"President Fox, Come and Fix This, Already!!!" Mark In Mexico's back in Oaxaca -- looks like he had a road trip, and was unable to blog.

Anyway, here's his assessment:

Yesterday, a contingent of 500 people, including some 300 mayors from around the state, staged a rally in front of the state senate to demand "public force" be used to reestablish "the rule of law" in Oaxaca state. The mayors issued a statement saying that "the current situation cannot be allowed to continue." As one drives around the city -- no simple task these days -- one can begin to see posters and painted graffiti demanding, "Fox resolver la situación, ya", meaning, "President Fox, come and fix this, already".

The APPO's top leadership has fled the city and is hiding out in Mexico City, no doubt being hosted and fed by AMLO and his supporters. The APPO thugs who control the streets here have now erected what is claimed to be 2000 street blockades...

The failed attempt by the police to recover control of the city's center back on June 14 was carried out by Municipal Police forces. Any new attempt will be carried out by the Policia Ministerial. These guys used to be called the Policia Judicial. President Fox, in an effort some years ago to clean up the country's notoriously corrupt Judicial police forces, changed their name. Voilá! All squeaky clean, now.

In any event, the APPO thugs will find that facing the Ministeriales will be a bit different than facing the Municipales. It was the Ministeriales who had to enter the zócalo in June to rescue and pull out the besieged municipal police when they were counter-attacked by the protesters. That loss of the control of the downtown and loss of face by the government is what has led to the anarchy we experience today

It does seem to me that APPO's digging in for some brinksmanship, though. Mark's reporting that:

APPO thugs have been reinforcing their permanent (24/7) blockades with concrete blocks, boulders, 55 gallon drums and barbed wire in anticipation of an effort to dislodge them from the city. The daily Reforma had a photo yesterday of 3 guys filling up about a hundred bottles with gasoline to use against the expected assault by the police.

It also looks like the teachers are going back to work, although there will be a general strike today and tomorrow.

Here's the slightly cloying article from Reuters. It's odd that al-Reuters reports that the teachers voted not to return to work last night, but Mark has photo's of them in the classroom. Go figure.  ¶ 8:00 AM