High-Speed Rail from Austin to Monterrey?

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Allan Wall

There’s talk of constructing a high-speed rail line from Austin, Texas through San Antonio, Texas to Monterrey, Mexico.

From Newsweek: The push for high-speed rail connecting Texas and Mexico took a step forward this week, as officials from both sides of the border met to discuss the project’s future. The goal is creating a rail line that connects Austin, San Antonio, and Monterrey, Mexico, which would offer an alternative to the heavily congested I-35 corridor.

This would be the proposed route:

Source: Google, INEGI

Back to Newsweek: The Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, spearheaded by Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and Travis County Judge Andy Brown met Mexican officials on Monday [September 23rd] aboard Amtrak’s Texas Eagle, an existing daily passenger service between Austin and San Antonio...Sakai said, “We need to come up with creative solutions for passengers who are looking for alternatives to using their vehicles to navigate the congested 80-mile stretch” between San Antonio and Austin.

The Mexican officials included a state official of Nuevo Leon, the state in which Monterrey is located; and the mayor-elect of Saltillo.

Officials in Monterrey and Nuevo Leon have already shown considerable interest in the project, with Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia last year urging Texas officials to consider using federal government funds for a high-speed rail line linking Monterrey with San Antonio.

The proposal faces obstacles.

One hurdle is Union Pacific’s control of the rail line between Austin and San Antonio. The freight company has historically been reluctant to share its tracks with passenger rail without a separate freight bypass.

Union Pacific was one of the railroads involved in the Transcontinental Railroad, joined by the Golden Spike in Utah in 1869. Here’s a photo:

Source: Andrew J. Russell

Moreover, funding for the project could prove difficult to secure. Texas lawmakers have shown resistance to allocating funds for high-speed rail, especially given past legislation that prevents state funds from being used for rail projects operated by private entities.

Posted in Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mexican Official Reports that over 13 Million Migrants Crossed From Mexico to U.S. During AMLO Presidency

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Allan Wall

President AMLO (Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador) is nearing the end of his presidency, so summaries and analyses of his term are coming out.

Here’s one from a Mexican official, who reports that during AMLO’s presidency, over 13 million migrants crossed from Mexico into the United States over the two countries’ common border.

Source: Geology.com

From Efe via Telemundo: “During the presidency of Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, more than 13 million migrants crossed the border between Mexico and the United States, with Ciudad Juarez and El Paso (Texas) being some of the most critical points in the migratory flow, reported the Director General of the Coordinación de Oficinas de Representación [Coordination of Offices of Representation] del [of the] Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM), Héctor Martínez Castuera.“

The INM is the Mexican federal government’s immigration agency.

“During the period between December of 2018 [when AMLO became president] and September of 2024 [second to last month of his presidency] the northern border of Mexico has established itself as the nerve center for migrants coming from various countries, principally of Central America, South America and the Caribbean, who seek to arrive to the United States with the purpose of finding better opportunities.”

If you break that down by U.S. presidents, Trump was president when AMLO became president until January 20th, 2021, when Biden became president, and is still president.
So that’s AMLO-Trump for 2 years and 7 weeks; and AMLO-Biden for 3 years and 8 months.

About Ciudad Juarez:
Ciudad Juarez, which adjoins El Paso, Texas, has been one of the principal migratory thoroughfares, where thousands of persons wait in shelters, improvised camps or outdoors, to cross the Rio Bravo [Rio Grande] and request asylum in U.S. territory.

“I think that no border is prepared for 5 million persons, neither that of Mexico, nor of the United States, nor that of Colombia. These are global conditions. I understand that there are things that are being done to facilitate their not having to arrive here (at the border) to request asylum, but the world is not ready for the migrant wave”, said Guillermo Asian, spokesman of the Fideicomiso para la Competitividad y Seguridad Ciudadana (Ficosec) [Trust for Competitiveness and Citizen Security].

Posted in Immigration | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

AMLO Set to Have 27 Constitutional Reforms Passed By End of Presidency

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Allan Wall
Source: EneasMX

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO)
lacks one more week as President of Mexico.

On October 1st, he is scheduled to be replaced
by Claudia Sheinbaum.

According to Milenio, by the time his term ends
in one week, AMLO is likely to have passed 27 reforms to the Mexican Constitution. That’s if all goes according to plan, which it probably will.

Coincidentally, there have been 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution in the entire
history of that document, which took effect in 1789.

And yet, AMLO does not even hold the record for Mexican presidents for constitutional reforms.

From Milenio (my translation): “President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will finish his six-year term with 27 constitutional reforms approved by the Congress of the Union (Mexican Congress), as a foundation for the ‘second story’ of the so-called Fourth Transformation.”

The “Fourth Transformation” is AMLO’s political agenda. It means the fourth transformation of Mexico after 1) Independence (1810-1821), 2) the Reform War (1858-1861) and the Mexican Revolution (1910-1917).

AMLO’s recent judicial reform is one of these reforms, which was pushed through the process rapidly. There are 26 others, including the pending National Guard jurisdiction change, likely to pass this week.

And yet, AMLO does not hold the presidential record for passing constitution reforms.

Source: Estado Mayor

Felipe Calderon (photo at left) is in first place.

Calderon was president from
2006 to 2012.

President Calderon had 38 constitutional
reforms passed.

Source: PresidenciaMX 2012-2018 

Enrique Peña Nieto (photo at right) is in second place.

Peña Nieto was president from 2012 to 2018.

President Peña Nieto had 28 constitutional
reforms, which is 1 more than AMLO
will have in a week, if all goes according to plan.

Comparing the U.S. and Mexican political systems, it’s easier and faster to amend the Mexican Constitution than it is the U.S. Constitution.

Posted in History, Legal System, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

MORENA Party Selects New Leaders, But Is AMLO Really Still Pulling the Strings?

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Allan Wall

The MORENA party, now Mexico’s dominant party, was founded by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). Though AMLO stepped down as leader in 2017 to run for president, as Reuters puts it, “analysts maintain that the party has always been subordinate to the ruler.”

Source: Reda Raouchaia

The current official chairman of MORENA
is Mario Delgado, but he’s been designated
as the next secretary of public education
in the about-to-take-office administration
of Claudia Sheinbaum.

On September 22nd, the MORENA party held its “congreso nacional extraordinario” and there was an election for new leadership.

The new party chairman, to take office on October 1st, is Luisa Maria Alcalde, currently Secretary of the Interior (Gobernación). She was chosen unanimously. In fact it was already known beforehand that the post was hers.

Likewise, Andres Manuel Lopez Beltran, “Andy”, son of AMLO, was named Secretary of Organization.

Luisa Maria Alcalde, Andres Manuel Lopez Beltran. Source: Cuartoscuro

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sinaloa Violence Continues; Over 100 Dead or Missing

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Allan Wall

The violence in Mexico’s Sinaloa state continues. (See previous articles here and here ).

According to a Reuters report, “Some 53 people have been killed and 51 others are missing in Mexico’s western Sinaloa state since rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel began clashing on Sept 9, local authorities said on Friday [September 20], with gruesome violence showing no signs of abating.”

The Sinaloa cartel is the biggest criminal organization in the hemisphere. The current conflict pits two factions against each other, the faction led by the son of “El Mayo” Zambada (recently captured in the U.S.) vs. the Chapitos, sons of “El Chapo” Guzman.

Truck on Fire, Culiacan, Sinaloa, September 11th. Source: Ivan Medina

One weird result of the conflict was reported by Reuters: “Mexico’s Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) said it was providing resources to local authorities to feed a tigress tied to a tree. Senior Sinaloan narcos often keep tigers as pet animals. Profepa said in a statement that vets in Sinaloa had declined to assist due to security fears, and it had provided military officials with a ‘cage, a dart rifle and darts’. But the violence had prevented the military from rescuing it.”

Drug barons do like to keep exotic animals. There are now hippopotamuses in Colombia because they were introduced there by Pablo Escobar.

Posted in Crime | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sunset of the ‘Sol Azteca’ – The Once-Powerful PRD Party Loses Its National Registry

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Allan Wall

The PRD, Partido de la Revolución Democrática (“Party of the Democratic Revolution”), once one of Mexico’s most powerful parties, has now lost its national registry.

The decline of the PRD is part of the massive change in Mexican politics of the past decade which has seen the rise of MORENA, now the dominant party of Mexico. The PRD, on the other hand, is nearly extinct at the national level.

The PRD used to be AMLO’s party.

Here is the symbol of the PRD, the Sol Azteca, the “Aztec Sun”:

Source: Wikipedia

It’s an impressive-looking log that grabs your attention. But the party is finished at the national level, mainly because its chief standard-bearer, AMLO, jumped ship and started a new party. It’s likely many of the old PRD voters followed AMLO to MORENA. After all, they’re fishing in the same leftist waters and it’s unsurprising that many followers of AMLO would follow him to MORENA.

The PRD was founded in 1989 by Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, formerly of the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) which was for most of the twentieth century the state party of Mexico. Cardenas had run as an independent against the PRI in 1988 but lost in what many believed to be a stolen election.

The first members included leftists from the PRI and smaller parties including The Mexican Socialist Party, Mexican Workers’ Party, Unified Socialist Party of Mexico and the Mexican Communist Party.

One of the founding members of the party who left the PRI was none other than Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). From 1996 to 1999, AMLO served as chairman of the party.

In 2006, AMLO was the presidential candidate of the PRD. It was a three-way race among the three biggest parties: the PRI, the PAN and the PRD. It was a close and disputed election. Calderon won with 36.69% of the vote, squeaking by AMLO with 36.09% of the vote.

Six years later, in 2012, AMLO ran again as the PRD standard-bearer, in another 3-way race. This time it was Pena Nieto of the PRI who won with 39.17% of the vote; with AMLO coming in second with 32.41% of the vote.

After the 2012 election, AMLO left the PRD and in 2014 his new MORENA party was registered.

In 2018, AMLO ran as the candidate of the MORENA party against the PAN and the PRI and won by a resounding 54.71% of the vote. As for his old PRD, it actually ran in alliance with the PAN party.

In the 2024 election on June 2nd, won by MORENA’s Claudia Sheinbaum, the PRD ran in coalition with the PAN and the PRI, but the PRD didn’t do well. It only received 2.43 percent in the elections for the Cámara de Diputados.

The PRD didn’t even reach the 3% minimum to be a nationally-registered party and receive government funds.

So on September 9th, the INE (Instituto Nacional Electoral) confirmed that the PRD has lost its registration as a national party.

In the Mexican Congress, there is only one PRD representative in the Cámara de Diputados. There is no PRD senator in the Senado because in August, the only two senators-elect from the party abandoned the PRD and switched to the MORENA party.

The address of the PRD headquarters was Benjamin Franklin No. 84, in the Escandon colonia (neighborhood) of Mexico City. Here’s a photo of the party’s headquarters, which began to be vacated on September 9th:

Source: El Político

The PRD is still registered on the state level in 12 states and Mexico City, but it has lost its registration at the national level and has only one member in Congress.

It’s part of the recent political change in Mexico.

In the election of 2012, the three biggest parties in Mexico were the PAN, the PRI and the PRD. Now the PAN and PRI are diminished and the PRD is almost gone at the national level.

The dominant party in the country is AMLO’s MORENA. See The Astonishing Growth and Power of Mexico’s MORENA Party.



Posted in History, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

At Least 30 Killed in Sinaloa Cartel Violence but President-Elect Doesn’t Want to Start a War

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Allan Wall

Factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel are fighting it out in the state of Sinaloa. (See
Cartel Factions Fight it Out in Sinaloa State and AMLO’s Comments in a Press Conference).
Reportedly, at least 30 have been killed since September 9th.

Sinaloa state in red. Source: Wikipedia

Elements of the military and National Guard, comprising 2,200 troops, have been sent to Sinaloa. Two of the dead were military personnel.

President AMLO said their mission is to protect the population and stop clashes between the factions. As they say, “good luck with that”.

The regional army commander on the other hand said the situation won’t calm down unless the cartel factions stop fighting each other.

So why not send in many more troops with a mission to end the fighting? Well, according to President-Elect Claudia Sheinbaum, “In the moment of confrontation, to enter with firepower would start a war…”

Excuse me, but isn’t there a war in Sinaloa already?

Posted in Crime | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mexican Judicial Reform Now Law of the Land

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Allan Wall

On September 15th, a few hours before his participation in the annual Grito Ceremony, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) signed the constitutional judicial reform. The signing was filmed and AMLO was accompanied by President-Elect Claudia Sheinbaum. Here is a photo of the two after the signing:

Source: lopezobrador.org.mx

The constitutional reform was published September 15th in the Diario Oficial de la Federación, the official gazette of the Mexican government, which makes it law. (Links here and here).

The reform amends the Constitution of Mexico. Unlike the U.S. Constitution, in which amendments are placed at the end, when the Mexican Constitution is amended, it is simply changed in the text. That means you have to make sure the version of the text you are referring to is updated. The Mexican Constitution has been in effect since 1917 and has been amended over 500 times. In contrast, the U.S. Constitution has been in effect since 1789 and only has 27 amendments (and the first ten of them, the Bill of Rights, were made at the same time). The Mexican Constitution is much easier to amend.

This judicial reform changes the Supreme Court, reducing the quantity of its justices from 11 to 9, and reducing each justice’s term from 15 to 12 years.

The biggest change in the reform is the election of judges. In the United States, judges at the state level are elected, and in Bolivia high-level judges are elected.

Now Mexico is the first country to elect all its judges at all levels. That’s about 7,000 judges.

The first elections under the new system are scheduled for June 1st, 2025, to elect about half of the country’s judges. The other half of the new judges are to be elected as part of the regular 2027 mid-term elections.

Mexico is about to become the first country in the world to elect all its judges. How is that going to work out?

In the next few years, the world has a chance to see exactly how it will work out.

Posted in Legal System, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

AMLO’s Grito de Independencia, 2024

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Allan Wall

Mexican Independence Day is September 16th, but really it starts on September 15th.

On the night of September 15th, a ceremony is held in the Zocalo Plaza in Mexico City, and in state capitols and city halls throughout the country.

The ceremony is called “El Grito”, the “shout” or “cry”, commemorating the Grito of Miguel Hidalgo in 1810 which publicly initiated a movement which eventually became a movement for the independence of Mexico.

In the ceremony in the Zocalo, the president comes out on to a balcony of the Palacio Nacional and rings a bell (similar to the Liberty Bell in the U.S.) and shouts a series of Vivas, “Viva” meaning “Long Live…” to commemorate Mexican historical figures.

Then he rings the bell a lot and waves the flag, and the national anthem is sung.

In the state capitols and cities, the ceremony is presided over by the governor or mayor.

The next day, on the 16th, there is a military parade.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, AMLO, is nearing the end of his presidential term, with just a couple of weeks to go.

So AMLO presided over the Grito on September 15th, 2024.

Here is what AMLO shouted from the balcony in 2024:
Viva la Independencia [Long Live Independence]
[Followed by 6 figures from the Independence Struggle]
Viva Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
Viva Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez
Viva Ignacio Allende
Viva Leona Vicario
Viva José María Morelos y Pavón
Viva Vicente Guerrero
Vivan las heroínas y los héroes anonymous
[Long live the anonymous heroines and heroes ]
Viva la libertad [Long Live Liberty]
Viva la igualdad [Long Live Equality]
Viva la justicia [Long Live Justice]
Viva la democracia [Long Live Democracy]
Viva nuestra soberanía [Long Live our Sovereignty]
Viva la fraternidad universal [Long Live Universal Brotherhood]
Mexicanas, mexicanos, que muera la corrupción
[Female Mexicans and Male Mexicans, Let Corruption Die]
Muera la avaricia [Let Avarice Die]
Muera el racismo [Let Racism Die]
Muera la discriminación [Let Discrimination Die]
Que viva el amor [Long Live Love]
Vivan los trabajadores mexicanos que son de los mejores del mundo
[Long live the Mexican workers, who are some of the world’s best]
Vivan nuestros hermanos migrantes [Long live our Migrant Brethren]
Vivan los pueblos indígenas [Long Live the Indigenous Peoples]
Viva la grandeza cultural de México
[Long Live the Cultural Greatness of Mexico]
Vivan todas y todos los mexicanos
[Long Live All the Female and Male Mexicans]
Viva la cuarta transformación
[Long Live the Fourth Transformation (AMLO’s Political Agenda) ]
Viva México [Long Live Mexico]
Viva México [Long Live Mexico]
Viva México.  [ Long Live Mexico]

Here are some photos of the Grito ceremony:

Crowd at Zocalo Plaza. Source: Milenio
AMLO and First Lady Before Going to Balcony. Source: Milenio
AMLO receiving flag from soldiers in 19th-century uniforms. Source: Milenio
AMLO and First Lady on the Balcony. Source: Government of Mexico
AMLO and First Lady on Balcony. Source: Milenio
Fireworks Around Cathedral. Source: Milenio



Posted in Culture, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

AMLO Deplores Latest Attempt to Kill Trump

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Allan Wall

There’s been another attempt to kill former U.S. President/Current Candidate Donald Trump, this time at his golf course in Florida, on September 15th, 2024.

Source: The Palm Beach Daily News

Several hours later, at 3:18 p.m. Mexico City time (September 15th), Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) tweeted out a response to the attempt: “Even though not much is yet known about what occurred, we deplore the violence against the former president Donald Trump. The way is democracy and peace.”

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment