There are none so blind as those who will not see
By Juan Villaseñor


I’ll start by giving a short review of several news items which to many may seem unrelated, but to me are very much intertwined. Of course, the opinion of the many is more valuable, but it’s more interesting to dissent.

First: In a resurgence of the violence in Oaxaca, on Monday, July 16, there were clashes between the police, the APPO (Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca) and Section 26 of the CNTE (Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación), the self-same movement that was quashed last year by federal police and resulted in several deaths and the imprisonment of the leaders who were tried, convicted and sentenced to maximum security prisons with remarkable celerity. The group’s initial petition, which was quickly swept under the rug by our senators, was to request the removal of Oaxaca’s governor, Ulises Ruiz. (There are those who say that this and the case of the governor of Puebla were part of the deal PAN made to get PRI support for the presidency of Felipe Calderón.)

Second: A Mexican citizen of Chinese origin, found with US$205 million in cash, claims he was holding it for the PAN, that highly placed officials know this, that the money was used to fund campaigns and that he better cooperate or his life would be in danger. The government response so far has been to call Zhenli Ye Gon a liar and say that his claims are absurd. They haven’t synchronized their stories as to where the money ended up and one lie uncovered just leads to another. The case will be tried in New York; Zhenli is no fool, he’s suing from there. In an interesting side note, the police wanted to report that it was a smaller sum, but when the stacks of cash were shown on television, a teller calculated the amount and so, tough luck, the accurate count was reported.

Third: There were explosions at two Pemex plants, one in Queretaro and the other here in Guanajuato, which caused panic and serious economic losses. The explosions occurred on two different days and the initial report from the government was that they were due to “mechanical failure,” but the media was contacted by a guerrilla group, calling themselves the EPR, who took credit for the explosions. Their demand is knowledge of the whereabouts of two of the group’s leaders. The government response: yes, the explosions were intentional but they have no idea where those two people might be. According to the EPR they were arrested in Oaxaca. Everyone washes his hands of the matter.

It’s been over a year since the elections of 2006, in which 30 percent of the electorate felt robbed of victory; the government refused a recount, thus polarizing the country. They used the law without regard for the bias of those charged with interpreting it. Some celebrated victory, others claimed fraud – two versions of the same event. (A poll showed 13 percent of the 30 percent who felt cheated were willing to resort to violence.)

I don’t approve of violence as a solution, but desperation can cause it, especially among the many who had so much hope, only to see it dashed. So many have nothing to lose and see only that the law still favors the powerful and the wealthy. They see no escape from their precarious social, political and economic situation—(M)the downtrodden, the underdogs. They’re fed up. Their government lies, it is corrupt, inefficient and terrified of transparency and of the democracy it claims to defend.

I fervently hope they figure it out and instead of just running public service announcements on television, they’ll actually get to work. Sadly, in Mexico, change has come too often through violence. And believe me, there are other ways.








Biblioteca News

For the love of literature
Proverbs, poppycock and profundities
By Nancy Bohné

Bicultural is a popular term these days, we all seem to enjoy tossing it around and some of us even try out a few multi-culturals. But when it comes to a definition, we can find ourselves stumped. What does it really mean to be bicultural? Do a certain number of decades in two or more places qualify? Possibly, but not always. I’ve heard rumors there are those who have lived here 40 years and not yet mastered por favor and gracias. Maybe the amount of travel one can claim lends itself to a certain level of cultural caché but that’s like saying that walking into a men’s room will make me a man.

To college students, two weeks without Starbucks can seem like a stint in the Peace Corps, or maybe just sporting a T-shirt that says My Aunt went to Tijuana and all I got was this lousy T-shirt is enough to qualify.

How do we know we’ve achieved that elusive biculturalism? Perhaps it’s like Justice Potter Stewart’s definition of pornography – “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.” With language, it could be the day you find yourself not only understanding the idioms, the dichos and dicharachos, but you hear them coming from your own lips.

I grew up hearing many in both English and Spanish. Where the cocinera would say: En boca cerrada no entran moscas, my dad told me (more than once) that it was “better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

There are many that cross the language divide. Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres is much like “tell me who you’re with and I’ll tell you who you are,” put to good use by parents who aren’t too thrilled with the gang of friends hanging around. How many times have we been told that we reap what we sow? Well, down here you cosechas lo que siembras. 

My mother’s favorite was “it could always be worse” – not exactly what one wants to hear after every childhood catastrophe, but nevertheless generally quite true. It’s true here as well. Next time the plumbing runs amuck, the lights go out or the stall is paperless, just remember: No hay mal que no tiene peór. If you’re in need of a little extra consolation, remember: Dios aprieta pero no ahorca (when God closes a door, she opens a window.)

It comes as no surprise that there’s a certain spiciness to Mexican sayings that seems to be lacking in English. “As American as apple pie” doesn’t pack quite the same punch as Mas mexicano qu’el pulque.


If you’re up to adding some of that spice to your speech, there’s a wonderful little book in the Biblioteca called Dichos, Dicharachos y Refranes Mexicanos by José M. Pérez that is jam-packed with sayings for every conceivable occasion. So, before your next fiesta, when you feel like getting really hammered, ready to echar la casa por la ventana, plumb the bottomless depths of Mexico’s wit and wisdom and bring down the house.





What every citizen (doesn’t) want to know…
By Nancy Bohné

For the bilingual with a passion for la política, the satirical “textbook” by humorist Denise Dresser, one of Mexico´s most famous political minds, and celebrated novelist/historian Jorge Volpi, is a must read.

Dedicated to all indignant citizens, “México - Lo que todo ciudadano quisiera (no) saber de su patria” is a rollicking, wildly irreverent look at Mexican history (as told by the winners), at the current crop of politicos and movers and shakers from Cuahtemoc to Calderón. 

With a prologue by none other than don Benito Juárez, who, surprised that such an honor should be given to a “shepherd boy” suddenly recalls that there are “32,814 streets named after me and every Mexican president since puts my portrait up when giving a speech about El Estado de Derecho.”

He adds that he “hasn´t laughed this hard since they made the Laws of Reform and executed Maximilian” On a more serious note he isn’t too thrilled about being on the 20 peso bill, is glad there wasn’t television in his time since he’s been told it adds ten kilos and signs off with the caveat, “Tell the politicians that there really is a hell.”

There are ten chapters from which to learn, though the authors confess that it’s really all in the first three pages and the rest is filler. You’ll get a look at the Mexican Constitution, article by article, forewarned, of course, that it isn’t enforced, it doesn’t matter and everybody talks about it but few understand it. You can test your mexicanidad by answering 25 questions to determine ¿Qué tan mexicano eres (y de qué tipo)? that range from knowing how many stanzas there are in the Mexican National Anthem, what all can be done with a cactus, who has gone down in history as the ugliest politician, and what breed of dog is 100 percent Mexican. Chapter Two will teach you about the fabulous pantheon of gods whose names may be unpronounceable but must be full of significance and how to always put the blame for everything on los del extranjero 

The period following the Revolution of 1910 up to 2005 is covered in Chapter Three and discusses the pre-revolutionary period, the revolutionary period, the post revolutionary period, the super revolutionary, the hyper revolutionary and revolutionary plus. Elections, the media, education, unions, political fictions, Dresser and Volpi, believing that “nothing can remain standing against the assault of humor,” leave no joke untold, no stone unturned, and absolutely no one unscathed.

But, after all of this irreverence, the book ends with the words: “No, it shouldn’t be the end of the story… Vote. Denounce. Educate yourself. Be vigilant. Don’t just be a survivor. Participate.







Letters to the Editor

Editor,

As a regular volunteer for more than a year at the SPA, I felt compelled to write to you after reading the letter last week regarding this organization. I will address the points raised, in order. First, the comment that the SPA should “change its name to reflect the reality of its mission…” well, the name stands for the Society for the Protection of Animals and is wholly accurate. It does not stand for the protection of only adorable little dogs. Secondly, the author’s claim that the website “is very misleading in claiming to be a shelter that takes in unwanted dogs” is absolutely untrue. She goes on to state that the SPA houses some 60-odd street dogs, the “common garden variety type who are not readily adoptable.” If that doesn’t define unwanted dogs, I don’t know what does!

Thirdly, cages were set aside for small dogs, however a puppy that was accepted from the waiting list developed parvovirus, infected the other puppies, necessitating strict isolation. Since this put the isolation cages temporarily out of use, and the admission policy is to isolate new admissions for 24–48 hours for observation, no new dogs can be accepted until the danger of infection has passed. As soon as possible, the SPA will begin accepting small dogs again. Furthermore, the author also apparently thinks that parvo is the same as distemper; it is not. Parvo is treatable, and any SPA animal that does not respond to the treatment will be humanely euthanized. Additionally, any animal that is too ill to cure, or too aggressive to be adoptable is euthanized. One reason there is a waiting list is that the adorable puppies and young, small dogs who are not adopted become large, less adorable adult dogs which still need shelter, food and love and these dogs are definitely adoptable. Volunteers work with some of 
these dogs on a one to one basis for leash training, learning commands and for socialization with other animals as well as humans. The SPA large dogs, as a group, are sweet, affectionate and eager for a home and it seems truly heartless to me that anyone would consider destroying these dogs simply to make room for what may or may not be considered “more adoptable” small and cute dogs. By the way, there have been a number of adoptions recently of some of these “unadoptable street dogs.” I believe that the SPA is fulfilling its mission very well, especially since it is the ONLY place a dog or cat can be surrendered without it automatically being killed, and that if more people would consider adopting a larger dog, there would more room at the inn for all.

Lynn Weisberg

Editora

En relación a la carta enviada por el Señor Pedro Jiménez, publicada viernes 20 de julio, (Campaña en internet para revivir la Sanmiguelada?), me permito referir los siguientes puntos: Primero, los únicos intereses que existen para solicitar que no se cancele la Sanmiguelada, es que la población en general se vea beneficiada con la derrama económica tan significativa en el día de la Sanmiguelada y de esa manera puedan seguir conservando sus empleos, aún en las temporadas bajas.

Segundo, para el adecuado control de las bebidas alcohólicas solicitamos un reglamento especial para ésta festividad. Así como el auxilio de las fuerzas de seguridad del Estado. Tercero, el narcomenudeo, de ningúna manera es una problemática que conlleva la Sanmiguelada. Es un problema a nivel nacional, en donde el gobierno federal está haciendo su mayor esfuerzo, tratando de controlar al máximo ésta situación, en donde desgraciadamente se ven muchas veces involucrados diferentes niveles de gobierno.

Cuatro, la prostitución no es de ninguna manera una problemática de nuestra ciudad. Estoy seguro que ninguna mesera o mesero en San Miguel, se presta a dar ese tipo de servicios. Estamos orgullosos del personal que labora en nuestros empresas, y para esa fecha le damos trabajos eventuales, a personas que ya conocemos por su capacidad en el ramo turístico, no a prostitutas.

Cinco, afortunadamente, México no se encuentra en guerra con ningún país del lejano o cercano Oriente. Históricamente los mexicanos siempre hemos sido agredidos y despojados de nuestro territorio. Los grupos guerrilleros que operan en nuestro país no atentan contra la población civil, sus objectivos han sido siempre estratégicos.

Finalmente, de lo único que es responsable el Sr. José Luna, es de tener un negocio exitoso en nuestra ciudad, del cual se sostienen alrededor de 100 familias. Sanmiguelenses. Además, la generación de impuestos, seguramente ayuda para que muchas personas honestas como lo son los encargados de limpia del municipio, puedan pasar por su salario a la tesorería municipal. 

Sr. Rubén Perez Fryman





Editor,

I had the privilege of experiencing a Retreat at Life Path in San Miguel in early July. What a wonderful resource for the community at large and particularly for individuals engaged in the endeavor of personal growth.

The people who created Life Path are smart and genteel and caring. 

Their commitment to raising the bar on the quality of life in the 
world is evident by the nature of their work toward that goal with individuals.

I had never been to San Miguel before, though I had read and heard a great deal about the beauty, history and culture of the city. Each of these aspects certainly stands on it's own, however their total became greater than their sum as I strolled the streets or sipped coffee across from the Parroquia or sat in a contemplative state in the Jardin, observing the uniqueness of passers by.


Upon returning home to the U.S., much to my delight, my 'new eyes' have come with me and I'm seeing things in a new way here as well. 

Life Path presents a chest of tools for repairing, re-ordering and enhancing one's spiritual house. Spontaneous helpings of laughter were part of the recipe as well.

Again, we are reminded that health and clarity in individuals builds health and clarity, person by person, in the bigger world. Works for me!

Ivette Rothenberg
Northern California