BORDERING ON A BAD IDEA

It's good neither for Canada nor the U.S. to have amateurs patrolling
the border.

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, an American organization that
speaks out against terrorism, smuggling and illegal immigration, says
its volunteer patrols will supplement the work of official border
protection agencies, but those agencies are rightly skeptical.

Many of the Minutemen are, no doubt, motivated by honest patriotism.
They promise to operate within the law, but sometimes good intentions
lead to bad consequences. Professional border agents are trained to
recognize life-threatening situations and react appropriately.
Ordinary citizens are not.

The Minutemen officially oppose racism and bigotry, but
pseudo-paramilitary organizations attract dubious characters. The
Minutemen have talked about "illegal alien mobs," and though illegal
immigration is a problem, inflammatory rhetoric doesn't help. The
volunteers tend to reinforce their own fears by spending their spare
hours looking for bogeymen.

The Minutemen have rules against vigilantism, but some of their
members are armed, and when armed amateurs go looking for suspicious
characters, it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

If the border needs more patrolling, both countries -- the U.S. and
Canada -- should pay professionals to do it. Amateurs are more likely
to create extra headaches for real border agents rather than help
catch any bad guys.