Furthermore, these Committees of Vigilance have always formed when a government has failed in the function of enforcing specific laws. I'm hardly a "close the borders" enthusiast, but that does appear to be the case here, and it is that, and not any loose application of terminology, that ought to concern the Bush administration.
The problem is, as I'm SURE you are aware, the term, "vigilante," does NOT connote one from the Vigilance Committee, picking up what a failed government has dropped. It connotes one who is quick to hang or shoot anyone even LOOKING guilty of something, and not necessarily the crime for which someone is being sought. This is hardly the case with the MMP, as you should be aware. They are, indeed, picking up what a faile goernment has dropped, but they are quick to expel or disavow any one whose activity can be construed as "vigilanteism," as it's popularly seen. Thus, use of that term by Mr. Bush was wildly inappropriate and your comment was disingenuous at best and possibly duplicitous.
Have you lost it? You know very well that "vigilante" was meant in a negative way. I love Bush and voted for him twice, but that was a bonehead move. He should have praise them and thanked them for their help. They saved the taxpayers a ton of money. Committee of Vigilance, PULLLEAZZEE!!
Unfortunately, anything less that "close the borders" is a first step down the slippery slope with this administration.
As with any invasion, a complete stop has to happen, and the country needs to see where it is. Without that the human, cultural, and economic pressures will destroy huge parts of this country.
I just went down to Florida, where you can see the impact more growth is having. That area is no longer sustainable without more construction, growth, destruction of the area.
The Minutemen are there for one purpose--to advise the Border Patrol if they detect any illegals crossing into private property on the US side of the border, and a good distance (one mile), away from the border. The Minutemen do not arrest or otherwise stop the illegals and certainly do not enforce US laws or punish the intruders. Hence they cannot be called vigilantes. The Prez was wrong to call them that. How about calling them what they really are: US neighborhood watchers?