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Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms

By TChris, Section Crime Policy
Posted on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 01:36:53 PM EST
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by TChris

It didn't take long for the vigilante group known as the Minuteman Project (discussed in this TalkLeft post) to make unnecessary work for the Border Patrol.

Even though volunteers for the Minuteman Project were only beginning their regular, monthlong patrols Monday, they have unwittingly set off sensors during the past few days, forcing agents to respond to what essentially is a false alarm, said Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Jose Maheda. "Every sensor has to be addressed," Maheda said. "It's taken away from our normal operations."

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    Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms | 30 comments (30 topical)
    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 02:48:18 PM EST
    If this is "forcing agents to respond", I say it's a good thing. Heaven knows if they had been responding even a little better in the past...this 'vigilante' group wouldn't be needed and we wouldn't have 5 MILLION illegals from Mexico already here.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#2)
    by scarshapedstar on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 02:58:31 PM EST
    Yeah, B.B., I'm sure these guys are really making a difference. Up next: pulling fire alarms at random because, hey, sometimes buildings burn down and it's obviously the fault of fire departments.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 03:06:51 PM EST
    I just want to see what happens the first dark night when these armed to the teeth Minute men run into the border patrol. I hope nobody gets killed but I suspect that when the shooting stops the border patrol will come down on these homemade commandos like a ton of bricks and anyone not under indictment will be heading home.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 03:07:19 PM EST
    Why don't people want to stop drugs from coming across from mexico?, reason why both the Left and Right need drugs killing people here for the political agenda of murder.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#5)
    by desertswine on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 03:29:36 PM EST
    I'm afraid that they're going to kill someone: some Central American, maybe, just looking for a better life.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 03:33:08 PM EST
    et al - Like it or no, the problem is the number of illegals. The Border Patrol, like any organization, is not going to welcome any intrusion as what they see as their "turf." And while I think they are most likely overworked, underpaid and understaffed, I have no empirical evidence of this. They should consider their politics before complaining too much.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#7)
    by roy on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 03:39:19 PM EST
    It didn't take long for the vigilante group known as the Minuteman Project (discussed in this TalkLeft post) to make unnecessary work for the Border Patrol.
    Similarly, the Campus Antiwar Network's (discussed in this TalkLeft post) protests make unnecessary work for local police and school administrators. Since when are protests supposed to be planned around the convenience of The Man? Oh, since conservatives started doing it.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 03:39:26 PM EST
    I wonder if they got the name "Minutemen" from their wives?

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 03:47:37 PM EST
    No time for love Big Ed. We are too busy saving the Western World just like our President... (Minuteman falls into a daydream of vicious gunfights with bad guys. They all die and the President swoops in on Marine One gives out medals. Back in Tombstone, there are parades, free beer and hundreds of beautiful models throw their panties at us.)

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 03:48:05 PM EST
    The real problem is the Minutemen's out dated metal walkers,wheelchairs, and canes tend to trigger the sensors! They have to invest in stealth technology. Get with it you old buggers.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 03:58:38 PM EST
    they are now furthering the problem by causing more disturbances for an already overworked border patrol. why cant someone convince these guys there are better ways?

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 04:09:34 PM EST
    I would agree Roy, if this was in any way a non-violent protest, or in fact a mildly well planned scheme, or if the point of this exercise is to screw over the Border Patrol. It is none of the three. Obstensiably they claim to be "assisting" the Border Patrols. Instead, they're tripping false alarms and wasting the Border Patrol's time. The second point, is that the obvious poor turn out, and the general haphazard way this whole production has been pulled off shows how little anyone involved knows what their doing. And the first point is the biggest point, because there is no reason to believe any of these people are not tacitly interested in illegally taking hostage or assaulting immigrants crossing the border.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 04:31:12 PM EST
    If the border patrol and US government were actually doing their jobs then these minutemen wouldn't have to do it for them. The border patrol/government has only themselves to blame. To say there isn't a border problem is absurd. There needs to be real solutions.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 04:41:18 PM EST
    minuteman - If the best you can do is dream of models throwing panties at you, well, all I can say is that you youngsters have no imagaination...or class. Ed B. - I don't know, why don't you go down and ask'em?

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#15)
    by roy on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 05:00:02 PM EST
    Sean S.,
    I would agree Roy, if this was in any way a non-violent protest, or in fact a mildly well planned scheme, or if the point of this exercise is to screw over the Border Patrol.
    They haven't shot anybody so far, so it's at least in some way non-violent. They have ID cards, nation-wide recruitment of volunteers, and a podium, so they seem mildly well planned. The main goal isn't to assist the border patrol as you say, it's to attract attention (scroll to A1) to the issue. It's working. I think their intention is to help the Border Patrol in the long run by encouraging more funding, but in the short run it's all about media whoring. They have better turnout (450) than the 2nd Million Mom March (100), so if "poor turnout" is a problem look elsewhere. As for a "general haphazard way" of running the thing, how so? So far, they've done basically what they said they would.
    ...there is no reason to believe any of these people are not tacitly interested in illegally taking hostage or assaulting immigrants crossing the border.
    Possibly. If somebody wanted to do so, I think they'd pick a better venue. It's a nationally-visible event, with law enforcement and the media already very interested and invited to watch.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 06:43:35 PM EST
    From reading this i think a third world war is a great idea, i will help. Down with bush, long live the people!..red dawn, bad movie just like the borders are, bad borders with bad people on both sides,I need my V.A. Drugs now.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#17)
    by demohypocrates on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 08:14:06 PM EST
    People are volunteering their time to point out those that are illegally crossing the border. They have given water and food to migrants that were in terrible shape. How dare they. Stop subsidizing rich capitalists that exploit their labor at the expense of able bodied Americans.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 08:32:17 PM EST
    LOL! Hey Big Ed, I was making a stab at satire there. I did not push the envelope far enough I guess. The wingnuts probably think that way. I suppose I could have gotten pornographic with the models but should probably keep the comments somewhat clean.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#20)
    by unbill on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 06:28:21 AM EST
    Check out this Washington Post article on the Minutemen.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#21)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 06:45:00 AM EST
    I love it. The minutemen, by setting off false alarms, are probably allowing even more illegals to cross the border. Good job fellas!
    Why don't people want to stop drugs from coming across from mexico?,
    Fred my man, some of us like those drugs! Though the stuff coming from Canada is of far better quality, the Mexican is cheaper and helps keep the price down.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 08:03:07 AM EST
    "Since when are protests supposed to be planned around the convenience of The Man? Oh, since conservatives started doing it." Seems to me if this were really a protest, they'd all be protesting from inside a "protest zone" cage miles from the border.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#23)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 09:31:34 AM EST
    anon..the infamous oxymoronic "free speech zones" you speak of only apply when the protest is directed at politicians.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#24)
    by roy on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 09:36:16 AM EST
    Nameless,
    Seems to me if this were really a protest, they'd all be protesting from inside a "protest zone" cage miles from the border.
    Use of "protest zones" is not universal. For instance, the people who are protesting against the MMP (search for "protest") are able to get right up in Minutemens' faces in downtown Tombstone. (Free Republic is apparently running a series of first-hand reports)

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 01:51:44 PM EST
    Imagine if several hundred lefties had a protest where they pretended to be a paramilitary organization, carried weapons, and tripped alarms that caused a false law enforcement alarm. They wouldn't call it a protest, they'd call it a terrorist conspiracy, and the organizers would be sent to Gitmo.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 02:10:40 PM EST
    If you want the government to take responsibility for illegal entry, then why take the responsibility out of its hands? That's what these guys with guns are proposing/doing (I won't dignify them with the "Minuteman" moniker). I can only hope that governments' enforcement officers hold these people accountable and arrest them if they're breaking the law. If you ask me, their approach is a waste. The Border Patrol is searching for a few scattered groups over a large mass of land (read the excellent piece on the BP's daily patrols in the New Yorker some months back). It's much easier to go after the places where illegal immigrants gather in one place for hours at a time: the workplace. So I'm sure everyone here supports going after businesses that hire these folks, right? Of course, as any executive from Wal-Mart or Whole Foods could tell you, the government's ability to fight unfair labor practices is very weak right now. (And "Zibberbibble"? I imagine only Hispanic US Citizens with acute terminal illnesses would be willing to sign on to your plan.)

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#27)
    by Richard Aubrey on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 05:18:18 PM EST
    I'm in favor of going after the guys who hire these people. I'm also in favor of making it easy to check the documents. I'm also in favor of keeping in mind that drug smugglers and terrorists don't usually show up at Walmart looking for work.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 08:12:53 PM EST
    ZB - Why don't you do that? It would be a wonderful use of your time. And after they report you, note, NOT arrest you, to the BP, the BP can arrest you for entering the US at an illegal point. (Yes, there is a law. Details anyone??)

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#29)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Apr 07, 2005 at 03:18:55 PM EST
    PPJ, can we report you to the Border Patrol for failing to read what ZB typed? (hint: it was nothing about entering the US at an illegal point)

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#30)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 05:23:21 AM EST
    I say hurray for the minutemen. Our federal government won't take our border problem seriously... United States citizens will. It's refreshing to see UNITED STATES citizens protecting their home land. How much of your tax $$ is really protecting you? I applaud all you dedicated Americans.

    Re: Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms (none / 0) (#31)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 06:53:57 PM EST
    Interesting how we can lose sight that the law, Federal Law, is being broken here. Now I don't care where someone is from or what color they are, the law's the law. When Washington does not secure the borders, which it's legally bound to do by the way, it's not only the people's right but duty to do so. To protect their land, property and families. Either we're a nation of laws and have the right to defend ourselves or we're not and we don't. Interesting article about Minutemen: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1386307/posts

    Minutemen Set Off Border Alarms | 30 comments (30 topical)