WHY I WON'T GO TO MEXICO

[billrquimby]

Sr. Bill, you used to love Mexico, what happened? did you had a bad experience? I know you used to go to Caborca a lot.

I know the problem is bad but, here is what I notice.......before we used to say -"oh man Mexico is bad and dangerous lots of drugs and drug dealers and the mexican goberment does nothing to stoped" Now that finally President Calderon declared war against the drug cartels we say - "oh man look all those killings, fights between drug cartels and goberment etc etc" First we were complaining that the mexican goberment was doing nothing and now that is doing something we still complaining......... maybe he (President Calderon) should have closed his eyes like the others and do nothing? I wish we just stop buying all that drug from Colombia and Mexico but as long we keep buying and asking for more.........you can complete the sentence. I completly agree with Tim (TAM) and Coues Sniper, lets see if this coming season with lots of empty ranches and no hunters, I get to bring home a 110; yes 110...I'm not asking for to much.Ernesto C

 

Ernesto:

 

I grew up in Yuma and have spent much of my life all over Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, and Baja California Norte y Sur. I've also visited D.F., and four nearby states down there. I still love the country and most of its people. I cherish the memories and friends I made down there.

 

In all my time in Mexico I only felt personally threatened once, and that was when my friend Alex Jacome and I were returning from Bahia Kino in the mid-1980s. We were forced off the road near Benjamin Hill by a pickup truck loaded with federal agents, one of whom kept jabbing me in my stomach with an automatic rifle.

 

Alex tried to explain that we were good guys with important friends, and had in fact had breakfast with the governors of Sonora and Sinaloa before leaving Kino Bay that very morning. They paid him no attention and went from one end of Alex's truck to the other, searching for guns and drugs. One guy took an immediate dislike to Alex and kept waving a .45 semiauto in his face.

 

I had a big box of salt water fishing lures, which they dumped on the clothes they had taken from our suitcases and thrown onto the side of the road. Finding nothing, they let us continue on. When we reached Santa Anna, the same guys had a Mexican man on his stomach on the ground. One of the agents had his foot on the man's back. The barrel of his rifle was jammed against the poor man's head. Meanwhile, the victim's wife and kids were being frisked at gunpoint as we drove past.

 

For the first time in my life, it was really hammered home to me that the rights we American citizens enjoy up here mean zip down there. I've returned to Mexico many times since that incident, but have never felt comfortable until I had crossed back into the USA.

 

The present war between the cartels and the government is a real war, and in real wars there is "collateral damage" -- innocent bystanders get maimed and killed. I don't want to be one of them when this war escalates, which it will. I'm convinced we haven't seen anything yet.

 

To compare what is happening in Mexico to drug-related murders in the U.S. is not worth commenting on.

 

I've been in other places that the U.S. State department considered "hot" and was advising Americans to avoid.

 

I spent three weeks in Zimbabwe's Matabeland when Shona bandits with AK-47s, flame throwers and hand grenades were running around conducting atrocities against the Matabele people and anyone who drove "their" roads at night. I visited South Africa many times when the Zulus and Xhosas were running amok, jamming people onto sharpened stakes, burning them inside gasoline-filled tires or hacking them to pieces with machetes. I walked across Tiananmen Square just weeks after Chinese troops opened fire and massacred more than 2,000 protestors at that very spot.

 

I am not a Chicken Little, as someone here has accused me of being. Nonetheless, I intend to stay out of Mexico until the war down there is over.

 

Bill Quimby

[tjhunt2]

Sr. Bill, you used to love Mexico, what happened? did you had a bad experience? I know you used to go to Caborca a lot.

I know the problem is bad but, here is what I notice.......before we used to say -"oh man Mexico is bad and dangerous lots of drugs and drug dealers and the mexican goberment does nothing to stoped" Now that finally President Calderon declared war against the drug cartels we say - "oh man look all those killings, fights between drug cartels and goberment etc etc" First we were complaining that the mexican goberment was doing nothing and now that is doing something we still complaining......... maybe he (President Calderon) should have closed his eyes like the others and do nothing? I wish we just stop buying all that drug from Colombia and Mexico but as long we keep buying and asking for more.........you can complete the sentence. I completly agree with Tim (TAM) and Coues Sniper, lets see if this coming season with lots of empty ranches and no hunters, I get to bring home a 110; yes 110...I'm not asking for to much.Ernesto C

 

Ernesto:

 

I grew up in Yuma and have spent much of my life all over Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, and Baja California Norte y Sur. I've also visited D.F., and four nearby states down there. I still love the country and most of its people. I cherish the memories and friends I made down there.

 

In all my time in Mexico I only felt personally threatened once, and that was when my friend Alex Jacome and I were returning from Bahia Kino in the mid-1980s. We were forced off the road near Benjamin Hill by a pickup truck loaded with federal agents, one of whom kept jabbing me in my stomach with an automatic rifle.

 

Alex tried to explain that we were good guys with important friends, and had in fact had breakfast with the governors of Sonora and Sinaloa before leaving Kino Bay that very morning. They paid him no attention and went from one end of Alex's truck to the other, searching for guns and drugs. One guy took an immediate dislike to Alex and kept waving a .45 semiauto in his face.

 

I had a big box of salt water fishing lures, which they dumped on the clothes they had taken from our suitcases and thrown onto the side of the road. Finding nothing, they let us continue on. When we reached Santa Anna, the same guys had a Mexican man on his stomach on the ground. One of the agents had his foot on the man's back. The barrel of his rifle was jammed against the poor man's head. Meanwhile, the victim's wife and kids were being frisked at gunpoint as we drove past.

 

For the first time in my life, it was really hammered home to me that the rights we American citizens enjoy up here mean zip down there. I've returned to Mexico many times since that incident, but have never felt comfortable until I had crossed back into the USA.

 

The present war between the cartels and the government is a real war, and in real wars there is "collateral damage" -- innocent bystanders get maimed and killed. I don't want to be one of them when this war escalates, which it will. I'm convinced we haven't seen anything yet.

 

To compare what is happening in Mexico to drug-related murders in the U.S. is not worth commenting on.

 

I've been in other places that the U.S. State department considered "hot" and was advising Americans to avoid.

 

I spent three weeks in Zimbabwe's Matabeland when Shona bandits with AK-47s, flame throwers and hand grenades were running around conducting atrocities against the Matabele people and anyone who drove "their" roads at night. I visited South Africa many times when the Zulus and Xhosas were running amok, jamming people onto sharpened stakes, burning them inside gasoline-filled tires or hacking them to pieces with machetes. I walked across Tiananmen Square just weeks after Chinese troops opened fire and massacred more than 2,000 protestors at that very spot.

 

I am not a Chicken Little, as someone here has accused me of being. Nonetheless, I intend to stay out of Mexico until the war down there is over.

 

Bill Quimby

 

Well put Mr. Quimby

[TAM]

Sr. Bill, you used to love Mexico, what happened? did you had a bad experience? I know you used to go to Caborca a lot.

I know the problem is bad but, here is what I notice.......before we used to say -"oh man Mexico is bad and dangerous lots of drugs and drug dealers and the mexican goberment does nothing to stoped" Now that finally President Calderon declared war against the drug cartels we say - "oh man look all those killings, fights between drug cartels and goberment etc etc" First we were complaining that the mexican goberment was doing nothing and now that is doing something we still complaining......... maybe he (President Calderon) should have closed his eyes like the others and do nothing? I wish we just stop buying all that drug from Colombia and Mexico but as long we keep buying and asking for more.........you can complete the sentence. I completly agree with Tim (TAM) and Coues Sniper, lets see if this coming season with lots of empty ranches and no hunters, I get to bring home a 110; yes 110...I'm not asking for to much.Ernesto C

 

Ernesto:

 

I grew up in Yuma and have spent much of my life all over Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, and Baja California Norte y Sur. I've also visited D.F., and four nearby states down there. I still love the country and most of its people. I cherish the memories and friends I made down there.

 

In all my time in Mexico I only felt personally threatened once, and that was when my friend Alex Jacome and I were returning from Bahia Kino in the mid-1980s. We were forced off the road near Benjamin Hill by a pickup truck loaded with federal agents, one of whom kept jabbing me in my stomach with an automatic rifle.

 

Alex tried to explain that we were good guys with important friends, and had in fact had breakfast with the governors of Sonora and Sinaloa before leaving Kino Bay that very morning. They paid him no attention and went from one end of Alex's truck to the other, searching for guns and drugs. One guy took an immediate dislike to Alex and kept waving a .45 semiauto in his face.

 

I had a big box of salt water fishing lures, which they dumped on the clothes they had taken from our suitcases and thrown onto the side of the road. Finding nothing, they let us continue on. When we reached Santa Anna, the same guys had a Mexican man on his stomach on the ground. One of the agents had his foot on the man's back. The barrel of his rifle was jammed against the poor man's head. Meanwhile, the victim's wife and kids were being frisked at gunpoint as we drove past.

 

For the first time in my life, it was really hammered home to me that the rights we American citizens enjoy up here mean zip down there. I've returned to Mexico many times since that incident, but have never felt comfortable until I had crossed back into the USA.

 

The present war between the cartels and the government is a real war, and in real wars there is "collateral damage" -- innocent bystanders get maimed and killed. I don't want to be one of them when this war escalates, which it will. I'm convinced we haven't seen anything yet.

 

To compare what is happening in Mexico to drug-related murders in the U.S. is not worth commenting on.

 

I've been in other places that the U.S. State department considered "hot" and was advising Americans to avoid.

 

I spent three weeks in Zimbabwe's Matabeland when Shona bandits with AK-47s, flame throwers and hand grenades were running around conducting atrocities against the Matabele people and anyone who drove "their" roads at night. I visited South Africa many times when the Zulus and Xhosas were running amok, jamming people onto sharpened stakes, burning them inside gasoline-filled tires or hacking them to pieces with machetes. I walked across Tiananmen Square just weeks after Chinese troops opened fire and massacred more than 2,000 protestors at that very spot.

 

I am not a Chicken Little, as someone here has accused me of being. Nonetheless, I intend to stay out of Mexico until the war down there is over.

 

Bill Quimby

 

If your are not a Chicken Little then why do you stir up fear in peoples minds? Isn't that what Chicken Little did by saying "the sky is falling"? Even you admit in your own post that "So far, no tourists (that I've heard about) have been caught in the cross-fire" Every year there are thousands of "tourists" including myself that travel to Mexico without incident. Why stir the pot when there is no meat and potatos to boil?

 

 

[Snapshot]

Bill is just sharing fact and opinion, and I don't think any "pot stirring" was intended, and certainly does not warrant any name calling.

 

The tourist corridor of Mexico and Baja are realtively safe as long as a person is selective and cautious in their travel. But as Bill mentioned there is always the possibility of collateral damage. The real threat to toursists are the Bandido's, kidnappers, and thieves that are looking for quick money. This usually happens in the more remote and less populated areas. The drug cartel's are fighting each other,the government and the police and are probably not interested in killing tourists.

 

Baja mexico governement has had a bad habit of trying to cover up the crimes made against tourists as they want increased tourism and U.S Dollars.

 

Do some research on the internet and you will come across all kinds of Information and Mexico horror stories, but these same things happen in other countries as well.

 

If anybody thinks that they are invincible to mexican crime, take a walk on the streets of Juarez or Tijiuana after dark.

 

Anybody remember the wave of "Border Bandits" Crime.

 

I like the Baja Pennisula and I will still continue to vacation there when I can. I have always been a cautious man, and I always keep my eyes open for potential trouble, even here is the good ole USA.

[billrquimby]

Everyone is welcome to do as they please. For me, and I repeat, I intend to stay out of Mexico until the war down there is over.

 

Bill Quimby

[TAM]

Bill is just sharing fact and opinion, and I don't think any "pot stirring" was intended, and certainly does not warrant any name calling.

 

The tourist corridor of Mexico and Baja are realtively safe as long as a person is selective and cautious in their travel. But as Bill mentioned there is always the possibility of collateral damage. The real threat to toursists are the Bandido's, kidnappers, and thieves that are looking for quick money. This usually happens in the more remote and less populated areas. The drug cartel's are fighting each other,the government and the police and are probably not interested in killing tourists.

 

Baja mexico governement has had a bad habit of trying to cover up the crimes made against tourists as they want increased tourism and U.S Dollars.

 

Do some research on the internet and you will come across all kinds of Information and Mexico horror stories, but these same things happen in other countries as well.

 

If anybody thinks that they are invincible to mexican crime, take a walk on the streets of Juarez or Tijiuana after dark.

 

Anybody remember the wave of "Border Bandits" Crime.

 

I like the Baja Pennisula and I will still continue to vacation there when I can. I have always been a cautious man, and I always keep my eyes open for potential trouble, even here is the good ole USA.

 

No name calling here. I likend Bills actions to the actions of Chicken Little. I did not call him a chicken... there is a big difference! If you are not familiar with the story of Chicken Little you can learn more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sky_Is_Falling_(fable)

 

There is no doubt Mexico can be a dangerous place... but so is the good ole USA and just about every other country throughout the world.

[Guest borderboy]

A pastor who lives approx. two hours south of Douglas was fired on just recently. I think his family was with him. There's no way to be sure about the safety of any corridor - anywhere. Mexico has had corrupt law enforcement and government officials for decades - at least. Be careful and don't take safety for granted just because you're tourists or long time visitors. The best place to be when trouble comes is somewhere else. Peace.

[Snapshot]

Bill is just sharing fact and opinion, and I don't think any "pot stirring" was intended, and certainly does not warrant any name calling.

 

The tourist corridor of Mexico and Baja are realtively safe as long as a person is selective and cautious in their travel. But as Bill mentioned there is always the possibility of collateral damage. The real threat to toursists are the Bandido's, kidnappers, and thieves that are looking for quick money. This usually happens in the more remote and less populated areas. The drug cartel's are fighting each other,the government and the police and are probably not interested in killing tourists.

 

Baja mexico governement has had a bad habit of trying to cover up the crimes made against tourists as they want increased tourism and U.S Dollars.

 

Do some research on the internet and you will come across all kinds of Information and Mexico horror stories, but these same things happen in other countries as well.

 

If anybody thinks that they are invincible to mexican crime, take a walk on the streets of Juarez or Tijiuana after dark.

 

Anybody remember the wave of "Border Bandits" Crime.

 

I like the Baja Pennisula and I will still continue to vacation there when I can. I have always been a cautious man, and I always keep my eyes open for potential trouble, even here is the good ole USA.

 

No name calling here. I likend Bills actions to the actions of Chicken Little. I did not call him a chicken... there is a big difference! If you are not familiar with the story of Chicken Little you can learn more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sky_Is_Falling_(fable)

 

There is no doubt Mexico can be a dangerous place... but so is the good ole USA and just about every other country throughout the world.

 

No Problemo! I remember the story of Henny Penny and chicken little from childhood. I remember I kept looking up at the sky after hearing the story

[billrquimby]

TAM:

 

The difference between me and Chicken Little is that the title character in that children’s fable was an alarmist who repeatedly warned others of a non-existent threat.

 

The nearly 18,000 body count in 39 months of Mexico’s bloody drug war should be proof enough of a clear and present danger, to borrow Tom Clancy’s title. The U.S. State Department apparently agrees with me because it has issued at least three official travel advisories for Mexico in the last 15 months, and each has been more dire than the previous one.

 

Please note that I have not urged anyone to stay out of Mexico. I’ve only said I will not go down there while that war -- and it is a war -- still rages.

 

Bill Quimby

[Snapshot]

Bill,

 

I certainly understand your concern, and even though I don't travel to Coastal Mexico,or baja, as often as I would like, I am skeptical of traveling there with the current state of affairs that will probably only get worse, and extremely bloody. Like you mentioned, collateral damage!

 

Event the U.S Governement has forbidden all U.S Military personnel to travel into mexico on vacation.

 

 

[TAM]

Bill, your point is well taken and I appreciate your point of view. You have much more world wide travel experience than I ever will and I do respect your opinions. I think we also agree that there are a lot of dangers in Mexico. Even though you may disagree, my only point is that while there is a lot of bad stuff going on in Mexico it is no different that here in the US or other parts of the world. I have lived in parts of Washington DC and Baltimore where I felt my life was in much greater danger than I have ever felt at any time while traveling in Mexico. In fact I have never felt any less than a welcome visitor while in Mexico. The people, the police, and the military have been nothing but good hosts! I haven't had any encounters with any of the drug cartels while in Mexico so I can't say what that would be like. At the same time I've been to LA numerous times as well and I haven't had any run in's with the Bloods or Crips either. Any way you look at it there are always risks to traveling. Thats all I was getting at.

[CouesWhitetail]

FYI - I have read several reports that say Phoenix is the capital of the US in terms of kidnappings. And it's almost all related to drug cartel activities.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22614102/

 

http://www.latina.com/lifestyle/news-polit...ing-capital-usa

 

http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2009/feb...-kidnap-capital

[billrquimby]

Bill, your point is well taken and I appreciate your point of view. You have much more world wide travel experience than I ever will and I do respect your opinions. I think we also agree that there are a lot of dangers in Mexico. Even though you may disagree, my only point is that while there is a lot of bad stuff going on in Mexico it is no different that here in the US or other parts of the world. I have lived in parts of Washington DC and Baltimore where I felt my life was in much greater danger than I have ever felt at any time while traveling in Mexico. In fact I have never felt any less than a welcome visitor while in Mexico. The people, the police, and the military have been nothing but good hosts! I haven't had any encounters with any of the drug cartels while in Mexico so I can't say what that would be like. At the same time I've been to LA numerous times as well and I haven't had any run in's with the Bloods or Crips either. Any way you look at it there are always risks to traveling. Thats all I was getting at.

 

TAM:

 

Yes, there are many places in the U.S.A. that I know to avoid, including right here in Tucson at certain hours. I also have always been treated as a welcome visitor (except for that one incident on the highway to Hermosillo many years ago) and I have never had an encounter with a drug cartel or anyone I thought might be connected with one.

 

On the other hand, I've not been down there since the cartels and government declared all-out war on each other. I'm convinced it is only a matter of time before innocent visiting foreigners will be killed in shootings and bombings in Sonora and elsewhere. The kidnappings that so far have been restricted to Mexican citizens also will be expanded to include Americans.

 

I will not be one of those innocent victims. There are just too many things I want to do in the few years that are left for me.

 

Bill Quimby

[.270]

how many tourists get robbed down there? i'm with bill on this. i started my own personal boycott of mexico years ago. before it got completely stupid. now it is just plub stupid there. there are all kindsa ways to get killed in the USA. i don't see any reason to up the odds. Lark.

[firstcoueswas80]

I've had NO PROBLEMS for 12 years in Mexico!!! In fact with the new "HASSLE FREE ZONE" it seems to be considerably easier! I'm in Mexico at least once a month scouting ranches and buying antlers. My thoughts on the war on drugs in Mexico: they KILL people! In the united States they arrest them! What are your thoughts? Seems pretty simple to me! The Mexican military, and police/federallies are very welcoming, and want the American hunter.

 

Have you walked up on drug runners sleeping in the shade in the U.S. with machine guns in the middle of the day while looking for shed antlers in one of your favorite spots??? I HAVE!!!

 

Where is the danger? I choose to live free of fear! Danger could be anywhere!

 

Jim Reynolds

 

 

Not while looking for sheds