María Carrera Rivera, the cousin of Cardinal Norberto River, head of the Mexican Catholic church, was arrested in Durango after authorities found her Chrysler Voyager loaded with 39 kilos of marijuana.
The cardinal's sister said it was "probably a mistake."
Cardinal Rivera, a man who makes Pope Benedict XVI appear a liberal, called for the law to be applied, but also that every person is innocent until the opposite is proven.
Amen to that.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Bejarano's party faction IDN declares in favor of AMLO 2012, G-8 dissolved
The PRD faction Izquierda Democrática Nacional (IDN), headed in practice by the infamous René Bejarano, officially lined up behind the 2012 candidacy of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, following an IDN conference.
The IDN faction was badly hit following the 2004 videoscandals, yet has been recovering in the past few years. However, in a blow to IDN, the so-called "G-8," an alliance of the IDN and seven other factions, was dissolved, as a direct reaction to the return of Bejarano to the PRD, a lamentable development these and other factions opposed.
The IDN faction was badly hit following the 2004 videoscandals, yet has been recovering in the past few years. However, in a blow to IDN, the so-called "G-8," an alliance of the IDN and seven other factions, was dissolved, as a direct reaction to the return of Bejarano to the PRD, a lamentable development these and other factions opposed.
AMLO visiting United States: Los Angeles June 12
If you´re in the Los Angeles area on the coming Sunday, June 12 and feel like seeing AMLO, he'll be there - as far as I know his first trip to the United States.
Best comment yet on arrest of Jorge Hank Rhon
There have been a few biting commentaries on the recent arrest of Jorge Hank Rhon (e.g. Alejandro Encinas' changing "político pobre, pobre político" to "político armado, pobre político"), though my favorite so far is that of PRI deputy Jorge Rojo, in its sheer involuntary confessional beauty of Hank´s ties:
"It is unacceptable that a month before the elections in Mexico State the campaign of Eruviel Ávil is being hit and the political career of the current Mexican governor discredited."[italics added]Amen!
Wikileaks on Jorge Hank Rhon, cable 09TIJUANA709
From La Jornada, which is keeping an excellent tab on Wikileaks revelations big and small related to Mexico:
"It is widely believed that Hank was a corrupt mayor and is still involved with drug trafficking."
- U.S. diplomatic cable on Jorge Hank Rhon
"It is widely believed that Hank was a corrupt mayor and is still involved with drug trafficking."
- U.S. diplomatic cable on Jorge Hank Rhon
88 guns of Jorge Hank Rhon: Like arresting Al Capone for tax evasion
Forty long-barrel rifles, 48 guns, 70 ammo clips, 9,298 bullets, and a tear gas grenade, all stored in his house. That is the official reason former Tijuana mayor Jorge Hank Rhon, and ten others, was apprehended by the Mexican army.
Even Shakira was a casualty, it appears; she was slated to give a private concert to the "businessman" Jorge Hank Rhon, whose corruption and shady dealings are likely only surpassed by that of his father, Carlos Hank González, former Mexico State governor and a key member of the Grupo Atlacomulco that for decades have dominated politics in Mexico State.
The arrest of Hank Rhon certainly made an impact on the current campaign to become the next governor of Mexico State; campaign staff of Eruviel Ávila Villegas, the PRI's candidate, was quick to distance himself from Hank. The most vacuous comment I've seen so far came from current Edomex governor Enrique Peña Nieto: "I have no more facts to give any different view than the invariable position of the party."
So was it politically motivated, or simply triggered by what appears to be a criminal offense? Clearly these are not mutually exclusive. As an El Universal editorial notes, "It is difficult to find anyone with a darker past." The obvious parallel to his arrest, ostensibly for illegal weapons, is nailing Al Capone for tax evasion. Regardless: As a strike against the perennial impunit plaguing Mexico, the arrest of Jorge Hank Rhon is truly wonderful news.
Even Shakira was a casualty, it appears; she was slated to give a private concert to the "businessman" Jorge Hank Rhon, whose corruption and shady dealings are likely only surpassed by that of his father, Carlos Hank González, former Mexico State governor and a key member of the Grupo Atlacomulco that for decades have dominated politics in Mexico State.
The arrest of Hank Rhon certainly made an impact on the current campaign to become the next governor of Mexico State; campaign staff of Eruviel Ávila Villegas, the PRI's candidate, was quick to distance himself from Hank. The most vacuous comment I've seen so far came from current Edomex governor Enrique Peña Nieto: "I have no more facts to give any different view than the invariable position of the party."
So was it politically motivated, or simply triggered by what appears to be a criminal offense? Clearly these are not mutually exclusive. As an El Universal editorial notes, "It is difficult to find anyone with a darker past." The obvious parallel to his arrest, ostensibly for illegal weapons, is nailing Al Capone for tax evasion. Regardless: As a strike against the perennial impunit plaguing Mexico, the arrest of Jorge Hank Rhon is truly wonderful news.
Oaxaca: Students will finally have their teachers back
After almost two weeks of demonstrations, the "dissident" Sección 22 of the SNTE teachers union (dissident in the sense that it opposes the national leadership of SNTE leader Elba Esther Gordillo), returned to the class rooms today, Monday. In one of Mexico's absolute poorest states, with educational attainment at rock bottom, the teachers left the 1.4 million or so students without a teacher for almost two weeks - all the time collecting their salary.
Yet the protests - which included the occupation of government buildings, public squares, TV and radio stations, and highway toll booths - are not yet officially over, only in "recess."
It's quite ironic that the perennial bad wolf of SNTE, appears to have accepted an obligatory evaluation program of Mexico's teachers, to be held every three years, something the Sección 22 adamantly opposes.
Oaxaca's business sectors reported losses of about 12 billion pesos so far due to Sección 22's teachers (and far from all are; many merely collect their pay yet dedicate themselves to "organizational work" such as the recent strikes) since 2006.
Also of note: Not once in the last 28 years have the teachers actually fulfilled their professional duties to teach the full 200 days per academic year.
Yet the protests - which included the occupation of government buildings, public squares, TV and radio stations, and highway toll booths - are not yet officially over, only in "recess."
It's quite ironic that the perennial bad wolf of SNTE, appears to have accepted an obligatory evaluation program of Mexico's teachers, to be held every three years, something the Sección 22 adamantly opposes.
Oaxaca's business sectors reported losses of about 12 billion pesos so far due to Sección 22's teachers (and far from all are; many merely collect their pay yet dedicate themselves to "organizational work" such as the recent strikes) since 2006.
Also of note: Not once in the last 28 years have the teachers actually fulfilled their professional duties to teach the full 200 days per academic year.
PRD offers to have all its candidates certified as free of narco-connections
Jesús Zambrano and Dolores Padierna, the PRD's (Partido de la Revolución Democrática) president and secretary general respectively, handed over a list to the Mexican Federal attorney general's office of all their candidates for the upcoming state elections, in Coahuila, Nayarit, Mexico State and Hidalgo, asking that the PGR certify then as having no connections to any drug trafficking gangs.
The PGR responded it is beyond its powers and rejected the petition - but quite likely a useful publicity stunt, nonetheless.
The PGR responded it is beyond its powers and rejected the petition - but quite likely a useful publicity stunt, nonetheless.
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