From: Alan and Carmel Brain <aebrain@w...>
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 21:40:56 +1100
Subject: Re: [OT]Weird American (not US) Politics
From: "Glenn M Wilson" <triphibious@juno.com> > >OUCH! A direct hit, Mr Brain... :> Yes, the Mexicans are friendly. :-) My wife has a cousin whose family from all accounts owns a large chunk of Chihuahua - must go visiting some time. It's nice to have "influence", especially since they've been long-time opponents of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, and so are IN rather than OUT with the Central Government. Not that the Central Government has a hell of a lot of influence in any of the provinces. They've also been supporters of indigenous rights and income re-distribution, but being one of the Fat Cat Ruling Elite, they ARE the local feudal lords, so don't suffer the usual problems of Robber Barons intimidating them. In fact, they do the intimidating, the Federales are very polite to them, at least in Chihuahua... so I'm told. They still have to pay Squeeze outside their fiefdom. They've been really pleased that the indigenous rights groups that have a major following in their province have been such a radical and non- violent success. I'm told that a remarkable number of Old Wealth feudal overlords have come to the conclusion that it's far better to be a medium-sized fish in an Ocean rather than a big fish in a puddle. The families that have come to this conclusion have gained a lot more wealth than the old