About the bigger question - illegal immigration - the only people it seems to me that are wholly consistent on this issue are libertarians and pure populists.

If conservatives are so concerned about the plight of the white working class, and the alleged effect of illegal immigration on the working class, then why do they support economic policies that have over the past few decades done more than a little damage to the economic security of working people? Its rather difficult not to conclude that for conservatives this whole issue comes down to race, and racial purity, more than anything else.

Well, what do you expect. People with jobs don’t have the time to go to out-of-the-way Tombstone, AZ.

However, they are probably mostly fit enough to do the patrols, which consist of setting up radio-connected OP’s and sitting there waiting for folks to go by. If you don’t think so, check out Sheriff Joe’s Sun City posse sometime, where you have lots of senior and very senior citizens, firearms trained by the sheriff and well armed, who keep the peace and have never had a negative incident. Getting old does not equate with getting stupid, and ridiculing this group for that component is cheap.

That this is a media event is obvious, and so stated by the organizers. That some local clowns are attached is also to be predicted, and says nothing about the validity or lack thereof of this event.

As to Green’s comments about working class jobs or some such nonsense, many are concerned far more about the rampant illegality of the immigration and the implications that has for our society of laws, and for our national security.

What a collosal waste of energy. Marc, you should have gone surf fishing.

Looks like you witnessed a good old fashoned Cluster F–K.

Lawn chairs??? Patrol???

Lawn chairs implies sitting. Patrol implies traveling (like a posted stretch of road).

Theres a mismatch here somewhere. None of your pictures show any type of equipment needed for a venture like this.

CNN must have been hardup for a story when they covered this event.

The following ‘graphs are, of course, also representative of what has occurred on California’s AM radio airwaves:

“Steve Rendall, a senior analyst with the Washington, D.C.-based Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, said radio talk shows have devoted a substantial amount of airtime to anti-illegal immigration advocates for more than a decade, but the movement is now making it into more mainstream media, driven by conservative cable shows. He said the hosts asked “softball questions” and basically had the project’s spokesmen on unopposed.

“‘It was basically a frictionless public-relations outing for the Minuteman Project,’ he said.”

Right on all counts. The so-called “assault weapons ban” and other foolish gun control nonsense drove lots of folks into the Republican fold, and was considered responsible for the loss of a number of Democratic seats in 1994. That’s why you will not see many Democrats pushing gun laws any more, except from safe districts.

The “assault weapons” ban could have been a gift to those of us who support our 2nd amendment rights. What was banned was merely the superficial characteristics of the weapons, not the weapons themselves. Furthermore, the ban was sold to the public as prohibiting submachine guns (some of which are true assault weapons) but in fact it did not, as submachine guns were already tightly controlled and perfectly legal for citizen ownership (still true).

Ironically, it also banned large magazines for pistols. The result was the development of a number of small but deadly 10 round weapons (.40 cal Glock, for example). These turned out to be very popular among women, since they fit nicely into a purse. The ban actually created a market and its solution, reducing rapes (and the population of rapists).

The ban achieved none of its advertised goals, but rather resulted in political points against the anti-gunners. I chortled all the way to the ballot box.

Immigration, IMHO, is a more complex issue. But the fact that laws are not being enforced is beyond dispute, and that they should be enforced is a valid political argument - and the core of the Minuteman demonstration.

BTW… Marc, at one point you said this was nothing more than a media event. Now you criticize the members for not being ready for all out war, or whatever. Which is it - a media event, which does not require a bunch of SEALS, or a para-military operation, which *might* require more fit individuals?

Have you read the event media and participant material? One couldn’t tell from the reporting (and you are better than what I see on TV, btw)… Check out http://www.minutemanproject.com/ for what the organizers are telling prospective members. It cuts through a bunch of bull and stereotyping.

Yes there are kooks and weirdos in this event, but the bottom line is that the border is not enforced, people of all political persuasions are sick and tired of it; and much like Prop 13, it waits in the wings to remake the political landscape.

This is what happens when both parties duck the issue.

What’s the source of this claim? Are you suggesting before this the Border Patrol wasn’t aware of the border in Arizona? Or is it because of the need to cover the kooks on this side temporarily? I don’t know, the more I read of those differing opinions the more I think of Strother Martin in Butch and Sundance. “Morons. I’ve got morons on my team.”

Media Attention has been been badly attenuated (for MAY, that means reduced) by the end-to-end Schiavo and Pope deaths.

Personally, like many in the group, I favor legal immigration and welcome Mexican workers among others. But I wish Mexico would get its own economic act together and stop using us as a safety valve.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/29/border.patrol.ap/

“The border buildup was to be announced Wednesday — two days before civilian volunteers with the so-called Minuteman Project begin a monthlong Arizona patrol against immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico line.

About 155 agents will be immediately sent to Arizona, according to department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the buildup was not yet announced. More than 370 additional agents — all new trainees — will be permanently assigned to the Arizona border throughout the year.

Until they are in place, another 200 agents will be temporarily stationed in Arizona during the high immigration season this spring and summer, officials said.”

Read the whole story. The thing speaks for itself. Note that people in the border area have been complaining for YEARS about this, I recall LAT coverage of this going back to at least 2003 and perhaps longer. Ever since increased pressure along the California border, the Coyotes and Illegal immigrants shifted to the Arizona desert.

The current (and previous Administrations going back to Nixon, btw) Administration does not intend to enforce the laws of the land. Illegal aliens make excellent low cost labor and help big business. It also allows this Administration to court Latino voters, GWB has said he wants increased immigration from Mexico (legal) and has floated various pandering trial balloons on amnesty issues. If the Administration were REALLY interested in a secure border that vastly reduced the amount of illegal immigration by orders of magnitude, they would spend the money for walls, sensors, and agents along the border. Their budget reveals that they have ZERO intention of having a secure border:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/02/09/MNGOKB837T1.DTL

Only 210 new border agents? That is truly pathetic, and THAT is what people in the Minutemen and folks who dreamed up this media stunt are ticked off about.

The LAT had essentially the same coverage as what Marc has posted, what’s revealing is the anger towards GWB that the overwhelmingly Republican crowd displayed. A savvy Democrat who picked up on this issue and got right with National Security could clean the Republican’s clock; potentially drawing away a TON of voters in a “realignment” election. Unfortunately the adherence to Politically Correct orthodoxy makes this about as likely as my winning the lottery.