From: Bejarano <artxchange@yahoo.com> To: *NetworkAztlan_Action <NetworkAztlan_Action@yahoogroups.com>; *NetworkAztlan_Arte <NetworkAztlan_Arte@yahoogroups.com>; *NetworkAztlan_Native-Views <NetworkAztlan_Native-Views@yahoogroups.com>; *NetworkAztlan_News <NetworkAztlan_News@yahoogroups.com> Cc: *Pomona Arts <PomonaArts@yahoogroups.com>; Brandy Healy <brandymayahealy@gmail.com>; Carmen Esquivel <carmen2esq@yahoo.com>; Danny Carlson <danny@rjfab.com>; Diana Ling <dianaling_99@yahoo.com>; Ernesto Perez <ek49ram@hotmail.com>; Eve Alacon <evnalarcon@aol.com>; Frank Garcia <garcianet@yahoo.com>; Graciela Nordi <latinoartmuseum@msn.com>; James Blancarte <jblancarte@carlsmith.com>; Jimmy D <itsjimid@yahoo.com>; Jonathan Yorba <jyorba@riversideca.gov>; Lydia Santa Cruz <musicalvoice@yahoo.com>; Mariana Delgado <mariana@contactocultural.org>; Rick Salazar <ricksalazar@email.com>; Sheila O'Rourke <sheilaoroorke@aol.com>; Thomas Gonzales <trgunn1@aol.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 4:47:50 PM Subject: [NetworkAztlan_News] I've got a new gig...I appreciate your reply.
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Mexican Pretender Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Pushes On
By Kent Paterson
·Lopez Obrador sent President Barack Obama a letter that warned against cutting off the movement of people from Mexico to the US, a migration flow that the charismatic political figure said was largely responsible for preventing a social explosion south of the border
Capping off a January swing through northern and western Mexico, opposition leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador drew tens of thousands of followers to a January 25 rally in Mexico City's Zocalo square. The purpose of the ex-presidential candidate's latest rally was to launch a new movement aimed at defending popular economic interests in a time of deepening crisis.
"Today there is suffering because of unemployment, high prices, poverty, insecurity and violence, but above all, there is an uncertainty that is beginning to manifest itself as anxiety and frustration," Lopez Obrador said in a speech. "All of this exists in an environment of instability, indolence, incapacity, and cynicism on the part of the authorities."
The Mexico City demonstration followed a tour that took Lopez Obrador, or "El Peje" as he is frequently called, to numerous stops in the states of Chihuahua and Jalisco, where the former Mexico City mayor spoke about migration, economic troubles, violence and insecurity, youth problems, and the US-Mexico relationship in the era of new US President Barack Obama.
At a January 23 rally attended by several hundred people in El Pitillal, Jalisco, a working-class suburb of Puerto Vallarta, Lopez Obrador told supporters he sent President Obama a letter a few days ago that warned against cutting off the movement of people from Mexico to the US, a migration flow the charismatic political figure said was largely responsible for preventing a social explosion south of the border.
"I told (President Obama) in this letter that the migration phenomenon is not going to be solved by building walls and militarizing the border," Lopez Obrador said. "The solution has to be cooperation between the two countries, especially aimed at the economic development of Mexico."
The El Pitillal speech was preceded by a stirring message delivered by a teen supporter, Estephanie Villaseñor. Largely turned off by politics, young people require real commitments and actions from politicians like Lopez Obrador, Villaseñor contended.
"Most people, especially young people, have forgotten the real meaning of politics, Villaseñor said. "We have to make politics a human activity that is set up to govern or lead the action of the State in benefit of society. It seems the current political leaders have forgotten about this." Politics, Villaseñor said, should be among the "most noble" of human activities.
Visibly moved by Villaseñor's words, Lopez Obrador said Mexicans should not give up on political change. Many youths are tempted into the criminal lifestyle, he added, by economic desperation, by the absence of educational opportunities, and by the consumerism promoted by mass media.
"Things have come to the point in our country that some young people, who aren't stupid and know what they are doing, have proclaimed that they might live one, two or three years, but it does not matter because they do not want to continue living in the same hell, the same misery, the same abandonment," the opposition leader said. "This forces us to reflect on the necessity of renovating public life in Mexico for all, and especially for the young people."
Although Lopez Obrador's most recent events have been attended by far fewer people than during the 2006 presidential campaign and post-election protests, the politician retains a core following. At political events, supporters are encouraged to sign up for a credential that makes them representatives of the "Legitimate Government of Mexico." Lopez Obrador's supporters contend their man was cheated out of victory in the controversial July 2006 election, which current President Felipe Calderon officially won by just over 200,000 votes.
Claiming about two million people have signed up with the "Legitimate Government," Lopez Obrador commands what is perhaps the largest, cohesive group in Mexico outside the Roman Catholic Church. Followers call Lopez Obrador "The President," and treat him accordingly. At the El Pitillal meeting, for instance, a group of embattled landowners from Mismaloya, the set of the famed Hollywood classic "Night of the Iguana," successfully petitioned Lopez Obrador for his backing.
According to members of the Mismaloya ejido, scores of families face pending eviction because of a land ownership dispute with a wealthy outsider stemming from dirty business dealings.
Even though he is not presently running for office (Lopez Obrador recently turned down a proposal that he run for Congress in this year's midterm elections), the man from Tabasco has consolidated a movement that has emerged as a key counter-force to the political establishment. Last year the movement succeeded in delaying the passage of a bill that proposed further prying open Mexico's national oil industry to foreign investment.
Social programs popularized by Lopez Obrador and other Mexico City mayors from his left-leaning Party of the Democratic Revolution, like monthly pensions for the elderly, were later partially adopted by rival administrations headed by former President Vicente Fox's conservative National Action Party (PAN). Unveiled earlier this month, President Calderon's (also a PAN member) anti-economic crisis program contains some actions long advocated by Lopez Obrador, such as a public works program.
But Lopez Obrador keeps upping the ante in the political game. His movement has rolled out its own anti-crisis package that proposes increasing spending on social programs, cutting electricity and energy rates, and implementing emergency assistance programs for migrants displaced from the United States, among other measures. To pay for an economic rescue estimated to cost more than $25 billion, Lopez Obrador proposes slashing high government salaries, eliminating official perks and tapping into excess government funds.
"We're going to insist that all the social programs be expanded throughout the country," Lopez Obrador said in his El Pitillal speech.
Lopez Obrador's supporters plan street demonstrations and other activities in the coming weeks. In many ways, Lopez Obrador's movement complements separate mobilizations planned by farmers and other social movements, including the possible blockade of international bridges on the Mexico-US border at the end of this month to protest Mexico's ongoing agricultural crisis and food dependency.
Many are skeptical that Lopez Obrador can deliver on his movement's goal of transforming Mexico.
"El Peje did not say anything new," wrote columnist Jaime Castillo Copado of Puerto Vallarta's Tribuna de la Bahia newspaper. "There is no doubt that basic products have gone up, but I don't see how the Tabascan will be able to help basic products come down from the inflationary cloud that affects all of us."
According to Castillo, Lopez Obrador's movement is long on rhetoric and short on real solutions: "That's how it is as long as people keep compensating for their laziness to read and inform themselves of what's going on in the country with cheers and applauses for a charismatic interlocutor whose trips cost the congressional representatives of his party dearly."
Others, however, are standing by Lopez Obrador and his movement as the answer to the myriad of problems confronting Mexico. "He wants a change for the country," said a woman at the El Pitillal rally who identified herself as Ana Bertha. "The change that agriculture needs, that education needs, and that the sciences need."
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Frontera NorteSur (FNS)
Center for Latin American and Border Studies
New MexicoStateUniversity
Las Cruces, New Mexico
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Kent Paterson is the editor of Frontera NorteSur.Reprinted with authorization from Frontera NorteSur, a free, on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news source.
Since Israel's operation in Gaza began, a series of demonstrations and anti-Israel rallies have been organized by left-wing groups and local Arab leaders across capitals of most Latin American countries.
Demonstrators used offensive Holocaust imagery and anti-Semitic rhetoric. The rallies were initially staged in front of Israeli Embassies but they have also occurred at local Jewish institutions.
The following is a selected list of anti-Israel protests occurring in Latin America in the wake of Israel's Gaza operation:
Argentina Anti-Israel rallies have been held in Buenos Aires and in other cities such as Resistencia, Chaco. In Buenos Aires, these demonstrations have been well attended by a number of left-wing groups who used Nazi imagery and anti-Semitic slogans.
Brazil There have been numerous anti-Israel rallies in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and in smaller cities in Brazil.
Sao Paulo, January 6, 2009 Approximately five hundred demonstrators gathered in Avenida Paulista to protest against Israel's military action in Gaza. Religious leaders and representatives of Arab-Brazilian civil entities had signs that read, "Holocaust in Palestine" and protesters shouted "the Israeli actions against the Palestinians are a crime against Humanity" and "We cannot accept that there is a Holocaust in the 20th Century".
Cinelândia, Rio de Janeiro, January 8, 2009 About a thousand people demonstrated their support for the Palestinians, and some banners read "Hamas Brazil," At this rally, protester burned the US and Israeli flags.
Colombia Bogotá - There were three rallies in Bogota: One on December 31, 2008, one on January 2, 2009 and one on January 6, 2009. The rallies were held in front of the Embassy of Israel, to express support for the Palestinian cause and against Israel's operation in Gaza. One banner said "No more Genocide against the Palestinians" and protesters were chanting "Zionists Assassins." The majority of the demonstrators were young people and groups of them burned the Israeli flag.
Chile Santiago There has been large and frequent rallies. The Palestinian community in Chile, one of the largest outside of the Arab world, has been joined by other Chileans demonstrating against the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Demonstrators rallied around the Embassy of Israel and the presidential palace, La Moneda.
Ecuador Quito, January 6, 2009 Dozens of Ecuadorians protested against Israel's operation in Gaza walking for several blocks towards the Israeli Embassy in Quito. Although the rally was peaceful, when they reached the Embassy of Israel the tone of their chants turned more virulent and the protesters threw black paint, eggs and shoes at the building.
Mexico Mexico City, January 6, 2009 More than a hundred people protested at the Israeli Embassy in Mexico. Banners had messages like "No to the genocide in Palestine" and flags were burned the demonstrators, who were watched by more than 200 riot police officers.
Panama Panama City, December 30, 2008 A small pro-Palestinian rally was held in front of the Embassy of Israel in Panama City. The organization FRENADESO, an umbrella organization for labor, leftist and civic groups in Panama, coordinated the rally. The organization demanded to "Stop the Holocaust in Palestine!, Stop Israel's state Terrorism!" and chanted "Hurray for Free Palestine."
Peru Lima, December 30, 2008 Members of the Palestinian community and Peruvian organizations for the Defense of Human Rights protested in Lima against the Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
Venezuela There have been several anti-Israel rallies in Venezuela. While the largest demonstrations have taken place in Caracas, protests were also staged in other large cities like Maracaibo, Maracay, San Felipe, Puerto La Cruz, Barquisimeto and Merida. All the rallies contained anti-Semitic references comparing Israel's military actions to those of the Nazis during the Holocaust and using Nazi imagery to portray Israel's policies.
Most of the demonstrations have been organized by social and political organizations with ties to President Chavez and religious Muslim leaders and Venezuelan-Arab leaders. Indeed, one protest in Caracas was co-sponsored by the political party of President Hugo Chavez (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela –PSUV). At such protests, other government officials including the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Foreign Affairs have made comparisons between the situation in Gaza and the horrors of the Holocaust. The President of the National Assembly made false claims that Israel was using chemical weapons against Palestinian civilians. None of the official statements made any reference to the daily barrage of rockets launched by Hamas to Israeli civilians.
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The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
Immigrant advocates released video footage yesterday that they say shows federal agents unfairly targeted Latinos in January 2007 outside a 7-Eleven in Southeast Baltimore.
The video, taken from store cameras, captured U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rounding up 24 men suspected of being illegal immigrants. Most have since been deported or left the country voluntarily.
In the video, agents can be seen ignoring black store patrons while focusing on Latino men. Advocates say a white man who had hired three Latinos for day labor was allowed to drive his pickup truck away from the 7-Eleven, while the three workers were taken into custody.
In addition, the advocates say, the video shows agents detaining a number of Latinos who had been waiting at a bus stop across the street from the 7-Eleven, a common hiring spot for day laborers..
"Today, with this video, we're fighting back," said Jessica Alvarez, chairwoman of the National Capital Immigration Coalition. "Today, we are showing everyone exactly what our community has been telling us about the abuses, about the racial profiling."
Alvarez spoke at a late-morning news conference at a Fells Point church a few blocks from the 7-Eleven on South Broadway.
Richard Rocha, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said he had not seen the footage. But he denied that agents engaged in racial profiling. "These allegations were thoroughly investigated in 2007 and were deemed to be unsubstantiated," he said.
CASA de Maryland, a Silver Spring-based immigrant advocacy group with a Baltimore office, released the footage. The group announced that it had filed a federal lawsuit last month against the Department of Homeland Security seeking internal documents on the roundup.
The group has received a partially blacked-out report by Homeland Security's Office of Professional Responsibility. The report is redacted after a statement noting that "some of the circumstances surrounding the presence of the officers at the 7-Eleven have come into question."
CASA also said it had filed wrongful-arrest claims for three of the detained men. One has since voluntarily returned to El Salvador. The two others are free on bond in Baltimore while fighting government attempts to deport them. The men are seeking $500,000 apiece.
CASA obtained the footage in 2007 but did not release it earlier because of pending immigration cases, said staff attorney Justin Cox. It also wanted to give the government a "fair shot" to investigate, but an independent accounting has not occurred, Cox said.
Rocha, of ICE, called the roundup proper. "In this case, our officers used their training and experience to respond to a developing situation as it unfolded. They were approached by individuals asking if they needed workers. Those workers were questioned, and ultimately it was determined they were in the country illegally."
The footage shows several Latinos approaching a car as it pulls into the 7-Eleven parking lot. But Cox said agents in that vehicle did not identify themselves and instead posed as contractors. The roundup began moments later as additional ICE agents arrived. c/s
