Article written by Simon Walker
From the Editor, Simon Walker
Another month has flown by. I must say that in recent weeks my attention has been drawn to the horrible destruction wrought by hurricane Katrina in the southeastern US.
The too-little, too-late response of the federal government, as well as the biased, racist media coverage of the looting taking place in New Orleans has outraged many of us here. Yesterday the national media proudly announced that the Mexican Army has “invaded” the US, sending troops and supplies to aid in the disaster relief. Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time Mexico invaded the US; Pancho Villa and his troops attacked Columbus, New Mexico in 1916, during the Mexican Revolution. The news gave us a good chuckle around the house, considering that this is surely the only way Mexican armed forces could launch an invasion now-a-days. No matter what, all of us at the Peace House send our prayers and well wishes to the victims of this disaster and their families. Our fall volunteers have started arriving, and the House is filling up again. Many of us in San Cristóbal have been energized by the meetings the Zapatistas have been holding to expand their “Other Campaign” for a new, non-electoral politics in Mexico. It is truly inspiring to see so many groups and individuals come together to discuss ways to make another sort of politics, one that is anti-capitalist, of the left, and outside the narrow scope of traditional political parties. These meetings are continuing each weekend, and will soon move from the initial “comments & criticism” stage to concrete discussions on the form this new movement will take.
We have also been keeping an eye on conditions in Oaxaca, Chiapas’ neighbor to the northwest. Peace House coordinator Melissa recently returned from a networking trip to the beleaguered state, which was recently ranked number one in the nation for human rights violations. Oaxaca is very similar to Chiapas in terms of its high indigenous population, its wealth of natural resources and its resistance movements. One big difference is the absence of international observers and solidarity workers with a social justice focus to support these communities in resistance. The need for this type of accompaniment in Oaxaca is significant; but, lacking a movement that has garnered international attention as the EZLN has, the vacuum in this area has remained. The Peace House has made contact with a number of organizations working in the state, and plans to strengthen our relations with these groups with an overall vision of eventually sending volunteers to work in Oaxaca.
In this newsletter, you’ll find information on Melissa’s trip to Oaxaca, and the progress of the Zapatista’s “Other Campaign,” as well as updates on US/Mexican border issues, a controversial dam project proposed in Guerrero, and a the reflections of a pastor who visited Chiapas with a Peace House-sponsored delegation.
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