Oaxaca - Watch
Posted by TourPro on August 27th, 2006
My wife and daughter just arrived in Oaxaca and I’m concerned for their safety. Therefore I have started this page as a source of information and news regarding the current situation there as it develops. The university has 8 students and support staff just arriving for the semester. (PSUNY Study Abroad Policy) Scroll down for links - none of the sources are vetted and propaganda abounds. Also, my Spanish is pretty pathetic, so I’m somewhat limited.
Latest News - Updated regularly
Hi there, if your reading this for the first time (probably your last too) here are some tips for reading Oaxaca - Watch. This is a live post. News is updated whenever, as are links. The following editorial section is updated, mostly daily, in reverse chronology - the newest stuff is first.
12/13/06A note of thanks to everyone who’s “watched” along with me for the last few months. The ladies are back tomorrow! I’ve learned much about Mexico and Mexican politics from “my team” in the blogosphere. It seems that things are in a new equilibrium in Oaxaca and I really do hope that it works out. Heck, maybe I’ll even visit someday. Likely, this post will fade away into my archives after this week, but I’m keeping my eyes open and will continue my watch.
12/12/06
A little anarchist riff, how poetic and inspiring.
How alive the brilliance of antagonistic fire, how beautiful the flight of indomitable cocktail Molotov’s, the joy of the insurrectionary machetes in the wind, the festive detonating of the PVC bazookas, the delightful and joyful humming of rocks reverberating against the shields and helmets of the lowly guardians of the State and Capital!
12/11/06
Phoenix Woman has put out a call for Oaxaca links after noticing on DailyKos that there was some concern that the solidarity types have moved on to other things. I’m guessing it’s more of an attention issue. One recent conversation quickly devolved into a moonbat debate over corn, this recent call for “remembrance” was also easily diverted into a Chavez chat. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t be interested in adding Oaxaca - Watch to her list of links.
12/9/09
Holy Crap! Coup d’état in Oaxaca !! I haven’t even begun to process this. Wow it sure sounds pretty interesting, Federal forces have taken over the State government. This is like the the U.S. Army taking over Albany. Cool.
12/8/06
Class and Cleanliness in Oaxaca: The Return of the Tourist Police State? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The Eurohippiebackpackers and leftist academic types are looking for exactly the “quaint” “fantasy” of Oaxaca. They would prefer if the “indigenous” people remained so, for touristic entertainment/consumption and academic discourse.
Mexico is an extraordinary place, full of extraordinary people. There is every reason in the world to want to visit it. But it is fatally tarnished until issues of poverty, racism, and classicism are seriously addressed. Maybe if tourists would examine their own racism and classicism, and then withhold their money, Mexico would be forced to change. It does not seem anxious to do so on its own.
So far I haven’t heard the Canadians of being accused of being “multinational assassins”. Sporadically throughout my news gathering, I will run across some stuff about mining and other technical stuff about ore. Along with oil, access to two oceans, the richest trading partner in the world next-door, and good weather, they’ve got valuable mineral resources too. What the problem? Blame it on Bush! Hahahahahaha!
But even as tourists head for the exits, mining companies are arriving in droves and Canadian-based enterprises are leading the charge. Currently, there are 228 foreign firms exploring for minerals or operating mines and 171 are from Canada.
The Aztecs and other aboriginal people were extracting silver and gold from mountainous deposits when the Spanish arrived in 1512 and mining has occurred non-stop in the five centuries since then. Mexico is the world’s leading silver producer, it is fifth in lead, zinc and molybdenum, and 11th in copper.
Sounds crazy, but what if Al Giordano was in charge of foreign policy?
Problem is, most of who he is referring to always think they know better what is “right”, “good”, and “should”. Also, what if the locals really are nuts?
12/7/06
Speed and The Doctor cunningly join the conversation and point out how Web 2.0 has changed the way news is being gathered.
S: …Yeah, I know it sounds harsh but I think maybe the best thing to come out of this whole chingadera was Brad Will’s death. Maybe it will finally put the lie to the whole “Peace Corps” mentality of American hippies: “There’s trouble in the world, we have to help, we’re white people!” I mean, in this age of YouTube, and everybody in the world with their own blog, are honkies really required to “document the struggle”?
D: If there is one lesson, one parable that has come out of the experience of the last six months it is a repugnance to revolutionary-wannabe gringos sticking their ill-informed, language-illiterate noses where they do not belong. I now want to say “Thanks, but no thanks… Keep it in your own backyard… Mind your own fucking business… P–LEASE!” Shit, I sound like a Mexican…
Here’s some chat about “Revolutionary Tourism” over at Thorn Tree.
Here’s a pretty good description of the current situation in Oaxaca.
For the time being, however, the hotel prices can’t be beat. I’m paying $25 a night for a location that can’t be beat. A carpet seller offered me a carpet today (and it was a beauty, I tell you) for $400. The carpet was huge. If you like your tourism a bit on edge, with few fellow tourists around to ruin the peace and quiet, well, Oaxaca is for you. But I can’t guarantee it’ll stay this way for long.
12/6/06
Since Al Giordano of Narco News posed his question about the utility of foreign solidarity, the reaction of those he accuses of being “Revolutionary Tourists” is deafening in its silence. My opinion is probably apparent to those who follow this nearly-finished watch - the foreign meddlers are more than half the problem. Interestingly, the same question was cross-posted by El Enemigo Común who also anxiously awaits the navel-gazing self-criticism from the sojourning-socialists. If you’ve got any really serious thoughts on the subject, you can send them to “a white, genderqueer, trans, urban queerbo and organizer“.
12/5/06
Al puts the blame for government crackdown on “Revolutionary Tourists”.
12/3/06
Reports that I have received indicate that the Plattsburgh State Study Abroad Program in Oaxaca has been terminated. This was a not a decision made by faculty-in-residence, but from university officials in New York. Numerous incidents in the last few months which certainly would have justified canceling the program, and a U.S. State Department warning on the day they left in August was also initially ignored. Finally, less than two weeks before students were returning anyway, Plattsburgh State officials, despite situation reports from faculty-in-residence ordered students to be evacuated on December 1st. Anyone following the situation in Mexico recognizes the significance of that date which was the inauguration of Calderon. A worse day could not have been chosen. Too little, too late, the risk to the faculty and student has already passed in Oaxaca. No doubt, the escalating number of other schools canceling Oaxaca programs has put local officials on the spot. The typical “cover-your-ass” decision-making is the result of these state employees feeling the weight of responsibility and consequences upon their very selves. That’s the last thing a tenured administrator needs. Ironically, the hasty decision from New York actually puts the students and staff in more jeopardy. Some of the students have opted to not return as “ordered”, they were forced to read and agree to a disclaimer releasing SUNY from any liability in regards to their safety and security. These are the same geniuses that have had false advertising on their Oaxaca program site for the last six months - dead links and no real information about the current situation.
12/2/06
Breaking News - Plattsburgh State ends Study Abroad Program, Students return home - more to come.
12/1/06
“There is a defect in the coding for the Oaxaca Study Action Group (some setting is wrong) so that many of your messages and those of Nancy Davies are being diverted into the BULK (SPAM) folder.” Ironic, no? My spam filter looks for junk too.
11/30/06
I have never heard anyone in jail admit to being guilty. Leave it to Gibler to break the big news.
11/29/06
Somehow all my feeds for Oaxaca are down. ?
Sounds like a major defeat for the movement today. I’m still in a wait and see
mode, but check out Mark, he sounds…gleeful. Anarchists on the ground could be running like cockroaches soon too.
The very first
time I viewed the final video shot by Brad Will, I immediately knew that his
death was not the result of assassination by PRI paramilitaries. Thanks to Speed and The Doctor, we can now more clearly understand his
last moments. Órale
putos!
Due to the continued unrest in the Oaxaca region, Bridgewater State College has cancelled the Study Tour for Spring 2007. We apologize for any inconvenience; the safety of our students must be our priority.
Oaxaca Under Undeclared State of Marital Law - Marital, marshal - eh, what’s the difference?
There’s a new marshal in town. Who? Marshal Spellcheck you idiot. As my pal Phil would say, “it’s another day for you and me in paradise“. Say Bye-bye to the Huskies. I’d say it is a good time to get out of town since there is a “tendency” toward violence predicted.
The State Dept is officially concerned. Hahahahahaha!
11/28/06
Looks like the Oaxacan orphans can thank APPO for another cancellation. The UN guys can also say goodbye to some free student labor. I guess you guys get the message, I could spend all day listing the canceled stuff.
Something is brewing down Mexico way. A couple more days until Foxy is officially done. Wonder what he’s going to do? Anyway, one thing that appears to be brewing for sure is methamphetamine, like the Mexicans need that. Imagine some tweaker APPO pulling an all-nighter at the barricades…
Early on in my Oaxaca - Watch, I mentioned the potential threat the “protest” might have on the historic downtown of Oaxaca City. My query to the United Nations World Heritage Centre never even received a response. Those guys are lame anyway. The news today mentioned this little bit:
The disturbances have caused as much as US$27 million (€20.6 million) in damage to old buildings and other structures in the picturesque colonial city, Luciano Cedillo, the director of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, said on Monday.
Cedillo told local media that a stone and brick building from the 1800s had been completely gutted by fire. Such buildings will “have to be totally restored, but the original (building) materials have been severely damaged,” he said.
Between 700 and 800 other buildings have suffered fires, damaged facades, stone torn from streets and planters and graffiti.
Mark has more on the damages to some truly irreplaceable artifacts. I can’t help but see parallels to other such movements where “passionate” activists have destroyed things. These idiots are no better than the Taliban who blew up the old Buddha statues. This is just another nail in the coffin of Oaxaca tourism. In a bigger sense though, this is the least of their worries.
This soft revolution is an enemy of democratic life and may even make dead letters of laws eventually passed in the National Congress… In its extreme version, it might try to replicate what’s been happening over the past six months in Oaxaca, where a revolutionary group of teachers, infiltrated by the residual guerrilla forces that have always existed in the mountains of southeastern Mexico, has been reenacting on a small scale the scripts of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution.
…
If this nightmarish scenario actually happened, the implications for the United States could be ominous, too: a stream of refugees that would dwarf the current illegal migration, pushed by the collapsing Mexican economy, capital flight and spreading Oaxaca-style violence.
Will we have the means here in the United States to deal with this? I’ve never heard of a contingency plan for this scenario. A weak neighbor (like Canada?) can only be a threat to our national security. A hostile neighbor is even worse. We’ve already noted the Chavez connection to events south of the border, but Iran too?
11/27/06
Looks like the University of Rochester has canceled Summer 2007. The student-funded party train for all the Latin American academic types appears to be faltering. Forget about Arizona State University’s “Mexican Mosaic”, and Nancy Crow’s Art, Textiles & Fiestas of Mexico Tour. Even the Lutheran’s are bailing out.
Mark’s latest report seems to indicate a definite lack of wind in the APPO sails. I’m hopeful that there will be some short-term stability, but I can’t see the PFP staying around forever.
It seems that the University of Vermont has canceled their Oaxaca Study Abroad Program for next Spring due to safety concerns.
“It was enough with the State Department saying there are problems there. It’s part of erring on the side of caution,” Vivanco said. “When you have a group of college students abroad, there are many, many risks. They don’t know the language super well; they can’t always read cultural cues; and they can find themselves in difficult situations.”
Better safe than sorry.
The State University of New York at Plattsburgh went ahead with its fall semester trip to Oaxaca. The program’s few students has not run into any problems since their arrival there in August, said Charles Simpson, a SUNY-Plattsburgh professor and co-director of the college’s Oaxaca program.
“We arrived down there the last week in August and things were pretty stable. We’ve kept very much in touch with the situation; have a faculty-in-residence person there who’s been in touch with us on a regular basis,” Simpson said.
Well, that’s sort of true, but stable in August? Compared to what? Simpson is an expert on something, but I’m not sure what. It just so happens that the “faculty-in-residence” is someone I’m familiar with. Not surprising, the left propagandists have already chimed in with their commentary.
Thanksgiving Weekend
OK, I’ve read through most of the accounts regarding the “big march” and aftermath. What a goddamn mess is Oaxaca and the rest of Mexico. The lefty media is indeed hyping the bloodthirsty PFP while funding the “resistance”. Personally, I wouldn’t really mind seeing a more proactive approach to solving things.
One thing, the brain trust at SUNY Plattsburgh is still only marginally aware of the potential hazards involved in their “study abroad” program. A frantic plea for information at this point is way too late. The principals running the program are supposed to be experts, but unfortunately long hours delving into the sustainability of fair trade coffee schemes have left them unprepared for reality. The students are all adults making their own decision to go, but there is still liability involved here. At the very least they could be accused of false advertisement.
So, I get this message this morning from my wife telling me how trashed Oaxaca is today. Even she, who will find any excuse for the leftists, is shocked. I haven’t read all the news, tonite maybe, but I’m guessing the “indy-anarcho” types must be in a tizzy. Probably reporting a “brutal massacre” or something. Mark’s account pretty much sums things up; I really should read the other versions first, but his reporting is just so much more, mmmm, efficient.
Alright, only a few more weeks till the ladies are back home. In the meantime, it seems that things are “normal” in Oaxaca.
Mark’s been busy doing some amateur CSI action - I’d have to say though, don’t thing any reputable forensic examiner would waste their time with this case. He further exposes some of the financial support that APPO is receiving. Those doofuses in LA should get their crap together, just a couple of days ago they were calling for a remittance boycott.
11/21/06
Put the crazies in charge and you get some bad stuff. Today I read that some protestors in Los Angeles came up with the brilliant idea of a “remittance boycott”. “Our voice is our money! Stop the repression!” Uh, OK. I’m sure your unemployed relatives will really appreciate your new found “solidarity”. Don’t spend it all in one place.
11/20/06
I predicted the eventual elevation of Brad Will (Roland?) to
martyr status by the left/anarchy/indies. What I really enjoy is the total
internalization of that by the many drones who simply reprint over and over the
handful of articles written by the devoted. Thankfully I’m not the only one to
recognize this, I can’t believe I didn’t find this blog sooner. Check out Speed and the Doctor:
Well, the canonization of Brad Will is in full-swing. It’s amazing how little Americans require of a person to be a “hero” or a “martyr”.
Big News!! Plattsburgh State University President John Ettling has issued a press release:
Our priority is for the safety and wellbeing of our students.
It’s really great to know that our state resources are being spent on important issues of the
day. I’m also reassured to know that the University administration, SUNY
administration, State Police, and everyone else is so “in touch” with the adult
entertainment industry. What I want to know is how many New York State employees
have watched this video in the interest of safety and wellbeing. Somebody should
contact the President.
11/17/06
I’m not exactly sure about tourist flows to Mexico, but it seems to me that people planning Winter getaways are doing their destination picking right about now. The US State Dept has had a Public Announcement regarding Oaxaca since August 24th, and on top of that another with a general Mexican travel warning. Question: Do travelers even read those during the strategic destination planning phase? How many of the mainstream travel portals link to the State Dept’s website? You can be sure there is very little mention on the official Mexican Tourism site. It’s two clicks away on Tripadvisor’s Mexico page, can’t find it on Fodor’s, and below the fold on Lonely Planet. That Fodor’s site is no different than any other splog. I’m using Blog Search more and more these days, almost as much as web.
The US State Dept warnings are tracked in the Oaxaca - Watch Links section for easy access. Ana Maria asks the question but provides no answer, Stormwarning continues to scare the hell out of me.
11/16/06
Fox team out of gas? Voice of outrage a whimper - I guess getting put under “house arrest” takes some of the steam out of his sails.
Sucks to be Calderon. Must be an interesting transition going on.
Mark’s has more analysis of the analysis of Will’s shooting. I’ve probably watched too much CSI, but doesn’t this sound a bit, mmmm, unprofessional?
Ok, let’s try to clear up some mis-information. Bradley Will’s body was never delivered to the Mexican Red Cross as had been reported earlier. A “human rights group” had claimed to have autopsied his body but that, apparently, never occurred. His body was abandoned in the back of a pickup left outside the amphitheater of the State Attorney General.
11/15/06
Hey, some big news. Almost forgot about that State Department Public Announcement. It was due to expire today, and well, they decided to extend it again. Why have an expiration date at all?
Oh boy, the news today about Brad Will’s (Roland?) death which puts the blame on the leftists will surely cause some gut churning.
11/12/06
The details are horrid, I’m not even going to link to the story. Here’s my position: Illegal aliens that enslave one of their “own” for the purposes of sexual slavery should be dealt with harshly. This is another story that the wacked left won’t touch.
I love it when a good plan comes together. I’ve always had my doubts about the “science” of economy. Fact is, it is mostly psychology. One thing most can agree on, the many instances where idealistic left-leaning types have been in charge have been miserable failures. Combine economic policy with foreign relation goals? Sanctions? Blockades? Walls? Coming on days after VDH’s piece about immigration, this suggestion of a tourism boycott sounds particularly stupid. How is that going to help? We might as well forbid any remittances AND build a wall. That will teach those pesky Mexicans. You’d think with a monopoly on “academia” that these intellectuals could do a little better.
11/10/06
Seems to me that Fox has given up on Oaxaca. And practically everyone else, leaving only Ruiz and the Leftists who are being refereed by the PFP. As before, the people of Oaxaca are the ones to suffer. I tell people around here that “the Anarchists took out the Burger King”. For some reason, this news, more than the death of Will (Roland?), gets their attention. “Whoa! Are you serious!?” I’m starting to wonder what’s left down there. More on that here and here.
VDH notes the wider implications of the Oaxaca situation in the context of illegal immigration.
Mark continues his reports. The Church is protecting criminals who now appear to be fighting amongst themselves.
11/8/06
My candidate didn’t win so I’m calling all my pals and we’re going to organize a strike. We are going to block Upper Cornelia Street in order to keep the neo-North Countryists from conducting business. If we can get our hands on some of their SUV’s we’ll then stop the 5 cars on I87. Can’t promise any kind of hunger strike, I’ve got coupons for Wendys that expire at the end of the month that I have to use. The will only be half-day barricades as I have to do my “relaxing period” in the evening.
On a serious note, why do leftist resort to personal attack when they want to silence someone? If your against border security, then your a racists. If you speak out against one of their own, your a drunk. Now I’m a “child molestor” for trying to inject a modicum of humor into an otherwise pathetically sad situation. Bwahahahahahahahaha!
11/07/06 - VOTE!!!
C’mon! is anyone reading that OSAG group? This guy Mark is just killing me, his weird techno rambles I could do without, but I do enjoy his conspiracy stuff. What the hell is he talking about here?
I don’t want to be part of a discussion (and/or social talk) Yahoo group.
I think these discussions are very fruitless. Yes they bring fruit after some chickenfight, in which I’m one of the chickens.
…
I will see how the situation has become, after my relaxing period.
OK, let me get this straight. The Mexicans say that Oaxaca is safe and that Americans should visit. But at the same time, the Mexican Congress has just voted to prevent Vicente Fox from traveling because Oaxaca is not stable. They even complain that the US State Dept is warning against travel. I don’t here them complaining about Canada, Australia, France, New Zealand, and UK warning their citizens. Sounds like ole Foxy had quite the little jaunt planned - Australia and Vietnam for a “conference”. Heh, I know all about conferences. More talk about Oaxaca travel at Thorn Tree.
More on Mexican bombers.
I’ve been going through this post to clear up any duplicate links or broken links, not easy or as entertaining as eating dirt. Funny thing, I’m finding that CNN, LA Times are the worst - some of the articles highlighting some of the more unsavory aspects of this “movement” have completely disappeared from their sites - archives included. Bastards or just lame web management? Anyway, forgive me if you find any - this is all done on the fly - shoot me a not via the contact page if you locate an alternative or cached version.
Everyone with a Yahoo account should join OSAG. They are having an interesting meltdown/censorship issue
and missing it would be a real shame. Also, I’d suggest RSS subscription for
easy dumping of lame stuff. Every now and then there are some jewels coming out
of that hole, otherwise it is good to have all the crazy anarchists all in one
place for easy ridicule analysis.
11/6/06
Here’s an interesting post which fairly accurately compares the Mexican situation with Columbia. The commentators show the typical left reaction to this kind of news - make up lame conspiracy theories. What predictability these people have.
What is happening in Mexico is beginning to appear to be what has happened in Columbia. A combination of drug cartels, repressive governments and groups of rebels and peaceful demonstrators fighting each other and within each other.
Now, is anyone really surprised the leftists claim responsibility for the bombing in Mexico City? Leftest equals Socialist equals Liberals equals: Bombs for the good of the people. Can we all agree that the crap is heading north? There is a concerted movement, likely funded by the obvious leftists dictators, to undermine the Mexican govt. As crappy as Fox and his gang are, we can’t ignore this growing threat to our security here. Is our only solution a wall? What role should the US play in this unfolding drama? I’m not the only one seeing the wider implications. The radical gap between the rich and poor in Mexico is a perfect example of why men rebel.
The Mel Gibson/Kennedy excuse is being employed as justification to stifle criticism by the anarchists.
Mark’s got more on the bombs w/ pics. It really is a miracle that nobody was injured. Earlier reports that the bombs were “sophisticated” may be inaccurate now that the corncob information has come out.
More activist bombs yesterday. Three explosions in Mexico City, PRI HQ, Electoral HQ, and a bank. Some of the images I’ve seen show very serious damage - deadly damage. Similar to the bank bombing in Oaxaca reported on October 2. Funny thing, CNN has pulled that article from its archives and I can’t find any mention of it. Here’s the cached version. Anonymous bombings are only used by terrorists, extremists, and lunatics. The Mexican left is now part of the bomb-cult. Hey, I didn’t say it first. Still better than getting killed by an ice pick.
Further, the lunatic fringe, particularly a previously mentioned wackjob, is now spinning like a top.
Has all aspects of a typical PRI/PAN/CIA/SAS action, however one doesn’t know for sure. But it was just after that a peacefull massive demonstration had ended. The only violence was a boy shot by some PRIist and this provocation wasn’t followed by counter violence. So it seems obvious who did the attack, just after the demonstrations turned out to be non-violent…
11/5/06
Mark got his camera fixed.
The San Antonio editors put the Oaxaca conflict in context and this “pack of lies” is making it’s rounds like a virus in the indymedia network, no doubt it will spread even further. Question: How do you aim a grenade?
The cancellation of the teacher’s assembly really illustrates the hypocrisy of the left when it comes to democracy and free speech. At least they didn’t use the Ice Pick method.
The Oaxaca teachers union suspended an assembly on Saturday and criticized allied protesters for “generating a tense environment.”
A visibly upset Enrique Rueda Pacheco, the teachers union leader, told reporters the assembly was canceled after Radio Universidad, controlled by the Oaxaca People´s Assembly (APPO), began summoning people to the assembly and using inflammatory language.
“This same type of approach produced a tense atmosphere before our last assembly and led to violence,” Rueda said. “I would ask that APPO and Radio Universidad stop making announcements in the name of the teachers union.”
The previous assembly took place on Oct. 28 and was delayed six hours after crowds gathered and harassed the leadership, even pelting Rueda with eggs and vegetables after it became apparent he was recommending an end to their strike.
Meanwhile, it looks like our wall is too late, they have already begun their invasion.
11/3/06
In the old days, psyops was conducted with flyers dropped from airplanes, now we’ve got the internet. Check this out - Please stop protesting the Mexican Embassy! ¡Di no a la intimidación de migrantes! I simply can’t believe that someone in the Mexican government could be that devious or technically competant to do such a subtle mind game on the indymediaistas. Why are they publishing the suspect letter? Wierd.
This might be the funniest thing to come out of all this: Church offers site for talks
Church leaders said they´d facilitate the dialogue under certain conditions:
- That participants act constructively and for the good of Oaxaca instead of simply defending their own interests;
- That goals are specified and progress reported publicly;
- That there are impartial coordinators whose purpose is to work toward consensus;
- That there is a cease-fire and no violence during the talks;
- That independent local actors with some claim to moral authority be invited to take part in the talks.
Question: Does incineration count as murder?
11/2/06
Sounds like the university is the battle of the day. Sounds like quite the battle going on.
Hugo will be the topic of the day. He’s buying our local indigenous people.
Dane sends some local color and Ana reports that all the marchers have turned around and are going back to check out all the excitement.
11/1/06
Crap, I missed this last night. Thanks Publius. StJaques is doing some really good work - I’ve mentioned the Chavez possibility before.
According to military “intelligence” reports to which A Diario had access, groups of students were trained by Venezuelan agents ever since they began the political campaigns for the presidency, operating in Mexico from states such as Oaxaca, Morelos, and Guerrero where they had distributed propaganda in towns and communities.
They asserted that going back “six months, a Bolivarian Circle of activists enabled by the Venezuelan government has been coming to Oaxaca to economically, logistically, and ideologically support rebel activities.”
Lest we forget, the United Nation’s “Special Rapporteur” has a say about things.
Plan on going to Oaxaca? Check with your government first. How about retirement?
Gibler continues to call Will’s death “assassination”. Here’s an interesting quote:
In most cases, plainclothes police and gangs linked to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) fired on unarmed protesters with handguns and assault rifles. In some cases, members of the APPO fired back with handguns, though they mostly defended themselves with rocks, bottle rockets and Molotov cocktails.
Here’s the MSM attempt at editorial. This guy completely misinterprets the film Brad Will took himself. It’s pretty clear the “red dump truck” was being controlled by the “activists” in their attempt to use it to break down a metal gate/door and “get” whoever was on the other side. No wonder newspaper circulation is diving for the bottom. I declare the writer a “tool”.
Seems that Ana Maria has some good insight, “Despite it all, there was a lot of smoke and little fire.” Left sites are actually showing peaceful scenes with federal troops doing tourism, and they are also recognizing that there are people that don’t agree with them. The pictures of the PFP enjoying themselves, clean-cut - in uniform, buying things, etc, just irks some - check the comment. “Brad the Martyr” is further analyzed - why does his race even matter? The left has such a hard time carrying out their race-based theories to their logical ends.
Ana Maria updates here and here.
10/31/06 - Tricks or Treats?
All this blogging and all I get is a T-shirt. A real collectors item.
Heh, heh, this little rant about “Yahoo in enemy hands…” would normally raise eyebrows, but I’m afraid amongst the anarchists he might actually be appointed the IT person.
I’ve talked about the info war before, it’s really the sheep out there that buy into one side or the other that you have to worry about. David Sasaki gets criticized for citing Mark in Mexico by some guy who apparently believes only the left can have the truth. Here he begins his investigation of “the shadowy Mark”.
A new State Department Public Announcement regarding Oaxaca - pretty optimistic as it expires November 15th. Most people agree that things are pretty dangerous there. I’m still seeing inquiries around the blogosphere asking if it is safe to travel. Most everyone will agree that I’m no Mexico expert, but I’m going to go out on a limb and proclaim - Mexican Travel is Dangerous.
Mexico tourism takes hit - Violence, political upheaval keeping some U.S. travelers away. Gee, some people have all the insight when it comes to travel motivation. (Ric’s spot)
“Not only are the tourists scared, the Mexican people are scared,”
The information war is trotting along nicely. Mark’s got more on the “brutal oppression” of the Oaxacan people. The truth is often much less glamorous than either side would have you believe.
Another watch blog.
Hell Is Rising in Oaxaca: An Interview With a Oaxacan Rebel - How appropriate on Halloween.
If you have questions, the BBC has answers. And did you know there are protesters here too? The Gothamist publishes their demands:
1. All armed forces acting on behalf of the government against the people of Oaxaca be removed immediately;
2. The illegitimate governor Ruiz be removed immediately;
3. The federal government negotiate directly with those people who man the barricades in Oaxaca;
4. Guilty parties on all levels be identified and held accountable for the assassinations of Brad Will and the other civilian victims in Oaxaca.
Canada says, “Don’t Go to Oaxaca.”
Ana Maria sums thing up.
10/30/06 - First Day of School?
Somehow I think this Canadian could latch onto any issue.
The Zapatistas seem to relish stirring things up some more. Shut-Down of Roads, Highways and the Media on November 1; General Strike Called for November 20
Check this - the anarchists call the leftists racists. Wow, it’s crazy that there are folks that even more left than the liberal media.
This past Friday, October 27, 2006, at least five unarmed people were killed on the streets of Oaxaca City, Oaxaca. One of them happened to be a young, white, male, American anarchist, working for the radical media outlet “indymedia.org” named Brad Will. Now it is no surprise that the Corporate American media would jump on a story where any American is shot dead in the streets of a third world country, but that same mentality has trickled down across leftist/independent news resources like those of infoshop.org, indymedia.org, Democracynow.org, and others, to the point where the popular struggle in the streets of Oaxaca, is only a legitimate struggle now that Brad Will was killed. This Brings up many interesting questions of how the radical left in the United States views itself in the context of a global struggle.
Couple days ago the White Supremacists jumped in, I suppose it’s only fair that the Communists have their say too. Here’s some brilliant analysis:
But the reasons for the government’s refusal to remove URO goes deeper. All three ruling parties—the PAN, the PRI, and the PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution)—are the political representatives of the landlord, big bourgeois, and comprador bourgeois classes that exploit and oppress the masses of Mexican people. They defend the whole rotten edifice of semi-feudalism and capitalism subordinate to and tied up with U.S. imperialism. All three of these ruling parties are rooted in the economic and social relations in the service of imperialism that mean the ruination of millions of peasants and the forced migration to El Norte or the slums of major cities.
Alert!! “American multi-national restaurateurs are closed until further notice; McDonalds, KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut.” This breaks my heart because I know at least one person who will really miss her chicken nuggets.
I’m starting a trend, here’s another Live Post: Oaxaca Burns: PFP invasion right now
Garza is going extend the travel advisory. And Fodor’s agrees.
This violence caused me to issue an advisory to American citizens on August 24, 2006, urging them to consider carefully the risk of travel to Oaxaca and to exercise great caution if they did choose to enter the region. That advisory was set to expire on October 30, 2006. However, this week, I chose to reissue it in light of the continuing escalation of violence in Oaxaca. The tragic shooting of an American citizen today only heightens my deep concern for the safety of Americans traveling there. (Full text of the advisory)
APPO is being equated to terrorists, and if you don’t like it you can always talk about corn.
12:30EST Bill Hemmer on Fox News is interviewing a tourist. I think the guy must have been paid off by some hotels or something to say how great things are in Oaxaca. “Oh, there’s some difficulty getting around, but things are surprisingly back to normal.” What?
I always fondly remember the first day of school. You know, having your mommy walk you past the burnt debris, finding half burned Molotov cocktails along the way, unwelding the school gate, saying hi to federal forces, etc.
Today is the day that the August 24, 2006 Public Announcement regarding travel to Oaxaca expires. How terribly convenient.
A Lesson from Brad Will - Still pushing the assassination theory.
…sure looks like a deliberate hit: no crowd, no evidence of a street brawl, no bevy of police or military, one or maybe two clean shots at mid-chest, and an activist is dead.
The Village Voice has an article about Brad Will, or William Bradley Roland, I’m confused. Pretty thorough piece, nonetheless.
10/29/06 - Welcome to Oaxaca - Colonial
City
This can’t be good for tourism.
Photos: Oaxaca Being Taken by Police
Dane is blogging from Oaxaca. Sounds pretty intense.
“Some protesters used syringes to pierce their arms and legs, then paint signs decrying the police in blood.” Come on now! Is that really necessary? Don’t they have some kind of indigenously produced ink they could use instead?
Denial of Service Attack on Mexican Consulates - Angry White Kid is linking to this:
*** http://www.mountainrebel.net/oaxaca/ ***
I think just going to the site contributes to the attack.
Thanks to everyone watching along with me! Check out Mark, he’s really better than any of the other news. Oh, StJacques and all the other Freepers have been looking out too.
10am EST - The report from Oaxaca this morning is that last night was one of the quietest in recent memory. Reports that barricades were abandoned are not entirely accurate.
Check the updates from StJacques.
Oaxaca gets hotter– and why Fox is acting now
The presidential election prevented Fox from taking action against the protestors barricades and the subsequent ”hung election”, with its extended unrest, also restricted him. … Now Calderon’s narrow victory has been ratified and Lopez Obrador’s Mexico City protests are subsiding. Friday’s murders up the ante. It appears Fox doesn’t want Calderon to begin his term with the Oaxaca problem unresolved. The next three days will be critical. I note in the Reuters report says the local teachers have agreed to go back to work on Monday. That’s a thin slat of daylight– a nod toward a negotiated settlement rather than a war in the streets of Oaxaca. Stay tuned.
The leftists are certainly agitated by the death of their white activist, seems the outrage is more than what was displayed for our headless dairyman. I’ve heard that the paramilitary death squads “assassinated” the noble activist journo with murderous sniper shots as “striking teachers, workers and indigenous activists” peacefully protest. What tripe. It’s Anarchy, that’s what you wanted, that’s what you get. Now the federales have to come in like an angry parent to stop the sandbox fight.
Brads Video Footage as posted on Chiapas Indymedia (Download) - Intense, but basically illustrates how screwed up and chaotic things are.
Statement Regarding the Events of October 27th, 2006 in Oaxaca, Mexico
10/28/06 - ***The Bullets are Flying***
American (White) Photographer Gunned Down In Mexico! WTF? These guys are interested?!
“The APPO is not necessarily “leftist”… That’s pretty funny.
Oaxaca has made the Big Time - Boing Boing. (I’m honored by the link)
The so-called “paramilitaries” that killed Brad the Martyr sound more like pissed-off neighborhood watch.
I hate to say it, but the Brad the Martyr of Oaxaca is now becoming a legend and rallying cry.
Alright folks, the Govt is Demanding and Fox is Vowing. That should do the trick. Oh, if your near a Mexican consulate or embassy, watch out for protest activity.
Airport closed to commercial traffic; 6 flights of federales have landed; APPO panics
Killer(s) of American reporter identified; APPO was indeed armed and shooting - This is hot.
APPO readies its forces for the federales
Fox finally moves - will send in federal forces today
Americans death prompts U.S. to extend warning regarding Oaxaca travel - I guess they got sick of doing this every couple of months, it is now extended to March 15, 2007! Funny thing, this warning makes no mention of Oaxaca - it’s actually an extension of a blanket public announcement which specifically pertains to Nuevo Laredo. This is sort of a sneaky way of upgrading things without making news. Good spot, Dane.
I wonder when the official U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Public Announcement regarding Oaxaca will be updated. The current warning, issued on August 24, is due to expire on Monday. I’m guessing some miraculous event will have to occur in order for things to return to normal by then.
Clashes in Oaxaca Mexico, American Shot, Killer Possibly Identified
“Death in Oaxaca” - Last Published Communique from Anarchist Companero Brad Will
Indymedia Cameraman Killed In Oaxaca
American gets caught in downtown shootout and is killed — UPDATED
American gets caught in downtown shootout and is killed — UPDATE II
APPO reports finding body of teacher outside city
TV news footage of fatal shooting shows someone steal the reporter’s pants
Indymedia struggles to get it right
Pics of shootings and violence today in leftist-controlled Oaxaca (Photo Essay)
10/27/06 - The “teachers” seems to have more people voting to go back to work, but does that really mean anything? How many anarchists does it take to ruin a democratic vote? This should be an interesting weekend. Ever seen rats leaving a sinking ship?
10/24/06 - Some kind of massive action being planned for Friday Oct 27.
No shirt, no shoes, no service.
The new is confusing about the teacher’s poll. Some say yes they’ll return, others say no, the strike continues. Mark’s got some details of the “vote”. But also some scary pics. It seems APPO has declared war on children and education:
To help assure that there will be no public schools, APPO mechanics have spread out through the city with portable welders and are welding the gates shut at every public school property they can find.
And in those schools where parents, teachers and students had arrrived before the APPO gate welding specialists, armed mobs of APPO supporters strode upon the scene, forcing the parents to evacuate their children. At 11:00 this morning, a mob armed with clubs, rocks, pipes, iron bars and machetes approached the primary school Francisco Zarco, in colonia Pueblo Nuevo. There were 800 kids inside and a number of parents performing cleanup and guard duty. The parents had to evacuate the children. A mother went after a machete armed masked APPO thug and tried to take away his weapon. She failed but she did send him packing, running away and hurling threats at her over his shoulder.
And, in a somewhat humorous note, angry parents turned the tables on striking teachers in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec this morning. When some teachers arrived to reopen the secondary school Secundaria Técnica Número 5 and the primary school 20 de Noviembre, parents who had opened the schools themselves back on the 7th of September threw the teachers out. The parents accuse the teachers of showing up just to perform minor clerical duties so that they can claim to be working and begin receiving their salaries. One angry mother who has been teaching in the school since September 7 told the teachers, “We’re not going to allow you to come in here just to perform student signup work so that you can receive your last two weeks’ pay.”
10/21/06 - The fight is now left to the “best of the best” Since last week there have been indications of a rift within the “movement”. This has been noted for awhile with many on all sides acknowledging the presence and influence of radical elements taking over. The feds have evidently backed out of this conflict by non-action and a schizophrenic statement on Ruiz. The majority of teachers no longer actively participate and are either already working or plan on returning. Ruiz has an even bigger hard-on.
I can’t wait for the info war about today’s “consulta” - who get’s to consult? Again, the OSAG is an interesting microcosm for seeing a certain perspective about the situation.
Regarding media coverage, propaganda and radicals pushing the movement:
We should also keep in mind, however, that the Universal has repeatedly exaggerated and blown things out of proportion when reporting on the movement. Everything the Universal says should be taken with that grain of salt, compared with La Jornada, and with the opinion of teachers themselves.
The same goes for Radio Ley and Radio Universidad. As I’ve said before, those radios are controlled by a current that has been real good about generating divisions between the teachers and the APPO all along.
Jill has some thoughts on the teachers returning to work:
If the teachers do infact decide to go back to classes (in a consulta, decided by the base, and not a decision imposed from the cupola), I support them in that decision. For several reasons….the teachers i’ve spoken to (on the phone from Seattle) have expressed concerns about the dwindling numbers of teachers in the plantons (about 3000 in DF, and at best 5000 in Oaxaca, during the day). That’s out of 70,000 teachers. Where are the rest of them? In their communities, absolutely broke, witnessing a rapid hemorraghing of support from parents and community authorities. Some teachers have talked to me about the possibility of framing a return to classes in such a way that gives them the moral highground…for example, “we are returning to classes, but we will also be organizing in our communities for a consulta popular.” Or a return to classes where the educational focus is on everything that has happened in the last five months.
…
Maybe it’s time for the teachers to pass the baton for awhile. I mean, everyone talks about how this is a popular struggle, not a teachers struggle, but who has been sleeping in the streets for the last 5 months? Who has gone for 2 months with no income? Who walked to Mexico City? Who has to respond to angry parents and community authorities? The teachers, that’s who. If it’s really a popular struggle, then the “pueblo” should walk out of their jobs and sleep in the streets. I wonder how long they’d last..especially the pueblo who doesn’t live in the city. How many community members from rural communities have left their towns, their families, and their sources of income to come to Oaxaca city and sleep in the streets? Very few, and with good reason. It’s hard. It’s unsustainable. It’s something the teachers have been doing for awhile, and if they can’t do it anymore, I don’t blame them.
As for Jill’s comments, good and thoughtful as always, nevertheless leave me with a miserable gut feeling - when people call in weeping (which is not uncommon, everyone’s so stressed out), I doubt there will be forgiveness. Radio Universidad is taking call after call from people pleading with the teachers to hang on, and also pleading with the people to go an extra step in assisting the teachers in the encampment. One vote came in, but I didn’t get the locale - it was in favor of continuing on the strike. I don’t know how many teachers were part of that, dumb me, maybe somebody else heard it? I can’t get Ley or Radio Planton - streaming, they both stream the static interference, so I’m depending for the moment on Radio Universidad.
i have heard the desperate phone calls to the radio stations as well. but part of my point was…what if the radio signal was reaching the whole state and people from the whole state could call in. What would they say? how much do people in the rural communities even know about what’s happening in Oaxaca city?
Finally. I have been inside Radio Ley. Right inside the little room that they broadcast from. And I saw the little signs posted on the walls. “Compañeros, don’t allow any calls against the teachers to get on the air” “Compañeros, every five minutes, we are against the consulta.” Those exact words (but in spanish, of course). That’s democratizing the media? It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if there is a little sign posted on the wall at Radio Ley and at Radio Universidad saying “Compañeros, don’t allow on the air any calls in support of a return to classes.”
So when the radio becomes our means for taking the pulse of the movement, you have to ask how much of what we hear on the radio is really representative of the movement.
Just plain incoherent babbling.
10/20/06 - Well, all the “institutional” channels seem to have been exhausted. They’re about to announce a date that all the kids can go back to school. What’s up with the hunger strike? Haven’t heard a thing. Anyone?
Pretty funny how the Mexican Senate supported Ruiz:
Senators voted 74 to 31 along party lines in favor of a resolution arguing that the Senate lacks the authority to remove Gov. Ulises Ruiz and it can only replace him if the state government has ceased to function. Oaxaca´s administration was still working on a limited level, concluded senators who had traveled to the troubled state on a fact-finding mission.
…
Despite their decision not to remove Gov. Ruiz, PAN senators criticized the governor for failing to maintain control of his state and suggested a peaceful solution would be easier if he left office.
Ruiz has refused to step down, instead calling for military and federal police to take control of the state capital, Oaxaca City. Much of the city is controlled by teachers and activists who are demanding Ruiz be removed, while police have pulled out and public officials have abandoned their offices or been forced out.
PAN Sen. Alejandro Zapata said Ruiz was “incapable of governing, negligent and clumsy.” But he said the branches of government continued to function in the state, albeit irregularly.
“We can´t close our eyes to the state´s reality, but we can´t break the law either,” Zapata said. “Unfortunately, this situation has gone beyond our authority.”
I’m guessing if they voted to get rid of him on these grounds, they’d have to get rid of practically every sitting official in Mexico. This is sort of funny. The Senate votes, but admits that it has “gone beyond our authority”, and furthermore “suggested” a peaceful solution. Hahahaha. Ruiz continues to call for federal assistance, but I think they are pretty much leaving him to swing on his own. In other words, they haven’t done a damn thing. The only real progress is that the teachers are going back to work for fear of losing their paychecks.
10/17/06 - Sounds to me like a showdown. Now that the Mexican Senate is going to support Ruiz, I think some folks are gonna go hungry. (thanks Mark)
10/16/06 - It’s always reassuring to know that you have excellent emergency services. Here is a really disturbing picture of some firemen being “presented” to the media after trying to reclaim their firetruck. Is it just me or does it remind you of some recent pre-beheading pictures?
Three firemen are presented to the media after being apprehended by members of the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO) in Oaxaca City October 15, 2006. The firemen were accused by APPO protesters of trying to remove a fire truck used as a barricade during their demonstrations. The streets around the center of the tourist city of Oaxaca have been occupied for months by thousands of striking teachers and left-wing activists who are trying to bring down the state government, headed by state governor Ulises Ruiz, and who have taken law and order into their own hands. REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar (MEXICO)
Associated Press Accused of Bribery and Misreporting - I guess something in that last article pushed the wrong button.
The AP was founded in the heyday of yellow journalism, Hearst, Pulitzer and all, and has never been anything other but a journalistic shill for vested interests. I’m sure that Rebecca took a little something-something to slant her reportage. I’m also sure her bosses don’t care. As long as it’s slanted the right way.
Reuter’s news tradition reflects the idea that the capitalist movers and shakers neeed accurate, reality based assesments. Their traditional reader base needs accurate information. Consequently, while Reuter’s may slant their coverage, they seldom resort to outright lies and misrepresentations. That doesn’t fit the needs of their customer’s.
Articles by Rebecca Romero are best left unread. Not a single journalist I met while working in oaxaca (over 40 individuals, some working for very mainstream outlets, others more independent) has a shred of respect for her, and many of them suspect she isn’t a journalist at all. How she got the gig as AP correspondent in Oaxaca is beyond me.
Also, close friends of mine who write for different national newspapers in Mexico told me exactly how much money they were offered by the Ulises government to “change their tune” in their reporting. All of them refused the money. I’m guessing Rebecca Romero did not.
10/14/06 - APPO hippocrate. (thanks Mark)
10/13/06 - Here in the North Country, we’d say, “What a frickin’ mess”.
10/12/06 - That OSAG group is just too much. Thanks to George (I think he’s for real!) for pointing me to the interesting and informative Oaxaca Lending Library site. I guess having the meeting space taken away kinda hit a nerve. You know, if you dine with terrorists, you might get a 500-pounder for dessert. What the hell did he expect? Librarians are hardly proponents of anarchy. Check this excerpt of a message on the front page:
The Board decided that the OSAG group should not meet at the Library as it was politically active and did not follow the Library’s policy against meetings of political or partisan groups. Salzman met with several members of the Library and the Library Board to protest this decision. At that meeting he accused the Board members of being “Karl Rove” conservatives and threatened to make the group’s exclusion “an international incident.” (Ha ha ha) The Board stands firm in its prohibition against OSAG or any other politically active group meeting on library premises.
After this confrontation, we received an email from Col. Johnathan Poprik Ret. who referred to the OSAG group as a “radical pinko communist group” and he threatened “If you do not comply with the following demands (for names of OSAG participants among other demands), two Mexican citizens will file a complaint against the library and ask for revocation of all rights and licenses necessary for the library to operate in Mexico. Also each participant or member of the library will be called in and investigated by local authorities and immigration. If evidence proves that they were participating in meetings of the illegal group against the Government, they will undergo deportation hearings.”
I guess all the peace talk was crazy. Ana Maria hints at the virus spreading to Mexico City. Mark reports on the continuing and growing calamity in Oaxaca. The Blue Crab is wondering too about the forces fueling the radicalism.
Obviously, someone is stirring this pot. The tentative peace deal indicated that many of the protesters were tired of the whole situation. A few radicals appear to have derailed the entire effort. It’s time for the Mexican government to start identifying who is behind this. Someone is paying the bills and keeping up the violence.
Dane’s asking the questions, who’s got the answers?
Among the questions — How long will the approximately 70,000 teachers stay out of work and in close ranks with the minority APPO leadership? How long will Oaxaca and Mexico permit this protest to continue, the roadblocks to continue, the nightly APPO security force patrols to continue? And of course, how long will the many Oaxacans who have lost their jobs in the ravaged tourist industry allow this to continue?
10/10/06 - Sounds like extortion to me. You have to admit, getting more money, no
criminal responsibility, control of occupied territory, and having an extended
summer vacation and/or march is pretty good. Also, it’s not like the federal
government is giving up anything they already didn’t have. They say there’s more
money coming, and if not, well then what? Regarding Oaxaca, it sounds
like they are just letting things continue as is. Honestly, it doesn’t really
sound like much of an agreement. In the long-run, this is still not a net plus
for sustainable economic development.
Aren’t there some “indigenous” types
down there? How long does it take to become indigenous? Once you leave your
“original place”, do you then become non-indigenous? Can anyone be indigenous?
What if you know a place and culture better than the locals? I’m just
asking.
Was it all just a spasm?
“…I don’t see why anyone who supports killing the teachers would be allowed to stay on the list. Why?” You see how ridiculous things can get? Censorship is the best way to eliminate otherwise unpleasant information. I was actually questioning the killing of a teacher, possibly by other teachers. Ironic how this person easily “translates” that into support of killing teachers. Simple arguments for simple minds.
10/8/06 - Who knew that there were Australian Socialists?
10/7/06 - Bishops battle over Oaxaca - even
these guys are taking sides.
Here’s another take on the teacher story - Oaxaca Machaca:
Teacher’s Murder Makes a Hash of Tense Situation
Dane checks in and mentions the “Caravans of Death“. He also notes that hotel occupancy in Oaxaca is running at 3% and unemployment is running rampant. As a former hotelier, I can tell you that 3% is not a ‘break-even’ proposition.
Nah, it couldn’t happen there…
A Message From Mexican Marxists Concerning The APPO and National Democratic Convention
The participation of APPO is of vital importance: it could become the key to extending the revolutionary movement to the whole of the country. Likewise, its non-participation could have a very negative effect: it could lead to a dangerous process of isolation. Isolation is a life or death question for any revolutionary process.
In reality, there are no contradictions between the objectives of the CND and APPO. APPO could show the CND the way forward to the taking of power by the working class: on the basis of workers’ democracy and a complete break with capitalism. These last two demands have not yet been taken up by APPO as a whole, but it is vital that they be taken up if the movement is not to be thrown backwards.
10/6/06 - On anonymous “Yellow Emperors” and other cowards
Question: Why is it that the collateral deaths related to this “protest” are not discussed or even mentioned? Why?
Answer: Facing a world almost overwhelmingly dominated by the corporate media and government propaganda, “we” are but a tiny voice, and many people, like the coward quoted above, are apparently comfortable swimming with the flood of misrepresentations and lies daily broadcast and printed. The item that began this exchange was an AP dispatch in the Washington Post, but both these giant “news” corporations are notoriously dishonest “mainstream” sources of misinformation.
I must be one of the “fair number of psychologically distrubed [sic] individuals.”
The much hated Mark has more info on the hacked teacher. At least they don’t want to kill me, yet.
And so the info war starts:
Re: [oaxacastudyactiongroup] Teacher Hacked to Death in Mexican City
The teacher who was killed belonged to the CCL, a group that broke off from the Seccion 22 last february, and which was later proven to be receiving money from the state government to divide the movement. They have not been participating in the strike, nor any other part of the popular movement in Oaxaca.
While there are some aggressive folks in the APPO and Seccion 22, they are not in the practice of killing people. The only documented “violence” carrried out by members of the movement has been the use of sticks, rocks, molotov cocktails, etc. to defend themselves from attacks by heavily armed police and/or government thugs. While it’s impossible to prove who killed the teacher, it certainly does look and smell like an attempt to create a level of violence and chaos in the state that justifies the intervention of federal police.
This isn’t the only example. The night before last, while filming in the barricades near Radio La Ley, I was told by some teachers that they had spotted heavily-armed men a few blocks from the barricades. We drove over there, and sure enough, there were at least 20 guys (not in any kind of uniform) with very big guns and big trucks, only three blocks from the barricades.
The government promises no use of force, the teachers brutally kill one of their own. Now for the leftist info machine to start grinding this morning. Let me guess, the teacher was killed by unknown “police agents”. No, no, maybe the killed teacher was a “police agent”. Where’s the FUCKING outrage?
Forensic experts examine the body of Jaime Rene Calva, a school teacher allegedly opposed to the teachers strike in Oaxaca, Mexico on Thursday Oct. 5, 2006. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
10/5/06 - Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR) released some flight statistics for the month of September. Looks like commercial traffic for Oaxaca was down 25%.
Ongoing public demonstrations in the city of Oaxaca have adversely affected tourism in the area and leaded the cancellation of 79 flights to the Oaxaca airport originally scheduled for the month of September. The protests began as a teachers’ strike in May but have grown into more widespread general unrest against the Oaxaca state government. Protesters have threatened to close the airport and block regional highways, and the US State Department recently issued an advisory regarding travel to Oaxaca. We are unable at this time to predict whether or how the conflict will be resolved, or how the ongoing demonstrations may affect our operations.
What exactly is the deal with the death of Arcadio Hernandez? Who were the “rival political groups”? The image captions say he was shot.
Another night or “Red Alert”, the blogs are teeming with calls for solidarity and the impending “War” on the people of Oaxaca. Both the Air Force and Marines are said to be coming with “Heavy Weaponry”. The OSAG/Davies/Saltzman folks continue to push the issue of the “kidnapped” protesters - the number seems to be two. I think they found one guy in some prison somewhere where he is being charged with carrying explosives. Not surprising considering one of the new tools of choice for the barricade people