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April 14, 2008
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández
In 1997, U.S. Marines patrolling the Texas-Mexico border as part of the War on Drugs shot and killed Esequiel Hernández Jr. Mistaken for a drug runner, the 18-year-old was, in fact, a U.S. citizen tending his family's goats with a .22 rifle. He became the first American killed by U.S. military forces on native soil since the 1970 Kent State shootings. "The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández," narrated by Tommy Lee Jones, explores Hernández's tragic death and its torturous aftermath. His parents and friends, the Marines on patrol and investigators discuss the dangers of militarizing the border and the death of one young man.
KJ
April 14, 2008 | Permalink
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"His parents and friends, the Marines on patrol and investigators discuss the dangers of militarizing the border and the death of one young man."
Unless you consider soldiers to be totally reckless, it doesn't matter whether they or civilian police guard the border. Both are governed by rules of engagement, that if followed, will prevent such incidents from happening. Judging from the abuse and threats that our Border Patrol receive, some kind of armed force is needed on our border. Anyway, I'd wager a guess that anyone on the border today would be far more likely to be killed in an encounter with a coyote, Mexican crimal fleeing his country's authorities or a drug runner, than our authorities. And it is for border threats that our National Guard, in the form of the original minutmen, were originally formed. I dare you to spend a week unarmed on the border at points where drug runners cross. It is only by doing so that you'll come to realize the danger.
Posted by: Horace | Apr 14, 2008 10:41:46 PM
Here's a link to an interview with Kieran Fitzgerald, the director of this film.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nIOVpzajIwI
Posted by: Docubloggers | Jul 10, 2008 5:44:54 PM
