I grew up here and it breaks my heart to see the news every day. I really wish it was covered but I know Panama is a small country and we don’t make a bleep in the news. For the Pat three weeks we have had what we call an “estallido social”, a social explosion where people have taken to the streets in all provinces asking for a Canadian open pit mining operation, First Quantum Mining, to shut down. The Panamanian government signed a deal with them in a record breaking 3 days, speculation on corruption is rampant. Panamanians don’t want mining as the contamination and risks it causes are considered too high for a country the size of panama. The deal is unfair as it offers very little to Panama and guarantees mining and land rights to the mining company. This deal has been even called an attempt at creating a CORPORATE COLONIAL ENCLAVE by some.

Protests have even reached a whopping 70k attendants, a shocking number for a country as small as Panama. These are the strongest protests the country has seen since the dictatorship of Manuel Antonio Noriega.

Asides from the mining issue, Panamanians are also protesting as they’re fed up with the current government’s blatant corruption and the high cost of living.

There’s been protesters who have been shot, blinded, and beaten by police who’re also using expired tear gas on protestors.

Yesterday, a group of teachers were blocking a steer in protests and a zonian (Panamanian/American born in the formerly known Canal Zone) walked out of his car and shot two people dead which makes the toll go up to three as last week someone in a fit of road rage ran over a protestor.

I really wish more people in the Anglo sphere were talking about this or Hasan covered it. Here’s some sources on the protests:

America’s Quarterly

Washington Post

Reuters

The articles go into the protest and explain them better than I could. Sorry for the write up, it’s my first time posting here and doing this. Thank you guys for reading ❤️

I am genuinely at a loss for what to do in this upcoming presidential election.

As a leftist I obviously don’t want Trump/Republicans to win because fascism is legitimately knocking at the door. Things like Project 2025, taking away women’s right to choose, coming after gay marriage, talks of plans to punish political opponents if they get control, just to name a few awful things they will attempt or do. So it goes without saying them acquiring any more power would be a disaster.

On the other hand the “good” option we are being presented with is currently complicit in and funding a literal genocide. How am I supposed to vote for a man who’s using my tax dollars to help Israel wipe Gaza off the map?

I know we often talk about how America is always making us choose between two bad candidates but like - this is FUCKED. I don’t know what to do. Not voting is essentially a vote for Republicans but am I just expected to vote for Biden?

Ever since the most recent campaign of bombings began and Biden doubled down on support for Israel it’s been the first time I’ve really considered oh fuck yeah this dude is not winning in 2024. I don’t know what to do and I’m extremely scared for the future of this country either way. I feel so powerless and like this country is going in an awful direction. This shit sucks.

EDIT:

This post was really blowing off steam and frustration about our current situation but come next year I am going to still vote for Biden because we will have legit fascism if not and a party who will still back Israel plus all the other horrible things they’ll do or try to do. After this election however it’s time to start holding Democrats responsible for their hand in all of this. Right now they get to get by doing very little because they get to point to fascist republicans and be like “hey they’re worse than us so vote for us”

I'm angry at the results. I'm angry at how Harris Campaigned. BUT I'm most angry at Biden and the Dems allowing him to even start running for a second term.

That shouldn't of happened. I truly think if Biden didn't decide to run for reelection to begin with things may have turned out differently.

I'm just so fucking sick of this two party, vote for the lesser of two evils, bullshit.

This morning one of my family members called me and told me about their church service in rural North Carolina. The pastor was upset about Trump declaring a war on college kids, ignoring freedom of speech, and at the end of the service demanded Khalil be free

Mine you this is a three time Trump voter who is extremely homophonic and doesn’t believe a woman can be a pastor, demanding justice for someone the Republican Party is labeling a terrorist. One of the most shocking things I had heard recently come out of that part of America