...Forcing Vincente Fox to deliver his State of the Nation speech via
Tell-Unh-Vision.
An auspicious begining for a 21st century revolution. Perhaps the
revolution WILL be televised!
...and it won't be a "B" movie <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm8f59IHJh0>
(This clip is his rap-tro into B Movie, and appears to have been done
about the same time (the early 80s) my partner and I did the audio at
Soledad prison for him. It was sponsored by KUSP community radio, and
It... Was... Awesome!)
.
Fearing violent protests, authorities surrounded Congress for up to 10
blocks with multiple layers of steel barriers; attack dogs in cages,
ready to be released; water cannons; and riot police in protective
gear. Neighborhoods were sealed off, preventing some of the city's
sprawling markets from opening, and nearby subway stations were shut down.
Police used mirrors and dogs to inspect cars for explosives before
allowing them to pass, and opposition lawmakers said police even tried
to prevent them from arriving despite their credentials. Some said
they were pushed and shoved by authorities.
``It's completely militarized around here. It is completely illegal,
unconstitutional,'' Party of the Democratic Revolution congressman
Cuauhtémoc Sandoval said. ``Vicente Fox started out as a president,
and is finishing up as a dictator.''
..
Posted on Sat, Sep. 02, 2006
Fox forced to give speech on TV
LEFTIST LAWMAKERS STORM CHAMBERS, PROTEST MEXICO VOTE
By Julie Watson
Associated Press
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/15425363.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
MEXICO CITY - President Vicente Fox was forced to forgo his final State
of the Nation address Friday after leftist lawmakers stormed the stage
of Congress to protest disputed July 2 elections.
Instead, he gave his speech on television, and called on Mexico to mend
deep divisions that he said threaten the nation's democracy.
It was the first time in modern Mexican history a president hasn't given
the annual address to Congress. Fox arrived at the Legislative Palace,
submitted a written copy of the speech and announced over the
loudspeaker that he wouldn't appear before lawmakers. He did not enter
the chambers, and Congress was adjourned.
Appearing on television later as thousands of protesters occupied Mexico
City's center, Fox said the nation ``requires harmony, not anarchy.''
``Whoever attacks our laws and institutions also attacks our history and
Mexico,'' he said, a thinly veiled reference to leftist presidential
candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
He criticized lawmakers' actions as ``contrary to democratic practices''
and said: ``A divided society is a weak society, a society that is
incapable of achieving its goals or taking care of its neediest members.''
The opposition lawmakers took over the stage in Congress shortly before
Fox arrived, shouting ``Vote by Vote'' -- a rallying cry for López
Obrador's bid for a full recount in the election.
The standoff came six days before the top electoral court must declare a
president-elect or annul the July 2 vote and order a new election. So
far, rulings have favored ruling party candidate Felipe Calderón, who
was ahead by about 240,000 votes in the official count.
López Obrador has said he won't recognize the electoral court's
decision, and he plans to create a parallel government and rule from the
streets.
Fearing violent protests, authorities surrounded Congress for up to 10
blocks with multiple layers of steel barriers; attack dogs in cages,
ready to be released; water cannons; and riot police in protective gear.
Neighborhoods were sealed off, preventing some of the city's sprawling
markets from opening, and nearby subway stations were shut down.
Police used mirrors and dogs to inspect cars for explosives before
allowing them to pass, and opposition lawmakers said police even tried
to prevent them from arriving despite their credentials. Some said they
were pushed and shoved by authorities.
``It's completely militarized around here. It is completely illegal,
unconstitutional,'' Party of the Democratic Revolution congressman
Cuauhtémoc Sandoval said. ``Vicente Fox started out as a president, and
is finishing up as a dictator.''
Many had feared the deepening political turmoil over the election to
replace Fox could explode into violence, but López Obrador called on his
supporters to remain peacefully gathered in Mexico City's Zocalo plaza
-- instead of marching on Congress as they had previously planned.
``We aren't going to fall into any trap. We aren't going to be
provoked,'' he told tens of thousands who waited in a driving rain to
hear him speak.
Several hundred protesters marched within a few blocks of Congress,
throwing rocks at riot police. But there were no major clashes.
The tense situation was a far cry from the optimism and enthusiasm that
followed Fox's victory six years ago. That election ended 71 years of
one-party rule.
<...>
