Thread: Not patriots: 'Minuteman Project' is not for Florida

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJ ... 101906.htm

October 19, 2006

The Minutemen were colonial-era militiamen who became the nation's first rapid-deployment force during the Revolutionary War. The Minuteman is also the name of America's last remaining intercontinental ballistic missile, 500 of which are planted in silos around Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. So it's unfortunate that references to "minuteman" these days usually go to a group of volunteer vigilantes who've appointed themselves patrolmen of the U.S-Mexico border, on the lookout for illegal immigrants.

The so-called Minuteman Project was created in 2005 to do what the group claims the U.S. Customs and Border Protection isn't doing -- stopping illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States. "The Minuteman Project is not a call to arms," the group claims -- even as it uses an armed Minuteman as its logo -- but "to bring national awareness to the decades-long careless disregard of effective U.S. immigration law enforcement" while the nation "is devoured and plundered by the menace of tens of millions of invading illegal aliens."

It may not be a call to arms. It certainly is a call to exercise bigotry. Until now, the group's reach had been limited to the U.S.-Mexico border. No longer. Local Minuteman Project "chapters" are being founded around the country. It doesn't take much more than filling out an on-line form at the Minuteman Project's Web site. John James apparently has done so in creating the Northeast Central Florida Chapter, which covers six counties, including Volusia and Flagler. His epicenter is Pierson -- where 60 percent of the population is Hispanic and where some fernery workers are undocumented.

James wants to "make it tough" for undocumented immigrants to stay here. He and his group's dozen-odd members intend to use quite legal means: They plan to videotape various businesses' ways and means of collecting workers from places allegedly known to be gathering spots for undocumented immigrants and turn over those tapes to law enforcement. Acting legally doesn't mean it can't be a form of bigotry, harassment, intimidation or all of the above.

Two obvious problems immediately arise. First, it is impossible to distinguish who is an illegal alien and who is not. The Minuteman Project's presumptions appear to be that all Hispanic-looking individuals are fair game -- or, for that matter, all foreign-looking individuals are fair game. That doesn't leave any room for that American standard -- innocent until proven guilty. The Minuteman Project, which claims to be doing its part to "save" America, is using methods better suited for a racist police state.

Second, only federal agents may arrest illegal aliens (unless the individual is breaking laws unrelated to immigration). Local agencies are neither equipped nor trained to deal with immigration matters. Nor should they be on principle: Immigration infractions are civil, not criminal, matters. They should stay that way.

Groups like the Minuteman Project play to anti-immigration sentiments that only nominally distinguish between the legal and illegal kind. As such, they inflame an issue at odds with America's historic mission. This is a country founded on the principle of harboring immigrants, not vilifying them. Illegal immigrants are an added challenge, not a deal-breaker with that historic mission.

"I wanted to ask you about your opinion about those people who are hunting migrant people along the border," a reporter asked President Bush in March 2005. Bush's reply: "I'm against vigilantes in the United States of America. I'm for enforcing law in a rational way. That's why you got a Border Patrol, and they ought to be in charge of enforcing the border." Likewise in Florida, there is no place for a group like the Minuteman Project and its bullying vigilantism.

I just wrote the editor of this paper, and this is what I sent him.


Hi, I live in Jacksonville, and I am very dismayed that your paper would print the story you did today in the editorial. The ILLEGAL immigrant invasion that our country is experiencing is not a civil matter, but a criminal matter. They broke federal laws by entering this country illegaly. The minutemen are mearly doing the job that the federal goverment refuses to do. Illegal Aliens are a strain on every local community that they invade. Everything from the school system, medical system, and our PRISON system. Illegal Aliens come to this country and take, take, take, then spit in the very faces of those that they take from by not assimilating to our culture, then demanding special rights.

I have no pity for these people, they come to our country and protest our laws, when they do not have the courage to protest their own govemrent who enables them to be poor in the first place. If they are going to protest anyone, shouldnt it be the country that has caused them to be poor and hungry in the first place?

We pay national taxes, the illegals spend our taxes. Mexico has one of the most hardcore immigration laws in the world, yet they have the nerve to tell us how to enforce ours. The person who wrote this article is ignorant of the facts of illegal immigration and should be fired for writing such an ignorant article.

Not so kind regards,

Ronnie
Jacksonville, Florida

Ronster
That is a great rebuttal to this reporter's story, as soon as I get some time, I plan to write one to.!

LOL. If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.

This editor is only speaking for himself. I happen to know, and I think all of our Floridians here would vouch for the fact that the residents of North Florida are very concerned and disturbed about illegal immigration.

Pure propaganda from one sole editor.

Someone should send him the story about the Mecklenburg County
sherriff who is training 12 deputies by ICE to make arrests.

These nitwits are clueless.

They live in gated communities, and chances are that the only contact they have with illegal aliens is when they hire illegal nannies or landscapers.

Let me to tell you, if President Bush and Congress said tomorrow that we need to import millions of low-skilled Mexican and Central American journalists-because they were bilingual and willing to work for a cheaper salary-these hypocratical bastards would be the first people in line to sign up with the MMP.

When I went through the Miami airport a month ago the announcements were in spanish. Perhaps this paper understands the stuggles of Che Guevarra better than the history of this county.

Originally Posted by Newmexican

When I went through the Miami airport a month the announcements were in spanish. Perhaps this paper understands the stuggles of Che Guevarra better than the history of this county.

Ernesto Guevara Lynch.

Patron saint of vapid yuppie twits and illegal aliens the world over.

http://che-mart.com/







http://www.thepeoplescube.com/Store.php

I've sent my thoughts to this guy.
Wonder if he'll reply.
It's Biketober fest in Daytona Beach Florida this week.
Wonder how many "illegals" are struting around with all the bikers?

I can only hope that the bikers "old persona" has them shaking in their illegal boots!
Today's bikers are a mixed group of profeesionals and free spirit lovers.
(Definatly not broke by any means.)
Some use to think the were gang members and lawbreakers.< not any more, but let's hope they are still scared of possiblity of a pissed off biker.

Daytona has always been a real USA place to me, one of my favorite places that I've lived (Jacksonville is a close second)

Welcome to ALIPAC, I_pledge_allegiance!