'Minutemen' plan to patrol Arizona border

[underpants]

I heard this on Paul Harvey last week and forgot to find it and post it.

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/02/21/border.minutemen.ap/

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Intent on securing the vulnerable Arizona border from illegal immigrant crossings, U.S. officials are bracing for what they call a potential new threat this spring: the Minutemen.

Nearly 500 volunteers have already joined the Minuteman Project, anointing themselves civilian border patrol agents. They plan to patrol a 40-mile stretch of the southeast Arizona border throughout April when the tide of immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border peaks.

Officials fear the Minuteman patrols could cause more trouble than they prevent. At least some of the volunteers plan to arm themselves during the 24-hour desert patrols. Many are untrained and have little or no experience in confronting illegal border crossings.

"Any time there are firearms and you're out in the middle of no-man's land in difficult terrain, it's a dangerous setting," said Bonner, whose agency is keeping a close eye on the Minutemen plans.

"The Border Patrol does this every day, and they are qualified and very well-trained to handle the situation," he said. "Ordinary Americans are not. So there's a danger that not just illegal migrants might get hurt, but that American citizens might get hurt in this situation."

[Kolesar]

1. there are humanitarians who cache water for the desert travelers

They feel sorry for these people risking their lives so they plant provisions for them on these lonely and harsh routes.

[mcscajun]

2. And they'll probably be some of the first ones shot by these loons.

:grr:

Vigilantes -- not volunteers.

[ucmike]

3. not surprising

based on my time in az. i'd guess that any 40 mile stretch is inhabited at any time by a couple hundred untrained, gun toting, nuts.

chances are they'll end up shooting each other and drinking beer.

[shadowknows69]

4. I may get flamed for this but "go minutemen"

despite the potential for disasterous scenarios happening I admire any American standing up to do something for this country that the government clearly has no interest in doing correctly. We're not the pormised land anymore people. I realize how much worse things must be in mexico but it's a matter of homeland security as well and we can't play to shrubs plan of allowing half of mexico to come here for the sole purpose of being the upper classe's slave caste.

[Ian David]

5. I both agree and disagree. Mostly disagree.

1) We are at least partly (if not mostly) to blame for the intolerable conditions the illegal immigrants are fleeing from.

2) The corporo-fascists who exploit the illegal immigrants have to bear a major portion of the blame.

3) It is like kicking a dog for coming when you call it. We're pretty much saying, "come sneak over the border into America" and then we greet them with detention and vigilantes when they try to get here.

On the other hand:

1) They're coming here illegally.

2) The porous border is a security risk.

3) I would like to see some of the most racist right-wing idiots get their asses kicked or get arrested trying to "secure the border."

[WyLoochka]

7. You're right - FLAME

That is BS - "homeland security" the big bugga boo catchall scare tactic phrase used by xenophobes to get what they always wanted - I and mine got ours here in Murika - everyone else stay the fuck out.

[Coastie for Truth]

8. Do your share

I appreciate your willingness to put yourself in harms way for the good of your fellow Americans.

Check these out--

1. http://www.citizencorps.gov/
2. http://www.races.net/
3. http://www.cap.gov/
4. http://www.cgaux.org/
5. http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_319_,00.html

and may Saint Florian (http://www.publicsafety.net/st_florian.htm) protect you in your public service.

I am a "Red and Blue Flashing Light Junkie" and an "Adrenaline Junkie" and like to "Help People" -- and I am in volunteer leadership role in three of the above volunteer responder groups.

Got a real "high" last month - general alarm fire at a large apartment complex with mutual assistance, Red Cross and RACES and Salvation Army - the whole 9 yards. Helped a mentally challenged man get housing and care, and found his family (not local, and he forgot his mother's new last name- she was widowed nd recently remarried)

Emergency responders are "Good People."

Try it - you might like it.

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[ComerPerro]

13. Come on.These gun toting assholes aren't worried about terrorism

They want to feel like big shots, and they want to kill some Mexicans.

That's all.

They don't give a shit about homeland security.

If they did, wouldn't they be in Iraq "defending our freedoms" and "protecting us from terror"?

[shadowknows69]

15. you've confirmed this by asking every one of them I assume? n/t

[WyLoochka]

6. They will ruin

one of the coolest cultural areas in the state. I deeply resent this Jim Gilchrist from CA coming into Tombstone and stirring up the hatred in the few local uglies and now calling in the dedicated haters from other states to conduct an armed invasion of southern Arizona and alter forever it's historic way of life.

It's Jim Gilchrist and the Minutemen who should be rounded up and deported from Arizona.

[shadowknows69]

9. I admit

I don't know all the details of the story other than what I just read. I was applauding the concept of citizens standing up against what they consider to be a deficiency in their government. The enemy of my enemy is my friend and if the minutemen see that shrubco wants to make our borders even more porous than they are now and want to stand against that then IMO it is something in the plus column. Also if you think that all threats to our nation's security are merely scare fests fabricated by the spin machine then you're living with blinders on. There are plenty of factions that would gladly see us destroyed. Probably more than likely ones we have recently created ourselves but the threat is there. I live 25 miles from the Canadian border and in the pre 9/11 days at least anyone could have driven a minivan shaped h-bomb over the border and been told to have a nice day, enjoy your stay in America. That border has significantly tightend up but if there is still the numbers of people pouring over mexico's borders daily that is being reported then it is a clear and present danger and we need the problem solved. Preferably the core problems of why they need to come to this fucked up country to survive.

[shadowknows69]

10. in response to coastie

I'll be the first to admit i'm a hell of a lot of talk and pitiful little action (physical anyway) there are health and money reasons for that that I won't whine about to you but trust me when I say I would be first in line for a lot of those organizations if I thought I would be more of a help than hinderence. I use my voice (uh...er fingers anyway) as my activism right now and hopefully that's viewed as a valuable (if small) contribution too.

[WyLoochka]

11. Well invite the Minutemen vigilante thugs

to your Canadian border area then and stop telling us that we need them down here. These thugs will make any problems that exist far worse.

[Bridget Burke]

14. Canadians tend to be whiter than Mexicans....

And you know that's a big reason the Minutemen are patrolling down south.

[Ian David]

12. If we'd stop making people hate us, terrorists wouldn't come here

There aren't a whole lot of terrorists attacking Canada or Switzerland or Norway or Greenland...

And if we'd stop exploiting workers and creating poverty around the world, there wouldn't be as many illegal immigrants trying to come here, either.

"Hi, we're from America and we've come to ruin your country. But please, don't come to MY country, because we have redneck vigilantes fixn' to stop you."