Pride in Perspective; National Police Deploy 200 Body Cameras; Panama Enters the Era of Telesurgery.

Friday, October 10, 2025. Pride in Perspective: In Light and Shadow Columbus Day is in the news again.  Here’s my take on it when it comes to national pride, etc.  Frist of all, pride is never a simple declaration. It is at once a source of strength, a door to dignity and also a battleground for contested memory. We wear pride to affirm who we are, and we wrestle with its weight when history reveals its darker corners. Columbus Day was originally reclaimed by Italian Americans in an era of exclusion and prejudice. For immigrants facing hostility, Columbus was less a conquistador and more a symbol: “We belong too, we have contributed greatness.” That narrative of uplift carried forward into a national holiday. Over time, however, more of the story could no longer be ignored when we consider the exploitations, violence, and upheavals that followed in the name of “discovery”.  In recent years, many towns and states have shifted toward “Indigenous Peoples’ Day”, choosing to wrestle with the full sweep of history rather than shy away from it. This year, President Trump has publicly declared his intention to reinstate Columbus Day “under the same rules, dates, and locations” as before, calling it a return of honoring “Italian heritage” and resisting what he frames as “left-wing efforts to erase our history.”  His rhetoric frames the shift as a battle over identity, symbolism, and memory: is Columbus a national hero to be defended, or a complex figure to be reexamined? Of course, a president cannot unilaterally erase or create federal holidays.  Those powers rest with Congress.  But the symbolic weight of a public proclamation, especially in our age of culture wars, is heavy. Even in his past proclamations, Trump has framed Columbus Day as an act of cultural defense, warning that “radical activists” seek to tarnish the explorer’s legacy. But let us also turn to Leif Erikson, a figure who so often hovers in the margins of our collective memory. Leif Erikson: The “Viking Discoverer” Leif Erikson, a Norse explorer of Icelandic and Scandinavian lineage, is widely believed to have led the first European expedition to North America (Vinland, likely in Newfoundland) around the year 1000 CE: nearly 500 years before Columbus. The exact date of his arrival is lost to time; the sagas record only that it was in the autumn. The date October 9 was chosen not for a documented landing date but for symbolic resonance as it marks the arrival of the Norwegian ship Restauration to New York Harbor in 1825, which is seen as a milestone in Norwegian-American immigration. Leif Erikson Day became a federal observance via Public Law 88–566 in 1964, instructing the president to proclaim October 9 each year in honor of his legacy and Nordic-American heritage.  Each president, Republican or Democrat, since has issued a proclamation. In 2024, for example, the White House honored Erikson “in recognition of Nordic-American heritage.” Across the U.S., states with significant Scandinavian-American populations (Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas) tend to mark the day more visibly.  I remember it to be a great time when we would eat a lot of Smelt and conduct “boil overs”.  Yum. The statue of Leif Erikson in Reykjavík (designed by American sculptor Alexander Stirling Calder) stands as a high-profile memorial. In Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, historically rich in Scandinavian heritage, a bronze Leif Erikson statue has served as a local landmark and a rallying point for community celebrations. Leif’s legacy also reminds us that history is rarely singular. His journey is less about replacing Columbus and more about broadening our lens, to honor multiple lines of heritage and to recognize that discovery, identity, and legacy are contested terrains.  His landing on the shores of North America nearly five centuries before Columbus reminds us that achievement wears many faces, often forgotten ones. His commemoration came from Scandinavian-Americans who, too, sought acknowledgment of their place in the American story. Pride, then, is not the enemy. It’s the mirror.  It reflects what we value and challenges us to ensure that our pride builds rather than divides. Whether it’s pride in heritage, in progress, or in perseverance, what matters most is that it’s tempered by humility and guided by truth. May this month’s reflection on pride remind us to celebrate achievement without losing sight of compassion, and to carry forward the best of who we are together. Brett Mikkelson Director, B.M. Investigations, Inc. – Private investigations in Panama TOP NEWS and TIDBITS: National Police Now Using 200 Body Cameras to Record Interventions Across the Country Around 200 body cameras distributed nationwide are now being used by the National Police to document incidents that occur during officers’ interventions. According to the institution, these devices were first implemented in 2020 and are used in preventive, investigative, and operational activities, based on requests from the competent authorities. Their distribution mainly covers the provinces of Panama, Colón, Panama Oeste, Chiriquí, and the central provinces, prioritizing areas with a higher incidence of incidents related to police conduct. The use of the cameras aims to ensure transparency in procedures, support judicial investigations, and provide evidence of officers’ work, in accordance with established protocols. Among citizens, opinions are divided: some believe the cameras strengthen trust in police actions. However, others view their implementation unfavorably, arguing that they hinder police work. It is worth noting that Law 466, which regulates the use of body cameras by the police, was enacted and published in the Official Gazette in April of this year. The regulation establishes that officers must inform citizens when they are being recorded during an intervention, although the person’s authorization is not required to begin filming. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE Panama Will Remain on the EU’s List of Non-Cooperative Jurisdictions The National Government reported that Panama will remain on the European Union’s list of non-cooperative jurisdictions, which will be updated this month, confirming its inclusion among the eleven territories currently listed. “This does not mean we are being added to a new list; it is one we are already on.