Man who left water for immigrants faces prison

AP via SFGate ^ | 12/4/9

[SmithL]

Tucson, Ariz. (AP) -- A judge has threatened to sentence an Arizona man to 25 days in prison for leaving jugs of water in the desert for illegal immigrants.

A federal jury in June convicted Walt Staton of Tucson of littering in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

. . .

Staton is a member of the group No More Deaths, which supports humanitarian aid along the border. He was scheduled to be re-sentenced Friday after he told a U.S. magistrate last month that he objected to the court's punishment on moral and legal grounds.

[ColdWater]

I think this guy may have been featured on a National Geographic Explorer episode on the NatGeo Channel. He leaves cartons of bottled water at stations under scrub mesquite trees.

This guy is part of an anti-American, socialist, immigrants rights movement. One of their goals is to destroy Sheriff Arpaio. Another is to get the global warming initiatives pasts.

[ColdWater]

One of their 'camps'.

[Theophilus]

Have you ever frequented illegal bars with your illegal friends and seen what that culture is really like?

No I've just seen em slaving their scrawny burnt asses away on roof tops, in the fields and packed 15 sweat soaked men into a broken down Astro minivan. And I know they send billions of dollars back home to their families that they never get to see, love and enjoy, in Mexico and Honduras and other God forsaken places. They live in a hell of exploitation right here in the middle of our garden of Eden of opportunity.

[Bad Jack Bauer]

the most humanitarian thing we could do for those poor people struggling to get across the desert would be ...

to build a big wall....

in the middle of a 1/2 mile stretch of open nothingness...

electrified.

Here is my solution. You build a fence right at the border. Then one mile from it you build another fence. You fill the space between the two fences with lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, pumas and ocelots. On the edge of the innermost fence you put up guard towers about 600 yards apart. Closer in terrain that makes for blindspots. These can be manned by Marines, Rangers, SEALs and Police that boloed out of sniper school. Outside of the fence you put about 400 meters of mines. At the edge of the minefield you put pairs of small flags stuck in the ground. One Mexican flag and one American flag. 50 meters beyond that, you have a small fire.

If you have someone scale the fence, escape being a meal for lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, pumas and ocelots. Scale the second fence, avoid being taken down by sniper fire while negotiating a minefield, plucks the two flags from the ground, runs to the fire and throws in the Mexican Flag, kisses the American flag and waves it in the air, oh what the hell, that one can stay.

[ansel12]

But personaly, I would help a person I came into contact if they really needed help, and also call the authorities. (Like getting the stray cat out of the cold and giving it some water on the way to the shelter)

Every one would.

Actually - it brings up an interesting point. Not to excuse the illegals, but how far would you go to provide for your family in the wake of a corrupt and insane country like Mexico is today?

Mexico today is more advanced than it has ever been.

[ColdWater]

You fill the space between the two fences with lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, pumas and ocelots.

Don't forget to put out a few jugs of water!

[ColdWater]

There might be a special place in Hell for a judge who would make a ruling like this.

Here is what you are supporting (from this guys website):

Dear Teach‐in Facilitator, Thank you for organizing an event in your community. You are participating in a nation‐wide movement to defend basic human rights and stop the enormous abuse of power of Sheriff Arpaio. This sample agenda is meant to be a simple orientation for you with access to background information through the many hyperlinks built in to the document and a suggested flow for a workshop. Please be creative and incorporate activities, music, theater, and discussion beyond what’s included here. Education is the first step to action. Please invite people to visit www.ndlon.org where they can take on‐line actions and find out about more campaign activities. It will take all of us to stop Sheriff Arpaio. Please take advantage of the opportunity of a gathering of supporters to pass a hat and ask for donations so that your group can send someone to participate in the marches in Arizona or sponsor someone else’s trip there. Thank you, The National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

[ansel12]

No I've just seen em slaving their scrawny burnt asses away on roof tops, in the fields and packed 15 sweat soaked men into a broken down Astro minivan.

In other words no, you are one of those prissy little guys that thinks that blue collar work is special if illegals are doing it.

My guess is that have never been a roofer as I have or my brother is, you haven't been an itinerant fruit picker and cotton picker as my mother has, you don't dig ditches and work on sprinkler systems as I still do.

You are so far removed from this issue that you thought the mere mention that they are blue collar workers like me would cover up the fact that you know nothing about this issue, and you clearly don't care. I posted "That sounds like a man that has not lived with, drank with, and worked with illegals. Have you ever frequented illegal bars with your illegal friends and seen what that culture is really like? It is deadly brutal, and knife based. Crossing deserts to get past our laws, casually living in a world of forged documents and escaping detection by the tax system and policemen, lying to employers, that isn't noble stuff, that is the lifestyle of the least noble. You are talking about people with a very casual attitude about morality and decency and the laws."

[ColdWater]

Voy a cantarles un corrido a los presentes,

que le compuse a Joe Arpaio de Arizona,

un sinvergüenza, desgraciado, anti-inmigrante,

que se ha ganado el repudio de toda la gente.

[goat granny]

If Cubans are still in the water, they get sent back. If they are on land they can stay...Its called wet foot, dry foot.........Cubans are fleeing communism, Mexicans are looking for welfare...also lots of non Mexicans cross over, terrorists for instance, they aren't stupid. They know they will not be sent back...yet Mexico doesn't allow their borders to be crossed in the south...they throw them in prison or shoot them......we should take a lesson from the Mexican government....

[VeniVidiVici]

I love it. Jail for littering. What comes around, goes around.

People like him could never stand out in the desert and hand out water. That’s beneath them.

[GizmosAndGadgets]

This guy is part of a movement for ‘immigrant rights’. They work to encourage the free movement of people into our country and to have the same (or more rights) than we now have.

From your other posts, I see this guy is not trying to be a "good Samaritan"; he's working an agenda to, essentially, recruit IAs into the US. Can't have that! And, he's got a bug up his rear about Sheriff Joe! Can't have that, either.

The only thing I knew about this was the paltry amount of info presented in the lame article (sfgate - I should have known better...) Thanks for pointing-out that Mr. Staton is an activist, rather than just some guy trying to keep people alive.

[Age of Reason]

thats not right. once someone makes the decision to cross and they are dying, i’;d say give em some water

No.

And thank goodness for deserts.

[bobby.223]

well okay, but the huge lobbyist and agenda setter for the muslim terrorist front group dedicated to the overthrow of our way of life from right here in the USA, C.A.I.R, and also the founder of the ‘islamic institute’, and also married to a muslim, Grover Norquist, who is was/also/ an NRA board member!!, (AND the NRA knows of his anti American activities and STILL keeps him on), thinks that we should help out these poor misguided souls who ill. cross our borders. so I guess guys like us ColdWater are out of touch and out of line. I remember the German Bund. evidently the NRA has forgotten. you are 100% correct on all you have spoken of on this thread ColdWater.

[bobby.223]

what the hell is wrong with you? how old are you? you are supporting the invasion of this nation with your limp liberal ‘give ‘em water’ crap. move down to mexico and kiss their butts if you love ‘em so much. set out water...and you help the illegal invaders of this country survive so they can spread their drugs to our kids and misery to all, anchor babies, and diseases here in America. I remember when this nation was a great nation and kids like you are trying to destroy it. leave.

[ColdWater]

Thanks. I was an NRA member back in the 90’s but not now. I haven’t followed Grover’s activities in recent years. I will have to do some more research.

[21twelve]

As much as I would like to respond in kind with a rant, I’ll just say it again. I would give someone in need some water and then turn them into the authorities.

[Selmore]

I may be wrong, but he is in trouble for littering

[Shooter 2.5]

The NRA members vote in the board members. They are not appointed. When the members see fit to get rid of him, he will be gone and not before that.

If you’re not a five year member of the NRA, you haven’t a vote or a voice in the NRA.

[Shooter 2.5]

I support giving water to a thirsty person in the middle of a desert.