a wrenching bus ride

Mexico has been getting a bum rap as a land of violence.

That is not to say that there is no violence in Mexico.  There is.  As there is everywhere.

And even though President Calderon's War on Drugs has primarily ended in the deaths of drug gang members, it has left more unease amongst the Mexican public than amongst American tourists.  It is one reason Mexican voters are about to reward the discredited PRI with a new presidential term.

But some Mexicans are not waiting for the elections.

The newspaper reported on Tuesday that a group of bus passengers pulled a Charles Bronson in northern Mexico.

The bus was on its way from Monterrey to Durango.  A swath of Mexico that has had more than its fair share of crime lately.  While the bus was under way, a man got up from his seat and started walking up the aisle.  All the while brandishing a large wrench.  His partner, a knife in hand, headed toward the driver.  They both demanded the riders' property.

Maybe the passengers had watched United 93 too many times. 

Or they had heard of enough local tales of buses being hijacked and passengers being found months or years later.

Or they were simply fed up with punk criminals ruining their lives.

Whatever it was, several passengers jumped the guy with the wrench.  Took his wrench from him.  And beat him.  To death.

The accomplice, now in fear of his life, held his knife on the driver and demanded to be let out at the next town.

And that is what happened.  But not before the passengers disarmed him, seized him, and gave him a grave beating.  But not to the grave.

The newspaper account gets very vague at this point.  It simply notes that the medical examiner took Wrenchman's body to the morgue and the Red Cross took Knifeman to a local hospital. 

Even though the police were involved, it appears the bus went on its way.  As a warning to other robbers.

By passing along this tale, I am not advocating vigilantism.  I am not even certain these people were vigilantes.  "Vigilante" is a term statists often use as a pejorative to besmirch potential victims. Wrenchman may have ended up dead because the passengers had no other alternative other than giving up their property.

Or they saw the foolishness of waiting for The Authorities to right what was wrong.  If that is true, it does my American libertarian heart good.

I suspect Knifeman may think twice about taking on a bus of fed-up Mexican bus passengers.  And that will be better for all us.