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Bob McPhail

Bob McPhail is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

The Last Trick

Refried -- Nope, didn't refry a Frontera story. The information in the story came from a press release issued by the Baja California Attorney General's office, and that attribution appears repeatedly in the story so the reader knows who is alleging the information. If the source had been Frontera (or El Mexicano, or El Sol, etc.) I would have noted it. So at least you can trust me on attribution. As far as the factual accuracy of what the attorney general said, I can't vouch for that -- which is the purpose of attribution. Read any newspaper in the US, especially crime reports, and you almost always see the same thing ("police said," "authorities said," "the DA said in a statement," etc.) I agree with you, though, that there must be something more to the story. My big question was why the fellow who allegedly failed to pay the alleged prostitute would, months later after she allegedly tried to collect on the debt, voluntarily go to her apartment. Does not make sense to me and suggests there was a more complicated relationship among those involved. I am reminded of a famous quote from Ben Bradlee, onetime editor at the Washington Post in an interview on 60 Minutes that went something like this: "Newspapers print what people tell them. People lie. So, yes, newspapers print lies." And, from bitter personal experience years ago involving a close friend -- a Mexican citizen -- I know, too, that the 'ministerial police' (formerly called state judicial police) extract false confessions using what amounts to torture and put a lot of innocents in prison. So I have no opinion on the guilt or innocence of these three youngsters and I pity them for the fate that awaits them, whether guilty or innocent of the alleged crime.
— October 8, 2009 10:20 a.m.

Home Is Where Cheap Rent Is

In further reply to Mr. Know It All Refried Gringo: I am fluent in Spanish and have been for years. Dandy del Sur is a hell hole located in a very dangerous part of downtown. Surprised you haven't been mugged! As far as the Mexicans to whom I speak every day, they are police officers who patrol my neighborhood, my neighbors, my parish priest, my fellow parishioners, families that invite me to baptisms and birthday parties, the guy that delivers my gas tanks, my fellow coffee drinkers at Starbucks in Plaza Rio, my family doctor and his extended family, business associates with whom I'm involved in the tourism industry, the storekeeper at my neighborhood grocer, the pharmacist who fills my prescriptions at his small pharmacy two blocks away, the venders of tacos, burritos and hot dogs whose carts dot the corners of my neighborhood -- and I could go on and on. I'm guessing that the people you hang with say things like "que onda wey," and "no mames we" and "watchala," or "voy a parquear mi carro." There is a word for folks like that, but in the interest of being fair-minded, I won't call them on it -- all of God's children are deserving of respect, no matter how humble. But your arrogance takes my breath away since you assume your experience of Baja is somehow superior to people like me who have spent many years here and who has a wide spectrum of Mexican friends. One reason I likely don't run into your class of friends is because I do not drink alcohol and have no plans to begin doing so. That, of course, means my social intercourse is with a different class of Mexicans -- not the ones who while away their hours guzzling cervezas while mom and the kids are at home wondering whether there will be food on the table tonight or whether the rent will be paid. The people I know and with whom I associate in Baja have better things to do with their time -- and their hard-earned money -- other than drinking it away at a sleazy bar. And, just to prove my point about rents, here are a couple of current Craigslist postings for you edification: "Se renta depto. pequeno para una o dos personas. Consta de cuarto grande, bano, cocina y patio de servicio con conexiones para lavadora y secadora. Entrada independiente de la calle. Sin estacionamiento dentro. $1,500 PESOS MENSUALES Una renta y deposito para empezar...". and "Se renta departamento en Tijuana B.C A 1600 pesos. Ubicado en Iztaziwatl 12939 una recamara cerca de fabricas, escuela, iglecia, tiendas y transporte." I don't know what you were like before you decided to come to Baja to live, but my guess is that you were one of those insufferable blabber mouths who had an opinion about everything, no matter how ill-informed. Likewise, your view of life in Baja is skewed by the kind of life you choose to live. Broaden your horizons. It might help if you were to go to Mass on occasion or visit the Tijuana Cultural Center for a classical music concert.
— September 20, 2009 4:45 p.m.

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