E.Z.L.N.

I would be interested to hear what people here think about the Zapatista movement. I think they are a good example of participatory Libertarian Socialism in the context of National Liberation and traditional culture.

I hold a favorable disposition towards it. I think that they are well worth studying but haven't gotten to do so past a documentary. I've wanted to purchase Ya Basta!, a collection of essays by Marcos, but haven't justified the purchase.

The Zapatistas are a good stop forward in terms of a national liberation struggle that tries to 'live the goal'. What is needed is for a strong leftist movement in Mexico at large for the EZLN to actually reach its goals. The way things are now I don't think that they can accomplish more than a stalemate.

I, too, hold a favourable opinion of the movement, if it wasn't already a little obvious from my forum signature. Their work for womens' rights in particular, I find to be extremely admirable.

It would seem that it is the narcotrafficante cartels which now have sufficient power over the economy, countryside and the legal/law-enforcement apparatus to be co-equal in presence to the national government. Until fairly recently, the rates of violence and specifically murder were equal to those in Syria, but due to the preoccupation of much of the world with that and other active and potential middle eastern crises, the situation here in North America has been overshadowed. At this point, however, the pace of violence has probably actually slowed. After all, even Al capone et al knew that unnecessary and gratuitous violence was bad for business and image. So, with overall interests and secured, the Big Boys leave the minor loose ends of local power, control and distribution to whoever can take over- local gangs, miluitias and the like. This brings us back to the Michoacan-Oaxaca region, the original base of the Zapatistas. I recently saw a newspaper photo from that area of a large flatbed truck, with sandbagged sides and carrying eight or ten men, mostly masked and wearing flak vests and all holding automatic weapons. Per the accomanying article, the group was a "citizens' patrol", self-tasked with combatting local violence and lawlessness. More likely, it was a satellite of a cartel, a local outfit which took power because it could. That's how it is in Mexico- power is franchisable, laws are relative, and what you do depends on who you are and who you know. Twenty years ago, Donaldo Colosio, the PRI candidate for president, was assassinated during the course of a gun battle in downtown Tijuana. It turned out that the assailants were mostly policemen and federales, some retired and off-duty, in the pay of an unidentified rival. Colosio's own security contingent was drawn from much the same demographic. Who paid more? who got to whom? Relativity ain't just a chapter in a book about Physics.

I suppose my point is that any revolution in Mexico is up against a veritable Himalaya of challenge.

Mod- Can't seem to edit. Trying to remove the word "which' from the first senrence above

I don't know why. The edit button should be next to the quote in the top right hand corner of the box. I don't see any issues on the administrator end.

You are correct- I just missed it. Thanks.