Police support anti-crime work
of Community Alliance

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

I am amazed at some short-sighted individuals who think everyone wants to change Costa Rica to what they had back home in U.S.A. or Canada. If one dives deeper into the facts. one thing becomes obvious: We are here because there are things we don´t like back home and we like life here in Costa Rica more than life back home! But in any land there are inherent problems, so here we have problems Tico and Gringo alike share. Any possible solutions should and could be shared by all.

I attended the “security meeting” held this past Monday night. It was a small start with potential team leaders from many areas interested in organizing a “ community watch.” There was Tico and Gringo alike striving to learn how to help Costa Rica not become an America and or Canada with high crime, but make safe to enjoy and stop it progressing towards what many of us left back home in the first place. It was supported by local police!

None of the meetings I have attended with Community Action Alliance in San Ramón have ever took on an attitude to  "Dictate their desires on the local community” as claimed by some. Any meeting I have witnessed has taken the stance to identify stress points to life here and then meet with those in charge of any particular area and explain what has been identified. Then importantly listen to their position and seek a solution that can be mutually supported by all.

All authorities, thank God, have had a great respect and open mind to discuss concerns, identify solutions and have accepted many of us “trying to give back” at face value. They have encouraged the organization of neighborhood watches, business associations, concerned residents to assist in the solutions not just sit at home and bitch about Costa Rica.

While some Americans appear to want things to stay the same, Costa Rica has decided to evolve without them, let’s just hope Costa Rica does not become another U.S.A. or Canada with all the stress and crime. With a little effort from Ticos and Gringos alike, it won´t!


Change can be mentioned
in a friendly conversation

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Hey Bob Stone, what's wrong with a local crime commission? Neighborhood watch, combating crime? We Americans are not all pig headed and arrogant. There is nothing wrong with informing Ticos that crime is not proactive, or basic little things like not being able to bribe cops for 10 dollars, guard rails are good things to have, manhole covers are not to be considered a luxury, DWI is not a contact sport, etc., etc. No we should not try to ram it down Ticos throats, but it's not a bad thing to bring up in friendly conversation.
 
 

Presidents seek changes
to improve Costa Rica

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Please enlighten Mr. Stone, that the president of Costa Rica and also her predecessor, both announced that they wanted to make Costa Rica the first developed country in Latin America. To do this, a small country like Costa Rica must get ideas from other successful developed countries. If they could get their "heads out of the sand", and look over the horizons, they will find many good ideas out there. Just copy what has been successful in other developed countries, its a no-brainier. I read as much local news as I can daily, and its very frustrating to see common sense solutions to problems totally overlooked.
 
And what really pisses me off the most, there is a separation of church and state here in the Constitution, but yet, all these weak-willed political parasites can't tell the Catholic Church to stay out of the way. It surely doesn't help when you have the present president walking to Cartago with half the country, and telling them to pray for less  crime here, as if this is going to solve the problem. It's like the blind leading the blind, and young girls keep getting pregnant because of a lack of sex education. So now, look at the enormous populations of all the Latin American countries, its a vicious cycle of poverty and stupidity. By the way, I was raised Catholic, but I did get my head out of the sand at a early age.

Country's going to change:
Progressing or regressing

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

I wish to comment on the letter by Bob Stone titled "Expats are dictating values to change culture here".

Mr. Stone wrote: "Yes, there have been problems: theft, worker, and other problems, but they have been put behind us. The culture and beliefs are different in Costa Rica, ..."  Is Mr. Stone trying to tell us that the culture and beliefs of the Costa Rican people welcome or accept "theft, labor problems" and whatever "other problems" in their everyday life and that this acceptance was part of the reason for Mr. Stone's relocating to Costa Rica such that he does not want it changed?

One has to wonder if Mr. Stone is retired here and lives in a gated or guarded environment or behind bars and barbed wire such that he is in a position to "put behind us" the problems of theft, worker and other problems living a self-designed artificial world. In reality things are continually changing, either progressing or regressing.  If Costa Rica is not progressing, it is regressing, at least in relation to the rest of the (real) world.

Mr. Stone wrote: "In our rural location in the western Central Valley near San Ramón de Alajuela, we do not want to see or have any part of these efforts to change Costa Rica."  One has to wonder just who is this "we" Mr. Stone is talking about?  Is Mr. Stone speaking for the Costa Ricans living in this area?  He seems to speak so authoritatively, but in my 14 years living here in Costa Rica I have never met a Tico who had been a victim of a crime, any crime, to just accept it as their culture.

Mr. Stone wrote: "Costa Rica is not the United States, it never has been and never will be. It is a Third World country. Their culture is vastly different . . . ."  It seems that the author, Mr. Bob Stone, would like to keep Costa Rica forever in a Third World state, never changing, never improving, never advancing.  Ms. Chinchilla has sought input from everyone to battle crime and drugs in her country and a Tico reader of A.M. Costa Rica had written in requesting other Ticos to join with the Gringos to assist.  It seems to me that it is Mr. Stone who is attempting to impose HIS wish of a status quo onto the Costa Rican people. One would wonder if deep down it is the desire of Mr. Stone to see Costa Rica follow the path of México where crime and drugs and mass murder run rampant and the government loses control of the country.


Taking away citizens' guns
is not way to stop criminals

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

I would like to add to the comments made by Mr. Stone who I know personally. I do agree with him about those from the U.S.A. that are trying to impose their way of thinking on Costa Rica. The only thing that I think will cure the problem of crime is not more laws and such but to punish those who commit those crimes. It is not that the police aren’t doing their jobs. It is the judges who turn loose those who have committed those crimes.

Without proper punishment, those who commit crimes will keep on doing so till they are locked up properly. You can beat a dead horse but until you remove the dead horse it will continue to stink, and that is where the problem is. The president can look all she wants at what is the problem but until those who commit crime are put away then it will continue and it will get worse as the ladrones get bolder and bolder.

Taking guns away from those who are wanting to defend their homes is pure folly. The thieves then know that the people living there are defenseless. Look at Australia. It is bad enough to be here retired but then to take away people’s right to defend themselves against the criminals that the judges continue to turn loose on the people is a crime in itself.

Perhaps the president needs to be sawing new bars for a prison rather than a few guns that the criminals will replace in just a matter of minutes.