Dear Conservative,

U.S. Marine Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi is still imprisoned in a Mexican jail, all because he made a wrong turn on the way to a VA hospital and accidentally entered Mexico with his legally purchased and registered firearms.

His plight while confined within the Tijuana jail is absolutely heartbreaking. He has been beaten, stripped naked, and chained to a bed for so long that when he actually tried to stand up, he actually couldn't physically do it! He has been stabbed by inmates, assaulted, and because the situation was too much to bear, Sgt. Tahmooressi allegedly even tried to commit suicide while chained naked to his bed.

I don't condone suicide, but can you really blame him? He faces decades, if not life, in prison all because he accidentally made a wrong turn and accidentally brought his legal firearms into Mexico. Hell, Eric Holder brought thousands of guns into Mexico illegally, and he got a commendation for it! This is a man who served his country and now feels that his country has abandoned him in his time of need...

Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi is a war hero who served two tours in Afghanistan over four years. I’m not using that term “hero” lightly, either. While serving, he saved eight Marines from the Taliban, and in a separate incident, he saved a Marine who was bleeding to death after stepping on an IED. The man is a bonafide hero; however the State Department still refuses to intervene on his behalf! Obama is releasing thousands of illegal immigrant criminals from prison, but he won't even fight to free one U.S. Marine from a Mexican jail! We must bring this Marine home!

Tell Congress it MUST force Mexico to release the Marine arrested for making a wrong turn!

Sgt. Tahmooressi isn't being treated like an inmate... He is being treated like a POW! In addition to the physical abuse that this soldier has received, the jail wouldn't even let him speak with a lawyer to prepare for his case because there allegedly wasn't a pen or paper in the entire prison for them to use! Even for Mexican prison-standards, this treatment is absolutely barbaric!

This week, Andrew Tahmooressi was supposed to have his first hearing before the Mexican judicial system. That hearing has been postponed to June 4 because Sgt. Tahmooressi fired his attorney. It is absolutely imperative that we get him released before then!

The whole case is being used by the Mexican government for political posturing. While the Mexican government has no problem with its own citizens illegally entering the United States, they are planning on making an example of Sgt. Tahmooressi. He will serve as the poster-child of what happens to "Gringos" when they break Mexican law and smuggle firearms into the country. Andrew Tahmooressi is a war hero who has no criminal record. While he undoubtedly broke Mexican law by bringing guns into the country, he was arrested while trying to LEAVE Mexico! He wasn't caught committing a crime nor is he part of a cartel. Yet, the Mexican government has decided to make an example of him...

It really is ludicrous! With the amount of guns that are deliberately trafficked into Mexico on a daily basis, to drop the full weight of the government on someone who made an honest mistake is completely shameful!

There are 'weapons' at the United States' disposal that can pressure the Mexicans to release our Marine. We can impose sanctions on our Southern neighbor, cut off military aid, and suspend all joint training exercises. Or, how about we subject Mexican police/military to the same inhumane treatment when they illegally enter the US with their weapons?! Yep, every few weeks Mexican forces are caught illegally operating in U.S. soil, but we let it slide.

Whichever tool Congress uses to help free Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, they must act now before it is too late! For all the speeches they deliver, speaking of the importance of Memorial Day and "not leaving anyone behind," it is time to turn those words into actions!

Bring back our Marine!

Tell Congress it MUST force Mexico to release the Marine arrested for making a wrong turn!

Sincerely,

Joe Otto


Conservative Daily