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| -Land of the Free | |
| The Panama Canal proves one lesson America needs now: never quit | |
| 2026-01-19 | |
I grew up in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Our town’s name described what made us unique — we had locks on the Connecticut River. Ever since I was a kid, I have understood how locks worked, and I always wanted to see the ones that changed the world. Recently, I had that opportunity when I transited the Panama Canal. To see the locks operate just as they have for more than 110 years was thrilling. Traveling the almost 50-mile journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic was an experience I’ll never forget. The construction of the Canal was the largest and most expensive project ever undertaken at that point in human history. Nothing so massive, elaborate or systematic had ever been attempted before. The financial cost, combined with the human toll of more than 25,000 lives lost, was comparable to a war. Such a monumental achievement could never have happened without determination, perseverance, persistence and grit. The result changed the world and the global economy forever. The Canal cut the distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific by 8,000 miles, resulting in three fewer weeks of travel time. China doesn't operate the Panama Canal, but it can 'control it': Gordon ChangVideo Today, ships carrying as many as 11,000 containers transit through the Canal. Cars, appliances and an array of other goods make their way across the world thanks to the more than 13,000 to 14,000 ships that use the Panama Canal each year. But the journey to a mid-continental canal was a long one, filled with crushed dreams, financial ruin, enormous adversity — and ultimate triumph. The French were the first to attempt building the Canal. Ferdinand de Lesseps had built the Suez Canal and was certain he could build the Panama Canal too. The French created a private company to do it. They sold shares in multiple rounds of investment. Huge sums of money were raised and spent. After almost a decade of work, they quit and accepted defeat. Ferdinand de Lesseps insisted on a sea-level canal instead of one with locks, even though the two oceans have different sea levels, with tides rising 20 feet on the Pacific side but only three feet on the Atlantic. That decision was the single greatest factor in the project’s failure. More than 20,000 workers died, most from yellow fever and malaria. He would later admit that Panama was 10 times more difficult than Suez. Most unfortunate were the more than 800,000 French men and women who had invested in the project. The savings of entire families were gone. People lost everything. It was the largest and most significant financial collapse on record — a historic failure. A decade later, America chose to build the Panama Canal. President Theodore Roosevelt asked the United States Senate to choose either Panama or Nicaragua for the canal. Even though a Nicaragua canal would be 135 miles longer, require more locks, and be more expensive to operate, it was the favorite. But after 14 days of debate, Panama won by a mere eight votes. America would pursue the seemingly impossible task of building the Panama Canal. It would require cutting through a jungle filled with ferocious animals, snakes and tarantulas — and carving through the sheer rock of the Continental Divide. Related: Panama Canal 01/15/2026 US House REJECTS measure to take away staff funding from rogue Judge James BOASBERG, 163-257 Panama Canal 01/08/2026 In snatching Maduro, Trump pulled the linchpin holding China's global strategy together.-...allows Trump to exert unanticipated leverage over both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Panama Canal 11/13/2025 Pentagon sends ground forces to train in Panama's jungle for first time in decades | |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
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| Posted by: Procopius2k 2026-01-19 18:29 |
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| Posted by: Old Patriot 2026-01-19 14:08 |
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| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2026-01-19 13:30 |