Despite the fact that the New York Times relentlessly agitates for civilian disarmament, publisher Arthur “Punch” Sulzberger has a concealed carry permit. If pressed, Sulzberger’s employees would probably claim their jefe is different. More of a target than, say, someone living in Brooklyn. Be that as it isn’t, the paper has a history of using guns to defend its business: “The mob was turned back at the Times office by staff manning Gatling guns, including Times founder Henry Jarvis Raymond.” Truth be told, there is no freedom of the press, or freedom of speech, without a civilian right to keep and bear arms. Make the jump for proof [via borderlandbeat.com] keeping in mind what the newspaper delivery van driver must have been feeling . . .
Employees of El Norte news daily in Nuevo Leon state were threatened with “consequences” if the newspaper failed to pay MEX $3,000 a month in protection money, according to Mexican news accounts.
A Thursday news article featured in AnimalPolitico.com said that a truck driven by a distributor carrying 800 copes of the newspaper was stopped Tuesday by armed suspects who apparently hit the driver, pointed weapons and left the message of the demand.
El Norte, as with many newspapers in northeastern Mexico, are under near constant threat of harm from organized crime, crime including threats of harm if information is published to extortion, a crime which is the most pervasive in Mexico.
Drug war news in Tamaulipas is at a premium due to threats from organized crime, especially in Nuevo Laredo, the home of Los Zetas drug cartel.
According to the AnimalPolico.com article, El Norte offices was attacked three times last July, two of them on July 10th including attacks using hand grenades in their La Silla and Linda Vista offices in Monterrey Almost three weeks later, the offices for the Sierra Madre edition was firebombed.
Newspapers are not the only victims of organized crime. Offices of Televisa and other television stations have been attacked in the past in Monterrey as well as in Tamaulipas’ border cities.
The threat issued to El Norte specifically demanded payment of protection money to continue distributing newspapers in northern Monterrey.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburgcom and Borderlandbeat.com. His latest work of non-fiction, the Wounded Eagle, Volume 2, can be found at Smashwords and Amazon.com. He can be reached at [email protected]
I can see it now.
Gangs attack media outlets in the US, demanding a push to disarm their victims.
The media are all like “ummm…, we’re DOING THAT ALREADY…”
Gangs go back to running the streets of NY and chicago, now realizing just how good they have always had it.
“It’s A Wonderful Life” for criminals.
Sad truth is, in America we’re all equal, but some are more equal than others. And we’re all entitled to all the justice we can afford. Anybody who hasn’t read “Animal Farm” should do so ASAP.
“Abe Lincoln may have freed all men, but Sam Colt made them equal”
Anyone who believes that we have freedom of the press in this country should read up on the border wars preceding the War between the States or the wars related to Wyoming entering the Union.
I’m sure the ATF will somehow manage to trace those hand grenades to mom & pop’s gun shop in rural TX
Mentioning free speech and The Times in the same sentence is an insult to free speech.
I used to go on mission trips to Nuevo Laredo. It was in dire need before Los Zeta moved in, I can’t even imagine what it’s like now. The last year we went we had Federales circling our compound and the kids said they were taking away bad children, probably kids that were running drugs. It all started when Los Zetas lost in Warez and moved on. Seems the gang rule is gaining more traction all across Mexico.
I hope the gangs in the US never get that big or organized. Can you imagine Chicago or New York gangs staking territory in every state? It would be a democrats fantasyland.
When they stake territory in TX (and I imagine several other states) they will die on that territory. We are armed an we will not stand for it. Some other states need to review what being a man means. Including women!
There isn’t freedom of press/media as it is even with the right to bear arms. Can be fined for certain things written/shown on tv, or like what happened with that liberator thing, even censored on the internet.
The lack issue is largely because we don’t march in and demand it back. Thanks to apathy to bad laws, negligence of not evicting enough bad politicians and electing the mistake of electing them in the first place, the gap between inner party and plebeian is growing. With each increase the more difficult storming the bastion will become.
Wow! It’s a good thing Mexico has such strict gun laws (only ONE legal gun store in the whole country, located in Mexico city and run by the Army). Otherwise it would be a very violent country with 50,000 murders per year.
Oh, wait …
Comments are closed.