Las Politicas

President Calderon has announced plans to build a much needed new international airport in Mexico City. A few years ago, Fox attempted the same endeavor and almost ended up with a revolution on his hands. The current airport has been marred with serious overcrowding problems on the runways and in this calendar year is expected to serve near 30 million passengers. It only makes sense to build a bigger airport that can accommodate such a large passenger base. The incident that occurred close to five years ago was with the then president, Vicente Fox. Fox planned to build the airport on land that was ( under his direction) appropriated by the government from indigenous peasants. A cardinal rule that should always be followed in Mexico is that the government should never take land away from the indigenous population…..ever. Agrarian reform is what the Mexican Revolution stood for and what over a million people lost their lives for. Upon hearing the plans that Fox had for their land…the indigenous people took up arms and vowed to fight for the land.These sorts of blunders were par for the course under Fox’s administration and the plan was finally aborted…thus leaving the growing problem ignored. Until now…Calderon is going use Federal land that is close to the current airport.  

I’ll be glad as I will be one of the 30 million people flying in and out of there. FYI…Mexico City has the BEST duty free anywhere. 

Caroline

In a step that will hopefully advance Mexico economically or otherwise, Felipe Calderon appointed a new Secretary of the Interior and removed the former Secretary. Calderon’s former Secretary was removed amid an upsurge in drug-fueled killings and criticism that he has cracked down on opposition protests.

The new Secretary, Juan Camilo Mourino, is a Spanish national who was educated in the United States. Mourino hopes to bring a refreshing approach as the Secretary who acts as the president’s chief negotiator. An economist well versed in free market principles, Mourino will begin the steps of the much needed privatization of PEMEX. PEMEX is still flagged by endemic corruption and remains one of the only state owned oil companies that loses money for its native country. The new Secretary is the third cabinet switch in Calderon’s administration, switches that will hopefully begin the advancement of a better Mexico.

Caroline

Bush, Mexico and the Supreme Court seemed to be having a problem figuring out what to do with a Mexican national inmate on death row. Under the Vienna Convention nationals of any country when arrested in the United States or any other nation that they are not a citizen of have the right to diplomatic discussions with either the embassy or the consulate. In 1993 when Jose Medellin, a Mexican national  was arrested after the murdered remains of Jennifer Ertman age 14 and Elizabeth Pena 16 were discovered, the Houston Police Department did not notify the Mexican consulate. Medellin could have had a diplomatic representative along with his attorney present.  Medellin went on to give a verbal and written confession of the rapes and homicides which resulted in his conviction and death sentence.  Mexico went before the World Court and presented this case which resulted in the World Court ruling in Mexico’s favor. The ruling stated that Medellin could get another trial and the United States said they would comply with the ruling, but then later withdrew the agreement…until now.  The Texas judiciary is up in arms about this because…well…the State of Texas likes to execute people. The Solicitor General has said that Texas did not violate the convention codes.

The Bush administration is concerned whether or not they are violating international law…hmmm. That’s is really interesting because this is the first I have ever heard of a unilateralist administration caring whether or not they are in violation of international law. International law has ruled against the United States several times and the US has ignored it. It is odd that Bush is split in this decision specifically…One because Bush rarely ever granted clemency to death row inmates as Governor and..Two..Does Bush really want to anger Conservatives anymore than he has already? The question of Executive power and Federalism is being debated on a rather angry level. This should be really interesting to see where this goes.

On a side note…I would like to say that I am also unsure of what results I want to see from this. The rape and deaths of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena will be something I will never forget.  I was in the same age range as them when this crime occurred.  The girls simply happened upon a gang initiation in a wooded area off of TC Jester.  The unspeakable savage violence that was brought upon them stunned the citizens of Houston. Medellin showed no remorse for the acts he committed.

Caroline

A landmark decision by, Felipe Calderon shortly after taking office is changing the Mexican military for the better. …for the first ever women are now entering the military. Mexico still remains a male dominated society where machismo is still a part of everyday life. This decision is a truly progressive step that I am sure will be met with some resistance.  Women, however… are not allowed to fight in combat. Women are allowed to attend elite military schools where they can then become engineers, pilots and even rise to the rank of general.

 Bolivia, Chile and Guatemala currently allow women to serve in active combat.

From the Associated Press:Agustin Radilla oversees military education  said that, so far, the male cadets have welcomed the women into the new schools, and he credits the changes for a “healthy competition” between the sexes”

The U.S. military has allowed women a much greater role in recent years but still prohibits deploying female infantry members in direct combat. But women often come under fire in Iraq, where frontlines are blurred. At least 82 female U.S. soldiers have been killed in the Iraq war to date.

Women first joined Mexico’s armed forces in 1938 as nurses. By 1973, they could become military doctors, and three years later, dentists. Today, women have access to 17 of the military’s 39 career schools. And with access has come increased interest: 3,326 women applied for military schooling in 2007-2008, up 61 percent from the year before.Currently, women make up only 6,309 of the 191,000 members of Mexico’s military.Radilla predicts that could rise to 8,920 by 2012 — a modest increase, but a sign of the future:

“We believe this will change public opinion by showing that, even in the army, women can achieve the same as men.”Some observers say the change is coming very slowly, and reluctantly.“The reason they made this change, I believe, is that it has become increasingly difficult to keep men in the military,” said Roderic Ai Camp, a Mexico expert at Claremont-McKenna College in California. “By allowing women to fill more positions, and hopefully to become longtime careerists, they can increase the percentage of men in combat operations.”Increasing the number of soldiers on the ground is key to Calderon’s nationwide crackdown on the drug trade, a violent battle that is taxing Mexico’s military resources.Vela believes the military, usually slow to change, is setting an example for Mexican society. “This is huge progress that Mexico really needed, because equality of the sexes is fundamental right now,” Vela said.

Caroline   

I have been chronicling the guerilla attacks on Mexican state run facilities over the past couple of months. The Popular Revolutionary Army recently has been successfully bombing PEMEX gas pipe lines through out the nation. There are, however, some new revelations concerning the Popular Revolutionary Army and the members of their organization. Guerilla warfare…it’s a part of Latin America truly embedded in the fiber of the culture. Unable to pull proper resources…guerilla’s have a knack for causing major disruptions without the sophistication of real army resources.

 The new revelations come in the form or recruitment. The EPR ( as it is known in Spanish) launched itself publicly in Guerrero in 1996, but information recently leaked reveals that the group may have been working clandestinely since the early 1980’s…during the height of the Cold War. They are a Marxist outfit and are fighting the end to social injustices.  There are people in their late 20’s and early 30’s claming that they have not seen their parents for 20 years because they are a part of the EPR. As of recent…one man who has owned an operated a small store that sold candy and refreshments has simply vanished. Friends claim that he left his family and his business and took the mountains surrounding Mexico City. Imagine a Ma and Pa store that you grew up going to and then finding out that the friendly familiar face was the mask of a radical guerilla Marxist. According to these reports it is happening and has been happening for a long time. Many are saying that these instances of inconspicuous membership are the leading causes of the successful attacks on PEMEX.

Since 1996 the rebel group has spilt into several factions through out Mexico. The main headquarters is in Oaxaca. Oaxaca is the powder keg of Mexican rebel movements due in part to the rampant poverty and excessive and often violent governmental control.

Here are a few sentences from the EPR’s first communiqué. 

“Our political constitution is . . . a dead letter. Individual rights are violated every day, and the people are left out of the economic and political decisions of the country. Justice will prevail” 

Above is a picture of the train that was stopped for over an hour…the train that I could not get around due to excessive traffic and that stopped me from getting to work yesterday.  

Caroline

Gas Pipeline explosions have marred parts of Mexico…again. No responsibility for the premeditated acts has been claimed, but something tells me that the leftist guerilla’s are up to their old tricks. The explosions occurred in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz. PEMEX immediately shut down the affected lines as well as an extra line in the area as a precaution. The sophistication of these bombs have become the bane of PEMEX’s existence. Oil and related taxes account for over a third of the federal government’s revenue in Mexico….so the guerillas are getting them where it hurts. The attacks occurred several times through out the night, but no injuries were reported. The blast could be felt from several miles away. Civil defense agencies are stating that two elderly women died of heart attacks related to the blasts. Also the fields where the blasts took place were set ablaze…destroying all crops in the field. 

On a different note…I went bowling this weekend. Showing pride in my score I felt compelled to show off my skills …see picture above. 

Caroline   

Mexican guerilla leftists are truly attempting to demonstrate their causes in the form terror. For the second time this month the People’s Revolutionary Army is claiming responsibility for detonating a homemade bomb outside a Sears store in Oaxaca. The store is owned by Mexican billionaire, Carlos Slim and when the group took responsibility they stated that the attack was carried out because it was intended to “hit the interests of Mexican and foreign oligarchy.” The group also carried a series of bombings along gas pipe lines that were PEMEX run in early July.  

No one was hurt in this last bombing, but the group is going to continue bombing until political prisoners are freed by the Mexican government. “We are willing to continue our actions to achieve the necessary conditions so that our detained and disappeared comrades … are presented, alive,” the group said

Caroline

The mayor of Mexico City is attempting an overhaul of the city of my birth. The city of 20 million has, over the course of many years fallen victim to serious urban decay in the form of abductions,  poor street conditions and pollution. Due to suburbanization crime and pollution are dispersed evenly through out the city and even the outskirts. Express kidnappings are commonplace now as are large sinkholes in downtown. The Mayor is bringing different elements to the city in the form of no traffic on major roads on Sundays…so people can ride their bikes or go for a walk. Mayor Ebrard also brought sand in to make “Urban Beaches” for people to escape the unflagging nature of city life. The urban beaches have been wildly popular with city residents, so many are in favor of any other ideas Ebrard will implement. The mayor is also trying to curb the crime by cracking down on small crimes that will eventually move to major crimes. With such a vast city complete with endemic crime and poverty…Ebrard has a serious challenge a head. The country of Mexico itself is experiencing ultra violence from the military led offensive against the drug trafficking world. Restoring order to a city and nation that do not follow rules could be rather difficult.

I had to restore order at Shark Week last night when Dr. Studly’s lady carried out a vicious and unprovoked attack on her boyfriend. She blamed the bloody sunsets…. 

Caroline

I woke up this morning only to find a rather unpleasant article in my morning paper. The New York Times is reporting that Mexico, in addition to so many other problems…is experiencing a problem with migrant workers bringing HIV back into Mexico. The workers are contracting HIV on there long work stints in the United States…going back home to Mexico and infecting their wives with the virus…who then in turn have children with the virus. It’s happening all the time and this issue could easily turn into a Sub Saharan Africa situation. Critics are up in arms because the Catholic Church vehemently opposes the use of contraceptives which is obviously exacerbating the problem.  Many of the migrant workers are from isolated rural areas of Mexico where any sort of education be it sex education or regular education is uncommon.  

According to the article migrant workers irrespective of nationality or location…past present or future all seek the comfort of a person when they are in a foreign land. The comfort sought is at times in the form of a person rendering services or in an actual significant other.  The whole problem stems from a legacy of contradictions intertwined with the church, machismo and economic instability. 

Caroline

A judge yesterday in Mexico City overturned a ruling that would charge former President Luis Echeverria on acts of genocide from the 1968 student massacre. When students of Mexico’s National University formed for a peaceful protest in Tlatelco square of downtown Mexico City…chaos erupted when the Army, police and unknown shooters massacred several hundred students.  Mexican officials capitalized on the Olympic proceedings that were taking place in Mexico City..as diversions in order to carry out the massacre. The official numbers of the fatalities and injuries are up to discussion. The government..ahem.. states the numbers as 4 dead and 20 injured..if that were not insulting it would be funny. The calculated number of fatalities are near 300, but could also have reached 500. The number of dead included other people who just happen to be in the area and were not students.  

The president at the time was not Echeverria it was Diaz Ordaz, however Echeverria was his Secretary of the Interior and he actually ordered the massacre. Reports state..purely as a conspiracy theory..that Echeverria devised a plan which he called “Falcon Strike”. Falcon Strike included “The Falcons” as a separate death squad not at all related to the Mexican Army. Survivors of the massacre have maintained that there were snipers shooting from hidden areas in and around the square. The sniper bullets were also in addition to the Army’s bullets. 

Everyone in Mexico knows that he was responsible, but the judge yesterday ruled in favor of him simply because there is no evidence that links him to this. Now elderly and in poor health, Echeverria has always maintained his innocence. Echeverria…just as so many Latin American caudillos will live freely and never be punished for horrific human rights violations.  Above is a picture of Echeverria and The protest moments before the massacre.

Caroline