Escalating Military Presence
The military's presence in Mexico is a hot topic and we ain't talkin' about a Sunday cookout. Remember that election for the Judicial Power a while back? Well, it wasn't just councilors and voters stepping up to the plate, three military dudes were sitting there too, right alongside 'em. They call it the "horseshoe of democracy," but it sure as hell ain't democratic!
Councilor Carla Humphrey spotted this and asked about it. She didn't get no response, neither. Lately, it seems the military's turning up everywhere - even at concerts in Mexico City! They showed up outta nowhere, cleared out the place, and haven't shed light on who called the shots yet. If that ain't fishy, I don't know what is!
Back in 2012, AMLO (Andrés Manuel López Obrador) swore he'd get the soldiers back in their barracks within six months if he got elected. That was thirteen years ago, and they're still out here - in fact, they've gotta more than 246 civilian tasks these days.
Sedena (Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional) is running airport terminals, including the Felipe Ángeles (AIFA), and even control the state airline, Mexicana de Aviación. They lost a whopping 3.4 million pesos daily in 2024, closing eight routes by January 2025. Their administrative performance leaves a lot to be desired, y'all!
In the Tren Maya, Sedena's got their hands in three railway sections, six hotels, and four buildings. The budget shot up over a thousand percent in a year, and they got another red flag - the additional money they got without public bidding, all under the name of national security.
Sedena's spending's increased 150% since 2018 and, by 2024, they controlled a fifth of all federal public investment. Claudia Sheinbaum said she'd review protocols after the Alicia Forum incident but she's keeping the National Guard under Sedena's thumb for "efficiency."
The Mexican Army ain't just casual visitors in the civil sphere anymore - they're homeowners! They're putting their furniture everywhere from airports to trains, buildings, hotels, and even electoral seats. The question is, who's gonna ask them to leave when we've adopted this military mindset as the norm?
P.S.: President Sheinbaum's celebrating an exercise that had stink all over it - from start to finish. She's saying there were more votes than even the PRI or PAN got in the last election, but that's a misleading metric. Adding the votes of those two parties together totals nearly 15 million 400 thousand votes, which is more than the total number of votes cast for all positions in the Judicial Power.
Secondly, due to the crazy high number of invalid votes - 22.5% of votes were invalidated, which is way higher than the 3% we've seen in previous presidential elections. What's weird is, we're uncertain of why such a high percentage was due to protest or complexity. Either way, it ain't typical!
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Despite the increasing involvement of the military in various civilian sectors, such as politics, general news, sports, and culture, there has been a lack of transparency and accountability regarding their actions and decisions. For instance, the military's unexpected presence at concerts in Mexico City has raised questions about who gave the orders and why.
Moreover, the involvement of military personnel in the election for the Judicial Power in 202X raises concerns about the democratic process and the role of the military in deciding the fate of the nation. It seems that the military's influence is expanding, and it is unclear who will stand up to ask them to step down from their roles in the civil sphere.
