The geniuses known as the Minuteman Project, who thought stringing some barbed wire across the desert would stop migration, have been thwarted by someone with a pair of wire cutters.
An 800-foot section of the three mile barbed wire fence was cut.
"Cut so cleverly that it could not be repaired, it has to be restrung because it's cut right here at the post," says Carmen Mercer of the Minuteman Project.
I toast to you, fence-cutting friend. May it be imitated wherever fences stand. In their fencing frenzy, the vigilantes have apparently found a job that vigilantes won't do: putting up miles of fence.
The Minuteman Project has hired a private contractor to finish building its border fence at a local ranch, a spokesman for the group confirmed Wednesday.
Al Garza, the national executive director of the civilian border watch organization, acknowledged that soaring summertime temperatures may have driven some volunteer fence-builders from the Palominas work site. But he said the move to a contractor was made primarily to ensure quality control.
How ironic would it be if some of the workers on contractor's team were "undocumented"? Though if one doesn't have papers and can afford to avoid that job, they should, for the sake of their own personal safety. Reminds me of some other racists whose hiring decision didn't turn out as planned.
UPDATE 6/22: Here's what 's happening at some places in Texas:
A few Texas ranchers tired of costly repairs to cattle fences damaged by illegal immigrants have installed an easier route over the U.S.-Mexican border - ladders.
"It's an attempt to get them to use the ladders instead of tearing the fences," said Scott Pattinson, who owns one of a group of ranches known as La Copa.
The Minutemen are ignorant idiots! Fucking rednecks didnt think about the fact that someone could easily cut the fence?? Duh!
Too much Patriotism,
Not enough brains!!
Posted by: sappho | June 21, 2006 at 11:40 PM
Don't these guys have anything better to do? I have seen some of them interviewed on tv and they did not strike me as the most intelligent or educated people I have seen.
I also saw a group of them that had "captured" suspected illegals and holding them under threat of arms. Is that legal? Suppose one of their prisoners tried to run away. Would they shoot him? Would they have the right to do it?
The original Minutemen were organized to fight a regular government army and fight for their independence. It is had to see any relationship with these border militia today. I doubt that they would stick around if they had to face an organized armed force. However, picking on unarmed and unorganized simple folk is within their means and courage.
Posted by: bernarda | June 22, 2006 at 01:57 AM
I'm not sure how things work over there, so can anyone please explain why are you all so pro illegal immigration?
Posted by: Opeth | June 22, 2006 at 02:34 AM
These guys are nuts and they're none too bright.
Opeth, I've discussed migration and the vigilante Minutemen on my blog a lot so there's plenty to read about my views, just do some searches.
In short, the U.S., like Israel, has a history of colonization, ethnic cleansing, and land expropriation. This extends into economic colonization, aka corporate globalization and "free" trade. Taking all this into consideration, in short, it is my belief that people trying to escape the economic conditions foisted upon them by the U.S. should not be punished for crossing an arbitrary line, following the money that has been removed from their communities, and trying to bring some back.
Posted by: scott | June 22, 2006 at 04:04 AM
The U.S. is getting ready to carry corporate globalization a step further. It plans to build superhighways from Mexican ports to the U.S. and Canada. The usually unstated purpose to screw American and Canadian port workers and unions. This will have minimal benefit for underpaid Mexican port workers, but is supposed to be a savings for the multinationals.
They can transport their imports from Asia, particularly China, at presumably less costw
There may be a moderate benefit of traffic to Mexican truck drivers who would be used instead of more expensive American and Canadian often unionized drivers. But there is no suggestion of substantially increasing
their wages. That would be counter-productive for the multinationals.
http://www.nascocorridor.com/
If the minutemen had half a brain, they would spend their time working against this project rather than worry about economic immigrants.
There is much more that can be said about U.S. neocolonialism in Mexico, but that is for another time and subject.
Posted by: bernarda | June 22, 2006 at 09:47 AM
Remember, minutemen is pronounced "My-NEWT-men"!
Posted by: Doodle Bean | June 23, 2006 at 02:22 PM
this is just too great, i have to repost it! ladders! ha! damn radicals (grumble grumble). and i am curious. do the minutemen not realize that mexicans aren't smurfs? they can actually step over a piece of wire:) i know, hard to believe, but its true.
btw, i'm gonna look into it some more, but i just found out today that the unmanned drones that the border patrol uses are sold to them by a White Supremacists who builds them (apparently its cheaper than buying them from Isreal... understandably, i hear those White Supremacists will work for practically nothing!)
Posted by: vegankid | June 25, 2006 at 10:38 PM
vegankid - are you serious about those drones? that would be something to look into.
ps - how many websites do you have?
Posted by: scott | June 26, 2006 at 02:02 AM
AWK, the Minutement haven't violated any laws or anyone's rights, and as someone who makes as many bold statements as you, I think that you would support free speech and expression. The Minutemen broke no laws by putting up the fence, but the vandalizers who cut it up did. Why do you support them?
Posted by: senatortombstone | June 26, 2006 at 08:00 PM
senatordumbstone, "the Minutement haven't violated any laws or anyone's rights"
What about the video showing them holding people under armed guard? Are they acting legally? Did they see any of these people commit a crime? Are they going to shoot or beat up someone tries to leave their control?
These minutemen are simply neo-fascist racist rednecks. minuteman probably refers to the time they take in having sex, if they can even get it up.
Posted by: bernarda | June 27, 2006 at 04:34 PM
BERNARDA WROTE:senatordumbstone, "the Minutement haven't violated any laws or anyone's rights"ENDQUOTE
Very clever wordplay on my name......NOT!
BERNARDA WROTE: What about the video showing them holding people under armed guard? Are they acting legally? ENDQUOTE
Yes, they were making a citizen's arrest. That's perfectly legal.
BERNARDA WROTE:Did they see any of these people commit a crime? ENDQUOTE
Yes, the Minutemen saw that they crossed the border illegally. In case you didn't know, that's a crime.
BERNARDA WROTE:Are they going to shoot or beat up someone tries to leave their control?ENDQUOTE
BERNARDA WROTE:These minutemen are simply neo-fascist racist rednecks. minuteman probably refers to the time they take in having sex, if they can even get it up.ENDQUOTE
I give up, I simply cannot stand against your clever wit and brilliant arguments.
Posted by: | June 27, 2006 at 11:06 PM
BERNARDA WROTE:senatordumbstone, "the Minutement haven't violated any laws or anyone's rights"ENDQUOTE
Very clever wordplay on my name......NOT!
BERNARDA WROTE: What about the video showing them holding people under armed guard? Are they acting legally? ENDQUOTE
Yes, they were making a citizen's arrest. That's perfectly legal.
BERNARDA WROTE:Did they see any of these people commit a crime? ENDQUOTE
Yes, the Minutemen saw that they crossed the border illegally. In case you didn't know, that's a crime.
BERNARDA WROTE:Are they going to shoot or beat up someone tries to leave their control?ENDQUOTE
BERNARDA WROTE:These minutemen are simply neo-fascist racist rednecks. minuteman probably refers to the time they take in having sex, if they can even get it up.ENDQUOTE
I give up, I simply cannot stand against your clever wit and brilliant arguments.
Posted by: senatortombstone | June 27, 2006 at 11:06 PM
It's funny how you people scream about racism...But then you call people Rednecks, hicks, hill-billys,crackers...The only racist remarks are from YOU people.
You call people who are trying to protect their own property Fascist...haha. You need to look that word up in a dictionary...Because you people fit that bill much more properly that do the minutemen. I'd bet if you found me in your own back yard destroying your properety..You'd call the cops on me-or worse.
Posted by: not-a-paper-tiger | July 07, 2006 at 08:20 PM
Hello, not-a-paper-tiger
I would say that the principal motiviation for the taking many irrational positions by the admin and most posters is contempt for capitalism and America.
Ever since the early twentieth century, communists and all their variant forms have been trying to sow discord amongst different racial, ethnic, class, national, gender groups by labeling the oppressor and the other the victim. The only reosolution to these conflicts is punitive taxation a massive wealth redistribution.
Posted by: senatortombstone | July 08, 2006 at 09:31 AM