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What's interesting is you are all sitting around talking about the legal observers, who they are, and what they do, without any real idea of these things. How many of you have actually been out to the border and actually talked to them?

I am a legal observer working with the ACLU on the border for the minutemen project, and I may be able to clear a few things up for you.

1-We do not get paid, not a single cent to any of us. We are volunteers who are giving up our time, our weekends (I was out on the border being harassed and verbally attacked by Minutemen on my 21st birthday, in the desert heat instead of celebrating) to protect the rights of all. Many of us are students who drive 7 hours to the border each weekend, our own gas money, our own food money, our own responsibilty to find places to stay. We are not playing "hooky" from class as you might like to believe. Broaden your minds, don't try to stereotype.

2-I was one of these legal observers supposedly caught "smoking marijuana." Let me just clarify this one as well-IT WAS TOBACCO. Hasn't anybody ever heard of rolling your own cigarettes? I'm a college student, I am poor, and it is radically cheaper to roll a cigarette than to buy pack. Again, before everybody starts trying to point fingers and jump to conclusions, it may help to try to go to the source and find out the real story. But thats obviously not what people are going for here.

We are college students spending our time (which, trust me, is in high demand the last few weeks of school) volunteering to defend rights. But all we're getting is verbally attacked and accusations. Makes me realize that legal observation is necessary. Because I can see first hand that rights are being infringed if suddenly all are no longer innocent before being proven guilty.