i may be a whiner, but i’m hardly alone in sounding the alarm over the changes to panama’s immigration laws. check out the panama investor blog, and take the survey.
panama already faces stiff competition for from costa rica. but now it seems mexico wants to compete for the expat/tourist dollar by legalizing prostitution.
how am i coping with panama’s new visa changes? i’m doing the only thing i can do. i’m buying the world’s fastest margarita maker, and moving to mexico.
too little too late? this week it was announced panama’s fighting back. they’re importing 400-500 fresh hookers. gracias a dios, those other whores were getting a little stale.
to be fair, it’s not like panama’s the only country with problems. it seems they’re missing a lake in chile.
found a decent article on the rise of a new generation of latin american revolutionaries. it’s entitled, the return of the idiot. um, anyone want to buy a well worn che t-shirt?
panama pot holes can be dangerous. i tore up my knee in one 3 years ago. but in Guatemala the potholes are killer.
finally, why not stumble a cool site about Mayan ruins?
Welcome to the Cult of Cojito! If you like the writing take a look here and don't forget your fatal dose of koolaid.
Bye Bye Miss Panama Pie!
Somebody’s got Panama in the crosshairs!
I’m a boltin’
The people here are nice, the weather is nice, I can eat & drink cheap if I want to….BUT..
Captain Hazelwood’s at the helm & I’m counting down the days! 30 days? Fuck ‘em. Glad I did not plunk down the ?K necessary to fix my ass in this debacle of a dump-in-the-pants. It’s gonna take a lot of Seco, Sucker!
OUT!
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 22, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
drinking 18 year old glenfiddich, smoking a cigar, watching all the rats leave the ship they think is sinking…how fickle you all are…
make a stand…get a fucking life…the grass will always be greener in another 3rd world country…fucking gringo ugly american attitude…you find what you look for…random thoughts from an old drunk…let me know when you find your next panama..there is always another one over the horizon…the pussy wll be better…the drinks will be cheaper…the natives will be nice to you (for awhile)…the visa limits will be longer…then that country too will disappoint you…party on garth, party on wayne…do yourself a favor and read a little history — it’s always been this way, it always will be…”the only common link in the chain of your broken relationships is…you” think about it.
“you can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another”…hemingway.
Comment by marcopolo — June 22, 2007 @ 9:47 pm
Look chief,
Be straight. You’re drinking night train, smoking dutch masters and the only rat around shows up in the mirror every time you’re in the shit house. You may be the one ‘getting a history lesson’..and real quick too. If I’m leaving behind drunken losers (your admission, not my take) & jackboots, then so be it.
When I see a freight train heading my way, I don’t stick around for the ambulance. Maybe you run quicker. Maybe you’ll ‘make a stand!’ Ok, superman.
Read the law, there’s your history..it’s being made everyday. Maybe you’ll go down with it! Assholes like you defend some dirt pile like it’s your family jewels. Own any panama real estate? A business?? Thought not..
Stick around and let us know how you’re making out in a year.
In the meantime, sober up and get your ass to church.
Mr. W.
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 22, 2007 @ 10:21 pm
wow, guess you told me. maybe i should sell the 2 properties that i don’t own and close the export business that i don’t have. thanks for the good advice. church? i’m sure jesus will help me like he has obviously helped you…
you missed my whole point..which is exactly why you and the other ugly americans will temporarily migrate to a new hell hole with new drunken losers and jackboots…until it’s time to jump ship again and go look for yourself one more time…
“you can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to anotherâ€â€¦hemingway
have a nice trip. i’m sure all the people who’s lives you have touched here will miss you…
Comment by marcopolo — June 22, 2007 @ 11:57 pm
mr wonderful - you’ve got marco all wrong. he really is drinking 18 year old glenfiddich, he’s more heavily invested in panama than any of us, he’s not an asshole, and panama’s not a “pile of dirt.”
but marco, don’t you see, we are taking a stand.
people don’t get angry about shit they don’t care about. if all this whining gets the government to make some changes to the immigration law, it won’t be because we’re ugly americans who gave up; it’ll be because we had the balls to speak up.
i love 18yr glenfiddich btw. but need i remind you this is the cult of cojito? drink the koolaid.
Comment by cojito — June 23, 2007 @ 12:51 am
You vote with your feet.
In fact, that’s the only way you can vote, when they make it difficult to get residency.
Nothing wrong with the perpetual tourist lifestyle, if you can hack it.
Comment by Raul — June 23, 2007 @ 7:26 am
raul - yep. but before i vote, i’m speaking up, and giving the gov a chance to fix the problem,
Comment by cojito — June 23, 2007 @ 10:24 am
Shit! Polo! Knew You’d bite!
Maybe mr. polo is ‘all in’ in panama (thus clotting rational thought) . bad investment move to begin with, regardless of location or vehicle. if true, i can understand his (her?-i don’t know this person) false optimism in these matters. if, for example, polo does in fact own all this stuff in panama, he has good reason to ‘make a stand’..at least emotionally. self preservation is the primary instinct and ego always gets in the way. so, guys like polo lie awake at night longing for the restful sleep that now is evasive. tossing, turning, wondering..’do I make a ’stand’ or cut ‘n run before the mass of idiots catches on? …but then there is always hope!
surely the ‘pensionados’ don’t give a rat’s ass, they just want a check or 2 direct deposited monthly. tourists don’t care, they just won’t show up anymore, not that they did in force anyhow.
I don’t care, i can smell a rat from a distance and will never be ‘all in’ anywhere anyway. who knows?! maybe the import/export thing will survive and I hope it does for you, polo. maybe dutch masters–[pssst! the 'cubans' you're smoking are fakes] and glenfiddich or whatever is the answer..at least for today! and that’s all we got!
hasta!
mr. w
ps.
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 23, 2007 @ 10:27 am
mr wonderful - lol i think the only thing keeping marco “awake at night” are the chicas fighting over his dick.
Comment by cojito — June 23, 2007 @ 11:03 am
wake up! cojito!!
5 minutes does not a diversion make. OK! maybe 10, but certainly not 15!
marco, i am in *no way* slamming you. I’m lucky to last 2 minutes and it’s always been that way, at least until round 2 but now round 2 never comes!
getting old is so bittersweet, especially this middle age bullshit. too young to forget, not old enough to forget that I sometimes remember!
I haven’t tried viagra or any of that yet, does it really put some portland in the ole pecker?
soft in the middle,
mr. w
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 23, 2007 @ 11:23 am
What city in Mexico are you headed to.
I live in San Diego and have been down to Tijuana.Prostitution is Legal and so are the donkey shows lol.I prefer Cabo San lucas much less B.S and smells better.
Comment by Tmc55 — June 23, 2007 @ 11:37 am
wow mr wonderful! you got me again! first i’m a fuck because i’m not invested here…now i’m a fuck because i am. obviously you are never wrong.
must have something to do with the church you wanted me to go to…? i ‘ve always noticed that there are none so smug as the saved.
thanks for your concern about my rest, but i actually sleep quite well at night…however i’m mortified to know that i have made “bad investment moves”…i probably should have sought your investment advice…but now it’s too late.
the cigar was actually a graycliff from the bahamas. my grandfather smoked dutchmasters, actually. most of the cubans in panama are indeed fake. i’d tell you where to find the real ones, but you are already so obviously fucking smart that i know you don’t need my advice.
you might want to try nicaragua next…granada is a charming old colonial town and the people are so incredibly poor that they might look up to you for a while until they get sick of your ugly american entitlement attitude. another good reason for you to move to granada is that i never plan on going back to that hell-hole…but don’t worry, you can continue to give me your good advice and insightful analysis right here at the home of the cojito cult.
que tenga un buen viaje…
Comment by marcopolo — June 23, 2007 @ 11:39 am
boys boys boys…take it easy. lets stop measuring penis’ and stay on rational, gentlemanly dialogue. Otherwise, yes…these voices will be thrown in to the pile of continued “ugly gringo” syndrome.
Its good to make the points and try to influence what is going on here with the threats to “abandon ship”, or taking your toys back to Costa Rica or even mexico. i have lived years in both those places…and what is happening in panama is nothing that hasnt happened in various ways in those republics also.
yes, i have invested in panama…and i am not jumping ship at this point. yes, i am concerned about my “investments” value based on these idiotic governmental gyrations…but i would still take this system over the two previously mentioned ones for safety and security for investing any day of the week.
but i also agree with the general sentiment here of…”wherever you go…there you are”.
Comment by tman — June 23, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
Tmc55 - i was just being flippant when i said i was moving to mexico.
sometimes i can’t help myself. like when i said “the only thing keeping marco awake at night are the chicas fighting over his dick.”
truth is, marco has trained monkeys for that.
Comment by cojito — June 23, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
yes, i rent my trained monkeys by the hour from cojito’s emporium of funky stuff…
Comment by marcopolo — June 23, 2007 @ 1:32 pm
marcopolo, who is this guy?
the point i was making is that someone invested here has to: a) be concerned (only when sober) or b) hope for the best (unfounded optimism) or.. possibly c) beat the crowd out (best move now? time will tell!)
yes, marcopolo, i am smarter than the average idiot…everyone can’t be wrong.
graycliff, that’s an expensive stick.. about $20+ a smoke..right? yes, yes..I know it’s a boutique cigar from the bermuda or some damn island. I can honestly say i’ve never smoked one…yet. you might switch to rock or viceroys, it’s cheaper.
best smoke? for me the hoyo 2x corona (habano real) was absolutely tops, like sweet spicy butter. i haven’t met a monte cristo, bolivar, sancho ponza(sp?) or ryj that beat it yet. on the cheap? i like arturo fuente products. the opus x can be exceptional. carlos torano has some cheap sleepers too. hand ‘em out to friends you kinda like, not the real douche bags.
alright, maybe i’ve under estimated you. anyhow, i’ll safely watch the fireworks here from my bubble and don’t wish harm on anyone..honest! I’ll even drink a cheap-ass soberana in honor of the republik..ok?
mr. w
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 23, 2007 @ 5:44 pm
Countries are like hotels.
When one hotel raises it’s rates, or stops being attractive… or makes it uncomfortable to stay– you can just go find another hotel to move into that offers attractive rates.
Basic five flag theory.
Comment by Raul — June 23, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
raul,
i agree. voting with your feet and voting with your wallet are fundamental libertarian principles. as we get older, however, some of us get tired of checking into hotel after hotel and we decide that the rate increase is cheaper than the moving expense. it’s all about individual choice.
the only ting that bothers me about this whole visa debate thing is those who take the changes as personal attacks and don’t seem to realize that this shit has gone on (and will go on) forever. if moving makes you happy — move. if staying makes you happy — stay. but if nothing makes you happy — then it’s time to look inward instead of across the next border.
perpetual traveler is a great lifestyle…but i think a more accurate term should be perpetual guest. as amerikans..we were raised to think that we know how to fix everything, we know how everything should be and any “foreigner” who doesn’t do it “our” way is stupid. better to remember that we are guests wherever we go.
Comment by marcopolo — June 23, 2007 @ 6:51 pm
testing, testing..
this bastard board rejected a stellar post of mine about an hour ago! I cannot believe i’ve been shit-canned off another forum already! what’s it been, 2 days?!
anyhow, the graycliff cigar..holy sh*t!! i knew they were pricey.. might as well buy real habanos! look at these goddamn prices!:
http://www.cigarsforless.com/Cigars_in_US/graycliff.htm
there’s guys hanging around here with too much money & too much time on their hands and I’m not one of ‘em! …put all my money in the collection basket @ the 5 O’clock service tonight!
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 23, 2007 @ 7:49 pm
mr wonderful - for some reason my spam catcher flagged your “stellar” comment. it’s posted now.
raul - excellent analogy. i’m just waiting to see if hotel management has heard, and will act on my complaints.
marco - i was happy right up to the day they announced those visa changes. now, not so much.
you’re right of course. Americans don’t have the answer to everything. and alienating tourists could be a brilliant move by the gov. i doubt it. but it’s their hotel and they can do what they want with it.
Comment by cojito — June 23, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
mr wonderful,
we seem to have a lot in common…
soberana is my favorite panamanian beer. arturo fuente is my favorite everyday cigar — i’ve never had a bad one. i actually met carlos and carlitos at the big smoke in las vegas a couple years ago. the only fuente retail store in the world is in ceasar’s forum. graycliffs are made in nassau and they are expensive. i don’t smoke them that often.
i am libertarian…i hate all governments equally. that would include the panamanian one. government is simply organized crime…democracy is 3 wolves and a sheep voting on who to have for dinner…doesn’t work unless the sheep is well-armed. i have no illusions about the security of investments here or anywhere else. now that i am almost 60, i try to live life aesthetically, enjoy what is there for what it is. human nature will never change - just read the old testament — nothing has changed in thousands of years. the libertarian creed is simple — “do not initiate force or fraud against another person or their property” — that keeps us safe. and “anything is permissable between consenting adults” — that keeps us happy. we’re all waiting for the reaper…some of us just chose to have fun and focus on the positive until he gets here..:)
Comment by marcopolo — June 24, 2007 @ 9:00 am
marco…you and i CAN TALK:). I’m going to write your name in on the ballot for President in 08!
Comment by tman — June 24, 2007 @ 11:55 am
tman — thanks, but you missed the point. no self-respecting libertarian would ever want to be president. governments devour anyone who enters them.
government is a mafia. different groups struggle to gain control in order to exploit them for their own ends. the difference in a “democracy” is that the scumbags hide behind the “people’s will” while they steal the people’s money. tin horn dictators are just a little more up front.
the fallacy that people in democracies labor under is that if only they or “their people” could get in power, they would run it right. but what is right? it all still boils down to imposing your values on somebody else. i repeat: “do not initiate force or fraud against another person or their property†— that keeps us safe. and “anything is permissable between consenting adults†— that keeps us happy.
governments by definiition operate by force and theft. try not paying your taxes because they piss them away on things you don’t believe in…you will quickly see that “democracy”, like communism, socialism and every other government scam, derives it’s power, as mao the murderer said, from the barrel of a gun.
Comment by marcopolo — June 24, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
well, well..
marco, you sound better today. my fuckin internet connection shit the bed yesterday along with my groove… I’m too tired to fight today but you seem a good sport. not to be a bootlicker, I agree with your take above pretty much spot on. the ‘federal mafia’ was a good book. Seeing as you’re an old timer, careful with the adrenalin levels, keep plenty of aspirin around. (I get the habanos roundabout from spain)..
cojito, thanks for fixing this board thing. it’s probably freeware anyway, so don’t bitch! i had a bbs in the 90’s, much more complex than this and the software costa mucha plata..the porno rights and all.., so you’re lucky. live chat would be good..real time ‘fuck yous!!’ you buy that bus ticket yet? i did! i’m not with ‘us’! wtf.
you gents get busy,
mr. w
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 24, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
mr. w —
the federal mafia was a good book…so good that schiff is in prison for it. “is this a great country or what?”…micheal keaton in night shift.
ps. i like you, but you are still an asshole…:)
Comment by marcopolo — June 24, 2007 @ 9:28 pm
so what does it mean if every form of govt. sucks, then what? who governs, under what type of govt. easy to say they all suck, I have a relative that says the same but lives like a fine capitalist in a fine country with one of the forms of govt. you mentioned above, so to me you are all full of baloney as the rest of them. Since the end in near, why not just live life so that you can prepare yourself for what is next. Be good to others, do not steal or kill and you will be fine. As for mafia govt. it has never been different, period. Sorry if I offended anyone.
Comment by rrroyo — June 25, 2007 @ 11:35 am
.rrroyo –
capitalism is an ecomonic system — not a form of government. in fact, it is the only economic system that works. voluntary exchange of goods and services based upon mutual gain. the governments that are the richest and most powerful are the ones that suck their money out of capitalist economic systems. the capitalists are the milk cows that produce everything. the scum at the top of the government pond drains them through taxes and regulations, redistributing the money to their cronies and favorite projects. they maintain power by bullshitting the masses that they are victims of the evil capitalists and the scum are there to protect them.
read “democracy - the god that failed” by hans hoppe. or check out this website http://www.lewrockwell.com. you are a capitalist (i followed your link) libertarians are your friends, not your enemies.
just because all goverments suck doesn’t mean we have to accept them — all diseases suck, too…does that mean you have to choose one?
it has always been this way…just like you say…that is why we need to set ourselves free in spite of governments. that’s what libertarianism is about. it starts with a clear understanding of what’s going on around you..after that, the rest is easy.
Comment by marcopolo — June 25, 2007 @ 12:53 pm
Its Atlas Shrugged all over again. The collective mind over the power of the gun. But not too many of us are willing to die for the creed. Seems to me most people of this ideology just find the best ways to live “under cover”. What other choices does one have if they dont want to live in a prison…or in some far away country isolated from all reality? Shit…it seems to me the system is succeeding against us to where the only way you can have financial privacy is hide your money under your pillow or in the attic. Puts us in the same class as the drug runners the USA is spending billions to chase down…albeit with limited results. Where will this merrygoround end?
All that being said, I do appreciate the clarifications of definitions by marco…
Comment by tman — June 25, 2007 @ 1:28 pm
rand called herself an objectivist, not libertarian…that being said, however, her galt’s gulch was actually a secessionist action as advocated by hans hoppe in “democracy the god that failed”. rand’s followers today are a pathetic bunch of neo-nazi, neo-cons who support amerika’s imperialist global policies.
i entertain no illusions about beating the government. god knows the irs has raped my ass in audits for more money than most people earn in a lifetime. i simply advocate understanding the libertarian philosophy because it helps you think clearly and live off the radar as freely as possible. there is no security and you have to be constantly looking over your shoulder. but it beats assuming the permanently bent-over fuck-me position that most sheeple assume. once you assume responsibility for your future, and stop thinking like a victim of government, it becomes a lot brighter. if you are serious, then start educating yourself at http://www.lewrockwell.com. otherwise, keep on whining and keep on getting fucked. your choice.
Comment by marcopolo — June 25, 2007 @ 4:54 pm
i stopped whining a long time ago marco. i left “the system” over 5 yrs ago with no regrets. i voted libertarian last election with an offshore ballot. I was told by most people I divulged this that I had “wasted” my vote. What a sad case of supposed democracy when people think that voting your conscience is a waste. “sheeple” is a good way to describe how most people live. freedom as i define it was lost long ago by most americans…of only to the debt load they carry to live in that country of consumerism.
i have done my share of reading before at http://www.lewrockwell.com . unfortunately for most of us…it is difficult to mount any united front against the masses and governments of the world…and survive to tell the story. as i suspected as a young lad…”its all about the money”. those who make enough of it can have a chance to be free and the tools to make a difference in these regards.
maybe we’ll meet by happenchance one day here in panama…sounds like it would be an interesting dialogue.
Comment by tman — June 25, 2007 @ 6:16 pm
Response to Above:
mp, I quote:
“ahhhhh….people are assholes. ..you know!……you’re people!!”
heard at dice performance c2002, verona, ny.
Tried reading Atlas Shrugged. Couldn’t hack it. too many fucking words. 1984 is my roadmap. also, read: angels don’t play this haarp. very good. red pill/blue pill..take yer pick..it’s all doubleplusgood!
there are no elections. ron paul is a lucky man. either very smart or very, very stupid.
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com is ok.
basically, we’re all fucked, soooo…
…eat bite fuck suck nibble gobble chew..nipple bosom hairpie fingerfuck screw! (while u can)
what does any of this shit have to do with the weekly roundup?
mr w.
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 25, 2007 @ 6:45 pm
i have an autographed copy of the constitution and bill of rights signed by ron paul when i met him a couple years ago. he is an intelligent, honest man…beats me why he wants to fuck with politics.
Comment by marcopolo — June 25, 2007 @ 7:21 pm
mp,
roger that.
mr. w
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 25, 2007 @ 8:09 pm
Want some reading material? try this:
\http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=COX20070125&articleId=4595
Comment by fastfreddie — June 26, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
been there, done that.
oops……..wait a minuto.
HEY!! you’re not with us!!
LOL!
MR W.
Comment by mr. wonderful — June 27, 2007 @ 11:47 am
Cojito,
Wow, what a shitstorm of opinions/predictions and recriminations you’ve touched off…
Funny, but I never visit this site unless I’ve had a few cocktails….. I suppose my opinions should be taken with lots of salt….. LOL.
The only reason two people should ever get married is because they love each other and want to build a future together. Using marriage to circumvent a law is stupid in the extreme. Mea culpa, amigo.
I’m taking Spanish II and conjugating these freakin verbs is driving me crazy. The teacher is a hottie and that helps….. LOL.
It’s always darkest before the dawn.
You have talent, money and ambition. What more do you want? You’ll land on your feet. Stop worrying so much and confront the problems you face day to day. You’ll do fine.
I’m raising a big glass to you, Cojito.
Via con Dios.
Comment by Patriccio — June 27, 2007 @ 1:23 pm
pattricio
marriage is just a piece of paper required by the government. love and committment are something that 2 consenting individuals do with or with out the “approval” of a government or a church.
just my 2 cents worth(less) of an opinion.
Comment by marcopolo — June 27, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
im with you mp. the only reason two people should get married is to satisfy state requirements for passing on assets without the robbing and stealing by statist governments of ones hard earned living…or in this case…to arrange the best deal for residency requirements. or perhaps for the sake of having children if you want the family to share the last name…which is still optional in a modern world. its amazing how many people in america of the high divorce rates and fat gringa wives who dont put out anymore can still have these romantic ideals of marriage. amazing…
Comment by tman — June 28, 2007 @ 3:00 pm