Okay, so here’s Tiffany Hartley’s story: On September 30th, she and her husband, David, were sightseeing on Falcon Lake in Texas. Things got ugly fast, though, when they crossed into Mexican waters on their jet skis to look at a church. A speedboat full of gunmen in an area that has a number of “pirating” incidents pursued them, presumably to pillage their Polaris. Her husband was shot in the head, and his body has not yet been recovered. These evil pirates held a gun on Tiffany Hartley as well, if she’s to be believed, then just randomly decided to speed off.
Oh yeah, and this is evidently Barack Obama’s fault.
Tiffany Hartley, the wife of David Hartley who was allegedly shot and killed by Mexican pirates on a border lake with Texas, is telling President Obama that it’s time to take on drug cartels.
“He should wake up and look what’s going on in our backyards,” she told the Denver Post.
Hartley says her husband’s death should be a focal point as to why the U.S. should take on these drug cartels.
“David is not the only American who has been killed, but this situation may be a turning point,” she told the paper.
The death of David Hartley is tragic, and it certainly underscores the need for this violence run amok to be addressed and remedied … but is this really a border issue?
It’s no secret that I’m very torn on the subject of illegal immigration—the mother and teacher in me always thinks of the poor children and the lengths I would go to get my own kids out of a horrible, hopeless place for the chance at a better life, no matter what the cost. However, I fail to see how David Hartley’s death, horrible as it is, should be manipulated into an anti-immigration rallying cry.
I don’t mean to sound heartless, but is it really any of President Obama’s business what is going on in Mexico? He’s not in charge of Mexico, and has no say in its policies and practices.
I can understand widow Joslyn Johnson’s point when she spoke out against the promotion of a Houston police authority after her husband was killed by an illegal immigrant recently released from prison despite an increasingly violent arrest record.
That was an issue of concern to the United States, a matter of which American officials had control over. So … Tiffany Hartley, what the hell are you asking Obama to do, invade Mexico?
The fact of the matter is, like it or not, you and your husband were in Mexico, not Texas, when he died. The violence perpetuated by drug cartels—including this recent spout of “piracy”—is a serious problem … but it’s Mexico’s problem to solve. And Tiffany Hartley’s portrayal of her husband’s shooting as a “turning point” screams, “I want media attention” to me, and I find it pretty distasteful.
If you want to debate the pros and cons of immigration, that’s one thing, but blaming the president for actions going on in another country? Does anybody think that U.S. troops going into Mexico to fuck up drug dealers is a good idea? How would the Mexican authorities feel about this?
If it were me, I’d be pretty pissed off. I mean, people get annoyed at what neighbors do “in their own backyard” all the time. If the guy who lives next door to me was dealing drugs and had cars coming and going at all hours of the night and sketchy people lurking around, it would bother me … but it would not give me the right to waltz myself over there and take a picture of the pretty birdfeeder he has hanging on a maple tree. I mean, assuming that I had knowledge of violent stuff going down over there, it would only make sense to stay the fuck away, right? [Ed. Note: Right.]
And then, of course, there’s this.
Mexican investigators say they haven’t found any evidence of an attack on David Hartley, 30, including his body or the personal watercraft he was said to be riding on Falcon Lake, The Monitor newspaper of McAllen, Texas, reported.
Hartley’s 29-year-old wife, Tiffany, told authorities the couple was taking in the sights on Jet Skis on Sept. 30 on the Mexican side of the border lake when several boats of gunmen began shooting at them, hitting her husband in the head. She said she tried to save him but then fled to safety. Authorities say the area on the Mexican side is abandoned and dangerous.
Mexican investigators questioned the account given by Hartley and the two sets of GPS coordinates they were given showing where the couple was said to have been, The Monitor reported.
“We are not sure,” Marco Antonio Guerrero Carrizales, the district attorney whose area covers Falcon Lake, told the newspaper, speaking in Spanish. “We are not certain that the incident happened the way that they are telling us.”
Anyone else think this situation is just suspicious to the max?
Of course it’s suspicious. How many times have we had white women crying foul at the hands of minorities only to find out that the whole story is fabricated? Something is really suspicious about her and her story. I’m not sure I’d be making the news rounds so soon after an incident that traumatic, but I know everyone grieves differently. I doubt we’ll every know the true story because neither the Mexican officials nor the American officials seem to have any idea how to handle this.
Let me get this straight, her husband dissapears on a boating trip, and her story is “Mexican pirates did it”? At least it is more creative than “a black man in a hoodie”.
She’s calling for border security when it was she who went into Mexico.
There a quite a few websites that are tearing down here story:
http://seamusoriley.blogspot.com/2010/10/ongoing-impact-of-deception.html
Is Tiffany Hartley lying?
http://seamusoriley.blogspot.com/2010/10/tiffany-hartley-lying-and-3-boats.html
I live not far from Falcon Lake. The minute this story popped up on the wire, everyone called BS. First of all, they lived in Reynosa for the last two years, recently moving back to the US side. Why? Because Reynosa is a dangerous city to live. She claims that they thought it was safe, despite numerous warnings to boaters and fishermen that wandering to the Mexican side of the lake brought with it the risk of pirates. Sounds dumb, I know, but there are men who go out and steal from American fishermen. Her story has changed so often, and if her husband really was shot by Zetas, they wouldn’t have thought twice about leaving her alive.
So, I call BS.
Mexico will never recover if the US steps in. The only way the drug cartels will be eliminated is if the Mexican government is finally able to squash them. I think it’s possible, but it will probably take quite some time, and during that time perhaps one shouldn’t go boating in dangerous waters frequented by Mexican pirates. And I’m with everyone else, this smells like bullshit. Especially the “angry minorities did it!!1!” part.
A murder has been reported in Chadler AZ this morning, a beheading. News has been saying that the cartels sent out a group of cartel members across the border to send the message that you don’t mess with our drugs. Getting a little closer to home?
.
One of my favorite blogs- eyesforlies- She’s an expert in deception who has written about hot spots she detects in Tiffany Hartly’s version(s) of events. I too think Tiffany’s story and demeanor are fishy. I live in Arizona… I’m not as scared of the border as I am being on the road around here!! :/
@Jess -
Eyes for Lies is another excellent blog.
http://blog.eyesforlies.com/2010/10/tiffany-and-david-hartley.html
Hey Jess and Brian, Thanks for the links. I have no idea if what she says is true. I know I would never leave my husband. Of course I have no small kids or anything. If he were to be killed, I would be right along there with him.
.
I have read news print that the head of the cartel put out a hit on the men that supposedly (is that a word?) did this. Of course this could be good ole USA propaganda.
.
Yes, we do need to stay out of Mexico’s drug problem, but how come their problem ends up in our country? Again, stricter border control is needed.
@Jess, You are right. Phoenix traffic is something else.
@Jess, yeah I had a friend who was T-boned three times in one week by people running red lights, destroyed all three cars (one his two rentals).
legalizing pot would go a long way with hitting the cartels where it hurts. The DEA can focus on more dangerous drugs and take money out of the dealers’ pockets. Just my opinion…
I agree, Jess. I think hardcore drugs are on a really different level than pot, and it we can cut the feet off of the cartels it would cause more damage than a military endeavor.
People don’t want their pot supply cut off, and that means a lot of them turn a blind eye to what goes on in illegal border crossings. If pot were legal, then the mules would be moving coke, heroin, sex slaves and guns. I have a feeling that alone would make people more likely to snitch on others.
.
Also, marijuana production and sales make up anywhere between 30 and 60% of a cartel’s profits. Those profits go to buying machine guns and armored vehicles, the things that make it impossible for Mexico to make any headway in getting rid of them. Legalization will instantly cripple them just as ending the prohibition did to mobsters. That is a huge hit to recover from, and it might weaken them long enough for the Mexican government to actually succeed in eradicating them from most of the country.
.
Also we can stop having to buy that nasty pesticide-tainted Mexi brick they pass off as weed. Yuck.
The moment I heard this, I was not convinced. And now that she’s gone ‘political’ and blamed Obama, I don’t believe her at all. She’s not asking for the capture and punishment of the people responsible, she’s calling for legislation changes while her husband’s body is still MIA. It’s no secret that the political temperature this year has been very hot, with ridiculous attacks and false statements made across the board. Another white woman claiming victimization at the hands of minorities? Blah, blah, blah. When she finally confesses, I’m gonna crack open a bottle of fizzy water!
I can’t understand why the media isn’t questioning Tiffany’s story. There’s no evidence that a crime has been committed. I believe this whole thing is a hoax.
This is not a border issue. It’s a “being where you shouldn’t be” issue.
News flash, Tiffany – hopping on your jet ski and crossing over into Mexico probably ain’t the soundest idea. Open up a freakin’ newspaper once in a while and you’ll glean useful bits such as this.
I love people like this. I mean, this is just ripe. Because this is basically what they’re saying – “I blame Obama for not preventing me from doing stupid things. But he’s a big socialist who wants to control every aspect of our lives.” Also – “Yes!!! Let’s send in the military to round up Mexican drug gangs!!!” Outstanding idea!!! It’s been a rousing success in Afghanistan – the opium capital of the world!! And God knows Iraq is better for us being there!!! Just send in the US military and that will make everything better!!! Dumb fucks.
So Tiff, here’s the deal. You and your husband did a stupid thing. And doing things – stupid or otherwise – has consequences. And when you Kawasaki your way into foreign waters populated by drug gangs, well, you just might get your head blown off.
I fully agree with you, but I’m replying to say I adore you for posting under Gob Bluth.