López Obrador Before Congress: The Defendant Turns Prosecutor

[mom cat]

López Obrador Before Congress: The Defendant Turns Prosecutor
By Al Giordano,
Posted on Thu Apr 7th, 2005 at 06:03:51 PM EST

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/story/2005/4/7/18351/79942

The late Charles F. McCarthy used to frequently tell me: “Some men are born great. Some men achieve greatness. And others have greatness thrust upon them.”
As Mexico City Governor Andrés Manuel López Obrador showed today, sometimes that greatness is thrust upon men and women by adversity and by the ill will of those who oppose them.

López Obrador arrived this afternoon at the Mexican national Congress and sat quietly on stage through a presentation of accusations against him by one of President Vicente Fox’s assistant attorneys general, Carlos Javier Vega Memije, who repeated, again and again, that the proposal to take away López Obrador’s right to run for president was a matter of “the state of law,” because his city administration supposedly violated a judge’s order for eleven months in 2001 and 2002. The prosecutor spoke loftily about “ending impunity” and building “a Mexico of laws.”

But when the prosecutor’s allotted 30 minute speaking period ran out, Vega Memije kept prattling on about the importance of not breaking rules. He was shouted down by many legislators from the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD, in its Spanish initials) bench and concluded his remarks by shouting shrilly over the din.

Next it was López Obrador’s turn. He took the podium and commented to the gathered congressmen, beaming a smile: “You’re going to have to make a desafuero for attorney Vega Memije for violating the rules.”

more: Partial text of a stirring speach...a must read!

[Itsthetruth]

1. Everyone On DU Needs To Read This Historic Speech!

Powerful speech. Every progressive should read it!

[aneerkoinos]

2. Holy Shit!

I mean, is this the political birth of new Gandhi or MLK? If not, very fucking close!!!

[mom cat]

6. I agree. This speech needs to be read by everyone here!

[keithjx]

3. Nominated for greatest page.

If we can't have a revolutionary leader in our own country, at least our neighbors to the South can inspire us. Way to go Obrador!!!!

KJ

[UpInArms]

4. from your link

“I am proud to be accused by those who fooled Mexico by promising a change but who then conspired with (disgraced former president) Carlos Salinas de Gortari to keep the same forces in power as always. We have a so-called ‘government of change’ that has done nothing!”

“I am used to struggling,” concluded López Obrador. “And with the support of men and women of good faith I will continue. I will not plead special legal protection. I will protest peacefully with all those who plead justice and freedom… I will not negotiate behind closed doors to settle this… We will engage in peaceful civil resistance.”

“But you,” he said, scanning the legislative hall, “have already received your orders, and you will act under those orders in spite of that you call yourselves public servants. Your conduct will still have to pass public opinion. Those you obey are the most tenacious violators of the law…

“And history will judge us: You and me both.”

To Lopez Obrado :yourock:

[Itsthetruth]

5. kick

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