There are simple ways to end so many conflicts today. We could stop seeking punitive measures in addressing human and natural reaction to economic imbalance and hardship. We could change our fearful, reactive, greedy, other-ing philosophies. We could focus on helping, giving, healing, growing—not bombing, fearing, hoarding, killing. Sadly, though, the powers that be do not want such a world.
ON MEXICO’S INDEPENDENCE DAY, and just as the celebration was full swing, two grenades exploded among the crowd.
The latest [violence] during the traditional “grito,” or shout for independence, late Monday night. Michoacan Gov. Leonel Godoy had just finished shouting “Viva Mexico!” from a balcony, when the two grenades exploded simultaneously in the crowd, blocks apart.
At first, the throngs of families thought the explosions were part of the fireworks display. Then thick, black smoke rose from the crowd, people started screaming and the cathedral’s bells fell silent. As the crowd cleared, rescuers attended to the wounded and dead.
Both state emergency officials and state prosecutors said seven were killed, although there were earlier reports that the death toll had risen to eight.
Godoy, who was unhurt, said witnesses saw a heavyset man wearing black throw one of the grenades, then beg forgiveness for what he had done. But he provided no more details, and there were no immediate claims of responsibility. Authorities made no arrests.
“Without a doubt, we believe this was done by organized crime,” he said. The governor’s office later said he was traveling to Mexico City late Tuesday to meet with Calderon.
The attack targeted a cherished tradition that brings millions of Mexicans together in public plazas each year, and cast an immediate pall over Tuesday’s parades, held in cities and towns across the nation to celebrate the 1810 start of Mexico’s 10-year war of independence from Spain.
“Without a doubt” they “believe” this was done by organized crime…and without a speck of evidence!
It’s really amazing how fast all the papers are to pin this on the Cartels. Not that both the Mexican government (another organized crime unit) and the Cartels aren’t escalating violence, ever since Calderón stole the election. But so has the Mexican Government, in its dirty refusal to heed the people and their violent rejection of the corrupt Ulises Ortiz Ruiz. They both are. But even in the first paragraph, and without ANY evidence at all, articles are pushing the government line.
So Calderón, the slimy and illegitimate president, gets his little foto op of him stroking a girl’s forehead while he orders troops into Michoacán, and puts people on a “high alert” for more violence and steps up patrols in Morelia and other municipalities such as Apatzingán, Aguililla, Tepalcatepec, Buenavista, Uruapan and Lázaro Cárdenas.
US papers make sure to remind us, or imply, immediately what is behind that violence. (My emphasis:)
MORELIA, Mexico (AP) — Assailants threw two grenades into a huge crowd of Independence Day revelers, killing seven and injuring more than 100 in a brazen attack that escalates the war between Mexico’s army and drug gangs.
Clever, eh? But sadly, it is true that this escalates the ongoing and escalating violence, even if it is not true that the “drug gangs” caused it. Even if this was done by the CIA or related people (a very popular trick of governments not only in the USA, but recently in Oaxaca, and historically, such as in Tlatelcolco), it will (and already is) being used to justify more violence by the Mexican government, more military presence, and more repressive tactics. It ain’t no new story.
It’s alllll about this:
MORELIA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico’s president called for an end to a culture of “impunity and tolerance” of crime on Wednesday after suspected drug traffickers killed seven people in a grenade attack during independence day celebrations.
But not an end to tolerance of stolen elections, corrupt governors, police instigating violence to blame it on la gente, no! That crime is okay. But clearly, this is a signal that things are about to change even more for poor madre México.
As I (and many others) write often, this “GWOT” is a front for more government control and militarization of culture and more juice to the corporate forces now sucking up loot and fuel in Iraq and all over.
Aqui, they scare us with brown people from poorer nations. Alli, they use the threat of Cartels to justify more intrusive methods of control. They don’t care what the ‘reason’ is. But they respond the same. More wiretapping. More weapons. More police. More jails.
They lie about what is really going on most of the time, and if justice or truth begins to surface, then people are simply erased, kidnapped, or killed.
And all this is coming down and revving up because while you and I are busy making a living from day to day, the fat cats in the government living on our taxes and other stolen monies have the time to sit around and look ahead. And what do they see?
They see the increasing shortage of resources. This massive imbalance that fuels the illusion of this Pile we can all have a part of and in reality is but a class war cannot continue forever. They fear turmoil in their Green Zones.
They know that if they are to continue to hoard and exploit the people and the workers of the world, they need to be more violent and forceful as supplies get low, and as the People resist more and more.
They do not trust the people, they do not trust Democratic process, they fear gente who are used to standing up. They are instilling fascism in degrees, because we’ll all take that. We’ll blog about it and talk about it, but for the most part, go on with our lives.
They continue to to normalize increased and unwarranted police presence, they instill fear of Tasers and detainment centers by using them abusively and meting out no justice that would punish the police; they sell us fear and false flags and react against the people’s gatherings with violence; they need to make us feel we are doomed unless they are marching in the streets with weapons.
There are simple ways to end so many conflicts playing out today. Very very simple. We could take the bite out of the drug trade by being honest about it. We could make profit from the massive amounts of marijuana that people smoke and will always smoke, just like we profit from Paxil, Prozac, Ambien, Xanax, and on and on and on. We could lessen prison time for non-violent offenders, we could offer help instead of harm to people who need healing. We could stop seeking punitive and harsh measures as a way of addressing human and natural reaction to economic imbalance and hardship. We could change our fearful, reactive, greedy, other-ing philosophies.
Sure, we could do all of that. We could lessen the violence in the world and the fear in the world by focusing on helping, giving, healing, growing. Not bombing, fearing, hoarding, killing.
But sadly, amigos, they do not want that. These government agents who profit from our pain and fear do not want a world of peace. That’s not hyperbole. They fear Peace Tshirts, they fear the talk of a “Departnment of Peace.” They fear small groups of college students who simply plan to hold signs in the streets! These goons with fecal-flecked hearts and massive bank accounts fear everything except the justice which will one day find them. And it will find them.
Meanwhile, be strong. Seek your joy today, it is a greater power than any they wield. Share some with others. And don’t believe what the TV tells you.
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Excellent post, and dead on accurate. What makes me sick is how the headlines today in the only two newspapers in town were about Washington Mutual in huge bold letters, and nothing about the escalating violence in my place of birth. It saddens me how callous the U.S is, and how much the Latino voice is drowned out by things like an SNL skit.
Absolutely. The militarization of society has been ongoing for a long time, but now it is out in the open in blatant ways, and yet many people are oblivious.
No arguements here, but overlooked is that Leonel Godoy, and the Michoacan administration is overwhelmingly PRD. There’s a suspicion that the grenade attacks might have been from far-rightist groups — or involving any one of the several different underground political groups in Michoacan… or gangsters employed by any number of people.
Also unreported was the very short Calderon grito. AMLO had given his counter-grito a few hours earlier and the crowd stuck around to dis Don Felipe.
I’m not naive about the gangsters… a police comandante was blown away at my neighborhood C-store, and a couple of headless gang-bangers showed up abandoned behind the supermarket down the street… but that doesn’t mean we’re willing to give in to state control. Better inefficient cops and bumbling detectives than armed soldiers and state surveillence.
While you might not see it in the media NOB, there is significant opposition to the idea of Mexicans fighting the U.S. “war on drugs/terror/… others” especially when the U.S. has been unwilling — or unable — to do a damn thing about the gun running and money laundering that overwhelms our all too imperfect police.
EXACTLY, EXACTLY, EXACTLY, AND EXACTLY…PASS IT ON!
[...] Familia) allied with the Zetas (who normally operate elsewhere). All a little too convenient. Nezua suspect the CiA… which is not off the wall at [...]
A recipe for gov’t evasion, no?
Let’s see… bombs go off, fingers are pointed at socially acceptable, stereotyped ‘bad guys’ and and the lens swings away from whatever the heck the gov’t is doing, all the while killing people who have nothing to do with any of it.
hmmm…where have I seen that story play out before?
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