end. She sang a message that said the Golden Age of Peace was upon us. But few heard.

What we did not know was that Grandmother Spirit whispered to the Grandfather Spirit, "Send a messenger to the people of the Earth to tell them that Grandmother Spirit will walk among them if they will come together to call her forth. For me to walk among the people of the Earth there must be Joy and Wisdom for me to dwell." And a messenger was sent. Among the Circle of Sevens, we call this messenger Archangel Michael. He is known by many other names among many other traditions.

This messenger has appeared to Joseph Crane and others among the Circle of Sevens. In his latest appearances, he has told us to call the peoples of the four directions together at Yellowstone to The Gathering of One. He has told us that if we call together the world at Yellowstone and stand in our star formations given to us by the Bird Tribe (who we call angels) will open the Golden Age of Peace will begin.

He also told us that we must ask the Shoshone Nation for permission to do our Grand Formation ceremony on their homelands. He also asked us to consider having the First Nations teach us how to dance the Dance of Oneness. When three Hopi Elders came to two of the women who are in the Circle of the Sevens, we began to realize from the one they call the Keeper of the Secrets and the Prophecies, that many prophecies from the different tribes will come true if the tribes from the four directions come together.

Don Alejandro Oxlaj, Grand Elder of the Mayan People and head of the Mayan Council of Elders asked us to contact Bennie Blue Thunder LeBeau. Blue Thunder is an Eastern Shoshone/Piaute from Wyoming who helped orchestrate the permission from his Elders so that the tribes of Central America would know that they have been given the blessing to join in ceremony in the Yellowstone area. Because of help from Bennie Blue Thunder LeBeau and his relations, three of the four Eastern Shoshone Elders, have given permission for us to do ceremony at West Yellowstone, MT. These ceremonies we call the Dance of Oneness called the Grand Formation. We will continue visiting with the Bannock, the Eastern Shoshone, the Arapaho, the Lakota, the Navajo and other Indigenous Nations to invite them to The Gathering of One; to participate in the coming together of the tribal nations. All those who can put differences aside will come together as they once did long ago and peace will return to the Eagle Nations of the North.

Because permission was granted by the Eastern Shoshone, Don Alejandro will be coming to The Gathering of One for the Dance of Oneness. Don Alejandro is head of the National Mayan Council of Elders of Guatemala, Day Keeper of the Mayan calendar, a 13th generation Quiche Mayan High Priest and a Grand Elder of the Continental Council of Elders and Spiritual Guides of the Americas. He has stated that he may also be bringing several (as many as 10) other tribal spiritual Elders from the Americas for this event. Don Alejandro has also conveyed what else needs to happen to fulfill what he calls the world prophecies. He has told us to bring together the tribes from the four directions, and if we do this, the prophecies of the Jaguar people will also be fulfilled. If we choose, we can fulfill the Hopi, the Mayan, the Shoshone, and the Mamos' prophecies of peace by bringing the world together at Yellowstone.

Through the spiritual leader, Sequoyah Trueblood, we have been told that the Mamos of Columbia will also be coming. The Mamos come from the place called the Heart of the World in the mountains of Colombia, and are made up of four tribes: the Koguis, Arhuacos, Wiwas, and Kankuamos. Their prophecies tell of a time where peace will come to earth when the Eagle Nations will gather with the Condor Nations. The Gathering of One will be one more opportunity when the Eagle Nations of the Shoshone, Arapaho, Navajo, and Hopi, as well as other northern tribes, will come together with the Condor Nations of the Mayans/Aztec and the Mamos.

For the last two years at these Gatherings of One, we have done a dance called the Dance of Oneness. In the latest appearances, the messenger, Michael the Archangel told us that the First Nations people would show us their Dance of Oneness. Amazing that the following story comes from Sequoyah Trueblood: There lived a great spiritual Elder among the four tribes of the Mamos. And before he died recently, he told the Mamos that he would give them a secret that he had kept until now. He told the Mamos Elders to take this secret to the tribes of the North. This secret is called the 'tatame,' which means 'the Dance of Oneness.' It seems that the spirit world is moving the tribes together for this event in Yellowstone.

Three Hopi Elders approached two women who are in the Circle of Sevens. From that meeting, the Elders were told of our intent to call the nations together in West Yellowstone, Montana, on the Summer Solstice of 2008. When they heard what we were doing, two of the Elders agreed to come to teach us the stories of when the tribes were one. One of the Elders, who is known as the Keeper of the Secrets and the Prophecies, George Nasafotie went into a four-day vision quest. And when he came out, he contacted us again and told us that three of our men, three of our women, and three others were to come to the Hopi for the Ceremony of the Kachinas in February. We have agreed to do this. He also said that he saw that if we were able to bring the nations together in our star formations at West Yellowstone, that the caldera beneath the Yellowstone National Park would go quiet once again, and that there would no longer be a need for an eruption.

Simply put, the Indigenous Nations of the Americas are being called to the Yellowstone National Park area from June 18th to the 21st, 2008. Along with this event will be the call for a great Gathering of Nations to unite in Oneness in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming on August 8, 2008 (known as the Great Time of Peace 8:8:8). For this second ceremony, Blue Thunder will be asking for blessings of support from his Shoshone Nations people. It will be at this event that the Eagle and Condor Nations will be called to gather together, once again in oneness, to dance the Spirit Dance calling out to their ancestors to join them in the Ghost Dance to complete the healing of the Grand Teton Medicine Wheel.

This ceremony for the Great Time of Peace will also address peace with Mother Earth. It is time to purify the elements of Mother Earth --- the earth, wind, fire and water --- for all of Creation's life forms to be healed, allowing this purity to return to the snows, rains, springs, rivers and lakes that would bring sacredness back; bring back life to the land. Many around the world feel that the prophecies of peace and the forthcoming of the Fifth World can be fulfilled at this time. The Bird Tribe has told us that this will, indeed, happen. They tell us that a new Eden-like garden will return to the Earth, beginning within the Grand Teton Medicine Wheel Circle, if we can bring the world together.

We will soon contact Elders within the Dali Lama's organization as well as contact Elders from Africa. We ask all peoples and all tribes who cannot travel to the Yellowstone area to enter into their own Dances of Oneness. We will send out the star patterns for the gathering given to us by the Bird Tribe, which people all around the world can use to join us in our Grand Formation at Yellowstone. This will connect people all around the world together with the Bird Tribe, who will assist humanity in bringing forth the first vibrations of Peace, spoken of in the prophecies of the First Nations of the Americas since ancient times.