Mexico Repudiates Attacks Agaist US - (Cancels Patriotic Parties!!)!

El Norte ^ | September 11, 2001 | El Norte

[TexasGunRunner]

I will translate relevent parts below: Repudia México ataques contra EU
Como expresión de duelo se ha instruido a las misiones diplomáticas y representaciones consulares en Estados Unidos a suspender las celebraciones de las fiestas patrias

Por GRUPO REFORMA/El Norte
Cd de México, México.- El Gobierno de México expresó este martes al pueblo y a las autoridades de Estados Unidos su solidaridad y sus más profundas condolencias por las irreparables pérdidas humanas que dejaron los atentados de esta mañana en las ciudades de Nueva York y Washington, D.C.

En un mensaje a la prensa en la residencia oficial de Los Pinos, el Presidente Vicente Fox también expresó la más enérgica condena a estos ataques, que en Nueva York destruyeron las torres gemelas del Centro Mundial de Comercio y en Washington, D.C., ocasionaron un incendio en el Departamento de Defensa.

"He hecho saber al Presidente George Bush nuestros sentimientos de pesar y nuestra solidaridad en momentos tan difíciles", afirmó el Mandatario mexicano.

El Presidente Fox dijo que como expresión de duelo se ha instruido a las misiones diplomáticas y representaciones consulares en Estados Unidos a suspender las celebraciones de las fiestas patrias.

Agregó que su Gobierno estará atento al desarrollo de los acontecimientos en el vecino país del norte y aseguró que México está unido, en calma y trabajando.

El Jefe del Ejecutivo federal mencionó que también dio instrucciones a todas las representaciones diplomáticas de redoblar esfuerzos para brindar de manera inmediata todo el apoyo que requieran connacionales en Estados Unidos.

Aseveró que se han tomado las medidas necesarias y el Gabinete de Orden y Respeto está reunido en sesión permanente para garantizar el desarrollo normal de las actividades en el país y resguardar el adecuado funcionamiento de los mercados financieros y de la banca.

"Reiteramos nuestra condena más enérgica a toda forma de violencia y hacemos votos porque la paz reine en el mundo. Exhorto por ello a todas y todos los mexicanos a mantenernos unidos, en calma y actuar con serenidad", dijo.

[TexasGunRunner]

Basically the article talks about the official Mexican response expressing condolences to the US and the victims, and condemning the acts of terrorism. The most significant part is that they have ordered all patriotic parties cancelled as a show of solidarity with the US. Sept. 16th is the most important patriotic holiday in Mexico (contrary to the sales campaigns of Carona during Cinco de Mayo) El Presidente Fox dijo que como expresión de duelo se ha instruido a las misiones diplomáticas y representaciones consulares en Estados Unidos a suspender las celebraciones de las fiestas patrias. Translated: President Fox said that as an expression of pain they he instructed diplomatic missions and consular representatives in the United States to suspend the celebrations of patriotic parties. This is akin to the US cancelling the Fourth of July. My friends in Monterrey said they are cancelling celebrations all over the place. So, for all you so quick to insist that the border be welded shut, for all you that have attacked Fox and loosely implied that Mexico bears some sort of responsibility in this disaster, I hope you at least give them some credit here. No doubt many of you will continue to push to finish the terrorist's work by closing the border and thereby further hurting our economy and restricting our freedoms. Most will fail to see the similarity between gun control freaks insisting on more restrictions for law abiding gun owners, and those who call for more obstacles for people who legally cross the border. ...nevermind that crooks don't buy guns in gun stores, and with thousands of miles of unguarded coastline, international criminals do not have to mess with border crossings.

[Sir Gawain]

I thought Mexican Independence Day was May 5^th.

[My back yard]

BIG BUMP to that. I live down here. I would trust my and my family's well being to those South of us before I'd trust the socialist Canadians or Europeans.

[FITZ]

I don't know if it's related but they aren't flying their big flag here today.

[tet68]

This is the kind of honorable behaviour I expected from President Fox.

Now we will find out who our friends really are.

I expect relief teams from Mexico City to go to NYC to help out.

[FITZ]

No doubt many of you will continue to push to finish the terrorist's work by closing the border and thereby further hurting our economy and restricting our freedoms.

A few years ago when there was the trouble with Iraq, there was a group of Iraqis making their way up through Mexico to the US border. Luckily they were caught but there are reasons to close the border when we are under attack. For at least one day I think people can miss work or shopping. The Mexicans might be our friends but certainly they can understand our need for security at a time like this.

[TexasGunRunner]

I will ask tonight if they were flying the big flag in Nuevo Laredo. My friends left this afternoon and should cross around 7pm. That would be interesting, and I will look at some other news sites in Mexico to see if it is mentioned. Perhaps the Laredo paper would say. I have mixed feelings about the cancellations of the parties because I was planning on going down to Monterrey for "el grito."

[petuniasevan]

Nope. Proclamation of independence from Spain, September 16, 1810.
Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) 1862, Mexican forces defeated French invaders at Puebla (100 miles east of Mexico City).

[isthisnickcool]

Nice of them but we need at least the level of security on our borders that one might find at a high school football game. You can come in, if we sell you a ticket.

[Publius6961]

I thought Mexican Independence Day was May 5th.

No, it's not celebrated in Mexico.

May 5th celebrates a minor victory over the French.

It is celebrated only in the U.S. by losers, the ignorant and their grinning useful idiots.

[hchutch]

I think Vincente will be very understanding about those concerns. Furthermore, I think amnesty will die off.

[TexasGunRunner]

True, closing it for security reasons makes sense. According to the Laredo paper, they did close all four bridges in that district when bomb threats were called in on each bridge. The bridges were re-opened within an hour. I suspect this is where the first reports of the border closings came from. I think terrorists would be pretty stupid to try to use Mexico as a conduit to the US. As improved as it is, they are no where near as free as in the US. The military and Federal law enforcement routinely put up randomly placed roadblocks. You can't travel from one state to another or from one major city to another without being stopped and questioned several times. Drug traffickers buy off the right people - that is one thing, aiding terrorists is quite another. I am not doubting it could be done, just that it would be so much easier to come directly via boat or from Canada. Why mess around with well-armed Catholics when you can hide yourself among athiest exchange students in an unarmed socialist country like Canada.

[virgil]

What happened today is more than enough justification for tighter border control. This is an act of war. We must take the necessary measures.

[norton]

Note:
Thanks for the post, thanks for the show of support, and thanks (not) for insisting on linking it with immigration.
Not many on FR have called for "welding the border shut", what I and others have called for is defending the damn thing from illegal - note, that's against the laws of both countries - immigration.
Want immigration reform?
OK, greater quotas for Mexico as well as those other nations we need to make nice with or those who have really, really, good school systems. Then absolute denial of amnesty, forgiveness, or status for any and all illegals cought inside the borders.

The idea is not anti hispanic, it is a little bit (or more) anti mexico because mexico uses our borders as a valve for its residual social problems and as a nifty means of increasing (also illegal) revenues by giving a pass to their narco terrorists.
It is entirely anti ILLEGAL immigration and that includes Swedes and Iranians as well as Mexicans.

[TexasGunRunner]

What happened today is more than enough justification for ... You are too right, heck, this is enough justification to:
- put roadblocks and checkpoints up between all medium and large cities, using different competing agencies to check eachother,
- issue national ID cards, require travel permits to travel outside your jurisdiction,
- take DNA samples and fingerprint samples everyone,
- eliminate cash, and require trackable electronic payments for all public and private debts,
- suspend the bill of rights There is virtually no end to the inventive way we can violate civil liberties, all in the name of justice and/or safety. Cynicism aside, if loose borders are a problem, I favor strengthening. I doubt they are. With thousands of miles of uprotected and isolated coastline, it is just silly to believe making border crossings more frustrating and complicated would help. This is what gun control advocates do - they can't strike at the criminals, so they strike at law abiding gun owners. Their laws don't even slow real criminals down, but they feel good. The "close the border" crowd do the same thing, they can't stop illegal immigration, so they strike at the law abiding who are legally crossing the border for business or pleasure. Have you crossed the border recently? I cross it all the time. It is a bureaucratic nightmare! It sucks. You wait in line for hours to be mistreated, insulted, and treated like a criminal by somebody who hates their job, but enjoys the disproportionate amount of power and descretion they have. The crooks aren't even slowed down by the border controls, and they won't be slowed down by the new controls being proposed.

[FITZ]

I cross it all the time.

So do I but I've never encountered any rudeness on either side.

[FITZ]

What happened today is more than enough justification for tighter border control. This is an act of war. We must take the necessary measures.

I think they did tighten security checks at the border but many people here would not have minded if it was closed down. I know Mexico and Canada are not involved in what happened today, I just hope no terrorists can come through the Mexican or the Canadian borders. With all the malls and government offices closed down, I think they could go ahead and stop most border traffic.

[TexasGunRunner]

Then I guess El Paso is significantly better than Laredo and McAllen. To be fair, I am not always treated poorly, but it does happen. The inefficiency and the attitudes, on both sides, are consistently frustrating. In my case, I go past the border area, so I have to go through the hassle of the temporary import permit for my truck. This takes about 3-4 hours each time, every six months. Coming back is just a matter of dealing with the rediculously long lines and the typical government bureaucrat attitude. Some of them are outright rude, but the majority are just indifferent and ...well, they act like typically uncooperative government bureaucrats. There are good exceptions, but it is rare.

[Razz Barry]

Thanks, for posting this. I had seen nothing about Mexico's response to the attacks on tv. Fox, and Latinos in the U.S., should be very vocal in their support of America at this time.