Forwarded message:
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 1994 17:00:03 -0800
From: La Mujer Obrera <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: greetings of solidarity
Dear Friends,
It is with great sadness and concern that
we send these greetings of solidarity.
Conditions in Mexico are quickly deteriorating
and we are preparing for the growing
possibility of war in Mexico. Troop movements
continue, with increased repression against
popular movements. In addition the recent
resignation of Mexico's Deputy Attorney
General Mario Ruiz Masseiu, who had conducted
a substantial investigation into the murder of
his brother, PRI general secretary Francisco
Ruiz Masseiu confirms fears that the PRI
government is infiltrated by drug lords. Its
internal decomposition signals not only a
clear inability to govern, but an inability to
maintain the negotiated peace because of the
party's hard line against any kind of
democratic reform; much less to respond to
demands for justice for the country's poor and
indigenous communities.
Here in the US, we are stunned by the
pronounced indifference of the press and the
U.S. government to this situation, and fear
that the American people will once again be
shocked out of complacency much as they were
January 1st of this year. Only recently a
report from the Copley News Service,
distributed along the U.S.-Mexico border
characterized outgoing President Carlos
Salinas de Gortari as "the man who
revolutionized the face of 20th century
Mexico, [transforming] Mexico from an
inefficient, underdeveloped country into one
of the most promising economies in the world".
The article signals the North American Free
Trade Agreement as the "crowning economic
accomplishment."
This misinformation serves the purpose of
keeping potential investors calm and
interested; but it goes against national
interests, both in the US and Canada. A war
in Mexico will be another Vietnam; except its
consequences will be double in size and
destructiveness. It appears that the United
States has learned nothing from the past. It
is now a real possibility that it will allow
the genocidal annihilation of indigenous
communities much as it did in the mid-1800's
in order to satisfy the need for land of the
multi-nationals. It does not question, even
at the most basic level, its alliance with a
dictatorship which has been in power for 65
years; apparently nothing was learned from the
experience with Panama and Iran.
As people of conscience we must struggle
to hold our governments accountable for the
destruction being created by neo-liberalism.
Our futures are intrisincly linked with the
future of Mexico. Unless we in the United
States and Canada struggle to secure democracy
within our own countries and in Mexico, our
own possibilities of a stable economic future
and just political system will diminish as
well.
We welcome the opportunity to work with
you, our northern neighbors, in the struggle
for genuine peace, democracy and justice
throughout the continent. Please keep us
informed of your efforts, and we will work to
do the same. It is important that all of us
do our part to combat the misinformation of
the mainstream press and our governments.
Sincerely,
Cecilia Rodriguez,
National Commission for Democracy in Mexico,
USA
