Minuteman Project: October Weekend 2
The first night was on the Naco line. I again arrived a t about 7:00 pm so the line had already been set. Nothing happened that night, just cold, dark and quiet.
The next night we met at the Headquarters (a.k.a. Camp Tom Tancredo) and drove out to an intersection we called "the Y" where we were meeting a couple people. Chris Simcox was there that night and of course the media was following close behind. The media interviewed Chris for a while and then we continued out to the Naco line.
I began placing the line and making sure everyone had plenty of water and working radios. Just as I was finishing up I got a call on the radio that a couple more people had arrived at camp and were headed out our direction. They were not completely sure how to get to the line so we agreed on a meeting place. I finished up setting the line and drove out to show them the way in.
I went back to Comms to pick up my night vision. I was just getting ready to move out to a post with another volunteer when I realized that my $600 Samsung i730 Pocket PC phone was no longer attached to my belt. Panic began to set in. I informed Montana but she was relentless! And she was right. I didn't know how I was going to keep it out of my mind for the entire night, but I had to try. "It has all my contacts in it... what if an ACLU member finds it?" I thought to myself in a frantic attempt to try to justify leaving to search for it. I remembered a time earlier that night when stuff on my belt got caught on the car door when I was getting back into the car at the Y. Or was that at camp? "Did it fall off then? If it did, did I run over it when I left? What about the caravan of cars behind me? Oh no... surely one of them ran over it! Well, at least the ACLU won't get my contact list. Or could it have fallen off when I went to go pick up the new arrivals? Or worse... just SOMEWHERE out on the line at one of the posts? Now now, I have a line to take care of. I need to put this out of my mind!"
I don't know how I did it (I am very bad at keeping things like this out of my mind) but I don't think I thought of the phone again after that. Of course, it might have been because right about that time we got a call from Post 2 that they had just been lit up with infra-red from across the border. Being lit up with infra-red means that the group has night vision, which means there is a good possibility that this group is or contains drug runners.
Montana contacted the reporting post and told them to stay behind their vehicle and out of sight. All was quiet for a while, until the next post east reported that they also were lit up. Post by post, we got reports of being lit up or simple movement on the other side of the border, and the group was heading our way.
Staying out of sight, we watched through the Gen 3 night vision for any signs of infra-red. Infra-red will show up like an extremely bright flashlight through the night vision, but cannot be seen by the human eye. After a while, I saw what looked like a flashlight a few hundred feet to the west of our position, shining across the border from the south. There was no post there, so that is where they decided to cross thinking that it was safe. They left the infrared on while they crossed the border and I could see it in the night vision cross the road. At that point we called them in to the Border Patrol, and began to relax since we were now behind them instead of between them and their goal.
We finally left for our post. We were watching a trussle that people will walk under before they cross the border. This photo was taken through the Gen 3 night vision. The trussle was to the southwest of our position.
Almost immediately we thought we heard a car or someone walking around on the other side of the border. It took a while but we finally realized that it was only a windmill. We then heard what really sounded like footsteps moving on the other side of the train tracks. Well, perhaps it was only the windmill. No, the sound was moving. We contacted the next post to the west of us to keep their eyes and ears open because a group might be moving their way.
A short while later, several posts to the west of us reported a group crossing the border. I can't be sure that what we heard was the same group or even a group at all, but the timing seemed to work out.
The rest of the night was quiet. While making sure everyone was off the line when it was time to go home for the night, Christian and Virginia Volz, 79 and 80, were kind enough to allow me to take their photo. Virginia is legally blind, but she still sat on the border doing the job that our government claims is impossible and refuses to do. What a couple of vigilantes!
After double checking all the posts to make sure everyone was gone, I began my search for my phone. Montana has graciously offered help in the morning searching the line if I did not find it at the Y, at camp or at the other spot where I had met the volunteers. The first place I checked was the place where I had met the volunteers. There was a dirt lot where they had waited. As soon as my headlights hit the lot I could see my phone laying in the dirt! But was it crushed? At least the ACLU didn't get their hands on my contact list!
I picked it up and looked at the screen. No cracks! I flipped the power switch... It worked! Oh, there is a God!
I left for Montana and Whiskey-Alpha's house for the night before returning back to Tucson. Scorpion was staying there as well, and as had become typical we sat out on the porch for a while discussing what had happened that day. For some reason the only thing that I seemed to remember happening that day was finding my phone.
Then Montana informed me that the officer who had responded to our call about the Volvo had found her! It was not clear if drugs had been found or if she had been arrested.
I also learned that both groups that we reported had been arrested. The group with the night vision had 10 people and the group, and the other had 4. It was not known if the group of 10 was carrying any drugs.
During the trip back, I passed a Border Patrol checkpoint. It was shut down because Jim Kolbe thinks it's a good idea.
The next night we met at the Headquarters (a.k.a. Camp Tom Tancredo) and drove out to an intersection we called "the Y" where we were meeting a couple people. Chris Simcox was there that night and of course the media was following close behind. The media interviewed Chris for a while and then we continued out to the Naco line.
I began placing the line and making sure everyone had plenty of water and working radios. Just as I was finishing up I got a call on the radio that a couple more people had arrived at camp and were headed out our direction. They were not completely sure how to get to the line so we agreed on a meeting place. I finished up setting the line and drove out to show them the way in.
I went back to Comms to pick up my night vision. I was just getting ready to move out to a post with another volunteer when I realized that my $600 Samsung i730 Pocket PC phone was no longer attached to my belt. Panic began to set in. I informed Montana but she was relentless! And she was right. I didn't know how I was going to keep it out of my mind for the entire night, but I had to try. "It has all my contacts in it... what if an ACLU member finds it?" I thought to myself in a frantic attempt to try to justify leaving to search for it. I remembered a time earlier that night when stuff on my belt got caught on the car door when I was getting back into the car at the Y. Or was that at camp? "Did it fall off then? If it did, did I run over it when I left? What about the caravan of cars behind me? Oh no... surely one of them ran over it! Well, at least the ACLU won't get my contact list. Or could it have fallen off when I went to go pick up the new arrivals? Or worse... just SOMEWHERE out on the line at one of the posts? Now now, I have a line to take care of. I need to put this out of my mind!"
I don't know how I did it (I am very bad at keeping things like this out of my mind) but I don't think I thought of the phone again after that. Of course, it might have been because right about that time we got a call from Post 2 that they had just been lit up with infra-red from across the border. Being lit up with infra-red means that the group has night vision, which means there is a good possibility that this group is or contains drug runners.
Montana contacted the reporting post and told them to stay behind their vehicle and out of sight. All was quiet for a while, until the next post east reported that they also were lit up. Post by post, we got reports of being lit up or simple movement on the other side of the border, and the group was heading our way.Staying out of sight, we watched through the Gen 3 night vision for any signs of infra-red. Infra-red will show up like an extremely bright flashlight through the night vision, but cannot be seen by the human eye. After a while, I saw what looked like a flashlight a few hundred feet to the west of our position, shining across the border from the south. There was no post there, so that is where they decided to cross thinking that it was safe. They left the infrared on while they crossed the border and I could see it in the night vision cross the road. At that point we called them in to the Border Patrol, and began to relax since we were now behind them instead of between them and their goal.
We finally left for our post. We were watching a trussle that people will walk under before they cross the border. This photo was taken through the Gen 3 night vision. The trussle was to the southwest of our position.Almost immediately we thought we heard a car or someone walking around on the other side of the border. It took a while but we finally realized that it was only a windmill. We then heard what really sounded like footsteps moving on the other side of the train tracks. Well, perhaps it was only the windmill. No, the sound was moving. We contacted the next post to the west of us to keep their eyes and ears open because a group might be moving their way.
A short while later, several posts to the west of us reported a group crossing the border. I can't be sure that what we heard was the same group or even a group at all, but the timing seemed to work out.
The rest of the night was quiet. While making sure everyone was off the line when it was time to go home for the night, Christian and Virginia Volz, 79 and 80, were kind enough to allow me to take their photo. Virginia is legally blind, but she still sat on the border doing the job that our government claims is impossible and refuses to do. What a couple of vigilantes!After double checking all the posts to make sure everyone was gone, I began my search for my phone. Montana has graciously offered help in the morning searching the line if I did not find it at the Y, at camp or at the other spot where I had met the volunteers. The first place I checked was the place where I had met the volunteers. There was a dirt lot where they had waited. As soon as my headlights hit the lot I could see my phone laying in the dirt! But was it crushed? At least the ACLU didn't get their hands on my contact list!
I picked it up and looked at the screen. No cracks! I flipped the power switch... It worked! Oh, there is a God!
I left for Montana and Whiskey-Alpha's house for the night before returning back to Tucson. Scorpion was staying there as well, and as had become typical we sat out on the porch for a while discussing what had happened that day. For some reason the only thing that I seemed to remember happening that day was finding my phone.
Then Montana informed me that the officer who had responded to our call about the Volvo had found her! It was not clear if drugs had been found or if she had been arrested.
I also learned that both groups that we reported had been arrested. The group with the night vision had 10 people and the group, and the other had 4. It was not known if the group of 10 was carrying any drugs.
During the trip back, I passed a Border Patrol checkpoint. It was shut down because Jim Kolbe thinks it's a good idea.
posted by Calan at 12:57
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