I’ve been reading that some other organizations are also suggesting that the civilian Federal Mexican govt. needs Plan Mexico $/training (i.e. that they are not part of the climate of impunity for or participants in crimes and cover-ups for those crimes). I think this is a (false) distinction that the boosters of Plan Mexico appreciate and want to exploit.

http://www.cpj.org/cases07/americas_cases_07/mexico24jan07ca.html

http://www.cpj.org/protests/07ltrs/americas/mex09apr07pl.html

http://www.cpj.org/cases07/americas_cases_07/mexico14apr07ca.html

http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2007/DA_spring_07/Mexico_07/mexico_07.html

http://www.cpj.org/cases07/americas_cases_07/mexico30apr07ca.html

http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/americas/mexico06aug07na.html

http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/americas/mexico09aug07na.html

http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/americas/mexico10aug07na.html

http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/americas/mexico14aug07na.html

http://www.cpj.org/cases07/americas_cases_07/mexico28aug07ca.html

Asking them to ensure Condi Rice testifies at November 14th full hearing;

That Plan Mexico is pealed away from Iraq Appropriations bill to stand and fall on its own merits;

that questions about the murder of brad will and many others in oaxaca and atenco are asked and answered satisfactorally;

Tom Lantos, Chair, Committee on Foriegn Affairs: 650-342-0300
P 415-566-5257 San Francisco

Eliot Engel, Chair, Subcommittee on Western Hemispheric Affairs: (202) 225-2464 and (914) 699-4100

Nita Lowey (Chair, appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations): (202) 225-6506 and (914) 428-1707

For NGOs that are making questionable noise:

If you share these concerns regarding Committee to Protect Journalist’s tepid mention the role of the Mexican state in the violence against journalists, please contact the following people there. You could mention how this plays into the hands of those asking for ‘drug war’ Plan Mexico package which has an institutional reform component. Of course, more $ thrown at a corrupt govt. won’t be helpful in addressing those problems.

CPJ: (212) 465.1004
Joel Simon, Exc. Dir.: jsimon(at)cpj. (dot) org 212
Carlos Lauria, latin america director: clauria(at)cpj (dot) org
M. Salazar, l.a. associate: msalazar (at) cpj (dot) org
This may make a good story!?

While you’re at it, you could contact two organizations which seem to be underplaying the risks of Plan Mexico despite human rights being a major stated concern of their. The Washington Offfice on Latin America (WOLA) and the Latin America Working Group (LAWG)

Maureen Meyer at WOLA (mmeyer (at) wola (dot) org or 202.797.2171) and Jennifer Johnson at LAWG (jjohnson(at) (dot) org or 202.546.7010)

They do good work but have neither taken a stand against Plan Mexico nor for what they consider beneficial elements to be presented as a stand alone appropriations item (i.e. the criminal justice reform components) without all the lethal power being provided to the Mexican govt.

LAWG’s website (http://lawg.org/) has as a main feature its report on lack of enforcement of human rights conditions on u.s. aid in Plan Colombia. What makes them think Plan Mexico would be any different?

The WOLA website (http://wola.org/) boosts Plan Mexico with a headline “Mexico Aid package Should Improve Civilian Institutions.” This headline is followed by another: “WOLA Expresses Doubts on Mexico, Central America Aid Package.” But the doubts are ‘concerns about lack of details and recommendations that the “civilian control structures” be the recipients of the aid. Despite a horrendous record of supporting impunity for military and police abuses, WOLA’s exec. director Joy Olson lends her weight to the aid package which includes blackhawk helicopters and increasing surveillance capability (surely to be used against Mexican activists, dissidents etc.). Her edifying testimony during the House Subcommitee on Western Hemispheric Affairs hearing on Plan Mexico (Oct. 25th) is also posted.

WOLA: Olson echos bailey’s concern with hampering the aid w/some kind of oversight/certification
regime. This is considered hypocritical that the u.s. congress would want to know
if efforts against drugs are the real outcome of their forking over billions of
$. (Hmmm.);helicopters must work; and expect (and then what) mexican military not
to appreciate end-use monitoring. (Thanks, Joy!); She notes that some previously trained forces (the ZETAS) joined the drug
cartels! great; urges that police reforms must be comprehensive and institutional; she doesn’t
want the military involved FOR THE LONG TERM.
she calls for non-corrupt police and justice system but for fight against money
laundering (but not as part of this bill or condition of it).why not before pouring
$$$ into the problem?

http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/ols102507.htm

notice the low-ball figure of $500 million when in fact the package is being roled
out as a multi-year Plan Colombia-style $7 billion dollar package:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5239642.html

US would poney up $1.5 billion and the Mexican govt. would pay $5.5 billion over
several years. (Guess they’ll be shorter library hours in Mexico too).

Give her a call if you like.