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autodefensas (courtesy borderlandbeat.com)

While America worries about “failed states” breeding terrorism, Mexico’s autodefensas struggle to protect innocent life in a country where the rule of law has become a cruel joke. The citizen militias do so in almost complete anonymity; the cartels and their government allies have been killing journalists for over a decade and the American mainstream media couldn’t give a flying you-know-what. As Ralph pointed out, if the ADs stop playing defense and organize, Mexico may soon be gripped by an[other] honest-to-God revolution. Imagine the refugee crisis then. Meanwhile, make the jump for a borderlandbeat.com story about another “victory” in the ongoing campaign to wipe the autodefensas from the face of the Earth . . . [WARNING: graphic image]

By: Rodrigo Caballero | Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat

According to spokespeople from the autodefensas of the Michoacán coast, autodefensa members from the community of Caleta de Campos were ambushed by a group of armed men allegedly belonging to the Caballeros Templarios.

Murder scene (courtesy borderlandbeat.com)

The attack occurred around 3 p.m. this Wednesday, September 16, 2015, in a small village called La Manzanilla which is located between Caleta de Campos and the port of Lázaro Cárdenas. The ambush ended with seven dead; four were presumed Caballero Templario members while three were autodefensa members.

The autodefensa groups in the area mobilized themselves after the ambush and are searching for the perpetrators of the attack; however, they announced that they don’t have the necessary weapons to confront the attackers.

“The army took away our high-powered weapons such as AK-47’s and AR-15 and left us with only shotguns, we can’t go up against grenades with our limited weaponry. We are on the brink of extinction; we are being killed with the complicity of the government.” Josefa Contreras, autodefensa leader in the area, denounced.

The community claimed that the attack was announced on the evening of September 15 but failed to prevent it because “after Cemeí (sic) (Verdía Zepeda) was arrested, a lot of people who were with us went with the Templarios.”

Autodefensas ambush murder scene (courtesy borderlandbeat.com)

“This is a desperate call, they are going to kill all of us who were with Cemeí (sic) by the orders of the government,” the autodefensa leader announced.

According to Por un Michoacan Libre SDR.’s Facebook page, a group of autodefensa members who belonged to the Policia Rural (Rural Police) were checking up on an anonymous denunciation which indicated a group of armed men in the community of Bejuco.  The armed group belonged to “500” aka “El Quinini”.

Upon arriving, the Rural Police were ambushed by a group of armed men. Three of the criminals have been identified as Melvin Lorenzano Reyes, 27, “La Tortuga”, Joel Epitacio “El Pita” and a criminal only identified as “Poninis”.

Three of the Rural Police members of Caleta de Campos and Chucutitan were severely wounded but later died as they were being transferred to get medical treatment.  They have been identified as Santos Preciado Chavez, 49, J. Cruz Anguiano, 41, and Ponciano Maldonado Farias, 34, who was the leader of the Rural Police in the community of Chucutitan.

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32 COMMENTS

  1. we are being killed with the complicity of the government.” Josefa Contreras, autodefensa leader in the area, denounced.

    It’s not complicity, it’s government action through its cartel proxies. Man, I feel for the autodefensas, and really for all Mexicans. In all my trips to Mexico for business or pleasure, even strangers treated me like gold, like family. They are great people, and they deserve much, much better.

    Rise up, mis hermanos. If I was a younger man, I’d be there with you. I would.

    • Absolutely correct, Ralph.

      Caballeros Templarios = “Knights Templar”. Ain’t that the cutest durned thing? The AD need a couple Apache helicopters.

    • The AD’s are still fighting a defensive war. Nothing good can come of that.

      Organise you’re best, most willing and violent men into flying squads. Hit the cartels for their money and weapons. Kill all they know to be cartel. And they know these people.

      Learn IED’s. Make life miserable for those trying to make their lives miserable.

      No deals with the gubmint until they are negotiating the surrender of gubmint forces.

      If they ain’t willing to do that, then lay down arms, go home and wait for the pleasure of the bad guys.

      And we AI have a part in this, also. The first time the US .gov attempts sending combat formations to aid the mexican .gov these forces need to be blocked.

      If we’re not willing to do this than all the hand wringing and panty wetting from us about those poor Mexicans is just meaningless bull shit.

      • There is just one small difficulty with your strategy: They can’t get there from here.

        It’s lovely to imagine, e.g., that they could solve their problem if only they had tactical nuclear weapons. They don’t; and they won’t get them.

        What the Autodefensas HAVE is intimate knowledge of their respective area-of-operations; and, a few long guns and limited ammunition. I suspect that their best chance is to:
        – assert effective control over their AO vs the cartels; and,
        – resist Federal forces sent against them.

        In any village the good-guys ought to be able to identify and execute the bad-guys. Make it prohibitively-expensive for the cartels to invade their AOs. Rural areas are much harder. One campesino can’t defend his family. They will have to group themselves and maintain perimeter defense. They have to haul their produce in armed convoys.

        No one “municipio” (approximately a county) can produce enough extortion revenue to make it worth the cost of total-war. When the people of a municipio decide that they will die in their “Alamo” rather than submit to living under a cartel then that cartel will go elsewhere.

        The Mexican Federal government is another story entirely. The Mexican army can destroy a village. It would cheerfully do so under orders. Yet, the Mexican Federal government can’t carry-out such a campaign while retaining the ruling party’s control over the Presidency. The Autodefensas need a tactic to keep the army out of their AO. By way of illustration: puncture the tires of the army’s vehicles when they try to enter the AO. No Mexican soldiers killed. The Federales can’t justify destroying the Autodefensas to preserve the integrity of army truck tires.

        IF the Autodefensas in one Mexican state can prevail over both the cartels and the Federales THEN Autodefensas may develop the courage to form in an adjacent state. Success will likely breed political support throughout the country making it more difficult still for the Federales to oppose the Autodefensas.

        What is required here is 3 things:
        – courage concentrated in a community
        – small arms
        – ammunition

        Whether 21st century Mexican culture can coalesce the courage is for them – and only them – to determine. Small arms and ammunition are available; America could make it easier and cheaper to obtain. I.e., do Americans recognize the right of a people – any people – to secure their safety with arms in their individual hands? Or, did God bestow this right exclusively on his chosen People?

        What probably matters most is whether relatively impoverished Mexicans in a community can muster the money to pay for the requisite arms and ammo. Running a war is not cheap. Particularly not against TWO well-funded opponents who have all the money they need for arms and ammo.

        It occurs to me; what if American PotG formed a crowd-funding site: “Amigos of the Autodefensas” and passed the o’l sombrero. (Details TBD as to how to ensure that the proceeds fell into the RIGHT hands.) What’s good for the DoJ is certainly good for el Pueblo!

        “A well-regulated Autodefensas being necessary to the security of a free estado, el derecho del Pueblo de las armas shall be supported by los damned Gringos!”

        Might have a revolutionary effect on Mexican-American relations in a lot of respects.

        I do NOT – here and now – propose to kick-in the first $100 to a crowd-funding site. It’s merely a thought-provoking idea. What do we American PotG really believe? What are we really willing to support? What are our principles? What are our interests?

        For example, suppose we really OPPOSE 4473 forms and FFL BCs. Why, to be so opposed would mean – for example – that any alien could buy an “assault weapon” and cases of ammo in any Texas gun-shop and take them wherever he pleased – including his homeland. Why that could be a fast-and-furious arming of Mexican people!

        Do we really believe that the US Federal government should license exports of small arms and ammo?

        Do we really believe that citizens of a foreign country have the same right to arms as do their governments and war-lords?

        Could we imagine citizens of another country might make their home more hospitable than has their government?

        Would self-determination by the Mexican people reduce the propensity to migrate to the US?

        If the Mexican government has only sent a sternly-worded diplomatic note to the American Embassy in response to Fast & Furious, what would we imagine it would do if American citizens crowd-funded the Autodefensas? A more sternly-worded diplomatic note?

        I think we might find our own individual answers to such questions quite fascinating. We might learn a lot about ourselves and our commitment to the RKBA.

  2. Mexico actually does have a comparable constitutional guarantee to America’s 2nd Amendment RKBA. This is what could happen to us if we don’t stick up for the 2nd Amendment, it becomes meaningless. In the case of Mexico, they have a right to bear arms, but surely a civilian has no need for .223 and .30 caliber rifles since military uses those. So yeah, they have guns, just not something that can be used. Meanwhile the military gives the criminal their .223 and .30 caliber rifles.

    • Close, but not quite right. The Mexican constitution guarantees the right to KEEP arms but not to bear them. Furthermore, their constitution allows the legislature to reserve certain calibre arms to the military.

      So, as a practical matter, there is little or no inhibition on a Mexican living in relatively rural areas to keep a .22 or shotgun; even some higher calibre rifles if they were available in the black market along with corresponding ammo. The kink is that the useful calibre rifles that are available are illegal. Moreover, unless the Mexican is on his own land his bearing of a legal gun is illegal.

      The Mexican government is more afraid of its law-abiding citizens then it is of its cartels. The symbiosis between the cartels and the government is too intricate and too deep ever to be resolved. Mexican voters will continue to play musical-chairs with one or another competing party in power; but, whichever party is in power, the cartels will remain in charge.

      I don’t see a basis for optimism until the Mexican people themselves decide that they will make of themselves a force to be reckoned with.

      Come to think of it; let’s assume that we American PotG really believe in the right of a People – any People – to KBA. Do we so believe? Are we really committed to this belief?

      Well, then, why do we not advocate for repeal of the limitations on law-abiding aliens to patronize FFLs? Why shouldn’t a Mexican be able to cross the boarder, buy a gun with which to protect his family, and return to his homeland?

      As a practical matter, intermediaries would buy in the US, transport to the interior, and re-sell to the citizenry. True, any private individual importing a gun into Mexico would be breaking Mexican law. However, any illegal Mexican working in the US is violating US law without objection from the Mexican government. I don’t see why we should be concerned with Mexico’s difficulty in enforcing its gun laws.

      While we are at it, shouldn’t we be advocating for donations of arms to be shipped to the: Kurds; Yazidis; Iraqi and Syrian Christians; Kenyans; etc.?

    • Worse. Syria is 6000 mile away. Mexico is on our doorstep. And Mexicans, whether we acknowledge it or not, really are our brothers.

      • When that day comes it will be time to take the next step in the manifest destiny of of country, to make Mexico part of the USA. It won’t be with NAFTA but by the barrel of a gun, and M1 Abrams. This would also solve the immigrant crisis. Like Iraq, Mexico is a failed state. Time to put it right.

        • I think you are absolutely correct, and wait for the day. And for a bonus, it would be near a first time for our military to serve the needs of OUR country.

        • Forget it. If we didn’t want Mexico after beating them in the Mexican-American War in 1846, which we actually paid them for the land we acquired during the war, we are in no position to do that today.

      • And Mexicans, whether we acknowledge it or not, really are our brothers.

        Bullsheet. The vast majority of Mexicans that now flood over our borders align themselves with a Leftist mentality that in no way aligns with American values.

        We need a wall more than ever,
        To be exact, a double wall with a very dense minefield in between.
        That wall will be 100 times cheaper than the welfare we have to dole out for the illegals.
        Pay once, cry once.
        We can start with the minefield, because a simple barb wire fence will make do while the very tall steel and concrete one is being built.

        Then 100% E-verify compliance with stiff jail time for all managers, mid-managers, and CEO’s that allow illegals.
        I’m more than willing to pay a little more for my vegetables.

        • The vast majority of Mexicans that now flood over our borders align themselves with a Leftist mentality that in no way aligns with American values.

          Yeah, and the 120 million Mexicans who don’t flood our borders are busy working hard and taking care of their families.

          I like Mexicans. I don’t like border jumpers. Your problem is that you don’t know the difference.

        • The vast majority of Mexicans that now flood over our borders

          equals

          border jumpers

          Strange you can’t comprehend that.

  3. I believe the left has a bumper sticker that says, “If you are not outraged, you haven’t been paying attention.”
    Perhaps it is time to appropriate it for this cause.

  4. The US government is also arming the cartels. Fast and furious… Not to mention that we allow certain cartels to operate drug traffic in the US relatively unchecked in exchange for money and influence in Latin American governments.

  5. “… if the ADs [AutoDefensas] stop playing defense and organize, Mexico may soon be gripped by an[other] honest-to-God revolution. Imagine the refugee crisis then.”

    That could very well be the objective of Progressives … millions of Mexicans would try to escape and flood across the border and Progressives would demand that we absorb them. Of course if we absorb them, then we also have to absorb the 10+ million illegal immigrants who “fled ahead of the refugees”. And, Presto!, the Progressives acquire 20 million voters overnight and never lose another election ever again.

    • I find it strange how most Latinos are very conservative in their values, yet vote for the liberals.
      My wife is from El Salvador and she refuses to go back and visit due to the danger of the MS gang problem in El Salvador.

  6. Good people seem to die first in Mexico and will continue to die until something changes. Good armed citizens like the members of the Autodefensas who were disarmed and murdered by the state. Good cops like Alejandro Dominguez Coello, who took over the most dangerous police department only to be murdered on his first day on the job. Good journalists and judges too. Either the Autodefensas carve out a safe piece of land for themselves or prepare to die like all the others.

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