Critics condemn citizen "militias" monitoring illegal immigration in Arizona as "vigilantes" but laud comparable anti-crime activism in urban or suburban settings as "Neighborhood Watch."

April 20, 2005--

Critics condemn citizen "militias" monitoring illegal immigration in Arizona as "vigilantes" but laud comparable anti-crime activism in urban or suburban settings as "Neighborhood Watch."

Many critics of the citizen "militias" monitoring illegal immigration in Arizona label them as "vigilantes," yet when citizens in crime-ridden urban or suburban settings band together to monitor their neighborhood to deter (and report) crime, the same critics laud civic activism as a "Neighborhood Watch." What's the difference? In both situations, civic activism by law-abiding citizens fills the gap law-enforcement authorities can't (or haven't) filled. Have there been (and will there be) occasions when overzealous participants in a Neighborhood Watch break the law? Of course. Does that lead us to condemn Neighborhood Watch activities as "vigilantism"? Of course not.

Most critics residing in areas far from the U.S.-Mexican border would quickly demand, or even join, Neighborhood Watches, if they were to find their neighborhoods being constantly invaded by criminal trespassers. What neighborhood would passively tolerate such risks to the safety, well-being and property-rights of residents? Why should the case for such activism by law-abiding citizens be deemed less compelling when the criminal activity is greater -- i.e., criminal trespass coupled with criminal violation of an international border-- as well as the dangers posed to a passive citizenry being greater by virtue of the fact that a significant percentage of those crossing the U.S.-Mexican border do so for additional criminal purposes such as illegal-drug activities and/or terrorist activities?

--Jim Wrenn, Editor at PoliSat.Com.

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April 20, 2005 #01 Daily Update at PoliSat.Com, where satire is always commentary, but commentary isn't always satire.™

Title: Neighborhood Watch.

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