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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (699522)	9/3/2005 10:58:02 AM
From: paret	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Church organizing anti-Minuteman campaign [Texas] The Brownsville Herald ^ \| September 3, 2005 \| Sara Inés Calderón Majority of City Commission would support resolution against border militia group — Cameron Park church parishioners are organizing a “white ribbon” campaign for dialogue, calling for prayer and reflection in response to the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. of Texas’ plans to mobilize in the Rio Grande Valley. The so-called Minutemen have organized to combat illegal immigration into the United States, posting a militia-like armed watch at various border points and recruiting members from across the country. The group from San Felipe de Jesús Church call themselves Social Justice and Peace Pastoral. “It’s a response to the Minuteman project that offers prayer and dialogue instead of fear and division,” said Elizabeth García, a ribbon campaign organizer. The group wants to launch across the Rio Grande Valley on October 1 — the date the Minutemen plan to begin their operation “Secure our Border” across the country. White ribbons would be distributed pyramid style, meaning every participant would find 10 people to wear a ribbon, those 10 people will find another 10, and so on. Organizing in conjunction with the Catholic church makes sense because the church’s position is pro-immigration, said Father Michael Seifert of San Felipe de Jesús. “Any family in economic need has a right o immigrate, that’s our posture, if a family is hungry and the family needs work, then society should provide a way for people to do that,” Seifert said. People from out of town, who aren’t familiar with the culture, walking around with guns, is the last thing Brownsville needs, Seifert said. Another concern is potential conflicts in Brownsville with the Brown Berets — a California-born Hispanic civil rights group that has proclaimed it will combat the Minuteman movement. The Minutemen should not be ignored, but they should not be welcomed, Seifert said. “It’s beyond silli-ness, it’s irresponsible,” he said of the group, “There’s got to be a more sensible way of dealing with this (illegal immigration) than what we’ve done — but Minutemen is not the solution.” There will be a meeting Wednesday at the church to discuss the campaign, García said. Border cities are reacting to the Minutemen’s plans to set up camp and keep watch. El Paso’s city council passed an anti-Minuteman resolution Aug. 23. The resolution was co-sponsored by two city council members and won near unanimous approval, 7-1. A similar resolution would win favor if presented to the Brownsville City Commission, an informal poll of city leaders showed this week. Only Commissioner David Betancourt declined to take a position on the matter when asked by The Brownsville Herald if he would support a resolution like El Paso’s against the Minutemen over concerns for economic and cultural ties across the border. Almost all commissioners cited reasons similar to El Paso for their support of such a measure, primar-ily maintaining good relations with Mexico and discouraging vigilante-style law enforcement. “I would most definitely support a resolution,” Mayor Eddie Treviño, Jr. said. Treviño said commissioners have informally discussed a similar measure. The resolution would serve to express an official opinion, he said. “Law enforcement should be left to people who are trained and experienced in these matters,” the mayor said referring to immigration, “No civilians should take the law into their own hands, and it’s not the right message to send our neighbor and biggest trading partner.” The president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps of Texas, Al Garza said neither the El Paso reso-lution, nor a potential Brownsville one, would affect his organization’s plans. “That resolution, as far as I’m concerned, they can take it and throw it in the trash,” said the ex-Marine, adding, “The majority of us are combat veterans and we know our rights — we are all Americans and we have the Constitutional right to assemble, they are breaking the law and committing a federal offense.” Garza added that the group was still considering coming to the Valley, and specifically to Brownsville, even if he had to make the trip “solo.” sicalderon@brownsvilleherald.com