Thank you Mapache. Please keep it coming.
I have found that foreign coverage of protests in Latin America always come short. It sounds like the kind of thing we’ve gone through on ocassions, luckily nothing like that in recent times.
:smack: Actually, that article is from In These Times.
Here’s one from The Nation.
Can anyone explain to me why Mexicans are picketing this situation here on the streets on Phoenix? I just can’t figure out what they hope to accomplish? 
BTW, Mapache, what ever happened to them Zapatistas? Seems like they had a revolution getting started a few years ago and then it just kinda faded out of sight and mind. Seems that way up here, anyway.
Just a term of endearment; in Spanish, the diminutive often means “beloved” instead of “small”. SiL’s best friend, all 4’10" of her, calls her 6’2" bear of a husband “mi maridito” or, if she’s feeling especially festive “mi maridín maridito” - since she also uses the double scoop when she’s trying to get his attention and couldn’t, it gets her a worried look until he figures out which is the case.
November 2 is cemetery-visiting day for Catholics (Feast of the Faithful Departed, if I’m translating it correctly); the Mexican traditions, as Ale mentioned, are specially colorful.
Wow, I hadn’t heard about this. I spent some time in Oaxaca in 2003 and loved the place. 'Course, I wasn’t there long enough to learn the ins and outs of local politics 
Thanks for the info, Mapache.
Things are maybe a little more peaceful right now, except yesterday somebody firebombed the Burger King. Nobody seems to know who, much less why, but they made a real mess out of (it was closed at the time so there wasn’t anyone inside). I would have preferred that they bomb McDonald’s, which is right across the street from the BK, but I suppose there’s no accounting for taste.
Also there was a big march on Monday; Elena marched with a lot of her friends and was very annoyed to find out the the PRI had gotten to the head of the marchers with a lot of signs supporting Ulysses, so the press and TV claimed that everyone else was supporting the governor, which they weren’t. They mostly just wanted to show their support for peace, which isn’t going to come until UR is gone.
Even the Catholic bishops and archbishops, who usually back the PRI to the hilt as long as they are allowed to beat up on evangelists, are coming out in favor of the APPO. The cardinals, of course, especially Norberto Rivera, are still sucking up to the old guard.
BG: I don’t know much about what’s going on with the EZNL, except that Subcomandante Marcos campaigned openly for Lopez Obrador and wasn’t molested, although he is suppposedly some sort of outlaw. I’ll ask around and see what I can find out.
\
Is this still going on? The Wikipedia article is unclear, and Googling yields no recent reports.
Thanks for the live reports, Mapache. As stated earlier, it’s great to get this from someone who doesn’t have a vested, professional interest in what’s going on. American media are so heavily spun that the only place we can get halfway objective news is our comedy channels.
Please keep this coming, it is fascinating.
There was a brief confrontation yesterday between the federal police and a small group of protesters near the zocalo. The protests continue but it appears that with the presence of the PFP there have been fewer confrontations. The goons from the PRI now have to answer to higher authority.
The state prosecutor is apparently trying to spin the death of the American reporter into him being the victim of the protesters he was accompanying when he was shot. This is a very typical reaction by PRI run governments. The govenor appoints the attorney general and everyone knows how crooked that bunch is.
So, is Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz going to resign or not?
Quick update, if anyone is still following the news from here: things have taken a sudden and very ominous turn as of Saturday. Several thousand protesters marched into downtown with the expressed purpose of kicking the federales out of the zocalo, and things got seriously out of control. At least seventeen buildings in the heart of town were set on fire, including several on Macedonia Alcala street, where the Santo Domingo cathedral is located, (a World Heriage site) plus the bus station, and a lot of cars and trucks- at least fifty according to the news- were burned. I tried to get downtown to check things out and was turned back by some apparant cops in uniforms I haven’t seen before. Yesterday there was another march which I only found out about because the kids’ school called at noon and said come pick them up right away; I didn’t go anywhere near the demonstratiion. I’ll try to get a look today, but I’m going to leave my car a long way from downtown and walk. More later.
Mapache–Do not go!
Stay home!
Cops in unfamiliar uniforms + buildings on fire = trouble.
I missed this thread the first time around, but it’s facinating. I’m going to go with Bosda on this one, stay low Mapache and keep safe.
Mapache?
Today everything seems to have calmed down. I went downtown and looked around- didn’t go to the zocalo because it’s still full of federales and I don’t trust them not to think I’m some kind of outside agitator, but I drove around and walked around and except for the burnedout buildings there wasn’t much to see. TV news all day was focused on a big fight- literal fight, with punches and kicks and a lot of screaming- between the PANistas and the PRDistas in Mexico City. More later if anything happens.
Apparently the police are now back in control.
Hayzoos Kreestay, this thing ain’t over yet!