The MSM FINALLY Runs an Honest Story about Illegal Immigration

MSNBC | 27 November 2005 | Lester Holt

[Congressman Billybob]

I could kick myself for not putting up a post to flag this program for all Freepers. Hosted by Lester Holt, this hour-long program actually did a fair and reasonable job of telling the story. It quoted opponents of the Minutemen who called them "vigilantes" who were "hunting migrants." But it put the lie to those charges by filming the Minutemen preparing their people, and instructing them not to draw any weapons unless their "lives were in danger."

And the program did point out that there was no evidence of any shooting of anyone by the Minutemen. There was only one false note, near the end of the program. It said there were only a "small number of illegal immigrants captured" as a result of the work of the Minutemen.

Because this program was so remarkably fair compared to most of the MSM coverage of this subject, I recommend it to ALL Freepers interested in this subject. Because it was so unusually fair, I think this program could be used as a recruiting film for the Minutemen. It is that good, all things considered.

This program will certainly be rebroadcast. Please catch it on rebroadcast, and record it (which I also kick myself for not doing, since I have TiVo). I almost did not leave this program on, because I expected it to be a biased whitewash of the illegal immigrants. It was anything but that.

[Congressman Billybob]

I seldom watch MSNBC, and have never before recommended any of their programs to anyone. But this is the exception which proves the rule.

John / Billybob

[Arizona Carolyn]

Lester Holt has always been one of their better newspersons at MSNBC...

[Americanwolf]

Thanks for the review... were gonna have it coming on here in few... will have to give it a view.

[TWohlford]

What? John Stossel is working at NBC? He normally did good work...

[Halcontent]

I am a member of the Washington Minutemen Detachment(WMD) and couldn't agree with you more. A fair presentation and, hopefully, a recruitiung tool in the future.

[billhilly]

Even the Washington Post had an item in today's issue that could have, and should have, been a big news story, had it not been consigned to page A4 in a little noticed side bar called SUNDAYPOLITICS. It was headed, "Sympathetic Vibrations" and the essence was that there is a new poll by a bipartisan polling firm that, among other things, reveals that seven in ten people say that Democratic Senators criticism of the war hurts troop morale. According to the article, the poll taken by RT strategies,owned by a prominent democrat and a prominent republican, also reveals that even 55% of self identified democrats believe it hurts morale, and overall, 44% say it hurts morale a lot. 21% say it helps morale. That would be the Pelosi, Reid faction.

[p23185]

the MSNBC link comes back to FR

[writer33]

We have an immigration problem? When did this happen?

:) Just kidding, CB. Thanks for the heads up.

[MarkeyD]

I loved the shot of the interior of that activists car with all the John Kerry stickers in it.

[Paladin2]

"It quoted opponents of the Minutemen who called them "vigilantes"

Isn't one of those "opponents" Bush himself? I seem to remember the V word leaving his lips. Don't think he has apologized yet.

[Congressman Billybob]

You're right. Sometimes President Bush has almost as much of a tin ear for political consequences of what he says, as his father did. Which is to say that occasionally, this Bush is as dreadful in his remarks as his father was, frequently. This Bush did make that stupid remark, once.

He hasn't repeated it. But either Rove advised him wrongly, or he blew it on his own, by saying that once.

John / Billybob

[Congressman Billybob]

Yes, the link comes back here. MSNBC doesn't have the transcript up as yet. Meantime, the posting form for FR doesn't work unless SOME URL is put in that blank. LOL.

Trust me, the show occurred as I described it, and a Minutemen who also watched it has confirmed above my conclusion that it was so fair that it could be used as a recruiting tool.

John / Billybob

[Congressman Billybob]

Yes, the car full of Kerry buttons was one of the tidbits that let me know that this was an honest, rather than a biased, MSM presentation. No mention was made of what the camera clearly showed. But the details inform the eyes and mind.

John / Billybob

[Old Flat Toad]

"a small number of illegal immigrants captured".

Thats because it was so well publicized down south when and where. Strange how the Border Patrol tower at 86 and Sandario dissappeared when the flow shifted west of Tucson.

[gondramB]

"It said there were only a "small number of illegal immigrants captured" as a result of the work of the Minutemen."


There is some truth to that if you think of the number stopped by the Minutemen versus the number who get in - that's not a crtiicism of the Minutemen but rather a statement about the orders of magnitude increase in the effort needed to contain this problem.

[nj26]

The MSM has figured out that illegal immigration is a "wedge" issue that divides the Republican party... or, should I say, do-nothing Republican elected officials from fed-up conservative voters.

[Americanwolf]

The only means by which minutemen "Capture" anyone is reporting the crossing and border patrol being johnny on the spot and picking them up... I witnessed this several times when I did my week stint in october.

We reported several crossings and watched as border patrol swooped in.. in fact one night we had 3 agents right behind the postion we were in. that were watching us watch the border.

[Congressman Billybob]

Yes, I know that the effect of the Minutemen during their one-month test was not the additional people who were caught, but the huge numbers of illegals who didn't make the attempt, during the project.

My memory is that the Border Patrol itself reported a 70% drop in the number if illegals across the 30-mile section of the Arizona border that was the main focus of the Project. Can either of you confirm the source and details of that?

I am in the process of writing an article for Newsbusters which I will also post on FR on this subject. I'll compete that article while I TiVo the rebroadcast in two minutes. So, if you have an answer to that question, please post it here.

John / Billybob

[Americanwolf]

I don't know of the percetage of reduction in crossing for the month in arizona... I do know for the week that we were there there were a total of 714 apprehension by the border patrol along the sector that we were watching. The agents that we spoke with though said that there was a definate impact by us just sitting on the border watching.

[calcowgirl]

If I found the right program, it is showing now in Pacific Time Zone

MSNBC Special
MSNBC Nov 27 09:00pm PST
Series/Other, 60 Mins.

"Crossing the Line? The Battle at America's Borders"