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Friday, May 28, 2021

Bad News For AMLO From The Economist - AMLO's Response - A Violent Election Process - Kam Sends AMLO Some Info AYOTZINAPA



 My knee is a disaster, I have to hang in there until the middle of June and most likely longer, but I'm pretty much immobilized. I haven't said anything about the elections going on down here, basically because of the rash of candidates all across the nation who have been executed. More up to date, there have been 88 politicians executed during this election period and 34 of those were candidates. All being said and it is not over yet folks, AMLO is discouraging alarmism and yellow journalism by the Mexican press:


Alma Rosa Barrago de Movimiento Ciudadano





 ~ From Zeta:

AMLO pide "menos amarillismo y sensacionalismo por 34 candidatos asesinados [VIDEO]

Por, Carlos Alvarez

"President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asked, this Thursday, May 27, that there be “less sensationalism and sensationalism” in the media, given the violence that is being experienced in the current electoral process.

“That we also know that there are special circumstances like now, that there is an election that is complicated because it is a political contest. There are interests. And also the media, with the desire to thin the environment […] before it was called sensationalism, now it is yellowishness, ”said the national president.

"The red note has a relevant role in the media, then, as there is now an obvious political polarization, because all the conservatism was grouped against our project, and the media have taken sides, because all this is magnified, it is normal, it is a matter of the season, "added the Tabasco politician.

“It is very unfortunate that a candidate is threatened or attacked, the candidate's family, or that they lose their life […] it is very sad, under any circumstance, it is a sadness it is a pain for everyone. We cannot turn our backs on the pains of humanity. We cannot harden ourselves, we cannot become robots, we cannot harden our hearts, ”he said.

"We have to make a call from the Government so that there is no violence, that life be respected, that there is nothing more important than life, it is the main human rights," said the President of the Republic.

"That we all try to live in peace, that no one is attacked and that there is also ethics in the media, less yellowing, even when there are differences, like the ones we have, that we can resolve them with arguments, with debate, respecting each other," said the head of the Federal Executive Power, during his morning press conference.

López Obrador assured that the recent cases of political violence in the country are being investigated and that they will not go unpunished, in addition to indicating that his government has established protocols to protect candidates for popularly elected positions.

“Recently in Oaxaca they assassinated a candidate for Ocotlán. There are already detainees, the material authors. A social leader was murdered in Nochixtlán, the detainees are already there. A candidate from Cosoleacaque, Veracruz was assassinated, they are already in custody ”, assured the national president.

Finally, López Obrador pointed out that citizens must and cast their vote. "We have to continue insisting that there is democracy, that there is no electoral fraud and the best thing to avoid fraud is that we participate," he said.

"When you are not going to vote, the electoral raccoons, the electoral criminals, have a better chance of imposing themselves, because they can buy a vote and with a purchased amount of votes they can be enough to succeed in quotation marks," the president added.

A TOTAL OF 34 CANDIDATES HAVE BEEN KILLED SO FAR

The latest report from the communication and risk management consultancy Etellekt indicated that, so far, the murder of 88 politicians in the country has been reported, during the eight months that the current electoral process has taken place.

Of these, a total of 34 were aspirants or candidates for popularly elected positions and 89 percent of these were opponents of the current local government. In addition, four were running for state councils and were opponents of state administrations, and one last victim aspired to a federal council and did not agree with the federal government.

In less than 48 hours there have been at least three assaults with bullets against candidates for a popularly elected office. The most recent case is that of Alma Rosa Barragán, who was a candidate of the Citizen Movement (MC) for the Municipal Presidency of Moroleón, Guanajuato, and who was assassinated on Tuesday, May 25, while holding a campaign rally.

Yesterday, Wednesday May 26, José Alberto Alonso Gutiérrez, better known as “Güero”, current candidate of the Fuerza por México party for the Municipal Presidency of Acapulco, suffered an attack, on Avenida Costera Vieja, of the Club Deportivo subdivision, of which came out unscathed.

Likewise, Saraí Figueroa Ramírez, candidate for a local deputation in the XXI District of Guanajuato, for the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM), was the victim of an armed attack, when she was in the community of Tócuaro, in the municipality of Acámbaro , to hold a campaign event.

Since last week, two other murders of candidates have been reported, including Arturo Flores Bautista, a candidate for trustee in the municipality of Landa de Matamoros, Querétaro; and that of Abel Murrieta Gutiérrez, candidate for the Municipal Presidency of Cajeme (Ciudad Obregón) for the MC and former state attorney of Sonora, assassinated on May 13.

In addition to this, Omar Plancarte Hernández, PVEM candidate for mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, was deprived of his freedom, on May 25, when he was at his ranch, located on the border between Zacapu and Purépero, in the community of Caurio de Guadalupe. So far he has not been released.

"VIOLENCE HAS SHADED THE ELECTORAL PROCESS," SAYS INE

The presiding counselor of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, assured yesterday, Wednesday, May 27, during the session of the General Council of said organism, that the violence has overshadowed the electoral process.

"Violence is the denial of democracy, which is the bet against the highest ideals of democratic coexistence," said Córdova Vianello, in the session where a minute of silence was observed to honor the memory of the murdered MC candidate in Moroleón, Guanajuato.

The INE also called on the authorities responsible to guarantee the safety of the candidates and asked that "all cases in which the applicants have been attacked, intimidated or killed be investigated thoroughly, thoroughly and promptly".

AUTHORITIES PROVIDE PROTECTION TO 148 CANDIDATES

Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, head of the Federal Government's Secretariat for Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), reported, on May 21, that, up to that moment, protection had been provided to 148 candidates for different positions and entities, who have been threatened prior to the elections to be held nationwide on June 6.

The federal official explained that, of the total, 80 candidates were guarded by state police, 52 by elements of the National Guard (GN) and 16 by other authorities of the various entities or municipalities.

“148 candidates have been given protection, of which 80 are from the state governments, 48 ​​from the National Guard, four from the National Guard and the state, sometimes they want federal and state protection and 16 from other authorities that they can be municipal ”, said the head of the SSPC.

Rodríguez Velázquez highlighted that the threats and attacks against the candidates were concentrated in Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí, Jalisco, the State of Mexico, Veracruz, Tamaulipas and Guerrero. It also indicated that there were 398 cases under follow-up or attention, of which 187 were for threats, 101 for some type of aggression, 13 murders and 11 short-term kidnappings.

In addition to this, a total of 13 candidates had been assassinated, up to that moment, during the current electoral process, and 398 cases of complaints had been attended, 226 of men and 172 of women, said the head of the SSPC."

 

~~~~~

 

You probably have already read reviews of the following report, but here it is in full version.  Will return to the topics of violence here which is a surprise...normally during elections it tones down a bit, but we are well on our way to 150+ executions just in TIJ this month. Also, I'm sitting on articles regarding problemas between U.S. - Mex current policies. Okay, let's give this a shot:


 ~ From The Economist:   

 
May 29th 2021 edition

Mexico's false messiah  -Voters Should Curb Mexico's Power-Hungry President

 Andrés Manuel López Obrador pursues ruinous policies by improper means

"IN A WORLD plagued by authoritarian populists, Mexico’s president has somehow escaped the limelight. Liberals furiously condemn the erosion of democratic norms under Hungary’s Viktor Orban, India’s Narendra Modi and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, but barely notice Andrés Manuel López Obrador. This is partly because he lacks some of the vices of his populist peers. He does not deride gay people, bash Muslims or spur his supporters to torch the Amazon. To his credit, he speaks out loudly and often for Mexico’s have-nots, and he is not personally corrupt. Nonetheless, he is a danger to Mexican democracy.

Mr López Obrador divides Mexicans into two groups: “the people”, by which he means those who support him; and the elite, whom he denounces, often by name, as crooks and traitors who are to blame for all Mexico’s problems. He says he is building a more authentic democracy. It is an odd creature. He calls a lot of votes, but not always on topics that are best resolved by voting. For example, when legal objections are raised to one of his pet projects—moving an airport, building a pipeline, blocking a factory—he calls a referendum. He picks a small electorate that he knows will side with him. When it does, he declares that the people have spoken. He has even called for a national referendum on whether to prosecute five of the six living ex-presidents of Mexico for corruption. As a stunt to remind voters of the shortcomings of previous regimes, it is ingenious. It is also a mockery of the rule of law.

The president’s scorn for rules is one reason the elections on June 6th matter. He is not on the ballot; his single six-year term expires in 2024. But the national legislature is up for grabs, as are 15 of 32 governorships, most state assemblies and thousands of local posts.

Voters have a chance to rein in their president by rejecting his party, Morena. It is not clear that they will. Most are dissatisfied with the way the country is being run, but 61% approve of Mr López Obrador himself. Many feel that he cares about ordinary people, even if he has not materially improved their lives. The opposition parties have failed to offer a coherent alternative. Morena is slipping in the polls, but may retain its majority in the lower house, with the help of its allies. The more levers he controls, the further Mr López Obrador can pursue his plan to transform Mexico.

He has done good things, such as bumping up pensions and subsidising apprenticeships for the young. Though a leftist, he has kept spending and debt under control, so Mexico’s credit rating remains tolerably firm. But he suffers from what Moisés Naím, a Venezuelan journalist, calls “ideological necrophilia”—a love of ideas that have been tried and proved not to work.

 
He has fond memories of the 1970s, when a government-owned oil monopoly spread largesse around his home state. He is trying to recreate something similar, by all but banning private investment in hydrocarbons and forcing the grid to buy power from state sources first, no matter how costly and filthy they are. He likes railways, so he is ploughing $7bn into a diesel-burning boondoggle in his home region. Frustrated with officials who fuss about rules and putting contracts out to tender, he enlists the army to build his railway, run ports and fight crime. In other countries, inviting the men with guns to handle huge sums of public money with scant supervision has proved catastrophic, as any Egyptian or Pakistani could warn him. But Mr López Obrador is notorious for not listening to advice. His catchphrase in cabinet meetings is “Cállate!” (Shut up).

His disdain for expertise has made government less competent. His tree-planting scheme has encouraged farmers to chop down old trees so as to be paid to plant new ones. His policy of “hugs, not bullets” for gangsters has failed to reduce a stratospheric murder rate. For all his railing against graft, Mexicans report as many demands for bribes from officials as before.

He was woefully slow to respond to covid-19 and spent far too little on cushioning its economic effects. According to The Economist’s estimates, Mexico has suffered 477,000 excess deaths from the pandemic, one of the worst rates in the world; and its GDP shrank by 8.5% last year. The country should be poised for galloping growth. Multinationals are eager to diversify their supply chains away from China, and Mexico is a manufacturing hub next to the United States, which is entering a stimulus-stoked post-covid boom. Yet investors are wary.

They fear the uncertainty of rule by presidential whimsy. Mr López Obrador is undermining checks on his power. He leans on advertisers not to support fault-finding media. He cuts the budgets of watchdogs, or stuffs them with his supporters. Last week he said he would replace the central-bank governor with someone who favours “a moral economy”. He has threatened the body that runs elections.

The next three years will determine the depth and duration of the damage he does to Mexico and its democracy. He is barred from seeking re-election, but is trying illegally to extend the term of a friendly supreme-court judge. Critics fear he wants to set a precedent for himself. Mexico’s institutions are strong, but may buckle under sustained assault by a zealot with popular support. The country escaped de facto one-party rule in 2000. Given the risk, voters on June 6th should support whichever opposition party is best placed to win, wherever they live. The opposition parties should work together to restrain the president.

 

Learn from your mistakes

They should learn from him, too. He is popular partly because they did a poor job of helping those left behind during the long boom that followed economic liberalisation in the 1980s; and also because much of the ruling class really is corrupt. Mr López Obrador’s ad hoc, lawless approach has not made Mexico cleaner, but he has highlighted the need for a clean-up.

The United States needs to pay attention. Donald Trump did not care about Mexican democracy. President Joe Biden should make clear that he does. He must be tactful: Mexicans are understandably allergic to being pushed around by their big neighbour. But America ought not to turn a blind eye to creeping authoritarianism in its backyard. As well as sending vaccines, unconditionally, Mr Biden should send quiet warnings. ■"

 This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "The false messiah"

 

~~~~~ 

He is as stated, insanely popular. Well the good news is that San Diego sent down 10,000 of the J&J vaccines for the maq workers. At least if they get sick, they won't die.

~~~~~

 Update 05/28:

Wouldn't be fair if we didn't print out AMLO's response to The Economist:

 ~ From Zeta:

 "Majadera y mentirosa" la portada de The Economist, dice AMLO [VIDEO]

Por, Carlos Alvarez 


"President Andrés Manuel López Obrador described, this Friday, May 28, as “stupid and liar” the cover of the British magazine The Economist, which he titled 'The false messiah of Mexico', in which he points out that the Tabasco politician is “a danger to Mexican democracy ”.

“They were dedicated to praising the corrupt politicians of Mexico, because they are always conservative, now they are upset because people are supporting a transformation, they take this silly cover, very rude, of course a liar, calling me 'the false messiah' and still lacking Ethics call Mexicans. that they do not vote for what we can represent ”, indicated the national president.

“It is as if I go to the UK and ask the English to vote for my friend Jeremy Corbyn from the Labor Party. I can't do that, it's up to the English, why don't they even respect the forms? It is a very angry state of mind, because changes are taking place in the country, ”insisted the Mexican president.

The head of the Federal Executive Power pointed out that foreign publications such as The Economist, kept silent during the alleged looting in Mexico during the neoliberal period, dedicating themselves to applaud what was done in previous federal administrations.

“They put me on the cover, I even felt very important, those who supported the neoliberal model for a long time, which is nothing more than a pillage policy, and these foreign magazines or newspapers were dedicated to applauding the neoliberal policies, they are very upset. in favor of privatization and always kept silent in the face of the corruption that prevailed, "he added.

“Those who looted Mexico are very upset because the people said enough. We have to be respectful but at the same time differentiate ourselves, we are not the same, it is our morality that we have to preserve, ”argued López Obrador, during his morning press conference.

EBRARD RESPONDS TO THE ECONOMIST

Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón, head of the Ministry of Foreign Relations (SRE), responded to the British magazine The Economist, which published in its printed edition an article entitled 'The false messiah of Mexico', in which he points out that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is "a danger to democracy" in Mexico.

“Just a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of talking with the international editor of your magazine. I took the opportunity to present the fundamental points of the profound political, economic and social transformation that Mexico has been experiencing for two and a half years, ”said the Mexican Foreign Minister.

“We spoke, among other topics, about the efforts that, as a government, we are undertaking to get out of the COVID-19 pandemic, about our constructive relations with the United States, as well as our vision to detonate development in the south of our country. and Central America and the political situation of the country in general ”, added the Mexican official

In a letter posted on his Twitter account, the head of the SRE stated that the international editor of The Economist "was not sensitive to just one of the arguments" he gave him.

"On the contrary, a few days before the elections in which we Mexicans will freely elect our representatives, your media publishes a couple of articles in which it is invited to vote against the president and his party," Ebrard Casaubón added.

“The opinion and the call are surprising, not because of the ideological position of its milieu, but because of its virulence and argumentative fragility. Behind these it seems to permeate the vision that the majority of Mexican society, especially those with fewer resources, is wrong and supports those who should not, ”insisted the chancellor.

“Today's cover is the synthesis of exasperation. It is known that the results of the election, as happened in 2018, will not match what you want. Recently it was predicted that López Obrador would hardly reach power and that, should the Mexican electorate elect him, it would lead the country to an inexorable economic failure, characterized by devaluation, hyperinflation, indebtedness and a direct clash with the United States, "he added the holder of the SRE.

Ebrard Casaubón said that “none of this has happened. On the contrary, the government of President López Obrador has fulfilled its promise to prioritize and refocus spending on the poorest, as he always promised. At the same time, it has maintained fiscal discipline and sound public finances, ”said the federal official.

“It achieved, for example, historic increases to the minimum wage, while keeping inflation at bay and sustaining the stability of the currency. At the bilateral level, it has managed to build in a short time a relationship of respect and collaboration with the administration of President Joseph R. Biden ”, emphasized Ebrard Casaubón.

“The failure of the elites to understand López Obrador today seems to repeat itself on its pages.
These paint a bleak outlook for the country, but lose sight of the fact that although the Mexican economy, like that of the rest of the countries, suffered the ravages of the
pandemic, it will grow around 6% this year, without having contracted debt. , keeping the finances healthy and with historical numbers of Foreign Investment ", indicated the chancellor.

In his letter, the head of the SRE recalled that the British weekly questions the government response to COVID-19, “but the effort through which Mexico managed, in a matter of months, to more than double its capabilities of hospital care and have timely and universal access to the vaccine, "he said.

"Not for nothing, Mexico is currently the tenth country with the highest number of vaccines applied to its population, which, incidentally, has maintained its support for the president in difficult hours," added Ebrard Casaubón in his letter to The Economist .

“But perhaps the most striking of the texts, because of how absurd it is, is the suggestion that President López Obrador has somehow undermined Mexican democracy, when what he has done is precisely the opposite. Many of your readers will remember that Mexico was until not so long ago an authoritarian country, without freedom of the press, or free elections, which moved to democracy thanks to the push of many Mexicans, among which López Obrador stands out, ”said the foreign minister.

“Their decades-long struggle against a closed system has resulted in a strong, plural and diverse democracy, in which, as never before, the population is consulted directly on substantive issues. This happens on a daily basis, for example, in the United States, where controversial proposals are voted on together with the election of candidates, ”he explained.

“As never before in history, in Mexico there is full freedom of the press and of thought. In an unprecedented exercise, President López Obrador is accountable to the public and maintains a circular dialogue with the press. The levels of criticism of President López Obrador are incomparable with those of his predecessors (just open any Mexican newspaper) and, nevertheless, this is the most popular president of Mexican democracy, ”he replied.

“There are two possible explanations why a government like that of President López Obrador remains with a high margin of approval, even after having gone through difficult times. The elitist view, defended ad nauseam, is that these majorities are wrong and do not know what is really good for them, ”the foreign minister analyzed.

“Another, perhaps the most obvious but surprisingly little considered, is that the majority of people are favoring a system that for the first time has them as a priority. Isn't it time to question that it is the elites who are angry and exasperated with President López Obrador and not the majority who feel represented and defended that are wrong? ”Asked the head of the SRE.

“We are living in turbulent times and, undoubtedly, there is still much to do to defeat the pandemic, achieve the definitive takeoff of the economy and fulfill the promise of closing the gross social gap, but the assessment of Mexicans is that we are going for good way and that we are achieving it. Perhaps it is time for the exasperated elites, paraphrasing an article in your magazine from some years ago, to understand that they are not understanding ”, concluded his letter Ebrard Casaubón.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is "a danger to democracy" in Mexico, said the British magazine The Economist in an article entitled "The false messiah of Mexico" and published on the cover of its print edition.

The European publication considers that the head of the Mexican Federal Executive Power has escaped the focus of attention of authoritarian populists, such as Viktor Obran, from Hungary; Narendra Modi, from India; and, Jair Bolsonaro, from Brazil.

“In a world plagued by authoritarian populists, the president of Mexico has somehow escaped the spotlight. Liberals furiously condemn the erosion of democratic norms under the Hungarian Viktor Orban, the Indian Narendra Modi and the Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro, but they hardly notice Andrés Manuel López Obrador ”, highlights the British magazine.

The Mexican president “does not make fun of homosexuals, nor does he attack Muslims, nor does he incite his followers to set the Amazon on fire. He has the merit of speaking loudly and frequently on behalf of Mexico's dispossessed, and he is not personally corrupt. However, it is a danger for Mexican democracy ”.

“López Obrador divides Mexicans into two groups: 'the people', that is, those who support him, and 'the elite', whom he denounces, often by name, as scoundrels and traitors guilty of all the problems from Mexico. He says he is building a more authentic democracy. It is a strange creature ”, highlights The Economist.

The British magazine criticizes the insistence of the Mexican president that the people decide on matters that in most cases are convenient for their government. “He chooses a small constituency that he knows will side with him. When it does, it declares that the people have spoken. It is a mockery of the rule of law ”, he says.

For the British media, López Obrador's contempt for the rules is one of the reasons why the elections on June 6 are important, because it gives voters the opportunity to stop him, rejecting Morena, a party founded by him.

And although López Obrador's name is not on the ballot and his only six-year term expires in 2024, the integration of the federal Legislative Power is at stake, as are 15 of the 32 governorships, most of the local congresses and thousands of municipal offices, highlighted The Economist.

The magazine also speaks of a mockery of the rule of law, because the Tabasco politician calls many votes, “but not always on issues that are better resolved by voting. For example, when legal objections are raised to one of his favorite projects - the transfer of an airport, the construction of an oil pipeline, the blockade of a factory - he calls a referendum ”.

The Economist asserts that only when a small part of the electorate supports him, López Obrador “declares that the people have spoken. It has even called a national referendum on the advisability of prosecuting five of the six living former presidents of Mexico for corruption. As a trick to remind voters of the shortcomings of previous regimes, it's clever. "

The British publication maintains that although the Mexican politician "has done good things", he suffers from what the Venezuelan journalist Moisés Naím calls 'ideological necrophilia', which means "love for ideas that have been tested and have shown that they do not work." .

According to the magazine, López Obrador is known for not listening to advice, and that, supposedly, his slogan in Cabinet meetings is "Shut up!" In addition, he says that one example of what has made the Government of Mexico less competent is the Sembrando Vida program, which has encouraged farmers to cut down old trees so that they are paid to plant new ones.

Another example, continues The Economist, is the policy of "hugs, not bullets," which has failed to curb the "stratospheric murder rate," and despite their criticism of corruption, "Mexicans report so many demands for bribes from officials as before ”.

Likewise, López Obrador "was regrettably slow to respond to COVID-19 and spent very little to cushion its economic effects," since according to estimates by the British magazine, Mexico has suffered an excess of 477 thousand deaths from the pandemic, one of the worst rates in the world.

In addition to this, although Mexico is a large manufacturing center along with the United States and multinationals are eager to diversify their supply chains outside of China, the publication notes that investors are cautious with the country given "the uncertainty of governing by presidential whims ".

The Economist noted that while Donald Trump did not care about Mexican democracy, current President Joseph Biden should make it clear that he did, and that the US should not turn a blind eye to the progressive authoritarianism in its backyard. ", So other than sending vaccines, unconditionally," should send silent warnings.

"The next three years will determine the depth and duration of the damage he does to Mexico and its democracy [...] He is prohibited from seeking reelection, but is illegally trying to extend the term of a friendly Supreme Court judge," the magazine added.

The publication pointed out that López Obrador is undermining the controls of his power, and gave as an example that last week he said that he would replace the governor of the Bank of Mexico (BANXICO), with someone who favors "a moral economy", in addition to threatening the National Electoral Institute (INE).

Critics fear that he wants to set a precedent for himself. Mexico's institutions are strong, but they can give in to the sustained assault of a fanatic with popular support, ”insisted The Economist.

Given the risk, June 6 voters must support the opposition party that is best positioned to win, wherever they live. The opposition parties should work together to stop the president, ”emphasized The Economist.

The magazine noted that it is not clear if voters will vote against the Tabasco politician, since although the majority is dissatisfied with the way the country is being administered, 61 percent approve of López Obrador himself, since “many feel who cares for ordinary people, even if they have not materially improved their lives.

 

~~~~~

 One last one:

 

Is it just me or do you think AMLO looks a tad sheepish.....

 

Ya'll remember  09/26/14 - the slaughter of the 43 Normalista students, right? Well, thanks to Kamala Harris who handed over a file to AMLO from the U.S., more information has been revealed about this atrocity:

 ~ From Zeta:

AMLO revela que hay una persona detenida en EU por caso Ayotzinapa 

Por, Carlos Alvarez

 "

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador revealed, this Friday, May 28, that the file sent by the United States Government regarding the Ayotzinapa case, contains the statement of a detainee in that country, related to the disappearance of the 43 students of the Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos de Ayotzinapa.

The national president indicated that the document was sent to Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez, undersecretary of Human Rights and Population in the Ministry of the Interior (SEGOB) and in charge of the Presidential Commission of the Iguala case.

"It is a file of a person detained in the United States linked to these events, I am not judging, we do not know if he is responsible or not, he is a witness, and the file is already held by Encinas, Alejandro Encinas, the undersecretary of the Interior," added the Tabasco politician.

"It will also be at the disposal of the Prosecutor's Office that was integrated for this purpose of knowing where the young people of Ayotzinapa are and also the group of advisers who are helping us to know the truth about these unfortunate events," he said.

However, during his morning press conference, the president said that he could not provide more information, since the case is handled by the Attorney General's Office (FGR), and that said institution is responsible for reporting on the matter.

"I do not have more information and I do not want to be reckless, it is a delicate matter, you know, we were doing well in the investigation, very well," said López Obrador, who only explained that the file has important information regarding the disappearance of 43 normalistas , on September 26, 2014.

“Yes, it is a part of an entire investigation that has many components, something very professional is being done and the most important thing is that it is acting with rectitude, without hiding anything, without impunity prevailing or the desire to protect people. he will find out what happened and we will report when the investigation is more advanced, "said the president.

On May 24, López Obrador revealed that days before he received part of a file sent by the United States Government regarding the Ayotzinapa case, which was requested from Vice President Kamala Harris, during the virtual meeting that both held on the 7th. of this same month.

Without detailing the content of the document, the Mexican national leader assured that he was about to receive what is missing in the information, because, according to what he said, there is cooperation on security matters with the US government.

The Tabasco politician indicated that he has not "removed his finger from the line" for said information, for which he asked the United States for support, after the Presidential Commission for Truth and Access to Justice in the Ayotzinapa case (CoVAJ) requested.

"The human rights commission asked me to make a request with the United States Government to obtain a file that those authorities have and I asked the vice president to help us, I want to take this opportunity to thank you because you have already sent me part," said the president .

In addition, during his morning press conference, López Obrador assured that his government continues to work to clarify what happened on September 26, 2014, in Iguala, Guerrero, because, according to him, they did not act with rectitude and the authorities lied when trying solve the case.

“I can't say more, we already have the answer, we spoke with her [Harris] about 15 days ago. I made the proposal and a week later we had part of the file and they are about to send us the rest. There is cooperation in these cases and we are going to continue like this, ”said the national president."

~~~~~ 

 

 I'm for that bro - let's stay together.

 And, of course we are disgusted with the Republican revisionist account of January 6,2021. 

I'll try to get back here at some point.

Take care everyone.

(; wink

Thursday, May 20, 2021

One For The Sea Turtles !

 



My Sad Story...

So here's the deal: for over three weeks I've been taking two 75mg doses of Diclofenac Sodium (Voltaren) as prescribed for brutal knee pain, the cortisone shots only last maybe if I'm lucky just a bit over a month. Last week, it hit me. I had a horrible reaction to this drug, I completely swelled up, headache, my feet were so swollen I could not walk or even stand in addition to being loopy. I stopped immediately and was put on Lasix 80mg. for three days. I was drinking tons of water, using ACV, soaking in epsom salts, exhausted.

Following that, on Monday I went in for two more cortisone shots and was told I need a knee replacement. The cortisone didn't actually kick in until three days later. Now, I'm barely able to walk across the hall, but no pain so far, just stiffness. We have to wait another three months of me hobbling around like a snail, although the turmeric helps.

Plus we were looking forward to a road trip up north to scout out places to live after June 15th when CA opens up, but it doesn't look like that will happen.  However,  are going to make a point to go out and enjoy some real soulfood (if I can walk) out at Jay's Southern Cafe in Jacumba...the  hotsprings are not open though.

~~~~ 

Meanwhile in between times, I have been bookmarking what seems to be not just a little bickering between Mexico and the the Biden Administration on social , labor & environmental issues, and of course, the violence here. I won't be able to list all of these at one time; let's start off with the sea turtles for right now.


EU Quita a Mexico Certificacion Para Camaron de Altamar; No Se Podra Exportan el Crustaceo

Por, Carlos Alvarez - 05/01/21


"The US State Department suspended, yesterday, Friday, April 30, the certification for shrimp from Mexico caught on the high seas, because, as it argued, the Mexican sea turtle protection program is no longer comparable to that of the United States.

The US withdrew Mexico's certification in the shrimp fishery, due to the inappropriate use of Sea Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) by the offshore fleet. With this measure, Mexican merchants are prohibited from exploiting wild shrimp to US territory.

Published in the US Federal Register -in public notice number 11419-, the suspension of the certification of Mexican shrimp from the high seas would put exports of the crustacean to the United States at risk, which according to data from the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (CONAPESCA) added 30 thousand tons during 2020, with a value of 300 million dollars, since Mexico is the sixth exporter to that country.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA, for its acronym in English), made 4 inspection visits during two years (2019-2021), to Campeche; Mazatlan Sinaloa; Puerto Chiapas; Puerto Juárez, Quintana Roo; Puerto Peñasco, Sonora; Salina Cruz, Oaxaca; San Blas, Nayarit; and, to Tampico, Tamaulipas, in which irregularities were found in the use of TEDs.

“From these visits, the observers from the United States determined certain observations related to deficiencies in the instrumentation of the TED NOM in around 106 observed networks,” as reported by CONAPESCA in a statement.

Since the end of 2018, when the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador began, CONAPESCA disappeared the special group of federal officials that throughout the year was dedicated to training the crew of the ships, in the correct use of TEDs.

For now, the only countries authorized to export meat to the US are: Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gabon, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama and Suriname. "For nations, economies and fisheries not included in the list, only shrimp harvested from aquaculture are eligible to enter the United States," the US government indicated.

In response, the Government of Mexico communicated that it is carrying out preventive and corrective actions to regain certification, for which the competent authorities such as CONAPESCA, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) and the Secretariat of the Navy ( SEMAR) are giving training courses to fishermen.

Through a statement, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) emphasized that more aggressive inspection and surveillance programs will be installed to prevent bad practices in shrimp fishing in the high seas from continuing to take place.

"As part of the process to follow, it will be essential to transmit to the United States Government, no later than the month of August, the action plan with all the documentary evidence of the actions carried out by the Government of Mexico," said the SADER.

However, during the suspension of certification from the United States to Mexico, which coincides with the closure of this species, trawl shrimp may not be exported for any reason until the certification is recovered."

~~~~

You probably already know to boycott shrimp down here coming from the Sea of Cortez because of the blatant slaughter of the Vaquita.

 ~ From SeaFood Source: 

U.S. State Department Bans Imports Of Mexican Wild - Caught Shrimp

By, Steve Bittenbender  - 05/06/2021

 

BTW, if you get a chance and it is on sale, try out the frozen Argentine wild-caught shrimp, to die for. So, the question remains, will Mexico comply ? They do not like being told what to do, period. 

 

~~~~~ 

 A quick update on the drug war in our area:


 

 No es bueno... as of today, we are up to 116 executions in TIJ this month, that number includes the mysterious assassinations of two retired officers of SEDENA (unclear if they were associates of General Cienfuegos) and the fifteen killed on last Tuesday the 18th in a PERIOD OF 16 HOURS.

 Still, according to Reuban  who just returned from Cabo with Carmen...zee plane was loaded with Gringos who are obviously not fans of the State Department. (;

 

I'll be back with more stats, my knee is cramping up sitting here.

 

Go Here:

 Zeta Tijuana 

 

And of course here for all news on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (I'll be back with Bernie's statement)

 

Informed Comment 

 

Democracy Now!

 

~~~~~~

 

Take care , I just hope the turtles are doing better:

 

One For The Sea Turtles !

 



My Sad Story...

So here's the deal: for over three weeks I've been taking two 75mg doses of Diclofenac Sodium (Voltaren) as prescribed for brutal knee pain, the cortisone shots only last maybe if I'm lucky just a bit over a month. Last week, it hit me. I had a horrible reaction to this drug, I completely swelled up, headache, my feet were so swollen I could not walk or even stand in addition to being loopy. I stopped immediately and was put on Lasix 80mg. for three days. I was drinking tons of water, using ACV, soaking in epsom salts, exhausted.

Following that, on Monday I went in for two more cortisone shots and was told I need a knee replacement. The cortisone didn't actually kick in until three days later. Now, I'm barely able to walk across the hall, but no pain so far, just stiffness. We have to wait another three months of me hobbling around like a snail, although the turmeric helps.

Plus we were looking forward to a road trip up north to scout out places to live after June 15th when CA opens up, but it doesn't look like that will happen.  However,  are going to make a point to go out and enjoy some real soulfood (if I can walk) out at Jay's Southern Cafe in Jacumba...the  hotsprings are not open though.

~~~~ 

Meanwhile in between times, I have been bookmarking what seems to be not just a little bickering between Mexico and the the Biden Administration on social , labor & environmental issues, and of course, the violence here. I won't be able to list all of these at one time; let's start off with the sea turtles for right now.


EU Quita a Mexico Certificacion Para Camaron de Altamar; No Se Podra Exportan el Crustaceo

Por, Carlos Alvarez - 05/01/21


"The US State Department suspended, yesterday, Friday, April 30, the certification for shrimp from Mexico caught on the high seas, because, as it argued, the Mexican sea turtle protection program is no longer comparable to that of the United States.

The US withdrew Mexico's certification in the shrimp fishery, due to the inappropriate use of Sea Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) by the offshore fleet. With this measure, Mexican merchants are prohibited from exploiting wild shrimp to US territory.

Published in the US Federal Register -in public notice number 11419-, the suspension of the certification of Mexican shrimp from the high seas would put exports of the crustacean to the United States at risk, which according to data from the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (CONAPESCA) added 30 thousand tons during 2020, with a value of 300 million dollars, since Mexico is the sixth exporter to that country.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA, for its acronym in English), made 4 inspection visits during two years (2019-2021), to Campeche; Mazatlan Sinaloa; Puerto Chiapas; Puerto Juárez, Quintana Roo; Puerto Peñasco, Sonora; Salina Cruz, Oaxaca; San Blas, Nayarit; and, to Tampico, Tamaulipas, in which irregularities were found in the use of TEDs.

“From these visits, the observers from the United States determined certain observations related to deficiencies in the instrumentation of the TED NOM in around 106 observed networks,” as reported by CONAPESCA in a statement.

Since the end of 2018, when the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador began, CONAPESCA disappeared the special group of federal officials that throughout the year was dedicated to training the crew of the ships, in the correct use of TEDs.

For now, the only countries authorized to export meat to the US are: Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gabon, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama and Suriname. "For nations, economies and fisheries not included in the list, only shrimp harvested from aquaculture are eligible to enter the United States," the US government indicated.

In response, the Government of Mexico communicated that it is carrying out preventive and corrective actions to regain certification, for which the competent authorities such as CONAPESCA, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) and the Secretariat of the Navy ( SEMAR) are giving training courses to fishermen.

Through a statement, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) emphasized that more aggressive inspection and surveillance programs will be installed to prevent bad practices in shrimp fishing in the high seas from continuing to take place.

"As part of the process to follow, it will be essential to transmit to the United States Government, no later than the month of August, the action plan with all the documentary evidence of the actions carried out by the Government of Mexico," said the SADER.

However, during the suspension of certification from the United States to Mexico, which coincides with the closure of this species, trawl shrimp may not be exported for any reason until the certification is recovered."

~~~~

You probably already know to boycott shrimp down here coming from the Sea of Cortez because of the blatant slaughter of the Vaquita.

 ~ From SeaFood Source: 

U.S. State Department Bans Imports Of Mexican Wild - Caught Shrimp

By, Steve Bittenbender  - 05/06/2021

 

BTW, if you get a chance and it is on sale, try out the frozen Argentine wild-caught shrimp, to die for. So, the question remains, will Mexico comply ? They do not like being told what to do, period. 

 

~~~~~ 

 A quick update on the drug war in our area:


 

 No es bueno... as of today, we are up to 116 executions in TIJ this month, that number includes the mysterious assassinations of two retired officers of SEDENA (unclear if they were associates of General Cienfuegos) and the fifteen killed on last Tuesday the 18th in a PERIOD OF 16 HOURS.

 Still, according to Reuban  who just returned from Cabo with Carmen...zee plane was loaded with Gringos who are obviously not fans of the State Department. (;

 

I'll be back with more stats, my knee is cramping up sitting here.

 

Go Here:

 Zeta Tijuana 

 

And of course here for all news on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (I'll be back with Bernie's statement)

 

Informed Comment 

 

Democracy Now!

 

~~~~~~

 

Take care , I just hope the turtles are doing better:

 

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Reactions To Biden's Speech To Congress - Adding Juan Cole's Updates

A refreshing take on Biden's speech to congress:


 ~ From Truthout:


Biden's Speech Pointed to a Possible End to Reagan's Rancid Legacy

 

 "Here in New Hampshire, the real governing is done at the town level by Boards of Selectmen, a council of elected officials who ride herd over the rawest, purest form of democracy practiced in the country. Majority vote rules, proposals are raised at “town meeting” and subsequently voted on by whoever raises their hand. Sometimes the room is packed, other times most seats go empty, but decisions are always made by the ones who show up.

Last night, for a brief moment, President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress looked like one of those New Hampshire town meetings. Here stands Biden, asking the Board for funds to purchase a new city plow so the streets can get cleared faster after a storm. Better for business and safer for families, is his argument, and it is sound. Oscar Wilde would recognize the scene in an eyeblink.

The mirage, alas, was punctured by the image of Ted Cruz’s eyes rolling up in his head like a guy who’d spent too much time in Cancun. Yes, this was Congress in all of its squalid glory, the man at the podium was the president, but the difference between now and last year is the difference between a friendly shoulder rub and being devoured by a hammerhead shark.

“Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President,” said Biden as he began. Those words had never been spoken in that chamber before. It was an intense moment, a piece of long-awaited history, and seemed to promise a day to come when all three seats in that upper podium will be occupied by women.

As for the content of the speech, well, it was a time warp all its own. Biden’s list of policy proposals represents something of a rewiring of the American experience, from work to family to school to medicine and science, from transportation to elder care. Much of what he proposed came thanks to the sustained pressure of progressives, which started the minute Biden won the nomination.

It was that very slate of markedly progressive proposals that kept the Republicans in their seats as if they were nailed to them. Even behind his mask, the smile on Bernie Sanders’s face when Biden said, “Health care is a right, not a privilege,” could be seen from space.

Could Biden have asked for more in his proposals? Absolutely, and progressive members of the House are marshaling their forces to see if they can improve upon them. “Congressional Democrats are planning to pursue a massive expansion of Medicare as part of President Biden’s new $1.8 trillion economic relief package,” reports The New York Times, “defying the White House after it opted against including a major health overhaul as part of its plan.”

To underscore this effort, newly elected progressive House Rep. Jamaal Bowman offered a rare Democratic rebuttal to a speech delivered by a Democratic president. Bowman praised Biden for his accomplishments to date, before daring him to do more. “The proposals that President Biden has put forward over the last few weeks would represent important steps — but don’t go as big as we’d truly need in order to solve the crises of jobs, climate and care,” said Bowman. “We need to think bigger.”

“With Democratic control of Congress and the White House,” reports Sharon Zhang for Truthout, “Bowman said now is the time to pass the bold policies that he highlighted in his speech. He mentioned climate bills, such as the Green New Deal for Public Housing and Green New Deal for Cities, introduced earlier this month by fellow progressive colleagues, including Ocasio-Cortez, to provide funding for more climate-friendly public housing and cities. Bowman also drew attention to the THRIVE Act, a $10 trillion infrastructure and climate justice bill of which Bowman is a lead sponsor. The bill, Bowman said, could potentially create 15 million union jobs to help the U.S. economy bounce back while at the same time addressing the climate crisis and environmental justice issues.

There will be more of this, you can count on it, because Biden to date has revealed a very important aspect of his leadership style: When it comes to some issues, at least, he can be pressured and he can be moved. Progressives in Congress intend to use their influence at this unique juncture to maximum effect.

Pundits on the non-Fox networks heaped praise upon Biden and his soft, unassuming delivery. After four years of screams and rants from that podium, an hour of just business, the people’s business, was a balm. Comparisons to Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” and even Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” were bandied about.

The president can certainly take that as a compliment, but he ain’t no LBJ, and he ain’t no FDR. Not yet, anyway… and in a very important sense, he should hope to rise above those legacies if he can. Johnson’s grand plans were devoured by a ruinous war in Vietnam, and Roosevelt only achieved his lofty goals after cutting deals with racists and secessionists which exacerbated the horrors of the Jim Crow South.

The nose count does not favor the president at present. “Democratic senators had a 23-seat advantage during Roosevelt’s presidency and a 36-seat advantage during Johnson’s,” according to The Atlantic’s Ronald Brownstein. That, simply, makes legislative life a hell of a lot easier. Also, and not for nothing, but neither LBJ or FDR had a Joe Manchin lurking like a pulmonary embolism, waiting to find a place to clog up the works.

Biden’s slim majorities, and the short timetable to election 2022, make the road to fulfilling his intentions fraught with peril. Speeches like this are always wish lists. Last night, the president wished for the moon and stars. Now we see how much of it he can get.

The Republican rebuttal by Sen. Tim Scott provided a vivid counterpoint to the agenda set forth by the president. No policy ideas were offered beyond the rote recitation of right-wing culture war grievances. According to Scott, the violent divisions loose in this nation are the fault of Democrats. He said this in response to a speech delivered in the chamber that was sacked by hyper-violent Trump voters only four months ago.

At bottom, last night contained an important element of defiance: a full-throated declaration of war against the rancid legacy of Ronald Reagan. “Trickle-down economics has never worked,” the president announced to a mighty roar from half the chamber. Forty years of supply-side feed-the-rich economics has delivered us to this shabby estate, and the agenda laid out last night — if realized — would at long last begin to dismantle that legacy.

Former President Clinton can take note, too: The era of big government is back, maybe. The idea that government can help has been well-served since January, as Biden’s vaccine program has succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. Infection rates are dropping across the board, and while we have many masked miles to go before we sleep, we are in this better place because competent government has finally served the people like it is supposed to.

The wind at Biden’s back, even with his slim congressional majorities, is the simple fact that his proposals are wildly popular. Combine that with the increased public trust in government that has erupted in 2021, and Republicans face a grim task trying to throw rocks in this road. They will, of course they will, but ‘22 is coming, and the people are watching like hawks."

 

~~~~~ 


 ~ From PBS:

 

Brooks & Capeheart - April 30, 2021

 

 

 

~~~~~ 

And keep in mind, David Brooks IS a Republican - the good kind though. Anyways, no progress so far on the COVID vaccines for the Health Workers (Doctors & Staff) in Rosarito, my knee is completely gone & projects are not being finished, Paris gets her stitches out tomorrow, Totsie's eye is much better, my stitches come out on Sunday & oh surprise...making tacos over the weekend, grinding my teeth over the super radical left for chastising Biden over "not doing enough" or classifying him as an "Empire" President and the resistant GOP.

I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid, I just want him to succeed.  Good Luck Joe !

Will be back with the April totals for the local drug war - I can say this: There seems to be between TIJ & Ensenada a race to tie as far as the executions go, I have never seen that before.

 

UPDATE/edit: 05/03/21:

 We are all waiting to read or hear more developments on the horrible smuggling boat crash in front of the tidepools on the tip of Point Loma. Who was the Captain, where was the boat embarked (and with that many people going aboard you mean to tell me no one noticed or even said anything? Unless that was done under the cover of darkness in an isolated area), the conditions of the victims and their nationalities. Any idiot would know about the rough conditions there and not to pilot into and onto a freakin reef, wow. Also, I feel bad they booed Mitt Romney, what jerks. Liz Cheney has some gumption, way to go !

Meanwhile, caught this this morning - check it out & will be back soon with the drug war stats:

 

 ~ From Informed Comment with video:

 

The Real Morning in America: ~ 2/3's  Are Optimistic Under Biden: Majorities Want Gov't To Fix The Economy and Blame GOP For Obstruction

 

 

 

"Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A new ABC News/ Ipsos poll finds that 64% of Americans are optimistic about the next twelve months. It is the first time we have felt that way about ourselves since before George W. Bush crashed the economy by deregulating everything.

“Morning in America” was the slogan of the minor Hollywood actor and right wing opponent of working people Ronald Reagan, who shilled for the rich and cut their taxes, denying key services to everyone else. Reagan and Reaganism were mirages disguising an all-out assault on the US constitution in the form of the Iran-Contra scandal, in which Reagan sold the ayatollahs Pentagon weapons under the table and used the money to fund far right wing militias in Nicaragua.

Being Hollywood, Reagan was about the images. His team were good at glossy photos of sunrises and of Mr. Reagan on horseback. Reagan’s policies put the poverty rate up from 11% in the 1970s to as high as 15% in the 1980s, before it fell to 13% later in the decade. Reagan began the process of breaking the unions, which has driven workers’ salaries and benefits into the basement ever since. Reagan deregulation of banking led to the Savings and Loan Scandal, which foreshadowed the much huger mortgage finance scandal under Bush. Reaganites, as Alan Greenspan later admitted, have trouble conceiving that a banker would steal from his own bank (they don’t have much of an imagination, much less common sense). It was actually midnight in America for a lot of people.

Joe Biden is actually bringing morning to America, and may be the perfect anti-Reagan. Subdued rather than flashy, owner of a mean dog, with a low level of tolerance for malarkey, Biden isn’t giving us photo-shopped pictures of sunrises.

He’s giving us vaccinations and jobs, thus gradually bringing to an end both the pandemic and the recession it caused. And making us optimistic.

And that is what the American people want. Reagan made it fashionable to threaten the middle class that the Democrats would raise their taxes. What he and his successors wouldn’t admit was that cutting taxes on the rich hobbles the government and prevents it from providing needed services. It also promotes vast inequality in American society, creating a small class of billionaires well placed to buy our politicians and capture policy while shipping jobs overseas to add further to their obscene piles. Republicans so worshiped the idle rich that they even thought an unbalanced real estate developer who kept going bankrupt and was terminally corrupt and fatally incompetent would make a good president.

The Ipsos/ABC poll suggests that this GOP scam may finally have run out of steam. In their poll, a majority, 52%, said that right now, having the federal government spend money to help the economy, even if it increases taxes, is more important.

A plurality said taxes should be kept the same even if it meant preventing the government from helping the economy.

That’s right. A majority of Americans thinks the government can and should rescue us from the Trump pandemic/recession, even if it means raising taxes.

Reaganism, if it is not dead, seems to be on life support.

Then there was the Republican tactic that was applied to Obama, of saying ‘no’ to everything and then blaming Obama for not accomplishing anything. In 2016, the public had a chance to punish the GOP for this obstruction and for trying to take away people’s health care and other benefits. They didn’t seem, however, to know who the bad guy was and actually rewarded Mitch McConnell for torpedoing anything that seemed likely to help everyday folks as opposed to Koch Industries. The Republicans in Congress kept telling Obama they would support some bill, but then after they got him to water it down, they still voted against it. Since Obama seemed not able to deliver anything to his constituents, some of the latter turned on the party. There is always party competition, but the freeze-out of Obama on the Hill surely was unprecedented.

President Biden campaigned on bipartisanship, and his programs certainly have the support of large numbers of Republicans. But most of the Republicans in Congress do not actually represent their constituents back home, or at least don’t primarily do so. They represent the big corporations who pay for their campaigns. And many of those corporations and the billionaire class whose vehicles they are hate Biden like the devil hates holy water. I say “billionaire class” but there are really only 724 of them. Each Republican congressional representative and Senator represents roughly 2.8 billionaires. And they don’t want Biden to raise their taxes or convince people that government can do things better than their corporations can.

So not a single Republican voted for Biden’s Covid relief measure, and most likely none of them will vote for infrastructure or anything else Biden tries to accomplish.

But the American people seem finally to have Mitch McConnell’s number.

Asked, “Do you think Joe Biden is doing too much, too little, or about the right amount to compromise with the Republican leaders in Congress on important issues?” a majority of 51% said that Biden is doing “about the right amount.” Another 9% thought he was bending over backward with the Republicans a bit too much. So 60 percent say Biden is being perfectly accommodating of his colleagues across the aisle. Only 39 percent disagree, which is to say, the third of Americans who are Republican Party members plus a few independents. Most independents are clearly breaking the other way.

Asked, “Do you think the Republican leaders in Congress are doing too much, too little, or about the right amount to compromise with Joe Biden on important issues?” over two-thirds, some 67%, said “too little”!

So they know who is obstructing bipartisanship this time, and they don’t think it is the president.

A quarter of Americans think the country is more united since January, and nearly half think it at least isn’t more divided than it already was. Among those who think it is more united, 87 percent give credit to president Biden.

Only 28 percent think America is more divided, which would mean that not even all Republicans think that."

——

 

I'll say it again...Good Luck Joe ! Stay Safe Y'all...

 

Reactions To Biden's Speech To Congress - Adding Juan Cole's Updates

A refreshing take on Biden's speech to congress:


 ~ From Truthout:


Biden's Speech Pointed to a Possible End to Reagan's Rancid Legacy

 

 "Here in New Hampshire, the real governing is done at the town level by Boards of Selectmen, a council of elected officials who ride herd over the rawest, purest form of democracy practiced in the country. Majority vote rules, proposals are raised at “town meeting” and subsequently voted on by whoever raises their hand. Sometimes the room is packed, other times most seats go empty, but decisions are always made by the ones who show up.

Last night, for a brief moment, President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress looked like one of those New Hampshire town meetings. Here stands Biden, asking the Board for funds to purchase a new city plow so the streets can get cleared faster after a storm. Better for business and safer for families, is his argument, and it is sound. Oscar Wilde would recognize the scene in an eyeblink.

The mirage, alas, was punctured by the image of Ted Cruz’s eyes rolling up in his head like a guy who’d spent too much time in Cancun. Yes, this was Congress in all of its squalid glory, the man at the podium was the president, but the difference between now and last year is the difference between a friendly shoulder rub and being devoured by a hammerhead shark.

“Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President,” said Biden as he began. Those words had never been spoken in that chamber before. It was an intense moment, a piece of long-awaited history, and seemed to promise a day to come when all three seats in that upper podium will be occupied by women.

As for the content of the speech, well, it was a time warp all its own. Biden’s list of policy proposals represents something of a rewiring of the American experience, from work to family to school to medicine and science, from transportation to elder care. Much of what he proposed came thanks to the sustained pressure of progressives, which started the minute Biden won the nomination.

It was that very slate of markedly progressive proposals that kept the Republicans in their seats as if they were nailed to them. Even behind his mask, the smile on Bernie Sanders’s face when Biden said, “Health care is a right, not a privilege,” could be seen from space.

Could Biden have asked for more in his proposals? Absolutely, and progressive members of the House are marshaling their forces to see if they can improve upon them. “Congressional Democrats are planning to pursue a massive expansion of Medicare as part of President Biden’s new $1.8 trillion economic relief package,” reports The New York Times, “defying the White House after it opted against including a major health overhaul as part of its plan.”

To underscore this effort, newly elected progressive House Rep. Jamaal Bowman offered a rare Democratic rebuttal to a speech delivered by a Democratic president. Bowman praised Biden for his accomplishments to date, before daring him to do more. “The proposals that President Biden has put forward over the last few weeks would represent important steps — but don’t go as big as we’d truly need in order to solve the crises of jobs, climate and care,” said Bowman. “We need to think bigger.”

“With Democratic control of Congress and the White House,” reports Sharon Zhang for Truthout, “Bowman said now is the time to pass the bold policies that he highlighted in his speech. He mentioned climate bills, such as the Green New Deal for Public Housing and Green New Deal for Cities, introduced earlier this month by fellow progressive colleagues, including Ocasio-Cortez, to provide funding for more climate-friendly public housing and cities. Bowman also drew attention to the THRIVE Act, a $10 trillion infrastructure and climate justice bill of which Bowman is a lead sponsor. The bill, Bowman said, could potentially create 15 million union jobs to help the U.S. economy bounce back while at the same time addressing the climate crisis and environmental justice issues.

There will be more of this, you can count on it, because Biden to date has revealed a very important aspect of his leadership style: When it comes to some issues, at least, he can be pressured and he can be moved. Progressives in Congress intend to use their influence at this unique juncture to maximum effect.

Pundits on the non-Fox networks heaped praise upon Biden and his soft, unassuming delivery. After four years of screams and rants from that podium, an hour of just business, the people’s business, was a balm. Comparisons to Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” and even Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” were bandied about.

The president can certainly take that as a compliment, but he ain’t no LBJ, and he ain’t no FDR. Not yet, anyway… and in a very important sense, he should hope to rise above those legacies if he can. Johnson’s grand plans were devoured by a ruinous war in Vietnam, and Roosevelt only achieved his lofty goals after cutting deals with racists and secessionists which exacerbated the horrors of the Jim Crow South.

The nose count does not favor the president at present. “Democratic senators had a 23-seat advantage during Roosevelt’s presidency and a 36-seat advantage during Johnson’s,” according to The Atlantic’s Ronald Brownstein. That, simply, makes legislative life a hell of a lot easier. Also, and not for nothing, but neither LBJ or FDR had a Joe Manchin lurking like a pulmonary embolism, waiting to find a place to clog up the works.

Biden’s slim majorities, and the short timetable to election 2022, make the road to fulfilling his intentions fraught with peril. Speeches like this are always wish lists. Last night, the president wished for the moon and stars. Now we see how much of it he can get.

The Republican rebuttal by Sen. Tim Scott provided a vivid counterpoint to the agenda set forth by the president. No policy ideas were offered beyond the rote recitation of right-wing culture war grievances. According to Scott, the violent divisions loose in this nation are the fault of Democrats. He said this in response to a speech delivered in the chamber that was sacked by hyper-violent Trump voters only four months ago.

At bottom, last night contained an important element of defiance: a full-throated declaration of war against the rancid legacy of Ronald Reagan. “Trickle-down economics has never worked,” the president announced to a mighty roar from half the chamber. Forty years of supply-side feed-the-rich economics has delivered us to this shabby estate, and the agenda laid out last night — if realized — would at long last begin to dismantle that legacy.

Former President Clinton can take note, too: The era of big government is back, maybe. The idea that government can help has been well-served since January, as Biden’s vaccine program has succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. Infection rates are dropping across the board, and while we have many masked miles to go before we sleep, we are in this better place because competent government has finally served the people like it is supposed to.

The wind at Biden’s back, even with his slim congressional majorities, is the simple fact that his proposals are wildly popular. Combine that with the increased public trust in government that has erupted in 2021, and Republicans face a grim task trying to throw rocks in this road. They will, of course they will, but ‘22 is coming, and the people are watching like hawks."

 

~~~~~ 


 ~ From PBS:

 

Brooks & Capeheart - April 30, 2021

 

 

 

~~~~~ 

And keep in mind, David Brooks IS a Republican - the good kind though. Anyways, no progress so far on the COVID vaccines for the Health Workers (Doctors & Staff) in Rosarito, my knee is completely gone & projects are not being finished, Paris gets her stitches out tomorrow, Totsie's eye is much better, my stitches come out on Sunday & oh surprise...making tacos over the weekend, grinding my teeth over the super radical left for chastising Biden over "not doing enough" or classifying him as an "Empire" President and the resistant GOP.

I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid, I just want him to succeed.  Good Luck Joe !

Will be back with the April totals for the local drug war - I can say this: There seems to be between TIJ & Ensenada a race to tie as far as the executions go, I have never seen that before.

 

UPDATE/edit: 05/03/21:

 We are all waiting to read or hear more developments on the horrible smuggling boat crash in front of the tidepools on the tip of Point Loma. Who was the Captain, where was the boat embarked (and with that many people going aboard you mean to tell me no one noticed or even said anything? Unless that was done under the cover of darkness in an isolated area), the conditions of the victims and their nationalities. Any idiot would know about the rough conditions there and not to pilot into and onto a freakin reef, wow. Also, I feel bad they booed Mitt Romney, what jerks. Liz Cheney has some gumption, way to go !

Meanwhile, caught this this morning - check it out & will be back soon with the drug war stats:

 

 ~ From Informed Comment with video:

 

The Real Morning in America: ~ 2/3's  Are Optimistic Under Biden: Majorities Want Gov't To Fix The Economy and Blame GOP For Obstruction

 

 

 

"Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A new ABC News/ Ipsos poll finds that 64% of Americans are optimistic about the next twelve months. It is the first time we have felt that way about ourselves since before George W. Bush crashed the economy by deregulating everything.

“Morning in America” was the slogan of the minor Hollywood actor and right wing opponent of working people Ronald Reagan, who shilled for the rich and cut their taxes, denying key services to everyone else. Reagan and Reaganism were mirages disguising an all-out assault on the US constitution in the form of the Iran-Contra scandal, in which Reagan sold the ayatollahs Pentagon weapons under the table and used the money to fund far right wing militias in Nicaragua.

Being Hollywood, Reagan was about the images. His team were good at glossy photos of sunrises and of Mr. Reagan on horseback. Reagan’s policies put the poverty rate up from 11% in the 1970s to as high as 15% in the 1980s, before it fell to 13% later in the decade. Reagan began the process of breaking the unions, which has driven workers’ salaries and benefits into the basement ever since. Reagan deregulation of banking led to the Savings and Loan Scandal, which foreshadowed the much huger mortgage finance scandal under Bush. Reaganites, as Alan Greenspan later admitted, have trouble conceiving that a banker would steal from his own bank (they don’t have much of an imagination, much less common sense). It was actually midnight in America for a lot of people.

Joe Biden is actually bringing morning to America, and may be the perfect anti-Reagan. Subdued rather than flashy, owner of a mean dog, with a low level of tolerance for malarkey, Biden isn’t giving us photo-shopped pictures of sunrises.

He’s giving us vaccinations and jobs, thus gradually bringing to an end both the pandemic and the recession it caused. And making us optimistic.

And that is what the American people want. Reagan made it fashionable to threaten the middle class that the Democrats would raise their taxes. What he and his successors wouldn’t admit was that cutting taxes on the rich hobbles the government and prevents it from providing needed services. It also promotes vast inequality in American society, creating a small class of billionaires well placed to buy our politicians and capture policy while shipping jobs overseas to add further to their obscene piles. Republicans so worshiped the idle rich that they even thought an unbalanced real estate developer who kept going bankrupt and was terminally corrupt and fatally incompetent would make a good president.

The Ipsos/ABC poll suggests that this GOP scam may finally have run out of steam. In their poll, a majority, 52%, said that right now, having the federal government spend money to help the economy, even if it increases taxes, is more important.

A plurality said taxes should be kept the same even if it meant preventing the government from helping the economy.

That’s right. A majority of Americans thinks the government can and should rescue us from the Trump pandemic/recession, even if it means raising taxes.

Reaganism, if it is not dead, seems to be on life support.

Then there was the Republican tactic that was applied to Obama, of saying ‘no’ to everything and then blaming Obama for not accomplishing anything. In 2016, the public had a chance to punish the GOP for this obstruction and for trying to take away people’s health care and other benefits. They didn’t seem, however, to know who the bad guy was and actually rewarded Mitch McConnell for torpedoing anything that seemed likely to help everyday folks as opposed to Koch Industries. The Republicans in Congress kept telling Obama they would support some bill, but then after they got him to water it down, they still voted against it. Since Obama seemed not able to deliver anything to his constituents, some of the latter turned on the party. There is always party competition, but the freeze-out of Obama on the Hill surely was unprecedented.

President Biden campaigned on bipartisanship, and his programs certainly have the support of large numbers of Republicans. But most of the Republicans in Congress do not actually represent their constituents back home, or at least don’t primarily do so. They represent the big corporations who pay for their campaigns. And many of those corporations and the billionaire class whose vehicles they are hate Biden like the devil hates holy water. I say “billionaire class” but there are really only 724 of them. Each Republican congressional representative and Senator represents roughly 2.8 billionaires. And they don’t want Biden to raise their taxes or convince people that government can do things better than their corporations can.

So not a single Republican voted for Biden’s Covid relief measure, and most likely none of them will vote for infrastructure or anything else Biden tries to accomplish.

But the American people seem finally to have Mitch McConnell’s number.

Asked, “Do you think Joe Biden is doing too much, too little, or about the right amount to compromise with the Republican leaders in Congress on important issues?” a majority of 51% said that Biden is doing “about the right amount.” Another 9% thought he was bending over backward with the Republicans a bit too much. So 60 percent say Biden is being perfectly accommodating of his colleagues across the aisle. Only 39 percent disagree, which is to say, the third of Americans who are Republican Party members plus a few independents. Most independents are clearly breaking the other way.

Asked, “Do you think the Republican leaders in Congress are doing too much, too little, or about the right amount to compromise with Joe Biden on important issues?” over two-thirds, some 67%, said “too little”!

So they know who is obstructing bipartisanship this time, and they don’t think it is the president.

A quarter of Americans think the country is more united since January, and nearly half think it at least isn’t more divided than it already was. Among those who think it is more united, 87 percent give credit to president Biden.

Only 28 percent think America is more divided, which would mean that not even all Republicans think that."

——

 

I'll say it again...Good Luck Joe ! Stay Safe Y'all...

 

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

La Doctora Dice: "They Forgot About Us" - And Various Updates - Remember Hurricane Katrina ?! Not To Mention "Harvey"

 

We are waiting for Biden's address to Congress & I'm having a heck of a time trying to type due to a pretty bad finger injury which I'm taking antiobiotics for- also, Totsie had a foxtail in her eye which had to be taken out and she hates the eye drops, Paris had her foot bandage changed and she is still on meds, sick to death of it poor baby.

 

Meanwhile, here is an analysis of Biden's first 100 days in office from....

  ~ From Foreign Policy :

The Biden 100-Day Progress Report

 

All the latest news & interviews:

 

Democracy Now!

 

The latest State Department Report on Mexico: 


Travel.State.Gov

 



 

Regarding:  Mexicali

 

However, I think the State Department needs to tell their employees to be careful not to run over the bodies thrown onto the the Scenic Highway between Ensenada and TIJ. There have been four in the past few days, you can read about the fourth one in the report following this report.

As far as the drug wars in our region, what can I say ? It is bad . In Tijuana, we are up to 150 executions this month, bringing the YTD total to 634 deaths.

I think it is pretty clear why we want to leave...the violence and the ocean contamination among other issues.


~~~~~


 How many of you have been to the Red Cross in Rosarito Beach for emergency health issues?  Here is a link in case you're not familiar with the Mexican Red Cross.  Several years ago in the middle of the night I stepped on a large piece of glass and went to the RB Red Cross & although at that time there was a long line of people waiting for emergency treatment, the line moved pretty fast and I received excellent treatment.  My neighbor fell and broke his hand, he was treated there; Mike was bit by a dog here at SADM and went to the RB Red Cross and was treated professionally (plus 10 stitiches). Seven days ago, I cut my finger on an open can putting trash in the can. Well, more like a deep slash.

So once again in the middle of the night we drove to the Red Cross. No long waiting line this time, just the best absolute best professional service.  The Doc cleaned up the finger, numbed it and applied six stitches and an anti-biotic.  We had a lot of fun laughing and making fun of Trump (although we shouldn't be laughing that hard kiddos), and I asked the Doctor if she and her staff had received COVID-19 vaccinations. Nope.

This early afternoon we returned to have the stitches removed - which were not removed, they need to stay  in another four days.  But I asked again, this time a different Doctor and staff - how many had received COVID-19 vaccinations? The answer was shocking again, not one of them including the ambulance drivers, the paramedics or EMT's.

How can it be that these essential front line people who provide emergency services to our community cannot get vaccinated ? It is just like the second Doctora said, "they forgot about us."

Please donate to this essential and wonderful organization and spread the word...I can't because as a foreigner legally living here, I am not allowed to be involved in Mexican affairs. 

Stay Safe ya'll. 

 ~~~~~

 

UPDATE/edit: 04/29/2021

 

I know you remember these guys

 

Anyone remember Hurricane Katrina? Back then, we could still surf and swim in front and there really was still I think an aura of innocence and hope surrounding Mexico and the future, even at that late date. I wish it could be that way again, but time flies and slips like sand between our fingers. Probably many of you have already thought about this and I am ashamed I did not mention it before. Here is the Wiki breakdown of the Mexican Aid, including their Red Cross to assist in the Katrina aftermath:


 ~ From Wiki:


Mexican Response To Hurricane Katrina

 

Simply put, it is payback time. The best I can do is write letters to the U.S. officials and of course donate, hope ya'll do the same and maybe the Mexican power people can put a foot on the gas and get these front line Doctors and Staff their shots. Let's go ! Gracias !


Not to Mention "Harvey"...


 ~ From Reuters:


Mexican Volunteers Cross Border To Aid Texas After Hurricane Harvey

 
By

 

~~~~~

 

The Mexican Red Cross Just Seems To Do Everything Right: 


 ~ From The American Red Cross: April 13.2021


Red Cross Aid To Asylum Seekers and Migrants At The U.S. - Mexico Border

 

 

end edit.


 

~~~~~

La Doctora Dice: "They Forgot About Us" - And Various Updates - Remember Hurricane Katrina ?! Not To Mention "Harvey"

 

We are waiting for Biden's address to Congress & I'm having a heck of a time trying to type due to a pretty bad finger injury which I'm taking antiobiotics for- also, Totsie had a foxtail in her eye which had to be taken out and she hates the eye drops, Paris had her foot bandage changed and she is still on meds, sick to death of it poor baby.

 

Meanwhile, here is an analysis of Biden's first 100 days in office from....

  ~ From Foreign Policy :

The Biden 100-Day Progress Report

 

All the latest news & interviews:

 

Democracy Now!

 

The latest State Department Report on Mexico: 


Travel.State.Gov

 



 

Regarding:  Mexicali

 

However, I think the State Department needs to tell their employees to be careful not to run over the bodies thrown onto the the Scenic Highway between Ensenada and TIJ. There have been four in the past few days, you can read about the fourth one in the report following this report.

As far as the drug wars in our region, what can I say ? It is bad . In Tijuana, we are up to 150 executions this month, bringing the YTD total to 634 deaths.

I think it is pretty clear why we want to leave...the violence and the ocean contamination among other issues.


~~~~~


 How many of you have been to the Red Cross in Rosarito Beach for emergency health issues?  Here is a link in case you're not familiar with the Mexican Red Cross.  Several years ago in the middle of the night I stepped on a large piece of glass and went to the RB Red Cross & although at that time there was a long line of people waiting for emergency treatment, the line moved pretty fast and I received excellent treatment.  My neighbor fell and broke his hand, he was treated there; Mike was bit by a dog here at SADM and went to the RB Red Cross and was treated professionally (plus 10 stitiches). Seven days ago, I cut my finger on an open can putting trash in the can. Well, more like a deep slash.

So once again in the middle of the night we drove to the Red Cross. No long waiting line this time, just the best absolute best professional service.  The Doc cleaned up the finger, numbed it and applied six stitches and an anti-biotic.  We had a lot of fun laughing and making fun of Trump (although we shouldn't be laughing that hard kiddos), and I asked the Doctor if she and her staff had received COVID-19 vaccinations. Nope.

This early afternoon we returned to have the stitches removed - which were not removed, they need to stay  in another four days.  But I asked again, this time a different Doctor and staff - how many had received COVID-19 vaccinations? The answer was shocking again, not one of them including the ambulance drivers, the paramedics or EMT's.

How can it be that these essential front line people who provide emergency services to our community cannot get vaccinated ? It is just like the second Doctora said, "they forgot about us."

Please donate to this essential and wonderful organization and spread the word...I can't because as a foreigner legally living here, I am not allowed to be involved in Mexican affairs. 

Stay Safe ya'll. 

 ~~~~~

 

UPDATE/edit: 04/29/2021

 

I know you remember these guys

 

Anyone remember Hurricane Katrina? Back then, we could still surf and swim in front and there really was still I think an aura of innocence and hope surrounding Mexico and the future, even at that late date. I wish it could be that way again, but time flies and slips like sand between our fingers. Probably many of you have already thought about this and I am ashamed I did not mention it before. Here is the Wiki breakdown of the Mexican Aid, including their Red Cross to assist in the Katrina aftermath:


 ~ From Wiki:


Mexican Response To Hurricane Katrina

 

Simply put, it is payback time. The best I can do is write letters to the U.S. officials and of course donate, hope ya'll do the same and maybe the Mexican power people can put a foot on the gas and get these front line Doctors and Staff their shots. Let's go ! Gracias !


Not to Mention "Harvey"...


 ~ From Reuters:


Mexican Volunteers Cross Border To Aid Texas After Hurricane Harvey

 
By

 

~~~~~

 

The Mexican Red Cross Just Seems To Do Everything Right: 


 ~ From The American Red Cross: April 13.2021


Red Cross Aid To Asylum Seekers and Migrants At The U.S. - Mexico Border

 

 

end edit.


 

~~~~~