Truck drivers need to be punished to the full extent
of the law
for their terrorism
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Non-punishment for truck drivers in exchange for stopping the
blocking of roads is unacceptable for a country which wishes to
maintain order.
If this country wishes to let people hurt other people in
retaliation for not liking a particular law or tax, then the
government should continue to negotiate with terrorists who block
people from getting to doctor appointments and emergency rooms.
Here are some facts as reported by this newspaper:
"According to Article 263 of the Penal Code, a penalty of 10 to 30
days in prison faces anyone who, without authorization from the
competent authorities, prevents, obstructs or hinders, in some
form, vehicular traffic or the movement of passers-by. In
addition to the arrests, the Traffic Police confiscated five
license plates of trucks that were obstructing in the public road.
In addition, fines may be levied against the truck drivers."
Fines May be levied?! And a sentence of only 10 to 30 days for
obstructing traffic in order to prevent free movement throughout
the country?!
No punishment in exchange for stopping the strike?!
This is unacceptable! Even the above sentences and fines are way
too light, even if they were enforced!
Let me also remind you of these facts as reported by A.M. Costa
Rica:
"This Tuesday, the criminal activities of protesters on the bridge
over the Arenal River in Monterrey of San Carlos put at risk the
life of a girl who was being transported by an ambulance to the
local hospital," said the police in its statement.
According to the Social Security report, Tuesday during the road
blockades by the truck drivers union, 1,215 patience medical
appointments were canceled throughout the country."
So, let's get this straight:
Truck drivers don't like a new tax, so they throw tantrums like
children and stop the flow of traffic to punish their fellow
citizens and residents and tourists - anyone who expects to have
freedom of movement throughout the country! Tourists who have to
get to the airport, citizens who have to get to a hospital or a
job, people who have done nothing to the trucking syndicate!
They threaten the life of a sick girl in an ambulance, they stop
over a thousand patients from getting to their doctors for what
could be major health issues...
And for this, they get no punishment?!
This is terrorism! There is only one way to stop such terrorism
and that is to refuse to negotiate with terrorists. And when such
terrorists are caught in the act, I would say the maximum
punishment should be given to them. I would say that . . . but the
maximum punishment is too light!
No, the law needs to be changed to a punishment that will put an
end, without question, to this type of terrorism! If this is not
done, the government then is guaranteeing it will happen again,
and again, and again, as it has in the past.
A sentence of at least 60 days in jail should be made mandatory,
with a maximum of one year is the law that should be written,
passed, and enforced, in order to prevent such blockages of the
movement of people throughout our country!
Yes I am a Gringo but I am a citizen of this country, and in my
opinion if we don't put an end to this terrorism by severe
sentences and enforcement of these sentences, then all we are
doing is encouraging more of it in the future from other
terrorists who try to get their way or express their discontent by
making others suffer, which may even include the loss of life.
This kind of behavior is not acceptable in a civil and just
society.
Michael Krohn,
San Ramon, Costa Rica
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Taxes on tourism
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
I will only reiterate the question that has been asked by myself
and others who attempt to view politics and bureaucracy
rationally: Why would a reasonable person (or government) ever
consider the short-term solution of “killing the goose which has
been laying golden eggs” rather than a long-term application of
accommodation which assures the economic future of Costa Rica?
The inevitable answer must be greed, accompanied by blindness to
economic realities. Tourists are valued customers and should be
treated accordingly, not bled dry by all-consuming taxation and
price-gouging until the ultimate day when they say “no more – I
have been priced out of the Costa Rican market.”
Don Osborne,
Puntarenas
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Depression and cancer
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
What a great article:
Cancer, depression, and anxiety: caring for your physical and mental health*.So many have no idea. I had cancer 12
years ago. Diagnosis, treatment, all fine. It was afterward that
the deep, dark hole opened.
Depression is horrible. I don't
think I understood it prior to this. Days of sleeplessness,
constant crying, feeling lethargic and uninterested in anything.
Fortunately, I got help. Counseling first when depression was
explained, learning about stress hormones and how they silently
build up and the resulting depression. It was amazing how a
simple explanation makes you sit up and realize it's not your
fault.
That was the first step. With help, relaxation classes, group
therapy with others going through the same thing . . . all went
towards the help to draw me back. I sincerely hope that anyone
going through that particular hell finds a way to get help.
Nel Cameron,
Escazú, San José
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Domestic violence
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Students of history soon discoverer government’s propensity to
enslave their citizens. Perhaps government-run schools forget to
mention that today. . . as we graze across green fields of
connectivity, sleep-walking into historical oblivion . . .it’s
hard not to notice these blips of revolt . . . and the ensuing
reaction by nation-states. I mean, if you’re about to rob and
enslave someone, what’s the first thing you do? Take their guns!
Old as Roman sward control and as totalitarian as Pol Pot, Mao
Zedong or Adolf Hitler; the list is long and adds up to 180
millioin unarmed civilians murdered by their own governments. Yes,
in just the last 100 years. It's real. It's coming to our barrios
soon… and it's happening on your watch. Think about it.
This attack on the weapon’s rights is the beginning of firearm
confiscation for the nation. Voting conservative or liberal won’t
help. They both work for the same boss-bankers.
It always begins with protecting women, etc. but over 40 percent
of domestic violence victims are male!
Men Victims Domestic
Violence report here*
A woman with firearm training becomes Equal to a 200-pound man the
moment she chooses to defend herself and her children with a gun.
Think about it some more . . . .
Paul Furlong,
Atenas, Alajuela
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Drugs Offered
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Every time I go to the beach, which is almost every day, I am
offered “weed or blow,” literally every time at the beach access.
The police should try having undercover officers that look North
American or similar, maybe with longish hair wearing a cap with a
camera in it. They would only have to do it once at all the beach
accesses.
Would this help? I don’t know, but at least they would know who is
offering these drugs and then uniformed officers could question
these suspects.
Jack Burrow,
Guanacaste
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Conversion of plastic to clean energy
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
In the last four years, Costa Rica has generated 98.53 percent of
its electricity from renewable sources. How? With its unique
geography, forward-thinking solutions, and commitment to
sustainability, Costa Rica has used its rivers, volcanoes, wind,
and solar power to generate it's country's power. Mar. 8, 2019.
Costa Rica is recognized around the world for its environmental
leadership. We have 4.5 percent of the planet’s biodiversity and
forest cover on more than 52 percent of our land. However, we also
have the most polluted river basin in Central America and one of
the most polluted in Latin America: the Tárcoles River, where most
of the pollution comes from plastic materials. June 5, 2018.
I suggest you may want to watch, listen and learn and post the
below on your Facebook and daily news media outlets. It just may
spark interest from the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of
Energy, Vice Ministry of Water and Seas and Vice Ministry of
Environmental Management as well as Grupo ICE.
Here again, as previously suggested the conversion of plastic can
solve three (3) real issues here in Costa Rica that of jobs,
plastic waste, and clean energy.
Gene Sweeney,
U.S. expatriate living in Grecia, Alajuela
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