Minute Man Project report

[retire2005]

There were about 250 people at the Minute Man Project meeting in Goliad, Texas. All ages, sizes and colors. I was a little surprised to see how many law enforcement officers were there, over and above the local guys who were there to maintain peace.
There were protestors outside the building with signs saying that "terrorists came in through Canada, not Mexico". The news people were there in full force, along with Phil Keating of Fox Cable News. Of course, Telemundo was there in full force.
Cris Simcox, one of the founders of the Minute Men, was precise and to the point. He pointed out that hundreds of Mexicans are dying in our American deserts because the cayote smugglers just leave them there. Women and children are the most at risk, with many Mexican women being raped and/or killed before they find shelter. He talked about the cost to our social services and about the fact that the Mexican government encourages illegal migration into the U.S. But most of all, he spoke, in quiet terms, that these people are ILLEGAL, and the number of OTM's (other than Mexican) are rapidly rising and that our federal government want to protect the borders of Iraq, but do damn little to protect our own. One rancher told of how eleven Chinese nationals (all illegal) were picked up last week by the BP on his property.
Of course, there were some verbal protestors who say that the Minute Men project is racist and only targets Mexicans. That did not sit well as there were a number of Tejanos in the crowd (Texan born Hispanics) who told this guy to sit down and shut up.
At all times, the Minute Men preach law and order. No violence, no physical encounters, no guns, nothing that can be taken out of context. The equipment used are binoculars and walkie talkies, and cell phones to call the Border Patrol. Every volunteer must go through a complete background check before they can be a volunteer on the border. If an illegal is encountered that needs medical assistance, the Border Patrol is to be notified IMMEDIATELY to the illegals needs. Water may be provided as long as the volunteer does not touch the illegal.
So far, 7,000 Texans have volunteered to monitor the border between Texas and Mexico. And the numbers are growing.

[MARIO]

All good people. If the government won't do the damn job (as protection of our borders is mandated by the Constitution), then I guess the people will have to do it.

The government doesn't seem keen on following much of anything in the Constitution these days, as this pathetic Supreme Court ruling on private property bears out.

[retire05]

The cost to pay a cayote to bring you over the border from Mexico is not cheap. The lowest estimate being around $800.00 with some OTM's paying as much as $15,000.00. The cry is that the illegals only want a better life, but I ask: how many American citizens, struggling to feed their kids have as much as $800.00 at any given time?
NAFTA was the end all to beat all. It was going to provide jobs for the Mexicans and they would then stop coming into the U.S. illegally. It didn't happen. Now the federal government is proposing CAFTA. Another punch in American worker's eye.
Maning the Texas border will not be easy. We have no federal lands in Texas so the Minute Men will have to set up on private property. But from the looks of things, that will come. As ranch owners tire of having their houses robbed, their trucks stolen, their cattle killed and trash laying everywhere, they are beginning to say to the Minute Men "use my place to watch."