I don’t know how this story got started and how it managed to go viral on the Internet without confirmation, but it did and it has. The best information I can find indicates that the story is untrue. I’ll keep an eye on the story for updates, but it makes no sense to me that Los Zetas would make a move guaranteed to bring down the full force of the U.S. Government on it.
July 24 2211 MT Hector Garcia , a city council member of the City of Laredo TX, has returned my phone call and absolutely denied that any armed conflict has occurred with the Laredo PD. He is quoting the Chief of Police, Carlos Maldonado. Mr Garcia went on to say that it appears two ranchers had a disagreement.
July 25, 2010 1515 MT
Texas residents have confirmed with me that no “invasion” by Los Zetas has occurred in the last 48 hours in Laredo Texas. The Rio Grande is swelled at this moment and patrolling is done by air boat. It is unlikely that any armed contingent of Los Zetas crossed the river for the purposes of an armed seige of ranches. The reports of local law enforcement involved in armed conflict with the narco-trafficers is false. What the residents have told me is that if Los Zetas wants a ranch, they do not take it by force, they buy it. Texas Monthly has a great article on the kinds of things happening with Texas real estate and the drug cartels at http://www.texasmonthly.com/2010-08-01/feature3.php.
via SOURCE.
Here we go again. The right-wing fear-mongers have made up this scary scenario to further inflame people who live near the southern border. It’s the latest “Be afraid, be very afraid!” rant from some blogger, picked up and spread by sloppy columnists and some news outlets who are either too lazy or too dishonest to check out the validity of the sources of this stuff.
The saddest part of this is that, yes, there are drugs smuggled in through this border and guns illegally sold back out through this border. So why is it necessary to make up stuff like this, which increases the chances of some border residents doing exactly what they’re being told by lying ideologues is already happening?
I think that last sentence was really confusing, so maybe it makes more sense to say that irresponsible fear-mongering and the spreading of unfounded rumors on border issues are examples of yelling fire in a crowded theater.
AliSilver Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
@2fewfactsaround, I for one am SO RELIEVED it’s not true…….
So relieved.
Actually this is interesting. Because of how it relates to the previous thread of ‘poor rush’ or whatever it is with regard to Ms Sherrod. It just goes to show how a story , true or untrue, can get picked up and go full force. Then AFTER the fact checking, the apologies must begin. LOL,,, interesting how these 2 end up side by side
There sure have been a lot of those untrue stories from the right wing nutjobs going around over the last 2 years, I’m just sayin…
Sage Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Yep, there sure have been!
AliSilver Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
@Sage, But thank you for looking into it. Because when I read it it was very unnerving and I might have looked into it further but I was heading out. So now I feel much better. EXCEPTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Today is the boy’s bday and the day of driving is at hand. He can’t get his license until like 3 days from now,,, but that’s got me plenty enough nervous without worrying a drug cartel took over part of the state. LOL
Sage Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
My sister told me all about a mother’s fear of a teenage boy driving. I don’t envy you.
You’re welcome for me looking into it. Somehow, having lived on the border, it just didn’t ring true to me.
AliSilver Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
@Sage, I saw a month or so ago a story about some attempt by some drug gangs to blow up a dam at falcon lake. We’ve got some family that way so I paid close attention to that. They caught whoever before the plan to do it, but the point is things are getting so ‘wild, wild west’ down there that this story SEEMED like it COULD be true to me. tks
I ll do a teen driving post in a few days, maybe it ‘ll be therapeutic for me
P
Sage Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
If you get a chance, you might want to log back in with your name. Otherwise, your comments don’t get posted until I come here and approve them.
HAHAHA, sorry !
I was thinking WOW I don’t have to log in anymore and it just KNOWS who I am, but it was you working double cuz Im a dork. sorry
Sage Reply:
July 27th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
No problem. I just didn’t want your comments to sit unapproved.
I may not be around much today….I did something to my back and I can’t sit but for a couple of minutes.