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| Minutemen not watching over funds |
| 2006-07-21 |
| A growing number of Minuteman Civil Defense Corps leaders and volunteers are questioning the whereabouts of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of dollars in donations collected in the past 15 months, challenging the organization's leadership over financial accountability. Many of the group's most active members say they have no idea how much money has been collected as part of its effort to stop illegal entry -- primarily along the U.S.-Mexico border, what it has been spent on or why it has been funneled through a Virginia-based charity headed by conservative Alan Keyes. Several of the group's top lieutenants have either quit or are threatening to do so, saying requests to Minuteman President Chris Simcox for a financial accounting have been ignored. Other Minuteman members said money promised for food, fuel, radios, computers, tents, night-vision scopes, binoculars, porta-potties and other necessary equipment and supplies never reached volunteers who have manned observation posts to spot and report illegal border crossers. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #14 Opps, this was posted in wrong thread! |
| Posted by: Sherry 2006-07-21 21:53 |
| #13 OS -- glad you popped in. I do believe this is going on. My question. Why are these people doing this? Is there something about power that I just don't understand? Do they so think the Repub are so wrong, that it is their duty to do this? Or, is it a money issue, or just simply, a power question? If you can't answer, I do understand. Thanks for staying close to us.. I always feel much better, seeing your name! |
| Posted by: Sherry 2006-07-21 21:52 |
| #12 The way I see it: Simcox = wrong guy for the part. Right place, right time, right cause - wrong person. He had no organizaitonal skills but thought that he did. His ego got in the way when the real pros (ex-military) showed up ans started calling him out on all this - and he went running to Keyes, who has an agenda of his own. Now hes hosed. And no this will not end the movement - the pros will do an end around and set up a proper organization, one that focuses on operatiosn and is properly formed as a non-profit with full and open accounting - and an organizationt hat will do the damn job instead of talking about it. the labor is there - freely volunteered. so is the organizational skills. All it takes is for some of the old founders to get out in front of a new organization, set up patrols, etc - and be very clear about where the money and supplies go, and demonstrate a linkage between donations and border security. It can be done - and better now than when it was the only game in town. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-07-21 21:48 |
| #11 I blame Karl Rove. Every one else does. |
| Posted by: Fordesque 2006-07-21 21:21 |
| #10 Simcox just killed the minutemen project I think. WHY on earth did he do this? |
| Posted by: Charles 2006-07-21 15:34 |
| #9 Reminds me of the Katrina fiasco(s). |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2006-07-21 11:19 |
| #8 FYI: souce of this is the Wash times - a normally right-side paper. So this isnt jsut NYT style posturing. Questions have been asked - answers must be given. Simcox is stonewalling, and any time there is a pool of moeny and policiians sniffing around it (Keyes), I get VERY suspicious. We need an open non-profit organization formed that will openly accoutn for all funds - and have a single mission: the securing of the US Borders against illegal entry. We want the government to be accountable - and so should the Minutmen, no double or lesser standards allowed. From what I'm reading, Simcox is jacking this up big-time! |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-07-21 11:08 |
| #7 I got mail from Simcox et al, the usual funding request. I'm holding off until this shakes out. My local pro-life charity can have this slug of money - they are using it to pay medical cost (prenatal, post-natal and delivery) for pregnant girls/women who cannot afford to have a child but had the courage to say no to the abortion industry (Planned |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-07-21 11:02 |
| #6 I'd seen some of this floating around on the lefty blogs, didn't want to put too much credence to it. Now I'm upset. Phooey. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-07-21 10:55 |
| #5 He told me what he did was his business There is you answer right there. This really is a scandal because people have donated millons and I'm guessing most of it went to reelct Alan Keyes. This worm won't have the option of just saying it's his businessbecause the money wasn't donated to him or to Alan. Really a sad situation. And of course, as usual, we won't be able to expect our federal government to help. They'll sit on the sidelines instead of getting involved in this fraud. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-07-21 10:42 |
| #4 I echo all of the above. Bad news. C'mon Chris, say it ain't so... |
| Posted by: cruiser 2006-07-21 08:00 |
| #3 Turn the financial affairs and accountability over to the Bill Gates foundation and you'll not have to worry about it. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-07-21 07:11 |
| #2 I hope this gets sorted and soon, what the Minutemen are trying to do is far more important than some grubby 'money goes missing' story. Not good. |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2006-07-21 02:22 |
| #1 How did Alan Keyes get involved in this ? Is he trying to outdo Jesse ? I thought Simcox was OK, but now I wonder. |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-07-21 02:20 |