Jim Gilchrist

Infobox Person
name = Jim Gilchrist


caption = Gilchrist at Minutemen rally, 2006
birth_date = Birth date and age|1949|1|13
birth_place = North Providence, Rhode Island, USA [http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/14/minuteman_project_founder_finds_inspiration_in_concord/]
occupation = Activist, Author
party = Republican

James "Jim" Walter Gilchrist Jr. (born January 13 1949) is the American co-founder, along with Chris Simcox, of the Minuteman Project, a group whose aim is to prevent illegal immigration across the United States's southern border. [ [http://www.splcenter.org/intel/news/item.jsp?aid=13 SPLCenter.org: Nazis, racists join Minuteman Project ] ] The Minuteman Project's board of directors, Marvin Stewart, Deborah Courtney and Barbara Coe, removed Gilchrist as head of the Minuteman Project amid allegations of fraud and financial mismanagement.cite news |url= http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=179886 |title= A Minuteman meets his hour of crisis: Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the anti-illegal immigrant group, battles three board members for the organization's control. |author= Jennifer Delson |format= html |work= Los Angeles Times |date= 11 March 2007 |quote= In early February, papers were filed with the state of Delaware showing that Stewart was the organization's new president and Courtney was the new treasurer. An official with the Delaware secretary of state's office said no one but Gilchrist could legally make those changes. Less than three weeks later, Gilchrist sued Coe, Courtney and Stewart, alleging they illegally voted him out of his organization, misallocated organization funds and commandeered his website. A ruling is expected March 21 on his application for a restraining order against the three.] In a May 2007 interview, Gilchrist claimed: "I’m the President and always was. I got the corporation back. I have the right to the web site, the bank account, everything. We are back in the same position as we were prior to the hijacking."cite news |url= http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=2904&cid=1&sid=26 |title= Exclusive interview: Jim Gilchrist of Minuteman Project on Immigration, Terror, Elections |author= David Storobin, interviewer |format= html |work= Global Politician |date= 30 May 2007 |quote= Q: How do you answer charges of racism against you and the MMP? A: My son-in-law is Mexican and so are 2 of my 3 grandchildren. Ray Herrera is a Mexican, he’s the MMP national rally spokesman. Many of the people affiliated with MMP are Mexican. The racism card is the last resort of a scoundrel who has lost his argument.] These claims by Gilchrist, though, do not appear to match the judge's ruling. Judge "Wilkinson issued an interim ruling barring the board members from spending Minuteman Project donations until Gilchrist’s lawsuit is resolved. Wilkinson also rejected Gilchrist’s request for a temporary restraining order that would have restored Gilchrist to power until the case is decided." [ [http://www.splcenter.org/intel/news/item.jsp?site_area=1&aid=249 Minute Mess: A struggle over money, power and fame threatens to destroy the Minuteman Project] ]

Early life

Gilchrist holds a B.A. in newspaper journalism from the University of Rhode Island, a B.S. in business administration from California State Polytechnic University, and an MBA in taxation from Golden Gate University. He is a former newspaper reporter and a retired California CPA (Certified Public Accountant) who let his CPA licence expire in 1993 soon after he declared personal bankruptcy in 1992.

Gilchrist is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and recipient of the Purple Heart award for wounds sustained while serving with an infantry unit in Vietnam, 1967 - 1969.

He currently resides in Aliso Viejo, California.

Minuteman Project firing

As former head of the Minuteman Project, Gilchrist advocated increased border enforcement and apprehension of illegal immigrants. Gilchrist split with fellow founder Chris Simcox, who founded the similarly named Minuteman Civil Defense Corps in December 2005. In February 2007, a bitter feud over leadership of the Minuteman Project began. Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist filed a lawsuit in Orange County, California, against the group's board of directors, Marvin Stewart, Deborah Courtney and, Barbara Coe, after they fired him over allegations of fraud, failure to secure nonprofit status, mismanagement and falsifying documents. A partial injunction was issued preventing the board members from using the preprinted fundraising letter head with Jim Gilchrist signature on it and from dissappating funds. The Board of Directors are still in control of the name of the "Minuteman Project, Inc.", and Jim Gilchrist was ordered to post a $15,000 bond to continue his efforts to regain control, but a final ruling was not yet made.cite news |url= http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-gilchrist24mar24,1,7366862.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california&ctrack=1&cset=true |title= Both sides claim a win in Minuteman suit |author= Jennifer Delson |format= html |work= |date= 24 March 2007 |quote= Minuteman Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist and his opponents within the anti-illegal-immigration group both claimed victory Friday after an Orange County Superior Court judge put Gilchrist back in charge of the organization's funds but indicated that those assets might soon be put into receivership.**] When faced with the MMP, Inc. being put into receivership, a position the Board of Directors had favored and requested, Gilchrist decided to dismiss his own law suit against the Board Members. The Board of Directors asked the Court not to dismiss the case, yet the plaintiff retained the sole right to dismiss the case. The Board of Directors of MMP, Inc. then sued Jim Gilchrist for fraud and the successor case is still being litigated. Then Gilchrist formed a new non-profit 501(c)4 corporation in Delaware named Jim Gilchrist's Minuteman Project, Inc (JGMMP) on April 20th, 2007 which, he is the Sole Director of, and claims to have transferred the assets from MMP, Inc. to JGMMP, Inc. without board approval. Then JGMMP, Inc. sued the Board of Directors Members again and added a few names. As if to pile on, Gilchrist sued the Board Members and others for Defamation, and with the same law firm and attorney, Mark S. Brown of Brown Law Group LLC, that Gilchrist's associate Stephen J. Eichler also used to sue the Board Members and others for defamation and "false light" causes of action.

Both the Gilchrist and Eichler defamation lawsuits were stricken by MMP, Inc.'s Board Members Stewart and Courtney's new Attorney Daniel F. Lula's "Special Motion to Strike" the Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), as per the California Anti-SLAP legislation and both Gilchristcite news |url= http://www.immigrationwatchdog.com/?p=7050 |title=Jim Gilchrist Loses In Court, Must Pay Defendants Attorney Fees |author= The Watchdog |format= html |work= |date= 29 July 2008 |quote= Second Frivolous Defamation Suit Against Patriots Deborah Courtney, Marvin Stewart and Paul Sielski Stricken; Jim Gilchrist’s Suit Follows the Same Path As That Of His Associate Stephen Eichler”**] and his associate Eichlercite news |url= http://www.immigrationwatchdog.com/?p=7021 |title= Judge Rules Against Stephen Eichler, Defamation Lawsuits Thrown Out |author= The Watchdog |format= html |work= |date= 24 July 2008 |quote= Frivolous Defamation Suit Filed by Steven Eichler Against Patriots Deborah Courtney and Paul Sielski Stricken; Orange County Superior Court Finds Their Special Motion “Meritorious”**] are subject to paying legal fees and costs of the defendants. Former MMP, Inc. Board Member Barbara Coe, leader of California Coalition For Immigration Reform (CCIR.net) was awarded attorney fees of over $9,000.00 against Jim Gilchrist.

cite news |url= http://www.ocregister.com/articles/gilchrist-coe-lula-2117272-courtney-minuteman |title= Minuteman leader Gilchrist loses another biggie in court (8/7/08) |author= Frank Mickadeit |format= html |work= |date= 07 August 2008 |quote= in the case of Coe, ordering Gilchrist to pay her more than $9,000. Courtney, et al, will be seeking the same sanctions, and there's no reason to think Gilchrist and Eichler won't end up owing all the folks they've been harassing a whole lot more. Just remember that the next time you see Jimbo with his hand out.**]

2005 election bid

Gilchrist unsuccessfully ran as an American Independent Party candidate for the United States House of Representatives representing California's 48th Congressional District to replace Republican Chris Cox, who resigned to become Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

In the low-turnout open primary for Cox's seat held on October 4, 2005, Gilchrist finished behind two Republicans but ahead of all other candidates, including Democrats. He received 14.8% of the vote (a total of 13,423 votes). He was the only one running under his party, and therefore automatically advanced into the run-off.

Gilchrist lost to Republican John Campbell in the December 6 general election, receiving 25.5% (26,507) of the vote. Campbell received 44.4% (46,184), Steve Young (Democrat) 27.8% (28,853), Bea Tiritilli (Green) 1.4% (1,430), Bruce Cohen (Libertarian) 0.9% (974).

Gilchrist has provided conservative opinions on various issues but emphasized that immigration and the border is the primary issue from which the others flow.

He has stated that he would consider a presidential run in 2008 with the Constitution Party, should the two major parties offer candidates with no proactive history in immigration law mination. [ [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49985 Founder of Minutemen targets run for president ] ] He stated "If John McCain enters the race for president I will definitely run. John McCain should have forfeited his right to run for president on the Republican Party the moment he put his name on immigration legislation with Sen. Ted Kennedy." However, McCain did enter the race, but Gilchrist has made no announcement of an intended run since McCain's entrance into the race.

Political views

Gilchrist holds conservative views on education, health care, and taxes. Gilchrist was registered with the American Independent Party, the California affiliate of the Constitution Party, but has since re-registered as a Republican, [ [http://jimgilchrist.com/blog/?page_id=3 About at Jim Gilchrist’s Official Website ] ] and is an adamant immigration enforcement, law enforcement and military advocate. Despite all this, he has announced his endorsement of Mike Huckabee for President in December 2007. [ [http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=878 Mike Huckabee for President - Blogs - Minuteman Founder Endorses Huckabee ] ] Huckabee has traditionally been opposed to stricter enforcement of immigration laws and even supported instate tuition and scholarships for illegal aliens. [ [http://www.alipac.us/article-2786-thread-1-0.html Illegal Immigration ALIPAC - Mike Huckabee's Shamnesty for Illegal Aliens! ] ] This endorsement of Huckabee by Gilchrist has met with strong criticism from other minutemen and anti-illegal immigration activists. [http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/12/minutemen_bash_founder_over_hu.php Marc Ambinder (December 13, 2007) - Minutemen Bash Founder Over Huckabee Endorsement ] ] [ [http://www.vdare.com/malkin/071211_border.htm VDARE.com: 12/11/07 - Meet the GOP's Border Control Cross-Dressers ] ] It should also be noted that this was a personal endorsement by Gilchrist, not an endorsement by any minuteman organization.

Criticism

According to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, Gilchrist willingly allowed members of the National Alliance, one of the United States' largest neo-Nazi organizations, to help with his 2005 House run. Gilchrist has claimed that he refuses to work with white supremacists, but the SPLC report questioned his sincerity. The report interviewed a former volunteer in Gilchrist's campaign who said that "they were basically allowing Nazi skinheads and white nationalists to work the phone banks and do IT and distribute National Alliance fliers targeting non-whites," and that " [when I told them] that didn't want to work for a campaign that was tainted by white supremacy in any way, they told me not to cause a stir." [ [http://www.splcenter.org/center/splcreport/article.jsp?aid=150 SPLCenter.org: Racists join Minuteman Project ] ] Gilchrist has denied allowing racist individuals in the project. [ [http://jimgilchrist.com/blog/?p=77 MMP: Minuteman Project Shuns Supremacist Group at Jim Gilchrist’s Official Website ] ]

In October 2006, Gilchrist appeared on Democracy Now and abruptly ended the interview after Karina Garcia started accusing him of being a murderer and said that he has ties to the National Alliance. [ [http://www.democracynow.org/2006/10/11/minuteman_founder_jim_gilchrist_storms_off Democracy Now! | Minuteman Founder Jim Gilchrist Storms Off Democracy Now! Debate With Columbia Student Organizer ] ]

In a March 2006, interview with the Orange County Register, Gilchrist stopped just short of calling for his followers to pick up their guns: "I'm not going to promote insurrection, but if it happens, it will be on the conscience of the members of Congress who are doing this," he said. "I will not promote violence in resolving this, but I will not stop others who might pursue that." [ [http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/homepage/article_1078958.php News: Minutemen to patrol border in 4 states - OCRegister.com ] ]

Books

*"Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America's Borders", by Jim Gilchrist, Jerome R. Corsi, and Tom Tancredo. Los Angeles: World Ahead Publishing (2006). ISBN 0-9778984-1-5.

References

ee also

*California 48th Congressional District Election, 2005
*Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
*The Minuteman Project Inc.

External links

* [http://www.jimgilchrist.com Official Website of Jim Gilchrist]
* [http://www.ocorganizer.com/html/gilchrist.html Orange County Organizer: Interview with Jim Gilchrist]
* [http://www.ocorganizer.com/html/jim_gilchrist_minuteman_.html Orange County Organizer: Audio of Gilchrist interviews and speeches]

Related videos

* [http://www.borderstories.org/index.php/campo-high-pointer.html Border Stories profiles a member of the Campo Minutemen in California]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxf19LZz6HA "Fox News, Neil Cavuto's Your World Today" show October 9th, Marvin Stewart is Introduced by Jim Gilchrist as an Esteemed Member of the Board of Directors of the MMP.]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei5Pqa3wmGQ "Fox News, Martha MacCallum's show, Jim Gilchrist states that Marvin Stewart is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Minuteman Project, Inc.]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYB_OLffZN0 "Fox News, Bill O'Rielly's show, Marvin Stewart speaks about his 55 minute speech to Columbia University Students, while Mr Stewart suffered racial slurs shouted at him.]