As a Minutemen member.........

[Little-Acorn]

Hi, all. I'm new here.

I noticed that this group in the forum is for "Minuteman Project / Illegal Immigration". First time I've seen such a heading in a forum. Cool!

I'm a member of the Minutemen (Not the Minuteman Project, which is an unrelated political group, not a border-watching group). I fly an aircraft over stretches of the California/Mexico border, and report by radio when I see people doing something to the fence, or crossing the border, etc. Our base station then reports directly to the Border Patrol, which investigates as they feel is needed. They credit us with assisting on many arrests and TBS's they have made.

Though the national Minutemen have disbanded due to the increasing danger of the border areas, our Califonia chapter is still going strong. A few of our guys on the ground have been shot at, but have never returned fire, of course. Their function is to sit around playing chess or something, looking around with binoculars or night-vision glasses. When they see something, they call the Border Patrol and tell them what and where, and then go back to their chess games.

But a number of times, they have had people walk right up to them and ask for water, food, etc. We always give them what we can, try to make them comfortable, put blankets around them etc., and of course call the BP. Border-crossing can be VERY unpleasant - it's hot and dry in the summer, but can cool down near freezing in the evenings. And winter operations are VERY dangerous. A lot of the people we've seen, are poorly prepared - no warm clothes, little food and water, crappy shoes that fall apart quickly when walking over rocks. You have to feel for them.

Is anyone else here, in the Minutemen, or have worked with them? What have your experiences been? How do you feel about the whole operation, and the whole problem of illegal border crashers?

 

[Jamestown Girl]

Hi! Welcome to TB. There has been quite an active thread on this topic. I'll add the link and you can see the discussion.

 

[Little-Acorn]

Hi! Welcome to TB. There has been quite an active thread on this topic. I'll add the link and you can see the discussion.

Thank you, yes please post the link!

I've scanned thru a lot of the forums here, and haven't found the active thread you mention. Where izzit?

 

[VesperSparrow]

All I can do is offer prayer for ya right now....I don't know who to believe anymore....people like the ones you know sittiing around playing a game of Chess or the ones out L&L....

Border-crossing can be VERY unpleasant - it's hot and dry in the summer, but can cool down near freezing in the evenings. And winter operations are VERY dangerous. A lot of the people we've seen, are poorly prepared - no warm clothes, little food and water, crappy shoes that fall apart quickly when walking over rocks. You have to feel for them.

I guess the best I can offer is to follow the words of the Shepherd: "Let your yes be yes and your no be no.;..no middleground....no in between.....but also this: "Do unto others.....".....

and so may your angels guide you in your decisions and I PRAY that the bottle of water they gave an illegal wasn't just enough to get him across the border and into MY home where he/she hurts one of MINE.
And remember what you yourself wrote....and if you know American history, then you will know what OUR people went through to secure this country....the barefooted illegals of THIS day and age be damned. DO IT RIGHT OR DON'T DO IT AT ALL!!!!!

IF America is like the REST of the world then GO out to the REST of the world.
And if you see in AMERICA what you would wish the rest of the world to be, then GO make your OWN America!!!!
And before you try and turn AMERICA into something YOU wish her to be, why not STAND THE HELL UP for your OWN country, wht not FIGHT FOR YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL LAND, why come HERE? You come HERE because it is so easy to whine and bitch because you KNOW you won't be shot or have your head chopped off....think we are gonna just let you in to take away what WE fought for? Think again.


It has NOTHING to do with skin color but everything to do with HEART. And our HEARTS you are slowly killing....red or yellow black or white.....
Peace out.

 

[SassyinAZ]

Welcome Acorn!

What is the difference between the minuteman groups?

 

[Little-Acorn]

Welcome Acorn!

What is the difference between the minuteman groups?

Well, there are lots of groups who use the name. Mine, the MCDC (Minuteman Civil Defense Corps) operates as I described: We set up a base camp, then station people along the border with radios, binocs, night-vision gear, radios, and cell phones. People are allowed to bring a personal sidearm if they prefer (no rifles) - no sidearm has yet been used in anger. But we don't mind people in the area knowing we are armed - prevents some people from getting any odd ideas, or at least acting on them.

As I said, we sit around, spot suspicious things or activities, and call in the Border Patrol. That's it.

"Minuteman Project" is different. It's a groups formed to get one guy, Jim Gilchrist, elected to public office. He seems to have his heart in the right place, approves of what we do, and has all the usual "other" political stands. But no one has ever seen him at any of our camps, or seen him sit thru a midnight watch, or hear a stray bullet whip by etc. Somehow when local TV or radio stations visit the border, he's often there, with a shirt proclaiming his website. There's a little friction between him and us, because people we talk to, who want to contribute to us, watch TV to get our number or address and wind up sending checks to Gilchrist instead.

He's not a bad guy, as I said his heart is in the right place, but his priorities appear to be different from ours.

Then there are a few groups who take the name "Minutemen" and make up their own rules - anybody can do that, obviously. Some groups are similar to ours, others different. I heard rumors of one group (about four people) who would bring rifles and actively hunt for people in the wilder stretches of the border. We don't like them at all - someone is going to get seriously hurt or worse. But the BP can't stop them any more than they can stop us, until AFTER someone winds up dead, then it's too late. Fortunately they are very few, and I haven't actually heard much about them in the last few years. Maybe they disbanded, or at least mellowed out.

We get along with the Border Patrol and Campo and Jacumba cops great - they are grateful for the extra eyes, and they know we are careful and reserved. We get far more threats from various protestors who occasionally show up, though that is rare, and we don't pay them much attention.

Does that give you the idea?

VesperSparrow, when we help someone, we then turn them over to the BP. No one has yet come to our camps and then gone anywhere except into a BP van. The ones who come to us, are pretty much the ones who have given up due to the hardship of the crossing, and don't try to run away from us. Walking thru rocky ground with harsh brush, scorpions, and snakes at night is no picnic, and we've seen our share of sprained ankles, lacerations, one snakebite and one broken leg, plus all the usual dehydration, hypothermia, etc. As for the ones you are talking about, they are the ones still trying to make it into the U.S., and a Minuteman camp is the LAST place they'll go.