http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...-jailed-u-s-marine-andrew-tahmooressi-report/ About damn time, too. The statement released is in Spanish, in case anyone here is more fluent than I am and cares about it.
If he was on the I-5, it's pretty easily navagatable. There's yellow markers warning for the border five miles out and the last exit is actually two--one that Google maps tells me to get off at for the Outlet Mall, and the other if traffic really is that packed and you couldn't get over till the very last half-mile (which probably happens all the time). The other freeways, I dunno. But still bullshit IMO.
I'm glad he's out. Rotting in a Mexican jail isn't something I'd wish on most people (there might be some exceptions) but I haven't heard anything approaching a satisfactory explanation of what happened. It's going to be interesting to see what the real story is.
There a couple of news shows retracing the route he took. The signage and lane barricades etc. etc. were very confusing and not at all user-friendly especially for somebody with less than rock-solid mental health. When my wife and I had our honeymoon in California many years ago the same thing almost happened to us. What's obvious and intuitive to some people isn't always to other people. I know personally I can't think or plan through anything complicated or new or different with drawing it out in pictures/diagrams until it "looks right". Then I have to keep referring to my pictures because I can't keep anything in my head for more than 30 seconds or so. Figuring out anything in real time or on the fly sends me into a panic and my brain locks up. Thus I'm always out of synch with those around me, and the slowest learner in nearly every single new equipment training class I attend.
I've driven that section dozens and dozens of times. No, the signage is not confusing and no it isn't credible that someone would miss it. The signs are GIANT, were talking 50 feet tall in the air, they are illuminated with lights, they have giant block letters with a reflective surface, the signs begin 25 miles from the border, they continue on at 20, 15, 10, 5, then count down to 1, then count down in quarter mile increments, then in number of feet, then there is an even bigger than normal sign which say "LAST USA EXIT", and just in case some retard didn't get the message there is even a turn around point where you can make a u turn and not enter Mexico. The guy either was intending to enter Mexico with his guns or he had no business being behind the wheel that zoned out because it is just that hard to mix up. Anyways... Now that he is out hopefully he learns to read road signs.
Amazing the double standards that Mexico has with illegal border crossings and how much the U.S tolerates it.
"You probably shouldn't be allowed to drive. How do we go about getting your license revoked?" - Ten Luback Might be rough - I've never had a serious accident and only received one ticket in the past 25 years. Getting lost doesn't warrant a ticket. If I have to I'll pull over and consult my map/directions. I also try to avoid driving in unfamiliar areas (especially at night) but sometimes I have to, and it's a struggle no doubt. If you had a video of me on a long trip you'd think I was putting you on - but it's no joke. When I have to deviate from my planned route I get disoriented and can't remember how to get back to where I was. Short term memory loss is a bitch. Yes you can learn strategies to compensate, but you have to bring your "A" game all the time just to get a "C" game result among your peers at work.
You can see in the above pics that there are opportunities to turn around before crossing the border, but it looks like it'd be a bit hard to do if you're in the lanes to the right. On my last visit, I did notice signs along the interstate that read "GUNS ILLEGAL IN MEXICO" going towards the border. Perhaps someone from the area could say whether those are new or if they've been there for awhile. For comparison, this is what happens when entering Canada with prohibited weapons if you declare them(9:30): And if you don't (0:59):
Yeah, we're better than Mexico, what a shame. Ive only ever crossed at Tijuana, and I agree with Anna that it's well marked and fairly clear. Can't comment on any Texas crossings, but I do know that my wife did the same thing as he did about 20 years ago at that same crossing. I doubt it's obvious to everybody, as people are generally wired in different ways when it comes to how we process visual information.
If this Marine's family had coughed up some serious coin, his ass would have been out months ago. After Action Review: stay the fuck away from Mexico. Stay far, far away.
I've never had a problem down there but I don't commit felonies and generally try to be respectful of local laws.
I kind of figured that they were from El Paso -- isn't that the crossing in question? [edit] Reviewing the OP, I see that it says a California crossing. Why did I think this happened in Texas?
They are indeed San Ysidro. I was there about a month ago. Both of the pics are taken from the pedestrian bridge just west of the trolley stop. If you enlarge the 2nd pic, you can see the text on the building that reads "New Port of San Ysidro."
No, I've always lived in Tennessee, but I travel. I did a road trip from Vancouver to San Diego last month.
Ahhhh. I'm actually stationed here and I know Dinner lives here too. Could've had an impromptu meetup in the Gaslamp district.
Ok, I was going to point out that the pedistrian bridge wasn't there ergo it couldn't be SY but if you were standing on the pedestrian bridge that would explain why it wasn't in the picture. Btw the new temperary pedestrian crossing on the east side of the freeway is really lame. They blew a hole in the side of a building and have people cross there so it looks lime a 3rd world war zone. Supposedly they're going to replace the old one but iit is now a year later and I still haven't seen any cconstruction.
