Note to OSAG
January 22, 2007
Below are two lead articles in Noticias. Let me say fist that Noticias is not suffering a split personality – look out for the unsigned articles, the articles with no by-line. They are advertisements for Governor Ulises Ruiz. The articles don’t say so, but such puff-pieces, with no attribution, can’t be casual.
On the other hand, Noticias continues to publish signed articles – usually front-page condemnations of URO, reports of violence against the APPO (plenty to report), exposés of hideous conditions in various communities which never received promised services, etcetera.. The radio site, Radio Hit, continues to report. The radio site also broadcasts a morning essay (I don’t hear the afternoon broadcasts) which is uniformly anti URO.
Today is January 22, 2007. I’m grappling with my anger and grief at the ruin of this city. I’m ok, amigos. I’m listening to a CD by Bob Marley given to me by a 22 year old.
OCTAVIO VÉLEZ ASCENCIO
El Obispo de la Diócesis de Saltillo, Coahuila, Raúl Vera López, afirmó durante la Jornada Ecuménica por Oaxaca "Por una paz que nazca de la justicia" que la represión en Oaxaca hacia los simpatizantes del movimiento magisterial y popular demuestra que "cuando la fuerza de la razón no es la que vale y cuando no hay razones convincentes para mantenerse en el poder, lo único que queda es el garrote".
The bishop of the Diocesis of Saltillo, Coahuila, Raúl Vera López, affirmed during the Ecumenical Work Day for Oaxaca “For a peace born in justice” that the repression in Oaxaca toward sympathizers of the teachers and popular movement shows that “when the strength of reason is worth nothing and when there are no convincing reasons to keep oneself in power, the only thing left is the club”.
En la Jardin Caravajal ante el “operativo” desarrollo por segundo día por las policías Preventiva del Estado y Municipal de Oaxaca de Juárez, para cerrar todos los accesos al atrio del templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán a fin de impedir la celebración del evento y el ingreso de los participantes, subrayó que la mejor prueba de la represión y el estado de excepción fue la movilización policíaca porque la Jornada Ecuménica por Oaxaca era para orar por la paz, además de tener los organizadores la autorización explícita del Ayuntamiento capitalino.
In Caravajal Garden, before the development operation for the second day by the Preventive Police of State and Municipality Oaxaca de Juárez, to close all the accesses to the atrium of church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in order to impede the celebration of the event and the entrance of the participants, he underlined that the best proof of repression and the state of emergency was police mobilization because the Ecumenical Day for Oaxaca was to pray for peace, and the organizations had the explicit authorization of city hall.
"Pude comprobar el ambiente represivo; Oaxaca no está bien, es evidente. Caminé unas tres cuadras (de Santo Domingo al Jardín Carvajal) y tuve que pasar tres vallas y muchos policías y esto no es normal, y así eso de que en Oaxaca se respetan las libertades es solamente un manejo demagógico", afirmó.
“It proves the repressive environment; Oaxaca is not well, that’s clear. I walked some three blocks (from Santo Domingo to Jardín Carvajal) and had to pass three barricades and many police and that is not normal, and so it’s that in Oaxaca respecting liberty is only rhetoric, “ he affirmed.
My walk today took me past the same route, the same police. I asked one guy why they were there, and he said to protect the tourists like me. I asked him, Protect us from what? but he had no answer. He actually called over his superior officer to get a reply, but the officer had no response either. They’re just protecting us.
Raul Vera, for those of you who don’t recall, is a good friend of Samuel Ruiz, former bishop of Chiapas.