Stay away from Mexico

It is amazing how this post turned into a gun & anti-gun debate. As an avid shooter, hunter and father of three little angels and husband to a beautiful wife, I can give you numberless reasons to own a gun and numberless debate points for the anti-gun crowd, but I will restain myself from doing that here since is not related to the post  :-X. One thing I will mention is, that an anti-gun individual will always be rooted in his/her ideas regarless of what you tell them UNTIL they find themselves in a situation were they need a gun and they don't have one.

To answer to the original post, all I can say is that I live across the border from Reynosa, Mexico and used to live there about 20 years ago. Recently (last week) there was a confrontation in my old neigborhood that lasted for three hours with constant machine gun fire and granades. You won't find any info on the local, regional, or national news for that matter, because the media is been taken hostage. Only sources of info now are YouTube and Twitter. So yes I don't go to Reynosa; at least not for now.

P.S. By the way for those thinking that the U.S. would be a better place without guns, just look at Mexico, as you future crystal ball. We would be them!

Hfx_Cdn said:

Talk about string drift, ok but here's my 2 cents worth on Switzerland.

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Mexico to Switzerland, man, that's some drift!!!

BernieD said:

Mandatory service works well in Switzerland and Israel because EVERYONE is required to serve, no buyouts or accommodating deferments. Then our military would have to do it's job and really train the draftees. It isn't willing, or apparently able, to expend the effort and expertise.

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Switzerland and Isreal are small states surrounded by a raft of larger hostile or formerly hostile states.  A universal militia is the only way they can survive in this not quite the best of all possible worlds.    The USA is the 3rd most populous country on earth.  Its GDP is the largest in the world being 3x the size of the next largest, Japan, and 4x that of China or Germany #3 and 4.  We are the 900 lb gorilla, not poor little America.

Our military's primary mission is national defence and the projection of American power.  It is NOT the education of our populace -- we have schools and universities for that.  Modern warfare no longer is a matter of dressing a civilian in a fancy suite and training him to stand in a line and shoot a musket.    It is a business for skilled professionals.    You do not staff a naval aircraft carrier's battle group with the sweepings of press gangs, nor do you turn over the operation of an M1A2 Abrams tank to draftees. 

Let's return to the subject, please.  Our State Department has just told Consulate employees that their families should leave Mexico after two U.S.A. consulate members' families were killed.  They are having gun fights in the streets of Acapulco.  The other day quite a number were killed in one of these street fights.  I, for one, will not return to Mexico until things are better there.

ArdraF

Carl L said:

  The professionals greatly prefer the volunteer force over the chore of training assorted reluctant dragons and kids to dumb to avoid the draft.

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I've so far been successful avoiding this topic knowing any comment will irritate someone. I futher apologize for feeding the Off Topic posts that have nothing to do with Mexico travelling.
        However I take issue with Carl's comment, you have struck a raw nerve.
    Any Combat Veteran will tell you when the fighting starts NO ONE stops to inquire if your status is 'RA' or 'US' before requesting support. Were it not for personal reasons that resulted in my volunteering I might have ended up as a reluctant dragon or 19 yr old kid to dumb to avoid the draft.
  I served in RVN with numerous draftees: The Arty. Batteries, Tank Crews, Door Gunners and especially the Grunts that bailed out our small recon unit.........many were draftees. The Medic that treated my wounds....just another kid to dumb to avoid the draft (and a CO too).
  At least one other member of this forum is by his own admission a draftee. He was also an Infantryman, Grunt if you will, with a superior fighting unit, the 4th Infantry Division. Were his sacrifices minimized with a 'US' Status?

 

Carl L said:

  You do not staff a naval aircraft carrier's battle group with the sweepings of press gangs, nor do you turn over the operation of an M1A2 Abrams tank to draftees. 

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  If the M1A1 or A2 would have been available in Viet Nam likely it would have been driven and maybe commanded by a draftee.
      Mods, feel free to delete my post if it offends, ArdraF, you posted your 'lets return to subject please' while I was typing......sorry

ArdraF said:

Let's return to the subject, please.  Our State Department has just told Consulate employees that their families should leave Mexico after two U.S.A. consulate members' families were killed.  They are having gun fights in the streets of Acapulco.  The other day quite a number were killed in one of these street fights.  I, for one, will not return to Mexico until things are better there.
ArdraF

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As much as I like Mx and try not to over-react to the media hype, we, too, are having serious second thoughts about going back this year.  I thought that it would stay close to the border but there is a growing number of people saying that the violence is spreading south of the border and some are speculating that it will spread north of the border.  How long will it take us to recognize that it is deja vu all over again and that prohibition doesn't work, I don't know...  Now with California on the brink of bankruptcy, Arizona closing many of its state parks and other states not far behind... makes me wonder if it still makes any sense to even have a MH.  Oh well... pretty soon I won't even have a carbon footprint. :-\

However I take issue with Carl's comment, you have struck a raw nerve.

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Sorry, no offence not intended, nor was it meant to slight those who went and fought.  I was just trying to relate the problems with Universal Military Training.  Training some 20-30 million variously motivated citizens is not something that the military have said they do not want to do. They fought for the current professional active force backed by reserves and national guard thru the late 70s and into the 80s. 

What does all this have to do with RVing?  Damned little.  Let us let it drop here.

What does Mexico's violence have to do with RVing?  A lot, it would appear.  The latest news is particularly daunting

Why don't some of you start a military service/draftee thread?  Please don't hijack this one!

  Thank You Carl, Now Returning to Topic.................
      The entry list for the SCORE Baja Races declines every year. Partially due to economy eliminating many undersponsored racers and a lot to do with violence or the threat scaring off spectators and support teams. I'm sure tougher Border Inspections and a Passport add to the mix. All this means lost revenue for the Mexican economy.
  Depending what you read the 2008 drug war murder tally was 5630. 2009 anywhere from 6250 - 7724. The violence has spread to US Cities as drug lords fight their competition
  Since Carderon was elected there have been over 16,000 drug related murders.
  Former President Fox proposed legalizing drugs in the US to control the violence.
  Do we blame US demand for cheap drugs, corrupt Mexican politicians, gun laws or economy?
  Maybe ignoring blame and concentrating on fighting criminals is a better approach.
  I'll stay out of Mexico for the time being.
 

The only way I will return to MX is when it is officially declared "Shangri La. Guess that'll be past my time in our US Shangri La.

carson FL

Staying away from Mexico may not be possible in the future. See the article Mexico drug war: A cancer spreading to U.S. which contends that the drug war is spreading to the U.S.  Scary!

Richard

VMAX1,

They just killed a bunch more people in the streets of Ciudad Juarez (that's actually where the consulate families were killed - I wasn't clear earlier) so stay away from there too.

Actually, I can't help but think you're being waaayyy too naive.  Do you really believe that just because you're going down there with things for poor people and want to help them that you're not as likely to be a victim of the drug cartel violence?  They don't care what innocent people get in their way.  And now they're actually targeting Americans.  Just be sure to leave your current will and last wishes for burial with your family before you leave.

ArdraF

Hey Ardra, as long as they are targetting American, he's ok since he's Canadian 

RLSharp said:

Staying away from Mexico may not be possible in the future. See the article Mexico drug war: A cancer spreading to U.S. which contends that the drug war is spreading to the U.S.  Scary!
Richard

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I wonder who is paying for WND's website?

taoshum said:

I wonder who is paying for WND's website?

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From World Net Daily's website, "WorldNetDaily.com Inc. is an independent news company dedicated to uncompromising journalism, seeking truth and justice and revitalizing the role of the free press as a guardian of liberty. We remain faithful to the traditional and central role of a free press in a free society ? as a light exposing wrongdoing, corruption and abuse of power." WND was founded by Joseph and Elizabeth Farah in May 1997.

I do not know where they get their money but am reasonably sure they don't make up news articles like "Mexico drug war: A cancer spreading to U.S." This is not the first article that I have seen which has the same theme, just the most comprehensive and appears to be the most factual.

Richard

RLSharp said:

From World Net Daily's website, "WorldNetDaily.com Inc. is an independent news company dedicated to uncompromising journalism, seeking truth and justice and revitalizing the role of the free press as a guardian of liberty. We remain faithful to the traditional and central role of a free press in a free society ? as a light exposing wrongdoing, corruption and abuse of power." WND was founded by Joseph and Elizabeth Farah in May 1997.

I do not know where they get their money but am reasonably sure they don't make up news articles like "Mexico drug war: A cancer spreading to U.S." This is not the first article that I have seen which has the same theme, just the most comprehensive and appears to be the most factual.
Richard

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I don't know either but it is very expensive to hire that many writers and have them do that much research, assuming that it is all accurate and original.  Like the CNN level of $$, or Newsweek, maybe.  For instance, the map of the United States showing every major city with a Mx cartel cell running logistics and distribution for an underground, illegal product mix with immense tax free profits with an independent army of trained assassins  and the US is somehow unaware and tolerating this... it is a little heavy, even for me.  That combined with all the "survivalist"" advertising stimulates some skepticism for me.  Maybe it is all accurate, I don't know, I hope it's not though.

taoshum said:

Maybe it is all accurate, I don't know, I hope it's not though.

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I don't know either and I surely hope it is not. However, the direction our country seems to be headed sometimes makes me wonder--unfortunately.

Richard

Hey Ardra, as long as they are targetting American, he's ok since he's Canadian

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Hmmm.  I wonder if they can distinguish between someone from the U.S. versus someone from Canada.  You guys look just like us - whatever that is.  :-\   If you're in their way, you're in their way.

ArdraF

    Hey, according to the gift I got at Quartzsite, there should be no difficulty distinguishing, all they need to do is listen for the "ehs: 

Ed,
Are you saying if we all were Wealthy, educated, there would be no crime or violence?
Jim