My Experience of Oaxaca

I just want to give my point of view. I was in Oaxaca during the first week of August, totally by accident. I was supposed to be in Venezuela as part of a delegation that was visiting some missions and social programs in the rural areas of the State of Laura & Falcon. The purpose to see first hand the money the Hugo Chavez has been investing to the real people, the real Venezuelans and not the descendants of the conquering Spanish that have controlled the countries wealth prior to. I actually missed my flight in Mexico City and missed the rendezvous in Caracas. It turned out to be a blessing. I still plan to go to Venezuela but at that point in time God had sent me forth for another agenda. After witnessing first hand the major 2nd rally in the Zocalo in Mexico City for Presidential Candidate Obrador I was incredibly thankful. It was an experience I would call once in a life time. There were 2 million Mexican citizens from all states, parties, organizations, and social classes concentrated in the famous Zocalo in a massive peaceful demonstration in support of the candidate for the people. I often found myself staring into the eyes of these people, and seeing the patriotic intentions and soulful hopes to see true democracy withstand this test not for themselves, but for their children. Mexicans are a people of culture, still attached to their roots. Their was no such protest in the USA when Gore lost to Bush. It's sad to say but the lifestyle of Americans cuts us from our roots. The USA is full of broken families, widespread drug use, international ignorance, & driven by out of control materialism. We are clones cut away from our mother's roots and set under the grow light to quickly consume and become profit for our capitalistic gardeners. Mexico is a country that recognizes as heroes the revolutionaries that battled the corrupt governments often to the death, Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Miguel Hidalgo, José María Morelos y Pavón, and the currently alive Subcomandante Marcos.

Since becoming familiar with the struggle I have followed stories from both the governments media pawns as well as the battle ground positioned Indy media journalists. It sickening to see what's been happening. The mainstream media has portrayed the leaders and APPO movement as a violent destabilizing quest to oust Governor Ulises Ruiz. The inception of the movement was construed by a teacher's strike which terms were increased wages & benefits. Some 70,000 teachers were on strike throughout the entire Oaxaca state, they centralized their movement into the Oaxaca capital. This was a result of many petitions, propositions, & negotiations that often went unheeded by the government. Unfortunately, the situation has another side to it. It may not necessarily have been the "intent" of the government to "ignore" the strikers. It comes down to money, and Mexico doesn't have it. This is not to say that what the government did was excusable. In fact, it justifies the opposite. The situation in Mexico is the result of corrupt government officials creating agreements with the United States that proliferate their own political agenda at the expense of the Mexican populations welfare. One specific example being the NAFTA agreement between Mexico, the USA, & Canada. This has resulted in increased imports into Mexico & plummeting prices for almost all of the countries crop exports. Causing the most direct impact on the small acreage farmers of Mexico, this happens to be the majority of the population.

In a democratic system the people have the right to ask their elected officials to speak on their behalf. Instead of accepting this responsibility the elected officials bow to their powerful superiors, becoming a voice against the people. Which it what the entire democratic system has molded itself into, whether it's Mexico or the United States. The governor of Oaxaca should have stood by the side of the teachers and promoted their cause. Instead, just weeks into the strike, Governor Ulises Ruiz sends a force of 800 police with military like ground & aerial support into the Zocalo during the dead of the night to clear out the strikers. Resulting in casualties, missing persons, and collateral damage to the physical town and spiritual souls of the people. This sadistic manner in which Ruiz attempted to end this strike led to increased support for the cause. The six months the proceeded this engagement can only be described as absolute tyranny by a government onto its own citizens. The incredible finale to this movement capitalizes the methods of the capitalistic system running our societies. With the controversially elected President at the reigns an actual military invasion took place in November, an attempt to violently end the strike permanently.

The invasion was successful in dispersing the people from their headquarters in the town Zocalo. And the media has done its part in attempting to illustrate a city returning to "normal". However, it's the government that has lost ground. The people have learned how to be unified. They have learned the tactics of the oppressors and found methods to counter them. During this conflict I saw the citizens, both compañeros and compañeras, young and old working together building blockades, organizing patrols, creating a radio station to keep their followers informed and organized, designating responsibilities and tasks amongst themselves. We witnessed the hope of a population transformed into actions, we saw leaders born into rank, and we were given a glimpse of an organized revolution formed out of the strategy that only truth & faith can erect. I would just like to say how grateful I am to have the honor to say I have born witness to the dreams of my true brothers and sisters. That I one day hope to endure the pain and suffering required to wipe away the dark wickedness that engulfs this world. Just as the flame of a candle light can illuminate a room, the revolution will illuminate the world. And as the flame grows and the light spreads, more people will see it and will be guided through and out of the darkness because its strength comes from truth…Hasta La Victoria Siempre!

-Livesoul

"They don't know that there is no better tactic, no better strategy than to fight with clean hands, to fight with the truth. Because these are the only weapons that inspire confidence, that inspire faith, that inspire security, dignity, and morale. And these are the weapons we revolutionaries have been using to defeat and crush our enemies. Lies. Who has ever heard a lie from the lips of a revolutionary? Lies are weapons that help no revolutionary, and no serious revolutionary ever needs to resort to a lie. Their weapon is reason, morality, truth, the ability to defend an idea, a proposal, a position." --Fidel Castro--