LAWMAKERS EYE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AS POSSIBLE ZERO-TOLERANCE ZONE FOR BORDER CROSSERS
ENFORCEMENT BEGINS IN LAREDO NEXT WEEK
09:49 PM CDT on Friday, October 26, 2007 The Associated Press
LAREDO – The Rio Grande Valley could be the next place border authorities target for a policy that arrests and prosecutes all illegal immigrants caught crossing, a congressman said Friday.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said he and other congressional leaders have already begun talking to authorities about the possibility of expanding the zero-tolerance policy downriver from Laredo.
Laredo will become the third U.S. border zone to begin enforcing the decades-old federal crime of illegal entry when it begins implementing the program next week. The program, which results in jail sentences of two weeks to six months for first-time convictions, began in Del Rio in 2005 and was expanded to western Arizona last year.
"This whole concept is very simple. All we're doing is implementing the law," Mr. Cuellar said at a news conference formally announcing the Laredo expansion.
Enforcement begins in Laredo next week, and Mr. Cuellar said he and others have already begun talking to authorities in the Rio Grande Valley about expanding soon, though he couldn't say how long it might take to get the program started there.
U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, said enforcement of the illegal-entry law represents a sea change in the way that illegal immigration is handled in the U.S. Before zero-tolerance zones, Mexican immigrants were most often voluntarily returned to Mexico, while those from other countries were given court dates they often skipped.
"We will not rest until zero tolerance is the policy from San Diego to Brownsville," he said.
Mr. Cuellar acknowledged, however, there will be an economic penalty to beefed-up enforcement without other changes that allow guest workers for jobs in agriculture and other industries where illegal workers are most common.
"We need to educate a lot of people that the enforcement does affect the economy," he said, adding that he hoped increased enforcement would encourage other immigration changes.
Mr. Cuellar said it might also convince supporters of a border fence, which has been heavily opposed in border communities, that the barrier is no longer necessary.
Border Patrol spokesman Ramon Rivera said this week that future expansion of the policy will be based on where border officials believe immigrant traffic is moving in response to new crackdowns.
"We're talking national," he said. "It sends a strong message that we're not letting illegal border crossers have a free ride."
Officials also noted that the implementation of zero-tolerance policies can strain the federal court system, adding thousands of additional cases to dockets in relatively small communities.
A similar program in eastern New Mexico that attempted to detain all illegal immigrants using the immigration court system – which is separate from the U.S. District Court – ended after just three months last year. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in El Paso got too crowded to continue housing so many immigrants, said El Paso Border Patrol spokesman Doug Moiser.
From: The Roundup Magazine - Western Writers of America June 2007
SILVA, LEE A. The Mexican Operation: The Mafia, Mexican Immigrants, and Racism in a 1950s Desert Town. Graphic Publishers, pap., 613 pps., $19.95. ISBN 0-9714719-9-1.
As the United States heads towards its next presidential election, two major issues-the war in Iraq and illegal immigration-continue to provoke debate and controversy. Lee Silva's historical novel takes readers back sixty years to examine the causes of illegal immigration from Mexico to the United States. His story operates as several levels"”above all, a tribute to his father, Al Silva, whose death in 1962 Hermosillo has never been satisfactorily resolved.
The character Hal DaSilva is obviously Lee's father, and the vents in the story are based largely on his life and work. The book also examines the role of organized crime in reaping profits from both legal and illegal Mexican immigrants. Silva indicts the Bracero Program for its corruption and exploitation on both sides of the border. His evocation of life in Blythe, California, the setting for most of the narrative, recalls his growing up there. The central narrative deals with friendship and betrayal as Hal, Jeff Stone, and Dominick Avanti become entangled in events that prove beyond their control. Their fictional activities are backed by the historical incidents that give this book a sharply drawn reality. Mexicans gathering at the town of Empalme must pay the mordida (bribe) to Mexican officials to obtain a bracero certificate, or to hire a coyote (smuggler) to get across the border illegally. Either way, they endure horrific conditions and make tremendous sacrifices to risk entering the United States. Silva's novel follows a tradition of other activist novels, most notably Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, Helen Hunt Jackson's Ramona, and Alex Haley's Roots, works written to awaken public concern over injustice to minorities. Silva first wrote the book in 1979, and he Updates it with an afterword and includes photographs at the end of the text illustrating life in Blythe and its outlying areas in the postwar era. If sonic of the conversations among the characters read like set speeches, it is only to remind the reader that questions of exploitation, racism, and injustice are not restricted to a particular time but remain challenging issues we have yet to resolve. -- Abraham Hoffman
From: The Valley News - Blythe, California Wednesday January 10, 2007 Column: The Bookshelf by Rosita Smith - Palo Verde Library
The newest book on the early history of Blythe is now in circulation at the Palo Verde Valley Library. Authored by Lee A. Silva, The Mexican Operation: The Mafia, Mexican Immigrants, and Racism in a 1950s Desert Town is a fictionalized accounting of the 1950s and early 1960s when the Bracero, or documented guest worker program, was in full swing. Silva grew up in Blythe in those heady days, and draws on his experiences and memories of the local life some 50 or 60 years ago to craft his novel of Blythe, during one of the United States Government's guest worker experiments. Old time residents will remember the Red Top Taxi company of those early years run by Al Silva, and the migration of farm workers into town on weekends to buy groceries, seek out nightlife and make arrangements to send some of their pay home to their families in Mexico. Old-timers will also remember the Trailways bus depot; the Bonanza Airlines that flew regularly into the Blythe airport; the many river and hunting sports enjoyed by valley residents; the gas pipeline over the Colorado River just below the bridge crossing into Arizona. And, of course, the slim two lane Highway 60/70 that ran from the Coachella Valley through Blythe and into Arizona. The Mexican Operation centers on the Red Top Taxi's service and it's thinly veiled owner, DaSilva. Streets and sites in town are identified, although not always placed in their proper geographical locations. Farms and ranches and their owners cannot be identified, but their existence is intricately woven into the story format. The life of a Mexican bracero (legal guest worker) or an illegal farm worker is graphically illustrated. Numerous actual incidents involving the guest farm workers and illegal workers are recounted, although not necessarily in chronological order. The actions of fictional characters are woven throughout the entire narrative turning a drab reiteration of facts into a spellbinding thriller. To tie his novel into reality, Silva has a photo gallery at the end of the book of sites and persons relevant to the story. Included are a number of photos not normally seen of Blythe and its surroundings. In light of the current uproar over illegal immigrants and the debate over a government sponsored migrant worker program, The Mexican Operation will provide provocative insights for thought. For an appreciation of what life was like in Blythe in the '50s and '60s, the reader will realize how far we have come in creature comforts. For a glimpse at rare photos of that era, this book is a must. And for a virtual novel with a thriller pace, The Mexican Operation is guaranteed exciting reading... --Rosita Smith
______________________
How do I buy the book?
Visit Lee Silva's other website, wyattearpbook.com
Back to The Mexican Operation
The Mexican Operation was published by Lee A. Silva and was produced in association with Graphic Publishers, Santa Ana, CA 97205.
This website and contents are copyrighted 2006 by Lee A. Silva
SILVA, LEE A. The Mexican Operation: The Mafia, Mexican Immigrants, and Racism in a 1950s Desert Town. Graphic Publishers, pap., 613 pps., $19.95. ISBN 0-9714719-9-1.
STOLEN BIRTHRIGHT: THE U.S. CONQUEST AND EXPLOITATION OF THE MEXICAN PEOPLE [1-6]
Stolen Birthright: The U.S. Conquest and Exploitation of the Mexican People [1 of 6]
By Richard D. Vogel Houston Institute for Culture SPECIAL FEATURE
CONTENTS
Introduction
Part I: Conquest - Land and Wealth
U.S. Imperialism in the South and Southwest The U.S. War on Mexico The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Part II: Exploitation - Capital and Labor
World War I and the Demand for Mexican Labor The Great Depression and Mass Deportations World War II and the Bracero Program The Maquiladora Industry Boomtowns and Busted Workers The Impact of NAFTA on Mexico
Part III: Exodo - Reclaiming the Mexican Birthright
Essential Workers for U.S. Capitalism Another 50 Years of Mass Migration
THE HISPANIC EXPERIENCE
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Originating mainly from Mexico and Guatemala, their purpose is simple, but unarticulated: find work. But local businesses - many of whom employ recent immigrants - are unhappy with their presence near their doors.
In several interviews the Advance conducted using a translator, many are married with families and children thousands of miles away. All are young men, between the ages of 18 to 35. While a few of them have been here several months, at least seven said they have lived in the United States for two years
"We try to stay for two or three years and earn money to send home," said one of the men, who asked not to be named.
Speaking a modicum of English, they said they find work when vehicles, usually trucks, briefly stop near the curbside looking for manual laborers. The work usually entails gardening, digging ditches or moving heavy objects. Less often, they find work cleaning, painting or in construction work. When the vehicle stops, a short negotiation ensues over who and what is needed, and how much per hour is paid. The employer then selects who they want from the group near his vehicle. The average is $10 an hour.
The demand for work, however, appears to have slackened in recent months. As gardens lay fallow, the workers reported finding work once or twice a week, if at all, while the numbers of men on the sidewalk increased.
"I have mixed feelings about them," said Napa Auto Parts store manager Jason Clymer, "It's a nuisance for our customers." Clymer said that during downpours, the men huddle together under the awnings of his store, only feet from the sidewalk.
"What am I to do? Be petty and obstruct them from standing there?" he asked.
Dentist Clay Perry, whose Novato Family Dentist offices are just down the street, complained that he'd lost customers because they were intimidated.
"I've had three letters (about it). That could be the tip of the iceberg," he said. Perry also indicated that he would be willing to pay taxes towards establishing a "designated area, a place for them to go."
Historically, according to Novato History Museum curator Glen Myers, Novato has had a market for itinerant laborers for nearly 100 years.
"Well, the Advance first reported on it in 1933. It seems there were problems with ˜hobos' and ˜Oakies' during the (Great) Depression. It was the first time that people thought of itinerant workers as a problem," he said.
Myers also said that Novato's economy was agriculture-based 100 years ago, when many Spanish and Portuguese immigrants came to the area. Much like today, the labor didn't require workers fluent in English.
A 2006 study by researchers from UCLA, Illinois and New York City's New School indicates that the market for day laborers is widespread. They found an estimated 117,600 day laborers in the U.S. While many are from Mexico, more than 40 percent are from an assortment of other countries, as well as U.S. citizens.
"The one thing we know about day laborers is that it's demand driven," said Christoper Newman, a spokesman for the National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLOP). "It's a diverse group ... there are Latino women in New York, West Africans looking for work in Washington D.C., Haitians in Miami ... this is clearly reflecting that."
A number of municipalities across the country have attempted to manage the day workers with a variety of enforcement schemes, but have met with limited success. Glendale, Calif. tried to establish a program in 1996 by restricting laborers to a new worker's center. But the anti-soliciting ordinance was struck down in 2001 after a US District Court ruled such laws are a violation of First Amendment rights.
Executive director Tom Wilson of Canal Alliance, says that workers need a central place to meet employers that promote fair labor practices.
"I think that worker centers are a real asset for the community," he said. "It could be a place where people could learn their rights, find work with a little dignity ... Plus, quite honestly, they would have a place to pee."
In the early nineties, San Rafael tried in vain to establish a day laborer center. The initiative was undone by several anti-immigration groups, repeated raids by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and ultimately the election of the center's opponents to City Council in 1994.
"First, given the resources that we have, we do prioritize and do not randomly arrest people," said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson Lori Haley, "People who have criminal convictions ... but people who are in the country illegally are subject to removal. That's the bottom line." The INS was reorganized in 2003 under the Homeland Security Act and is now known as ICE.
Despite the resistance, over 60 cities across the United States have established day laborer centers.
"They're there for a reason," said Clymer, "people are using them."
Across the street at the Shell Gas Station, Jesus (himself a recent immigrant from Mexico) rung up tanks of gas and lottery tickets. Speaking both English and Spanish, he thought the language barrier was their main obstacle to better work.
"We have become like friends, you know, they come in for coffee in the morning," he said. "We get a lot of business from these guys."
Ra�l del Rio translated several interviews for this story
The Virgin of Guadalupe is one of the most powerful women in the Americas. She is a leader of armies, a focus of spiritual devotion, a tender motherly comfort as well as inspiration for artists.
Since her miraculous appearance to the Indian Juan Diego near Mexico City in 1531, the New World Virgin Mary or Aztec Virgin has stood for cultural pride and equality. She is one of the most widely recognized icons in the world. Guadalupe is paradoxical. She is both Queen of Heaven and La Morenita a little brunette. She evokes the freshness of roses and the chill of the moon. Devine yet touchable.
Santos, Saints or holy images speak of generations of Hispanic artistic traditions and religious devotions. After the Europeans brought Catholicism to the New World, the Native People adopted the tradition of carving Santos and painting retablos to aid in worship in churches, family chapels, and home altars. ________________
December 12: History of the Virgin of Guadalupe
According to the Catholic Church and to millions and millions of Catholics in Mexico and around the world, on December 12, 1531, the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego, an Indigenous peasant, in Mount Tepeyac, near Mexico City.
At that time, Mexico was under Spanish rule. The Church and the priests were fiercely trying to convert native Mexicans into Catholicism. After the Conquest, Indigenous temples were destroyed, ceremonies were prohibited, and people who still believed in the Mexican deities were punished. The punishments were harsh, at times it meant death to the so-called "pagans."
Either because they really believed in the new doctrine, or because they didn't want face punishment, many native Mexicans turned to Catholicism, and tried to forget about the ancient ways. Juan Diego was one of the ones who became Catholic after the Conquest.
The story about the miracle Catholic Mexicans consider one of the most important aspects of their religion states that one day, Juan Diego's uncle and tutor became very sick. Juan Diego prayed to God and the Virgin Mary, asking for the health of his uncle.
That same day, he was walking near Mount Tepeyac when he heard a voice. Juan Diego turned and saw a great light. The Virgin asked Juan Diego to pay a visit to Mexico City's bishop. Juan Diego would have to tell the bishop to build a temple for the Virgin. Once Juan Diego was able to speak to him, the bishop and other priests laughed at him.
Juan Diego then went back to Mount Tepeyac and told the Virgin what had happened. The Virgin then told him to pick up some red roses, uncommon during Winter, wrapped them in his huipil, a long manta sleeveless shirt.
Following the Virgin's orders, Juan Diego went back to the bishop. Juan Diego then unfolded his huipil and, as the red roses were falling to the floor, a beautiful image of the virgin appeared on Juan Diego's huipil. The bishop and the priests got on their knees and began praying to the Virgin, asking for her forgiveness for not believing Juan Diego the first time.
This happened on December 12, 1531. A temple was built at Mount Tepeyac to commemorate the Virgin of Guadalupe's miracle. Since them, Guadalupanismo is the most differentiating aspect of Mexican Catholicism. Our Lady of Guadalupe is considered "Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas."
Every December 12, Mexico City's Basilica is full of celebration. People sing and pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Children are dressed in traditional Indigenous attire, just as Juan Diego was dressed when the miracle took place.
Mexican journalist and cultural critic Carlos Monsiváis writes that tradition turns in to chaos on December 12. He states that Catholic Mexicans secure their national identity through the cult of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
On December 12, in every Catholic church throughout Mexico, many people will sing to the Virgin of Guadalupe:
"Virgencita linda, mi Guadalupana, la mejor amiga de mi fe cristiana... Bendita tu eres entre todas ellas, entre las mujeres y entre las estrellas."
On December 12, Mexican Catholics will remember the day when Juan Diego became the first Indigenous saint.
THE VIRGIN IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE CHURCH - SHE IS MEXICO
Curiously, the power of belief in the Virgin of Guadalupe has little to do with membership or attendance in the church. In fact, it is said that while 89 of 100 Mexicans are Catholic, it is certain that 100 of 100 Mexicans are Guadalupanas, devotees to the Virgin.
Octavio Paz, Mexican thinker, writer and Nobel prize recipient said, "When Mexicans no longer believe in anything, they will still hold fast to their belief in two things: the National Lottery and the Virgin of Guadalupe. In this I think they will do well. For both have been known to work, even for those of us who believe in nothing."
The Virgin IS Mexico - fiesta and fervor, food and devoted song, dance and penance. She is the image, the icon that gave birth to a nation and that is the cornerstone of national pride and strength, a symbol of the homeland.
THE VIRGIN IS A SYMBOL OF THE HOMELAND, PATRIOTISM, NATIONALISM It has been said that from the moment of her appearance, Guadalupe was a time bomb moving steadily through three centuries to explode into a call for freedom from the oppression of Spain. It was the image of Guadalupe in 1810 that graced the banners of Padre Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, father of Mexican Independence, as he led the country through 10 years of war for liberty.
The first president of the Republic, Felix Fernandez changed his name to the very symbolic Guadalupe Victoria.
In 1859 when the government of the first Indian president, Benito Juarez divided church and state, the only remaining religious holiday in the country was December 12, the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The fierce Battle of 5th of May against the French was waged and won at the Hill of Guadalupe, site of the Virgin's Sanctuary.
Is it any wonder, then, that while in other countries, the First Lady of the land is the wife of the President or Ruler, the Virgin of Guadalupe is the First Lady of Mexico, Mother of all Mexicans and Queen of the Americas.
GUADALUPE, QUEEN OF THE AMERICAS Guadalupe followed the Mexicans north as they settled the northern reaches of their country, areas that later became the United States. She remained at their side after the Mexican American War, when they were strangers in a strange land..
Today, 150 years later, she continues to accompany Mexicans as they cross the border. She remains the most powerful Chicana icon for Mexicans on the other side. Generations after the immigration of a family to the U.S., grandchildren, great-grandchildren treasure the presence of the Virgin, and recognize her as Mother of all Mexicans.
Even on the U.S. side, Guadalupe's values and strengths continue to inspire her children toward change, fulfillment and honor. In the 1970's United Farm Workers' head Cesar Chavez carried the banner of Guadalupe in his relentless struggle for economic justice for migratory workers.
Chavez and the UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta worked under the slogan "Si se puede" and the patronage of the Virgin, "She is a symbol of faith, hope and leadership," says Huerta.
"She has been incorporated into everything we do," Huerta added. "If she's not there, you notice her absence right away." Today Mexican American women in Mexico and the United states are seeing Our Lady of Guadalupe in a new light, using her to demand and expect more from themselves, their jobs, their homes and their communities. Guadalupe is certainly up for this new role, as one woman said, "The virgin transcends all things. She is strength, and she is beauty, and she is wisdom and compassion."
She is the symbol of ethnic identity, uniting people of different races, religions and languages. She manifests, symbolizes and activates the power of the people. She is a cultural symbol of justice, unconditional love, union, belonging, family, home.
GUADALUPE, MOTHER OF MEXICANS Guadalupe is Mother to ALL Mexicans, not just the struggling, or the poor or the immigrant. She is there for the wealthy as well as the desperate. She is equally important to the new President of the land as the campesino picking chiles. The junior league and the aged widows in striped rebozos come together on their knees. The gang members and the attorneys find the Virgin their common ground.
Her devotees cross all lines of economics, social standing, and education. Her image hangs around necks on fine gold chains and on rawhide with the same tenderness and depth of emotion and devotion. Her face adorns the silver key chains of high performance vehicles and upscale businesses and homes. With the same pride it is tied on a piece of string to the lead rope of a burro.
Victor Villasenor, grandson of Mexican immigrants to the United States, wrote the story of his family, their life in Mexico, their struggle leaving the country during the revolution and their triumphs in California. In "Rain of Gold" he helps outsiders start to understand the one-on-one, member-of-the-family relationship Mexicans have with the Virgin when he tells of his grandmother taking a small glass of whiskey, and her cigarettes to the outhouse each morning, "To have a little talk with the Virgin."
Huerta, who raised 11 children alone during the very difficult UFW years speaks for millions of Mexicans in many conditions when she says, "I don't think I could have survived without her."
Another Mexican said, "Everywhere I go, she is my guide, infusing me with a power that says, "Si se Puede" (Yes it can be done)"
The always alert and in-charge face of a fiery Mexican woman who spent most of her working years in Hollywood softens, tears fill her eyes, when she speaks of the miracles that have occurred in her family thanks to the Virgin.
Asking most Mexicans what Guadalupe means to them draws incredulous stares and blank looks. They cannot fathom anyone NOT knowing the joy, help and love the Virgin brings to them.
It has never occurred to Guadalupanas that others could see the image as flat, and tacky, a two dimensional piece of religious art. They cannot believe that others are missing out on the unconditional love that makes the Virgin multi-dimensional, alive, and a very real part of the family. She IS, after all, their MOTHER, she is always there, waiting to be consulted, waiting to be consoling, waiting to listen, waiting to speak, to enfold them in her arms, to pull them on to her lap.
In times of joy, Mexicans turn first to light a candle of thanksgiving in front of her image, in the church or in their home. In the darkest despair, her candles light their way. Whether hoping to win a soccer game, a huge contract or the hand of their intended, their petitions and thoughts are always to the Virgin, who has helped so many times before.
World famous singer/song writer Juan Gabriel said, "I saw the Virgin of Guadalupe in Extramadura, Spain, and our Mexican one is better looking. I think I am in love with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe."
Recently when a Mexican businessman was asked about his feelings for Our Lady, he paused, took a deep breath, and with a voice deep with emotion, stated, "I love her." No actor in any love scene ever stated those three words with more meaning.
On her special day, December 12, all of Mexico, and all Mexican sons and daughters on the other side gather for the celebration of the Virgin. An endless parade of pilgrims from the country's four points appear at her Basilica with their flowers, songs, chants and prayers. They stream in processions led by indigenous dancers, to every church named for her. Wreaths of flowers adorn the signs of streets, neighborhoods, and towns bearing her name. Religious orders, churches and the millions of men, women, boys and girls named for her are especially joyous, as they share her special day.
The nation releases an immense sign of tenderness and experiences a profound expression of Mexican roots and essence and love for Our Lady, Virgen Maria de Guadalupe.
(Typical of the contrasts found in Mexico, devotees can now email petitions to Our Lady of Guadalupe at: hillescas@infosel.net.mx. The prayers of thanksgiving and petitions for assistance are printed out by a devoted researcher of the history of the Virgin and the miracles of her image. He then takes the emails to lay at her feet, free and confidentially. Once a month, also freely, a mass will be celebrated asking for all who have sent her their prayers, on the very spot when she appeared 530 years ago.)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 FRANK MICKADEIT Register columnist fmickadeit@ocregister.com
More craziness in Minuteman Land, and I'm more than happy to report the goings on for those of you pelt me with deranged e- and v- mail, insisting that these are just well-meaning Americans doing what our government is too afraid to.
Some are well-meaning, if misguided, but as I've shown time and again, there are so many nut jobs in the ranks that it was just a matter of time before we'd get this: A pair of You Tube videos that purport to show a San Diego border Minuteman nicknamed Lil' Dog shooting and hitting an illegal border crosser – and the grave where the victim is claimed to be buried.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department has determined the grave shown in one video is a fake, but it is still investigating whether Minutemen were shooting at Mexicans – perhaps while they were still on the Mexican side. (The sheriff's action was first reported by Leslie Berestein of the San Diego Union-Tribune, a reporter I hired and supervised many years ago. Good to know she has retained the low tolerance for knuckle-dragging zealots I tried to instill in her.)
One video has been removed from You Tube because of a "terms of use violation," but one was still up as of yesterday afternoon at www.youtube.com/thecockroachhunter. Shot through a grainy night-vision scope it shows a silhouette moving on a ridgeline and contains dialogue of two men purporting to track the individual. One is clearly on a walkie-talkie; the other is next to the video recorder.
"What's your '20' (i.e.: location)?" asks one of the men.
"He's up there on the smuggler's trail," replies the other.
Then they appear to lose sight of the person. Suddenly the figure reappears from behind a rock.
"I'm going to take the shot!" one man yells, and then follows two flashes of light and the sound of two gunshots. The silhouette is no longer visible. "I (expletive) got 'em, dude! I (expletive) got 'em! ... Dude, what are we gonna do?"
The other man replies, "Get the shovel, get some lime, and, hey, grab me a 12-pack, too, while you're up there."
The end of the video is a daylight shot of a grave in the desert marked with stones and a crude white cross.
As you recall, I was near Lil' Dog's semi-permanent outpost near Campo earlier this year. Deborah Courtney, the Minuteman member who was with me, told me Friday that she purposely didn't take me to meet Lil' Dog that day because they considered him a little too wacky. As for the provenance of these videos, Courtney just doesn't know. "We think it was theatrical. We hopeit was theatrical."
Even if it is theatrical, it still shows you how sick some of these individuals are. And to think that I once momentarily had second thoughts about labeling them "gun-toting vigilantes."
Meanwhile, in Orange County, Courtney and the other former/current/never-were (depending on who you believe) Minuteman board members fighting founder Jim Gilchrist have encountered their own bit of strangeness.
Their attorney, Richard Gilbert, filed a lawsuit in Superior Court against Gilchrist in the ongoing battle over who really is The Minuteman Project: Gilchrist or Courtney, et al. And indeed, Courtney filed under the corporate name, The Minuteman Project.
Shortly after her filing, Courtney was reviewing the file online when she discovered that another attorney, Guy Mailly, had filed a motion to substitute as the attorney for The Minuteman Project. Mailly is Gilchrist's attorney.
To Courtney and Gilbert, it appears Mailly is trying to pull a fast one – hijack the lawsuit by getting himself declared the attorney of record.
In court on Friday, Judge Randell Wilkinson seemed a little shocked, too, when Mailly stood at the plaintiff's table. He told him to move down to the defense table.
This sounded like one of the more audacious legal maneuvers I'd ever heard, but Mailly was unrepentant late Friday afternoon. He says he wrote Gilbert a letter saying he was the legitimate attorney for the Minutemen and "they didn't get back to me, so I filed the motion."
Mailly believes that Wilkinson will ultimately declare him the rightful attorney. "We will proceed and we will succeed, and then we will dismiss the case," Mailly told me. Next hearing: Sept. 19.
Contact the writer: Mickadeit writes Mon.-Fri. Contact him at 714-796-4994 or fmickadeit@ocregister.com
PARAMILITARIES ON THE BORDER THE MINUTEMAN PROJECT: COLUMBIA COMES TO ARIZONA
By JOSHUA FRANK Billings, Montana April 4, 2005
In an online recruiting effort that would impress Joe Trippi, approximately 500 well armed individuals known as The Minutemen, have come together in hopes they can guard the vast expanse of the US-Mexican border out in Arizona. Their mission: Deter illegal immigrants and protect these great United States of America.
Taking their name from the hand-picked forces from the 17th and 18th Century American militias that were selected "to fight at a minute's notice" -- the 21st century Minutemen come from all over the US, and have congregated in Arizona where they plan to act out their wildest Wyatt Earp fantasies. With their shotguns and egos fully loaded, the militia has set up camps up and down the border in Cochise County, Arizona, the supposed epicenter of illegal immigration into the United States.
"People have this impression we [are] a paramilitary group coming here to stir up trouble. It's so hard to convince them that ... we're peaceful," Joel Segal, a young member of the Minutemen told the Arizona Republic. "Obviously, we're armed, but that's just a part of us being out here. That doesn't mean that we're aggressive. That doesn't mean that we're violent."
Yeah right. Then what the hell are the guns for? Gopher hunting? It's not that they don't have a right to patrol the US border, or pack a loaded weapon. Sure they do have those rights. But do the Minutemen really think Mexicans sneaking across the border are looking for another Alamo? No, scratch that. Forget I even asked.
Doubtful the Minutemen are capable of peering below the surface of the complex issue of US immigration. Like, say, what is it that the US government is doing to Mexico that may be increasing non-legal immigration? One answer: NAFTA.
If it is their own jobs they are so worried about, the Minutemen are patrolling the wrong borders. Non-legals by and large are employed in the darker sectors of the US economy -- ones most Americans aren't willing to take part in.
All a skeptic need do is drive through the fruit fields of California, take a peak into the sweat-shops in New York City, or visit a bloody slaughter house out in Greeley, Colorado, to catch a glimpse of the grand Mexican life in the USA.
No, the real threat to American jobs isn't illegal immigrants. It's the outsourcing of entire industries to places like India that have shoved a knife in the back of the US worker.
The Minutemen may also be surprised to learn the following: According to the US Census administered in 2000, there are approximately 8,705,419 non-legal foreign-born persons living in the US. Of that number, 4,787,980 were from countries other than Mexico. In fact, almost 40% of all US immigrants were not even Hispanic. [1]
Well over 1.2 million were from Asian countries, with another 1.1 million flying in from European lands -- not to mention the hundreds of thousands who have come in from Africa and the Middle East. The majority of these immigrants didn't cross the Mexican border -- they flew over on airplanes.
"The message is, if you have enough manpower at the border, you can stop illegals from coming across," Cathy Cushman of the Minutemen Project told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
No question Cathy and her pals have their work cut out for them. Even so, I'd love to see the nutty Minutemen haul their arsenal and set up camp in the JFK airport.
Okay, you're right. Let's not give them any ideas.
Joshua Frank is the author of the forthcoming book, Left Out! How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush, to be published by Common Courage Press. You can pre-order a copy at discounted rate at www.BrickBurner.org. Josh can be reached at: Joshua@BrickBurner.org.
[1] Note: this number includes "people who are here legally but are not yet included in the official estimates of legal migrants and refugees. It also includes people in 'quasi-legal' status who are awaiting action on their legal migration requests."
Yes, very informative posts indeed. It looks like a lot of hard work/research and effort is put into these posts. and we are fortunate to have explora continue to update us.
Only I Wish you would change the name to something like: Current Events Immigration. I think a lot of people miss out on viewing these articles because the name is misleading. I never used to look because of the title, and only happened on it by accident.
Thanks for your suggestive comments. They were both well-recieved and deserve consideration.
IME thread has a Hispanic slant to it which might not be of interest to all readers. I've thought of crossing it over to another name with the same underlying theme of Hispanic interest. This is most likely what I'll do if I change it. The same type of articles would continue to be posted. Please notice that articles specifically related to our present enforcement-only situation are posted under 'Heads UP' by Explora.
It is understandable how the title might not be of intrest to visitors of this site. It's obvious the topic is moved up quite frequently with additional postings. If a viewer hasn't openeded it, most likely it's not a topic of interest to them to begin with. If they happen upon it, such as 4now did, they'll have a dearth of catch-up reading ahead of them if interested.
This thread is by no means owned by me. I carried on with it after College Student had completed his college endeavor. I agree the title depicts this thread as 'exploitation' suggesting a limited variety of articles which isn't the case. I've elected to not include 'general' immigration news' pertaining to the U.S. or other countries and nationalities because the thread would therefore end up being way off-topic. I have strived for some variety but as previously commented on by 4now, it does take time.
I appreciate the fact that viewers have kept their comments to a minimum. Respect has been given to this thread leaving it soley for reading purposes and not discussions and has established itself as such. This is not to say comments aren't welcome. They are welcome. Occasionally an OP has an article related to this thread and they put it up. I've noticed they are selective and have kept it to this current underlying theme of mostly Hispanic-related material. Out of respect for the time this involves to put up the articles, I appreciate it being kept to a minimum so it doesn't get out-of-hand and become unrelated.
Another issue is that the comments will get buried by newer articles. If an individual desires to search for an article of a past date, the search is tedious enough without having to scroll past discussions which will probably have died out from having been buried by new articles.
If this thread was to be disrupted by too many frequent unecessary comments/disc
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