The Minuteman Project

Oooh. I like this one. The Minuteman Project. This is like your neighborhood watch at work. Only this time it stretches over 20 miles. The Minuteman Project is where concerned citizen volunteers from across the nation who as an organized group would "provide eyes and ears" in Cochise County, Arizona for the U.S. Border Patrol, non-interference duties, observation and reporting only. They see a bunch of illegals trying to cross the border, they report it to the U.S. Border Patrol. Simple. More eyes and ears for the U.S. Border Patrol.

But, of course, Liberals MUST have their say by labeling these Minuteman volunteers as "vigilantes", or considered them as "armed threats." Funny how the desire to report to U.S. Border Patrols on illegals attempting to cross borders constitute as an "armed threat."

Presidente Fox of Mexico is crying "Foul" over this project. He also condemned any citizen group that would dare to "defy" his political goal of open borders, ignoring U.S. Immigration laws, 8 USC 1324, 1325 and 1326. Too bad, Mr. Fox. If they want in, do it legally. Meanwhile, better work on your economy for a change.

And yet the ACLU has special observers for the event with watchers watching over the watchers. Here's a letter written March 25, 2005 to the FBI about the ACLU from one of the coordinator of the Minuteman Project, James Gilchrist:

I am one of the coordinators of the Minuteman Project, a grassroots organization of Americans who will assemble under the First Amendment in Cochise County, Arizona from April 1 through 30 to conduct a political protest and rally in support of the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. We will also spend much of that 30 day period observing, and reporting to the appropriate law enforcement agency, any suspected illegal activity where crossing over the U.S. international border into the United States is part of that illegal activity.

I am writing to complain that the ACLU has consistently attempted to interfere with the rights of the volunteers of the Minuteman Project to peaceably assemble in Arizona. Also, the ACLU has repeatedly used libelous and slanderous rhetoric to thwart the ability of U.S. citizens to assemble under the First Amendment, effectively dissuading some U.S. citizens from exercising their civil rights.

With the express purpose of depriving U.S. citizens of the rights to assemble and speak under the First Amendment, I feel that the ACLU has maliciously engaged in consanguinity (aka "McCarthyism") by its pejorative references to volunteers for the Minuteman Project as "vigilantes" and as persons who are "taking the law into their own hands."

The ACLU's witch-hunt mentality has seriously eroded the ability of me, and several thousand other prospective participants, to freely assemble in Arizona under the first Amendment of the Constitution of The United States of America.

Through malicious harassment and intimidation, against U.S. citizens seeking to exercise their rights to freely assemble, including threats of arrest and law suits (for alleged acts that no one had committed, or intended to commit) the ACLU has effectively and illegally suppressed the civil rights of fellow citizens.

I am requesting that all legal remedies and protections available to preserve the civil rights under The Constitution of the United States of America to myself and those participating, or anticipating participation in, the Minuteman Project political rally and assembly, be provided.

Idiots they are...the ACLU. Not everybody is happy, especially a gang of over 20,000 in the United States.

However, all law-abiding citizens are welcome to monitor the border. This is, after all, a new form of a Neighborhood Watch program spanning the 11 miles along the Arizona border and Mexico to help their fellow Border Security patrols just as you would as a watchful and concerned neighbor in a Neighborhood Watch program to help your local police and help keep the neighborhood safe. This Minuteman Project is an amazing concept years after 911.

I hope this catches on and it'll stretch the whole border someday. It's about time that these people perform this unsual but necessary form of protest. This shouldn't be controversal at all when it comes to simply helping in lending a hand in watching the borders.

Freedom and security comes with a price. Even as simply as watching a border. America has a duty to watch and protect its borders. This includes YOU!

UPDATE: Read Michelle Malkin's new blog "The Immigration Blog". Also, about President Bush' remark on "vigilante" last Wednesday with Pres. Vicente Fox of Mexico was never an indication that he was directly opposed to the Minuteman Project. Just the "vigilante" part where people take the law into their own hands creating havoc and destruction. The Minuteman Project made explicitly clear that this project is a form of protest and that it will do "non-interference" duties, peaceful observations and reporting to the U.S. Border Patrol. The are not an ad hoc lynch mob group. Splinter groups that have no affiliation with the Minuteman Project, such as white-extremist groups are far more likely to take the law into their own hands, brandishing guns and the likes. That's the difference. Until President Bush clarifies his "vigilante" remark, it remains to be seen that President Bush NEVER explicitly stated that he was opposed to the Minuteman Project. All he said that he was opposed to "vigilante" actions. Not about the right to gather, and simply report suspicious illegal activities along our Nation's borders. This is simply an expanded form of your Neighborhood Watch in action. Where the outcry for this sort of "vigilantism"? Right.

So, put a sock in it until we get the full story from President Bush regarding, directly, about the Minuteman Project away from El Presidente Vincente Fox, and on U.S. soils.

UPDATE 2: Read La Shawn Barber's interview of a Minuteman volunteer. Great stuff. Also, look up Gringo Unleashed about how KIDR 740 AM, a Spanish-language talk radio station in Phoenix which simulcasts Radio Fórmula, a Mexican network, who actually skewed the reports (all info are available for them on the internet to verify facts about the project) about the agenda of the Minuteman Project. Even so far saying that they are planning to kill "hunt down" groups of undocumented immigrants (i.e. "illegals"). If you want the "bane of America" it's people like these. Intellectual dishonesty is a terrible thing to watch.

UPDATE 3: A good read on an article titled "The Mexican Insurgency."

UPDATE 4: Bravo! Read here. Though no exact clarification from President Bush on the "vigilante" remark. And if you're not concerned that approximately 1300 illegal aliens enter the U.S. everyday, then I certainly question your true concern for the United States of America's security. What we need is an additional 5000 border patrols, not 500.

The 370-mile Arizona border is considered the most vulnerable stretch of the 2,000-mile southern border. Of the 1.1 million illegal immigrants apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol last year, 51 percent crossed into the country at the Arizona border. The Homeland Security Department will assign more than 500 additional patrol agents to the porous Arizona border, saying they will help keep potential terrorists and illegal immigrants from entering the country. That's roughly 1.7 patrol agents per mile along the Arizona border. Sort of like throwing a net to catch some water. Of course, that would probably mean 200 to 300 patrol agents at one time. They need breaks and have lives, too.