Gov. Praises 'Minuteman' Campaign(Schwarzenegger)

LOS ANGELES TIMES ^ | April 29, 2005 | Peter Nicholas and Robert Salladay

[kellynla]

SACRAMENTO — Calling the nation's borders dangerously porous, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday praised the private "Minuteman" campaign that uses armed volunteers to stop illegal immigrants from crossing into the U.S.

Schwarzenegger said in a radio interview that the federal government is failing to secure the border with Mexico, and he cast the hundreds of private citizens who have been patrolling the Arizona-Mexico border since April 1 as a popular response to government inaction.

"I think they've done a terrific job," Schwarzenegger said of the "Minuteman" volunteers, who plan to expand to California in June. "They've cut down the crossing of illegal immigrants a huge percentage. So it just shows that it works when you go and make an effort and when you work hard. It's a doable thing."

The governor added that, "It's just that our federal government is not doing their job. It's a shame that the private citizen has to go in there and start patrolling our borders."

President Bush has denounced the Minuteman volunteers as vigilantes.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) expressed surprise that Schwarzenegger would be "praising efforts by untrained volunteers to patrol the borders. The best course … would be to add an additional 2,000 border patrol agents."

The leader of a Mexican American group called the governor's comments "shameful" and "nothing short of base racism."

"I think we're seeing the real Arnold Schwarzenegger. The mask has now fallen," said Nativo V. Lopez, state national president of the Mexican American Political Assn. "Those of immigrant stock should have no illusions about what his real sentiments and feelings are toward them."

Just last week, Schwarzenegger and his aides sought to clarify his statement to a convention of newspaper publishers that the nation should "close the borders."

[B4Ranch]

>>I saw that illegal immigration was costing this country $68 billion a year! <<

$68 billion a year is what is sent to foreign countries by foreigners in America.

[kellynla]

Welcome to FR
well, we have been hammering this issue for years and we have yet to get any results from the POTUS!

[B4Ranch]

>>"I think we're seeing the real Arnold Schwarzenegger. The mask has now fallen," said Nativo V. Lopez, state national president of the Mexican American Political Assn. "Those of immigrant stock should have no illusions about what his real sentiments and feelings are toward them." <<

This may be what his real sentiments and feelings are but he won't act on it.

[B4Ranch]

>>Asked by the hosts of the "John and Ken Show" why Bush called the volunteers vigilantes, Schwarzenegger said: "I really cannot tell you exactly what his thinking is. I'm sure he's trying to solve the problem as well as anyone can. And he maybe has more information than you and I have. Why he has a policy about the border the way he has, I don't know. I've not had that conversation with him.

"But the next time I see him, I will have that conversation."<<

UhOh. Now he nailed his butt to the wall. We can expect him to find out just what they Presidents real plans for America are!

I'm sure he just misspoke again.hahaha

[ClintonBeGone]

What's Malvone?

LOL

[Xenalyte]

I'm serious. I don't know what a Malvone is, which is why I asked. Why is the question funny?

[ClintonBeGone]

I for one am going to thank him for it.

You're a lot more honorable than some on this thread.

[kellynla]

Yea, ol' Ahnold can't continue to use that lame "language problem" and expect people to believe him.

[Sloth]

Seeing Ahnuld go right of Bush is weird enough, but even Feinstein's take on this sounds better than the President's.

[ASA Vet]

I don't know what a Malvone is, which is why I asked

Matt, could you explain Wally to her.

[StoneColdGOP]

Well if you lump me in with kellyinla on the immigration issue, I'd say I'm in good company...

[Pa' fuera]

But one more 9/11 type attack in America and GWB can bend over and kiss his legacy good bye!

quite frankly, I think we've all had the one wake up call that was needed, and that was 9/11. He's clearly not doing his duty to secure the border, and that's going to be true and part of his legacy whether there's a subsequent attack or not.

[Travis McGee]

Malvone is a bad-guy character in a book I wrote, and the FOQNA you are engaged with is trying to get a rise out of me.

(Yawn.)

But you should know who you are dealing with, when dealing with false flag freepers who hide their true allegiance--ClintonBeGone's famous self-outing post:

You couldn't beat the Mexicans lead by brother Santa Anna at the Alamo - You're certainly not going to beat Mara Salvatrucha with a bunch of fat old ex-supply sergeants.

You might also want to ask "Santa Anna's brother" about his Mexican property.

[Travis McGee]

No problemo.

[Born Conservative]

the private "Minuteman" campaign that uses armed volunteers to stop illegal immigrants from crossing into the U.S.

The LA Times' feeble attempt to make them look like gun-toting redneck vigilantes. Bias? Nahhhhhh.

[BillyBoy]

Wow, Arnold actually made an intelligent, conservative comment without apologizing for it yet. (unlike last week where he correctly said we need to "close the borders" and then immediately turned around and begged the liberals for forgiveness)

Now if he actually DOES something to backup his words, we can upgrade his status from "RINO Gray Davis clone" to "Marginally-elective moderate country-clubber".

I do think it's cute that these La Racist groups are saying Ahnuld is xenophobic and anti-immigrat. They seem to have overlooked the fact that Ahnuld HIMSELF immigrated to this country. Of course, he did it legally and he was an AUSTRIAN immigrant, so of course that doesn't "count" in the eyes of the La Racist bigots pushing for special treatment for illegal "latinos"