Oaxaca... it's gonna get stranger before it gets better

An astute European, with family and business ties to Oaxaca, made the following observations about the Oaxaca situation on one of the tourism websites:

‘Si los que dispararon (a Brad Will) son militantes del PRI, tendrán nuestro apoyo jurídico’. ("If the ones that shot at (Brad Will) are PRI activists we will help them with their legal defense").Héctor Pablo Ramírez Puga Leyva, Leader of the PRI in Oaxaca. (Quoted by Ciro Gómez Leyva in Vanguardia. Gomez Leyva is a Mexican journalist and newsreader of international reputation). The PRI leader in Oaxaca has offered to "help" the feds to "clean up" Oaxaca. He is saying that he could mobilize 20000 armed men and have them answer any "agressions" by the APPO. (reported in both El Universal and el Diario de Yucatan.

He adds this warning: If it comes to confrontations between PRI and APPO we will surely see what happened on Friday (the killings at the barricade where Brad Will was shot) repeated many times. The PRI leadership and militants have nothing to loose in Oaxaca. I am afraid that they will try to cling to power for as long as they can, using the methods they have learned - fraud, murder, repression. One thing to note about Governor Ruiz. The number of votes he received (or, rather were counted) that give him his victory over Gabino Cué, the Convergencia politican supported by both PAN and PRD, was exactly the same as the number of votes received by an minor party candidate that jumped into the election at the last minute. What were the odds on that? Probably about the same as Calderón's margin of victory over AMLO. And Mexicans are good mathematicians... More Oaxacan news of the weird: All Mexican papers are reporting on the two interlopers found on Benito Juarez Autonomous University campus today. An Army intellegence officer, and a Oaxaca State Police officer in plainclothes have been held by the students. Photo courtesy EFE printed in Vanguardia. The APPO is threatening to widen the rebellion, taking municipal headquarters (ayuntementos) throughout the state. Ulises Ruiz is trying to hang on, with PRI support, but the APPO STILL will not negotiate with him. The APPO, Congress, the Supreme Court, the Catholic Church... besides PRI, who wants Ulises... oh, yeah... Esther Elba. SNTE says the teachers strike is settled. Section 22 (which started the whole thing) begs to differ. No classes Monday, kids.