pochospeak

answers from el jefe!

pochospeak:José Luis Saldivar, you're program officer at Trabajo Para Toda La Familia, in Tijuana, what can you tell us about it?

JL: There's not very much to say, people are hungry in Tijuana, it's not an easy situation now that the maquiladoras are taking their investment to other countrys. It doesn't take a phd to understand that it's the fault of the trade unions and the government who didn't lower costs for foreign investment. It's all there in the reports from IMF, World Bank, IADB. So basically what the city is going thru it's a decline in quality of life, not to mention criminality is finding a way into our homes. A few years later it was shocking to see how most people in the city knew about someone working for the drug cartels, now most good familys have at least a member working in them... If not in some other criminal activity.

pochospeak: I didn't knew the situation was that bad... What are the options for teens to stay off violence? Are there any church or government programs?

JL: There are... But, i won't lie to you. People in the city don't trust the government, and i don't blame them. Everyone knows they're the problem. As you know, our country is very corrupt. It's too bad President Fox wasn't able to change the situation, and now that he's going out, people are afraid of the things to come... On the one side you got the communists represented by Lopez Onbrador of PRD, and on the other the PRI is coming back with revenge as the only thing in their mind. They know it's their last chance to rob the country's treasure. They won't let it fo so easily. Now, the panistas, they have worked hard to bring a change to the county... but powerful people aren't happy with them.

pochospeak: I understand your NGO works in cooperation with the Interamerican Bank of Development.

JL: That's right, we are a pilot programme, our initiative won a grant to bring 2 offices (Ciudad Juarez & Tijuana), and if we manage to prove we can bring hope to people's lives, we will become a full-fledging program by 2007.

pochospeak: What can people expect from you?

JL: This is a very important question, Jason. People shouldn't expect the handouts PRI government gave them over the years. What we offer is real work, which more than not is hard, difficult, and painful. But this is real life, and i believe people who want to come out of misery will appreciate our offer. Like i said, our program is for people who aren't afraid of work, and who just want to get rich without sweating. Those people should instead pray they win the lottery.

pochospeak: Thanks José Luis. You've been very kind.

Trabajo Para Toda La Familia Network

Finally an NGO teamed up with a corporate terrorist front in order to fight poverty in the depressed north of Mexico.

The weapons? Nothing more than hard underpaid work for everyone in the family, from the sick, to the poor, and underage.

Finally comes an NGO into the international arena that acknowledges and gets ready to capitalize the workforce behind every family member for social benefit. 1-2-3, everyone up and hands-on-work! (Because a pauperized human is worth the exact sum of it's raw work force).

The website offers job positions to every family member no matter their age, now kids and seniors can finally find their way up to their nearest Wal-Mart / maquiladora.

Thank you, Minuteman for protecting the vulnerable border of the world's finest country!

Please help me spam:
Trabajo Para Toda La Familia

no border encuentro

I left Southgate Los Angeles with all the nervousness a war journalist can afford to carry. This would be one of several meetings to come, to organize a fatal strike against the racist group knows as the Minuteman. And i wanted as much in-depth information as i could get, i expected my swollen bank account to thank me later on behalf of major news wires around the globe.

Was i ready for shock?

The encuentro was great, activists gathered for a full day of endogamous support therapy whose most interesting activity (beside the hacktivist demonstration against minuteman) was a zoo tour into the deepest realms of mexico favela-land, were we were strictly forbidden to feed the puppys....

needless to say i left the group as soon as the maquiladora tour hit the ground. While most discussed possible performances, displays of direct action and massive boycotts, i opted to meet the natives: a crowd of taco-friendly carnales & senoritas who for nothing more than a smile spilled the beans faster than a pussycat.

Without further do i started asking the hardcore questions: what do maquila workers think of us gringos? is there some revolution conspiracy against the creepy minuteman? plans to sling stones across the border? flag-burning displays of love?

The answer was always a unanimous no... they were worried about paying the bills, which meant working extra-hours on nafta concentration camps under abusive labor policies -which more than not-attempting against their own health, and trade unions are a big no-no. And of course

However many were happy because a newly created NGO was offering iimediate job positions for any family members, no matter their age... Soon i would discover this to be, well, it's better if you read for yourself on my upcoming post.

holy password, batman

and yes, amigos....
my visit to tia juana was haunted by the ghosts of the lost passwords and all yesterday parties.
my notebook got lost during the no-border encuentro maquila-trip and so, my password disappeared into the oblivion streets of the otay canyon, where another ghost -much scarier- haunts the city's working poor. samsung, panasonic, sony, verbatim, general electric, keeping the steady up-beat to which maquila workers can only try and follow.

and so, i'm back. one piece and a little bit less naive. the world doesn't stand a chance: the aliens of globalization are among us!