Cardinal Norberto Rivera: Divine law over constitutional law

Cardinal Norberto Rivera comes out as a catholic mirror image of any pro-sharia muslim:

Sure, the church should obey the government, but only to the extent that the church agrees with it:

"when the authorities move beyond the legal framework, where it can not and must not govern, there is no obligation to be obedient, and if they oppose openly fundamental rights, then one must deny it obedience."

Surely, if a government breaks the law, there should be room for civil disobedience - here, I could not agree more. The problem with the the church's statement is of a far different character: It assumes the right and duty to decide for itself, based on bronze-age texts written in the Middle East, what "fundamental rights" are, and use these to deny other people rights - that of divorce, that of marriage, that of birth control, and so forth. These are truly frightening ideas, and sounds just like any pro-sharia advocate.

On a side note: It makes my stomach churn to see SME representatives attend Rivera's mass and mutually extolling each other's efforts. So much for "independent" unions - now allied with the must reactionary elements found in Mexico!

Michoacán: Another mayor candidate steps down after threats

Elizondo Maldonado Ambriz was the PRD's candidate to be mayor of Múgica, Michoacán, but stepped down after what appears to be threats from organized crime. Antonio Soto Sánchez, spokesperson for PRD's candidate for governor Silvano Aureoles Conejo, all but confirmed this.

He is not the first: In the past weeks, mayoral candidates have also stepped down in Tumbiscatío, Indaparapeo, Churumuco, and Arteaga, as they simply are not willing to face near certain death if they defy the criminal group in control of the area.

One is hard pressed to blame them.

Free Ipads! Just give us your data, Mexican Green party says

This is truly repugnant. The Mexican "Green Party" is offering Ipads, Ipods, and refridgerators  - or, the chance of winning one of these items - in return for sending you their personal information - full name, address, etc.

Senator Arturo Escobar insisted that such practices does not need the permission of the Interior Ministry, as it is technically not a lottery, because no tickets are handed out.

He also denied that the PVEM has been handing out any flyer announcing this dubious practice, despite El Universal having revealed this in its investigation. Escobar is a man whose lack of sincerity, integrity and credibility rivals that of Sarah Palin, so I'll trust El Universal on this one.

There are few things I would like more to see happen in Mexican politics than the revocation of PVEM's party registry. May this be one more nail in its coffin.

If we don't get a bishop, we change religion:

Interesting religious dynamics in San Luis Potosí: An entire people changes religion following miserable customer service from the catholic church.

The Pames / Xi'iuy are an indigenous people found in  San Luis Potosí, among the very few surviving in the state. They make up around 3 percent of its population. Following multiple complaints and petitions to the catholic church to send them a priest or bishop, which were all apparently ignored, the Pames decided to simply change their religion toward a denomination that was indeed willing to send a religious minister to their area: The Anglicans.

They lined up to get baptized, and celebrated their new religion as it should be, with a party and dances.

From La Jornada

Strongest accusation yet from Calderón of PRI collusion with narcos

It even reached the New York Times ("Mexican President: State Was Left to Drug Cartel"):
Calderón is suggesting that the PRI-run government of the state of Veracruz might have pacted with the narcos:

"I believe Veracruz was left in the hands of the Zetas, I don't know if it was involuntary, probably, I hope so"

Wow.

As one might expect, the PRI was not happy about these comment, though its response to what are truly explosive allegations was remarkably muted ("lamentable," "politicized," etc).

Is it just 2012 heating up, or does the government really have something on PRI and narco collusion?

Calderón meets again with Javier Sicilia

A second summit was held in Chapultepec castle yesterday where Felipe Calderón again met with Javier Sicilia, leader of Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad, as well as other prominent social activists.

Since the last meeting three months ago, Sicilia appears to have ramped up his discourse:

.. an atmosphere of violence and horror is polluting words and speeches. There is a greater threat we are detecting and that citizens are condemning, that of authoritarianism and its most brutal face, fascism.

Honestly, fascism? I wonder if, in retrospect, Sicilia will see the irony of his own words: Hurling around such labels, which serve absolutely no constructive purpose rather than to provoke, polarize, and distort reality, are also polluting the dialogue he himself has been so central in promoting.

AMLO in Spain

Spain is the country with the second largest investments in Mexico, and AMLO just went there for his first-ever trip to promote his presidential candidacy. The main message appears indeed to have been directed toward business sectors:

We think that we should not continue privatizing what little remains. It has been excessive. But that does not mean that the the country's public economy will be nationalized. We can't have a state which stifles civil society initiatives, but nor are we in favor of diluting the state and that only a group with dark intentions, such as in our country, dominates.

So in sum, no nationalizations, though there are good and bad capitalists. Let's see if the Spanish investors are convinced. Not sure if they necessarily bought his characterization of both Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon as "traitors" to democracy.