Gov. Praises 'Minuteman' Campaign
# Schwarzenegger says group's patrols against illegal immigrants have been effective. One critic calls remarks 'nothing short of base racism.'


By Peter Nicholas and Robert Salladay, Times Staff Writers

SACRAMENTO — Calling the nation's borders dangerously porous, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday praised the private "Minuteman" campaign that uses armed volunteers to stop illegal immigrants from crossing into the U.S.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-go...l=la-home-local

So what do you think of GWB's assertion that the Minutemen are "vigilantes"?

GWB is the one encouraging all this illegal immigration. He barely lifts a finger to protect the borders, and with the other hand he's writing up amnesty agreements with Vicente Fox. Bush doesn't care if they're legal or illegal, as long as he can get them on the books.

The political left worried about illegal immigration.

Reactionary enough for you yet?

I'm sorry, I guess you weren't paying attention:

So what do you think of GWB's assertion that the Minutemen are "vigilantes"?

GWB is the one encouraging all this illegal immigration. He barely lifts a finger to protect the borders, and with the other hand he's writing up amnesty agreements with Vicente Fox. Bush doesn't care if they're legal or illegal, as long as he can get them on the books.

Perhaps now you could actually address the issue?

Another indication of how sheepish you are: I can talk about a conservative issue like protecting against illegal immigration, and you still call me "left".

"Duh... left right left right... can't see past the left right left right." Maybe you should take a second and address individuals and their opinions, instead of using a left/right cop-out to avoid the issue and pretend you know what people are thinking.

I agree with what the minutemen are doing.

On another note, Bush is correct, they are vigilantes:

2 entries found for Vigilante.
vig·i·lan·te Audio pronunciation of "Vigilante" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (vj-lnt)
n.

1. One who takes or advocates the taking of law enforcement into one's own hands.
2. A member of a vigilance committee.


They take law enforcement into their own hands, as they are constitutionally allowed to do so. We are given the right to citizen militias.

On the third note, the political left and right exist. There is a political left, and there is a political right, you're sad attempt to excuse yourself from rampant hypocrisy doesn't make you a philosopher, it makes you a dolt.

I am perfefctly aware it is more than possible for you to fall on the political right on issues such as this, and the political left on other issues. However it is blatantly clear that you're only ideology is bush bashing reactionism.

And that is amusing.

True, sadly one of the few things I vehemently disagree with him on.

Those heroes are doing the job our government will not.

Incorrect. What law are they enforcing? The minutemen are doing nothing but watching and notifying the Border Patrol when they spot illegals. They are not enforcing the law themselves.



What hypocricy have I stated? I don't need to excuse myself from a paradigm in which I am not involved.

A high-school know-it-all who would rather spout off than listen or learn is a better definition of a "dolt".



What exactly do you see from me that's reactionary? Bush is simply the current guy steering the ship. I'll bash Clinton and I'd bash Kerry... because I understand a bit more about the history of the situation. But Bush is the guy in charge for the time being, and he's got plenty that's worth bashing him for.

I don't see the source of this assertion implied by the LATIMES. I heard a response he (W) made to a question in a press conference about this. It was more "I don't support vigilantes." Than "They are vigilantes." this was followed by more clarification of his veiws about documented immigration.

I always considered the Minutemen vigilantes, but under the second definition from Ben-T. They are staying vigilant. There are many of them. That satisfies my definition of a vigilance committee. So does Neighborhood Watch.

I disagree with Bush on two major things. The border is one, and means testing for SS is another.

But of course, I disagree with SS as it exists now, and as FDR implemented it. Dare I say "unconstitutional"? Read me the passage that enumerates the power of the Federal Government to force people to save for retirement.

FDR: A plague that will take decades to recover from. How does one man do so much damage? Oh yea, serving for 12+ years!

Unfortunately your definition does not satisfy the definition of "vigilante".

Yes it does.


Maybe my definition of vigilance committee is too broad for you, but if you are a member of a vigilance committee you are a vigilante.

What law are they enforcing?

So you would bash any president of the United States regardless of who they were. An amazing policy.

They are taking law enforcement into their own hands by making sure that it is enforced, whereas before they were there, it was not. They are not enforcing the law. They are different.

Hell yes... if they're all as corrupt as the batch we've been working with.



They're not taking law enforcement into their own hands.

By your definition, calling 911 because someone's breaking into my house makes me a vigilante.

Were I to shoot the burglar, it would still be self defense, not vigilantism.

Were I to chase him down the street and shoot him, that would be vigilantism.

wow ! heros, huh?

seems like heroism becomes cheap day by day... so many heros around

Maybe so.

ToT:

Maybe you are missing my point: The idea that words have multiple meanings. It's not a very important point, but I'm saying they are vigilantes because they are vigilant. They are each members of a vigilance committee. Since this is a definition of vigilante, they are vigilantes.

Therefore the minutemen, neighborhood watch organizations, and people who call 911 when they see a crime are vigilantes. Therefore, we should aspire to remain vigilant, as Jefferson required of us, and become vigilantes.