"I parked my truck at a parking lot on the American side...and I walk into Mexico with a backpack...for some good Mexican food, inexpensive place to stay and to hang out." (link)

I know that area,they are doing construction and the traffic signs are leaning up again the K rails. When you leave that parking lot you have to go right then the road splits, on way is fine the other goes into Mexico and once you are on that one way road there is no place to turn around. The Mexican customs officers didn't search him they asked if he was carrying anything and he answered honestly, customs must have believed him because they were escorting him back across the border when the military got involved. Truthfully a lot of the speculation in this thread is disgusting.

I totally didn't know where it was. Besides, I hang out here all the time and no one has complained before.

the border, he apparently was well-acquainted with it. Hope he has a good lawyer there or US consulate help. I don't think the DoD can get involved on his behalf.

but assigning no blame whatsoever to Bergdahl. I wonder what the difference is? Yeah, I think I know...

needs some sort of diplomatic help, especially since his story doesn't add up. Not sure what Bergdahl has to do with this case.

The other is an armed tourist?

One made a wrong turn on a highway.

and was never disciplined. His commending officer might have said something. I don't think that happened.

Wrong turn on a highway without a border post? What was his destination? To hang out by the side of the road?

What do you suppose a cop in El Paso would do with a Mexican national carrying weapons? Do you think he'd buy the I took a wrong turn line?

You think people who pop back and forth over the border don't know where that border is?

Not surprising but amusing. I am going to take a wild guess and say you were not in the military. Not every infraction is disciplined. Especially in a war zone. But those of you sitting back in armchairs can look back with your 20/20 hindsight...

not just the fact that they are both members of the military. Whoops, strike that. One is an active duty member of the military, the other is a civilian, but probably in the inactive reserve.

Afghanistan is a war zone. The U.S./Mexico border is not. One is a combatant deployed in a war zone. The other is a tourist in a foreign country breaking the law.

You confuse guessing with logic. That is evident.

The Mexican police are sitting there wondering, "unless he was in the zona roja*, what legitimate reason would he have to stay in a Mexican hotel in the middle of the day?" And then he came back? No, señor, you're going to have to come up with a slightly better excuse than "I got lost" if you want to get out of this one.

* Zona roja is Mexican Spanish for "red light district," which every large Mexican city has one of.

With a pistol, a rifle and a shotgun? Wow, this guy must be big time. But let's abandon him because he doesn't meet your standard for 'excuses'.

You start small in anything you do. The engineers who designed the Empire State Building started with birdhouses.

We know he went to TJ at least four times before the day he brought guns into the country. He could have met someone on one of those trips who talked him into bringing in guns. "But I'll get caught and go to jail!" said Mr. T; they would have suggested making a trial run - "bring us your own guns, we'll pay you enough that you can buy new ones. The border guards never check, and after you see how easy this is, you'll just beg us to let you bring us guns!"

And then somewhere between the last US exit and the Mexican border, the poor guy lost his nerve.

I hope we can get him back, but it won't be easy. As I said, the trip to the Mexican hotel the day of his trip-with-guns looks like one of two things: he was buying sex, or he was making final preparations for a smuggling trip. When was the last time YOU went on a day trip and checked into a hotel? I've never done it, and I've gone on hundreds of one-day excursions. You're probably the same way.

I believe we can safely conclude that he was there for a brief activity of some sort in the hotel.

I've gone down there for the races at Caliente, but, no, there's only one reason to get a hotel room in Tijuana.

And if he was buying sex that does not bother me. Half the Americans going to TJ go for that reason. Why else do you want to go to that POS town? It may be he is just a goof, I don't know. But it seems somewhat hypocritical that many of the same people saying we had to move heaven and earth to save Bergdahl, have little interest in getting this guy out.

Mexico's not holding this guy hostage, and he wasn't there on behalf of the US. And he admitted he had weapons and thus ran afoul of their law. Even servicemen can be held in other countries if they break those other countries' laws, especially when they don't have orders to be there. This guy is just going to have to wait until the judicial process plays out for him, unless the State Dept. is able to strike a deal.

If you look back earlier this year, you will also find many stories about Mexico asking the state of Texas not to execute a Mexican citizen, who killed a policeman. There is no doubt concerning his guilt, but Mexico has no death penalty. (The Catholic church is against a death penalty as well.) In addition, Texas did not notify the embassy or let the embassy assist him before trial.

I am absolutely not equated a man who killed a cop to a marine who entered Mexico with guns, legal in the US, but illegal there. However, at the time, Kerry took a huge amount of RW abuse because he said that not cancelling the execution could make it harder when Americans needed help in other countries. Could it be that Mexico is in no mood to do a favor for the US?

And I like I have posted I am not trying to defend whatever he did. Who knows what was behind him being in Mexico? But I do think we owe him at least the effort that was given Bergdahl.

The man arrested in Mexico is a vet - already out of the military. He was not in Mexico for the US - he was already on his own. Here, the right wing is behind him because he is a vet and he is pro guns. Being a vet, arrested in a country privately entered is not the same as a POW.

I do think the embassy in Mexico is involved. The involvement is similar to when any US citizens are in trouble. Even with friendly countries, we often can not get them out of jail. The US could not have gotten Amanda Knox back until a court freed her. Here, the best the embassy may be able to do is to insure that his treatment improves and that he gets adequate representation.

There is a list of people the right has called on Kerry to get out - including an Iranian American fundamentalist Christian who is accused of returning to Iran - after they arrested him for proselytizing and freed him and sent him back to the US. Several Republicans spoke of him when Kerry appeared before the Congressional foreign relations committees - asking why it was not required before the initial Iran nuclear weapons deal was made. Kerry's response was a push back that he doubted they would have wanted him to trade anything relative to Iran's nuclear weapons for his return. It is and - should be a separate issue.

In the past, under many administrations, people NOT linked to the administration have gone to get various American civilians home -- the biggest name was Clinton getting two young female journalists out of North Korea. I suspect that something like this may happen here. The question is who Mexico would accept.

...it doesn't pass the smell test. You don't just end up crossing the border.

And I heard his mother twice on the radio tonight...the stuff she said, didn't match what she had previously said.

And you are correct: something stinks.

If they have the personnel for that.
Either way, something is definitely wrong with this guy's story.

at the Ny Thousand Islands Crossing..he was trying to get to Vermont. Apparently the military isn't doing a good job in teaching map read, sign reading or compass reading...or they just suck at using a Garmin or GPS.

http://www.reddit.com/r/canada/comments/1x4v24/screw_canada_arrest_of_guntoting_american_at/

Last edited Fri Jun 17, 2016, 06:20 PM - Edit history (9)

would be at least intelligible. But the Thousand Islands crossing is three hours from any Vermont border.

face recognition, etc...They know if you farted while waiting in line. I've actually had experience there on several occasions since we were Buffalo Bills fans. EXperience learned using duty free for partying...we were let go but they knew as soon as we pulled up.

Last edited Fri Jun 17, 2016, 06:48 PM - Edit history (3)

…because I would EXPECT to find drugs!


rocktivity

I count six swallows - six tours, perhaps. Looks like a dove on his left chest. Hard to tell.

Fast and Furious would be my guess as to what Obama pseudo scandal this will be tied to.

prison.