Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown
From the Sidelines
There are few human situations, large or small scale, without an appropriate quotation from Shakespeare whose eye for human frailties has been unmatched through the 500 years since his death.
The news trumpeted by La Prensa on May 4, that they will soon begin presenting Wikileaks cables to their readers direct from the original texts, will surely not be received with a smile in Panama’s Presidential Palace.
Previous stories that have come via a Spanish Newspaper and recently Panama America revealing messages from Panama based U.S. ambassadors to Washington, have proved embarrassing for the government and led to denials from the presidential office and from Panama’s tourism manager.
The leaked cables have also revealed why former President Ernesto Perez Balladares lost his U.S. visa.
Other revealing memos have pointed sharp fingers at others who once slept easily, but who with Wikileaks may now find their beds less comfortable, even if they agree with President Martinelli, and don’t believe the revelations.
La Prensa says that before publishing these reports, they will be analyzed for their news value and will provide information and historical context.
In a statement published May 4, the newspaper said:
“In the interests of transparency, the cables are set to become fully accessible to readers once reviewed by a team of journalists.
Wikileaks has given the newspaper the cables holding the organization associated with this country.
“These documents contain numerous official reports, the majority classified as secret, prepared by U.S. agencies on national issues during the past 20 years.
“In November 2010, Wikileaks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the dissemination of original documents by a system that protects the sources, began publishing more than 250,000 cable prepared by U.S. embassies worldwide.”
La Prensa has agreed with Wikileaks that it will deleted from the original texts only the names of individuals whose physical or legal situation puts them at risk.
Meanwhile for many: “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown”
And they might reflect on some of the lines that precede the famed punch line from a soliloquy from King Henry in Henry The Fourth, Part 2 Act 3, scene 1, 26–31
How many thousand of my poorest subjects
Are at this hour asleep! O sleep, O gentle sleep.
