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| Nochixtlan, Oaxaca |
For the past many several days I have been trying to catch up on neglected business around here and in the States due to Freida's eight month illness and her passing which just knocked the wind out of both of us....and I am still not caught up.
This early evening I was out in front watering the cactus and assessing repair work that needs to be done when a neighbor ( a more or less newly arrived gringo renter) asked how I was. I said something like..." ...well okay I guess, I have to do chemo on my legs again...what do you think about the nine unarmed teachers who were killed by the Federal police in Oaxaca?" He replied in a hostile and angry voice, "I don't live in Oaxaca, I live here." I said, "But it is the same, this is Mexico, we are living in Mexico." And then he said, "Didn't anything nice happen to you today?" (This shouldn't have come as a complete surprise, this is the same guy who has insulted and called Mike "worthless" behind his back and commented also behind Mike's back, "...is that all he does is clean the car windows ?" - this after Mike had given him a welcome to the neighborhood organic bottle of wine, one Lila Downs CD (which we are sure they never listened to), a movie to watch, plus bags of cement, offered help when his girlfriend "Linda" fell and broke her wrist, after two nights noticing his flippin garage door was left open - we could have just left it that way and let him get completely ripped off - Mike approached him and told him (not in a weird way) that he really needs to keep it closed and locked. Damn, we shouldn't have said anything and let the prick get robbed, -- gives unsolicited and misinformed advise "If you live down here and are an American you can't vote" referring to the US Presidential Primary & General Elections, got completely in my face and told me I shouldn't be watering my potted plants because there is a drought and it was supposed to rain, made an off the wall comment regarding views at SADM, etc. I regret we gave them the wine since now it is apparent he is a heavy drinker, but it could be a lot worse, the real estate agents have moved some real lowlife gringo renters into SADM - which has basically turned into a renter's paradise. Edit: 08/13: another renter about three doors down from this asshole along with his friends threw glass booze bottles and beer cans on our street, tons of them. Reuban took care of it. That is how it is here, no wonder the white eyed gringos don't come back, and they never will.
This was shocking to me, to turn another Mexican tragedy into something personal instead of dealing with or at least talking about the reality. I feel as Americans not only should we be concerned over the real possibility of the fascist Donald Trump becoming POTUS and the millions of followers and true believers he has accumulated in the United States, but we should be concerned over the "undeniable atrocities" against humanity in Mexico where we are living. Both situations deserve extreme scrutiny, are they not analogous? How can a person rally against one and not the other ? Another huge question comes to mind, how many of those bullets fired or arms used against the unarmed demonstrators were purchased from the U.S. Military?
That said, here is a link in English for you to an outstanding report (the best so far I think) of the present situation in Oaxaca along with a complete history of events in the region. Note previous reports by Shirin Hess at the end of the article.
Truth Out
Oaxaca's Teachers Movement Not Thwarted by State Terror
by, Shirin Hess
From Open Society Foundations, their current 2016 report which you can download and related works, a must read:
Open Society Foundations
"Undeniable Atrocities Confronting Crimes Against Humanity in Mexico"
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Well, plenty of people worldwide are deeply concerned over the situation in Oaxaca and they don't even live here. Demonstrations were held in New York, Los Angeles, Europe and South America to name a few - those reports and current events at these links:
Aristegui Noticias
CNTE
Aristegui Noticias
OAXACA
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The Contamination
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| Courtesy Zeta: This is the raw sewage being dumped and coming east from Tijuana flowing west through Real Del Mar on to the beach and into the ocean at SADM -just a bit north of our baranca. |
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| Courtesy Zeta: This is even more dumping of raw sewage coming east from Tijuana flowing down west through Real del Mar and through our baranca on to the beach and into the ocean here at SADM. We have to shut our windows both during the day and at night because the smell is so bad. Even ten years ago we had so many seals and dolphins here but no more, even they stay away. There is a perfect little reef break which was always a secret spot out in front, but no one not even I surf it anymore. Last spring we were gathering rocks for my rock garden and noticed the Mexican locals were staying out of the water, the word was obviously out despite the fact that there were no warning signs of contamination posted on the beach. There still are no warning signs of contamination on the beach. Complete article from Zeta below includes contamination levels here and points south. |
And now here's a bit of street gossip....the old La Costa Restaurant @ SADM which burned down almost to the ground people are saying will be replaced by either high rise pricey condos or a high rise...
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| Don't miss Nancy Flores related articles - I put the link in English for you. |
hotel with a casino ! Many fond memories, that used to be the classiest restaurant around. Ah, paradise lost.
Edit: I was told that Zeta link is not coming up. If it doesn't come up for you do a search for:
"CESPT: Descarga mas de 800 litros de aguas negras por segundo a playa San Antonio"
http://www.zetatijuana.com/2016/04/18/cespt-descarga-mas-de-800-litros-de-aguas-negras-por-segundo-a-playa-san-antonio/
Edit: You can follow more of Jose Ibarra, Maria Carmen Flores and Salvador Corvera's reports on the state of the environment on Sintesis in addition to being able to sign up for their reports which will be sent to your email address. This link comes up very slow but worth the wait, excellent videos, catch the sidebar and noted that Rosarito Beach authorities have not responded to inquiries re ocean pollution:
Sintesis
Exigen cerrar playa de San Antonio del Mar por descargas de aguas negras
http://www.stmedia.net/noticias/regional/exigen-cerrar-playa-de-san-antonio-del-mar-por-descargas-de-aguas
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"I am for people. I can't help it"...Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin. Have plenty of sugar in your coffee there neighbor?
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P.S. While you are waiting for the DNC Platform and local drug war updates, here's something to hold you over, the second is the Tom Morello (xxxooo !!!) version and I haven't found any Mexican Federal Police corridos, anyone ? ay, ay, ay....and for the record, I told the "weird" (as the Mexican locals call him) neighbor to get fuc@ed. (;
"Published on May 8, 2016 In December 1950, Woody Guthrie moved to an apartment building in Brooklyn – Beach Haven Apartments. His landlord: Fred Trump, father of Donald Trump. Woody Guthrie wrote these lyrics in 1951, and 65 years later, the Missin' Cousins, a County-Western music group from Oakland California, present a recording of these new lyrics to I Ain't Got No Home in this World Anymore.
To read the fascinating story about where these lost Woody Guthrie lyrics about Old Man Trump came from, see this article by Woody Guthrie scholar professor Will Kaufman: https://theconversation.com/woody-gut... I suppose Old Man Trump knows Just how much Racial Hate he stirred up In the bloodpot of human hearts When he drawed That color line Here at his Eighteen hundred family project .... Fred Trump used US government millions to construct post-war public housing, moving people of color out of their neighborhoods, and creating racial codes to keep decent housing out of the hands of persons of color. Old Man Trump made his millions creating the postwar racial codes that have produced the racist inequality that lives to this day.
In his two years at Beach Haven, Woody Guthrie witnessed Old Man Trump’s racist practices, and wrote some of his most bitter songs and lyrics, including a re-write of "I Ain't Got No Home in this World Anymore" aimed directly at Old Man Trump:
Beach Haven ain't my home! I just cain't pay this rent!
My money's down the drain!
And my soul is badly bent!
Beach Haven looks like heaven Where no black ones come to roam!
No, no, no! Old Man Trump!
Old Beach Haven ain't my home!
For more Missin' Cousins music see: https://themissincousins.bandcamp.com/ “Beach Haven Race Hate,” “Beach Haven Ain’t My Home” 1952, by Woody Guthrie, © copyright Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc Category People & Blogs License Standard YouTube License " Tom Morello (xxxooo!!!) version:
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