Mexican Pensioners Invade Fox's Ranch

Reuters ^ | February 7, 2004

[sarcasm]

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Around 2,000 pensioners invaded the ranch of Mexican President Vicente Fox on Saturday, demanding the return of money owed to them from a World War II worker program in the United States, local media reported.

It was not clear if Fox was at his ranch in the central state of Guanajuato at the time the pensioners, some riding horses, forced open fences to enter his heavily guarded property. Fox often spends weekends there resting.

The protesters later left the ranch after being promised a hearing with a high-ranking government official, local media reported.

The pensioners, who provided extra labor in the United States during and after the war, are claiming the return of 10 percent of their salaries that was withheld from them during a 1942-1964 work program.

They say the money went into a savings fund, which in total was now worth millions of dollars.

``We came in peace,'' Ventura Gutierrez, a leader of the pensioners told local media. ``We want the president to hear us and we want to demand the return of the money that was withheld from us.''

[cyborg]

THE RABBLE ARE GETTING UPPITY!!!!! Good for them!
'All Vicente's swiss bankaccounts belong to us'

[freeangel]

No problem. I'm sure President Bush will be happy to pay you with even extra interest. After all, our house is your house and we wouldn't want Vincente to feel badly.

[cyborg]

LOL

[gubamyster]

ping

[ImpotentRage]

Perhaps if they came to Crawford, Texas, and paid President Bush a call....

[B4Ranch]

ping

[Ches]

When I first read the headline, that's what popped into my head.

[cyborg]

They'd have to get in line behind the American taxpayers.

[Liberty Valance]

Ahhh, the old barbarians at the gate ploy...
I wonder who Fox's choreographer is?

[B4Ranch]

President Bush will put these poor souls ahead of the American citizens. History has shown us this.

[txhurl]

bttt for this one, too

[Spiff]

This is the much vaunted "Bracero" program that Rep. Kolbe and others talk about. Funny thing is, the workers had to pay a certain amount of their paycheck to the Mexican government on the promise that it would be returned to them when THEY return home. It wasn't. Have we not learn ed from history!? These guest worker scams don't work.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Yeah! Don't stop there, compadres!!!!! whoooohooo!

[kittymyrib]

Our ranchers on the Texas border are supposed to just let every Mexican criminal tramp across their land and put up watering stations for them, but Fox has his ranch "heavily guarded". How do you say "hypocrit" in Spanish?

[norton]

"Perhaps if they came to Crawford, Texas, and paid President Bush a call...."

Probably easier to get to it and no more difficult to get into it...once they told the SS that they were actually illegal mexicans merely wanting to protest something no one else had thought up.

Yet.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Leaders of the protest group entered a residence on the property to meet with members of the president's family.


Uh-huh..sure they did. They would have been SHOT outright, no questions asked unless it had ole Vincente's consent.

[DumpsterDiver]

How do you say "hypocrit" in Spanish?

Vicente.