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To: struggle c'mon freepers, where's the video?

Here's the Saddam video

Full Saddam Execution Video Leaked from Cellphone

Warning: Could upset some viewers

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		REFERENDUM 2006
		El Pictures of Panamanians voting on the future of the Panama Canal

About the author

Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer, author of five best-sellers on Latin American affairs and whose syndicated column appears in 55 major U.S. and Latin American newspapers, comments on the latest events in Latin America and U.S.- Latin American affairs. He is a member of The Miami Herald team that won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize. He also won the 1999 Maria Moors Cabot Award, the 2001 King of Spain prize, and the 2005 Emmy Suncoast award.

The Mexican daily Vanguardia is asking about a boycott against the U.S. As ludicrous as that is because Mexico imports a large amount of U.S. goods, 17.89% already oppose the boycott and it may take 70 votes to overturn that poll.

No registration is required.

Want to make yourself heard across the border and oppose this ludicrous boycott? Here's a way to doy it with minimal Spanish required!

• Go to http://srv2.vanguardia.com.mx/hub.cfm/FuseAction.Detalle/Nota.413416/SecID.38/index.sal or
• Click on the circle before the word "No" underneath
  
• When the circle is full, click on the box "Votar"
  
• If you get a new browser window with the title "Resultados de encuesta", it means your vote was counted.

See also

A day in the life of President Bush (11/7/05): photos

President Bush Press Conference in Panama

GALERIA Bush en Panama (Javascript window)

Do you really think some little enterprising chinaman hasn't figured out that maybe, possibly stacking some demolitions munitions next to the locks is a good idea in case we do that? We could take it but then we would have a wrcked canal. Which is still loads better than letting the Chinese having it available in a war. 7 posted on 11/02/2005 1:35:23 PM PST by Centurion2000 ((Aubrey, Tx) --- America, we get the best government corporations can buy.)

Extremely unlikely. Considering the Chinese already have "bases" in sensitive ports like Secaucus and Long Beach, they have a better access to wreck US ports of entry. In addition, the Panamanians are the ones controlling the Panama Canal, as you may have noticed during your last visit to Panama....

U.S. President Bush, right, crosses the Panama Canal as he tours Miraflores Locks with Panama's President Martin Torrijos, in Panama City Monday, Nov. 7, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

U.S. President George W. Bush (3rd L) and first lady Laura Bush (2nd R), are given a tour by Panama President Martin Torrijos (2nd L) of the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal in Panama City, Panama, November 7, 2005. (L to R) Panama first lady Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos, Torrijos, Bush, Administrator of the Panama Canal Alberto Aleman Zubieta, Panama Minister of Economy and Finances Ricaurte Vasquez, and Laura Bush. Bush said on Monday the United States and Panama were close to completing a free trade agreement as he ended a Latin American tour that fell short of his goal of reviving talks on a hemispheric-wide trade zone. Bush wrapped up his trip to Argentina, Brazil and Panama with a visit to the Miraflores lock of the Panama Canal, nearly 99 years after Theodore Roosevelt came in 1906 to see the canal construction in the first visit abroad by a U.S. president. REUTERS/Larry Downing

The Panama Canal cannot be defended by anyone including the Chinese. It could be disabled for months with some kerosene, fertilizer and blasting caps. The "yellow peril" may exist, but it probably it is in Vancouver, B.C. 39 posted on 11/02/2005 3:10:28 PM PST by shrinkermd

Or in Baltimore, Boston, and all the other US cities where the China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) has warehouses...

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http://www.cosco-usa.com/about/aboutCCLA.htm

Select Office Below

•  BALTIMORE
•  BOSTON
•  CALGARY
•  CHARLESTON
•  CHICAGO
•  HALIFAX
•  HENDERSON
•  HOUSTON
•  LONG BEACH
•  MIAMI
•  MONTREAL
•  NEW YORK
•  NORFOLK
•  SAN FRANCISCO
•  SECAUCUS (HQ)
•  SEATTLE
•  TORONTO
•  VANCOUVER

Counter the typical BBC slant with your posts!

Politicians go home!

Also, China effectively owns the Panama Canal.

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Picture of the "Chinese" apprentices by the Canal

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The Chinese Threat!!!

In the past few months, Panama has been subject to a barrage of "Bad Press" generated by US politicians that not only is unfair, but is seriously impacting tourism, investment, and retirement in this beautiful country. To help understand these myths I have the honor of presenting Mr. Robert Baker who is a well known American businessman living and involved in the commercial business circles of Panama for many years. He is well qualified to address this question. Here is his comment on this ridiculous situation his own words:

June 25, 2000

As past president of the American Chamber of Commerce and US Navy League in Panama, I am surprised at the number of intelligent people who have been fooled by "private agenda" politicians into believing that there is a Chinese problem with the Panama Canal. Some have gone so far as to suggest that the "red Chinese have taken over the Canal". This is so far from the truth that one wonders how such a story can get repeated by intelligent people. Here are the facts.

Three years ago in early 1997 I was invited by US Ambassador William Hughes to a breakfast with six visiting US Congressmen at the ambassador's home in La Cresta. These Congressmen, I am embarrassed to say, were down here on a "fact finding mission" to investigate the Chinese rumors. I think it important to note that it was the month of February which is very cold in Washington and very sunny and warm in Panama with tropical breezes flowing through the palm trees, not to mention the fact that the trip was paid for by all of us US taxpayers. If you were offered a free trip to a beautiful and sunny tropical paradise during the coldest month of the year in the States, what would you do? Their visit helped spread the Chinese rumor.

Here are the facts as I presented them to our "concerned" U.S. Congressmen. Several large companies submitted closed bids to manage the two ports on the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the Panama Canal. The large US construction company, Betchel bid only $2 million per year while the large British port manager, Hutchinson Wampoa bid almost $22 million per year. If you were the Panama government, which bid would you accept? Hong Kong was a British colony at the time and Hutchinson Wampoa is a British company who manages ports all over the world. They are a public company traded on all major stock exchanges. Anyone, including China, can own shares of their stock. It is a far stretch to conclude that since Hong Kong has reverted to China, that now makes Hutchinson Wampoa a Chinese company and that implies China has taken over the Panama Canal. It is also easy to understand that Betchel, the only American bidder, probably helped seed the Chinese rumor over sour grapes because they lost the bid. They also used US political pressure to try to get the Panama government to nullify the winning bid and open the process for re-bidding. It failed.

The "Chinese control the canal" idea is absurd. There are no Chinese running the ports. They are British and Panamanian employees. Keep in mind that the US military can return to Panama "without notice" at any time to insure the security and independence of the Canal.

We defeated Japan in W.W.II. Would you say that Japan now owns or controls the US government? After all, they own more US treasury bills than any country on earth.

Other facts you might want to consider if you are concerned about visiting or investing in Panama are the multinational corporations who find Panama to be a very good investment. Kansas City Southern Railroad won the bid on the old Trans Panama railroad line. Their investment is over $200 million. Bell South won the bid to establish the cellular telephone system and invested $100 million, while Cable & Wireless won the bid for the land lines and invited $652 million the first year and $500 million the last two years, and the list goes on and on. Panama has received over $2 billion in foreign investment during the past several years and privatization has brought in the latest technology. U.S. companies that have located here include Microsoft, Mobile Oil, AT&T, NCR, Delta, FedEx, American Airlines, Swift, General Mills, Xerox, Continental Airlines, DHL, Lanier, Kodak, G.E., Kraft Foods, Nabisco, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Chase Manhattan, Citibank, Intel, 3M, IBM, Bristol, Meyers, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Exxon, Colgate, Amway, Schering-Plough, Proctor & Gamble, Marriott, Holiday Inn, McDonalds's, Friday's, Bennigan's, etc, and these companies are only several of the more than 200 that have made substantial investments for long term returns.

I would be happy to discuss any aspects of the above report with anyone concerned with Panama. My cell phone, e-mail, and fax are listed below.

Best regards,
Robert E. Baker
Financial Consultant
Fax: (507) 265-6204
E-mail: robert.baker@cwp.net

Rummy probably didn't pay any attention to the managers of the canal. They're employees of Hutchison-Whampoa, which is owned by a wealthy Chinese who gets his marching orders from Beijing. He probably didn't get a look into some of those cargo containers being shipped in from China. They're not all full of Tinkertoys and stuffed animals. 9 posted on 11/15/2004 6:28:40 AM PST by JesseHousman (Execute Mumia Abu-Jamal)

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Picture of the "Chinese" apprentices by the Canal

---

The Chinese Threat!!!

In the past few months, Panama has been subject to a barrage of "Bad Press" generated by US politicians that not only is unfair, but is seriously impacting tourism, investment, and retirement in this beautiful country. To help understand these myths I have the honor of presenting Mr. Robert Baker who is a well known American businessman living and involved in the commercial business circles of Panama for many years. He is well qualified to address this question. Here is his comment on this ridiculous situation his own words:

June 25, 2000

As past president of the American Chamber of Commerce and US Navy League in Panama, I am surprised at the number of intelligent people who have been fooled by "private agenda" politicians into believing that there is a Chinese problem with the Panama Canal. Some have gone so far as to suggest that the "red Chinese have taken over the Canal". This is so far from the truth that one wonders how such a story can get repeated by intelligent people. Here are the facts.

Three years ago in early 1997 I was invited by US Ambassador William Hughes to a breakfast with six visiting US Congressmen at the ambassador's home in La Cresta. These Congressmen, I am embarrassed to say, were down here on a "fact finding mission" to investigate the Chinese rumors. I think it important to note that it was the month of February which is very cold in Washington and very sunny and warm in Panama with tropical breezes flowing through the palm trees, not to mention the fact that the trip was paid for by all of us US taxpayers. If you were offered a free trip to a beautiful and sunny tropical paradise during the coldest month of the year in the States, what would you do? Their visit helped spread the Chinese rumor.

Here are the facts as I presented them to our "concerned" U.S. Congressmen. Several large companies submitted closed bids to manage the two ports on the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the Panama Canal. The large US construction company, Betchel bid only $2 million per year while the large British port manager, Hutchinson Wampoa bid almost $22 million per year. If you were the Panama government, which bid would you accept? Hong Kong was a British colony at the time and Hutchinson Wampoa is a British company who manages ports all over the world. They are a public company traded on all major stock exchanges. Anyone, including China, can own shares of their stock. It is a far stretch to conclude that since Hong Kong has reverted to China, that now makes Hutchinson Wampoa a Chinese company and that implies China has taken over the Panama Canal. It is also easy to understand that Betchel, the only American bidder, probably helped seed the Chinese rumor over sour grapes because they lost the bid. They also used US political pressure to try to get the Panama government to nullify the winning bid and open the process for re-bidding. It failed.

The "Chinese control the canal" idea is absurd. There are no Chinese running the ports. They are British and Panamanian employees. Keep in mind that the US military can return to Panama "without notice" at any time to insure the security and independence of the Canal.

We defeated Japan in W.W.II. Would you say that Japan now owns or controls the US government? After all, they own more US treasury bills than any country on earth.

Other facts you might want to consider if you are concerned about visiting or investing in Panama are the multinational corporations who find Panama to be a very good investment. Kansas City Southern Railroad won the bid on the old Trans Panama railroad line. Their investment is over $200 million. Bell South won the bid to establish the cellular telephone system and invested $100 million, while Cable & Wireless won the bid for the land lines and invited $652 million the first year and $500 million the last two years, and the list goes on and on. Panama has received over $2 billion in foreign investment during the past several years and privatization has brought in the latest technology. U.S. companies that have located here include Microsoft, Mobile Oil, AT&T, NCR, Delta, FedEx, American Airlines, Swift, General Mills, Xerox, Continental Airlines, DHL, Lanier, Kodak, G.E., Kraft Foods, Nabisco, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Chase Manhattan, Citibank, Intel, 3M, IBM, Bristol, Meyers, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Exxon, Colgate, Amway, Schering-Plough, Proctor & Gamble, Marriott, Holiday Inn, McDonalds's, Friday's, Bennigan's, etc, and these companies are only several of the more than 200 that have made substantial investments for long term returns.

I would be happy to discuss any aspects of the above report with anyone concerned with Panama. My cell phone, e-mail, and fax are listed below.

Best regards,
Robert E. Baker
Financial Consultant
Fax: (507) 265-6204
E-mail: robert.baker@cwp.net

Have your very own anti-Michael Moore film festival with films by Kurdish director Jano Rosebiani:

Rosebiani's "Saddam's Mass Graves" vs Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"

Jiyanhttp://www.troygift.com/products/media-music/VCD-DVD/DVD-KM-Jiyan.htm
HRW Film Festival

Have your very own anti-Michael Moore film festival with films by Kurdish director Jano Rosebiani:

Rosebiani's "Saddam's Mass Graves" vs Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"

Jiyanhttp://www.troygift.com/products/media-music/VCD-DVD/DVD-KM-Jiyan.htm
HRW Film Festival

Have your very own anti-Michael Moore film festival with films by Kurdish director Jano Rosebiani:

Rosebiani's "Saddam's Mass Graves" vs Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"

Jiyanhttp://www.troygift.com/products/media-music/VCD-DVD/DVD-KM-Jiyan.htm
HRW Film Festival

Have your very own anti-Michael Moore film festival with films by Kurdish director Jano Rosebiani:

Rosebiani's "Saddam's Mass Graves" vs Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"

Jiyanhttp://www.troygift.com/products/media-music/VCD-DVD/DVD-KM-Jiyan.htm
HRW Film Festival