Rene Orta, Mexican Journalist - Murdered – Latest Journalist to be Killed in Mexico – Press in Mexico Death Sentence for Reporting on?

The body of Rene Orta discovered in trunk of his car - image and article from Siempre.com.mx

From Presna Latina: A Mexican journalist, Rene Orta, was found in the trunk of a car, cause of death not yet determined – he is the latest victim in a string of atrocities that appear to be a daily occurrence in this nation. . It is uncertain if the fact that the Orta was working for the Presidential campaign of the very popular, Enrique Peña Nieto, was a factor. (Presna Latina)

There was a case earlier in May, 2012 :

“The bodies of two Mexican news photographers who specialized in the crime beat were found along with the bodies of a former photojournalist and a fourth individual in a canal in the city of Boca del Río, in Veracruz state, according to news reports.
The dismembered bodies of photographers Gabriel Huge Córdova and Guillermo Luna Varela were found along with the body of Esteban Rodríguez, a former Veracruz news photographer, and Irasema Becerra, who was said to have been Luna's companion, according to news reports. News accounts said Huge and Luna had disappeared on Wednesday.”

(CPI.org)

The statistics are troubling, to say the least, journalism in Mexico is a high-risk profession, according to Presna Latina, The National Commission on Human Rights has filed 580 complaints since 2005. In that period, of known incidents: there were 79 journalists, 14 who had disappeared and an additional 26 assaults on media intuitions in the nation of Mexico. (Prena Latina)

Understanding that the drug cartels are extremely dangerous, does not belie the fact that even organized crime would welcome “good press” from time to time, and or the opportunity to allow the media to report in order to show their hold over the nation that separates the United States from Latin American – this appears not to be the case. There are instances where the brutality of the murders (decapitation, dismemberment) are not the norm of Mexican Culture, which begs the question, what have these dead and or missing journalist discovered that puts them at such a high risk? It could very well be that the war between the “king pins” of drugs that run the cartels and the nation, have become so violent that it is more than a high risk, rather suicidal. Perhaps it is hoped that if journalists do not report, then they will be able to precede business as usual – however, there is little to suggest that the nation in that time had a high success rate in corralling the king pins, and the violence against innocents, gang members, and members of the press, continues unabated. So what would be the purpose? Unless of course there may be a larger, underlying story unfolding in Mexico, one which would mean an immediate death sentence for anyone who might be looking for the scoop of the century. What that might be, is anyone’s guess.

Then again, there is the distinct possibility that the alleged drug cartels are only a cover story for terrorists, who are more familiar with the culture of beheading: The blog: Right Side News, chronicles the increase of Jihadist in the nation to our south – entitled Mexican Jihad, they cite sources such as the New York Daily News: “Close to home: Hezbollah terrorists are plotting right on the U.S. border” (2010), , The German News outlet, Der Spiegel, from 2005 offer the report “Praying to Allah in Mexico, Islam Is Gaining a Foothold in Chiapasl”.

Whatever the case may be, at this point, it is obvious that the nation of Mexico is out of control, and that it lays directly on an open border with the United States, one which may be the only hope for those escaping either the drug wars or the more troubling concept of having those who have vowed to destroy the west, within walking distance. Either way, as administration after U.S. administration has closed its eyes to the distinct possibility that an open border policy may not be such a great idea, and promises made by politicians are not kept, for fear that they may lose a constituency who apparently would destroy any political capital if someone had the gall to secure the U.S. border. Time for someone, on either side of the border, to step up and protect not only the citizens on the U.S. border, but the citizens behind what can only be referred to now as the Mexican Front lines. This last, an hypothesis based on minimal reporting, (outside of the Mexican state where any Reporting might land one a death sentence), cultural abnormalities, and the inclination for actual “crime” bosses to be more flamboyant, cultivating loyalty through both intimidation as well as charity. This is puzzling, and it appears that as more journalists are silenced, the true story of how, in less than a decade, the nation to our south has become the subject of world headlines touting multiple murders on a weekly or often more frequent, basis.