Grandma draws fire P2

Oh, for crying out loud, she's 73 years old. She's on a park board. Are they trying to find a reason to cause trouble?

'Minuteman' Grandmother Draws Criticism

When the mayor named a 73-year-old grandmother to the city's park board—which considers issues like off-leash dog areas and outdoor party permits—the move might have gone largely unnoticed.

But Frances B. Semler's appointment could now cost the city millions of dollars because she is a member of the Minutemen, a group that advocates vigilante patrolling of the Mexican border and reports illegal immigrants to authorities.

Her membership has drawn sharp criticism from the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic advocacy group, and the NAACP. Both groups are threatening to show their displeasure by canceling conventions scheduled to be held in Kansas City.

Semler, who said she will not resign, calls the threats from the civil rights groups "the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." She said she joined the Minutemen because of the government's failure to enforce immigration laws.

Minutemen members "sit on lawn chairs with binoculars and a can of Coke or something and watch to see if anyone is coming across" the border, Semler said. "I'm not even sure if they're armed, but there might be cases if a person has a legal right to carry a gun."

The mayor has said he appointed Semler, a neighborhood leader, because he thought she "would work hard to make our parks a better place for children."

"I don't share Ms. Semler's views regarding diversity, but if I'm going to champion diversity, I've got to defend diversity of opinion and political thinking along with ethnicity," he said.

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