BajaNomad - To Live in Mexico is to Cease to be a Citizen

To Live in Mexico is to Cease to be a Citizen

CaboRon - 5-19-2009 at 09:02 AM

Living with Mexico's Trauma of Insecurity

By Sergio Aguayo Quezada

· The Mexican state's routine failure to guarantee the safety of citizens eclipses even the flu-virus emergency in importance, says Sergio Aguayo Quezada.

Mexico, since mid-April 2009, has been the unaccustomed center of global attention. The sourcing of the H1N1 flu virus to the country triggered a national and international health emergency that has led Mexico and its people to be regarded with a new kind of alarm and suspicion in its neighborhood and far beyond.

This experience has brought an unexpected dose of discomfort and unpleasantness to a people who are already living through a collective emergency of a different kind: one that goes to the very heart of the state, and its ability – or rather inability – to ensure a minimum degree of safety to its citizens. When the "swine flu" emergency passes – and current signs are cautiously hopeful in this regard – this deeper, endemic, structural crisis will remain (see Is Mexico Moving towards a State of Failure?, by Sergio Aguayo Quezada, 02/23/09).

This crisis is consuming far more lives – and for every life it takes, its tentacles spread fear into the private spaces and hearts of many other citizens. It affects the poor and the marginal, but it also touches those who by profession might wish to think themselves inoculated against it. What follows is one such example of Mexico's trauma of insecurity.

The dust of life

The noise surrounding the "swine flu" crisis has been deafening, but even at its loudest it never silenced the drumbeat of the "other" danger. On the very day that the World Health Organization raised the status of the global health alert, 27 April 2009, news came through that eight police officers had been "executed" by gangsters in the northern city of Tijuana

As the health story subsides, the killings continue.

To understand what is happening in Mexico one fact must be recognized at the outset: very few government institutions are either committed to representing the public interest, or even work with a minimum degree of efficiency. In particular, the security apparatus is a disaster; only the armed forces, stretched beyond their limits, can be partially exempted from this judgment. This is a situation created by the errors, the incapacities, and the outright corruptions of all Mexico's political forces – including President Felipe Calderón, his administration, and his party.

To live in Mexico is to suffer the uncertainty of insecurity. In most cities around the world, 21st-century modernity means having twenty-four-hour access to ATMs to get cash. In Mexico, it is dangerous to do so. The capital city is divided into boroughs, amongst which is Benito Juárez, headed by the rightwing Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party). One of its officials, Jaime Slomianski Aguilar, made the following recommendation: "To safeguard the citizen's security it would be convenient not to make withdrawals at banks. It is best to pay the commission [that banks charge to make online payments] than take risks by making withdrawals." This flagrant confession of the state's obligation to ensure security to citizens is but one index of how serious – yet how "normalized" – Mexico's crisis has become.

However, neither does a retreat to the seclusion of home guarantee tranquility. In early April I received a telephone call from a person who – in the characteristic tones of northern Mexico – introduced himself as my cousin Victor, son of my deceased uncle Pancho, who had migrated to and ended his life in the United States. My cousin, with every evidence of joyful enthusiasm, announced that he would arrive at my home the next day; he was carrying a lot of money from his own sojourn in the US, he wanted to set up a business, and needed my advice. He expressed a wish to stay at my place ("I already have the address, cousin, see you there tomorrow.") The sacredness of family in Mexico caused me to hesitate, but a sense of self-preservation (along with a sliver of guilt) led me to respond that it was impossible for me to house my cousin; but I compensated by arranging a time to meet.

To live in Mexico is to be permanently on alert. After the call, I rang my Aunt Lola, who half a century ago had married an American war veteran and gone with him to live in California. My aunt is the family's walking encyclopedia: the one who knows the comings and goings, the ups and downs, of the hundreds of relatives who make a living on the other side of the border. Among the obligatory recounting of the latest tragedies and illnesses, she delivered a sad piece of news: my cousin Victor had passed away from diabetes a couple of years earlier. The poor man "never took care of himself."

There were two possibilities: either cousin Victor was communicating from the world beyond or we were facing an impostor who was preparing a robbery, a scam or a kidnapping. On balance, we decided that the latter was more likely.

A long, worried discussion with my Catalan wife followed. She instantly remembered a call received a few months earlier informing us – amid insults and threats – that our son had been kidnapped. The fact that our progeny lives in Madrid meant that we could afford (routine alarm at the invasion of our privacy and the threatening experience aside) to ignore this effort. But "Victor" worried us more, because we could not be sure what information he possessed.

What could we do? We dismissed the idea of notifying the police, even though the federal (conservative) government advertises a special program against telephone extortions. When security is at stake, Mexicans do not call the police – their inefficiency is beyond belief, and there is a chance that they are complicit with the delinquents (see Sam Quinones, "State of War", Foreign Policy, March-April 2009).

Every Mexican has a story in this regard. Here is mine. In late 2008, burglars ransacked our flat (in a capital governed, since 1997, by Mexico's main leftwing party). They tore down a bulletproof door, covered the floor with the scattered contents of drawers and closets, and took everything they wanted. The city's attorney-general paid personal attention to the matter, and my house was filled with waves of detectives and policemen. They took fingerprints of the suspects, but the case went no further because the city police department lacks coordination with the federal government and has no access to the national databases.

To live in Mexico is to cease to be a citizen. Such experiences are not extraordinary. They are a part of the everyday existence of this wonderful country filled with contrasts and extremes. After the robbery, we shared once more in the routine defense strategy of millions of others who substitute themselves for the state by reinforcing doors and windows, setting up alarms, and exchanging anecdotes of impotence and fear.

The elite of pals

The collapse of Mexico's security institutions has many sources. An unavoidable one is the sheer ineptitude of a good portion of the high bureaucracy. A research study by the civil-society organization Gestión Social y Cooperación (Gesoc) finds that – generous salaries and privileges notwithstanding – around 40% of the senior ranks of the federal bureaucracy are unqualified for the position they occupy. No wonder: those in place simply hand out jobs to their friends or accomplices. Felipe Calderón has participated, consciously and deliberately, in this game.

The Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Publica (SNSP) has the responsibility of coordinating actions by the federal, state and municipal governments. Hence, it occupies a central role in the war against insecurity and its narco agents. If the system worked, the capital's police would (at a minimum) be able to learn the identity of those who robbed my flat, and more broadly pursue the war against organized crime in a more effective way. But it can't work as long as Felipe Calderón names one Roberto Campa as the SNSP's head – for no other reason than this political-bureaucratic functionary is a protégé of the teachers' union leader, Elba Esther Gordillo (who in turn granted the president huge favors during the controversial 2006 election). Mexico's president, in short, plays with Mexicans' security to pay off his political debt.

Roberto Campa spent two years (2006-08) and huge sums of money without improving security. The lack of results forced Calderón to remove him from office in September 2008; it took six months, until March 2009, for the president to name Jorge Tello Peón (the president's national-security advisor since October 2008) as his successor. At last a professional had arrived in the office. Would Mexico's federal agencies finally be able to coordinate with the country's state and municipal police forces? Maybe, possibly, perhaps. To live in Mexico is to exist in doubt.

The law of one

Felipe Calderón is not a statesman but a weak ruler incapable of freeing himself from the shackles imposed by the powers that helped him become president. The health emergency is a spasm by comparison with the institutional failures of the governing class. Amid the corrosion of the polity and civic order, Mexicans desperately need a strong democratic state to defend us. At present their daily survival is in their own hands.

A postscript : the threat caused by "cousin Victor" was resolved the Mexican way. Instead of confronting and facing the issue we decided to avoid it. We stopped answering the phone for a couple of days and he got the message. Or at least that's what we wish to think….

——————————

Sergio Aguayo Quezada is a professor at the Center of International Studies, El Colegio de México. Among his books is 1968: Los archivos de la violencia (Grijalbo/ Reforma, 1998). His website is http://www.sergioaguayo.org. This article was originally published by Sergio Aguayo Quezada and openDemocracy.net (05/14/09) under a Creative Commons license.

This article was translated by Alfonsina Peña

comitan - 5-19-2009 at 09:17 AM

RON

JUST GO, YOU DON'T HAVE THE LOVE FOR MEXICO TO BE POSTING ON THIS FORUM. :fire:

Bajaboy - 5-19-2009 at 09:34 AM

I think Ron thought this was the Baja Mad Forum

CaboRon - 5-19-2009 at 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by comitan
RON

JUST GO, YOU DON'T HAVE THE LOVE FOR MEXICO TO BE POSTING ON THIS FORUM. :fire:

I have gone back to America ...

And what is your deal anyway ....

You NEVER offered any friendship when I lived in La Paz ...

Go stick you head back in the sand ....

My job now is to spread the TRUTH about La Baja so that others don't get worked over....

And who made you the definer of what is posted on this forum.... I believe that is up to the moderator ....

You are such a jack burro .....

I am now living in one of the greatest countries on the planet ....

I have seen the dark underbelly of mexico and their polite (repressed) people ....

Probably one of the most corrupt and failed countries in the world....

You probably actually bought a home there .... bet you do not hold clear title in your hands .... and you never will ....

You will always be seen as a gringo in the eyes of the mexicans .....

Did you read the article ? Or simply dismiss it outright ....

Perhaps you should head the warnings by the dwindling intelligencia of mexico .... most of them have left their failing country ....

Always the mordida, tramites and none of it goes for the common good .... but mearly to line the pockets of the corrupt...

That's why you destroy your cars on pot holed, dirt roads, and cannot drink the water because most do not wash their hands after deficating on the beaches and urinating in your yard :lol:

I could go on, however I realize now you are in such complete denial that you will never understand what a trap you have put yourself in ....

CaboRon :lol:

comitan - 5-19-2009 at 09:39 AM

Ron

I don't need to answer, you just did that yourself.

Woooosh - 5-19-2009 at 09:40 AM

?????

I think this article was about Mexicans loving and trusting their beloved Mexico. This is putting nto words what every family experineces- especially the telephone extortions and lack of hope that things will change. We non-mexicans have no impact- other than to keep reminding Mexico to keep moving the ball forward- even when their ball is deflated with no air.

Paula - 5-19-2009 at 09:45 AM

" Life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we are here we might as well dance."
Cabo Ron

Ron, I think you could use some dancing lessons. JMHO.

CaboRon - 5-19-2009 at 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by comitan
Ron

I don't need to answer, you just did that yourself.

Thanks Comiton, it appears you agree with my assesment ....

Now try to read the article :lol:

CaboRon - 5-19-2009 at 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh
?????

I think this article was about Mexicans loving and trusting their beloved Mexico. This is putting nto words what every family experineces- especially the telephone extortions and lack of hope that things will change. We non-mexicans have no impact- other than to keep reminding Mexico to keep moving the ball forward- even when their ball is deflated with no air.

Tough love

Dave - 5-19-2009 at 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CaboRon
To understand what is happening in Mexico one fact must be recognized at the outset: very few government institutions are either committed to representing the public interest, or even work with a minimum degree of efficiency.

Comitan,

Ron is simply professing the same love for Mexico as those who work for its institutions. :rolleyes:

stanburn - 5-19-2009 at 09:55 AM

Ron,

I read the article, but as you point out that once I see the source it is easy to ignore it as you have made it clear that you are against all things Mexican and have a very visceral and deep dislike for the country. Therefore just as many of us like to promote Mexico as a wonderful place to live, going on 5 years now full-time, you are hell bent on spreading your version of the truth.

The truth is that it lies somewhere in between the extremes.

I am glad that you are happy in your country of choice as I spent 20 years defending that country and your right to free speech. However I just don't share your views and will never understand your need to only show the negative of Mexico.

good luck & I think Baja is better off with you gone. Now maybe someone can work on your need to type.

no conocemos, pero no nos caen bien.

CaboRon - 5-19-2009 at 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave

Quote:

Comitan,

Ron is simply professing the same love for Mexico as those who work for its institutions. :rolleyes:

vandenberg - 5-19-2009 at 09:59 AM

And here I had the faint hope that, with this guy moving back accross the line, we heard the last of him.

No such luck. :no:

Bajajack - 5-19-2009 at 10:01 AM

Keep it up Ron, remember it's always best to tell the truth even if you do get banned or slashed.

I see nothing you said that wasn't the truth, certainly the TTD's will never agree but who cares! :coolup:

CaboRon - 5-19-2009 at 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajajack
Keep it up Ron, remember it's always best to tell the truth even if you do get banned or slashed.

I see nothing you said that wasn't the truth, certainly the TTD's will never agree but who cares! :coolup:

Thank You for your Honesty

Is TTD a word for Ostrich like behavior :lol:

CaboRon - 5-19-2009 at 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
And here I had the faint hope that, with this guy moving back accross the line, we heard the last of him.

No such luck. :no:

To quote yourself "stuff a sock in it" :lol:

Keep posting those smiley face responses

thebajarunner - 5-19-2009 at 10:07 AM

They will get your post count up there a lot more quickly.

At least then you will have one positive aspect to your life....

NOT>>>>>

CaboRon - 5-19-2009 at 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by thebajarunner
They will get your post count up there a lot more quickly.

At least then you will have one positive aspect to your life....

NOT>>>>>

Is that why you live in Oakdale .... I will bet you have never been more than a part time tripper to La Baja :lol:

comitan - 5-19-2009 at 10:15 AM

After calmly thinking about Ron, I have come to the conclusion that he is like the bullies in off topic making posts that stir the pot just to get attention.

Cypress - 5-19-2009 at 10:18 AM

Mexico/Baja is a fantastic place. The Mexican people, the wild places back in the desert and much more are great. :yes:

But it's silly to paint it as some sort of paradise, it isn't.

No place is perfect, there's a downside to anywhere.

Bajaboy - 5-19-2009 at 10:22 AM

I don't mind Ron's opinions.....it's his constant whining that gets old....and he's pretty quick to generalize. He moved to Mexico and didn't like it....so move on.....

woody with a view - 5-19-2009 at 10:42 AM

U2U?

Consider substituting the word "human" for Mexican government

Curt63 - 5-19-2009 at 11:09 AM

Ron,

Your post is sad, but true. It is also true of every other government on the planet. They are all run by greedy, selfish, political humans.

I, too, served in the US armed forces, yet I also have an education. I'm proud to be an American despite its faults and sometimes shameful history.

Consider picking up (or re-reading) a history book. Its the same story over and over. Selfish humans abusing other humans(white, red, yellow, brown and black) for power and wealth. Nothing new here.

Now, how did it start in Mexico? Spaniards dominated the indians and then the French and then the Yanks. Probably the Chinese will take us all over next.

We've got the same thing in the US except they are all lawyers, politicians and unions (hope you're not counting on a GM pension). If you don't think the US has corruption....

As for me, I love Baja for the escape from civilization and its beautiful harsh environment. I spend money freely and generously in Baja to help these wonderful people. That's my way of helping.

Have an enlightened day!

DENNIS - 5-19-2009 at 11:26 AM

Ron has, or is supporting an unpopular opinion. It's shameful that some would try to deny him that. Very unamerican...to say the least.

Woooosh - 5-19-2009 at 11:33 AM

I think just accepting and understanding that Mexico is, and forever will be- Stuck On Stupid- covers all the bases.

Bajajack - 5-19-2009 at 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh
I think just accepting and understanding that Mexico is, and forever will be- Stuck On Stupid- covers all the bases.

For the Educated that's very understandable, however for some of the ex pats existing there it's a little more complicated. :lol:

comitan - 5-19-2009 at 12:08 PM

Ok I've lived in La Paz 15 years and I see nothing difficult about living here and I don't really speak the language but I can communicate for all of my needs. I don't have trouble with the Police, immigration, or government agency's. It is very comfortable here and feel very safe. Just completed a round trip to the states was no different than any other time except the road is in very good condition.

En"caboron" ado

Loretana - 5-19-2009 at 12:34 PM

Yes, amigos, it is sad that Ron can't occupy his new found "freedom" from La Baja (as he puts it) with something more constructive............he just cannot stop with the venom and negativity.

Some people just don't have a life. I feel bad for him.

Now I'm going to trot down the beach with my doggie, smile and wave at my fellow Loretanos and get those nice shrimp my wandering shrimp vendor sold me yesterday into a spicy marinade.

I'll watch the intelligent senior newscaster Joachin Lopez Doriga later, causing me to learn a bit more spanish, and contemplate the culture, and then sleep soundly knowing that I made the right choice.

And Cabron? He's up there planning his next attack on our adopted host country.

Sweet dreams, cabron. Con permiso!! Cabo Ron. :saint:

longlegsinlapaz - 5-19-2009 at 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CaboRon

Quote:

Originally posted by comitan
RON

JUST GO, YOU DON'T HAVE THE LOVE FOR MEXICO TO BE POSTING ON THIS FORUM. :fire:

I could go on, however I realize now you are in such complete denial that you will never understand what a trap you have put yourself in ....

CaboRon :lol:

I know this will be received in the same manner as Comitan's comments, however I'm also sick of your Mexico-bashing, your individual-bashing, your perpetual negativity & your total ingratitude toward the people who DID welcome you here, attempted to befriend you, attempted to help you see beyond your narrow-minded negativity to what Baja truly is.

Why should/would Wiley have attempted to offer you any friendship? He & all of us read on a daily basis of your disdain for the people, the culture. He read in your own words how you received & responded to the friendship & help that were offered to you. I deeply regret having helped facilitate your renting Lee's property. While Lee is a true lady & understands your actions were not my fault, I'm still deeply embarrassed by your actions towards her. Your public statements that she had to be sleeping with her handyman because she refused to allow you you to make renovations or "improvements" to her property to suit yourself was beyond low, even for you! You criticized, belittled & slandered everyone I know who offered friendship & helped you....Lee, myself, oldlady.

Ron, I feel that you are a miserably unhappy person whose main goal in life can only be to draw as many people as possible down into the slime with you. And yes, I know, let me save you the trouble of having to type your feelings out again...everyone knows that smokers are the lowest form of excrement on the planet; they have NO redeeming qualities, so any help or friendship offered by smokers is below your expressing an ounce of gratitude or appreciation! Isn't is strange that at least 3 of those filthy, nasty, scum-of-the-earth smokers were the first people to offer you help?! :bounce:

After reading your views on everything & everyone, Gringo & Mexican alike, why on earth would any sane person want to extend their hand towards you in friendship?? What would you bring to the table? Friendship is a two-way street. As you showed those you did meet, you are a user. Cool trick in removing the passenger seat from your Bronco....look at all the gas money it saved you when you wanted to meet for lunch....in my recommended restaurants where you were rude to the wait-staff & oh so critical of the food!

Ron, it's possible that you may yet learn during your lifetime that we each are judged on the sum total of our actions & our words. You go through life with total disdain for everyone & everything & that's what's going to come back to you. I've always said that "like breeds like." What you fail to recognize is that you're only getting back exactly what you give out! :yes:

You want respect then offer it to others! I'm glad I don't live in your head, it's got to be a truly lonely place to be!

"My job now is to spread the TRUTH about La Baja so that others don't get worked over...."So others don't have the common sense, the intelligence, their own unique experiences to make their own decisions & determine what speaks to their hearts about where & whatever draws them to Baja? As someone who has more $$ than common sense says, "Ron, you're FIRED!"

I've read your words on the many constructions threads over time on how to build here, what to watch out for....as the empty words they were. You never built here! You never bought a home here! You never attempted to accept anything or anyone here for the reality of what they truly are! It/they/we didn't fit your mould, so the hell with it! Your opinionated rhetoric was received as just that. Your words were based on rumor & innuendo, not personal experience or first-hand knowledge. You have zero credibility with me.

If you sincerely believe that anyone places any credibility on your "words of wisdom", you're sadly mistaken. Because your words proceeded you, I'm guessing that you weren't ever personally invited to any social gatherings where individual invitations were issued & you opted not to come to any of the open-invitation gatherings that I attended, you missed out on hearing firsthand what a know-nothing blowhard you've painted yourself. You've long been the butt of jokes for the negative posts you make & your long-professed hatred for all things Mexican. Nobody I know takes you seriously.

"I am now living in one of the greatest countries on the planet" No argument from me on that one, but if you believe for one second the USA doesn't have it's own share of problems & things that are going to replace the things that made you so negative & miserable in Baja, then I suggest that you might want to consider waking up & smelling the coffee! This is a foreign country, things move at their own pace, they're governed by rules & laws that make sense to them. Judging or measuring them by your own personal ruler is ludicrous! You failed at Rule #1: Leaving your USA expectations & standards at the border! :no:

"I have seen the dark underbelly of mexico and their polite (repressed) people" I personally believe that you READ more about it than you personally experienced.

Ron, anyone could create the same type of negatively biased smear campaign about the USA that you're attempting to create here, but what you fail to realize is that your audience is predominantly composed of people who love Baja; warts & all. They have the intelligence & the ability to look beyond the warts to see the unique things they truly love & respect about this country & it's people. They have vision, they have heart, they'll make their own decisions despite all the caca you attempt to sling. Your continued attempts to ruin it for everyone by attempting to force them to see Mexico through your eyes only magnifies your own misery & personal dissatisfaction with your own life. If you sincerely believe that you'll help even a single individual with your posts here, then you're even more self-delusional than current consensus!

You tried Baja & failed miserably. Please leave all things Mexican in the dust & move forward with your life back in the USA & stop inflicting your personal pain & dissatisfaction with your own life on all of us!

losfrailes - 5-19-2009 at 02:13 PM

How totally well stated.

BMG - 5-19-2009 at 02:19 PM

Longlegs - does this mean the wedding is off?

DanO - 5-19-2009 at 02:45 PM

SNAP! A rant of the highest caliber, well played. [Golf claps]

comitan - 5-19-2009 at 02:45 PM

Ron you can come up for air now, then-----Poof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rts551 - 5-19-2009 at 02:49 PM

longlegsinlapaz

For your 999th post well done.

stanburn - 5-19-2009 at 03:10 PM

longlegsinlapaz,

next time it make it over to La Paz, my god would I love to buy you a drink! I applaud your post!!!!

Stan

vandenberg - 5-19-2009 at 03:23 PM

Well said girl.
Hat off to you for really knowing how to express yourself.
Now time to simmer down, have a c-cktail and prepare for a good nights sleep, knowing that you spoke for most of us.

Again, congrats!!!

On further thought, " is this guy really worthy of all this attention. :?:

[Edited on 5-19-2009 by vandenberg]

Oh Well, Just My Two Cents

Gypsy Jan - 5-19-2009 at 03:25 PM

I think that the posted article is scholarly and well-researched.

If you chose to live in Mexico, take time to learn the culture around you and get to know your neighbors. Take nothing fpr gramted because you are far more wealthy than the indigenous population (in the Military Speak of the U.S. "You are a high value target of opportunity").

If you travel to Europe, in the wealthy communities, i.e., the South of France, all the second homes have bars and metal shutters.

rpleger - 5-19-2009 at 03:36 PM

Well said longlegsinlapaz you certainly said all of what I thought and more...BRAVO!!!!!!!!

DENNIS - 5-19-2009 at 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by losfrailes
How totally well stated.

Nice, well stated rant, as you say.
I'm your friend, Ron, but what Miss Carol says has a lot of truth. You changed. You arn't the Ron that looked forward to life in Baja when you first made your trip.
I love you, buddy. I always appreciated your support on issues here and your take on Baja. You came here with blue skys in your mind and found clouds. I'm really sorry for that. Not for Baja or us here but, for you. You're a really good person.

We here shouldn't pile upon you any more than we have at this point but, when you get situated elsewhere, and have a twinge of missing us, I hope you'll return with good stuff about you. I know there's a lot of that there.

I'm your friend, Ron You know that.
Stay in touch with all of us.....Please.

mulegemichael - 5-19-2009 at 04:16 PM

legs....nice job; well said, complete..you speak for a lot of people that would like to move on.

much as I hate to continue this gutter trip...

thebajarunner - 5-19-2009 at 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CaboRon

Quote:

Originally posted by thebajarunner
They will get your post count up there a lot more quickly.

At least then you will have one positive aspect to your life....

NOT>>>>>

Is that why you live in Oakdale .... I will bet you have never been more than a part time tripper to La Baja :lol:

I will attempt to answer your question.

First of all, isn't this board for people that appreciate (won't go so far as to say "love") Baja?

And, doesn't that encompass both those that live there, and those who simply travel there?

Actually, I did live at La Mision for three months some years back. I was helping to re-organize the Door of Faith Orphanage. My family lived at Rancho Santa Marta Orph. one full summer, but I only visited a couple of times, otherwise was busy making a living here in Central Calif.

I live in Oakdale, because it is my home, because I own three businesses which demand a lot of time and attention, and because I serve on ten (yes- 10) non-profit boards which assist needy folks, here, in Mexico and around the world.

I travel to Baja at least twice a year, the Spring trip is always a 2 week event. I travel with Baja Vida, another Nomadian.

Probably, in my 12 years of racing and pre-running, and in my travels since 1971, I have covered more different Baja roads than 99.9% of the Nomads.... not bragging, just establishing my bona fides.

And finally, LLiLP and Dennis both had good words for you, if you hate Baja (and us) so much, you really need to find a new playground to take your shovel and pail and play.

(and take the smileys too, por favor)

losfrailes - 5-19-2009 at 04:55 PM

Another one very well said, Good on ya' Bajarunner!

Bajahowodd - 5-19-2009 at 04:56 PM

I'll chime in with kudos to "legs" as well.

I'm certain that this forum isn't design to be threpeutical. But I have to mention that I, too, have felt a certain kinship with Ron. Obviously, Mexico, or namely Todos Santos and environs failed Ron's expectations. That being said, Mexico, Baja, Todos Santos are what they are. Genuine, with all the warts. Unbelieveably, Ron has relocated to Las Vegas. If anyone can name a city that is shallower and more plastic than Vegas, please do. Dr. Howodd's diagnosis is that Ron was running from something/ someone and thought he could hide in Baja. Vegas is among the best places on earth to maintain anonymity. Buena suerte Ron.

Bajaboy - 5-19-2009 at 04:59 PM

Ditto to what the thebajarunner said...I love hearing people try and claim how they know more about Baja because they live some place or have been traveling there since whenever....blah, blah, blah....we all have our own experiences regardless. Get off your high horse.....there are plenty of people that live in San Diego that don't know jack about the place!

I personally laugh at some of the folks iI've met in Baja Sur who offer so much advice to me and then proceed to tell me they've never made the drive down :lol:

Zac

redmesa - 5-19-2009 at 05:00 PM

cit⋅i⋅zen
/ˈsɪtəzən, -sən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [sit-uh-zuhn, -suhn] Show IPA
–noun
1. a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection (distinguished from alien ).

How many of us are citizen as this describes? So most of us are just visitors who have a totally different connection to Baja than a citizen. We may be one step up from a tourist but that is about it. Cabo Ron you are probably back where you are a citizen so that is all for the best if that is what you are troubled by...now as a citizen of the exicited states you can give them hell.

Bajajack - 5-19-2009 at 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thebajarunner

Quote:

Originally posted by CaboRon

Quote:

Originally posted by thebajarunner
They will get your post count up there a lot more quickly.

At least then you will have one positive aspect to your life....

NOT>>>>>

Is that why you live in Oakdale .... I will bet you have never been more than a part time tripper to La Baja :lol:

Speaking of Bragging, are you sure you didn't miss a couple of smaller things, just wondering.

:lol:

DENNIS - 5-19-2009 at 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Dr. Howodd's diagnosis is that Ron was running from something/ someone and thought he could hide in Baja.

Maybe so as you say odd one.........I think my buddy Ron was searching for something. In the wrong place, I suppose.
He'll find it when he wants to.
Good luck, Ron.

DENNIS - 5-19-2009 at 05:38 PM

I hope we can quit beating on Ron. It's over.

vandenberg - 5-19-2009 at 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
I hope we can quit beating on Ron. It's over.

If he stays of the board, no problem.

BajaNuts - 5-19-2009 at 05:46 PM

Yo, 'Legs...

you go girl! :dudette:

redmesa - 5-19-2009 at 05:53 PM

Did I miss something or did no one notice this was not Cabo Ron writing:
He just did a copy and paste and everyone got very troubled. You should be writing to Sergio.

Living with Mexico's Trauma of Insecurity

By Sergio Aguayo Quezada

arrowhead - 5-19-2009 at 06:09 PM

Boy Caboron, this message board is a tough crowd. I thought debate is where intelligent people exchange views. Here, if you don't toe the party line, they go right for the jugular.

Maybe you should change your name to "Cabronron"?
:lol:

Paulclark - 5-19-2009 at 06:17 PM

I have to make a trip north next week through LA and on to San Francisco. Is it safe and are there areas which I should avoid due to guns and violence? Does everyone have a gun? If I don't speak the language will people help me?

Woooosh - 5-19-2009 at 06:39 PM

I almost envy Ron's ability to walk away. If he owns nothing here, and leaves no family behind to worry about- he is free to lick his wounds in Vegas and plan his next adventure (charade- whatever). How liberating. Almost. We all have different experiences here. Most of us sitting in our home offices and blogging on the internet have the good life- even with all the warts. Very few have options like we do.

My Mexican nephews returned to Mexcio after living and working in San Diego. They liked the USA, but didn't like being surrounded with wealth and being poor- in Mexico they were solid middle class and never gave class a thought. Many Americans in Mexico have a hard time adjusting to the opposite situation. I know it challenges me at times. JMHO.

Russ - 5-19-2009 at 06:59 PM

Others have responded to Ron's suicidal postings far more eloquently than I. But Dennis' responses have shown a example of how many of the Nomads may like to be portrayed. In this instance Dennis has shown how I would like an understanding friend to respond. Some day I hope to meet you. Russ

flyfishinPam - 5-19-2009 at 07:06 PM

To Live in Mexico ~~is to~~ feels like you have Ceased to be a Citizen

Living with Mexico's Trauma of Insecurity

By Sergio Aguayo Quezada

Actually the story is true there is definately an out of control insecurity in many (all too many) parts of Mexico and this needs to be addressed, seriously and I don't mean the dog and pony shows the propaganda addresses. I have no idea what Ron had to endure while here but it was enough to make him relocate. Ron, I wish you luck in your new home. I have been through hell and back here but I cannot just walk away nor do I want to. There are many things that I have never shared and that others have not had to live with that are unique to living in, doing business and having a family in this country.

Last night the news that about 50 (can't remember the exact number) Zetas that were busted loose by fake officials in fake AFI uniforms was enough to bore me to sleep. Even I have become desensitized, geeze.

Its time to just legalize the chit now and end the frigging violence, insecurity and great source of corruption before it kills us all. this is a huge source of our problems. Legalizing "la droga" would generate a significant source of income for the government through taxes, and enhance tourism and job opportunities among other things.

http://www.alternativa.org.mx/legalizacion_drogas.html

I choose to stay and give a shot at making a difference.

movinguy - 5-19-2009 at 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh
I almost envy Ron's ability to walk away. If he owns nothing here, and leaves no family behind to worry about- he is free to lick his wounds in Vegas and plan his next adventure (charade- whatever). How liberating.

Exactly. If it didn't work out, so be it. I am embarking on an adventure the other way - marrying into a Mexican family, living and maintaining residences on both sides of the border.

Making the jump to full time ex-pat would be a challenge. I love being in Mexico - but I love coming home. When Chula Vista looks good to you, well, that speaks volumes. :cool:

woody with a view - 5-19-2009 at 07:49 PM

Quote:

When Chula Vista looks good to you, well, that speaks volumes.

my wife used to hate camping out in the "way out there." then she actually went a few times..... :lol:

now she loves it but still REALLY likes getting home. can't say i blame her!!!

DENNIS - 5-19-2009 at 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Russ
Others have responded to Ron's suicidal postings far more eloquently than I. But Dennis' responses have shown a example of how many of the Nomads may like to be portrayed. In this instance Dennis has shown how I would like an understanding friend to respond. Some day I hope to meet you. Russ

Thanks, Russ. That was a nice thing to say. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. When we meet, the pleasure will be equally mine.
Thank you.

bajamigo - 5-19-2009 at 08:07 PM

I'd like to meet you, too, Dennis. But wait...I have! And though you may often deny it, and sometimes demonstrate otherwise, you are a thoughtful and sensitive individual. Keep it up.

flyfishinPam - 5-19-2009 at 08:10 PM

Group hug! Now who says Ron is a party crasher?

DENNIS - 5-19-2009 at 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajamigo
Keep it up.

I'm trying to keep virility out of the conversation but, Thanks.

I mean it, Vince. Thanks a lot.

shari - 5-19-2009 at 08:39 PM

can I get in on this group hug??? Dennis...I LOVE YA MAN!

Udo - 5-19-2009 at 08:43 PM

Shari,
when I come by to see you I'm bringing you a box of WOODHOUSE chocolates!

bajamigo - 5-19-2009 at 09:35 PM

Forget the Woodhouse. Here's where to buy the best chocolates: Baja Chocolate Lovers

BajaBruno - 5-19-2009 at 09:46 PM

Well done, Legs.

Just so no one is left out, I was also one of those who helped [Cabo/LaPaz/etc]Ron when he came through LaPaz. One evening was enough to know him. He wasn't invited for another dinner.

If no one has guessed, it was with Ron in mind that I floated the Ostracism post a few days ago. With scant few dissensions, I think the assembly has spoken. Life is too short to live with CaboRons.

Bajahowodd - 5-19-2009 at 11:35 PM

What happened, Bruno? Did he eat with his hands? :lol:

Coming from the Heart

Mulegena - 5-20-2009 at 12:06 AM

Thank you, Dennis, for your heartfelt statement of compassion and understanding.
Indeed, you also speak of our human frailty and shortcomings that we all may have known
at dark times in our lives with eloquence, gentleness, strength and grace.

Mil Gracias.

Osprey - 5-20-2009 at 05:56 AM

Passion, compassion, empathy, understanding? Hey, those are all my cards. I may have to write some stories about Nomads. Watchit now watchit.

DanO - 5-20-2009 at 10:13 AM

Boy, if there was ever a thread crying out for JR, it's this one. He had a real knack for separating the wheat from the chaff.

Don't shoot the messenger

Mulegena - 5-20-2009 at 10:47 AM

... even if he prefaces his delivery with personal commentary which is inflammatory and possibly ambiguous and/or off the mark.

The message itself was a revealing and very personal commentary by an educated Mexican citizen.

I don't have the background of information or experience to make a pertinent response to the author's thoughts that would further inform, enlighten or even entertain the Nomad readership, or any constituency for that matter, about this topic which is, according to the writer, so deeply a part of the Mexican national collective consciousness.

Ron's preface and our responses have taken the focus away from the body of the post itself. In other words, this thread has been royally hijacked, right from the get-go; the train is running on rocks not coal, and ain't nobody goin' get nowhere but derailed or run the risk of being run out of town on said rail.

Can we all stop for a moment, take a breather, send and receive mea culpas and start over?

[Edited on 5-20-2009 by Mulegena]

Cypress - 5-20-2009 at 12:35 PM

Why not!

Now where were we?

vandenberg - 5-20-2009 at 01:24 PM

Mulegena,

Just the fact that he copied and pasted an article trying to shame the Mexican establishment in itself, shows the disdain this person has for everything Mexican.
I doubt that he has the ability to write anything that really has any merit .

[Edited on 5-20-2009 by vandenberg]

Cypress - 5-20-2009 at 01:49 PM

CaboRon, Hang in there. :biggrin:

Guess you must be tweeking some raw nerves. The truth only hurts people that are in denial.

It isn't all pretty and it isn't all sweet, but it's real. Baja is a great place!

But, it has a few down sides.

BajaGringo - 5-20-2009 at 03:59 PM

Man, I take off for a couple of days and miss all the broohaa...

Your personal experience is 100% of your impression of a new place and obviously (and unfortunately) Ron had a very bad one. It happens and I am truly sorry it did. When we experience such crap in life, some of us just internalize it and others may choose public forums such as this to vent.

The fact that it did happen to Ron doesn't mean that it will be the same thing everyone else here living as an expat will experience. In fact, I believe that most do have a much more positive experience overall. I base that solely on life here for many years and talking to thousands of gringos.

However I also believe that the fact that so many of us here have had much more positive experiences does not diminish the fact that Ron did not. We can all play amateur psychoanalysts and try to break down the reasons but the reality if we have not lived life in his shoes it would be pure conjecture without proper perspective.

Personally I am just very sorry for him that things did go so badly. Ron made a lot of posts on this forum that were well read and even included positive replies by many here who have replied in this thread. We are just listening to him vent now in frustration. Maybe he expresses himself a little more animated than others would but that is just Ron. If people were hurt or falsely accused, I am sure that Ron would be the first to apologize when he calms down and life settles in up north.

I just sincerely wish him well in his journey...

:rolleyes:

[Edited on 5-21-2009 by BajaGringo]