El Enemigo Común

June 2008

As Congress enters the final stages to approve the Merida Initiative, an aid package to Mexico and Central America that seeks to further militarize the region under the guise of the U.S.’s “war on drugs/war on terror,” we find manifold reasons to stand in opposition:

1) Money for Central America through the Merida Initiative would mark a significant increase in funding for military/police equipment and training in the region at a time when the need is for anti-poverty and crime-prevention programs.

The Merida Initiative, also known as Plan Mexico, builds on the troubling model of Plan Colombia, which has poured billions of dollars into a failed military approach to combating drugs while doing little to address rural poverty and urban unemployment.

Read the rest of this entry »

by Simón Sedillo
Originally published in the Summer 2008 issue of ¡Presente! - newspaper of SOA Watch

Neoliberals believe that somehow they have finally discovered a socially responsible, or socially democratic, way of taking people’s land, labor, and resources by force, for profit.

It’s not possible. This is the myth of neoliberalism. This imposed political economy reduces human beings and natural resources into variables in an economic equation. Every day the human variable in this equation is considered more expendable. Indigenous people, farm workers, women, youth, and poor people everywhere are reduced to variables in this equation. When no longer considered economically viable by the powers that be, communities become economically expendable. If a group of people can be treated as disposable for “not fitting in,” imagine how that group is treated when they organize or resist this imposition. Historically they have been treated as a virus which must be eliminated.

Read the rest of this entry »

There will be several days worth of events surrounding the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) meeting in New Orleans, taking place April 21st and 22nd.

The SPP is a series of meetings between the heads of state of Mexico, the United States, and Canada and security officials and CEOs from the 3 nations to strengthen free trade regulations and discuss integrating security measures between the 3 nations. Some have referred to the SPP as “NAFTA on steroids.”

The People’s Summit New Orleans

Read the rest of this entry »

On Friday April 10th, former president (or “Persident” as the marque at victory theater read) of Mexico Vicente Fox spoke in downtown Evansville, Indiana. During a speech regarding his dedication and commitment to the education of Mexico’s youth, two activists began to heckle him about sending in military troops to murder teachers during the teachers strike in Oaxaca. The crowd was pretty displeased with the interruption, but Mr. Fox was reminded of the people he murdered, and that the revolutionary struggle of the people of Oaxaca will follow him wherever he goes. The second activist reminded him of how his participation in NAFTA had left his country in political and economic ruin. Shortly afterwards, both of them were willingly removed from the theater, no arrests were made.

Read the rest of this entry »

Seattle University, University of Washington, and Seattle Central students as well as community members are protesting the presence of US Border Patrol recruiters at Seattle University’s Law Enforcement Career Expo this Tuesday, April 8th. Branches of Homeland Security, specifically the Border Patrol, instill fear and provide an unsafe environment for many workers and students at Seattle University. By expanding militarization of the United States- Mexico border, the Border Patrol has increased risk and death for people migrating to the US, and additionally fails to address the root causes of migration. An animated march will parade through campus creating an artificial border followed by a demonstration at Campion Hall. The names of those who have died attempting to cross the border will be read, chalked, and represented by mannequins throughout the SU campus.

Read the rest of this entry »