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Old 05-15-2002, 09:41 AM
exlrrp exlrrp is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,196
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Default My, how creative

There certainly are some creative reads on history here.
there's lots to deal with up above here but lets start with the "Jimmy Carter gave away the Panama Canal" myth
it was actually a smart deal for the US and I hate to say it but the negotiations started in the Ford administration. getting rid of it should be a plus for the side that whines about paying too much taxes but nooooo, Whats really creative is how the dittoheaded right wing conspiracy uses it to make carter look bad. Did Rush say that?
What some less informed people never start to think is that the Panama Canal had become a White Elephant for the US with little strategical value.Huge maintenance, no income. yet you guys would rather keep vulnerable bases there than do what was the smartest thing--keep a 2 ocean Navy--even the govt did better than that.
The late 70s--early 80s found the US downsizing our military commitmenet--this was bipartisan, a goal thruout several administrations and I can't fault the idea--who needed it? Nowadays we use our naval forces to move around an be our vbases--better for us and safer for them out in the ocean JUUUST like we did in Afghanistan.
lets start with this fact--virtually none of our strategic material or military pass through the Panama Canal--not oil, for sure, nor containers nor bulk on anything but bananas. the greatest number of ships to pass through there were cruise ships last year. the income didn't cover them maintenance
if we REALLY needed to take it back, as in wartime, don't you think we would in a New York minute? of course we would but the panamanians would rather rent it to us anyway--there's about a third of them there who want us back. Let the Chinese run it--they like working for low wages.
If youre smart, write your congressman not to renege on carter's excellent deal!! or isn' it Jimmy carter's fault now

carter's doing a good thing in Cuba now, its good PR for boh sides. Its time we normalised relations with Cuba, we sure cozyed up to some regimes a lot more atrocious. All of his efforts are good, Ive worked for habitat For Humanity. its good to see exPresidents doing something good for humanity on their own time, instead of selling $2million dollar speeches like Ronald reagan before he lost it too much. Yes I know what Bill Clinton does--same as GHB, selling pardons and all

james
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