Firsthand limited report of some activities on the third day of the Minuteman Project

Spiff | 3 April 05 | Spiff

[Spiff]

Today was Sunday, the Sabbath, so I was not supposed to be involved with Minuteman Project activities. This evening at about 5pm I decided to take the family for a ride in the area that the project was operating. I headed south of my house and didn't get a mile before I saw my first Minuteman Project patrol area. They were stationed just off of the main highway on a dirt frontage road and near some culverts where illegal aliens are often seen.

I passed the first group to see another just a few hundred yards up the highway on the same frontage road. The other side of the highway included some residential properties. I went a little further and saw the same thing. I saw an easy way to get onto the frontage road and turned around and pulled onto it. I came across a group that consisted of a guy from Arizona and a couple from Georgia. The husband was an older guy that I had seen the previous two days on an oxygen tank. His wife was younger and had a nasty cut just above her chin. She said that they had just seen and reported a group of 5 illegals trying to move through their area. Upon seeing them she promptly tripped and slammed her chin on the ground.

Casey Wian from CNN - Lou Dobbs Tonight - was there interviewing the couple. I took a quick picture and left.

I went a little further South and saw another group. I stopped to talk to them too. There was a black guy and a white guy and a gray dog. They were being interviewed by a reporter from the Orange County Register.

About that time my camera's batteries gave out. When I left the house the battery meter said it was full, but suddenly it was dead. I hate this digital camera, it does that ALL the time.

I went home and retrieved batteries and called one of my friends who has spoken to Casey Wian many times. She wanted to meet back at the location where I had seen him. I went back and the CNN crew had already left.

My friend showed up with a bunch of other people. Now that the Georgia woman with the cut on her chin wasn't on camera being interviewed we talked to her. Her chin was now badly swollen and turning black and blue. A medically trained woman looked closer at the injury and said that she needed to report to the medic. I volunteered to drive her the ten miles to the medic's location while her husband continued monitoring his assigned area.

We headed towards the head shed and when the highway turned East we saw a number of flashing blues and reds and bright white lines down by the San Pedro River. I wanted to check out what was going on but had to get this woman to the medic.

I went to the campground where the headshed is located, showed my badge, and was directed to one of the buildings. I found the comms room and they took her in to the medic. He said he would assess her and let us know what needed to be done. I told her I would return and left.

I travelled toward the flashing lights and got as close as I could. I couldn't find the road that lead to the San Pedro River area where the vehicles were. I got close enough to see what looked like fire dept. vehicles to include a water tanker. I remembered seeing smoke in that general area when I first left the house. I didn't see any Border Patrol vehicles and determined that this was probably a response to the brushfire I'd seen earlier.

I went back to the head shed and checked on the Georgia woman. She was almost done with the assessment by the medic. I walked around a bit to see what else I could see. Not much to report - maps, comms, a bulletin board with some info on it, people hanging out and talking. I did get a picture of the Culpepper flag flying out front.

The finished assessing the woman and said that she required stitches and needed to be transported to the E.R. in Sierra Vista. I drove her back to her husband and they were going to follow me the 15 miles to the hospital in town. I had to drop my family off so I had them wait at the post office until I could do that.

Once I returned they had realized that they had left their hotel roommate in the field without a ride back to town. They had be give them directions to the hospital so that they could pick him up and then drive in to town themselves.

There was tons of media watching the most visible patrol groups like those along the highway today. They did catch groups of 4 to 5 illegal aliens a few times today, nothing like the numbers we normally see around here. There was an earlier injury but I couldn't get any info about it.

One of the Minuteman Projects patrol points was established across the street from a friend of mine who lives at the base of a canyon a few miles north of the border. This person used to be a die-hard, anti-gun, open borders liberal. She moved out into the canyon and started having problems with illegals. Load vehicles would brazenly pull into her driveway and yard and a driver would step out and wave a flag. Suddenly, dozens of illegals would swarm out of the bushes across the street, into her yard and driveway, and then into the vehicles. This would happen every night just before dark. I was informed about the problem and went to work getting something done to help her. The Border Patrol apprehended 50 illegals in her yard last week. She allowed the Minuteman Project to set up a patrol station in her yard. She has armed herself and is becoming quite outspoken about the border situation. Nothing like a dose of reality to turn a liberal into a conservative real quick. She's on her way.

I heard a number of the Minuteman Project airplanes flying around my house today. Since I live in a medium to high illegal traffic area they were patrolling near my house. I'm still working on getting on some of the planes to help out. I found out that they are looking for volunteers who know the area and some of the high traffic illegal alien areas to help the pilots patrol those areas. I can certainly help there and will be getting with the right people tomorrow to volunteer.

I've got a handful of pics I snapped today, but not much. I won't be reporting every day as I can't be involved every day. I work full time and must attend to that and family requirements. I'll get with the MMP when I can, help out here and there, and I do plan to do some patrols and will report my experiences later.

[TheLion]

Good post.

[TheLion]

Bump!

[ßuddaßudd]

Please add me to your ping list.
I have spent some time at Huachuca and would like to follow the MMP events. Thanks!

[ex 98C MI Dude]

I'm trying to juggle my schedule in order to clear a little time this month. If people can come from all over the country to help, the least people like me who live here can do is get out there with them.

[riri]

I'd pick the illegals too.

Problem is, generally, the next generation becomes cannon fodder for these movements. They saw their parents work hard for little and become easy targets to buy into all this socialist, minority BS.

[HiJinx]

You got that right.
I know I should be there, too...who knows?

[monkeywrench]

"I've seen the true American patriots relieving in these ..."

You're one of them now. Thank you for being there! Please, go ahead and post your observations.

[Spiff]

I'm trying to juggle my schedule in order to clear a little time this month. If people can come from all over the country to help, the least people like me who live here can do is get out there with them.

See my editorial HERE spanking the local Republican party officials and elected representatives for not supporting the effort. The least they could have done was show up.

[MonitorMaid]

Thanks so much for the report and pictures! America thanks you and the minutemen for your efforts.
God Bless.

[spodefly]

BUMP

[Nursemom]

First post here, but long time lurker. Spiff, I was with the ladies you taught your "Bye bye birdie" song to on Friday. Great song, but our voices were already shot. Fantastic first hand observations. The world thanks you.
I had to get back to Tucson, but my husband is going to be on the border starting next week. Hats off to all involved.

[Spiff]

First post here, but long time lurker. Spiff, I was with the ladies you taught your "Bye bye birdie" song to on Friday. Great song, but our voices were already shot. Fantastic first hand observations. The world thanks you.

It is amazing to find so many FReepers involved in the Minuteman Project. We've had to keep it quiet since a number of FReepers got banned. I'm glad that we closet Minutemen (and Minutewomen) can "come out".

For those who don't know what Nursemom is talking about, along with the chants I was leading the rally participants in, I came up with a silly little song on the spot and shared it with Nursemom and others who were marching and singing. I reported it my report of the first day's activities. It's dumb, but it went, "We love you Border Patrol, Oh yes we do...We love the agents, and we'll be true...when borders aren't secure, we're blue...Oh Border Patrol we love you..."

[Trident/Delta]

These volunteers are not "vigilantes" -- they are "undocumented persons," specifically, "undocumented Border Patrol agents." They are also "willing workers matched with willing employers" (border-area residents happy to have greater protections). And they are simply "doing jobs that Americans won't do" (that is, the jobs the American President and members of Congress won't do, but are constitutionally-mandated duties for common defense against border invasion).

I think that I would refer to them as "non-commissioned Border Patrol Officers"

Semper Fi

[FreedomCalls]

Dan Flunker, of Houston, looks through binoculars while observing the U.S./Mexican border with Dave Carpinelli, of Denver, Monday, April 4, 2005 along the border near Naco, Ariz. The men are part of the MinuteMan Project that is patroling a 23 mile stretch of border between Douglas, Ariz. and Naco, Ariz. Arizona has been the focal point for illegal entries from Mexico for years, since Border Patrol crackdowns in California and Texas took hold. Cochise County, which includes Tombstone, has been among the most active smuggling corridors and has previously attracted several civilian patrol operations.(AP Photo/Matt York)

[FreedomCalls]

Minuteman Project volunteers Larry Morgan (L) and Paul Johnson look for potential illegal border crossers along the US/Mexico border road west of Douglas, Arizona April 4, 2005. Minuteman volunteers are manning observation posts around the clock for the month of April along the border in the eastern part of Arizona to bring attention to the number of illegal immigrants coming north from Mexico. (Fred Greaves/Reuters)

[FreedomCalls]

With Mexico to the right and the United States to the left, Kathy Snell, of Californina, raises the U.S. flag on the fence seperating the U.S./Mexican border Monday, April 4, 2005 near Naco, Ariz. Snell is part of the MinuteMan Project that is patroling a 23 mile stretch of border between Douglas, Ariz. and Naco, Ariz. Arizona has been the focal point for illegal entries from Mexico for years, since Border Patrol crackdowns in California and Texas took hold. The area has been among the most active smuggling corridors and has previously attracted several civilian patrol operations.(AP Photo/Matt York)

[FreedomCalls]

Douglas, Arizona Mayor Ray Borane (R) talks with Grupo Beta member Carlos Zozaya across the U.S./Mexico border fence west of Douglas, April 4, 2005. Borane is opposed to Minuteman volunteers who are manning border observation posts around the clock this month to bring attention to the number of illegal immigrants coming north from Mexico. Borane has told the Minuteman Project members that they are not welcome in Douglas, whose residents are primarily Hispanic. Grupo Beta is a department of the Mexican government that aids immigrants headed north along the US/Mexico border region. REUTERS/Fred Greaves

[FreedomCalls]

Douglas, Arizona Mayor Ray Borane (R) talks with Grupo Beta member Carlos Zozaya across the U.S./Mexico border fence west of Douglas, April 4, 2005. Borane is opposed to Minuteman volunteers who are manning border observation posts around the clock this month to bring attention to the number of illegal immigrants coming north from Mexico. Borane has told the Minuteman Project members that they are not welcome in Douglas, whose residents are primarily Hispanic. Grupo Beta is a department of the Mexican government that aids immigrants headed north along the US/Mexico border region. REUTERS/Fred Greaves

[FreedomCalls]

Minuteman Project volunteer Freddie Puckett, wearing his Minuteman badge on his hat, radios information to other members of the group along the US/Mexico border road west of Douglas, Arizona April 4, 2005. Minuteman volunteers are manning observation posts around the clock for the month of April along the border in the eastern part of Arizona to bring attention to the number of illegal immigrants coming north from Mexico. They are calling on the federal government to increase the border presence to stem the flow of illegal immigrants. REUTERS/Fred Greaves