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Exposing the Minute Men

By Jeralyn, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Mon Aug 08, 2005 at 11:08:47 AM EST
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David Neiwert exposes the extremism of the Minute Men with a rally photo in which one of the attendees is holding a Nazi flag.

At a recent anti-immigrant rally in Laguna Beach, the connection was made explicit. The rally was held July 30. It apparently was a follow-up of sorts to a similar rally held in the same locale on July 16, in which a local anti-immigration activist decided to protest a local arts festival's financial support for a day labor center for undocument workers. This rally drew the participation of the Save Our State campaign (an ostensibly mainstream anti-immigration organization) and the Minutemen's Jim Gilchrist. It also drew a contingent of neo-Nazis.

....What's going on, of course, is that the Minutemen provide an ideal opportunity for white racists to "mainstream" their agenda, using the relatively benign "average citizens" that Lou Dobbs exclusively observes in their ranks as just so much cover.

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    Exposing the Minute Men | 29 comments (29 topical)
    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#15)
    by jimcee on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:53:30 PM EST
    DA, Thanks for the correction you had me thinkig of The Lord of The Flies and I was confounded. ;) I think perhaps Gilchrist was pretty naive and should have vetted the flags so to speak, so he gets the bad press because he's a dumb-a**. It doesn't surprise me that these sort of people show up at a border security rally and it shouldn't have surprised the Minutemen but I can't paint all the paticipants of the rally with that same brush. You'll always get some d*ckheads acting stupid. I remember that there were some nasty signs held aloft as Reagan's body cruised to his grave in California. Some people are just a**holes and it sucks when you get caught in thier a**holeness and get photographed as well. I'll bet the Minutemen will hire a press agent soon because they could use one.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:03 PM EST
    Wow. Why on earth did they allow that flag fly anywhere NEAR their rally? Or the confederate flag either, for that matter? Could they not have talked with those guys and said, hey, maybe that isn't the best way to get the larger message across? I mean, in lieu of completely censoring and/or chasing them off with physical threats. They may have been on a pretty low rung on my intellectual ladder before, but now they've sunk themselves into the ground.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#2)
    by MikeDitto on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:03 PM EST
    Bob Ewegen of the Denver Post sparked a rather heated response from Peter Boyles the other day on Channel 12, when Bob drew a parallel between Tancredo and his followers and the Know-Nothing party of the 1850s and the KKK during the 1920s. I had an exhange this morning with Bob about that by e-mail. A propos, Lincoln wrote the following in a letter to Joshua F. Speed on Aug. 24, 1855:
    I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we begin by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty-to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy.
    I think the Party of Lincoln needs to re-evaluate itself, as it seems to have gone astray.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#3)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:03 PM EST
    "exposes the extremism of the Minute Men" Yes, I'm sure all the Minute Men should be branded monolithically with one broad brush. Not. Although, I find myself in agreement with Dadler. wtf were they thinking? It suprises me that many who decry the overseas "sweatshops" (whatever the definition of those may be) apparently consider the labor performed by, often, illegal immigrants, in the fields of CA to be somehow less difficult. And as an aside, the description of the event now explains why it took my family and me over an hour to get down Laguna Cyn. Rd. to the art festivals that Saturday...

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#4)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:04 PM EST
    At least four of the guys in that disturbing picture appear to be giving a straight-arm or nazi type salute.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#5)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:04 PM EST
    It suprises me that many who decry the overseas "sweatshops" (whatever the definition of those may be) apparently consider the labor performed by, often, illegal immigrants, in the fields of CA to be somehow less difficult.
    1. proof of premise of supposed hypocrisy 2. The issue is not how hard the work is, but compensation, fair treatment etc.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:04 PM EST
    et al... After the 'immigration' comments of Tony Blair the other day...I'm hoping GW will do likewise. Might be some job opportunities for more minutemen real soon?

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#7)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:04 PM EST
    soc, farm laborers in CA have it rough, no doubt, but better than their alternatives in Mexico - otherwise they'd choose to stay home. Likewise, "sweatshop" laborers have it rough as well, but, apparently, better than their alternatives. My point is that some here decry overseas "sweatshops" but maybe don't realize that the jobs, compensation and fair treatment, etc., of many of the (legal and non) immigrants, are not so cheery either. If it's your intent to compare and contrast the jobs, comp and fairness of "sweatshops" vs. US farm laborers, go for it. For me, it's not something I mentioned to start an argument...just something perhaps some might be interested in thinking about.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#8)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:04 PM EST
    Sarcastic, I for one was pretty sure from the get-go that the Minutemen would turn out to be a bunch of skinheads and borderline inbreds. Maybe this picture is unfair, but I'm willing to wager that the percentage of them with a college education (by which I mean two years of trade school or something) is in the low twenties.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#9)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:04 PM EST
    My favorite take on the Minutemen, from Norbizness.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#10)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:04 PM EST
    scar - I wouldn't take that bet. Quib - funny stuff!

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#11)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:04 PM EST
    This is a slow motion joke that's taking over a hundred and fifty years to play out.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#13)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:04 PM EST
    DA - believe it or not, I agree with you that the gvt. should start focusing on the biz's that hire illegals. I would be suprised to find the lack of holding employers accountable a strong Repub/Dem issue, however. Niether party, as far as I've ever seen, wants to go after the employers.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:05 PM EST
    What speaks volumes about the minutemen is not that Nazi skinheads showed up, but that there weren't asked to leave.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#17)
    by Richard Aubrey on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:05 PM EST
    So when, say, a communist party delegatioin shows up at a TalkLeft demo, we are to consider that means TL is a commie. Oops, wait. I need a different example. Now, if.... nope. Hummmm. Suppose..... Anyway, it's typical of the lefties to smear somebody they don't like by their uninvited guests. The "racist" tag wore out, folks. Nobody buys it any more than you do when you lie--and giggle about the opportunity--about somebody. The snark about educational level, even if true, shows a decidedly illiberal view of the honest working class. But we always knew what you really thought. The virtue of extended seat time in classrooms is vastly overrated. Look at, for example, the Clintons.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:05 PM EST
    Clearly this is further evidence that racism is on the rise, your risible claim, Richard, notwithstanding. IF someone shows up ANYWHERE near me or people like me with Nazi or other fascist/racist garb, they get very nasty treatment until they either leave or I can't shout any more. The Minutemen and the rest of these RACISTS masquerading as 'patriots' worried about the border have, with your company, Richard, totally ignored the POROUS COMMERCIAL BUSH-NAFTA-WALLMART BORDER that now allows 70-ton semis the free range of the US, with a few percent inspected, and the near-total majority entering the country without even a glance. Any of those semis is a far greater danger to our security than any thousand Mexican-border immigrants. But the semi trucks don't speak Spanish, and they aren't in the rich districts around the rich racists who don't like brown people. They are too attached to the profit-motives of REPUBLICANS like the Waltons, and the base racism of REPUBLICANS like the Coors, and the treason against the Constitution of the Bushes.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:05 PM EST
    Didn't the original organizer of the Minutemen patrols that were happening earlier in the year or late last year, for the life of me I can't think of his name, resign becaue too many RACISTS were showing up? Dick Aubrey, the racist tag will go away once those of the right-wing persuasion quit participating in actions that allow them to be rightly associated with this appellation. And obviously, if you are Hispanic, racism is on the rise. Also, Dick, did you even follow the link that was provided? If not then maybe you ought to before you go off and make some more inane comments.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#20)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:06 PM EST
    et al - The MM need some better organization, no doubt. And they need some big burly people to dis-invite the nuts with the flags. That is, if they want to be a politicial force. PIL writes:
    IF someone shows up ANYWHERE near me or people like me with Nazi or other fascist/racist garb, they get very nasty treatment until they either leave or I can't shout any more.
    And when they don't leave? What then?

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:06 PM EST
    Sherbuck... the racist tag will go away once those of the right-wing persuasion quit participating in actions that allow them to be rightly associated with this appellation. Why does wanting to protect my borders from people coming here illegally...taking jobs... causing problems and 'law abiding' tax payers money....and perhaps intentionally doing my country & it's citizens harm (terrorist acts) ...make me a racist?

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#23)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:07 PM EST
    Why does wanting to protect my borders from people coming here illegally...taking jobs...
    OK BB...why don't you do something constructive to stop the illegals? You can start by picking lettuce or changing some rich kid's dirty diapers for 3.25 an hour...tax free.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#24)
    by Richard Aubrey on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:08 PM EST
    Jeez, Sherm. You didn't get the memo. "Do what I tell you or I'll call you a racist." doesn't work any more. It's been retired. Now, if you have any real points, big if, go ahead.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:08 PM EST
    RA wrote:
    Anyway, it's typical of the lefties to smear somebody they don't like by their uninvited guests.
    Like I said before, the problem doesn't lie in the fact that the skinheads showed up. No one can control that, but what they can control is who stays and who goes. If this militia wanted to prove it's self as a legitimate organization, it's members should have banded together and asked the skinheads to leave, citing that this was not what the minutemen were about. They didn't. The racist label, therefore, stands.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:08 PM EST
    Jim: "And when they don't leave? What then?" They usually do. They're cowards, which is why they pick on the poor. Your point, Jim, was false. Many of us here who talk in blunt sentences when condemning lies, crimes, acts of treason and conspiracy, and illegal wars, do EXACTLY the same thing faced by ANY of you lot. I watch your sort wilt all the time. That's why none of your guys actually fight. They aren't ooh-rah, they're too busy looking Bushy for their sadomasochist sexual roleplay, and figuring out which grannies to screw for their next bogus stock swindle.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#27)
    by Richard Aubrey on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:08 PM EST
    Fenria. Nonsense. You don't know what, if anything, went on. If the Minute Men liked these guys, the Nazis or whoever they are would have been invited. You don't know if the Nazis were asked to leave and didn't. IMO, when peaceful lefties show up at an event sponsored and run by ANSWER, the peaceful lefties are, ipso facto, anti-US, pro-terror, pro-violence. Right? I mean, they are, of course, but now the can't insist they aren't. Because going to an event run by an outfit you know about means you really identify with that outfit. Unlike having somebody show up at one you sponsor. Much weaker link. So the excuses so-called peaceful folks give for wandering around with signs at ANSWER rallies that ANSWER has the experience and funding to pull this together and we don't believe everything, etc. doesn't mean much. When you GO to a rally run by leftistfascists like ANSWER, that makes you a lefistfascist. Because you did it on purpose. When somebody ARRIVES uninvited, it means a lot less about the sponsors. For ANSWER, substitute any objectionable group you lefties claim doesn't really represent you. But, as I say, the manipulative scam of "Do what I say or I'll call you a racist." is worn out. You got a real point about why peacefully watching the border and calling the border patrol when you see something odd is a bad idea?

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:08 PM EST
    Ernesto.... OK BB...why don't you do something constructive to stop the illegals? I am... I'm supporting the efforts of the minutemen and I have written to my congressman about the problems with "illegal" aliens. Also, in the next local election, I will vote for the guy that is very vocal about this issue & the need to do something about it. How's that?

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#29)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:09 PM EST
    Richard, your term 'leftistfascist' is totally meaningless. "Fascism can otherwise be called CORPORATISM." --Musolini, who coined the term. ANSWER, a leftist ANTI-CORPORATE group, is clearly not fascist in the slightest. They are anti-fascist. As for 'people showing up at protests,' people show up at protests all the time. And they GET PROTESTED if they represent the kind of racism and hatred the Minutemen ALREADY represent. The Nazi flags are part of the movement. Your denials are just more Zeig Heil, and you know it.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#30)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:09 PM EST
    BB, still no comment on the NEVER BEFORE IN HISTORY SO porous commercial border. STILL NO PROTEST of the danger that Wallmart's profiteering with Mexican semi-trucks poses for all of us. Still no comment on how this policy of Bush's OUTSOURCES trucker jobs to Mexico. Still no comment on Bush's lax security planning. Still no comment on the two jets that hobbled into the air 70 minutes late on 9i1. Still nothing representing anything other than anti-immigrant hatred. BB is just looking for a good racist to vote for.

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#31)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:09 PM EST
    Paul.... BB, still no comment on the NEVER BEFORE IN HISTORY SO porous commercial border. Jeez..you guys critisize the minuetmen and then this....you can't have it both ways. Mexican trucks in the US is a very bad idea..I've always said that. You are against that too right...so does that make you "an anti-immigrant hater" like you claim I am? Still no comment on Bush's lax security planning. Border security? I've commented on that many times...do you listen? Still no comment on the two jets that hobbled into the air 70 minutes late on 9i1. I've also commented on this load of BS from Micheal Moore many times...once again... are you listening? Still nothing representing anything other than anti-immigrant hatred. Let me explain to that pea brain of yours one more time... I'm not against "legal" immigration... GOT IT? You're so typical left...hearing what you want to hear and disregarding the FACTS!

    Re: Exposing the Minute Men (none / 0) (#32)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:09 PM EST
    Paul in LA, "Corporate" means something different in the context of a discussion of fascism. It's more like a guild or a hippy commune than it is like a corporation.

    Exposing the Minute Men | 29 comments (29 topical)