HispanicVista Columnists

Can we shoot them? Well, if no one is watching.

By Patrick Osio, Jr./HispanicVista.com

September 28, 2005

 

    

 

“Can we shoot them?” Was the question posed to Chris Simcox, founder of Civil Homeland Defense, following a training session for volunteer border-watchers in Houston. Simcox and his would be Minutemen volunteers are attempting to put their best foot forward and trying awfully hard to come across as God fearing, law abiding, patriots only interested in securing the nation from the menace of illegal immigrants. The training sessions are to (wink, wink) teach volunteers to not break laws, to not use force, to not physically hold anyone – in other words carry bats, machetes and concealed weapons (with permit) but be nice.

 

So the can-we-shoot-them question after such a training session with Simcox knowing there were members of the national press in attendance, was a double-gulp time and disconcerting to his attempts at selling his being Mr. Nice Guy and his cause patriotic in nature. Particularly because Simcox himself has a conviction for carrying a concealed weapon on federal land while immigrant-hunting and lying to federal officers about it.

 

Simcox joins a number of other immigrant-hunters leaders and volunteers running afoul of the law.

 

Casey Nethercott, an Arizona rancher and member of Jack Foote’s Ranch Rescue, was arrested in Arizona, extradited to Texas were he will go on trial accused of pistol whipping two illegal immigrants there. Foote was himself detained, but released on finding insufficient evidence against him.

 

Soon after Ranch Rescue began operations in Arizona, a number illegal immigrant’s bodies began appearing shot. Local authorities announced that in their opinion the killings were attributed to human smugglers killing off competition. This made little sense to local human rights activists since the logic behind such statements made little sense. Smugglers would not kill the “cargo” what good would that do? And it struck many that the killings began after the presence of Ranch Rescue members. The further suggestion is that there is a culture of “looking the other way” concerning illegal-immigrants.

 

Such seems to be the case regarding Roger Barnett, a Douglas, Arizona rancher who first made headlines announcing and inviting citizens to join him in the “hunt” for illegal immigrants on his ranch land. Charges were filed against him for kicking a woman while he held her at gunpoint. The local prosecutor claiming there was insufficient evidence as he could not determine whether Barnett actually kicked or simply pointed with his foot at the woman.

 

A case against Barnett still pending involves US citizens, two men and three children, who have accused Barnett of chambering a round and pointing his AR-15 at them, while yelling to get off his land. The group was in state land leased by Barnett. In keeping with accusations of “looking the other way” the case has been “under investigation” since October of 2004.

 

Another convicted criminal, Glen Spencer, who while preaching the gospel of “we are a nation of laws and law abiding citizens” was convicted of discharging a rifle in a neighborhood. After a bout of drinking at home, he heard noises outside, and went out firing at the alcohol induced phantom intruders.  Fortunately, other than a neighbor’s garage door, no one was hurt, but it got Spencer arrested and convicted. The neighbors launched a successful campaign to get Spencer evicted. Additionally, in California, Spencer’s native state and home for his call to fame, Voice of Citizens Together, a.k.a. Border Patrol, listed as a hate-group organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is under investigation for possible tax evasion as a for-profit corporation.

 

There are a number of other cases some pending and others concluded some with convictions, such as the case in Yuma, AZ where two men were convicted of illegally hunting down illegal immigrants along the border. Paul Hoffman, 23, of Yuma, and David Dumas, 26, of Big Bear, CA each got a jail term.

 

It certainly seems that many prosecutors, particularly in Arizona, who “look the other way,” do so because they too belong to the culture of the old west where such ranchers held the “the only good Indian is a dead one” mentality. They don’t see their mentality as being wrong, or racist; they are under the impression that just like their great grandfathers won the “old” West, they are now being called on to do the same. Though many claim to be disturbed by the influx of known racists and bigots as border-watchers, they take no action since to do so in their mind would be going against their “own kind.”

 

As to the question posed to Simcox, “can we shoot them” his answer is unimportant, the real problem for Americans is - why was it asked?

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Patrick Osio, Jr. is the Editor of HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com). Contact at: Posiojr@hispanic.sdcoxmail.com

 

(The opinions expressed by Patrick Osio, Jr. are solely his and do not necessarily reflect those of HispanicVista.com, editorial board of advisors or it’s contributing writers.)

Patrick Osio, Jr. has written a short but intensive manual on the Mexican perspective on numerous issues between our two countries. The manual is an in depth primer on the culture and protocol for better understanding Mexicans that in turn allows establishing personal and business relationships, and how to avoid the most common faux pas that can ruin relationships and business deals.

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