Misc. Communications

[Jeremy]

My best goes out to all reading this, and especially to those who have designed and implemented this new site.  It truely looks beautiful, and has some amazing features that I think can forward this struggle, whatever we make of it.  I hope that we can use this interactive site as a tool to further unite amongst eachother, and show this system of international barbarity that its own resources are being turned against it.

One of the reasons I like the EZLN is because it is a paridoxical army that has callen for war and peace at the same time.  As El Sup has said, the compas have taken up arms so that they can one day put them down.  In this spirit, let us use this internet resource so that one day we have to use it no more and communicate like real human beings.  What do people think?

No peace without justice
Jeremy

[livingmike]

I like the EZLN because they took up arms after the end of history in 1990. They said to the capitalists that the struggle will never end as long as they oppress and dehumanise us.

[MrBigCookies]

Hello All, I'm new to this site and this forum, but I'm glad I found it. 

I was just wondering if anyone knew about or more particulairly was planning on going to Mumia Abu-Jamal's 25th year anniversary of being on death row.  Its in phillidelphia this saturday.  I figure its a long shot, but I figured I'd get the information out there anyways.

http://www.freemumia.com/

I'll probably be on here a lot more now that I've found a way to communicate with others interested and involved with the EZLN.  It took me roughly 5 days of constant searching to find this site and a few other reliable ones.

[Chol]

I am praying for you and I am reflecting on how, in my personal journey, I can serve your "joyful struggle to birth a
new and better world."

During my youth I was a foster boy, abandoned and growing up all along the North American West Coast, from Southern California to the farthest reaches of the Pacific Northwest. I have never known who my real father is and my childhood included many challenges, as I had to live in so many different places and adjust to so many difficult situations. I believe that, having survived them, those difficult situations made me stronger. And besides, that was long ago. Now, as an adult, I am employed at an amazingly wonderful and spiritual Jesuit School in California.

But, after a lifetime of hearing my mind wonder ... and feeling my heart wander ... I decided last July to research my childhood. So, I attempted to access my foster care records. Then, soon after my inquiry, I was sorely disappointed (perhaps even a bit angry) when I received the following reply to my request for information about my childhood:
===============
   July 28, 2006
   Re: Request for Records
      ... The foster care files you requested for your placements
      no longer exist. Children's administration client and
      foster care records are only retained for six (6) years
      after a case is closed or a child ages out of the system
      at the age of eighteen (18). Your records were destroyed
      after the retention period. I regret that I cannot be
      of more assistance to you.
   Sincerely,
   Barbara McPherson
   Division of Field Operations
   Childrens Administration
================
Then, a good friend of mine (who teaches Science AND Religion at our school) encouraged me to complete a DNA analysis, and so ... finally ... I did.  I have light skin and blue eyes, so I always thought that all of my ancestors were completely from Northwest Europe and/or Norway. Then, on January 5, 2007, I was absolutely stunned when I received my DNA analysis. In fact, I was so stunned that I immediately contacted the DNA experts and challenged their analysis. After confirming their scientific data, one of the DNA experts replied to me explaining, ?Your Native American ancestry is confirmed by your substantial Amerindian score for your DNA profile. The markers used in your analysis are found on non-coding chromosomal regions and are not directly related to your appearance.?   So, after accepting the scientific analysis, the following is what I have learned.

I may never know WHO I am, but at least now ... I know WHAT I am, as my DNA analysis has identified my "closest genetic relatives today." On the "Global Population Match" ALMOST ALL of my top DNA markers (19 out of 20) are located in the Americas and the analysis also points to a Hispanic lineage.  From those 19 markers, 16 are located in Central and South America and only 3 are located in North America.  Then, while more closely reviewing my "World Region Match," I became intrigued to learn more about my "substantial" Native American ancestry that goes back over "thousands of years." In fact, on the "High Resolution Native Population Match" analysis, my "deepest ancestral origins" are with the Conchagua of El Salvador.  So, I requested an additional test called the "High Resolution Native American Panel."  And from that analysis, which I received on January 25, 2007, I have learned the following:

I am primarily a Chol Maya, or scientifically speaking, my primary genetic affiliation is with the Chol Maya of Northeast Chiapas, Mexico.  On the "World Region Match" my DNA identifies me as a Mestizo with an admix of AmerIndian, European, and Arabian (Syria, Oman, Egypt). But, the most "substantial" DNA marker within my Native American DNA panel is "Chol (Northeast Chiapas, Mexico)." Other Native American markers show up in my DNA as follows, but the Chol markers are the most substantial:

   High Resolution NATIVE AMERICAN DNA Panel
     ***CHOL MAYA (Northeast Chiapas, Mexico)
              Conchagua (Conchaguita, El Salvador)
                  Hna Hnu (Otomi) (Hidalgo, Mexico)
                     Quechua (Ecuador)
                         Apache (Southwestern U.S.)
                              Otomi (La Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico)
                                  Otomi (Ixmiquilpan Valley, Mexico)
                                       Huastecos (Nahualt) (La Huasteco, Mexico)
                                           Huastecos (Hidalgo, Mexico)
                                               Navajo (Southwestern U.S.)

   (Middle East) High Resolution NATIVE Population Match
       ***Syrian ~ Damascus
               Iranian ~ Maymand
                  Omanian ~ Sultanate
                     Egyptian ~ Cairo
                        Turkey ~ Marmara
                           Egyptian ~ El-Minya

   (European) High Resolution NATIVE Population Match
       ***Italian ~ Venito & Marche
                Swiss ~ Interlaken
                   Spanish ~ Valencia
                       Flemish ~ Flanders
                          Irish ~ Portlaoise
                              Icelander ~ Iceland

   (Hispanic) High Resolution GLOBAL Population Match
      ***Mexican ~ Chihuahua
              Conchaguan ~ Conchaguita, El Salvador
                 Costa Rican ~ Cartago
                    Argentinaen ~ Buenos Aires, Chubut, Mendoza, Santa Fe & Neuquen
                       Paraguayan ~ Encarnacion
                          El Salvadorian ~ Chalchuapa
                             Colombian ~ Pasto
                                Brazilan ~ Belem

I have been searching to find my family ...
Though my eyes are blue ... and my skin is light,
I now know that my primary family is the Chol Maya of Northeast Chiapas, Mexico.

To the people who have created this Web forum for the Chiapas,
thus allowing me to begin communicating with my family ...
I thank you!
 

[sandy]

Greetings.

Please forgive the intrusion of this post, but I'm hoping someone on this forum knows my friend, and knows his whereabouts. It's possible he may have worked with your organization or another one like it, or had contact with some of you. Grasping at straws, maybe, but worth a try, so here goes:

My friend is Fred Rose, and he's been working in Yajalon, Chiapas for several months now. He & I were emailing each other fairly regularly (every couple of weeks) until recently. I last received word from him on Dec. 11, and now I'm beginning to be concerned for his well-being, as it has been nearly 3 months since I've heard from him.

He said he built, or helped to build, a clinic in Yajalon. I don't know the name of it, I suspect it is one that serves indigenous people. He has mentioned being involved in helping the coffee farmers also, and he also said he had been in Oaxaca, talking to teachers & parents about their struggles. I know there has been some trouble in Oaxaca.

I just thought maybe he had worked with your organization, or networked, anyway, as his interests lie in education & helping children. He may simply be in a remote area & unable to communicate electronically right now, but I fear he may be ill or hurt or in some kind of difficulty. Again, please excuse the intrusion into your forum, but if anyone knows Fred or knows of him, I'd sure like to know if he's OK. It has occurred to me that he may have been in Oaxaca during the recent protests & gotten detained, but I haven't been able to learn if any Americans were involved in that. I know I sound like a crazy lady, sorry about that, I'm just worried. God bless all of you for the work you do, and thank you.

Sincerely,

Sandy

[ZAP]

What else do you know that might help us to track him down? For example, with whom was he working (a particular group or individuals), was the clinic in Yajalón itself or just that region, and where did he stay when he was in San Cristóbal? I haven't heard of him myself, but I could ask around if I knew who to ask.

He probably wasn't detained (at least officially) in Oaxaca, because he almost certainly would've been deported immediately. Things in Oaxaca have calmed down some since last Fall, so it seems unlikely to me that he would've gotten swept up in anything there in the last three months. There's not much internet access in the Yajalón area, so it's possible that he's just been there for longer than he expected and hasn't checked his email.

It's important for all travelers to places like Chiapas to have a communication system in place to keep people informed of their whereabouts just in case, which is something you can impress upon him when he turns up safe and sound.

[sandy]

Thanks for the reply. I wish I had more information such as the name of an organization he might be with; unfortunately, I don't. I get the impression the clinic may be outside of the actual city, as he has talked about coming into town for various reasons from time to time, and that's probably when he has internet access. In late 2004, he said he was helping to clean up & paint an orphanage, and I assume that was in Chiapas, but I don't know if it was in Yajalon or not. Sorry, wish I could tell you more...but thanks again for reply. I've emailed a few other organizations, and maybe someone knows someone who knows...Anyway, God bless.

Sandy

[Pedrocafe]

Here's a place for letters of inquiry, questions, and general comments.

[Tom at MTI]

I notice that this board has been spammed a couple of times lately.  Is there a way to block them or report them to someone?

[Sue Bea]

Yes. Several of us are trying to block email addresses of spammers and eliminate the spam  If we miss something, please let us know.  At the end of every message is a button that allows you to "report to a moderator" and that will help to alert us that something is wrong.  This morning I deleted a viagra ad, tonight it was some rather graphic porn....

[ZAP]

I'm working on a somewhat more proactive system as well, but for now we're just going to keep deleting spam as soon as it appears.