Pancho Villa's driver dies

[rabs]

Last year at age 109 he said he was ready to take up arms again should social inequality and injustices create the necessary conditions to rise up against the government.

Cool man, may he RIP

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Saturday
April 3,2010

Pancho Villa’s Former Driver Dies

MONTERREY, Mexico – Juan Carlos Caballero, who was a driver for Mexican revolutionary figure Francisco “Pancho” Villa, died of natural causes in a nursing home in northern Mexico. He was 109.

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On June 24, 2009, on his 109th birthday, Caballero told Efe that social inequality and the injustices Mexico had been experiencing in recent years were creating the conditions for a new armed uprising against the government.

“If that occurs, I would once again take up arms for that cause,” said Caballero, who received a pension of 1,600 pesos ($120) per month as a veteran of the 1910-1917 revolution.


http://laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=354610&CategoryId=14091

[naaman fletcher]

1. Amen,

but the people of Mexico are farked so long as Mexico continues to be be an ally of the US in the drug war.

[AlphaCentauri]

4. The US won the Mexican civil war

the killing of Zapata and Villa were planed in the US embassy

[Judi Lynn]

2. He only missed his 110th birthday by two months. Amazing. He looked very capable in this photo

taken the day of his 109th birthday:

http://cache.daylife.com.nyud.net:8090/imageserve/07Cleko31neFZ/610x.jpg

Reuters Pictures 9 months ago
Juan Carlos Caballero Vega holds a piece of cake as he walks outside an old people's home,
where he lives, after his 109th birthday celebration in Monterrey, northern Mexico June 24,
2009. Caballero Vega was the chauffeur for the Mexican revolutionary leader Doroteo Arango,
known as Pancho Villa, and took part in many of his battles including the attack on the
town of Columbus, New Mexico in 1916, the first on American soil since 1812.


Here's a page of short articles concerning Juan Carlos Caballero, the first one regarding an interview with him just this last January!

Here's a google translation:

Saturday January 16, 2010
A veteran of the Mexican Revolution believes that we are worse than in 1910

The magazine Proceso published statements by a veteran of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, 109, who believes that we are worse today than at the time of the Revolution.

The veteran of the Mexican Revolution, Juan Carlos Caballero Vega, 109 years old, calls the current situation in the country as worse than in 1910.

Interviewed by Proceso magazine, Caballero Vega, who joined at age 14 the forces of General Francisco Villa and participated with the Centaur North in making Columbus, United States, declared:

"We are heading from hell, we're not doing well. All because of this man, President Calderon. We are worse than in 1910, one hundred years ago people in some way had to eat in the field.

"Today, it's over, there is no field and in urban areas there is hunger and desolation, which is why the people must organize to fight against bad government, against their politicians are some thieves, here we have the example of the government Nati (Natividad Gonzalez Paras, former governor of Nuevo Leon PRI) "

According to his statements published in Proceso, Caballero Vega, who despite his age remains lucid and informed of news, disqualifies the way that "Now that oil is going to be for the gringos, they are the bosses ... because we have to stand up, protest, fight and if there is none, for us old, certainly yes. And as we said at the time: until the last round! ".

More:
http://doradosdevilla.blogspot.com/2010/01/veterano-de-la-revolucion-mexicana.html

He will be missed by his many friends, no doubt about that.

[naaman fletcher]

3. "We are heading from hell, we're not doing well. All because of this man, President Calderon."

To be fair, it's not just because of that one man. The basic message that the west gave the developing world of borrowing money for grand projects that will pay for themselves has not improved the lives of the vast majority of the people in Latin America. In most cases it's made them worse.

[EFerrari]

5. What a story that would be.

It's funny to think of Villa having a driver but of course he did.

[Judi Lynn]

6. These photos are tremendous. It would be a wonderful movie.

I wonder if they've been completely mute on subjects like this due to the part played by the U.S. government, and the fear of a riot by angry delusional right-wingers!

The Minute Men, Teabaggers would probably bomb the theaters, throw fits, threaten the patrons, just like the Cuban "exile" hardliners have done in Miami.

[rabs]

7. Nice photos EF and Judi to go with the story, thanks

Here is another one:




I WANT YOU GRINGO!
fight in the
MEXICAN REVOLUTION
and be proud to ride with
PANCHO VILLA
Nearest recruiting station
Juarez, Mexico
Dynamiters - Machinegunners
Viva - January 1915 - Viva


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There is controversy whether the poster is real or a spoof. If the message is real, then it would predate the famous Uncle Sam "I want you" poster by about two or three years. Which would mean that the U.S. government copied from Pancho Villa :-)

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Found this comment on website where there was a discussion about the poster:

It is not fake, it's real. Pancho Villa was recruiting not only in Mexico, but in the U.S. to fight against the corrupt government at the time. And a lot of "gringos" actually did join the Mexican revolution, because they fought for a cause, which was to free the people from oppression. If I'm not mistaken, I think it was mostly Irish who joined villa, because they were being treated badly in the U.S. and knew what it was like.

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Xipe Totec the other day posted about the Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico against the U.S. troops, so I tend to think that it is real. Hope Xipe Totec sees this and can fill us in more extensively.