Thread: A Widow's Plea

Video of Sue Krentz at source

A widow's plea
Mark Mardell | 16:00 UK time, Thursday, 5 August 2010

The first time I see Sue Krentz she's riding on a quad bike, a tool as indispensible to the modern rancher as a fleet-footed pony was to the cowboys who used to work the cattle in this part of southern Arizona.

Sue is short, compact, burnt by wind and sun, and looks as tough as they come. You have to be to run a huge ranch with around 600 head of cattle ranging over thousands of acres.

But this seemingly indomitable woman has become a lost spirit, bravely just about holding herself together.

She tells me: "My life has been broken and a piece is missing, Rob was the love of my life. We'd been married 33 years."

Rob Krentz was murdered on 28 March.

Police believe he unwittingly interrupted a gang smuggling drugs or people across the nearby border with Mexico.

Increasingly, those criminals guiding illegal immigrants across the border combine their trade in people with the trade in drugs. Increasingly, they are armed.

The police think Rob possibly came across a lone gang member returning home. This brutal murder was the last straw for many ranchers who have been increasingly worried about a new phase of illegal immigration.

Many see the governor's promotion of the new law aimed at harassing illegal immigrants out of the state as a direct result of this tragedy.

Sue tells me: "I am not bitter, I am frustrated." Then, correcting herself, says: "I am bitter. Yes I am. The violence is increasing and the individuals are becoming more aggressive and more desperate in some cases."

She repeatedly makes the point that her family and Rob's family and they themselves have helped many illegal immigrants over the year, whether by giving them water, or jobs, or helping them get paperwork to stay in the US.

"We have owned this ranch for 103 years we have probably helped a million people. Why this one? Why now? I just don't understand. This has ruined my safe haven, this has violated my family, this has changed my life forever. It's not fair."

Her cousin, standing beside her during the interview for moral support adds that he is 60 years old and he had not locked the front door until he was 40. The level of crime has been getting worse for 20 years and it's rising still.

Sue says the government must do more.

"Article four section four of the constiution says it is the duty of the government to protect us from invasion, foreign and domestic. All we are asking is to be safe and free and on our own land, on our own property.

"We have the right to demand that."

Given her husband's murder is widely thought to have prompted the desire for the new law in Arizona I ask her if she supports it. She says at the time it was first suggested "I couldn't get off the bed. I did not get off the bed. I did not vote for it, speak for it... but it's a tool to assist law enforcement".

She is angry that it is being portrayed as racist. It is clear she, Rob and many ranchers have long worked and lived alongside Mexicans and don't have any quarrel with them as such.

Her cousin tells a story of how Rob, when young, found an illegal immigrant in desperate straits and helped him. Over the years the man has become a prosperous ranch owner and respected neighbour.

She repeatedly breaks off, asking pleading questions. "What would you do?"

It's a genuine inquiry, not a rhetorical question, but I have no answer. How can anyone know? She asks: "What did we do? We did nothing wrong, we tried to be good."

Sue's main priority is to make sure that the government of the US uses all its might and technology to make the long border, nearly 2,000 miles, secure not just near the cities but along its length.

She has also thought deeply about all the issues that such immigration throws up.

Her cousin says: "It takes 10 to 15 years to get a green card. That doesn't let many through. So they are going to come across the fence. They should secure the border and then get a handle on that and make a system of immigration that is a lot simpler than we have today.

"It takes a college graduate and a lawyer to get citizenship papers or even a green card. That's why they are coming across the fence."

Sue blames the government of Mexico and other countries, as well.

"They should develop the economy, and provide jobs. No-one wants to leave their communities, their homelands. But they also want to be safe in their home and and their governments are failing to ensure that.

"And that is a sad part because they are forcing the people out of their country. But we can't sustain the damage that's been done to our family, the damage has been tremendous. It's here. It's real. And it's not fair."

As I leave she calls over her dog. But it won't come, and lurks close to the house. Its companion, Blue, was shot alongside Rob.

Sue looks at the animal with pity and says: "She just doesn't know what to do."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters ... _plea.html

The Federal Government Is failing to protect It's own citizens. The Democrats and the President Inparticular are IN VIOLATION of their oaths of office. We as a people cannot let this continue. The States,and ordinary citizens have the right under the constitution to form militias, and that may well be the direction we are headed right now...

I am glad that Sue Krentz is still speaking out. Dogs are not stupid. I have one that also will not tolerate gunshots or fireworks and comes for solace and safety. I got him used so I don't know what he has seen - just that he knows what it means.

Sue, don't let anybody tell you that it is time to stop talking about this. Keep on please.

People in this area have been asking for help for decades. During the Bush administration the ranchers had billboards up just begging for help. I recall one that said something to the effect of "Mr President! If this were Crawford Tx the Marines would have been here already!"

I think that the cartels want clear access to land so that they can move in people and drugs and ammo unfettered. I think that they have big money behind them to try to disable our border. Perhaps they thought that by assassinating Rob Krentz that his wife Sue would crumble and leave. They have no loyalty to what the Krentz family has done for illegal travelers for over 100 years.

Sue says they should develop their economy and I agree. But it is not our responsibility to pay for that as is being proposed. In this nation we had people who made millions running booze during Prohibition and they ended up mainstreaming themselves, becoming factory owners, politicians and I believe that I even read that a university was created with that booze money. The cartels can do the same for their people. We supported them enough by buying the stupid drugs. Now they should go home and do the right thing with that money.