Letters

Send your letters to the editor to 
atencionedit@bibliotecasma.com  
Atención will not publish offensive or 
defamatory material.

Editor, 

We have been very positively impressed by the great care the people of San Miguel give to one another when there is need. This is one reason we make a home in our city.

The small group of people in the Permaculture Community make their home on the land near San Miguel and are dedicated to living in harmony with the earth, protecting and cultivating native plants, doing organic gardening, teaching others how to do this and creating a lifestyle that aids and does not deplete our earth.

Terresa Beck, who has volunteered for many San Miguel helping organizations and is a hostess for the WWOOF work exchange program (Willing Workers on Organic Farms); Ann Williams, whose beautiful work as a portrait artist had been a gift to many; Windsong, a practicing midwife; Maripat Kelly, who actively supports midwifery; and Agnieszka Meyro lived and worked in harmony in close proximity.

On Friday, April 14, a rapidly spreading fire swept the area. Windsong's home (a tent) and all the equipment within it was destroyed. Terresa's home suffered smoke damage; her bodega filled with building supplies, a compost toilet and water tank and all the water in it (used to fight the fire) were gone. Terresa suffered smoke inhalation and burns, and many of the native plants were destroyed. No other building was damaged, but the fire burned to within a meter on all sides of Agnieszka's home. The whole area is a mess, and the debris from the fire needs to be trucked away.

Genero Monzan, of San José de Gracias, Jorge Catalán, owner of the Bee Natural store and President of the Instituto de Permacultura, and some bomberos came to help fight the fire. 

There is a real need to replace Windsong's tent and living supplies and the native plants and to bring water and water containers back, rebuild the bodega, and clear away the debris. A fund has been started, and if you choose to be one of our caring community in this instance, do leave a donation at Sue Paris's Box 138A at La Conexión or a note telling what you have to give that could help. If it is plants or material things you can assist with, either Ann or Terresa will contact you. Ann and Terresa together will also decide how to distribute any funds so these real needs are met.

Your loving help will be immensely appreciated, and you will be continuing a truly great San Miguel tradition of people helping people.


Nancy Anderson, Owen Thomas, Sue Paris, Susan Sargeant, Marthe Fraser, Jim Priest and other friends of the Permaculture Community

Editor, 

Speaking (see Paul Temple's April 7 letter in Atención) as a Canadian (ex-Brit) cottage owner in the same Bracebridge lake area 120 miles north of Toronto where he spends his summers, I believe most readers of the local paper would welcome Mr. Temple's ex-Canuck point of view on local and national Canadian politics. Foreign summer residents are impacted by the actions of local politicians just like their Canadian counterparts. 

The local summer "ex-pat" mix in this summer community is Torontonians (like me) with a soupçon of Americanos-essentially San Miguel's makeup in reverse. 

The current Bracebridge representative in Ottawa won by just 25 votes. He is an unpopular Toronto Conservative politician parachuted into a winnable seat. If the summer residents-who drive the economy-had bothered to expose his record he would have been defeated. It was a winter election, so we didn't speak up, and we didn't vote. Now we have to pay for our apathy.

This lesson seems particularly timely for the US, where the corrosive influences of re-emergent McCarthyism, misinformation and cover-ups are eroding freedom of speech and the democratic process.

Surely the Mexican restrictions on political participation by foreigners are designed to counter potentially subversive elements like the CIA-not to deter stellar informative overview pieces penned by credible observers such as the admirable Mr. Barham!


Tim McDonald (Toronto)





Editor,

On Tuesday afternoon, April 11, I had an accident on my scooter on lower Canal Street. It tipped over when I braked too hard, and my ankle was broken. Within a minute, three gentlemen came to help. One very concerned fellow asked if I could stand up. I said no.

My foot was at a very unusual angle. He immediately ran across the street and brought a chair. He picked me up and put me in the chair. Within another minute I heard the siren of an ambulance. Some wonderfully concerned citizen had called. The ambulance crew were gentle, kind and very professional. Within a few minutes I was on an IV and at Hospital de la Fe. Very quickly, my ankle was x-rayed and paperwork completed.


While I waited for surgery, a federal police officer arrived and asked what he should do with my scooter. I asked him if it would be possible to have it taken to my house. He quickly said yes. That was done within a few hours.

Shortly, I went to surgery, where a team of highly qualified and skillful doctors put it all back together. What a great staff of kind, caring and professional people with wonderful personalities! We had a few laughs, and they told me exactly what I wanted to hear all through the repair process. It seemed to me that everyone involved in the process, from accident scene to hospital staff, spoke very adequate English. That was most comforting. Looking back on the entire episode, I cannot fault anyone involved.

The true kindness, sincere concern and professionalism that were given to me was beyond any expectation. Thank God I was in San Miguel and had this opportunity to meet and be attended to by so many wonderful, caring people. I may now expect a fast recovery and great memories. Many thanks and praise to all of you. 

Robert Nelson