Saludos

[Leon Esperanza]

Hey, just stopping by to greet you all, comrades.

My name isn't Leon, but I prefer to be called that way on the net for security measures.

I am an active comrade in Morelos, Mexico, working on the efforts of La Otra (the other campaign), the anticapitalist movement proposed by the EZLN.

In La Otra we are coming together, anarchist, communist, socialist, ecologist, pacifist, and well, all the people that struggle against the system.

We hope that soon (in historical terms soon, about a decade at most) you shall again be surprised by the people of Mexico. This time it seems the uprising will not be only of the indigenouse, but also the workers, peasants, students...

In any case, if there's anyone who would like to know of the revolutionary process of La Otra, about the EZLN, Atenco, Oaxaca, the political-economical situation (or just references, or whatsoever, even the climate, he) in México, I would be glad to answer (depending on time).

Vale

Desde el valle del centro de México

Abajo y a la izquierda
Leon

[An archist]

yeah, I heard about the thing between Fox and Obrador, how are things going at the moment?

[YSR]

A warm welcome, companero!

You'll likely find resistance from the traditional Leninist folks here, but I am glad to have you here. I think the EZLN is an inspiration and a wonderful example for the rest of us.

[chaz171]

welcome!

[Tekun]

Bienvenido companero

Como esta la situacion haya en Mexico despues del escandalo que ocurrio el viernes con Fox y el PRD?
Esta tensa y en peligro la politica en Mexico? O hay calma y respeto para las instituciones gubernamentales?


Ademas, hay suficiente apoyo para la otra campana? Me gustaria pensar que muchos Mexicanos desean cambio, pero con tanto apoyo para el PRD y el PAN, no se si muchos Mexicanos apoyen una organizacion tan "radical" como el EZLN
Informanos

Hay muchos companeros aqui que apollan a los Zapatistas
Pero hay otros tambien que apoyan mas al Ejercito Popular Revolucionario, porque tienen una ideologia mas Marxista
Yo soy uno de ellos, porque soy Socialista
Pero como los Zapatistas son un grupo de resistencia yo los apoyo, tal vez con un limite, pero los apoyo

Bueno, espero que aprendas mucho y que permanezcas activo

Hasta luego amigo

[Leon Esperanza]

Well there's been already two people (Tekun & An Anarchist) asking about the situation refering to "Obrador and Fox".

(-__- please forgive my lame english, I'll go use a dictionary to translate...)

Let's see...we should start with a (very brief) context to go on understanding the situation.

In Mexico after the revolution (1910-1917) and the really conflictive years following, the popular movement (Zapata, Villa) lost, and a "single party regime" (indentified as "center" more than right or leftist) was consolidated under the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional). Though it was capitalist in its core (recognizing and protecting private property of the means of production) it had some important concessions to the working classes (comunal property of land recognized to peasants, free scholarship to all, minimum wage, secular education, free textbooks, social security, the right to organize unions and strike, the state owning vital sectors such as comunications, oil, etc.). This developed, along with corporativism and a extremely powerfull presidential system, up to the 50's.

After that, during the 60's we begin to see the consolidation of a new capitalist class (that is, those who's fortune was made after the revolution), the birth of the television monopoly (here in Mexico, unlike other countries, we have only two television enterprises with no remarkable diference, both under censorship), and the regime getting more agressive against dissidence (particularly against comunist), we have the student massacre at this epoch along with the assasination of peasant and union leaders (if they couldn't be bribed or coopted).

During the 70's a lot of guerrilla activity (Lucio Cabañas, Jaramillistas, M23, Genaro Vázquez, etc.) happens in response to the governments harshness. This epoch is known as La guerra sucia. Hundreds of students and activist are disapeared, jailled or killed. Any union leader who opposed the system was assasinated and replaced. The "values of society" (meant to be read as- those according to the media) begin to turn more right-ish. You get the panorama...

At the 80's we start to see the ugly tradition of economic crashes at the end of every presidential period. Also state owned companies began to be privatized. At the ending point of this decade you can begin to understand the question...

At 1988 important number of PRI members leave the party in disagreement with the course its taking, led by Cuauhtemoc Cardenas (son of General Lázaro Cardenas, the president who nationalized oil companies) they unite other political parties (among others the mexican socialist and comunist parties) to form a Democratic Front in order to defeat PRI on votations. They seemingly win, however, a fraud is committed. The vote computing system falls down, the ballots are even set on fire, and oficially Salinas de Gortari (PRI) is named president.
A wave of indignation travels through the country. Even the right wing PAN is protesting and forms an "alternative government". The people are expecting the order to fight in the zocalo of Mexico City, but Cárdenas tells them to go home, nothing more. El Maquío (PAN's candidate) suspiciously dies on a car accident.

So we get to the 90's. The Democratic Front transforms to the left-wing party PRD wich the government tries to crush, killing hundreds of its members. We have also the worst monetary devaluation in our history on this moment (the peso devaluated more than a 1000%... and actually it hasn't recovered each "nuevo peso" is actually worth 1000 pesos. To get an idea, a shirt cost you like 120000 pesos). The state owned telephone company (TELMEX, BTW Slim, the owner of TELMEX has become now the fourth most richest man on earth), along with most of state owned companies, is privatized, resistance is eliminated. The right to have comunal owned land is cancelled and it passes to be private property, begining the destruction of Mexico's farmland. Catholic clergy begins to recover its power.

By 1994 NAFTA is signed, at the very same day it goes into effect the EZLN starts its insurgency. That year is electoral, so PRD runs for the presidency with Cárdenas again. Presidential candidate Colosio (PRI) actually speaks against NAFTA...and is murdered, being replaced by Zedillo (your average Chicago boy Neoliberal). PAN was leading on the opinion surveys, however it is suspected they made arangements with PRI because they sudenlly cancelled all public activity. Zedillo result as the winner of the election.

(BTW, some time around this period Obrador is expelled from PRI and joins PRD)

Inmediatly another devaluation and economic crash (again) happens. As a result of this economic crisis all banks break, government decides to transform the private debt into public debt (wich means we the common people of Mexico will be paying, via tax, the bankers debt for an estimate of 70 years!), this meassure was called FOBAPROA. More and more state owned companies are being sold out. Rural life has turned disastrous, literally people are dying of starvation or no services, due to neoliberal policies. Zapatista territory is under siege.

So we get to the year 2000, and we get closer to todays chapter.

Again, electoral year. PRD (again) proposes Cárdenas as President. PRI stakes on a total lame ass, by the name of Francisco Labastida. PAN's running candidate for presidency, Fox, promises to (you'll undesrtand now why I put those facts up there on the context): a) clear out state crimes committed during the guerra sucia, b) imprision those guilty of 1968 students massacre, c) solving FOBAPROA, d) generating 1000000 jobs per year, e) no tax on medicine or food (a neoliberal guideline of the world bank), f) giving higher liberty and a more open democracy, g) solving Chiapas (that is, the conflict with EZLN) in 15 minutes, h) a yearly economic growth (GDP) of 7%. Well besides the spectacular proposals, people vote for Fox basically to get rid of PRI.

So, Fox wins for presidency (And Obrador wins as the mayor of Mexico City).

Up to today Fox: a) did not clear out crimes committed during the guerra sucia, b) declared innocent expresident Echeverría (responsable for the murdering of students in Tlatelolco and on Jueves de Corpus), c) not only did not solve FOBAPROA but created IPAB (in short it ment we would have to pay more and more quickly), d) generated less than 1000000 jobs in a total of 6 years (wich explains why so many mexicans try to jump over the border fence towards the US, besides the fact that the minimum wage here is less than 4 dollars a day, and 7 dollars per hour in California), e) tried to put tax on medicine, food, books, gas, state services, and taxes themselves!, f) if you are a newspaper publisher you might say there is more liberty of expression, however students still are imprissioned, killed or disapeared when they revolt (UNAM), workers strikes are stilled crushed by firing upon them (Michoacán), peasants are brutally repressed when they opose a proyect (Atenco), women who manifest are raped by the police (Atenco...again), shortly, any public demonstration is criminalized (Oaxaca for example), g) did not solve EZLN's petition of Indigenouse law (that is, indian emancipation, the recognition of a diferent culture, the right to control the land where they live, the right to have comunal property of means of production, etc. BUT it was not only Fox, PAN, who vetoed the law and created another law that mocked EZLN's an CNI's [Indian National Convention] proposalls, it was also with PRI and PRD's consent!!), h) and today we "grow" at a 2-3%... also we lost important issues of social services, and our labor rights were dramatically lost.

So as you can imagine many people loath Fox nowadays here, probably even himself.

As to the question itself, with Fox, ultra-right groups (asociated to the catholic church) came to power. So I'm not sure if it was them, if it was the first lady (who wanted to be president), if it was the powerfull buissnesmen, but pressure grew on Fox in order to stop Obradors popularity. So on 2004, an impeachmente trial was set on Obrador. However people responded and movilized on Obradors call. So they ceased this intent.

On July the second elections were held up, for PRD, Obrador was apointed candidate, for PRI (it still kinda survives) Madrazo (responsible for Obradors expulsion from PRI some years back), and for PAN Calderón (whom I might dare to define as fascist). The surveys showed that Obrador was up by up to ten ponits of preference. However in a fishy process Calderon won by 0.5%. So, resistance has started, the main demand is to recount vote by vote. The demonstrators ocupied the zocalo and the main avenues of Mexico city. And PRD's deputies ocupied the congress impeding Fox to give his last year report.

Sadly, you couldn't say that by winning this fight will people change their lifes. Most of Obradors proposals are just as neoliberal as Fox's (selling out State owned national Oil company, for example, "flexibilizing" even more the labor law), and again all of the good proposals are just promises, or, at most, goodwill. Ironically some of todays PRD candidates for congressmen or governors are from PRI and are known to have slaughthered earlyday PRD members back in the 80's. In my state the running PRD candidate for governor was just months ago in PAN. In Chiapas the running PRD candidate was just days ago of the PRI. Also PRD congressmen have aproved antipopular laws such as the one concerning TV (wich ensures its controll bye the neocon TELEVISA & TVAZTECA monopoly), the one concerning indigenouse rights. Also PRD governments dont seem to change much issues or ensure liberty (In Michoacán PRD governs and a worker was shot on a strike, In Cuautla PRD governs and ecologist were repressed, In Atenco PRD has the municipality and they permited the killing, the repression, the raping, the plundering from the police against the rebell town, during Obradors administration left activist "suicided" with no explanation (Digna Ochoa, or Pavel Gonzales for example), bah!

You see... responding to Tekun, In Mexico there is no further respect to institution from the people because there has never ever been respect from institution to the people. Actually we are on the brink of a terminal crisis of the capitalist system here, so, the so called institutions are actually deceased carcasses.

[Leon Esperanza]

As to the second question...


Ademas, hay suficiente apoyo para la otra campana? Me gustaria pensar que muchos Mexicanos desean cambio, pero con tanto apoyo para el PRD y el PAN, no se si muchos Mexicanos apoyen una organizacion tan "radical" como el EZLN
Informanos

Well you could say so... however it's been a rough year.

1) The dificulty to make people join an organization that still hasn't been formed (the idea is rather to form it out among who enter)
2) The dificulty of doing it on an electoral year, everybody thought we had gone mad.
3) The dificulty of doing it under a fascist government (we've had downs already...)

Still, up to now, in a year we have come together (last recount on August):

72 Political leftist organizations (EZLN with its more than 50'000 combatants is just one of them)
136 Indian tribes (Mayas, Mayos, Nahuas, Choles, P'urepechas, Lacandones, Coras, Triquis, Mazahuas, Zoque, etc.)
263 Social organizations
724 NGO's, colectives, groups
3695 as individuals or as barrio or familiar representatives

Plus we have presence or members on:

23 other countries in America
25 countries in Europe
6 countries in Asia
5 countries in Africa
Australia and New Zeland

But we are on low profile for now :D


Hay muchos companeros aqui que apollan a los Zapatistas
Pero hay otros tambien que apoyan mas al Ejercito Popular Revolucionario, porque tienen una ideologia mas Marxista
Yo soy uno de ellos, porque soy Socialista
Pero como los Zapatistas son un grupo de resistencia yo los apoyo, tal vez con un limite, pero los apoyo

Humn, dunno' if its marxist enough but we want the farmland for the peasants, the factories for the workers, the government for the people, and the extintion of exploitation. So I guess it's just enough for now.

I also respect and support EPR's fight. They are also true comrades. ^^

[Zero]

Wow, great and informing story! I hope you find a home on this board ^_^.

[An archist]

You sure seem to know a lot about it, welcome to the forum!

[Tekun]

Thanks for the great and lengthy answer bro ;)

Alot of us support both the EZLN and EPR, its just that since many of us are communists/socialists we agree and adhere with the ideology of the EPR more
Yet, we remain loyal to the resistance of the EZLN

Im glad your base of support is growing


As you can see, Im your neighbor, so to speak
Im from Guatemala, and we've had the exact same problems that you guys have had
Only difference is that we had a 36yr civil war between Marxist groups (URNG) and the government
And as a result of the government's subsistance, Guatemala is a hell hole
But I understand where your coming from

Good luck with it, and stay active on the board
Hasta luego compa

[More Fire for the People]

Welcome. The only caution I would take in La Otra campaign is to keep concrete goals in mind. A lot of theorists like Negri would like to simply see 'the multitudes' — workers groups, ecology groups, humanist groups, peasants, students — in power but this don't cut it. Solidarity fought for this and now Poland has one of the worst kinds of capitalism.

[Leon Esperanza]

The concrete goals are: 1) The PNL (Plan Nacional de Lucha - National Plan for the struggle, that is the "how will we derrocate our capitalist state"), 2) A new form of politics (Instead of going on a template or on top of a box, and speaking out loudly to the masses, we go hear from them and try to get them to agree with the plan), 3) The forming of a new constitution that abolishes capitalist practices.

Orale Tekun, ya veo...

Pues ojala puedas mantenerme informado de como van los acontecimientos allá, si hay un giro importante en la situación o algo, siempre es bueno tener la información de primera mano, no?

Hasta la victoria siempre, compa.

[black magick hustla]

Originally posted by Leon [email protected] 5 2006, 02:05 AM
The concrete goals are: 1) The PNL (Plan Nacional de Lucha - National Plan for the struggle, that is the "how will we derrocate our capitalist state"), 2) A new form of politics (Instead of going on a template or on top of a box, and speaking out loudly to the masses, we go hear from them and try to get them to agree with the plan), 3) The forming of a new constitution that abolishes capitalist practices.

Orale Tekun, ya veo...

Pues ojala puedas mantenerme informado de como van los acontecimientos allá, si hay un giro importante en la situación o algo, siempre es bueno tener la información de primera mano, no?

Hasta la victoria siempre, compa.
Saludos camarada.

Yo soy de Torreón Coahuila, y me alegra saber que exista un frente anti-capitalista bastante fuerte en otra parte de México, ya que el norte del país es un bastión de la reacción, y no existen muchos grupos anti-capitalistas aquí.

Ojala que ustedes sigan los principios libertarios, y no se dejen controlar por dinosaurios estalinistas que no le hacen nada bien al movimiento.

Viva el Comunismo Libertario!

[Leon Esperanza]

¿Que tal compa?

Pues tu que estás por ahi en el Norte, te paso la siguiente convocatoria:

Primer Encuentro Transfronterizo de la Otra Campaña Zona Pacífico
(CONVOCATORIA)
Las organizaciones, grupos, colectivos y personas en lo individual que a ambos lados de la frontera México-Estados Unidos forman parte de La Campaña Nacional con Otra Política por un Programa Nacional de Lucha de Izquierda y por una Nueva Constitución (La Otra Campaña) convocan a [email protected] adherentes y simpatizantes a la Sexta Declaración de la Selva Lacandona, a chambeadores, jóvenes, indígenas, luchadores sociales, intelectuales, artistas, y a todas y todos aquellos que se identifiquen con las luchas desde la izquierda y desde abajo, a participar en el Primer Encuentro Transfronterizo que tendrá lugar en Tijuana, B.C. México, los días 15, 16 y 17 de septiembre de 2006.

Durante los últimos años hemos contemplado con indignación como nuestra patria padece de un deterioro acelerado en prácticamente todos los ámbitos: la clase política se encuentra enfrascada en una lucha feroz por el poder y los privilegios, mientras la gente padece hambre, abusos, violaciones a sus más elementales derechos civiles y humanos; los capitanes de la banca, la industria y el comercio se afanan en saquear más y más los bienes de la Nación, sacrificando sin reparo a las clases desprotegidas, a los obreros, a las mujeres, a los estudiantes, a los niños, a los ancianos, y se alinean con los capitales extranjeros sin que les importen los padeceres del pueblo.
Innumerables hechos pasados y presentes -Oaxaca y Atenco son trágicos ejemplos- demuestran que a los diferentes niveles de gobierno de México les es más fácil golpear que dialogar, más socorrido el método de la represión que el de la negociación, les resulta más cómodo abusar de las mujeres que enfrentarse con la razón a sus adversarios.

Nosotras y nosotros, convocantes al Primer Encuentro Transfronterizo a La Otra Campaña, repudiamos todas las prácticas que privilegian las violaciones de todo tipo que los poderosos de arriba ejercen en contra de quienes somos de abajo y, no por accidente, de izquierda.

Estas son las razones que nos hacen lanzar esta iniciativa de encuentro, de diálogo y de acción, como parte de nuestro compromiso asumido con nuestras y nuestros hermanos que también forman parte de La Otra Campaña.

Esperamos que las organizaciones y personas que en su quehacer cotidiano y concreto luchan por la paz, la democracia, la justicia, la independencia, la dignidad, y la libertad plena del pueblo mexicano, se unan a [email protected] en esta jornada en la que, no por nada, recordamos con respeto como en el pasado hombres y mujeres dignos supieron darle cimiento y futuro a nuestra Nación, una de las razones fundamentales de ser de ésta, una muy Otra Campaña.

Más información: 818-502-9093 (Los Ángeles); 01 664 685 04 00/ 01 664 683 03 60/ 622 42 69 (Tijuana, B.C.)
O al correo electrónico: [email protected]
[email protected] http://laotratijuana.blogspot.com/