On the Road with the Zapatistas: The Sub Motorcycle Diaries

Like a cross between Mad Max and Zorro, Subcomandante Marcos zoomed out of the remote Zapatista stronghold of La Garrucha on a black motorbike with EZLN blazed across its handlebars and his cock hanging off the back. As the gathered scrum of media scrambled to capture this dramatic exit and beginning of the new Zapatista political initiative, all they were left with was a cloud of dust and the fading squawk of the unfortunate chicken - the campaign mascot called "Penguin" for its lopsided appearance - riding pillion.

The infamous guerrilla commander, a kind of postmodern Che Guevara with a flair for the theatrical, was on the road again. Somewhere outside San Cristobal, reporters caught up with him and asked was he really going to go on the campaign trail on this motorcycle. " All the way to Tijuana" he replied.

From Sub Commander to Delegate Zero

Under the moniker Delegate Zero, Marcos launches a six month tour of all Mexico, unarmed and apparently alone, not to speak or run for office but ¨to listen to the simple and humble people who struggle." This new political initiative, called the Other Campaign, is intended to influence Mexico's July presidential election. The Zapatistas will reach out to anti-capitalist and leftist organizations across the country, creating a nation wide movement that will turn the national political agenda "upside down".

Rejecting the suggestion that they were leaving the armed struggle and entering the political mainstream, the Zapatistas say they are conducting a campaign "from below, for below¨, focusing on "a radical transformation of the Mexican political system".

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http://counterpunch.org/ryan01072006.html