President Obama, Bring Jon Hammar Home!

[Foxfyre]

John Hammar is a USMC veteran, having served his tour of duty in Iraq.

Four month's ago:

Hammar and a friend were on their way to Costa Rica in August and planned to drive across the Mexican border near Matamoros in a Winnebago filled with surfboards and camping gear.

Hammar asked U.S. border agents what to do with an unloaded shotgun, which his family said belonged to his great-grandfather.

'They examined it, they weighed it, they said you have to fill out this form,' his father, also named Jon, told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Tuesday, December 11.

But when Hammar and his friend crossed the border and handed the paperwork to Mexican officials, they impounded the RV and jailed the two men, saying it was illegal to carry that type of gun - which they deemed to be an inch too short.

Hammar's friend was later released because the gun did not belong to him.

Read more: John Hammar: First photo revealed of US Marine jailed in one of Mexico's most notorious prisons | Mail Online
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The Mexican President would apparently have to go up against the notorious Zeta Drug Cartel to get him released by Mexican authorities, and presumably has been unwilling to do so. U.S. Marine Jon Hammar Has Been Left Behind in a Mexican Prison | Independent Sentinel

Those working for Hammar's release are petitioning President Obama to interveene. Tell President Pena Nieto go get Hammar out of there and get him home by Christmas. He will be a hero. And if he does not, he should be adivsed that American aid to Mexico will be immediately very scarce.

Again the U.S. media seems reluctant to focus on this story. But public pressure has and will make a difference.

 

[AmyNation]

There are a ton of threads about this already. 6 months that poor truck driver spent in a mexican prison for taking a wrong turn. Apparently he didn't warrant all the attention this guy who broke Mexican law by bringing a gun into their country does.

 

[jwoodie]

I don't know if there is more to this story, but why would anyone transport a short barrel shot gun into Mexico?

 

[AmyNation]

Who cares that Mexico is a sovereign country and that he broke their laws! I say we start bombing them and go from there.

 

[Foxfyre]

Come on guys. This was an unloaded antique shotgun that he had no idea was illegal by having a 24" barrel instead of a 25" barrrel. He prepared all the requisite paper work and properly delcared it. Do you honestly think that deserves four months chained to his bed in prison? And facing a maximum 12 year prison sentence.

And yes, others have been as severely trreated. But this Marine should be home with his family for Christmas. Your vote here may not count for much in the grand scheme of things, but added to others all over the internet can have an effect. It's Christmas. Have a heart.

 

[AmyNation]

Ignorance of the law is no defense agaisnt the law.

His family should raise money to get him out, Id donate. However just because I think he doesn't deserve the punishment, doesn't mean we can just go around the laws of other countries.

 

[Foxfyre]

But when there was absolutely no harm, no foul, no intent, and every effort was made to obey the law, surely the four months time served is sufficient for his henious crime? Okay, Amy supports the Mexican 'authorities' being able to hold Americans hostage for money.

Does everybody agree with her?

 

[Duped]

He don't give a shit about that white boy! Fuck Mexico - we need to put up a wall, and shoot anyone who tries to surmount it.

 

[Foxfyre]

He apparently hasn't given much thought to Hammar's plight. But no, I don't want to fuck Mexico. I just want pressure applied to get a young Marine out of a Mexican prison and home for Christmas.

 

[American_Jihad]

Hammar has been stuck in a notorious, drug cartel-controlled prison just 15 miles south of the U.S. border since Aug. 13, after he crossed into Mexico and declared an antique shotgun to Mexican customs officials.

Sarukhan failed to mention that Tamaulipas, the state which the CEDES prison in Matamoros is located, is controlled by the Los Zetas Cartel, arguably the most vicious of the cartels.

---

Read more: Letter from Mexican ambassador dampens hope for early release of Jon Hammar | Fox News

Hammar should have said to himself "fuck the mexicon law and went about his way" he'd be a free man today...

 

[Too Tall]

I don't know if there is more to this story, but why would anyone transport a short barrel shot gun into Mexico?

They were on their way to Costa Rica to camp out and do some hunting.

 

[Foxfyre]

I don't know if there is more to this story, but why would anyone transport a short barrel shot gun into Mexico?

They were on their way to Costa Rica to camp out and do some hunting.

From all indications, that is absolutely the way it was. Which is why he declared the gun at the border, filled out all the requisite paper work, and believed he was doing everything absolutely legally.

 

[Foxfyre]

Hammar has been stuck in a notorious, drug cartel-controlled prison just 15 miles south of the U.S. border since Aug. 13, after he crossed into Mexico and declared an antique shotgun to Mexican customs officials.

Sarukhan failed to mention that Tamaulipas, the state which the CEDES prison in Matamoros is located, is controlled by the Los Zetas Cartel, arguably the most vicious of the cartels.

---

Read more: Letter from Mexican ambassador dampens hope for early release of Jon Hammar | Fox News

Hammar should have said to himself "fuck the mexicon law and went about his way" he'd be a free man today...

The current theory is that the Mexican government is not willing to go up against that cartel which is prompting the current initiative to push President Obama to lean on them to do something. The cartel of course intends to extort as much money as they can in return for Hammar's release. And I think all President Obama would have to do is promise Pena Nieto that he would be our hero if he intervenes, but if he chooses not to do so, there will be consequences such as no financial aid for Mexico.

 

[Caroljo]

Ignorance of the law is no defense agaisnt the law.

His family should raise money to get him out, Id donate. However just because I think he doesn't deserve the punishment, doesn't mean we can just go around the laws of other countries.

He did everything he was supposed to, he didn't KNOW he was breaking any law! They're holding an American citizen for no good reason. Hell, Obama's stuck his nose into so many other things ("police acted stupidly"...."if I had a son he'd look like Trayvon") so why is he keeping that nose of his out of THIS?

 

[wavingrl]

Someone mentioned the SOS. Clearly, I don't know how we negotiate with other countries but it would seem that this does occur. I believe Bill Clinton was involved in the release of the 2 journalists held in North Korea and at this moment I don't know what was done to obtain the release of the hikers from ??Iran??

sigh--I am not opposed to some form of amnesty for illegal immigrants who endeavor to become law abiding residents, if not citizens of the US. The US has laws that should be respected, too--this is probably an apples and oranges comparison.

I hope something can be done. This is wrong.

 

[Foxfyre]

Ignorance of the law is no defense agaisnt the law.

His family should raise money to get him out, Id donate. However just because I think he doesn't deserve the punishment, doesn't mean we can just go around the laws of other countries.

He did everything he was supposed to, he didn't KNOW he was breaking any law! They're holding an American citizen for no good reason. Hell, Obama's stuck his nose into so many other things ("police acted stupidly"...."if I had a son he'd look like Trayvon") so why is he keeping that nose of his out of THIS?

That's what is inexplicable. President Obama has not even been willing to comment on it. Admittedly, the President cannot devote his time to dealing with every American who finds himself/herself in trouble in a foreign country. But how much time would it take to pick up the phone and request President Pena Nieto to intervene in this case? Would that delay the three week vacation in Hawaii that is due to begin shortly?

 

[AmyNation]

We have no idea what's going on behind scenes. Although I highly doubt the president is involved himself, I'm sure officials are doing the same thing they did with the trucker.

 

[AmyNation]

Ignorance of the law is no defense agaisnt the law.

His family should raise money to get him out, Id donate. However just because I think he doesn't deserve the punishment, doesn't mean we can just go around the laws of other countries.

He did everything he was supposed to, he didn't KNOW he was breaking any law! They're holding an American citizen for no good reason. Hell, Obama's stuck his nose into so many other things ("police acted stupidly"...."if I had a son he'd look like Trayvon") so why is he keeping that nose of his out of THIS?

I have sympathy for him, but again, he broke the law.

 

[wavingrl]

Ignorance of the law is no defense agaisnt the law.

His family should raise money to get him out, Id donate. However just because I think he doesn't deserve the punishment, doesn't mean we can just go around the laws of other countries.

He did everything he was supposed to, he didn't KNOW he was breaking any law! They're holding an American citizen for no good reason. Hell, Obama's stuck his nose into so many other things ("police acted stupidly"...."if I had a son he'd look like Trayvon") so why is he keeping that nose of his out of THIS?

I have sympathy for him, but again, he broke the law.

In another thread it sounded like he 'didn't do everything' that he should have--should have applied in advance or something. He completed the paperwork at the US border and handed it to the Mexican authorities. Someone said this type of offense might usually be followed by a fine. Whether that is true, I don't know.

 

[Foxfyre]

He broke the law with an antique shotgun that he properly prepared the paper work for and submitted in good faith? His only crime was declaring an antique shotgun that was 1 inch shorter than regulation. All the Mexican officials had to do was inform him that he needed to do a different procedure or the gun could not be brought into Mexico and all this would be averted. The ONLY reason this young Marine sits chained to a bed in a Mexican prison is for the purposes of a drug cartel extorting money from his parents or whomever.

Again, why should we subsidize a country that holds our citizens for ransom?