letters

Sometimes heated discussion this time

Jazz discussion (etc.)

You haven't heard from me in awhile but I still follow The Panama News ardently. You bring a different perspective to what's happening in Panama and as such we are still planning on moving to your wonderful country in the very near future. While I do not agree with you on every issue, and why should I? If I did, there would be no purpose in reading as all I would have to do is talk to myself. I look forward to your paper and really appreciate the approach to distributing the News --- it's nice not to have to wait on the entire paper to be published.

What I did appreciate was the piece on the jazz festival. Yes it had some political overtones, but so what? It was very well done. What ticked me off was the response from both Jaime David de Leon and name withheld. First Jaime's statement about Democrats is straight from the Republican talking points. Statements, rhetoric actually, that make absolutely no sense. Republicans are the only hard working Americans? Really? And not to pass on information about a wonderful (so I am told) jazz festival because he did agree with your editorial? That smacks of censorship of the worst kind-withholding information because the reader is too dumb to wade through the material and make a determination on their own. Sounds like the classic teabagger to me. Also, teabaggers is a term that they used without knowing the sexual context which it originally meant --- it sounds good. Look at their signs at their rallies.

Finally, I don't know if you caught President Obama at the Republican House soiree on Friday. They made the mistake of allowing it to be televised. It showed a President who really knew the issues and had quality responses. This was in spite of the fact that they were bent on lecturing him and before asking a question. The president very patiently listened, then answered their questions without rancor and to the point. I enjoyed it so much that I watched a two hour special on MSNBC (my favorite station!) with Keith, Rachel and Cris. Man was it ever good. And no I don't always agree with them or the president. That's what makes life so interesting. Mostly though, you are on point.

Re: fossil fuel companies and fanatics will tell you it's a hoax...

Please go back to the year 1963 and read the articles on global cooling. Newsweek and Time ran article after article on the devastation that was about to encompass us.

People need to get a grip. The climate changes and has changed hundreds of times and will continue to change no matter how much money people throw at Al Bore et al.

Study people! Don't take the word of people on either side of the issue that have a monetary interest in their side.

Disliked Panama City Carnival coverage

I enjoy reading your articles and observations of Panama. However, today I am very upset with you and your false reporting. I was at the Carnival and they did not force the queen to walk the parade route due to no float.

They had three floats for all three age groups of queens. Yes a relatively non-existent parade with three makeshift bands and the three floats and assorted private costumed individuals but lets not go out and lie to make it a more juicy story and state the non truth of the queens.

I also did not see any pepper spraying but that I cannot comment in full as I was not on the entire parade route of Via España at all times as that is physically impossible. So I will state that where I was walking and enjoying the culture of Carnival Panama City style I did not witness any issues with the National Police.

Thank you for your blog and your perspective on Panama I quite enjoy even if I do not always agree. I just could not, not respond on this report though.

Keep on reporting and please remember we have enough issues without coloring them up to look better on a report.

Editor's note: Three floats for Panama City's Carnival --- do you really know what that means in the context of what has gone before?

No floats for a private organization's queens due to a government prohibition --- do you really know what that means in the context of what has gone before?

The burial of the sardine to end the Carnival was not permitted --- do you really know what that means in the context of what has gone before?

The arrest of a rival private Carnival guy because some kids were found drinking beer, without proof that he had furnished the alcoholic beverages --- do you really know what that means in the context of what has gone before?

The police in San Carlos telling me where I can or can't take pictures in the town's little Carnival area --- do you really know what that means in the context of what has gone before?

A two-hour wait for people on buses going into or through Chepo, for police to check IDs and search everybody --- do you really know what that means in the context of what has gone before?

(But yes, Penonome has been a leader in police state tactics over the years, so the beating for drinking in the street is not a surprise there.)

See: http://www.laestrella.com.pa/mensual/2010/02/17/contenido/07341130.asp

http://www.tvn-2.com/noticias/noticias_detalle.asp?id_news=28169

http://www.telemetro.com/noticias/verfoto.html?url=/noticias/

http://www.laestrella.com.pa/mensual/2010/02/15/contenido/15111609.asp

http://mensual.prensa.com/mensual/contenido/2010/02/15/uhora/local_20100215142413100.asp

http://www.pa-digital.com.pa/periodico/edicion-actual/hoy-interna.php?story_id=888374

http://www.pa-digital.com.pa/periodico/edicion-actual/hoy-interna.php?story_id=888373

http://www.telemetro.com/noticias/2010/02/15/nota47441.html

http://www.tvn-2.com/noticias/noticias_detalle.asp?id_news=28126

http://www.pa-digital.com.pa/periodico/edicion-anterior/nacion-interna.php?story_id=887990

http://mensual.prensa.com/mensual/contenido/2010/02/17/uhora/local_2010021707451066.asp

I would expect that President Martinelli will lose a minimum of five points in the polls for what his administration pulled over Carnival.

That said, it really gives me no pleasure to report all this, because when the truth is told about what happened at this year's Carnival, innocent people get hurt because it makes next year's Carnival less of a tourist attraction and harms the economy. It hurts The Panama News in that process, too. 

However, there are glossy propaganda sheets that portray an unrealistic impression of Panama for the gullible, and then there are serious news publications. We try to accurately report the important news about Panama and have to call things like we see them, and at the same time have the humility to admit that we don't see everything and sometimes we misinterpret what we see. But I don't think that I got the story of this year's Carnival wrong.

Learning how to use a new camera on a Carnival Saturday

Railroad traffic down

You reported a sharp drop in railroad traffic, and those of us who remember know that the old railroad failed soon after it was turned over to the Panamanian government. So do you think that the new railroad will go under too?

Editor's note: I'm neither a prophet nor very astute about the railroad business, but I do notice that the railroad's volume closely follows Panama Canal traffic patterns, and that Kansas City Southern and Mi-Jack are large companies that have put a lot of money into completely rebuilding the railroad. The old railroad's demise is a sad story, the main elements of which do not exist with respect to the new one. I think that the railroad will not only survive through these hard times but come back to prosper.

Problems connecting

I have been unable to bring up The Panama News here in Texas. Are others in the United States reporting this problem? I have had success with the sections that you have entered in Facebook, and can pretty much get an idea of the current edition. The jazz entries have been greatly appreciated. You will remember that Betty was a visiting professor at the University of Panama and worked with many of the people that you mention.

Editor's note: Off and on there have been connection problems of late here in Panama, the reasons for which I don't entirely understand. Our web server has the occasional imperfections, but certain factors indicate that this can't be the whole explanation. Blizzards on the US East Coast did, however, appear to affect service for a few days. When people have trouble connecting to The Panama News, I would really like to hear about it.

The Rest of the Story

I recently came across your article "Networking" published in Volume 15, Number 10 June 6, 2009 in which you mention me. Since you are evidently adept at digging for the truth, I thought you might be interested in a few facts which the United States SEC, the US Department of Justice and the Federal Courts are pressing to keep secret--not my opinion, those of insiders at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and a number of attorneys. It was true, my now ex wife was to be the chairman of the Easter Egg Hunt at the US ambassador's House. That's about all that was true. As for me being a swindler, working for Harris or any of the other charges so well published in the Press, they were all false. Nor was I Harris's marketing director. If I was, I wish I would have been paid for it.

The rest of the story

I was kidnapped by INTERPOL, taken to the National Police Headquarters where my life and my family's lives were threatened by FBI Agent Gil Torres who was later removed from Panama for sleeping with Panamanian agents and Sex discrimination. I was flown to Miami, FL based upon a charge of contempt of court in the civil case with the SEC. The charge of contempt of court was based upon a VERBAL court order my attorney, Ralph Janvey and his partner Ben Krage entered into without my knowledge or approval. And yes, this is the SAME Ralph Janvey now in charge of the Allen Stanford receivership.

No one but the FBI knows that my family was held in Panama until I agreed to plead guilty to securities fraud all the while my court appointed attorney continued to deliver threats against my family in Panama. My ex had to take the kids out of school after she and they were followed fearing they might be kidnapped as I was. The fact of the matter was, the Justice Department wanted me to rat out Harris. I had no problem telling them anything I knew about Harris, but I demanded that my family be freed from Panama. After being refused exit visas for months, they were released the day following my demand to the US Justice Department before I would talk. Afterward, I demanded my interview be recorded. The government refused, so I never talked. (A couple of months ago, a reporter gave me a few CDs with interviews of several key people in the case including a retired federal judge in which the judge states the SEC was after Harris and destroyed my businesses in hopes of getting to him as well as a number of illegal acts the SEC conducted in the case)

At one point, I had a hearing to overturn the charges against me. The judge hearing the case was connected to the prosecution and when a retired federal judge took the stand in my defense to testify how the SEC and their handpicked receiver had destroyed assets, lied and fabricated evidence, the judge stopped him from testifying. After I was released from prison, I appealed the case to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. You can read my attorney's statement at www.brentawagman.org of how they backdated a denial to silence me.

After that stopped me in the Courts, I went to Washington DC and met with a number of senators and congressmen presenting them some of the evidence of how the SEC lied and the government had covered things up to protect themselves and screw my investors. Senator Bill Nelson's office obtained a meeting between me, my attorney and the new Inspector General of the SEC, David Kotz, in February 2008. Mr. Kotz began an investigation and in September 2008 made policy changes as a direct result of what he found in my case. It was determined basically that my attorney, Ralph Janvey, was working for the SEC while representing me against the SEC and there was a conflict of interest. Hmmmm, if Harris failed to disclose his conflict in an audit and was stripped of his license, what would happen to an attorney? Nothing when he works for the SEC. Instead, Janvey and the other attorney in the case acting as the receiver were rewarded.

In January 2009 I received a letter from Mr. Kotz's office stating point blank that they were still conducting their investigations into Ralph Janvey, Ben Krage, the law firm of Krage and Janvey and others. In February, 2009, Janvey was appointed receiver of the Allen Stanford stuff at the request of the SEC. To date, the Inspector General has refused to release his findings which prompted policy changes regarding conflicts of interest even in the face of multiple requests from Senator David Vitter and Senator Bill Nelson.

Meanwhile, what happened to all the 160 plus oil wells, drilling and workover rigs, trucks and other oil field equipment my companies owned? They were given away and most are STILL producing and selling oil and gas. What happened to my home in the Florida Keys? The court allowed the receiver to sell it. Guess who purchased it at the auction --- the receiver. What happened to the thousands of carats of emeralds and rubies I had in a vault after purchasing an inventory from a retiring jeweler? The court gave them to the receiver. And what did my investors get? The shaft. Not a dime was ever returned to any.

In 2006-7 I was sued by the State of Texas over money they had expended to plug several oil wells the SEC claimed were imaginary. Once I cross filed on the receiver, I received a call from the Attorney General of the State of Texas informing me they were dropping their case against me. A lawyer's money and the one rightfully responsible was not good enough for them. They wanted to spend taxpayer money to get a judgment against someone who couldn't pay.

I would be happy to provide you with copies of the letters from the SEC IG, the senators or even the CD of the retired judge's interview along with his phone numbers if you would like to do a little digging and print a piece on how the SEC and their receivers play judge, jury and executioner before there is ever a trial.

Stanford's chief of security was aquitted Friday. What will happen if Stanford walks?