MINUTEMEN PEERING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

Mike McCraken ("Frisco man among Minutemen," May 23) describes himself as a
"free market capitalist."

One might assume, therefore, he has a good understanding of the law of
supply and demand. The tacit support of the government for the employment
of illegal immigrants, for extremely low wages and often under harsh and
abusive conditions, in a variety of industries (fruit picking and meat
packing, among many others) creates a huge demand.

It is foolish and inefficient, as the continuing failure of the "war on
drugs" demonstrates, to attack such a problem at the supply end.

Mr. McCraken and his Minutemen companions would do better to redirect their
energies to campaigning for an end to this distasteful
turning-of-a-blind-eye in order to keep the price of orange juice etc. down.

To characterize this as a national security issue is plain wrong. The
terrorists of Sept. 11 came into this country with visas and plane tickets,
not across the Rio Grande and the Arizona desert.

Dara Lillis

Frisco