letters

Several letters, some of
them more or less irate

Emerald Passport guy offended

I read with the same horror as hundreds, your article about Mr. James Alexander [McQuirter].

For the record ...

I was an independent distributor for emerald passport from December 2004 - February 2007. At that time I resigned my distributorship to take another distributorship with a US based company.

While I met James Alexander at a couple of Emerald Passport's events, I had absolutely NO KNOWLEDGE of his past; and had I known would have done what Jaime did, dis-associated myself with the company, and fast.

I live in a very culturally diverse part of the united states, and even the inkling that I was anything or am anything approaching racist would be refuted vigourously by the many african american friends, collegues, and employees I have or had over my 20+ year career as a business owner.

An independent distributor is an individual who has enrolled an chosen to market a 3rd party company, and in this case Emerald Passport's, products and serives. An independent distributor has no ownership interest in the company, but markets the companies products at retail prices. IN the united states, the industry is called network marketing.

Network marketing as an industry, and more specifically Emerald Passport has brought great change and education products that have helped so many individuals accross the globe.

James Alexander Resides in Canada, myself on the Gulf Coast of the United States. I had little to no contact with him as a daily course of business. He was neither a friend or confidant as he was a representative of the company.

I was Top Earner for Emerald Passport from July of 2005 - January 2007, and you therefore will find me, and the incredible story of my success helping others with Emerald Passport.

In keeping with my standard practices, and as advised by council, to reach out to you to get your story staight, I am providing the following list of slanderous statements which MUST be removed for your website and story; and a retraction and correction published immediately. I will also offer you the opportunity to get your story straight as it pertains to myself and Emerald Passport.

Again you are SLANDERING and DEFAMING me in your article in many ways, and specifically as follows.

1) Trying to tie me to James Alexander, his historical activities (I was in college at the time), and to a despicable belief system that is held by hate groups such as the KKK. The mere mention of my name on this website is defaming and sladerous and creates a libel situation for the publisher.

2) Under the photo taken from my website (without my permission and in violation of copyright laws), with me standing next to Miss Universe Justine Pasek at a "photo op" held during an EPI event.

"Emerald Passport's Jim Rivas, using former Miss Universe Justine Pasek

to pass himself off as somebody who's reputable and important in Panama"

This statement is both inaccurate and damaging, as I have neither attempted to be "reputable and important" in Panama, nor have I visited your country for anything other than an Emerald Passport Event. (And my Passport Reveals that truth).

However, I am a respectable successful entrepreneur, and I don't associate (knowingly) with criminals.

Please remove both the copywrite protected photo and the false and mis-informed caption you have listed under neith it.

3) Regarding "who owns Emerald Passport" ... I have never at any time held an interest in or ownership of the entity known as Emerald Passport. I was their top earner, and the story of my success is well published, so perhaps from those stories alone you wrongly came to the conclusion.

I WAS am member of the EPI Executive Leadership Council

I WAS EPI's first $100,000 per month producer.

I was ONLY a distributor working hard in the Global market; and subsequently training and supporting the large number of customers I attracted to the program.

As far as who runs Emerald Passport, that is not a question for me as I do know know either.

Please remove and rescind that inaccurate portion of your story.

4) The 2nd photo of me an Also Delaguardia was taken from my website in violation of copyright law. You do not have my permission to use it, and I therefore request that you remove it, immediately.

5) The following caption, printed under the aforementioned photo is completely wrong and slanderous. It is totally innacurate and slanderous.

The men who brought the Grand Wizard to our shores,

Emerald Passport's Jim Rivas and Alonso de la Guardia

PLease remove the caption, and post a rescision of your prior posting. It's totall innacurate, defaming, and untrue.

The rest of you article is fine, and very informative. I could hardly believe the story when it broke. I spent very little time conversing with him at a couple of Emerald Passport Events as I had custmers to entertain.

Let me say this too for the record. My experience with Emerald Passport was a good one, as was the case for many many people on my team. I don't suspect that men with James Alexander's past go around bragging about it or even talking about it. I had never heard of it until your story broke, and it has been almost 2 years since I had any association with Emerald Passport. As I said before I resigned my position in February 2007.

Panama is a beautiful place and I look forward to the opportunity I have to visit there. It certainly won't be on official business with Emerald Passport; it will be to once again enjoy the greatness of Panama.

My experience down there on the 3 times I have been was that the people very nice, and the local professionals community top notch.

Please exend me the professional courtesy by having your defaming, completely wrong, slanderous, and libel content from your website immediately. Your actions are costing me something precious to me that I will defend, and that is my name. So let's get the story straight, as save each other a whole lot of trouble.

James Rivas

(sic)

Editor's note: This might be quite the test case for the news exception that's part of Panama's copyright laws. Certainly that a sales pyramid scheme is promoted by Alonso de la Guardia, a member of the board of directors of Florida State University - Panama, and by former Miss Universe Justine Pasek is newsworthy.

You say you were a member of Emerald Passport's Executive Leadership Council but you don't know who runs the company, that you were "working hard in the Global market" and that apparently nobody bears any responsibility for the criminal element that comes to Panama to work as "a representative of the company."

Objection noted. I'm not impressed.

Support for Sheila and Dennis

My name is Ericka Moreno and I stayed several times at XS memories with my ex boyfriend Lee, with whom I still communicate and have a very healthy "ex" relationship with. I have forwarded your mail on Panama UnClassifieds about this that happened.

We both have fond memories of the place and its owners. I myself have just gone through a rough time being my mother in the hospital for a long extended stay and I can surely understand their situation. Although I can't really help much financially at the moment due to the facts that I just stated above, I would really be willing and would want to help them in any other way that is suitable for them or that you deemed necessary... I am really sorry to hear about this. They are very good, honest, caring people from what I can remember.

Best Regards and wishing them all the best,

Ericka M.

Editor's note: help defray Sheila and Dennis Parsick's medical bills by depositing contributions as follows:

Name: Dennis John Parsick
Bank: GLOBAL BANK
ACCOUNT NUMBER: # 06-102-22558-2

Doesn't agree with Kokoski

I waited so long for the letters section to be posted this issue only to be disappointed by more of the sniveling and whining by Mr. Kokoski again. He is such a miserable paranoid person. It must really suck to be him. Keep up the good work.

Editor's note: I think he's a conservative Catholic, of whom there are plenty in Panama and around the world. I don't personally subscribe to that point of view, but it does have a place in public discourse.

Eric's caramiñolas

I loved your recipe in the News - October 20. We live in Reading, PA, USA. and are having these for Thanksgiving dinner along with my Mother's long list of Polish dishes. Thanks! I actually thought these were made with potatoes. Yucca is good. We read your newsletter, keep up the good work.

Cindy Neel

One of the ways The Panama News is perceived

Hello, I happened to run across your newspaper while surfing the net and I just wanted to let you know that it appears your news paper may be one of the last truly free news papers that I have run across in a long long time.

Congratulations on keeping the news real, especially during these times of Big Brother censorship all over the world. I have a really hard time finding anything that is real news these days. I can tell you, that when an individual runs across real news, it is obvious to the reader of that news.

Please keep up the good fight for your individual rights, in ALL areas of your lives down there. In the US, due to not remaining vigilant and attending to these things, we have totally lost everything in the way of individual rights, and they still insist that they need to "better police" to "insure we are protected." It appears to me, by what little I have read, that they are in all aspects of your lives, trying to "better" your lives for your own sakes. Please know how very subtly they insert themselves in to your lives. Your children's schools, especially your teens, are a major target for them. They love to produce rebellious teens, so that they undermine the family first. I noted the proposed sex education articles, and also the "Gay" pride stuff going on there. Please note that one of the tactics they use, is to insert a whole gay community in to your communities. This one is one of their favorites. Please stick to your family ethics and morals. The minute you give them the slightest bit of room to change people, the next time you turn around they are everywhere. Sex education belongs in your homes, and it is not up to them to tell you what YOUR kids need. They always make things like "teen pregnancy" seem worse than it is. Oh yeah --- and the HIV scare is another good one.

Please tell parents, not to succumb to these "so called helpers" in your community. These creeps are everywhere, and just when you think they are your friend, you find out different.

I noticed that you have a lot of articles pointing out other investigations that your community does on its own, and are able to accomplish much to get to the real truth. Wow!! great job.

I am not sure what you can do, in the way of "monitoring" your Internet, but it would be a great benefit to you, and yours, and those of us that really appreciate truth, to fight every step of the way to keep your Internet, schools, courts, local law enforcement, doctors, pharmacies, etc., etc., etc. under local control, and not give one inch to the so called help that any government, of any type in to your business. Watch out for scare tactics, and watch out for strangers being inserted in to your communities.(new doctors, nurses, school teachers, counselors, CHURCH, etc.)If you hire new, please be very vigilant in your background checks.

We here in the US salute your efforts so far.

Keep up the good work.

Donna

Editor's note: For the record, I believe that homosexuality is a congenital condition that encompasses maybe one in every 20 people everywhere, and that it ought to entail no more social stigma than being left-handed or having green eyes.