There are times when questions are asked and observations made that must be addressed. During the episode of the couple who had a contretemps near Nvo. Cd. Guerrero's original founding site some months back, jet-skiing on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake, I made my observations.
It was more than a little surprizing to me to learn that the survivor...the wife of the individual who was purportedly killed in the affair....was making the rounds as an official guest of various potentates and poobahs at the Texas Capitol. She was being received as a messenger and victim.
The latest event, concerning the missionary and his wife, occurred on the same highway, at the same place and moment give or take a mile or two and 10 minutes or so, as when I was going down to the Quinta last time. In this affair there is little doubt as to the accuracy of the reverend gentleman's accounts. He and his wife and their efforts in the outback of Tamaulipas are fairly well known. They are not shallow do-gooders. They have striven to bring the wayward to the Truth and Redemption in their Protestant way and they have done other good works while forwarding this effort. They are good people. She is in another place that Yahweh reserves for good Protestants. He has another place for good Roman Catholics....and He reserves yet another much smaller, but special place for a few good Episcopalians. I think they all meet in the same rec-hall for bingo and barbeque night....but I am not sure.
There were questions and comments about this case here locally. Those questions were:
(1) Why them, why there, why then??? The "them" part is simply bad luck. They were there at that time, and they happened to have a particular type of pick-up truck (double cab, one ton) that is most favoured by the cartel people for drug/personnel transport.
The "there" and "then" part goes hand in hand. It is also due to a particular irony which occurred less than a week earlier. Irony nowadays is a word that dumbo reporters and others use when they mean 'coincidence'. Irony however does not mean that. It means that a particular, usually negative, result happens precisely because of an activity that was meant to avoid the undesirable result incurred. For instance, Jake went across the street to the pharmacy to pick up his essential, life-sustaining heart medicine. As he left the pharmacy a city bus hit him as he walked into its path while reading the new instructions about dosage. That is ironic.
About a week before this dastardly event, the Mexican Army received an anonymous tip (coming in with greater frequency now) concerning a ranch outside of Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas. The unfortunate name of the little community (I know not why) is "El Mocotito" (roughly "Little Booger" or "Little Snot" It can also be a vernacular term for "urchin"). The place....actually more a long-abandoned farm-stead than a ranch....was said to be a training center for cartel thugs. The Army swept in early the next morning....killed 10 miscreants....freed three people who were encountered bound and blindfolded in an outbuilding, and decommissioned various arms, munitions, and 11 motor vehicles. Two soldiers were wounded but not seriously.
So, the grab for the pick-up just north of San Fernando on that sunny day was, ironically, due to the success of the military operation a few days before. It was essentially part of an effort to replace lost transportation.
Without vehicles such as that pickup and certain popular SUVs, the miscreants' efforts are extremely...severely....restricted.
(2) Why did the reverend missionary not stop in Reynosa, a place he knows well, at any of a number of trauma places in order to seek medical attention for his wife? It had been almost 40 minutes of driving, at very high speeds, to make it that far, and going to McAllen would take another hour....bridge congestion, Valley traffic, McAllen traffic, etc.
The reverend missionary seems to have thought it would just be better to make it to the "other side" to seek help. I think, however, that he knew his wife was gone, and that he just did not want it to develop into a Mexican and international legal morass. Me....bury me in Mexico. My written orders are to never forward my useless body over any international boundary....and never, never involve the United States State Department.
The reverend missionary was under extreme duress, however, and he narrowly escaped with his life. Whatever decision he made at the time was the right decision. For him, for that moment, it was the right thing to do. Ten years from now we can keep debating about "Why didn't he....?" but it is frankly none of my business or anyone else's to contradict what decisions he made....especially at the time he made such decisions.
So, the "there" and "then" of the issue; ''There" is only about 9 miles by straight line from the Army assault against the place at El Mocotito, and "Then" is because it was about 6 days before that that Army success, ironically provoked the disaster in the life of the missionaries.
Now you all may know a bit of why a keep my 1992 model vehicle. I always advise folks to try to leave their fancy 1-ton pickups at home, and try to avoid driving the Escalade (or facsimile) around. AND FINALLY, with regard to this topic, if they want your motorcar, of any kind, let them have it. It is a rare occurrence, made to seem numerous by the press, and in 99% of the cases, they just want your vehicle.
If you think that you are immune from carjackings by remaining in the United States, it might do you well to review any medium or large city newspaper, daily.....or check into web-based information concerning the topic, as it pertains to our beloved America......an America which is daily more contaminated by people who are devoid of the merest catechism.
It should be noted that the Reverend Missionary has determined to go back soon to his work in the outback of Tamaulipas. The local right-wing radio station (my station) seemed stunned by this and submitted the issue to a "People Poll"....and they seemed stunned by the response. It broke down to 50 - 50 concerning whether or not folks thought the Reverend Missionary was doing the right thing. My opinion (I voted in the poll) is that those who live, work, and generally deal with matters "over there" voted in approval of his decision, while those who base their reasonable decisions solely on what is emanated by the American and other foreign press voted in disapproval.
More later, You all have probably had your fill of my grumbling, so I release you to your liberty, only to threaten you all with more of the same later this afternoon....concerning my own return to the Quinta....and a client up-date.
As usual, Thank you all for your kind attention.
El Gringo Viejo....
