(Stopping illegals)...& replicating success

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review ^ | 05/04/05 | Editorial staff

[smoothsailing]

(Stopping illegals) ... & replicating success

Wednesday, May 4, 2005

The lack of a shot heard 'round the world helped make the Minuteman Project successful in Arizona and inviting to California.

The Minuteman Project is a citizens' neighborhood watch spotlighting illegal immigration. It describes itself as "Americans doing the jobs our government won't do. Operating within the law to support enforcement of the law."

In April, roughly 1,000 volunteers kept a lookout for suspicious activity along a 23-mile sliver of sovereign soil bordering Mexico. It had been used by untold numbers of illegal aliens to sneak into America.

The citizen-patriots reported suspicious activity emanating from south of the border to the Border Patrol. And the absence of violence and the virtual elimination of illegal immigration during their watch impressed many Californians including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

An organization of citizens in California now is planning to replicate the Minuteman Project in the Golden State in August.

President George W. Bush, who cannot find the will to police the Mexican border, still found the time to label them "vigilantes." But the average volunteer was age 40 and more likely to be armed with a lawn chair, a set of binoculars and his cell phone than a gun. Mr. Bush would have been more accurate to call his fellow Americans "irregulars."

Or, ideally, a thousand points of light.

Images and text copyright © 2004 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.

[AZHua87]

Interesting....hmmm...

[frannie]

Thank you.

I have tried and tried in several replys to say the minute men were not truly minute men, nor were they vigilantes, they were a "neighborhood watch" group.

I believe we should refer to them as such.

[HiJinx]

Well, somebody gets it!

[risk]

If we could just explain to people in other states what it's like to live in ones that have been "invaded," America would be united behind stopping illegal immigration.

[smoothsailing]

My pleasure!

I really like the reference to "a thousand points of light".For folks too young to remember it was a term used often by the first President Bush to represent volunteer service to your community or your country.

A not too subtle way of reminding the current President Bush of what a "neighborhood watch" can accomplish.

[walford]

If we could just explain to people in other states what it's like to live in ones that have been "invaded," America would be united behind stopping illegal immigration.

...and these are not just border states. I just saw a report about Danbury Conn. explaining how costs associated with crime and gov't dependency have skyrocketed due to illegal immigration. Here in the DC area, there are several enclaves wherein one is obliged to learn Spanish in order to function.

This is not a racial thing -- tengo la sangre -- it is a matter of controlling the numbers to allow for assimilation. Otherwise this country will increasingly resemble the places from whence these illegals came.

Massive illigale immigration also removes the incentive for Mexico to make itself a place where their nationals would prefer to stay.

[Route101]

...A thousand points of light on the border.....apparently we need a million to "get the point" across to the "missing in action" government......

[Once-Ler]

President George W. Bush, who cannot find the will to police the Mexican border,

It's not a matter of finding the will. It's a matter of finding the money and man power. Between 1990 and 2000, the U.S. increased the number of Border Patrol Agents from 3,600 to 10,000. During that same period illegal immigration rose by 5.5. million. The Minuteman Project appears to have been successful in thwarting illegal entry. The combination of citizen observers, media attention, and increased border agents (Dubya added border agents in April to deter MMP members from acting outside the law) has apparently been successful in reducing illegal entry in Arizona.

People like myself wonder what the motivations of the MMP members are, but if they can control themselves and assist in border apprehensions, motivations are a lesser concern.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

So let's see, You say stationing more agents on the borders doesn't work and people who are willing to take their own time and money to help do the job all those agents don't seem to be able to do have questionable motives.

How exactly (or approximately for that matter) would you suggest we stop what is for all intents and purposes an invasion of Germanic proportions?

There are those of us (about whose motivations you would no doubt wonder) who believe that a combination of still more border enforcement, north and south, as well as the conviction and imprisonment of the heads of certain large enterprises (say in the meat packing, poultry or construction industries) might just have the desired effect.

[Once-Ler]

So let's see, You say stationing more agents on the borders doesn't work and people who are willing to take their own time and money to help do the job all those agents don't seem to be able to do have questionable motives.

I didn't write any such thing, and please don't respond to me until you learn to read. I made a statement of facts. If you have a problem with facts then either get used to Freepers treating you like a retard, or address the facts. I'll repeat the facts because I know you are not very bright...Between 1990 and 2000, the U.S. increased the number of Border Patrol Agents from 3,600 to 10,000. During that same period illegal immigration rose by 5.5. million. Have a nice day.

[Route101]

...copy muzzle flashes!....

[Once-Ler]

...copy muzzle flashes!....

copy arrests and murder charges. Wouldn't that suck? Being charged with murder of non-citizens. That would make one a big fan of the La Nuestra Familia.

[jackbenimble]

It's not a matter of finding the will. It's a matter of finding the money and man power. Between 1990 and 2000, the U.S. increased the number of Border Patrol Agents from 3,600 to 10,000.

It most certainly is a matter of political will! You seem to think that 10,000 Border Patrol Agents is a lot? There are just short of 40,000 cops in New York City. I think our 6000 miles of border deserve a protective force of at least that size particularly since it is clear that the current force is woefully inadequate.

Since 9/11, the TSA went from 0 to 44,000 baggage screeners in 4 short years. In that same period, the Administration and Congress has managed to only grow the Border Patrol by maybe 1500 people. If it was possible to hire and train 44,000 baggage screeners then it should have been possible to do a little better with the Border Patrol. In a considerably shorter time period we have managed to train a 150,000 people for the Iraqi Army. Growing the Border Patrol is clearly a matter of will and we have not seen it.

I recently received a letter from my Senator saying that we only have the capability of training about 500 Border Patrol Agents per year. To me that is just a matter of will. We have military bases in mothballs; let's use them.

The President clearly lacks that will. Congress authorized 2000 agents next year and he budgeted a measly 210. You can say that is about money but he had no difficulty finding a billion dollars to send to Indonesia for the Tsunami. I don't mind helping the rest of the world but protecting America has to come first. If money is an issue how about eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts rather than increasing its budget?

[Dante3]

Not only should the invasion of our country be stopped, but illegal aliens should be deported.

I don't know if anyone saw yesterday's "Law & Order SVU." I stopped watching after ten minutes when the moaning and groaning started over the wonderful "undocumented" something or other. In the past, I've seen an offensive pro-illegal alien bias in several L&O shows. Perhaps in the end of this show they were deported - but I doubt it.

[SwankyC]

I have tried and tried in several replys to say the minute men were not truly minute men, nor were they vigilantes, they were a "neighborhood watch" group.

I believe we should refer to them as such.

The "government" likes to refer to illegal aliens as "people coming across the border to do job that the American people wont do".

I think we should refer to the volunteer border patrol as "people going to the border to do jobs that the American government wont do"

[SwankyC]

Between 1990 and 2000, the U.S. increased the number of Border Patrol Agents from 3,600 to 10,000.

Do you have a source for that? It seems I heard something awhile ago that indicated there's nothing close to 10000 border patrol agents.

[blackie]

Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!

Be Ever Vigilant!

Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!