The Minutemen, Thieves and Killers?
Apparently there are several different groups which use the word “Minutemen” in their name. These volunteer groups are made up largely of people who oppose people from Mexico immigrating into America, especially as undocumented workers (illegal aliens).
Some of these groups only observe and report their findings to the authorities. It seems that others are now beginning to take a far more violent approach which in some cases involves robbery and murder.
What these various Minutemen groups seem to have in common is that they are xenophobic, ethnocentric, and racist. They don’t like (or maybe even strongly hate) all people with dark skin who speak Spanish. They also claim that they are strongly opposed to drug trafficking. In general these groups are made up of people who feel comfortable wearing camouflage clothing and carrying firearms. Many drive pickup trucks, 4 wheel drive vehicles, and ATVs. Sort of vigilante or paramilitary types.
With the recent arrest of Shawna Forde and her fellow Minutemen the whole situation has moved to a new plane. These people dressed up as law enforcement officers, and in the middle of the night demanded entry into a house about 50 miles south of Tucson, Arizona. They claimed that they were cops looking for fugitives, but in reality they thought that the homeowners were drug dealers. Their intention was to rob them. They shot and killed the husband, the young daughter, and the mother was very seriously wounded.
This is distressing for several reasons. If the bad guys now start dressing up like law enforcement officers or members of the military (like is a common practice in Mexico), how can you be sure that the “policeman” who tries to stop you or enter your home is real? What if he is a thief, rapist, or a paid killer rather than a legitimate cop?
The strength of these people’s hate appears to be similar to what the Nazis felt towards the Jewish people, the Gypsies, and homosexuals.
My favorite aunt, now deceased, was a German medical student when WWII broke out. She was smart, open minded, and a very kind person. She certainly was not a racist or a xenophobe. But clear up to the time of her death she maintained that the normal people of Germany had no idea that the Nazis were doing such terrible things. This of course is a total load of hogwash, but for her own self dignity she was determined to believe it.
What if us well educated, open-minded Americans are now going through the same sort of self delusion? The U.S. Government is maintaining detention centers where large numbers of Mexicans are being held without proper access to the courts or lawyers. Without the benefit of true transparency, how can we be certain that these people are being treated properly?
What do the legislators and the President mean when they use the words Immigration Reform? I suspect that to some this concept means a complete opening up of the borders, like was done in Western Europe about a decade ago. This would mean that Mexican citizens could live, work, and vote in America. There would no longer even be any agents at the border and one could just drive across without even slowing down. To others I think that the words Immigration Reform mean “either send all those brown skinned bastards back to where they came from or put them in jail.”
One thing is clear to me. If someone claims to me to be a law enforcement agent, and demands that I stop and exit my car or allow him entry to my home, I am going to think twice about it. Especially if it is late at night or I am in some remote location. This is especially true of people dressed in civilian clothes, but now also apparently of uniformed law enforcement personnel as well.
