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.

[FreedomCalls]

Calling herself a 'Legal Observer,' Kristen Dillon uses the roof of her group's van as a perch to monitor the activity of Minuteman Project volunteers along the U.S./Mexico border west of Douglass, Arizona April 3, 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. The Legal Observers, who are affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union, are concerned that Minuteman Project volunteers, some of whom are armed, could harm illegal immigrants. REUTERS/Fred Greaves

[FreedomCalls]

Minuteman Project volunteer JT Ready uses binoculars to scan for potential illegal immigrants while along the US/Mexico border west of Douglass, Arizona April 3, 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. The group's policy is to be non-confrontational towards illegal border crossers they find and to call the Border Patrol instead of getting involved personally. REUTERS/Fred Greaves

[FreedomCalls]

Minuteman Project volunteers Tammy Ahrens (L) and her husband Les keep watch along the US/Mexico border west of Douglass, Arizona April 3, 2005. Minuteman volunteers are manning observation posts around the clock this month 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

[FreedomCalls]

Calling themselves 'Legal Observers,' Melisa Doran (L) and Wren Almitra use binoculars to monitor the activity of Minuteman Project volunteers along the US/Mexico border west of Douglass, Arizona April 3, 2005. Minuteman volunteers are manning observation posts around the clock this month along Arizona's southeastern border to bring attention to the number of illegal immigrants coming north from Mexico. The Legal Observers, who are affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union, are concerned that Minuteman Project volunteers, some of whom are armed, could harm illegal immigrants. REUTERS/Fred Greaves REUTERS

[FreedomCalls]

Minuteman Project volunteer JT Ready scans for potential illegal immigrants with the phone number for the local U.S. Border Patrol station on his hand while along the U.S./Mexico border west of Douglass, Arizona April 3, 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. The group's policy is to be non-confrontational towards illegal border crossers and to call the Border Patrol instead of getting involved personally. REUTERS/Fred Greaves

[FreedomCalls]

Minuteman Project volunteers Larry Morgan and John Lehman (R) talk about what they've seen during their respective shifts along the U.S./Mexico border west of Douglass, Arizona April 3, 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

[durasell]

In response to the Legal Observers, the Minuteman organization has posted volunteers to monitor their activities. This action was quickly met by an ACLU response that posted a second level of observers to monitor the Legal Obervers' Observers.

According to un-named sources close to both organizations, behind the scenes meetings are currently in progress to come to some manner of arrangement. The source said that both the ACLU and the Minuteman organization are looking at some type of circular arrangement in which both groups could more effectively monitor each other.

The Minuteman founder, a former kindergarten teacher is said to be in favor of such a compromise and is willing to not only supply carpet remnants for both groups to sit on, but also organize activities such as Duck, Duck Goose, story time and snack time.

[Petronski]

Heh heh heh.

[Freedom2specul8]

Hey, would you mind adding me to your ping list? I am in awe of the volunteers!

[FreedomCalls]

In response to the Legal Observers, the Minuteman organization has posted volunteers to monitor their activities.

You jest, but that's actually not a bad idea, if for nothing else than to show how stupid it is for the ACLU's observers to be there.

[ATCNavyRetiree]

Thanks for the update. You are quite the superpatriot. We thank you!

Perhaps I'll come on down next year...I can visit my dad in Mesa on the way!

Keep up the great work...more Americans appreciate it than you will ever know. Tell those little hippie-girl and hippie-boy "legal observers" to have a nice cup of STFU for me...LOL!

[durasell]

I'd volunteer and would promise not to eat paste, just as long as they served milk and cookies on time.

[conshack]

Calling herself a 'Legal Observer,' Kristen Dillon uses the roof of her group's van as a perch to monitor the activity of Minuteman Project volunteers along the U.S./Mexico border west of Douglass, Arizona April 3, 2005

Looks like Kristen is wearing her "Sunday best" to persue her Socialist duties.

[conshack]

This action was quickly met by an ACLU response that posted a second level of observers to monitor the Legal Obervers' Observers.


Typical Socialist approach. Why have one person do what you can otherwise engage 2,3 or even 4 do it.

[durasell]

The whole exercise is stilly and obviously ineffective. Even as a form of protest, it's off the mark.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Those pics did my heart good. Thank God that the MS-13 gangs haven't attacked yet. Maybe the thought of fighting real men has them scared? FReegards....

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

This is working better than I had thought.

The Mexican military is on alert. There hasn't been one act of violence by the Minutemen that I know of yet. The area they are watching appears to be fairly secure now. It has my attention. It has other peoples' attention. It's a rally point for everyone who lives near the border or is concerned about borders. Hannity's talking about it. Limbaugh's talking about it. And the BORDERS MAN, Savage is talking about it.

--FReegards....

[spodefly]

Thanks for the reports, Spiff.

[oceanperch]

I have been reading your daily reports and it sounds like the media coverage may make it to MSM country wide. Hopefully.

We have migrant workers or illegals I don't know which. I don't support the illegal workers. We are way up here on the Central Oregon Coast. The workers have under cut by pay all the old guys at the fisheries out of jobs.

We don't have many young people who work after high school as they go away to college.

The workers who migrants are cutting out are locals that are the "working class" not able move on in education and jobs are limited here in our rural area.


Oh by the way here is a link to a STUPID article that was written to make the Minutemen look silly.

However it is so poorly done it just makes the writer look dim.

'Minutemen' identify Mexican...in Mexico
Address:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1376895/posts

[spodefly]

Hey, Luca. Welcome to FR, and thanks for volunteering to answer questions. You should provide some first hand reports, what you see and think about the various aspects of the MMP ... You would have unique perspective on the project as well as the press coverage and the ACLU idiots monitoring it.