"Chinese, illegal aliens at the time, helped build the first Transcontinental Railroad. Since the purpose of the Railroad was to open a trade route to China, it seems to have worked out. The Canal and New Orleans came to dominate trade."
Huh?
"Air freight is coming along now, so that the canal isn't much of a choke point."
You entirely miss the point of the article. How long would it take to "air freight" an SSBN? Or a tanker-load of crude? Or a couple of amphibious assault ships with a few divisions of marines and armor? The canal is an absolute choke point for US strategic and military interests... all the Chinese have to do is scuttle a couple of ships at each end, and it would close the canal for months.
And the other hundred threads on this very same topic. If we ever find ourselves back in 1900 it will have been over for a long time.