Templarios

Nice of them to provide a precise schedule so that the cartels know exactly when and where to reappear!

The Mexican press is reporting that a gun battle broke out near the port city of Lazaro Cardenas between a unit of Autodefensas and a group of "false" Autodefensas, leaving five people dead. Here's the Informador story. I'll look for an update in the morning.

Spanish:
http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2014/525167/6/enfrentamiento-en-michoacan-deja-cinco-muertos.htm

Google Translation:
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=es&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com.mx&sl=es&tl=en&u=http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2014/525167/6/enfrentamiento-en-michoacan-deja-cinco-muertos.htm&usg=ALkJrhjuGhX7RVkeo4qDUfAGEPy7kG0izA

Here's a video taken shortly after yesterday's shootout near Lazaro Cardenas. If you can't handle the sight of blood-soaked dead bodies...don't watch. According to CAM (Michoacan Autodefensas Council), the dead guys were Templarios posing as Autodefensas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nMIx0TlFBU

The government detained another mayor today.

Detienen a edil de Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán

Spanish:
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/2014/edil-lazaro-cardenas-michoacan-1006540.html

Google Translation:
http://translate.google.com.mx/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=es-419&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eluniversal.com.mx%2Festados%2F2014%2Fedil-lazaro-cardenas-michoacan-1006540.html&edit-text=

This probably isn't PC,but at some point you really have to wonder about why Michoacan is such a lawless state,just from what Mexican friends have told me it seems that Michoacanos,not all of course, have had reputation for violence for a very long time.Tienen fama de ser pleiteros.

So far, so good on the first day of disarmament of the Autodefensas.

Inicia desarme en Michoacán; suman 490 armas

Spanish:
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/2014/desarme-michoacan-autodefensas-1006624.html

Google Translation:
http://translate.google.com.mx/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=es-419&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eluniversal.com.mx%2Festados%2F2014%2Fdesarme-michoacan-autodefensas-1006624.html&edit-text=

The "Uchepo Avenger" posted a video on Youtube showing the mayor and treasurer of Lazaro Cardenas meeting with Templarios leader La Tuta. The mayor and treasurer have been arrested and the rest of these characters may face a similar fate once they have been identified.



Spanish:
http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2014/525386/6/difunden-video-de-presunta-reunion-entre-alcalde-detenido-y-la-tuta.htm

Google Translation:
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=es&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com.mx&sl=es&tl=en&u=http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2014/525386/6/difunden-video-de-presunta-reunion-entre-alcalde-detenido-y-la-tuta.htm&usg=ALkJrhh9kHxk_lOXcMS3KUB7UtHMLzvTmg

Smartalex wrote:The "Uchepo Avenger"

Uchepos are pretty good, my comadre in Chavinda,Mich makes them for us when we visit.

"This probably isn't PC,but at some point you really have to wonder about why Michoacan is such a lawless state,"

I had a long time resident of Patzcuaro liken parts of Michoacan to Appalachia. Way too many Hatfield - McCoy type relationships between various clans.

Michoacan does seem to have more than it's fair share of "valientes".

viajero wrote:Michoacan does seem to have more than it's fair share of "valientes".

I might go with "baladrones."

The government announced today that forensic tests have confirmed that, indeed, that really was the body of Templarios financial officer Samer Jose Servin Juarez, which they snatched from a funeral parlor in Michoacan last week. Servin Juarez supposedly died of natural causes in a Morelia hospital. But the government isn't taking any more chances about these characters faking their deaths. Federal troops surrounded the funeral parlor and stole away with the cadaver while, reportedly, the funeral was in progress.

Smartalex wrote:

viajero wrote:Michoacan does seem to have more than it's fair share of "valientes".

I might go with "baladrones."

Thanks Alex,that's a new one to me.

Here are links to a three-part report on Michoacan's militias prepared by the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and InSight Crime. The report is titled "Mexico's Security Dilemma: Michoacan's Militias." Well researched and well written, the report is an amazing piece of investigative journalism and a must-read for anyone following this story.

The Battle for Michoacan
http://insightcrime.org/investigations/mexico-security-dilemma-battle-michoacan

The Rise of Michoacan's Militias
http://insightcrime.org/investigations/mexico-security-rise-militias-michoacan

A Myopic Approach to Michoacan's Militias
http://insightcrime.org/investigations/michoacan-militias-a-myopic-approach

ah! finally one of yer sources has published something of substance and veracity.
it was a good read.

Smartalex wrote:

viajero wrote:Michoacan does seem to have more than it's fair share of "valientes".

I might go with "baladrones."

are you prepared to go there and call ANY of the participants "baladrones" notsosmartalex?

Pedro wrote:

Smartalex wrote:

viajero wrote:Michoacan does seem to have more than it's fair share of "valientes".

I might go with "baladrones."

are you prepared to go there and call ANY of the participants "baladrones" notsosmartalex?

I'll leave that up to you, Pedro...just one baladrón to another.

Smartalex wrote:

Pedro wrote:

Smartalex wrote:

viajero wrote:Michoacan does seem to have more than it's fair share of "valientes".

I might go with "baladrones."

are you prepared to go there and call ANY of the participants "baladrones" notsosmartalex?

I'll leave that up to you, Pedro...just one baladrón to another.

sorry-i'm smarter and not a baladrone as you have now admitted to be-SNORK!

Let's take a look at this video from April 27 once again. Pay attention to the bodies of the dead guys and the guys who are being arrested. The Autodefensas claim these men were Templarios posing as community police and maning a highway checkpoint near the city of Lazaro Cardenas. Do they look like Templario gunmen to you? Or do they look like some unarmed farm boys? According to a story on Borderland Beat, they were indeed just a bunch of unarmed farm boys who were promised 1000 pesos each to man the checkpoint. They were overwhelmed by an Autodefensas unit that did not have orders to advance. The standard procedure is that the Autodefensas follow the army...they do not attack. The army would have given the farm boys the opportunity to surrender. An investigation is underway. There may be more to this story.

You inject quite a bit of personal opinion and conclusions in your posts, smartalex. Do you base those on personal experience and first hand information or does it come solely from the media sources that you cite in your posts?

OH MY GOD!   

A poster on a web board expressing personal opinion and drawing conclusions?!?!?!? The outrage!!!! From now on: no personal opinions and conclusions not based upon personal experience and approved media sources, please.
I pause here for the sound of crickets chirping.

Lady Otter Latté wrote:OH MY GOD!   

A poster on a web board expressing personal opinion and drawing conclusions?!?!?!? The outrage!!!! From now on: no personal opinions and conclusions not based upon personal experience and approved media sources, please.
I pause here for the sound of crickets chirping.

What is your problem now? Besides butting your nose in everybody else's business?

jeffy merely asked a question of notsosmartalex. are you answering for him then lahdeedah? if so,could/would you be more specific.

Wow. They just look like young boys to me. What a tragedy.

Alex has followed the news and taken the trouble to share what he has found, I'm interested and so are some others. This is a web board, lots of opinions but if the topic is too much for you there is a fascinating "butter" topic going on at TOB. I'm just sayin.

I asked a simple question. If that is too much for your sensibilities to handle, I could care less.

Are they innocent farm boys? Was it a tragedy? You seem to have made up your mind solely on a "news" report. There is far more than meets the eye involved in Michoacan's internal feuds. Mexicans are masters of press manipulation, duplicity and deceit. They make Fox News spin doctors look like pikers. All sides have too much at stake to be honest.

Jeff,what's your take on the autodefensas and the situation in Michoacan?