US Marine still in a Mexican Jail
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:34 am
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/12/19/ex- ... -heirloom/
You know in spite of my views on illegal and mass immigration, like many returned missionaries I do get nostalgic to return to Colombia for a time and be immersed in a foreign land that I once adapted to, reunite with some long lost very good friends I made during that time, see if anything has changed, but it's stuff like this that has always worried me. I got some wind of it when I was informed that the church had to pay a $300 fee for each of us, just for the privlege of leaving their country when we finished the mission. Then I heard stories of Venezuelan missionaries actually having to bribe their way past the border guards to get out of the country. Thankfully the Church was able to provide them the money to pay those bribes.
I read of similar case in Russia where a missionary remained jailed for 3 months after attempting to board the plane home after a long two years due to a customs inspection that turned up a worthless matrioshka doll that he picked up in the trash from his old apartment. The government accused him of trying to rob a priceless Russian relic, which was obviously completely bogus. Over that three months the Church paid a bundle in attorneys fees trying to secure his release, and after a long hard fought battle he was allowed to return home and the Russians got their money, which was what the whole thing was really about, EXTORTION!
Was it ignorant of this marine to bring a gun on a hunting trip to Mexico? Yeah, I wouldn't do that, but I could totally understand people wanting to on a safari type of hunting trip. But when people want your money by whatever means, they could find a number of reasons to begin legal extortion proceedings. One Mexican diplomat feared this case might hurt tourist revenues. You think? It doesn't look like their super strict gun control laws are helping curb their homicide problem much either. It's a shame because I met so many good people when I was there and Colombia really is a beautiful country once you get outside the city. And yet hiking and exploring are pretty much off limits because of crap like this.
Then the next question? Why won't the Obama adminstration offer this veteran any help? One Democratic apologist said he was just too busy? Is that really all there is to it? It's been six months.
You know in spite of my views on illegal and mass immigration, like many returned missionaries I do get nostalgic to return to Colombia for a time and be immersed in a foreign land that I once adapted to, reunite with some long lost very good friends I made during that time, see if anything has changed, but it's stuff like this that has always worried me. I got some wind of it when I was informed that the church had to pay a $300 fee for each of us, just for the privlege of leaving their country when we finished the mission. Then I heard stories of Venezuelan missionaries actually having to bribe their way past the border guards to get out of the country. Thankfully the Church was able to provide them the money to pay those bribes.
I read of similar case in Russia where a missionary remained jailed for 3 months after attempting to board the plane home after a long two years due to a customs inspection that turned up a worthless matrioshka doll that he picked up in the trash from his old apartment. The government accused him of trying to rob a priceless Russian relic, which was obviously completely bogus. Over that three months the Church paid a bundle in attorneys fees trying to secure his release, and after a long hard fought battle he was allowed to return home and the Russians got their money, which was what the whole thing was really about, EXTORTION!
Was it ignorant of this marine to bring a gun on a hunting trip to Mexico? Yeah, I wouldn't do that, but I could totally understand people wanting to on a safari type of hunting trip. But when people want your money by whatever means, they could find a number of reasons to begin legal extortion proceedings. One Mexican diplomat feared this case might hurt tourist revenues. You think? It doesn't look like their super strict gun control laws are helping curb their homicide problem much either. It's a shame because I met so many good people when I was there and Colombia really is a beautiful country once you get outside the city. And yet hiking and exploring are pretty much off limits because of crap like this.
Then the next question? Why won't the Obama adminstration offer this veteran any help? One Democratic apologist said he was just too busy? Is that really all there is to it? It's been six months.
