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This Vet Imprisoned for Digging Ponds on His Land Died. Now His Widow Continues the Fight.
The Daily Signal ^ | May 19, 2019 | Kevin Mooney

Posted on 05/19/2019 5:05:56 PM PDT by george76

The name of a Navy veteran may be cleared after he was convicted, fined, and imprisoned for digging ponds in a wooded area near his Montana home, to supply water in case of fire.

The Supreme Court has vacated a lower court ruling against Joe Robertson, who was sent to federal prison and ordered to pay $130,000 in restitution through deductions from his Social Security checks.

Any definitive legal victory for Robertson would be posthumous, since he died March 18 at age 80.

But his lawyers describe the Supreme Court’s action as a “big win” for Robertson’s widow, Carrie, who plans to carry on the fight.

...

Barack Obama’s Justice Department had prosecuted Robertson for digging in “navigable waters” without a permit, in violation of the Clean Water Act.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling against Robertson in November 2017 and denied him a rehearing in July 2018.

The Navy veteran’s initial trial at the district court level resulted in a hung jury and a mistrial. He then was convicted after a second district court trial.

Robertson was 78 when he was sentenced in 2016; he completed his 18 months behind bars in late 2017. At the time of his death, he was supposed to be on parole for another 20 months.

...

Prior to his conviction, Robertson operated a business that supplied water trucks to Montana firefighters. Because he himself resided in a “fire-prone landscape,” he was concerned for his safety and that of his property

...

Robertson argued that he didn’t violate the Clean Water Act because digging the ponds did not discharge any soil into “navigable waters,” .. The ponds are more than 40 miles away from “the nearest actual navigable water body,” the Jefferson River

(Excerpt) Read more at dailysignal.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Maryland; US: Montana; US: Nevada; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: 9thcircuitcourt; abuseofpower; agenda21; blm; cleanwateract; commoncore; deepstate; endangeredspecies; epa; esa; joerobertson; jurynullification; montana; navy; navyveteran; obamalegacy; obamunism; oregon; oregonstandoff; privateproperty; propertyrights; robertson; un; unagenda21; usfs; veteran; vietnamveteran; wotus
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

Story above says that an illegal was sentenced to 60 days in jail for raping his girl friend’s dog. The Vet gets 18 months. Are we crazy?


41 posted on 05/19/2019 6:34:30 PM PDT by Kozy (new age haruspex; "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.")
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To: george76

Some plutocrat Canadian blogger gets a pardon no problem. This guy, a good American who served his country, died a convicted felon.


42 posted on 05/19/2019 6:35:53 PM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: Innovative

“These so-called environmentalists must not have so much power.

Poor man, RIP.

I hope his widow is successful in stopping this once and for all.


The EPA and BLM has been at this type of thing for some time.

Read “Storm Over the Rangelands” by Wayne Hage. Your blood will boil.


43 posted on 05/19/2019 6:38:04 PM PDT by Captain7seas
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To: george76

So our government will imprison a 78 year old man for digging ditches on his own property but release an illegal alien who raped his girlfriends dog after 60 days in prion.

Jesus needs to come back really soon......

I want off this planet.....


44 posted on 05/19/2019 6:46:05 PM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: george76

Bkmk


45 posted on 05/19/2019 6:48:18 PM PDT by sauropod (Yield to sin, and experience chastening and sorrow; yield to God, and experience joy and blessing.)
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To: Tammy8

“...Control sometimes to the point of removing people from their land is the agenda”.

That is exactly the Agenda. Kimberly Strassel wrote an article in the WSJ where she called it “rural cleansing”.

Look up “The Wildlands Project” maps. They have every square inch of the US mapped out. The goal is 50% of the land off limits to human use.

As to the “conspiracy theory” aspect. Agenda 21 has been official govt. policy since Clinton issued EO 12852 directing it to be made domestic policy.

Here is Nancy Pelosi introducing Agenda 21 legislation on the House Floor.

https://askmarion.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/nancy-pelosi-pushes-agenda-21-on-house-floor/


46 posted on 05/19/2019 6:52:09 PM PDT by Captain7seas
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To: Captain7seas

Oh I know this. I meant when trying to explain it to others it comes off as not possibly being true...but it is.

One day people will wake up and there will not be food in the stores and they will wonder why. Whoever controls the food controls the people.


47 posted on 05/19/2019 7:11:29 PM PDT by Tammy8
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To: Innovative

Yup. Clean water BS could include a low spot in your yard that sometimes holds water. Disgusting is an understatement. Just impose fines and penalties by rules and regs. Hopefully PDJT will do something about this misuse of power.


48 posted on 05/19/2019 7:12:48 PM PDT by rktman ( #My2ndAmend! ----- Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
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To: Viking2002

You are added. thanks.


49 posted on 05/19/2019 7:22:10 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: Tammy8

“...Whoever controls the food controls the people”.

Since 1996, per Agenda 21 based regulations on commercial fishing implemented by the National Marine Fishing Service, the American fishing industry has been decimated. We are now importing over 90% of our seafood. The enviro groups such as PEW have deliberately misled the public into believing our fishery resources are severely depleted. American fishermen are out of business. You can hardly find healthy American caught fish to feed your family. If you do you can’t afford it. I saw American caught red snapper in a store today for $29.99 a lb. The govt. shut down the red snapper fishery in the SE Atlantic years ago saying they were nearly extinct. Their data was proven fraudulent. This info was provided to Congress in a Fishery Hearing who then did nothing. The fact is that these fish are so plentiful that you can’t avoid catching them yet you can’t keep any. (except for a few from time to time as the govt. allows) Go watch ‘Toxic Seafood” to see what our government wants you and your family to eat which will usually be something farm raised in some communist country.

Trump must terminate every Agenda 21 based EO since 12852 in 1993 and root out all Agenda 21 based policy in effect if he is truly going to MAGA.


50 posted on 05/19/2019 7:42:58 PM PDT by Captain7seas
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To: sport

Actually Bush 41 signed the UN decree.
Zero saw an opportunity for Socialism and went DefCon 5.


51 posted on 05/19/2019 7:44:01 PM PDT by acapesket (all happy now?)
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To: george76

The American government pretty much hates the American people. the FBI took the lead from the CIA.


52 posted on 05/19/2019 8:00:34 PM PDT by healy61
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To: DUMBGRUNT

I prepared a sentencing report for a guy who was accused by Michigan DNR of expanding his shoreline. He had a property map showing the current shore line. I asked if he ever had one done when he bought the property in 1962. He did. The overlay was identical. Local surveyors for the last 70 years were father and son. They wouldn’t lie. The State withdrew the charge. He agreed with me that if he donated his untouched 60 acres with 1200 feet of shoreline to the state of Michigan it would all go away. Some bureaucrats are bastards.


53 posted on 05/19/2019 8:12:45 PM PDT by healy61
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To: Vermont Lt
What does his vet status have to do with this?

It is egregious in any case, but to have the government he served do this to him is a particular injustice.

54 posted on 05/19/2019 8:17:57 PM PDT by MileHi (Liberalism is an ideology of parasites, hypocrites, grievance mongers, victims, and control freaks.)
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To: KC_Lion

Ping.


55 posted on 05/19/2019 8:24:27 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: george76

Democrats are evil scum.


56 posted on 05/19/2019 9:08:16 PM PDT by stinkerpot65 (Global warming is a Marxist lie.)
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To: george76

All your land are belong to us (your gummint).


57 posted on 05/19/2019 9:18:07 PM PDT by beethovenfan (Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin)
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To: george76

When a government organization such as this commits such a vile and wicked crime, regardless of any good it has done in the past, it should be banished from the face of the earth for all time!


58 posted on 05/19/2019 11:58:10 PM PDT by Herakles (Diversity is applied Marxism!)
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To: All

Judicial Watch announced today [April 15, 2019] that the Supreme Court of the United States has overturned a lower court decision affirming the conviction of Joseph Robertson, a 78-year-old veteran...

The Supreme Court also remanded Robertson’s conviction to the lower court so the indictment can be dismissed and the lien can be cancelled.

[There’s a nice picture of him and his dog at the pond: see link...]

https://www.americanminingrights.com/supreme-court-moves-to-overturn-conviction-of-joe-robertson-fined-and-jailed-for-digging-ponds-on-his-rural-montana-property/


59 posted on 05/20/2019 2:09:36 AM PDT by deks
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To: Tammy8

Tammy, don’t get all excited. They have the answer: Soylent Green.


60 posted on 05/20/2019 5:37:41 AM PDT by Former Proud Canadian (Islam---At war with Western Civilization for 1400 years.)
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