The banking cartel (Fed) has won; The taxpayers have lost! Bard THE CREATURE FROM JEKYLL ISLAND, Second Edition, July 1994. The Most Important Book after The Holy Bible (Lord Hamilton) http://www.jbs.org/aobs/ ------------------------- RELATED SITE: House Joint Resolution 77: http://www.jbs.org/canal/panama_hjr77.htm http://www.marianland.com/jekyll.html
U.S. Flag Lowered at Panama Canal Panama Assuming Full Control of American-Built Waterway By ELOY O. AGUILAR .c The Associated Press PANAMA CITY, Panama (Dec. 31) - It was a hurried - some said ignoble - exit from an outpost of U.S. engineering and military prowess. The last U.S. flag was lowered over the Panama Canal in a low-profile ceremony apparently aimed at playing down the handover of the waterway to Panama. U.S. officials among the small crowd that witnessed the striking of the U.S. colors Thursday at the Canal Commission headquarters appeared irritated that even a few reporters found out about the ceremony. The U.S. flag-lowering had been planned for a joint U.S.-Panama ceremony today, the Dec. 31 deadline for the handover. But it was hastily moved up at the insistence of the U.S. government to avoid potential embarrassment, Panamanian officials said. Carping in the U.S. Congress about the handover and doubts about Panama's ability to ensure the canal's security apparently convinced President Clinton's administration to avoid any showy display like today's planned ceremony. Thousands of cheering Panamanians are expected to attend the hoisting of Panama's flag over the headquarters today, when Panama assumes full control over the canal. The canal took more than a decade and thousands of lives to build. It took a 10-man detachment representing the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines only a few minutes to lower the flag in silence at sunset, fold it and present it to U.S. Ambassador Simon Ferro. ''It was a solemn and dignified act, as tomorrow's ceremony will also be,'' Ferro said. Some grumbled that the United States had lost yet another opportunity to commemorate the handover as a gesture - not of weakness, but of respect for a smaller nation. ''Somehow, I think it would have been nobler to lower the flag at today's ceremony,'' said former Panamanian Foreign Minister Jorge Ritter. ''I cannot understand the last-minute decision to do this as if it was something shameful. The United States has nothing to be ashamed of in complying with the treaties'' for the canal's handover. It was the latest apparent snub concerning the handover. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the last minute canceled her visit to Panama for an earlier ceremony on Dec. 14, fueling speculation that the Clinton administration wanted to distance itself from the transfer. Most U.S. officials at the Thursday ceremony answered with a terse ''no comment'' when asked about the striking of the colors at the concrete headquarters, perched atop a small hill overlooking the canal's main locks. It signaled the end of U.S. presence in this strategic waist of the American continent. The monument to Col. George W. Goethals, the U.S. Army engineer who supervised construction of the canal, will remain standing next to the canal headquarters. But an end has come to the special relationship that began in 1903, when the United States supported Panama's efforts to separate from Colombia. After Panama gained independence, it signed a treaty with the United States for the construction of a canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The U.S. was given 360,000 acres along the canal, which evolved into a military and civilian enclave. Panama will receive the canal a few hours before the changeover to the year 2000, amid some fears of possible failure of computer-run operations. Officials are confident the canal will pass the Y2K test because of the simplicity of its operation, unchanged since the first ship passed through. The canal handles 14,000 ships a year. The operation, which is electromechanical, can be run by one man in case of an emergency, Francisco Loaiza, head of canal technology, told The Associated Press. ''Our main concern is to maintain an efficient and safe operation of the canal,'' he said. ''We know we are ready.'' Witnessing the ceremony today will be Cecil Haynes, 86, who has worked for the canal for 71 years. His father, James, came from Barbados and was one of the thousands of blacks from the West Indies who dug the canal with picks and shovels and left generations of new Panamanians who still speak English. Nearly 22,000 people died building the canal due to work accidents or malaria. Haynes, an inventory management specialist who never missed a day of work, speaks proudly of ''my canal.'' ''My father and others instilled in me that I should respect their efforts in the construction of the canal. It was built mostly with the blood, sweat and tears of blacks,'' he said. ''I am glad we Panamanians now have the canal, and we will run it as well or better than the Americans did.'' AP-NY-12-31-99 0105EST ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FIREBASE HQ http://www.firebase.net To Post a message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The only fruitcake at overstock.com is our manager. He’s giving away a $20 coupon, plus our everyday Free Shipping. Take advantage of the savings and selection now. http://click.egroups.com/1/342/5/_/88912/_/946651602 -- Talk to your group with your own voice! -- http://www.egroups.com/VoiceChatPage?listName=firebase-news&m=1
