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25 de Febrero, 2007
APPO on the rise!
Categorized under Corazón , Oaxaca | Tags: APPO, brown pride, derechos de mujeres, EZLN, Hope, Mexicans, Mexico, Power to the People, Ruiz
AS THE CRUEL, HARD, HANDS OF OPPRESSION, deception, and greed cannot hope to be stronger than the heart, the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO) is only gaining support and energy as a reaction to the fascist, violent tactics of installed governor Ulises Ruiz.
Once again the inept government of Ruiz shot itself in the foot, because the repression was so vicious and so senseless that there is scarcely a Oaxaqueño left who does not say URO must go. From time to time I speak with someone whom I know to have been against the APPO and the popular movement, and they agree.—Nancy Davies, Narco News, The APPO Comes Back Strong in Oaxaca
Mexican@s once again teach us how to do justice; how to do pride; how to do solidaridad. Look south, to the much-maligned land of México. Look to the people—las mujeres y los hombres—who lead the way forward.
The popular assembly movement has regrouped and caught its breath. It’s now in a new phase of the struggle for Oaxaca, which I call the 2007 pre-electoral phase.How the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO, in its Spanish initials) has been able to recapture its former strength has three answers; the teachers, the indigenous peoples and civil society.
—Nancy Davies, Narco News, The APPO Comes Back Strong in Oaxaca
The philosophies of the indigenous may be hard to understand, for those of us raised on the notion of abdicating our conscience, will, and rule to a hundred different agents—books, codes, polls, TV, imagined social pressure, and mostly, men who are "elected." But like the Zapatistas, these people believe in their collective wisdom, strength, and ability to affect their own destinies.
If only we could be as wise. If only we were as advanced as these poor, "backward" peoples, ¿qué no?
The tenth megamarch is called for March 8, in observance of International Women’s Day, to demand the freeing of the political prisoners and to also honor the women of the struggle. The expectations for this next march are that it will bring out the full strength of the movement.—Nancy Davies, Narco News, The APPO Comes Back Strong in Oaxaca
There remain political prisoners snatched up by Ulises Ruiz, disappeared citizens, murders and torture that has been committed as he has tried to bury his crimes with even more crimes. And a reckoning awaits. The people of Mexico are not content to wait for the next "election," to rationalize it away, to bury their hearts in a slew of everyday distraction, or to "sweep it under the rug" in any other way. They are still not willing to accept a crooked/installed leader as Americans are content to do; Oaxaqueños will not rest until the crook is thrown out of office, and that's that. It matters not if he whitewashes the writing on the wall; it matters not if he burns the evidence of his corruption, if he sends in goons to torture la gente, if bombs mysteriously are exploded, blowing the news of massive marches out of the papers; it matters not if the Mexican Senate refuses to do what is right.
The people will not rest until they see justice.
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Comentarios (5)
Sylvia dijo:
Such courageous human spirit. They have my support.
Palabras por Sylvia spat forth on el 25 de Febrero, 2007 at 04:27 PM
Richard at Mexfiles dijo:
But like the Zapatistas, these people believe in their collective wisdom, strength, and ability to affect their own destinies.
I've given my reasons elsewhere for not trusting the Zapatistas. Basically, turning things over to "collective wisdom" means repression of minorities by the majority. And, there is no reason indigenous peoples are any wiser than the rest of us when it comes to accepting dissent or deviation from custom (It's an irony worth pondering that some Zapotec communities are matriarchal, and men in business are forced to wear women's clothing... "female chauvist sows?").
That said, I was glad to hear a few weeks ago that the APPO is holding talks with FAP (PRD, PT, Convergencia -- "Frente Amplio Progresivo") to run fusion candidates within the State. Between the interparty split within PRI, and URO's embarassment to the Party, his only supporters are the Federal Government. Long term, a sustainable and credible "popular front" is a better option that any other. No matter what happens, the state is going to stay within the Republic, and I'm not sure a "Zapatista-type" local organization, depending on the good will of a few foreign sympathizers (and, I suspect, it's usefulness to the Mexican far right, keeping "the indians on the reservation") will resolve endemic governance problems.
Porfirio Diaz said, on his overthrow, "Nothing changes in Mexico, until it changes." Getting rid of URO will be easy. Undoing the power structure in the state is going to take some time.
By the way, I think foreigners need to stay out of Oaxacan politics... Visit, buy souvenirs (preferablly from the gente) and eat at the mom-n-pops. Buy a tee shirt, but stay out of the demonstrations. claiming "foreign intervention" is always a favored technique for discrediting one's opponents, and you don't want to give them any ammunition.
Palabras por Richard at Mexfiles spat forth on el 25 de Febrero, 2007 at 08:06 PM
Rafael dijo:
Wish them the best of luck, if things are bad now, they will get worse, much worse before the day is done.
Palabras por Rafael spat forth on el 25 de Febrero, 2007 at 08:15 PM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez dijo:
what's wrong with wearing women's clothing? can't be worse than waging wars all over the globe. which is what the patriarchy seems best at.
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez spat forth on el 25 de Febrero, 2007 at 08:18 PM
Cero dijo:
There is a film on this we are supposed to see, Granito de Arena:
http://www.corrugate.org/granito_de_arena/granito_de_arena
Palabras por Cero spat forth on el 25 de Febrero, 2007 at 10:25 PM