The Insurrection
Today marks the beginning of the fourth year of Earthfamilyalpha.
I started EFA after the 2004 election where, once again, evidence of election fraud was clear. This time it was in Ohio. But the forces of Republican control were well organized in every state and once again, there were many whose votes were not cast, and many whose votes were never counted.
In Mexico, November 20th represents the day that Francisco I. Madero called for a National Insurrection. He declared the electoral process which once again placed Porfirio Diaz in power invalid and appointed provisional Governors. Immediately, uprising broke out in several Mexican states.
Don Porfirio, as he was called, had been in power for more than 30 years (1876-1911). Under his rule, Mexico had political stability and grew in many areas, creating new industries, railroads, kilometers of railroad tracks as well as the increase of foreign capital. Non-the less, this progress was not translated into the peoples’ well being.
Madero came from a wealthy family from Coahuila. He had studied business in France as well as in the U.S. He vigorously fought against reelection and for democracy and liberty in Mexico through his political newspaper articles. He was also a believer in non violence.
The Anti Reelectionist party designated Madero to run for President in the elections of 1910. When Diaz learned of this, he had Madero imprisoned.
During this time, several other Mexican folk heros began to emerge, including the well known Pancho Villa in the north, and the peasant Emiliano Zapata in the south, who were able to harass the Mexican army and wrest control of their respective regions. Díaz was unable to control the spread of the insurgence and resigned in May, 1911, with the signing of the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez, after which he fled to France.
Madero was soon overthrown by General Huerta, who was ultimately replaced by Venustiano Carranza. Carranza organized an important convention whose outcome was the Constitution of 1917, which is still in effect today.
Carranza made land reform an important part of that constitution. This resulted in the ejido, or farm cooperative program that redistributed much of the country's land from the wealthy land holders to the peasants. The ejidos are still in place today and comprise nearly half of all the farmland in Mexico.
The Mexican Revolution was a period of political, social and military conflict and turmoil that began with the call to arms made on November 20, 1910 by Madero and lasted until 1917. It is estimated that the war killed more than 1 million of the estimated population of 15 million.
Today, I watched the school children in the zocolo as they gave the Zapatista salute of the leveled right hand at breast height. The little ones were in red suits, and the older ones in blue. Some of them had been chosen to be Zapatistas so they sported bullet belts and play rifles as they paraded around the town on this important holiday.
Two days ago, we waited for three hours outside the tunnel on a winding cobblestone road wondering why the town was so packed. Today, almost all the tourist are gone, but the children remain.
I didn't realize that Earthfamilyalpha was started on the same date as Madero's call for National Insurrection until this trip.
But on this fourth birthday, it seems appropriate to echo his call.
Each of us, should call for an insurrection within ourselves,
from our sense of separation,
from our culture of consumption,
from a mind which can justify organized violence,
from a sense of self that rises,
from the foolish flag of nationalism,
and the dark heart of oppression.
Let us each bring about a insurrection in ourselves,
that knows well that we are all connected,
and we each are born of the sky,
and grown out of the earth.
And we are all Family.
I started EFA after the 2004 election where, once again, evidence of election fraud was clear. This time it was in Ohio. But the forces of Republican control were well organized in every state and once again, there were many whose votes were not cast, and many whose votes were never counted.
In Mexico, November 20th represents the day that Francisco I. Madero called for a National Insurrection. He declared the electoral process which once again placed Porfirio Diaz in power invalid and appointed provisional Governors. Immediately, uprising broke out in several Mexican states.
Don Porfirio, as he was called, had been in power for more than 30 years (1876-1911). Under his rule, Mexico had political stability and grew in many areas, creating new industries, railroads, kilometers of railroad tracks as well as the increase of foreign capital. Non-the less, this progress was not translated into the peoples’ well being.
Madero came from a wealthy family from Coahuila. He had studied business in France as well as in the U.S. He vigorously fought against reelection and for democracy and liberty in Mexico through his political newspaper articles. He was also a believer in non violence.
The Anti Reelectionist party designated Madero to run for President in the elections of 1910. When Diaz learned of this, he had Madero imprisoned.
During this time, several other Mexican folk heros began to emerge, including the well known Pancho Villa in the north, and the peasant Emiliano Zapata in the south, who were able to harass the Mexican army and wrest control of their respective regions. Díaz was unable to control the spread of the insurgence and resigned in May, 1911, with the signing of the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez, after which he fled to France.
Madero was soon overthrown by General Huerta, who was ultimately replaced by Venustiano Carranza. Carranza organized an important convention whose outcome was the Constitution of 1917, which is still in effect today.
Carranza made land reform an important part of that constitution. This resulted in the ejido, or farm cooperative program that redistributed much of the country's land from the wealthy land holders to the peasants. The ejidos are still in place today and comprise nearly half of all the farmland in Mexico.
The Mexican Revolution was a period of political, social and military conflict and turmoil that began with the call to arms made on November 20, 1910 by Madero and lasted until 1917. It is estimated that the war killed more than 1 million of the estimated population of 15 million.
Today, I watched the school children in the zocolo as they gave the Zapatista salute of the leveled right hand at breast height. The little ones were in red suits, and the older ones in blue. Some of them had been chosen to be Zapatistas so they sported bullet belts and play rifles as they paraded around the town on this important holiday.
Two days ago, we waited for three hours outside the tunnel on a winding cobblestone road wondering why the town was so packed. Today, almost all the tourist are gone, but the children remain.
I didn't realize that Earthfamilyalpha was started on the same date as Madero's call for National Insurrection until this trip.
But on this fourth birthday, it seems appropriate to echo his call.
Each of us, should call for an insurrection within ourselves,
from our sense of separation,
from our culture of consumption,
from a mind which can justify organized violence,
from a sense of self that rises,
from the foolish flag of nationalism,
and the dark heart of oppression.
Let us each bring about a insurrection in ourselves,
that knows well that we are all connected,
and we each are born of the sky,
and grown out of the earth.
And we are all Family.
An earthfamily
Labels: earthfamily
posted by oZ @ 10:31 AM
4 Comments:
Thank you for your kind words about our revolution.
You are now yourselves in the position of Madero in 1910 when it was time to declare invalid those electorial processes which lead to a continuation of corrupt power. Viva la revolucion.
V. Carranza
Powerful, powerful video. Powerful
blog. It is appreciated and much
needed.
Thank you,
Dan
Happy Birthday, Oz, or should I say Happy Anniversary since Earth Family Alpha has become your electronic "mistress"?
Keep up the good work!
K
Feliz Cumpleanos.
Viva la vida humana.
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