Was Paul Revere A "Vigilante?"
By Randall Nunn (04/14/05)
To hear the mainstream media tell it, one would think the Minuteman Project being carried out along the Arizona border represents a dangerous and sinister effort by armed “vigilantes” that should be condemned by all right-thinking Americans. In fact, it is nothing more than concerned American citizens acting to bring some attention to the extent of illegal immigration and the ineffective response of the federal government to a growing problem.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “vigilante” as “a member of a volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily.” The Cambridge Dictionaries define “vigilante” as “a person who tries in an unofficial way to prevent crime, or to catch and punish someone who has committed a crime.” Under these definitions, it is clear that the members of the Minuteman Project are not vigilantes, since none of them are attempting to catch anyone and none are seeking to punish anyone. The use of the word vigilante is designed to do what the liberal media does so well—smear the participants by applying a negative label that will prejudice many listeners, readers and viewers at the inception, thereby manufacturing public opinion by the way in which it portrays the event and the participants. In addition, the media attempts to make the participants appear unworthy because some small percentage of them lawfully carry firearms. Since the law enforcement authorities along the border all carry firearms, this fear and loathing must have to do with the fact that these volunteers don’t wear uniforms and are not part of any official government bureaucracy. And therein lies the problem. These concerned American citizens dare to take independent action without first asking for government permission and approval or the blessing of the ACLU.
To most liberals, and far too many non-liberals who are part of the government bureaucracy, we should all look to the government for all our needs and realize that enlightened government is the source of all wisdom and must be deferred to on all matters. In this modern day and age, self-reliance is merely an outmoded concept and those who are independent and self-reliant must be viewed as potential threats to governmental authority. Emerson would be shocked to see how dependent and reliant upon government many Americans have become. But with the last two national elections, those in the “red states” are beginning to assert themselves more, and speak out against intrusive government and the attempted “thought control” by the media. The way to stop this dangerous trend is for the media to trot out the old stereotypes of “vigilantes” and “racism” and brand all those who dare to take action and, at the same time, make the politically correct folks scurry back to their proper places in life and ignore this outbreak of “vigilantism”.
The use of the term “vigilante” by the mainstream media in this instance shows that the media does not understand the meaning of that word. But it also shows the rest of us that the mainstream media is not about to give up its attack on the American character and the rights of individuals. The power of the media is still great and is still being abused on a daily basis. The issue of illegal immigration and the effect it is having on our country will not go away. The smear campaign against Americans opposing illegal immigration will not go away either. But at least we can see it for what it is. Maybe if Gary Cooper has the aid of some “vigilantes” in “High Noon”, he wouldn’t have thrown his badge in the dust and left town at the end of that film. And my belief is that had such an incident really happened in the West, Americans would have come to the aid of their town and their law enforcement—and they wouldn’t have worried about someone calling them “vigilantes.”
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