Looking throughout the internet for some mention of the events a day ago, I typed Merida, Yucatan and bomb. Nothing appeared except some real estate sites declaring in that fake enthusiastic way that real estate ads do, that Merida was "da bomb".
In fact, there was a real bomb in Merida yesterday - or was it the day before? - two grenades were tossed into the local office of the Por Esto! newspaper here in Merida. Yes, Merida. Grenades. Sounds incredible, but it happened.
The narco violence that has been creeping steadily south for the last couple of years has reached Cancun; there have been at least 5 narco-related assasinations in the last few weeks. The governor of the state of Quintana Roo assures everyone that this is only narco-on-narco violence and that the general populace should not be alarmed. Yeah right. Unless you happen to be in the path of a stray bullet at the disco or in some supermarket or a hotel lobby.
Now that violence has finally reached Merida. The Por Esto! paper is a bold-headline newspaper that uses every opportunity to publish shocking and provoking reports that no other newspaper down here would touch. I have no idea if what they write is true or false; apparently they have pissed off someone with a violent streak and after a similar explosive incident at the Por Esto! offices in Cancun, it is Merida's turn.
Used to be you would read about all the violence up north and be thankful that you were in the Yucatan, donde no pasa nada. Well, it's time to reassess the situation.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
The Presidential Informe
Yesterday, September 1st, the continuing saga of the Mexican presidency vs the irrational, irrascible and incorrigible PRD AMLO, well... continued. The president arrived at the legislative chamber known as San Lazaro to present his report to the nation (informe) but found it impossible to even get to where the microphones were, since the whole presidium or whatever you call the tribuna in English was blocked by PRD legislators. While the politicians on the floor sang the national anthem, the PRD guys just stood up there with their arms in the air like the simians they are, making V for Victory signs with their fingers. So Mr. Fox just handed in the report to the legislators and left.
The trampled and violated Mexican constitution states that the president has no obligation to actually read it; just hand it in. So that's what was done.
It is a boring tradition anyway, where all the wonderful things that have happened in the last six years, the one-term mandate, are read by the president until his audience becomes glassy-eyed in boredom. The televised informes have been getting progressively louder and out of control, as legislators from the opposition parties have become increasingly vocal and irate. Especially the PRD. This time, they went so far as to not let the president speak at all.
Mr. Fox then went on national radio with a previously recorded speech, indicating that he knew that this was going to happen.
It was a non-event after all that speculation.
The country awaits, with baited breath, the grito, which should definitely be more interesting.
The trampled and violated Mexican constitution states that the president has no obligation to actually read it; just hand it in. So that's what was done.It is a boring tradition anyway, where all the wonderful things that have happened in the last six years, the one-term mandate, are read by the president until his audience becomes glassy-eyed in boredom. The televised informes have been getting progressively louder and out of control, as legislators from the opposition parties have become increasingly vocal and irate. Especially the PRD. This time, they went so far as to not let the president speak at all.
Mr. Fox then went on national radio with a previously recorded speech, indicating that he knew that this was going to happen.
It was a non-event after all that speculation.
The country awaits, with baited breath, the grito, which should definitely be more interesting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
