The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Cuernavaca, Mexico - Hernando Cortes, the Spanish explorer, announced at age 19: "I have come to get gold, not to plough the field like a peasant." His fleet of 11 ships crossed the Atlantic, following Christopher Columbus who as we know discovered the Caribbean islands in 1492. Cortes having conquered Cuba, he reached the shores of Mexico, then the capital of the Western World, with 400 men and 17 horses. It was Nov. 8, 1519. He was just 24 years of age. He encountered Montezuma, the Aztec king, in Mexico City and took him hostage. Montezuma was dead within a year. Cortes's forces killed some 15,000 native Indians in their sweep across the length of Mexico in search for that gold. He settled on Cuernavaca for his palace. It is now a museum, filled with stunning murals Ñ revenge is the dessert Ñ by Mexico's finest artists throughout history. This city, just over one million, is an hour or so outside the 23 million of Mexico City in the mountains leading down to Acapulco on the Pacific shore. It is 80 degrees all year round, the perfect spot beside the pool to ponder the strange politics of our NAFTA partner. The most intriguing portion is that the country had been ruled Ñ until 2000 Ñ by one party, somewhat like our dear Liberals, for 70 consecutive years. Even better, the above-named party, the PRI, stands for the "People's Revolutionary" gang. Hello there, Paul Martin. Even better, the Mexican constitution, thanks to the PRI, allows each president only one six-year term. With the expected result that there hasn't been a president until now who has left office without being a millionaire. The last one, his brother being charged with graft, went into exile in Europe and Ireland for six years before returning home. (Perhaps that would be a good solution for our present Mr. Dithers, who wouldn't need the money anyway?) X X X AND ANOTHER THING While we are beside the pool, comes the dreary news out of the Brit soap opera. An aging prince past his prime is finally going to make an honest woman out of his mistress. What is most enraging, to any sensible Canadian, is that this in the news accounts is referred to as the "future King of Canada." Can anyone wake up? We want this wimp adorning our currency? We laugh at the Mexican loose grasp of democracy. And yet we abide this nonsense of this adulterer, after some decades with a mistress that he dare not call queen, still being our "head of state." That we put up with the faade of having someone who lives in a large castle across a large ocean being the titular figure in charge of Canada Ñ some convenient patsy in Rideau Hall opening hospitals and kissing children in his name. No wonder no one takes us seriously anymore Ñ Washington most of all. When will this country grow up?
