With Little Christmas on the way, Mexican politicians have taken to the street in Mexico City to urge the Reyes Magos to not bring guns or war toys this year, according to Excelsior. The hope is to encourage a society with less violence in Mexico. Sounds good ... I have a request that the three kings bring health care, education, loving parents, extended families, and community involvement to the United States, lowering our narcotics consumption and making sure some kids in Mexico have a less violent year.
As an added bonus, the article mentions the Ley de Cultura Cívica of DF and how it prohibits pointing a toy gun at folks. For grins and giggles, the whole thing (passed in 2004) is available on line (here). It reminds me of the time a buddy of mine was detained (justly and reasonably so) in Switzerland for spitting on a train platform.
a) Establecer reglas mínimas de comportamiento cívico;
b) Garantizar el respeto a las personas, los bienes públicos y privados y regular el
funcionamiento de la Administración Pública del Distrito Federal en su
preservación, y
c) Determinar las acciones para su cumplimento.
This smells of the nineteenth century, and I am certainly going to have fun going over these rules in the next few days.
2 comments:
Actually, as a former DF resident, the toy gun law was no giggling matter. We're not talking about bright orange super-soakers here, but realistic replica AK-47s and snub-nose 38s. There's enough of the real ones smuggled in from Texas to make life dangerous as it is. On a very crowded Metro car, the last thing you want is someone panicked by a gun... real or "replica".
I can see the real application of the law (I lived in DF for a while in the north of the city as well), but I find it interesting that DF provided the law in the form of a "civility" law and not a hard core criminal setting. Frankly, I see that as a positive thing. Mexican civility is one of the bright spots of North American life.
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