In Defense of the Minuteman Project

Mens News Daily ^ | April 10, 2005 | Geoff Metcalf

[Anti-Bubba182]

Hopefully local ranchers will reward the Governor my voting her out of office.

Happy thought.

[backhoe]

Thunder on the Border-- (Minuteman Project)

[goldstategop]

Our government is more concerned with stopping citizens from defending their country than it is concerned with stopping illegal aliens from invading it. It has its priorities in the right order.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Route101]

If it takes a bunch of citizen volunteers to patrol our border when the might of the U.S. government will not...so be it!

[P8riot]

This is a statement from President Bush's first inaugural address:

"What you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character."

[jackbenimble]

The simple, empirical reality is the Minuteman Project has been hugely successful. Illegal border crossings along the stretch of Arizona/Mexico border have virtually been stopped.

Good for George Metcalf! He pretty much pegged it.

[Spiff]

Notwithstanding the fears of vigilante violence and gap toothed redneck pick up truck marauders, the Minuteman Project is proving to be a well organized, effectively managed deterrent to a chronic travesty of neglect.

I don't know about "well organized", more like organized chaos, but this the first time they've done this and they're operating (at the moment) on a shoestring budget.

It is interesting that local ranchers and victims of local and federal government malfeasance overwhelmingly support and appreciate the results of the Minuteman Project. It is equally interesting that 'officials' (who have been derelict and incompetent) not only resent these citizen border watchers, but have targeted THEM with petty harassment. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano wrote them a letter saying they are on her 'blacklist' and state cops are targeting out-of-state plates with minor infraction tickets. Hopefully local ranchers will reward the Governor my voting her out of office....."

It was state cops out on the roads in the area targetting the volunteers. The sheriff's deputies and such have been just fine. The Bible College where a great deal of the MMP activities are occuring and where many of the volunteers are staying has received some sort of harassing letter from the governor. In addition, the Cattleman's Association heard word that the Governor plans to audit the state land leases of every rancher who allows Minuteman Project volunteers onto their property.

[Americanexpat]

The MM people are doing a great job, they will get it better organized.

And yes, anytime you embarrass the government, at whatever level, you can expect reprisals.

[Jeff Head]

God bless the Minutemen for what they are doing on the border and the light they are shining, despite whatever embarrassement and wrong thinking, on the critical issue at the border. May their efforts lead to a larger effort that expands to more and more of the border until it covers it all. This is the spirit of America at work...and the government needs to get on board and incorporate the ideas and the principles into our "official" programs.

I have friends down there with them and wish this is one I could have made myself. They are doing patriotic work and it WILL make a difference.

[blackie]

Roger that Jeff ~ Bump for the Good Guys!

Be Ever Vigilant!

[B4Ranch]

The Minutemen are showing us not only how to seal our borders and protect our national security, they are demonstrating how we, the people, can take back our country from the political establishment.

Which fence would you rather cross if you were sneaking past the Border patrol?

Lets make our Ports of Entry the choice for everyone coming to America.

Some questions and ideas for you to think about.
What do you think would happen if a popular football or other sports star was to start off the project by donating 5 thousand or 5 million dollars to build fences on private property that adjoins the border?

Then a few more sport stars each throw in a couple of thousand or million (grin) of their own money while asking all "True Americans" to send just one hours wages to the FENCE FUND?

Do you think that the politicians would be able to stop this from growing out of control and the voters demanding that the Feds "fence our border lands"?

Do you think the politicians would listen or ignore a million calls a day to their offices?

Never underestimate what the American people can do when they decide they want to do it.

While I'm at it, we could start a "Name and Shame List" of companies that hire illegals. Name the banks that loan money to a tax number when the illegal doesn't have a phony Social Security number. Name the mortgage companies that favor home loans to illegals, using our money for their downpayment.

If you have ideas or questions, throw them in the pot here. I'm sure there's FReeper who can answer most of the questions or critique your ideas.

Do you have any ideas on how to get this started?

We need to keep the fire burning while the media is watching and reporting.

Assistance provided by rodguy911; Travis McGee

[Jeff Head]

I'm in for some funding from my own wages.

Such an effort would need to find local people along the border (obviously) willing to piece the fence together on their property...continguously...with a good group to work with them individually. This is as much of a PR effort to the public at large and they, the property owners, would have to understand that and be committed to it. There is likely to be significant legal opposition from places like the ACLU, and from her actions, by the governor of Arizona and perhaps the administration.

At the same time set up a legal entity to get the contracts and handle the money, managing the contracts through to completion. Everyone involved would HAVE to be vetted for absolute integrity and commitment to cause. A very, very good legal counsel would end up being necessary because the foes of this will fight it tooth and nail.

But, the Minuteman Project faces the same issue already and are carrying through to completion in peacable assempbly, which they have a right to do. The people along that border also have their private property rights and if they decide to build fences on their property, they have every right to do so.

[B4Ranch]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1381343/posts?page=33#33

[B4Ranch]

Napolitano had best not get too carried away with her revenge. She is playing with the average AARP voter here.

[sauropod]

I agree. She needs to go.

[Mudboy Slim]

"God bless the Minutemen!!"

Couldn't agree more, my FRiend...MUD

[JoeBob]

Maybe this is a good time to start a recall petition for this Napolitano bit*h.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Good idea.....

[jackbenimble]

Napolitano had best not get too carried away with her revenge.

Bush, Fox, Napolitano, MSM, ACLU, MS-13, drug cartels all united against the Minutemen. It must be quite the hot tub party.

[joanie-f]

Jeff,

I know I'm about a month late in responding to this ping :) but I read something today that made my blood boil and thought I had remembered you pinging a Minuteman article to me a while back, when I didn't have time to respond.

I know you have been very supportive of the Minuteman Project, as have I. The excerpt below (from The Federalist Patriot, one of the most reliable sources for news and conservative viewpoint on the web) infuriated me:

According to more than a dozen agents of the U.S. Border Patrol in the region of Arizona patrolled last month by the Minuteman Project for border security, the agents are now being ordered to stand down and not arrest illegals along that section of the border, as any increase in apprehensions would underline the Minutemen’s effectiveness. ‘It was clear to everyone here what was being said and why,’ said one of the agents, all of whom requested anonymity. ‘The apprehensions were not to increase after the Minuteman volunteers left. It was as simple as that.’

Another agent said that Border Patrol supervisors in Naco, Arizona, ‘were clear in their intention that arrests be kept to an absolute minimum.’

Giving more credence to their claim, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo says that ‘credible sources’ tell him that agents have been ordered by Naco supervisors to stand down. ‘It’s like telling a cop to stand by and watch burglars loot a store but don’t arrest any of them,’ he said.

‘This is another example of decisions being made at the highest levels of the Border Patrol that are hurting morale and helping to rot the agency from within … based on these kinds of orders, we could spend the equivalent of the national debt and never have secure borders.’

I believe that our porous borders, especially the southern, will be the most important contributor to the next (and probably worse) 9/11-type terrorist event.

If the above observations are true -- and I have absolutely no reason to doubt them, considering their source -- where is the President? Where is congress? Where is Newsweek? Why do Isikoff, Barry and their ilk believe that the criminally culpable publication of foundationless, agenda-driven, anti-American lies – lies that resulted in a sixteen deaths and increased anti-American sentiment in a part of the world that is already a powder keg – is more ‘newsworthy’ than obscenely self-serving, irresponsible behavior by American ‘public servants’ – behavior that could contribute to more innocent American blood being shed on American soil by Islamic barbarians? (We both know the answer … it’s just a rhetorical question.)

Al Qaeda (and other islamofascist) operatives are no doubt crossing the Mexican border every day along with hundreds of other ‘undocumented workers’. And at least a portion of our Border Patrol is being ordered to turn a blind eye, so as to minimize the success of a voluntary civilian force that cared enough to prove that mere words are meaningless when it comes down to a question of survival.

Post 9/11 one might think that the executive/legislative/judicial branches of our government … and maybe even the ever-more-left-leaning fifth estate … would have become vigilant regarding curbing illegal immigration, at any cost. But it would appear that three thousand deaths were not sufficient to elicit meaningful border patrol measures. At least as regards our elected representatives, the thought of losing cheap labor, or the votes of large (and growing) ethnic groups who would be offended by stronger government controls of our nation’s borders appears to trump any safety and security concerns.

Maybe … just maybe … after the death toll from the next attack measures in the tens or hundreds of thousands, our government and media ‘leadership’ will finally acknowledge what probably every member of this forum has understood for years: if we don’t follow the example of the Minutemen and get serious about illegal immigration now, concerning ourselves with Social Security reform, healthcare, judicial nominees, or any other popular issue of the day will prove to be an exercise in futility, because their importance is based on the assumption that there will be a tomorrow.

~ joanie