[carton253]

I've asked this question before and have just gotten attitude in response..

Why aren't the Minutemen vigilantes?

Now, I wouldn't call them vigilantes, but people with good common sense... but aren't they vigilantes?

Please let me know.

[EternalVigilance]

The Minutemen are the best example of self-government in our generation.

[Americanwolf]

vig·i·lan·te Audio pronunciation of "Vigilante" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (vj-lnt) n. 1. One who takes or advocates the taking of law enforcement into one's own hands...

As per Minuteman SOP we have no law enforcement capabilities... our only job is to observe the border and report an illegals that cross the border to the Border Patrol.. The other part of of what minutemen do is do protest at day labor sites to protest the hiring of illegal aliens. We work within the boundaries of the law.

[injin]

well according to Cambridge Online dict you are correct :
Definition
vigilante
noun [C]
a person who tries in an unofficial way to prevent crime, or to catch and punish someone who has committed a crime, especially because they do not think that official organizations, such as the police, are controlling crime effectively. Vigilantes usually join together to form groups.

Still is todays pc vernacular it is used as a very dirty word , on the par of saying one is KKK . He said other negative things about they than the V word alone .
What he said played right into the sick rationale of the wide open borders people that would like to see the West rejoin Mexico . It wasn't right.

[therut]

Vigilantes are persons who illegally take the law into their own hands. They become judge, jury and executioner. These people are not breaking the law. They are being good citizens by watching for crime and reporting it to the appropriate authorities like we all do. They are a nation wide citizen watch group. Big difference.

[Uddercha0s]

I think it's because the term has some sort of bad connotations associated with it. Maybe from the Death Wish movies or something. In the definition of the the word:

vigilante (noun)
a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate.

I guess that it is a fine line as to whether they are or not. From all I've read on them, it is not so much that they have taken law enforcement into their own hands as helped assist law enforcement. If they are vigilantes then they should wear that badge proudly. Kudos for the work they've been doing!

[taxed2death]

"I've asked this question before and have just gotten attitude in response..
Why aren't the Minutemen vigilantes?
Now, I wouldn't call them vigilantes, but people with good common sense... but aren't they vigilantes?
Please let me know."

They are acting within the confines of the law. They are undocumented Civilian Border Patrol Agents, simply doing the jobs that other Americans don't want to do. for FREE :)

Thank God for the Minutemen!