El Periodico de Mexico recently published an article in which Subcomandante Marcos calls the attack on Gaza by Israel a "classic war of conquest". He talks about how much he sees in how the people of Gaza are sturggling. "For the government of Israel" he says "these men, women, children and elders are the enemy soldiers and the houses, huts and buildings where they live are the headquarters that need to be destroyed." Yet, how the rest of the world seems to know that they are nto soldiers but innocent people. He asks if there is anything they can do to save just one child, a rehitorical question, he answers it. "We think so." If no bomb is dropped by us, we don't kill anyone and that is one less bomb to be dropped on these poor people who haven't done anything wrong but live.
What happens anywhere in the world affects the whole rest of the world. Mexico is dealing with preoblems of its own at home, but the leader of this revolutionary group is taking the time to ask if he can save one child in a foreign land where he has never been. He still finds time to be concerned about the worlds where he has not been and most likely will not travel to in the near future, if ever.
A recording/message of Marcos' speach about the attack on Gaza.
This is a complicated political situation of course. I really believed in Marcos' cause at the beginning of his protests, but cannot support him now due to the violent way he protests' the repression of the Zapatistas. While I don't agree with the corrupt way that the Mexican government is coercing the Zapatistas with "charity," I do wonder how to stop the violence. Marcos seems to have gone too far like so many passionate people for justice. of course he cares about these people and their plight, but how many lives is he willing to sacrifice for his cause? This is the conundrum for me. What do you think?
ReplyDeletein all honesty, I'm not sure how long this struggle between the two groups will be. While I have my personal ideas, I have not been put into the desperate situation that many of the people in Chiapas were placed in.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I would hope that Marcos wouldn't want to loose too many people, I suppose that the loss of a few lives is in a way inevitable. But I see no reason for there to be a large number of lives to be taken.
One fact I would like to correct, is that they governmnet isn't paying the Zapatistas off, but paying off the citizens who support the Zapatista movement. By gettign rid of the support of the citizens, the Zapatistas have no where to turn and may as well be extinguished due to lack of cooperation by people.
Hi Bean :)
ReplyDeletespelling--rhetorical question.