El Dia De Independencia

It's Independence Day II, the sequel, here in Panama. We are celebrating Panama's separation from Columbia with parades and whatnot. The whatnot, I think, is mostly drums. Later this month we will celebrate Independence Day, The Original, which is a fiesta commemorating Panama's liberation from Spain. That too will include parades and drums. Lots 'o drums. It is 8:20 in the A.M. as I write this and I can hear a steady rhythm in the background. Dumdiddy dum dum. Dump dump. Sounds like Bo Diddly on steroids.

The sun is out though. Which is to say it's here. I don't know where it goes when it's in. It's bombing us with beams as if it really intends to stay around awhile. I know better. Some time after noon Old Sol will duck for cover and a large lake in the guise of a cloud will hover above us like the alien space craft in Independence Day, The Movie. On someone or something's command, Sunny's beam bombs will be replaced by the bottom falling out of the lake; the noise of which, I might add and will, can actually drown - yup, that's the word, drown - the drumming. Too bad. After months of rain, I'll take the drumming.

I suppose I should, and you know I always do as I should, interject right here a short history of Panama's liberation from Colombia. I'm not real clear on the details, but the overall story goes something like this. Old King Jorge the Third of Colombia decided he wasn't getting enough revenue from his Panamanian Colony so he raised the taxes on coffee. This was the last straw for the Panamanios so they dumped the coffee into the Caribbean and formed a militia group called the Minuto Hombres. When Colombia sent a bunch of soldiers dressed in red coats and heavily armed with the latest in modern machete technology, the Minuto Hombres took to the mountains and hid out until Teddy Roosevelt came down from the USA and scared the redcoats away. After that there was a declaration sent to Colombia stating that Panama was an independent country and all the Minuto Hombres who were now famous founding fathers signed it. Juan Manocock signed with real large letters.

The history of Panama's separation from Spain is an equally interesting story, but a lot more complicated. Don't worry though, I'll do my usual intensive research and then get back to you with all the details. I'm pretty sure it started with bull fight protests.