The Federalist: 2nd Amendment - Mexican militias take on drug lords

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

2nd Amendment - Mexican militias take on drug lords

Armed local militias in the Mexican state of Michoacan have forced a
notorious drugs trafficking organization out of their town.

The Mexicans Have it Right

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary

to the security of a free State . . ."

Let's be blunt. The police cannot and do not protect you. Police come along after the crime has been committed to write reports and take photos. You need to defend yourself, and the Mexicans have effectively adopted our 2nd Amendment.

Armed local militias seized a cartel stronghold in the Mexican state of Michoacan on Sunday after a gun battle with suspected members of the notorious "Knights Templar" criminal organization.

The militia members say they took up arms last year because the government did nothing to protect them from the Knights Templar, who extorted local farmers and raped and murdered local women.

On its Facebook page, the Tepalcatepec "community police" force said that over 100 vehicles full of armed men took part in the move to occupy the town of Nueva Italia, which was successfully taken after a "light confrontation" at the city's entrance reports the UK Telegraph.

Thousands of armed citizens have banded together
to form a vigilante group in the town of Tierra
Colorado, 40 miles outside of the popular
tourist destination Acapulco.

Once inside the town, the vigilantes disarmed local police, who are often accused of working with criminal groups in the state of 4.3 million people.

Several Mexican media outlets reported the federal troops in the area observed the incursion but did nothing to intervene.

In the nearby town of Paracuaro, which was taken over on January 4, members of the vigilante groups said on Sunday that they were hunting for a local Knights Templar boss known by his alias, "the Toucan".

On January 7, a group of 300 vigilantes took over Paracuaro. One member was reported killed in the incident, and 11 local police officers were taken into the group's custody.

Several smaller communities in Michoacan's "Tierra Caliente" (Hot Country) region were also taken over by members of civilian militias last week, leaving them in control of much of the area around the city of Apatzingan, which is considered the headquarters of the Knights Templar organization.

On Friday, masked gunmen set fire to Apatzingan's municipal building and looted and burned several local stores.

In a statement, released by Fausto Vallejo, the state attorney general, said that he had asked for additional federal forces to help give local residents "tranquillity and security" and acknowledged the "insufficiency of municipal and even state police".

Similar self-defence organisations have also sprung up in the neighbouring states of Oaxaca and Guerrero.

Drug violence has left more than 70,000 people dead across the country as criminal organizations battle each other and the security forces.

Also see Guns.com - Mexico and also see Business Insider

Mexican Vigilantes Stand Up Against Crime

The state of Guerrero (which means "warrior") is one of the poorest in Mexico and the site of some of the worst violence in the battle between the drug cartels and Mexican authorities. As a result of the violence, hundreds of civillians have armed themselves with machetes, rifles, and shotguns, put masks on, and decided to police their own communities, effectively taking justice into their own hands.

Self defense militia take police prisoner in Mexico

State of Michoacán

In neighboring Guerrero, members of the Public Safety System (the name of the militia group) marched to commemorate the first anniversary of their founding.

Over the last year, militia groups, known as fuerzas autodefensas have sprung up all over Mexico, particularly in the southwestern state of Michoacan, an area plagued by the Knights Templar cartel.

Read more: businessinsider.com/Mexican vigilantes.

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David Cobb, Federalist

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Josiah Parker, Federalist

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Member of the Pennsylvania state house of representatives 1808-1810; elected as a Federalist to Congress and served from 1815, to 1823. Sergeant was a strong backer of Henry Clay's American System and the Second Bank of the United States, and even traveled to Europe to negotiate loans to the Bank. He was a strong opponent of slavery who voted against the Missouri Compromise. In 1826 he was an envoy to the Panama Congress. Elected to Congress as an Adams candidate 1827 to 1829. Failing re-election he became legal counsel to the Bank of the United States. Sergeant was the Vice Presidential running mate in Henry Clay's campaign on the National Republican ticket in 1832. Elected as a Whig to Congress serving from 1837 to 1841.

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Philip Barton Key, Federalist

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