Rattlesnakes and Politicization

Well gee that was an aweful long time to go without writing a blog! Yeah. Lo siento. Things have been crazy and then some, plus access to technology has taken a nosedive since I left Chiapas (as those of you who´s emails I have left unanswered can attest to. Sorry about that. I probably read part of it, more probably wrote you an email saying I would read it, and most probably didn´t finish that email saying I would write you back later before internet time was up)

I´ve been in Tlaxcala, a state just to the east of Mexico City where cactus are harvested all year round, one quarter of most rural families have family members working in the USA, and my nine year old brother catches rattlesnakes. Like actually. He tried to sell a two litre former coke, now live rattlesnake, bottle to me for a few pesos. Needless to say I didn´t buy it, even though it was certainly under the artificially deflated NAFTA market price for 2 litre bottles of live rattlesnake.

To those of you who may have been wondering, the rumors are true. My relationship with my latest ACL, though longer than any physical relationship I have ever had with either person or implanted ACL came to a jolting halt last month. Please don´t ask me about it. I´m dealing and I´m fine.

Still learning lot´s and lot´s. We are living with members of the Consejo Nacional Urbano y Campesino, a state-wide (the Nacional part is a little deceiving) social movement of urban and rural people fighting everything from the privatization of water to mistreatment in public hospitals; well more accurately lack of treatment in public hospitals. Interestingly, though part of la Otra Compaña (the international anti-capitalist campaign started by the Zapatista Rebellion), CNUC fights by demanding the services the government is mandated to provide rather than breaking from the government all together. Still the people are politicized and unaffiliated with political parties and the movement is incredible.

A quick clarification of definitions. To Become Politicized: people taking the economic, social, and political elements that shape the world of their communities and lives into their own hands, making choices and fighting fights in order to directly ensure that their lives are managed the way they want them to be. To Become Political: actively participating in political campaigns where people organize every few years to choose and support an individual candidate to (hopefully) represent their interests in the higher offices that be. Big Difference: in very significant ways.


Much love

Gabe