Citizens border group to start live video feed Monday

Sierra Vista Herald, Sierra Vista Arizona ^ | 9/21/03 | Bill Hess

[SandRat]

American Border Patrol president Glenn Spencer stands in front of a media screen as he speaks to attendees at a meeting held Saturday at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center. Spencer talked about the plans and past successes of his group. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review)

SIERRA VISTA -- Starting Monday, the American Border Patrol will feed live video from its unmanned aerial vehicles to the Internet.

The organization is continuing to use, modify and develop new technologies to monitor the border as a way to look for illegal drug smuggling and immigrant activities, , said Glenn Spencer, founder of the American Border Patrol, told about 40 people Saturday afternoon.

It was his second presentation Saturday to a small group. The first was to about 25 individuals.

The event, called "Illegal Immigration: What Citizens Are Doing," was Spencer's annual report about the state of the American Border Patrol, a private group that is not connected to the U.S. Border Patrol.

While the crowd was small, Spencer noted that many people who would have been at the event, which was held at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center, were attending a funeral for Sandy Flowers, who along with her husband, Wes, were major supporters of the organization.

Real-time video from one of the group's drones mounted on the top of a vehicle, as well as other equipment of the group, was displayed outside the hotel.

The video images almost appeared like an episode of the television show "The Twilight Zone," as the video camera in the roof-mounted drone caught Model T cars going by along the hotel's driveway.

For King and Christie Mike, they find satisfaction in realizing that the they had help put together the technology to make the group's unmanned aerial vehicles work.

King Mike, the organization's volunteer technical director, and Christie Mike, the group's volunteer director of operations, put together a system using existing technology and creating new technology.

Christie Mike designed the technical center inside a van, which was once used to carry illegal immigrants and illegal drugs.

Long into computer technology, Christie Mike said some soldiers involved in the Army's unmanned aerial vehicle program on Fort Huachuca are impressed by the ground control station he designed. One soldier, who was not in uniform, involved with the post's UAV program who asked Christie Mike questions.

King Mike, who has been doing computer programming since he was 11, said developing the actual control system for the unmanned aerial vehicles took him about two weeks.

Bishop Arthur Seeland, of the Anglican Catholic Church, and the Rev. Henry King, a priest in the church, looked at the van's complexity.

Seeland said the Anglican Catholic Church is so conservative, "we are right of the pope." His diocese includes Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Unlike the Roman Catholic church, whose American and Mexican bishops have called for more of an open border between the two countries, Seeland said he does not want to see that policy become part of the U.S. government.

Although he is concerned about the plight of the illegal immigrants seeking a better life and sometimes dying in those attempts, Seeland said the border has to be controlled because of the potential that terrorists will enter the United States.

"The American Border Patrol is to be commended," he said. "I think it is a splendid."

He and Henry King came to Arizona from California because of the death of the priest at the Anglican Catholic Church of St. John the Divine in Hereford.

Spencer said more technology is coming to the American Border Patrol.

While the video capability of some of the smaller drones is limited soon, larger radio-controlled aircraft will have "pan, tilt and zoom" capabilities, he said, adding the aircraft have the capability of fling to an area where a ground sensor has gone off.

In the past three years, the mailing list of people interested in the American Border Patrol has grown from 800 to 12,000, Spencer said.

Having said that, he made a pitch for more help from local residents.

"We need more people to come out. We need more Hawkeyes," Spencer said of volunteers to provide support for the organization's different programs.

The growing success of the group by using technology has opponents, he said.

"There are groups out there trying to stop us, including the Mexican government," Spencer said.

[SandRat]

Funny thing was that no protesters came out that I've heard of so far. One of the people in attendance at the morning session was Chris Simcox from Tomstone. His paper comes out Thursday. Saw so many Freepers there that I know it almost could have been a Freeper Action.

[ChadGore]

URL ?

[SandRat]

I you are asking for the URL for the "Tombstone Tumbleweed" all you have to do is click.

[drypowder]

An armed citizenry to form a more perfect union! These good patriotic Americans are doing what the poltroons in DC won't and it appears the Feds are in a precarious position. I hope they don't go the way of Waco. I presume that one more of those would definitely spark a call to arms.

[kingu]

Hmm... I think this article goes into the 'good intention, waste of time' pile. Videos of drug smugglers and illegal aliens? Gee, I can see that on my nightly news virtually any day of the year. If I want live action entertainment, one only has to drive down to San Diego and watch the illegals line up on the other side of the border, waiting for night to fall.

Border patrol arrests one group while others take advantage of the distraction, surging in crowds since it's harder for the border patrol to arrest 100 vs. ten.

I've always wondered something - can we find someone who has property along one of these major incursion points and get together a legal team to sue the Federal Government to prosecute the trespassers on private property? Isn't there more than a few laws that allow private citizens to sue the government to enforce the law? I know the arguments about foreign policy interfereance, but I'm pretty sure trespassing would be viewed separately by the courts.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[SandRat]

Best part is that they are armed with "McGivered" UAVs and the ground sensors made from donated, surplus, hardware store, radio shack parts. The most dangerous part of the group is that it has the information of how bad the "POLI-TICS" are being derelict in the performance of their duty.

These armed citizens hunt only with UAVs mounting cameras, ground computers and communications, shooting information to the US Border Patrol to do for them what their own government is unwilling to do all for "POLI-TICS".

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

I think this is the link to the live feed starting Monday, 9/22:

http://www.americanborderpatrol.com/Cam/abpcam.asp

home:
http://www.americanborderpatrol.com/

From ABP
ABP Starting Regular Field Operations

(9/4/03) -- ABP is now starting regular field operations using our unmanned aerial vehicles. We will also be using a different method to stream video that will require the use of Windows Media Player version 9 for Windows. Click here to download and install a copy of the player free.

[Paul C. Jesup]

I would bet that the socialists in the U.S. will charge this group in court with spying on Mexico within a month.

[SandRat]

As I said to drypowder these folks are doing everything they can to help th actual US Border Patrol because what they find with their "McGivered" UAVs and seismic sensors they pass to the US Border Patrol. The article doesn't do justice to all that was there. These guys and gals are doing what the "POLI-TICS" in Washington won't do.

We do have someone just a little bit important on the border Congressman Jim Kolbe's Brother. He can't even get his own brother to give us a straight story on the backpack an illegal dropped on his property containing a diary written in Arabic.

[SandRat]

What do you mean a month. Dr. Robin (OSAM BIN) Silver of the Center for Bio-Diversity (Bio-Dum*****s) has been screeming that this is militarization that hurts the environment. While MeChAistas is calling a hunt club to murder mexicans.

[SandRat]

PING

[Paul C. Jesup]

I was just being being kind about my time estimate. :p

[SandRat]

No problem, if it seemed that the reply was a little short here's my hand to shake. I noticed that you are several hours west of me. We've been fighting the tidal waves every way we can and the fatigue is setting in but we know we can not quit we have to get smarter at doing it, that's all.

Maybe what these guys are doing can give others ideas on how to start steming the tide where they are.

They won't say so in the open but the US Border Patrol loves the info feed they get from these guys when they can get it.

[VU4G10]

god bless'em.

[Paul C. Jesup]

Actually I live in Georgia.

[SandRat]

OH weell I guess if you go far enough west you'll get to GA. That's sure doing it the hard way though but I'm known for doing things the hard way.

[american spirit]

Thanks for the info

[JustPiper]

Also one no Freeper should miss! Tell them what you think!

[JustPiper]

Also one no Freeper should miss! Tell them what you think!