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Perhaps I blinked and missed the gun battle and brutality. A group of men holding signs and exercising their 1st Amendment rights, can hardly be considered menacing vigilantes. He received a ticket, he wasn’t handcuffed and arrested. I have seen far worse from illegal aliens and their apologists. As a matter of fact, had they been pro-illegals, I'd bet the farm they wouldn't have even received a ticket.
Perhaps I blinked and missed the gun battle and brutality. A group of men holding signs and exercising their 1st Amendment rights, can hardly be considered menacing vigilantes. He received a ticket, he wasn’t handcuffed and arrested. I have seen far worse from illegal aliens and their apologists. As a matter of fact, had they been pro-illegals, I'd bet the farm they wouldn't have even received a ticket.
They don't just hold signs, Benicar. They "patrol".
In other words, they dress up in G.I. Joe costumes, grab binoculars, throw a couple lawn chairs and their guns(if they are permitted of course) into the pickup and patrol the border.
Border Patrol are TRAINED to patrol and watch the border.
Minuteman area bunch of bored angry weekend warriors who are not just being a threat to illegals, but to themselves.
They don't just hold signs, Benicar. They "patrol".
I realize they patrol. I was responding to the video you posted. In the video, they were simply exercising their 1st Amendment rights. Nothing more, nothing less.
I realize they patrol. I was responding to the video you posted. In the video, they were simply exercising their 1st Amendment rights. Nothing more, nothing less.
Those protesting in the video were "pro-illegals".
The guy in the vehicle with the flashing light on top(to the minutemobile!) was a Minuteman chapter leader or something trying to intimidate a woman carrying a sign with his vehicle.
Location: Oklahoma(formerly SoCalif) Originally Mich,
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You see a video on U tube and post it, without knowing the first damn thing about whats going on. Sure the police harrassed us all of the time, most of the time without reason.
If you have read anything about these then you should know where they're locatated.
Other then that it's all assumption.
They don't just hold signs, Benicar. They "patrol".
In other words, they dress up in G.I. Joe costumes, grab binoculars, throw a couple lawn chairs and their guns(if they are permitted of course) into the pickup and patrol the border.
Border Patrol are TRAINED to patrol and watch the border.
Minuteman area bunch of bored angry weekend warriors who are not just being a threat to illegals, but to themselves.
I just HAVE to step in here...for the 'umpteenth time' on this subject. Dressing up in costumes, sitting on lawn chairs, having a permitted weapon, and patrolling ANYTHING, is not illegal...nor is it "threatening". There are PLENTY of bored and angry people. In fact, I'd say there are plenty of angry illegals. But being angry isn't against the law, either.
The Border Patrol is indeed 'trained' to patrol the border. However, they are obviously unable, or unwilling, to come anywhere REMOTELY close to doing so effectively...(quite possibly, they've been ORDERED not to patrol it too closely)....at any rate, though, 12 to 15 million folks who've been able to 'slip through' the border is NOT a sign that it's being patrolled in any sort of an effective manner. Would you, or anyone you know, pay a private security contractor, if your home or your place of business was broken into twice a week? Of course not. You'd probably get angry and do something on your own to protect YOUR property, if those you hired would not. Would this make you a 'threatening' person? Would it make you look 'silly'?
The Minutemen exist at ALL, only because the border is NOT being patrolled in anything like an acceptable manner....and everyone knows this. The Minutemen may look 'silly', and you may call them 'pesty'...but they are doing a job that the 'real' authorities can't do. I see absolutely NO difference whatsoever in the Minutemen, and in a Neighborhood Watch group, which forms due to chronic neighborhood crime or vandalism. Sitting by and smirking at these 'do-gooders' may give you great satisfaction...but that's about ALL you can do, "smirk'...because the obvious failure of the government to do its job is what we SHOULD be 'smirking' at, not those trying to make the best of a truly disgraceful system.
I just HAVE to step in here...for the 'umpteenth time' on this subject. Dressing up in costumes, sitting on lawn chairs, having a permitted weapon, and patrolling ANYTHING, is not illegal...nor is it "threatening". There are PLENTY of bored and angry people. In fact, I'd say there are plenty of angry illegals. But being angry isn't against the law, either.
The Border Patrol is indeed 'trained' to patrol the border. However, they are obviously unable, or unwilling, to come anywhere REMOTELY close to doing so effectively...(quite possibly, they've been ORDERED not to patrol it too closely)....at any rate, though, 12 to 15 million folks who've been able to 'slip through' the border is NOT a sign that it's being patrolled in any sort of an effective manner. Would you, or anyone you know, pay a private security contractor, if your home or your place of business was broken into twice a week? Of course not. You'd probably get angry and do something on your own to protect YOUR property, if those you hired would not. Would this make you a 'threatening' person? Would it make you look 'silly'?
The Minutemen exist at ALL, only because the border is NOT being patrolled in anything like an acceptable manner....and everyone knows this. The Minutemen may look 'silly', and you may call them 'pesty'...but they are doing a job that the 'real' authorities can't do. I see absolutely NO difference whatsoever in the Minutemen, and in a Neighborhood Watch group, which forms due to chronic neighborhood crime or vandalism. Sitting by and smirking at these 'do-gooders' may give you great satisfaction...but that's about ALL you can do, "smirk'...because the obvious failure of the government to do its job is what we SHOULD be 'smirking' at, not those trying to make the best of a truly disgraceful system.
The discussion wasn't on whether or not what they did is legal. The discussion is on whether or not they could be considered a vigilante group. In my opinion, they are.
And how effective are they in keeping people from crossing compared to the Border Patrol? From what I hear, not very.
The Border Patrol are trained to patrol the border while being as safe as possible.
How many attacks on the Border Patrol have you read about?
Are Minuteman prepared to deal with that?
Oh, they have guns.
What if someone gets scared and shoots at the wrong person when there is no attack? Theyre not trained to handle those kinds of situations.
The Minutemen are ineffective, and serve no purpose other than to prove how much of a real American citizen its members are. Even its racist associating, money embezzling founder Gilchrist has said the Minuteman Project was originally a dog and pony show to draw attention to the issue itself. Maybe they should stick to their street corners in Orange County?
The discussion wasn't on whether or not what they did is legal. The discussion is on whether or not they could be considered a vigilante group. In my opinion, they are.
And how effective are they in keeping people from crossing compared to the Border Patrol? From what I hear, not very.
The Border Patrol are trained to patrol the border while being as safe as possible.
How many attacks on the Border Patrol have you read about?
Are Minuteman prepared to deal with that?
Oh, they have guns.
What if someone gets scared and shoots at the wrong person when there is no attack? Theyre not trained to handle those kinds of situations.
The Minutemen are ineffective, and serve no purpose other than to prove how much of a real American citizen its members are. Even its racist associating, money embezzling founder Gilchrist has said the Minuteman Project was originally a dog and pony show to draw attention to the issue itself. Maybe they should stick to their street corners in Orange County?
You've made your points, but I'm not sure how effective they are. "Vigilantes" are certainly a 'dirty word' these days...but that's assuming the proper authorities 'do their job'..when they don't (as in the California gold rush days, when there WERE no proper authorities) 'vigilantes' are harder to condemn. Aren't Neighborhood Watch members really 'vigilantes', in a sense?
The Border Patrol SHOULD be keeping out 'trespassers'...obviously, they're not. So some 'amateurs' show up. They don't hurt anyone, they don't even TOUCH anyone...so what? They "annoy" people? OK, they're annoying.
But when "the Professionals" can't do the job they're assigned, I don't see how we can make TOO much of an argument when the 'second string' shows up. Want to get rid of the Minutemen? So do I...I hope someday there's no rational reason for them to 'show up' at all.
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