National Minuteman Group Disbanding After Its Leader’s Angry E-Mail

After sending an e-mail on March 16 telling members of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps to come “locked, loaded and ready” to Arizona’s border with Mexico, group President Carmen Mercer discovered that some from the radical anti-immigration group’s ranks were inclined to take her call to arms quite literally. Late last week, the news broke that Mercer and the MCDC’s board had decided to dissolve the national organization, but local chapters may still remain active.

Talking Points Memo:

On March 16, Minuteman president Carmen Mercer sent out an email to members, urging them to come to the border “locked, loaded and ready,” reports the Arizona Daily Star. She added: “You are strongly encouraged to exercise your rights and duty as an American citizen to carry a long arm and if challenged use it to defend the United States of America.” Mercer also suggested changing the group’s rules to allow members to track illegal immigrants and drug smugglers, rather than just reporting them to the Border Patrol.

Mercer told the Daily Star that the email had been prompted by anger at the federal government over health-care reform, and over the Department of Homeland Security’s claims that the border was secure.

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