I going to note that I'm an anarchist, against all borders, and...I'm finding myself sympathetic with some of the critics of the camp on this website.

The real thing that seemed to piss the locals off was the fact that the camp left apparently a large pile of trash behind, sort of ruining its ecological credentials and making the class-critique of some of the locals, that this was just bunch of rich kids out to get out their pent-up aggression out without any real concern for the situation, appear true. If people are ever going to get rid of borders, we need to take more responsibility for our own actions...for our own trash at least.

The second thing that seemed to anger the locals quite a lot the hostile attitude the campers took towards the police, combined with their excessive complaining when the police attacked. I have nothing against hostile attitudes towards the police, particularly when they are committing acts of brutality, and I've seen cops shooting rubber bullets at funerals, and...I've also helped fight scum in my neighborhood who are intent on robbing people. There's nothing wrong with fighting people who have done wrong, and the world we would be a better place if more people took justice seriously and could fight for it.

But if you want to talk the talk you gotta walk the walk. Anarchists at the no border camp seemed to not do a good job at this. This "illusion of militancy" is a long-standing problem in the United States, where anarchists' militancy tends to stop with slogans such as "Tear Down the Wall of Death" or "Fight the Police" - but anarchists in the USA have no ability to back these words up in action. This sort of huge gap between words and action makes anarchists rightfully lose street cred with *everyone* - including actual militants and locals who might be trying to figure out if these anarchists are worth having as allies. I remember in the Cincy riots the locals were quite pleased with the anarchists, primarily because anarchists stuck to doing things actually useful to the local situation, like distributing spraypaint to the locals, and an out-of-town Black Bloc drew heat off the locals during a march. A preacher even asked for a business card for this "Black Bloc."

It's not that militancy against cops isn't possible - look at the current open warfare against cops in France in the suburbs around Paris, and those cops and Sarko have it coming to them - but that anarchists in the United States posture to have the most militant language as a surrogate for not being capable of doing any militant action. If you want to fight cops, you should be prepared to take responsibility for that sort of action, and go into knowing that people will get arrested and possibly killed, and not act shocked when this happens. Anarchists should probably either figure out how to back their rhetoric up or figure out rhetoric that is more in line with what we are actually capable of. This sort of "more militant than thou" posturing leads to excessive secrecy that cloaks actions as militant as setting up a kissing both on the border seems to turn off people.

Overall though, I'm very pleased this camp was pulled off, and it looks like a good first step in cross-border organizing with anarchists in Mexico. Hopefully the lessons learned here can be applied in the future, and most of the problems seem to stem from the rather juevenile mind-set and lack of responsibility of many anarchists rather than the plan itself. Hopefully as the latest generation of anarchists matures, we'll see less of these problems.

How in the world could you have possibly made it into your current position? I cannot even begin to fathom the level of stupidity you are exhibiting. The only thing you have accomplished is helping me to decide what direction to take my life towards. I just finished applying to the Border Patrol. Maybe I'll get the chance to put down a group of morons like you have surrounded yourself with. And just in case you are wondering, I am an American of Mexican heritage. My parents immigrated legally. They did not run from law enforcement and risk the lives of my older siblings crossing the desert. They did not risk drowning crossing a river. No, they did things the legal way. They applied and waited until they received their immigration papers BEFORE they crossed the border. Thank you mom and dad.

Ms. Jennings - Let us not pretend. I submit that you did not come to the Imperial Valley to learn about border issues, but rather came to this community with an agenda. If you are interested in learning about the issues please don't forget to get other viewpoints. Have you ever asked for or considered taking a ride along with the Border Patrol or a tour of the Port of Entry to see their side? I'm not saying you necessarily have to agree with them, but just looking at the issues from one perspective leaves you unqualified to make sound conclusions reguarding border issues. Considering you hold a public office in Lake Worth, I would expect a bit more critical thinking or at least fact finding out of you. The local Border Patrol Commander apparently assured you of a number of things, but did you assure him or her that your fellow protestors would remain lawful? You talk about being shocked, well Ms. Jennings I'm shocked that as an elected public servant you did not do more to dissuade some of the people in your company from acts of vandalism and destruction of property. Do you believe yourself when you say that the protestors were trying to calmly disperse? The video that NBC posted shows anything but that. A significant number of protestors begin taunting law enforcement officials and shouting obscenities at them (confrontational) while the officers are ordering them to get back. I don't want to peg everyone in the same category because the video did show some protestors following directions in a calm manner, but this seemed to be the exception and not the rule. I can't help but think that your thought processes are ruled by emotion and impulsiveness. I think you're way off base on border issues you need to ballast yourself first then reevalute your stance. My opinion is most of the people of the Imperial Valley don't agree with your assumptions about border issues.