Wednesday

Hundreds of women, part of the militant teachers' union holding downtown Oaxaca, took over a state-run television station for a number of hours yesterday, during which they aired a videotaped record of the police raid that violently (and temporarily) ousted union protestors last month. Yesterday also brought alleged president-elect Calderón's first official outspeaking about the México City lockdown by supporters of leftist presidential wannabe AMLO. His condemnation was predictably critical, pointing out all the ironies I would have: that this rally was hurting everyone by slumping economics by strangling the nerve center of the country Obrador is desperate to be leading. He also mentioned that this million man tantrum was working outside the parameters of the rule of law. On the other side, AMLO's people have narrowed their sights, laying the blame of their fraudulent political cost at the doorstep of one Elba Esther Gordillo, who happens to be the leader of a certain militant national teachers union, themselves currently demonstrating no special concern for the rule of law. All this talk of civil opposition makes me want to point to the guy who is in the middle. In his speech, Caldorón charged México City's current mayor with the job of stopping the protest occupation that is advancing daily into other important new areas of the capital city. While this goes without saying, and the lack of police pulling people out of the middle of downtown Reforma avenue is duly noted, the poor guy is a staunch supporter of AMLO, a VIP in the party, and faced with a million people he'll have to govern when this blows over. Riot police would anger the capital's population; but if he does nothing the inevitable backlash will get him, too. What a bad time to be mayor of México City. [Cavin]