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| Home Front: Politix |
| CACommies Head South To Join MexiCommies |
| 2006-09-05 |
| Alliance to join Mexican candidate Activists offer aid to Lopez Obrador A group of local activists is heading south of the border later this month to try to change the course of Mexican history. Members of the Riverside-based National Alliance for Human Rights are joining supporters of leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in a series of events coinciding with Mexican Independence Day. The National Alliance is part of a larger coalition of groups from Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Dallas, Chicago and other cities that plan to converge in Mexico City on Sept. 14. "I want to be part of the process of recuperating the dignity of our history," said Rosa Martha Zarate, a Colton resident who is going on the trip. "This is the moment to stand and defend the people's right to know the truth." Lopez Obrador continues to challenge the outcome of the July 2 presidential election that was apparently won by conservative Felipe Calderon. Supporters of Lopez Obrador contend the campaign was marred by widespread irregularities that cost the former Mexico City mayor the election. Lopez Obrador demanded a full recount of the roughly 41 million votes cast in the election, but officials agreed to count only a fraction of disputed ballots. A review by an electoral court showed there were minor glitches that shaved a few thousand votes off Calderon's 244,000-vote margin of victory. However, the court said the problems weren't significant enough to swing the outcome in Lopez Obrador's favor. The court is still reviewing Lopez Obrador's claim that there was a widespread conspiracy on the part of President Vicente Fox and his political party to deny Lopez Obrador the presidency. Calderon and Fox belong to the National Action Party, or PAN. Lopez Obrador is a member of the Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD. The court has until Wednesday to declare a president-elect or annul the election and call for a new vote. Fox, who is limited by law to a single six-year term, leaves office Dec. 1. The court has yet to render its final verdict, but Lopez Obrador is already anticipating the worst. He has indicated plans to establish a parallel government that would run the country in open defiance of Calderon. Lopez Obrador supporters have set up encampments along Mexico City's main boulevard, blocked roads and taken other measures in an effort to demonstrate their political strength. On Sept. 1, they stormed the legislative palace, preventing Fox from delivering his state of the nation address to Congress. However, many residents in the capital have grown weary of the disruption caused by the protesters, complaining they have snarled traffic and hurt businesses. Some political analysts say that Lopez Obrador's support has slowly eroded as his tactics have become increasingly desperate. "The polling is showing he's in a free fall in terms of his support," said George Grayson, a government professor at the College of William and Mary who was in Mexico City last week. "If the election were held today, Calderon would win by 20 points because of the backlash against Lopez Obrador's antics." In their biggest challenge yet to Calderon and his party, Lopez Obrador's supporters plan to hold a separate Independence Day gathering in the central square of Mexico City on the evening of Sept. 15. Lopez Obrador is expected to perform one of the country's most sacred rituals the traditional ringing of the bell and shout of freedom at the same time that Fox performs his own ceremony at the same historic building. The next day, tens of thousands of Mexican soldiers loyal to Fox will march in a military parade that is supposed to start at the same spot where thousands of Lopez Obrador supporters are entrenched. Local activists hope the situation doesn't turn violent. "Mexico is a powder keg," said Armando Navarro, coordinator of the National Alliance and an ethnic studies professor at UC Riverside. "Anything could explode now." Members of the alliance plan to remain on the sidelines if a conflict arises. "We have made it clear that they have to be careful," Navarro said. "We're not there to throw rocks or agitate or do anything to create an upheaval. We're going as participants and supporters." Grayson said Lopez Obrador would like to provoke the Fox administration into committing acts of violence to boost his support. "He wants to make martyrs," Grayson said. "He wants a couple of people with bloody faces and black eyes to reinforce his argument that the government is repressive and illegitimate and blind to the needs of the masses." Navarro and his group also are also attending the National Democratic Convention to be led by Lopez Obrador in the central square on Sept. 16. At the convention, Lopez Obrador is expected to spell out his plans for creating a parallel government. Navarro said many members of the National Alliance have dual U.S. and Mexican citizenships which make them especially concerned about what happens in Mexico. Prolonged economic instability could cripple the Mexican economy, leading to massive unemployment and an even greater exodus of migrants to the United States. In addition, Mexicans in the United States send their relatives back home an estimated $20 billion a year in remittances. If that flow of money were to be cut off because of a major political upheaval, millions of people would be in dire economic straits, Navarro said. "If Mexico catches a cold, those of us in the United States are going to be sneezing," Navarro said. |
| Posted by:Clereng Glomolet2652 |
| #9 Ok so I off by a letter. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2006-09-05 13:38 |
| #8 Yanqui go home! Actually I hope they find a home in Mexico and stay there. Now that Soviet munitions don't back Communism I'm not really afraid of communism spreading. Let losers be losers and provide an example for the rest. Just build a wall first. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-09-05 12:48 |
| #7 Nope. That was the PRI, another party entirely. A brief run down of Mexico's history as relates to political reform here. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-09-05 12:19 |
| #6 I am a little fuzzy on Mexican Politics but wasnÂ’t the PRD in power for decades BEFORE they had election reform? |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2006-09-05 12:10 |
| #5 The real story will be how Obrador reacts to the court's decision later today. They're going to certify the vote as valid, since, well, it was valid. Will Obrador set up a 'parallel government' as many are saying? Will Fox or Calderon allow it, and how will they stop it?Break out the popcorn. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-09-05 11:05 |
| #4 Given how Mexicans feel about all things Yanqui (except our jobs, freedoms, and opportunities for those who choose to come across the border), especially those on the Mexican Left, what odds these helpful Americans are going to drive away some Obrador support? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-09-05 10:59 |
| #3 The U.S. should chrter buses and invite all the LLL Mo0nb@t5 to travel south to "help the revolution." Once they are safely accross we should seal the border and post the following sign: You keep them, no take backs. Usted los mantiene, no toman espaldas. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2006-09-05 10:30 |
| #2 Check citizenship as they leave. Mexicans can do what they like, but US citizens are usually discouraged from taking part in private fights in other countries. |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-09-05 10:08 |
| #1 ...Oh, THIS will be a hoot. Can't wait for the first time they insist on their 'rights'in front of a hot, tired, and pissed-off Federale with a #6 truncheon. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2006-09-05 09:05 |