Thread: Minutemen are patriots, not racists : NCT Commentary

Minutemen are patriots, not racists

By: DAN NOVAL - Commentary
NORTH COUNTY TIMES
DECEMBER 2, 2006

It has often been said that "words have meaning." This is especially true regarding the current controversy over illegal immigration, emphasis on the word "illegal."

The recently formed group of Americans known as the Minutemen has been labeled by the supporters of illegal immigration as "racists," "bigots," "KKK," "Nazis," and even "un-American." These pejoratives are used as weapons of intimidation to stifle the will of anyone who would defend the rule of law of our nation. There is nothing bigoted about defending one's homeland against the influx of crime, drugs and economic strain that accompanies the unprecedented flow of illegal immigration hemorrhaging across our southern border.

America has enough homegrown crime; we don't need to import it. Just ask the family of Oceanside police officer Tony Zeppetella, or any other family of the many law enforcement officers who have been murdered by individuals who violated our immigration laws. Just ask any of the North County families ravaged by drug abuse resulting from the lucrative business of smuggling those drugs across our southern border. And finally, just ask our local middle-class families who will admit to being financially squeezed by depressed wages and a tax burden that subsidizes the many social services needed to assist a growing, impoverished underclass. No nation on earth can withstand an invasion of such magnitude. These issues give rise to a needed rebuttal to this paper's editorial of Nov. 26 titled, "Evicting migrant workers not a solution."

The editorial implied that the recent protest to evict the trespassers, aka "migrant workers," from McGonigle Canyon was based upon the contemptible motives of latent racism and selfish publicity. The editorial also singled out the Minutemen for scrutiny when in fact the protest was organized by a cross-section of concerned citizens. This shallow attempt to claim the moral high ground in the illegal immigration controversy is disingenuous at best.

The editorial vaguely mentioned "squalid conditions" but no specific references to hazardous campfires, drug usage, prostitution, open latrines and other disgusting examples that decorum prohibits describing. These "squalid" issues were documented in a recent NBC television news report that was a catalyst for the protest. Also, the "migrant workers" were characterized as "homeless" in order to tug at our heartstrings.

But the editorial conveniently failed to state that the vast majority of those "migrant workers" do in fact have homes in Mexico and other Latin American countries that they left voluntarily to come north, violate our immigration laws with impunity, then, in many cases, send the money they earn home to their families. How can one be "homeless" while at the same time sending money "home"? The oxymoron is glaring.

Today's Minutemen are no different from their forebears of 1775. They are not racists; they are patriots in the truest sense of the word. They are standing shoulder to shoulder to protect the sovereignty of our nation. They are standing on the Lexington Green of our local communities and southern border. What could be more patriotic than that?

Oceanside resident Dan Noval is a retired deputy with 23 years of service for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12 ... 2_2_06.txt

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Fantastic commentary by this man.

It is so true, that the liberal media plays on every angle they can to encourage the hatred of patriotic Americans who wish to see our laws enforced and our borders secured.

Evicting migrants not a solution

By: North County Times Opinion Staff

Our view: As leaders do nothing, immigration debate gets more heated

The rousting last weekend of migrant workers from a Carmel Valley canyon served no purpose other than to grab some headlines for the Minutemen and to fuel growing anger in our communities about illegal immigration.

About 200 people gathered on the edge of McGonigle Canyon on Nov. 18 to protest the presence of migrant workers living there. Organized by the Minutemen, the protesters had planned to camp in the canyon, but landowners refused to let them on their property.

The landowners also had removed the workers during the week before, worried that the two camps would collide violently.

It's no secret that day laborers live in shantytowns in many of North County's canyons. They trek out during the day to find work at one of the many area farms, at construction sites or in yards of nearby homes.

The camps in McGonigle Canyon have been there for at least 20 years, and we have to wonder why there's a sudden push to evict those workers now. Could it be because it generates publicity? The city was already working with landowners to clear the canyon, and efforts to find the workers shelter ---- though continually stalled ---- are ongoing.

That folks are living in squalid conditions in canyons is a problem, but the eviction rally didn't solve it. The evicted workers aren't going to suddenly have viable shelter because the Minutemen pushed them out of the canyon. No doubt many simply moved to a different canyon ---- and some have already returned to McGonigle.

What's more, by going after the workers in McGonigle Canyon, the Minutemen weaken their repeated statements that their efforts to stem illegal immigration have nothing to do with race and everything to do with the rule of law. There is no way of knowing whether the workers are illegal. In fact, the San Diego Police Department tells us that many are in the United States legally.

The message here is that if you are homeless and happen to be Latino, you will automatically be dubbed "illegal." It's doubtful the rally would have taken place if the homeless workers had been white.

It's worrisome that this is where the illegal immigration debate is heading. Even more worrisome are the elected leaders who align themselves with such actions. Assemblyman and state Sen.-elect Mark Wyland of Vista was at the rally, saying he supports "every single one of these people who came out here." Congressman Brian Bilbray, who keeps an office in Escondido, has headlined other Minutemen rallies.

That's just poor leadership. Instead of offering a real solution to the problem, our politicians are encouraging folks to roust the homeless out of their makeshift shelters.

To be sure, the Minutemen have every right to protest, but the protests are coming dangerously close to harassment, especially when their aim is to target folks who are Latino and poor. They've taken the civil disobedience model of Martin Luther King Jr. to an ugly level.

This all underscores the need for real immigration reform. The level of anger surrounding immigration has grown with lack of action in Washington. It's a symptom of the larger problem.

We do need to gain more control of our borders. And we do need a way for the workers in the U.S. illegally to come out of the shadows and gain legal status.

Last weekend's protest ---- and politicians supporting it ---- didn't get us any closer to a solution.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/11 ... _25_06.txt

Evicting ILLIGAL migrants not a solution. but it's a gggggggggggggood start. Why is getting people out of where they don't belong in the first place, rousting? Have you read the news lately? Mabe they stopped a rapest from comming over here, just maybe they stopped a murderer from comming over here, just msybe they stopped a drunk driver from comming over and driving without a licence, and killing someone. At least they are doing something to stop all this crap. Where as the goverment isn't. I don't know how some people can be so STUPID. Wait until it hits home, then I think STUPID people will be changing their minds real quick. So who cares who gets angry, Not I nor millions of other AMERICANS. If you care so much about ILLIGAL ALIELNS, Go to mexico & take them with you. See how long you like it there. Look up their imigration laws. HA HA & they want rights. GET THE PIC. Wake up !!!!

The only racism I have seen thus far in this whole thing seems to be carried out by the illegals and their pro-illegal activist. The ones acting like the KKK or the Nazis seems to be the students of these colleges such as Columbia and MSU. that might be wrong, but these children who would stifle anyones freedom of speech such as they did with Gilchrist and Tancredo are the true Nazi acting people in this fight! They have turned into the very ones they proclaim to be against!

This same article was in the "San Bernardino County Sun" and the "Dailly Bulliten" (Ontario, Ca.)

They forget to mention that we were also dubbed "Vigilantes", and that`s when they started calling everyone "racists" because the name "vigilantes"
did`nt stick.

It is nice to know that the Minutemen hit a nerve. It only means that they are being taken seriously. So many people have tried to destroy their credibility, but it is not working, and it won't because we know that they are watching out for our country. The Minutemen have proven that they are a force that will not be destroyed, and they make all of us very proud.

NORTH COUNTY TIMES
Comments On This Story

Skip wrote on December 02, 2006 9:23 PM:"For those of you who do not know or do not believe in the terrible problems associated with uncontrolled illegal Immigration into the United States I highly reccomend the new book by Patrick J. Buchanan.... State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America. This books takes all of these stories about Illegal Immigration, such as in the NCT and puts them in perspective. There have been more third world illegal aliens in the last 10 years then all of the legal immigrants combined to the United states in the last 200 years. "

Skip wrote on December 02, 2006 9:25 PM:"For those of you who do not know or do not believe in the terrible problems associated with uncontrolled illegal Immigration into the United States I highly recommend the new book by Patrick J. Buchanan.... STATE OF EMERGENCY: THE THIRD WORLD INVASION AND CONQUEST OF AMERICA. This book takes all of these stories about Illegal Immigration, such as in the NCT and puts them in perspective. There have been more third world illegal aliens in the last 10 years then all of the legal immigrants combined to the United States in the last 200 years. If we allow our government to give amnesty, then all hope of controlling our borders will be lost."

Press 1 for English, Press 2 for Deportation wrote on December 02, 2006 10:25 PM:"Right on Dan! When are you running for public office? We could really use someone like you as very few of our current politicians have 1/10th of the understanding of this issue that you obviously have."

get real wrote on December 02, 2006 10:59 PM:"Dan, have you attended any of these rallies or checked out the videos of these guys? While I believe most people who are against illegal immigration are reasonable and balanced, I can find no such words for these Minutemen. I've never once heard them ask for the papers of day laborers or migrants where they protest. They assume anyone who is Mexican and looking for work is illegal, and therefore think it is OK to belittle them or treat them as worthless. I'm for more contolled borders and against these squalid camps. But painting any group of people, regardless of status, as less than human is dangerous and is the first step to forming a hate group. Go to the rallies. Get on the e-mail loops. Look at their web sites and blogs. Intelligent people who oppose illegal immigration can do much better than to side with these superficial alarmists. It's time to stop lending credence to fringe groups and extremists on both sides of this debate and only pay attention to those who are willing to sit down and figure out some solutions. "

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http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12 ... 2_2_06.txt

It must take a while for the comments to be posted or else they didn't like what I said.

Maybe they don't update on Sunday.

My comment was submitted HOURS ago.