A Vigilante with a Heart
April 11th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Failed actor turned Minutemen mastermind and FOX News darling Chris Simcox wants you to know that he’s a friend of the immigrant. “We have great respect for the people coming across [the border],” he told an audience at UT-Austin last night as part of a nationwide college tour. Simcox was the invited guest of the Young Conservatives of Texas, the campus crusaders responsible for such stunts as “Capture an Illegal Alien Day” and the “Affirmative Action Bake Sale.” About 50 protesters taunted Simcox with charges of racism and vigilantism, a repeat of Simcox’s appearance at New York University last night.
Simcox, as chief negotiator for White America and founder of the armed Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, spoke of the immigrant women he has “consoled in [his] arms” and the children he and his posse have “saved” at the border. (That’s right, before he turns them over to the Border Patrol.)
With the help of some Republican image-makers, Simcox is trying to recast himself as a friend of the immigrant and a champion of the working class to boot. Call it Minutemen 2.0. The hardcore “deport ‘em all” message is still evident, but it’s now candy-coated with talk of rescue missions at the border and compassion for undocumented immigrants.
“We are a pro-immigrant organization,” he said of the Minutemen. “We want to see immigrants protected. I have seen too many people die in the desert.”
Yet Simcox supports the very policies that push people into the desert. As soon as he began talking about his vision for immigration policy, all suspicions that the Minutemen had transformed into some human rights organization evaporated. Simcox wants the border sealed by fences and military troops to prevent illegals from exploiting “the weak underbelly of America.” Cops and judges should be required to routinely suss out whether a person has a legal right to be in the country, and if not, turn them over to immigration authorities for deportation. If the government doesn’t crack down on illegal immigration soon, Simcox said, there will be a “breakdown in our society that will lead to anarchy.” And, finally, a .45 Springfield revolver is a good weapon to pack when patrolling for aliens.
Someone asked Simcox about the WMDs and terrorists pouring across the border. “There is a great deal of evidence of that,” he replied. His proof: last year 650 people were apprehended from countries that the U.S. government considers sponsors of terrorism. That’s some pretty thin gruel. An asylum-seeker from Iran, perhaps a political or religious dissident, caught by Border Patrol would count towards that number. Far from proof of terroristic infiltration, or WMDs for that matter.
About half the audience consisted of protesters who repeatedly interrupted Simcox’s presentation with chants and rants. “We have to confront racists, we have to confront proto-fascists organizations like the Minutemen every time they rear their ugly head,” said Matt Korn, a member of the International Socialist Organization, before the event. Two people were arrested - one for criminal trespass and one for interfering with a police officer. Three others were escorted out by the UTPD for interfering with Simcox’s speech.
If that sounds like a good time, why not spend a whole month vacationing with the Texas Minutemen down on the border? “The Texas Operations Team is making every effort to insure [sic] your enjoyment while you are here for our border watch,”advertises the Minutemen website for its April fandango. Yep, after your hard day busting illegals from a lawn chair, you can enjoy the pleasures of the Valley - fishing, birding, and sightseeing. Oh, and I hear Mexico is nice this time of year too.
April 11th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
“A .45 Springfield revolver is a good weapon to pack when patrolling for aliens”. 45 Springfield in not a revolver, it is a semi-auto of 1911 Colt style.
I think there are some valid arguments about the damage done to our economy and society by the massive influx of illegal aliens. I have to think the cheap labor is a real plus to the big money folks. It does seem a number of US jobs have gone south and these were good paying jobs which have left many US citizens a little grumpy.
“Racists” For me this is not a racial issue, it is a matter of law. If the majority of US citizens want Mexican nations to freely enter the US then change the law. Then people will not be dieing in the desert and the Minute Men can go home.
Do not take the focus off the real issue by playing the race card. Up hold the law or change the law! My paternal grandfather was a nationalized citizen and my grandmother had a green card so I am not a racist. On my mothers side of the family we had a healthy dose of Native American blood.
April 11th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
The thin gruel thickens as it can no longer be denied
that Mexico is doing everything it can to create a
MEXICAN NATION within the borders of the USA. By
changing it’s laws to encourage dual citizenship,aiding
abetting and urgeing illegal immigration calling them
heros and Mexican citizens 1st,just living north of the border. In failing to enforce laws ALREADY on the books
politicians in our own government are violating their oaths of office to protect the country and uphold the
constitution.