Chris Simcox

One Reporter's Opinion: One Man's Civil Homeland Defense

George Putnam
Friday, April 18, 2003

It is this reporter's opinion that while fighting for freedom elsewhere in the world, we could be losing our own. Over the past 30 years, this reporter has crusaded on and off the air against the invasion of our country by illegal aliens.

Here in California, at our common border with Mexico, we have suffered economically and culturally - in every way - at the hands of foreign invaders. We, more than any other state, are suffering at the hands of these violators of our sovereignty. And more and more, we're finding out that our Immigration and Naturalization Service is in total disarray.

Out of this growing disaster has sprung an heroic group of dedicated civilians who are attempting to do the job our government refuses to do - protecting our lives from violent criminals, armed drug smugglers and terrorists pouring across our borders.

But instead of welcoming the assistance of civilian groups, our own federal government treats these volunteers as the enemy.

Take the case of Chris Simcox, who left his teaching job in Los Angeles and invested all of his funds into a small newspaper, the Tombstone Tumbleweed, in Arizona. Chris and his Civil Homeland Defense are patrolling our porous Arizona/Mexico border.

Recently, this incredibly courageous fellow, who daily risks his life to protect us and our loved ones from these foreign invaders, ran into serious trouble.

In the course of a patrol, Chris and a friend crossed a few feet into unmarked territory at a boundary of the Coronado National Park in Cochise County, Ariz. Federal agents lay in wait and placed Chris and his associate under arrest. They were treated as common criminals by the United States government.

Part of the charge was that no weapons could be brought into our national parks. The charge was vague but had something to do with the fact that they'd carried a pistol, which is in violation of a federal weapons code.

Interestingly, one of the arresting agents said she is Hispanic and dislikes the work done by Chris' Civil Homeland Defense group.

Consequently, Chris finds himself facing a court proceeding that could lead to placing him behind bars! This, my friends, for doing the job our federal government fails or refuses to do ... this for a free-from-malice, victimless crime.

Chris's patrolling duties and those of his Civil Homeland Defense are now on hold pending the outcome of this legal proceeding. This has thrown "The Tombstone Tumbleweed," Simcox's only source of income, to the borderline of bankruptcy.

The paper has lost a large percentage of its advertisers because local businesses are struggling with a weak economy and some, sadly, do not agree with the stand that Chris has taken.