Hindsight

In retrospect, I’ve learned so much from my semester with the Minutemen that it boggles my mind. Here are the lessons I learned, put most simply in terms Grandma taught us all years ago:

1. “Don’t believe everything you read”- Very true! I found that just because it’s in print, doesn’t always make it correct. If I’d believed everything I read without meeting MCDC volunteers down at the border, I might have guessed they were uneducated, racist, back-woodsy types. But by trying to stay neutral, I was able to see that not all pre-judgments were correct.

2. “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar”- I knew that finding Minutemen to interview for my article would be difficult– just may be not as hard as it was. The Minutemen have been hounded by media who all want a piece of their time in the past, so when I finally broke through, I found that being sincerely nice made a huge difference. It’s amazing how people are willing to give you more of their time when you treat them like people.

3. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”- No matter how nice I was, persistence was still key in getting anywhere. Like I said before, the leaders and volunteers are busy people, and getting back to me on time wasn’t always of the essence. It could have been a tactic to frustrate me or get rid of me, but by the time I finished by project, I had certainly shook any shyness I’d had about calling or e-mailing.

Coming into this project I was one type of journalist, but developing new skills and techniques has changed and challenged me to make this an incredible learning experience!

Money Always Makes Things Complicated

It appears that the control over money may have played a bigger role in the split between Gilchrist and Simcox than I realized before.

Back before the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, (Simcox’s), and the Minutemen Project (Gilchrist’s), organizations were two separate entities, a partnership with Diener Consultants in late 2005 was begun. Although Gilchrist has recently made it clear he is no longer associated with the firm, it is still listed as the entity that totally controls MCDC’s donations, expenditures, P.R., advertising, press releases, databases, websites, etc.

The relationship MCDC has with Diener has been a controversial one. Because donation money is funneled through Diener instead of going directly to the Minuteman Foundation fund, many have started to wonder what percentage, if any, are being used to pay for the firm’s services and how much to the actual organization.
In order to find more answers to my questions, I contacted Mary Lewis Parker– someone listed on MCDC’s 2006 IRS 990 filing as Treasurer. Parker is, or was supposedly, affiliated with Diener Consultants, and was also former Chief of Staff to Dr. Alan Keyes who ran for president in 1996 and 2000.

However, when I called Parker, she seemed to be completely confused by my questions linking her with Diener Consultants–saying she had never worked with MCDC or Diener!
I don’t know why she would say that, but I’m wondering why articles and the IRS 990 form, link her to Diener and names her as a key player in MCDC’s financial controversies?

Financial Ties Questions

Finding out about how the Minutemen Civil Defense Corp. runs their finances is a complex process that could lose anyone.

In fact, that’s why most of the members I’ve talked to have no idea where the money they donate goes after they write their check– making comments like, “We have to put our trust in them that they are putting it, (the donations), towards the right things,” one volunteer during the September muster told me.

On their Web site, MCDC states that the Minutemen Border Fence Project to which people donate is:

“… a project of the Declaration Alliance — a public policy and issues advocacy organization that aggressively addresses the intensifying assaults that the American Republic continues to endure — at home, and abroad. Declaration Alliance is a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit, tax exempt organization.”

Also, the organization has an IRS 990 form from 2006 available for their non-profit, Minutemen Foundation, Inc., which is where all the donations are apparently funneled.

But my questions come in the same form as ex-members such as former Arizona Chapter Director Stacey O’Connell and others asked before they were terminated by Chris Simcox. On the 2006 990 IRS form, there was a total of $87,500 claimed. This left an additional $177,599, (give or take $177, 559), unaccounted for if you know that one volunteer named Jim Campbell from Fountain Hills, Ariz. gave a donation of about $100,000 alone.

Here is a link to view the IRS 990 filing from the Minuteman Foundation, Inc., as well as an article by the Washington Times that may shed a little more light on the situation.

It makes me feel uneasy to know that many of the volunteers don’t know how they’re donations are handled in great detail. In all, this has left some pretty big questions unanswered, and proven much more complex a situation than I had thought.

In the Gray

Just as we all know that everything isn’t black or white, neither can every member of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corp. be classified as either good or bad.

While Simcox and the other leaders have shown that they aren’t always upfront about how they run their organization, I don’t think it is fair for the general volunteers be labeled with the same negativity.

Many of the volunteers in the MCDC join and serve because they truly want a better, more free America– and are willing to dedicate ther time and effort to make sure that happens. I don’t think that’s bad, or it makes them bad. It’s just another example of how diverse groups of thinkers can have differences and be accepted in this country.

So when Simcox claims that I came into this project with a bias, and that I will “do a hit piece on us (them) like all the rest and it will make no difference,” unfortunately he and the rest of the MCDC leadership made an unfortunate mistake in judgement. Although they still would never believe it, I probably gave them the biggest chance to prove wrong what the rest of the media has been saying about them since the beginning of my project.

It’s unfortunate that a few bad apples can ruin the whole barrel to the public who perceive them. I understand this, and think others should take that into account as well.

The Follow-Up

After being un-invited to the muster, Simcox decided to follow-up with another e-mail to me which further clarifies how paranoid the leaders of the MCDC have become. Below is the e-mail he sent in his own words– I have written none of my own, as he does a splendid job himself of showing who he is and how he leads his organization.

“I appreciate everyone’s input on this – and it is what it is. Great job – we WIN! Another journalist with an agenda exposed! Al, I don’t think I would classify a liberal arts college journalists as an assassin – she might get her feelings hurt and contact the ACLU

Remember I told you they are after me personally not the organization per se. That is now clear after reading her blog entries. I find it curious how the young lady can interpret and judge our thorough research based in facts, a passion for our country and security, and enthusiastic but tempered activism somehow equates to arrogance and is “suspicious”. The fact she is reading the SPLC articles proves she knows little about which organizations are credible -at least I get a good laugh out of some of their crazy fabricated stories, like I was a failed actor -geez, I never acted in my life except for my fun diversion acting in a few plays as part of the Tombstone repertory theater – have you guys ever seem those videos? – they are a hoot – we should watch them sometime for a good laugh – Carmen remembers how much fun that was. Thank God I never had any desire to be an actor – the dips -it was my former wife who was the failed actor! The SPLC articles are so full of holes and purposefully attempted to make me out to be a monster – I can take any article they have ever written about me and pick it apart and prove they are lying – my kids even have a field day with all the propaganda they attempt to use in character assassination – oh there’s that word again. What a distraction this all is – but now we certainly know her intentions are as evil as we suspected – thanks to everyone for helping to set her up – Gene thanks for your conscientious and thoughtful approach to this and Al – dude, you are the man!

I purposefully cc’d her on the email – if you notice she is deeply confused and thinks my email is the silver bullet she needed – but actually read my email and read her delighted exclamation that she has us running scared -it’s actually the exact opposite – we gave her more than enough access to the organization, just as we always have and we have been completely transparent so the bias will likely be evident in her final report – after all she messed up by putting her biased thoughts in her blog – her lack of objectivity is compromised and her report will be less than credible just like the SPLC. I’m glad you guys don’t complain as much as she did about my not returning calls or emails in a timely matter – ;} She must feel her little project is mighty important!

Funny coincidence, I spent time with ASU president Michael Crow yesterday at an economic conference – he didn’t seem to care about subjective criticism of our efforts and is looking forward to our plans for ‘09 and agreed we have made a tremendous impact in moving towards reform of our border security and immigration policies. I’ll have to get his opinion of Kendall’s witch hunt when I speak with him again in December at the next conference. I’m sure he would be interested in comparing her blog with her finished report – which I hope we get a copy of – I so enjoy education!

Let’s roll!
Chris”

Guilty by association

Apparently I have horns, or breathe fire– because the leadership of the MCDC seem to be running scared.

This weekend’s muster didn’t work out– again– but I’m not that surprised at it falling through. Instead, I’m incredibly shocked at the treatment I recieved by Simcox and the other leaders of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps. following the e-mail I sent to Garza and copied the others on after he requested me not go this weekend.

Up until this point, I knew most of the leadership wasn’t fond of me, but I had mistakenly thought  Simcox at least agreed that, as a journalist, I was entitled to attend the muster like all other press. I was dead wrong.

Barely 15 minutes after copying Simcox on the e-mail, I received one of the nastiest replies I have ever received. Although it upset me on a personal level at first, it revealed the founder’s ugly side, and lead me to the conclusion I had been trying to avoid up until this point– Simcox is the king of manipultators in his organization, drowned in paranoia that everyone is out to get him.

Here is what he wrote me, his e-mail written to look like I was copied by “accident”:

“Guys,

I respected Gene’s wishes and did not have Kendall attend musters – his decision, his edict.

Gene, now that you have stepped away I just wanted to give the young lady what she wants- I gave permission to Kendall to sit the line and freeze her ass off with the rest of us. We have nothing to hide. I know she has been a conniving little pain in the butt, but then most liberal art college so-called journalists are the same way, even the 20 something reporter from the Ukraine we spoke with this week was a flaming liberal – so what. She will do a hit piece on us like all the rest and it will make no difference – we are winning this fight for law and order and to fix our broken borders and our broken immigration system.

She is after me and wants to create this situation to see how I will react – she wants as many people as possible to criticize me from inside the organization – this goes much bigger in scope but considering she is working with Stacey O’Connell, well that ruins her credibility with me, but then it’s my credibility that she’s after.

I try and keep things simple and move on to the next problem.

We don’t need this friction.

If you guys feel so strongly that she be banned then we will deal with how she spins it.

If we let her go on the line – we will deal with how she spins it – we are damned no matter what we do -so I will stand behind your decision.

I pretty much feel the whole thing is ridiculous and not worth any more of our time.

Chris Simcox”

I thought the reaction Simcox had was especially interesting, however, because from the beginning of this project I have tried my hardest not to automatically believe what articles written in the past have said. Instead, I have tried to give every Minuteman the benefit of the doubt as much as possible.

And while Simcox and the others feel that associating with former Minutemen like Stacey O’Connell makes me discreditable, trying to get both sides of the story is what any journalist should do– and well, his reaction just lets me know that I am doing my job!

Deja-Vu

After Simcox’s half-hearted apology and invitation to attend the November muster, I have been thrust back into the same position I was in at the time of the October muster.

No, it’s not the state director that wants me out this time– it’s the national executive director, Al Garza! After Simcox assigned me to a host for this weekend’s muster, I received an unexpected e-mail from my host telling me I was suddenly denied access by Garza and told I must contact him immediately if I wanted him to even think about letting me attend.

I don’t understand the treatment I am receiving from the leadership of this organization. I feel like I am experiencing some kind of deja-vu from last month’s operation. This is leading me to question who really holds the authority in MCDC, and who is in charge of making the final calls?

I have now e-mailed Garza like he requested, (see below), and am waiting to hear my fate. I’m not quite sure how this will work out in the end.

“Hi Al,

I just received an e-mail from Mike Vyne concerning this upcoming weekend’s muster. I understand there may be some personal concerns on your part with me attending, but I have done my best to be respectful of the Minutemen. Below I have included an invite that I received from Chris Simcox to attend the November muster.

As I have said before, observing the Minutemen operations is an essential part of my article that can only come from attending a full muster. I appreciate all of your help up until now, but I know that Chris mentioned students were just hosted at the last muster, so my coming should be no different. By picking and choosing who to let attend, the transparency of the group is hurt.

Thank You,

Kendall Wright”

Profile of a Minuteman: Preston of Oklahoma

As the stub of his cigar burned steadily, the thick white smoke that wafted my way delved me into the comfortable old memories of an America as Preston had known it. This is a nostalgia for a place where he said he remembered people had had values and morals, and a dedication to serve in order to keep their country safe– a quality he feels has been lost over the years.

“Most of our members just love America,” he said. “They’re not doing this because of personal reasons, but just because they remember what America used to be like. It was a different place then, and the values got lost in the shuffle. Now it’s just out of control.”

A retired parol officer and a Vietnam veteran with degrees in Criminal Justice and Ethics , Preston is the state director of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corp. in Oklahoma who traveled to King’s Anvil Ranch for the September muster. With an air of grand-fatherly wisdom, albeit arrogance, Preston explained that he felt first compelled to join the group when he began noticing the government had failed in “taking a stand on our southern borders.”

Since then, he said witnessing the mistreatment of the illegal immigrants by their coyotes has only encourages his opinion that the group is taking the right actions on the border.

“It’s so sad that these people are being victimized and in many cases, turned into slaves,” he said. “What upsets me, is that more people need to wake up and get involved to end some of this chaos.”

An Insider’s Perspective

It makes me feel a little less excluded to know that I’m not the only one confused by the way that MCDC is handling their interactions with me.

Since the beginning of my project, I’ve been in contact with the former Arizona state director and ex-Minuteman, Stacey O’Connell, who has pointed me in the right direction of who to talk to and hard questions to ask in my interviews numerous times. Although O’Connell is not in the organization anymore, since being terminated from his position by Simcox for bringing up questions about financial mismanagement, he has still been incredibly knowledgeable about the way the group is run.

I recently updated O’Connell on what has been happening between myself and the MCDC leaders, and he was completely shocked by their restricted nature in dealing with a student journalist.

“Up until last year, the operations were all very open. In fact, we encouraged college students to come out, even during the night shifts. We didn’t make them become members, we knew it was for their research, and it was important to us (at that time) for students to know what MCDC actually did, and who Minutemen truly are.

Having students there is about education, why they would put up a block wall to you or anyone else now is beyond me. I really don’t have an answer for you. My opinion is that the operations are changing, and new people are now leading it into a secret type of event. That is not what the Minutemen were about,” he relied to me in an e-mail.

Although I’m fairly certain O’Connell is probably still bitter about what happened between him and the organization, I still think that this previous insider’s opinion of how the organization is transforming is very interesting.

I wonder if the leadership is compromising the group’s mission for personal reasons, or if there else here that I am just missing here?

Back in the Game?

As quickly as I lost my ties with the Minutemen Civil Defense Corp. leaders, it seems that I have gained back my amnesty– at least sort of.

At first I was told I would be allowed to observe the night operations at the October muster, then told stopped by the Arizona state director, then reassured I could go by MCDC President Chris Simcox, had my five voice-mails and countless e-mails ignored, and now finally get an e-mail from Simcox out of the blue telling me he could get me access for the November muster.

What?! My mind is boggled to where I feel like I am looking at one of those magic eye posters and if I look hard enough, I might actually see the big picture.

In the e-mail,  Simcox apologized somewhat half-heartedly. He said he was sorry things fell through in terms of getting me access to go on the October muster, not bothering to even acknowledge the voluminous amounts of voice mails or e-mails I had left him.

“Sorry I missed you at the final weekend of the muster– with Gene transitioning out of the state director position I felt we needed to wait,” he wrote on Nov. 7.

I’m not upset that things fell through in terms of the trip, however, the lack of transparency the leaders of the group are willing to show me as a student journalist, as well as with each other, is unsettling.

It only makes me wonder why they would make so much of an effort if they weren’t hiding things.