ARREST: Soldier broke Mexican law

Before the patriots of North Idaho link arms and march on behalf of Sgt. Tahmooressi, they may want to consider the following:

Sgt. Tahmooressi had crossed the border several times before his arrest. Tijuanna (TJ) is a popular place to “party” and he had a girlfriend in TJ.

On the day he was arrested, he drove his truck to the border, parked it in a public lot, and walked across to TJ.

Once across, he met his girlfriend and they checked into a motel in TJ.

He then walked back to U.S., retrieved his truck and drove back across the border.

When stopped by Mexican customs, he had a loaded pistol in the cab of his pickup.

The weapons and ammunition that Sgt. Tahmooressi carried with him into Mexico can be sold on the “black market” for three to four times the U.S. price. The Mexican government is prepared to present an individual who will testify that this was his intent. (Personal note: The two most “powerful” institutions in Mexico, the government and the drug cartels, fear an armed populace.)

The State Department, Marine Corps, and politicians who have taken an interest in this case have been “briefed” regarding Sgt. Tahmooressi situation.

Sgt. Tahmooressi is in a Mexican prison for breaking a Mexican law, and thus will be tried under the laws of Mexico.

BOB STRAHL

Bonita, Calif.

Editor’s note: Mr. Strahl is a 68-year-old retired high school principal who has lived and worked most of his life within sight of the Mexican border. He grew up in Coeur d’Alene, moving to San Diego in 1961 when his father, an FBI agent, was transferred.