What great things we have to learn

Sean Lynch

Sean Lynch and four others just returned from a visit to our sister parish of Nueva Trinidad, El Salvador. The following addresses some of the issues that they saw and about which they heard; as Sean says - just the tip of the iceberg.

How can we properly commemorate these members of our human family who have passed on? What tribute shall we give them?

The situation in El Salvador is very interesting. I noticed a sort of dichotomy in that the social justice issues they are facing are incredibly dire, however the people are remarkably cheerful and optimistic. This demonstrates how amazingly strong these people are and what great things we have to learn from them.

While in Nueva Trinidad we met with a group known as the "Third Age," which is basically the senior citizen community. I was really interested to meet this group because they were undoubtedly either former refugees or freedom fighters/guerillas during the civil war. Their concerns center largely around the agricultural situation they are facing.

The land they have for farming typically only supports corn. The "cash crops" in Central America are sugar and coffee. The land where these profitable crops are grown has been usurped by wealthy landholders with close, if not direct, ties to the government.

The seed that farmers buy for their corn fields, which are not really fields but mountain slopes, is provided by a corporation whose founder is an ex-government official. He may be an ex-president - I can't remember exactly. This corporation sets the price of the seed such that the people are barely able to break even following their harvest. If last harvest was especially good, then the price of the seed for next season will be raised to cut any additional income for the farmers. It is one of the many tools used by the current Salvadoran government to oppress the poor of their country.

Another important meeting we attended in Nueva Trinidad was the talk given by Lorena Araujo, president of CRIPDES, a community organizing non-profit. Lorena was traveling with colleagues to Suchitoto to attend a rally against the privatization of water when their truck was stopped on the highway and everyone was violently arrested. They were subjected to psychological torture and filthy living quarters in the country's prisons. Bathroom breaks were scheduled for 5am and 5pm with no exceptions.

They are currently on trial being charged under the country's new anti-terrorist laws which were modeled after the U.S. Patriot Act. The prosecution has been making ridiculous accusations against them such as: setting up road blocks, throwing rocks and "wooden" sticks, assaulting officers, etc.

In fact, the group from CRIPDES never made it to Suchitoto. But if they had, they would have been met with tanks, armored transports, rubber bullets, tear gas, and indiscriminate beatings. This is a blatant case of the government suppressing peaceful protests and using unjust laws to incarcerate anyone they label as subversives.

The issue that sparked this is the government's goal of pushing legislation which would make it legal for the country's water to be privatized. It is almost inconceivable for most people to comprehend - even the rain that falls from the sky will be "owned." Multi-national corporations will submit bids to the Salvadoran government to build the infrastructure necessary for maliciously controlling the country's water supply. Prices for water will spike not only for community use but for agriculture as well. Laws will be enforced for "illegally" collecting water. A private company with no interests in the well-being of the Salvadoran people will be in control of their most precious resource.

The government is actively pursuing this legislation and it is reasonable to assume certain officials will receive "kick backs" if it goes through. As I like to say, everyone has their hands in each others pockets. The other serious issues we discussed with the people in El Salvador are the mining corporations ravaging the land and polluting the water, the construction of hydroelectric dams which will wipe out villages and their farmlands, and a new super-highway to facilitate the fleecing of the Salvadoran people and their resources made possible by Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

Ann Mescher, Nancy Miller, Kevin O'Keeffe, Jerry Schneider, and I will give a presentation on our findings soon. Please be on the lookout for announcements regarding that presentation and take a look at our photo album here:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/95574171@N00/t047X8.