A letter to the editor about the Minutemen

[UTUSN]

What’s the holdup on passing a resolution opposing Minutemen?

To the editor:

The letters from the Minutemen and their supporters in this space have used the covers that the Minutemen are only enforcing the law and are bolstering national security. And they complain that the issue of illegal immigration cannot be discussed without somebody making allegations of racism.

The problems are that the Minutemen themselves constantly mix the issues, and scarcely any of their appearances in public forums are unscathed by the racism so near the surface.

One letter of Nov. 23 started out lauding the lifesaving angle of the Minutemen then advised the illegals to go back to "their disgraceful country." Another one of Nov. 27 started out with the law enforcement point but quickly sank into racist justifications, claiming that Mexican-Americans will not enforce American laws and that her Native American ancestors were here first. And on Dec. 19, the letter writer started out with the legality and national security two-step before swirling into the outcry that it shouldn’t take 27 years for somebody to learn English.

The Minutemen have to protest too much against allegations of hate and racism because they cannot explain why their organization is such a magnet for racists. The X-city newspaper of Dec. 17 informs that a Minuteman told a Mexican-American city councilman to "go back to Mexico where he came from."

To separate the issues: Nobody is for illegality. Everybody is for national security. Some of us in this discussion are racists.

The X-city council proceeded to pass a nonbinding resolution opposing the Minutemen. Y-County has done that, too. What’s the holdup, Z-County?