"Mark in Mexico" and the shooting...

"Mark in Mexico," despite his extreme rightist views (his links are to U.S. websites concerned with the more reactionary wing of the Republican Party, and have little, or nothing, to do with Mexico... other than maybe those to various anti-immigration writers, like Michelle Malkin or the odious racist Vox Day) does get some good photos from Oaxaca. He claims he has a "source" who slips him the photos before they get to Notimex... which may be true... but, if so, then they were intended for public distribution. That secret source would also SEEM to work against Mark's claim that these photos were taken by Will Bradley Roland (opr "Bradly Will")... unless Mark is claiming to be in possession of evidence in a criminal case with international reprecussions. Which I don't think he is. Both photos from "Mark in Mexico" (UPDATE: 3:30 AM -- yeah, I'm up too late)... the photos are by Raúl Estrella of El Universal, and I've changed the links from Mark's page to those in El Universal. Make of it what you will.) Mark tries, valiantly, to claim that the APPO is responsible for the shooting ... and, he darkly hints, there was something behind the fact that the media was there The possibility that the media were the target of the shooters hasn't crossed his mind, I guess. Mark undercuts his own suggestions... and opens up new lines of inquiry (and a real suspicion that the shooters were indeed, either PRI operatives or police) when he writes (at 10:48 Friday)

Then an APPO operative begins backing a large dumptruck down the street towards the shooters with a contingent of about 20 using the truck for cover. However, the shooters continue moving forward and the dump truck driver gets cold feet, throws the truck into a forward gear and accelerates back towards his own people. At this point everybody started running like hell to both avoid getting shot and run over by the dumptruck...

The newsman on Televisa said that the Oaxacan authorities had not been able to identify the shooters. That would mean that they are not holed up in the Municipal Palace as was being reported earlier.

[Or, it could mean the Oaxacan authorities are lying... what a shocking concept]

The Televisa newscaster showed his film several times and pointed out that the shooters appeared to have arrived and then waited some distance away. Televisa had cameras both behind and in front of the shooters. They are shown looking back over their shoulders several times and then suddenly moving forward in concert. The newscaster said that this indicated that they were awaiting a command from someone. He may or may not be right about that. It is apparent that two of the shooters move forward simultaneously as though on command.

[Mark refers again and again to the APPO as a "mob" or "neanderthals"... if he's right, they wouldn't show this kind of discipline. I still say police]

The TV Azteca newscaster has just interviewed Governor Ruiz Ortiz live on the air. He pointedly asked the governor, "Were those your men who did the shooting?" The governor replied that no, all of the state's policemen are confined to their barracks and have been for a month to avoid just such a confrontation and subsequent result. He blamed the shooting on pro APPO forces vs con APPO forces and said that it was a result of the environment of general lawlessness that exists today in Oaxaca. He clearly blames APPO for all of the violence just as APPO blames the governor for it all.

Mark in Mexico often performs a valuable service, and some of his reporage has been surpurb. I've recommended it before. I may recommend it again (and I always have rcommended his photos -- whatever the source). But, something is off -- beyond the usual WND or FOX NEWS style spin about this story.