Posted on 05/27/2006 6:09:37 PM PDT by faq
PALOMINAS, Ariz. - Scores of volunteers gathered at a remote ranch Saturday to help a civilian border-patrol group start building a short security fence in hopes of reducing illegal immigration from Mexico.
The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps plans to install a combination of barbed wire, razor wire, and in some spots, steel rail barriers along the 10-mile stretch of private land in southeastern Arizona.
They hope it prompts the federal government to do the same along the entire Arizona border.
President Bush has pledged to deploy as many as 6,000 National Guard troops to strengthen enforcement at the border. The guardsmen would fill in on some behind-the-lines Border Patrol jobs while that agency's force is expanded.
But the Minutemen have said it's not enough. The group's founder, Chris Simcox, said they want a secure fence and they're starting at the site where his first patrols began in November 2002.
Rancher John Ladd and his son, Jack, were hopeful the effort would limit the illegal immigrants and drug runners who have cut the small fence along the property or just driven over it to cross into the U.S.
"We've been fighting this thing for 10 years with the fence, and nobody will do anything," Jack Ladd said.
Most of the day was dedicated to speeches from politicians and Minutemen leaders and celebrating large donations the Minutemen group has been receiving. As of midweek, the group had raised about $225,000 for fence materials and signed up about 1,000 volunteers to work on the project, organizers said.
"We're not going to stop. We're going to stay here with a group and keep building," said Timothy Schwartz of Glendale, Ariz., who was among at least 200 volunteers gathered. He said he wants a fence along the border from California to Texas.
Quetzal Doty of Sun Lakes, Ariz., a retired U.S. diplomatic consular officer, brought his wife, Sandy, to the event.
He said he's convinced the Minutemen and most Americans aren't anti-immigrant.
"They're just anti-illegal," said Doty. "The Minutemen walk the extra mile to avoid being anti-immigrant and that's what we like about the organization and what got us interested."
Hows that for irony? The Quetzal was an Aztec god, in the form of a bird..
Good to hear. American individualism and independence still lives.
How long before Mexican soldiers from Grupo Beta come across at night and wreck the fence?
Good for them, and good for us! They are sure as hell doing more than those jackasses in Washington are doing. Every American is in their debt for they are the true patriots of today.
"Somewhere John McCain is wetting himself and crying."
Post 7. ; )
I had this idea today-
They should cover the entire length of the border with live web-cams. (At night they could use IR, or some form of night vision.)
The key is this: we need a website where thousands of volunteers would sign up to monitor the cameras. When someone sees movement, they just click a mouse button. Of course a second (and perhaps third) confirmation would be needed- and after that, the location automatically gets reported to local police or border patrol.
Spread this idea, if you like it, perhaps it will take off somehow.
Patriot PING
How can we donate to this project?
bttt
Thanks for the donation link!
Wasn't someone talking about this?....good idea, though.
You know, we need a website person handy, every time we come up with good ideas. So we can see if implementing them would be possible. Agree?
Anyone know a webmaster/designer?
How much would that be for the entire border?
There's a big fire burning now off to the west on the other side of the mountains in the vicinity of Parker Canyon Lake. Any bets on how it got started since there's been no lightning? Hmmmmm.........?
San Wright (L), of Brunswick, Georgia, and Jack Pate, of El Sobrante, California, volunteers with the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, run barbed wire along a fence line the group is building 50 feet from the U.S. border with Mexico on the San Jose Ranch in Palominas, Arizona, May 27, 2006. The group plans to build approximately 70 miles (113 km) of border fencing on private land in Arizona at a cost of nearly $55 million. Area ranchers are allowing the group to build the fence on their property to help keep undocumented immigrants who cross the border from encroaching on their land. REUTERS/Jeff Topping
Volunteers of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps run barbed wire along a fence line the group is building, 50 feet from the U.S. border with Mexico, on the San Jose Ranch in Palominas, Arizona, May 27, 2006. The group plans to build approximately 70 miles (113 km) of border fencing on private land in Arizona at a cost of nearly $55 million. Area ranchers are allowing the group to build the fence on their property to help keep undocumented immigrants who cross the border from encroaching on their land. REUTERS/Jeff Topping
A group of Minuteman Civil Defense Corps volunteers and members of the media listen to U.S Congressman Steve King (R-IA) during a ground breaking ceremony on the San Jose Ranch in Palominas, Arizona, May 27, 2006. The group began building a fence on the ranch to help keep undocumented workers from entering the property. The group plans to build approximately 70 miles (113 km) of border fencing on private land in Arizona at a cost of nearly $55 million. REUTERS/Jeff Topping
thanks for the donation link...just did one...I feel really good about it too.
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