Title: Court Officials Who Jailed a Veteran for Living Off-Grid Were “Just Doing Their Jobs” Source:
Daily Sheeple URL Source:http://www.thedailysheeple.com/cour ... e-just-doing-their-jobs_122016 Published:Dec 15, 2016 Author:Daisy Luther Post Date:2016-12-15 10:36:58 by Deckard Keywords:None Views:43453 Comments:123
Here’s an entry for the “Job-Doing Hall of Fame.”
What if your job meant that you had to go arrest a guy who just wanted to live off the grid on his own land? What if that guy was a veteran? What if his only crime was refusing a service that he was supposed to pay for, like public water or utilities?
Is it actually acceptable to go to his place, kidnap him, and hold him against his will for that?
If YOU are the person who takes any of those actions, are you to blame if you’re “just doing your job?”
Meet Tyler Truitt
Tyler Truitt is a veteran who owns two acres of land in Madison County, Alabama. He and his girlfriend live off-grid. They have a clean, well-cared-for home with solar panels and a rainwater collection system. They don’t have loud parties, deal drugs, or do anything else that could be deemed anti-social.
Well, except refusing to tie into the grid.
And the government can’t have that.
So, in the interest of keeping law and order in Indiana, a guy who served his country is being harassed by his local government because they deem that not having public utilities makes his home unsafe.
I don’t know about you, but I think the unsafe part is the government officials that commit such crimes as trespassing, kidnapping, and extortion.
Truitt and his girlfriend aren’t hurting anyone. They aren’t endangering the welfare of their neighbors. They aren’t stealing, causing a public health hazard, or damaging anybody’s property.
They’re just living free.
Here’s an interview with Tyler Truitt.
After this interview, Tyler ended up going to court and was put on probation for his “crimes.”
It gets worse. During his probation, he had the audacity to return to his home. His probation was revoked and last month, he was re-arrested. He spent 10 days, including Veteran’s Day, in jail, as punishment for living in his own home. Here’s a screenshot of his booking paperwork.
This saga has been going on for months and months.
Can you imagine living in your home, minding your own business, and waiting every day for the knock at the door that turns your life upside down and deprives you of your liberty because you choose to live on your own land without public water and electricity?
“Stop abdicating the personal responsibility for your own actions.”
Truitt posted this powerful message on his Facebook page regarding his time in jail:
A Message from Tyler
Today is November 20, 2016. As many of you know, I spent the week before last in jail. The judge had ordered me to serve a 10 day sentence in addition to fines. This was in relation to the trial last year which has been under appeal for some months. The ultimate outcome of which we lost and I was ordered to serve the time. This concludes all pending legal action at the time, but what we expect to happen is for the city to come cite us again and start this process all over again. I’m not sure exactly what they’re planning to do, but I’m sure this won’t be the end of it.
As for my experience in jail, there is one aspect of all this I briefly wanted to mention. Most of the jail and court, city, county etc. employees seem to be on our side. I had numerous guards tell me they thought our situation was messed up and apologize for what is happening to us. The deputy at the courthouse even said “Hey, aren’t you that guy who was on TV living off grid? I can’t believe they are doing this to you. That’s really messed up.” As he proceeded to carry me out without a word of protest to anyone else. That seems to be the common sentiment, and what I want you to notice is the key word “they”. People always say “they”, as if that person, “just doing their job”, has nothing at all to do with this. Just a bunch of little cogs in a big machine all doing their little part with no control over their own actions.
The best thing about jail is that when you are in there, you know you’re a prisoner, no questions about it. Complete with orange jumpsuit, metal bars, and bland, hastily prepared prison food. But what about the people on the outside? All those little cogs just doing a job with no control over their own actions? Going to a job they hate every day and doing exactly as they are told even when it irks their own moral conscience. I think this begs the question, “Who is the real prisoner?” And what kind of invisible walls inside our minds force us to act this way?
Many people are living like a prisoner, and yet still believing they are free. Because we have this grand illusion of freedom, a prison without walls, and so many choices (Should I go to Burger King or Taco Bell for lunch today?) we continue on touting how much freedom we all have, as we compliantly and unquestioningly carry out our orders. Because we have bills to pay and obligations that must be upheld. Obligations so pressing that we would do things which violate our own values and sense of self.
Now maybe some of you out there (especially law enforcement or military) are saying to yourself, “Sure I have to do things at work which make me feel uncomfortable, but I would never do anything too bad. I could stop myself before I do anything seriously unethical or unspeakable.” Possibly, but just where do you draw the line? Maybe for you that line isn’t drawn at incarcerating someone just for living peacefully on their own property (like my situation). But where is it? Is it when you are told to mace protesters? Or lie to cover up the actions of other officers? Is it when you’re asked to round up millions of Hispanic people for deportation? Or when you are ordered to force all Muslims into a concentration camp? Is it when you have to torture prisoners? Or is it when you’re made to confiscate weapons from your fellow patriotic Americans? How about when they tell you to shoot anyone who offers the least bit of resistance?
The point is that every time you’re forced to do something you feel is wrong without putting up the least bit of resistance, you only further train your mind to be compliant. Now is when it’s easy to say no. Do you think it will be any easier when people are rioting and there is chaos everywhere to make the right decision when you only have a moment to decide? Let’s remember, all the people at the Nuremburg trials were just following orders too, and I’m sure most of them never imagined themselves doing the types of things they did.
I guess what I’m asking all of you to do is remember that the choice actually is yours. All those invisible walls only exist in our minds, but we can tear them down and see what real freedom feels like. Stop living like a slave or prisoner to some giant system. Instead of “they”, it’s “we”. Stop abdicating the personal responsibility for your own actions. If you can do that, then you will truly be free. We don’t need to depend on some presidential savior, Trump, Bernie, Hillary, Obama, etc. to make America great again and make all our choices for us. America is the people, all of us. Only through our own actions, taking personal responsibility and making ourselves great, can each of us do our part to make America great.
"Tyler Truitt is a veteran who owns two acres of land in Madison County" Alabama.
True. He purchased two acres of land. But then he parked his mobile home on it.
Oops. He was told that trailers are not allowed in the city limits unless they are located in a trailer park. The Zoning Administration informed Mr. Truitt that he could apply to the Board of Zoning adjustment for a possible variance. He refused.
He has no sanitation system. His neighbor complained. His trailer is now condemned property and posted as "Unsafe".
I agree. He should be allowed to live on his own land, park his mobile home on it and even install in his own well system if he chooses. The whole idea of purchasing land is to be self-reliant which includes living off the grid. And it does not sound to me like his land was in the city limits.
He purchased two acres of land. But then he parked his mobile home on it.
It's his land. Why is it that you always come down on the side of petty bureaucratic functionaries?
He was told that trailers are not allowed in the city limits unless they are located in a trailer park.
Do you not see the absurdity in that regulation?
His trailer is now condemned property and posted as "Unsafe".
It was deemed "unsafe" because they didn't like the fact that he is self reliant and doesn't need or want to be hooked up to their system.
Pretty ironic that he served in the military to protect our rights, then comes home to find out you have no "rights" unless you ask permission from the government.
What exactly is it about the concept of freedom that you abhor so much?
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
"What exactly is it about the concept of freedom that you abhor so much?"
Well, I don't want some beat-up trailer home parked on blocks next door to my $500,000 house with the owners dumping the contents of their toilet into an open pit.
That has an effect on the value of MY property. Or is your attitude, "Tough shit".
#6. To: goldilucky, Deckard, A K A Stone, misterwhite (#3)
And it does not sound to me like his land was in the city limits.
That is because of the way the authors of these yellow journalism articles like to structure their wording to solicit sympathy from bleeding hearts who don’t bother to get all the facts before arriving at a conclusion.
Pay close attention that the author only mentioned the “two acres of land” were located “in Madison County, Alabama.”
Why do you think the author. Miss Daisy, did that?
Well, Miss Daisy wanted you to believe this land was located far out in the boondocks away from all the hustle and bustle city life with all the dog gone pesky municipal zoning regulations.
Ah Ha! Guess what …
If you research and read the local news, you find that Tyler Truitt and Soraya Hamar “live in this off-the-grid trailer on Hood Road within the city limits of Huntsville, Alabama.
So, you can agree if you want to with this couple’s right to live there in their trailer….because you don’t live in a half a million dollar home next door to the trailer that Tyler and Soraya moved onto their property.
If you did, maybe you would still say that’s okay….but the residents in the city of Huntsville decided long before Tyler and Soraya bought their property that it was not okay and issued a city ordinance prohibiting it.
Notice one important missing thing missing from the article and probably intentionally omitted? That one important item is where the couple drains the sewage water from the toilet they use in the trailer?
There are places in Madison County, Alabama, where the couple can easily live off grid, just as can be found in Blount County, Alabama.
Like this:
Alden and Mari Brindle are off the grid in Blount County.
No Alabama Power bills, for solar panels electrify the stately home they built from straw bales and stucco.
No water bills, for they drink from a vast system that captures and filters rainwater as it flows from the roof of their barn.
They keep chickens and ducks for eggs, grow corn and potatoes, onions and figs, fruits and berries and vegetables of all description to set a bountiful table. They buy a tank of propane for cooking every few years, but that's about the extent of it.
I let out a snicker when I learned Alden Brindle was a nuclear engineer retired from Alabama Power's mama the Southern Company. I read too much into it.
"Oh," he said. "I was off the grid even when I worked for them."
The Brindles are part of a community that calls itself Common Ground, a group of friends who decided years ago to invest in Blount County land together, to form a sort of co-op for people who wanted to live "gently" on the earth.
People can find a place to live off-grid if they want to. But they simply cannot expect to establish “squatters right” inside a city limits that has long ago established ordinances for people choosing to reside within that city limits.
Well, I don't want some beat-up trailer home parked on blocks next door to my $500,000 house with the owners dumping the contents of their toilet into an open pit.
I'll be danged....I had not read your post here before I posted a response below.
He was told that trailers are not allowed in the city limits unless they are located in a trailer park.
Do you not see the absurdity in that regulation?
I don’t …
Tell me why it’s absurd to have a city zoning ordinance that prohibits living in a trailer next door to someone’s $500,000 home and have no sanitary drain for the sewage.
Dumping your sewage into an open pit would be a health hazard, and a law against that is logical. A law against having a different looking and quality of abode, is against all that America stands for. If it were a 60 x 60 foot lot in the middle of a neighborhood in the city, I can see there being restrictions. On 2 acres, tough shit even in a city. If they want better on that property, buy it out.
Exercising rights is only radical to two people, Tyrants and Slaves. Which are YOU? Our ignorance has driven us into slavery and we do not recognize it.
He actually has a pretty sweet set-up. I would live there, but build a big shed/garage, deck around the place. He is not far off from having a really nice place.
Exercising rights is only radical to two people, Tyrants and Slaves. Which are YOU? Our ignorance has driven us into slavery and we do not recognize it.
Dumping your sewage into an open pit would be a health hazard, and a law against that is logical.
"The purpose behind these requirements is public safety. It is not to generate funds through permits – the cost is only about $11. The permitting process ensures that occupants of a residential dwelling have safe, potable, running water, and electricity, particularly in the wintertime. These are public safety regulations, regardless of how perceived by some members of the public. The City has posted the property as "Unsafe" for this reason. The absence of a connection to a sanitary sewer system (whether a septic system or sanitary sewer outfall line connected, ultimately, to a treatment facility, is not only a health and safety issue for the occupants, it's a health and safety issue for others who may live nearby." -Letter from Huntsville mayor on Tyler Truitt
A chemical toilet works just fine, or rent a sani-kan. Governments do it all the time, in bunches of dozens at a time.
Exercising rights is only radical to two people, Tyrants and Slaves. Which are YOU? Our ignorance has driven us into slavery and we do not recognize it.
Oh - so you really believe that if the "authorities" don't nip this in the bud, there will be a plethora of pig farms, manufacturing plants, strip club, casinos and amusement parks being built on this guy's two acres of land??
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
Oh - so you really believe that if the "authorities" don't nip this in the bud, there will be a plethora of pig farms, manufacturing plants, strip club, casinos and amusement parks being built on this guy's two acres of land??
Is it when you’re asked to round up millions of Hispanic people for deportation? Or when you are ordered to force all Muslims into a concentration camp?
Okay, whatever sympathy I might have had for the guy was lost right here. He sounds like just another leftard whining about Mrs. Bill Clinton losing.
All the asshole had to do was apply for a variance, and he probably would have gotten it.
If it is just him, and not a whole community of idiots that he invites in, I would say his untreated sewage is a lot less than the the rabbits, squirrels raccoons, opossums, and other critters that occupy the area anyway.
So if there is a river flowing through my property, I have the rights to dam it up to prevent you from having water anymore?
No one owns the rivers or beaches.
Did you not know that?
The land is owned around the river but not the river itself.
So if someone wants to build a wall on their land they should be able to do that. But not the river itself. They don't own it.
I'm in the minority on this. I know the reasons that others give for zoning. But I'm a purist. If you own it it is yours. If you believe in leases with restricted rights. That is ok, just don't pretend you own it.
Oh I understand it quite well. It is just not true ownership. So all you have to do is quit saying you support the concept of PRIVATE property. Or glorified leases.
I don't care which you support.
I know things aren't changing, and i'm ok with it.
You probably don't believe you have a right to drive either. You and your type like converting rights into privileges so that you can control people and make them submit to the way you want things. The way the group wants it. Group think over the individual. Communist ideology. Screw that.
Really, I don't know that he did and think he probably did not.
He just wanted to act like a dick and then got treated like a dick.
Geez, the guy is spouting Clinton campaign talking points.
No he just had a little money. Not enough to buy a 500 thousand dollar house like Mr. White. So he bought some land and put a trailer on it. So that he has a place to live. So that he has shelter. So that he can work and provide for himself. On this thread it was even admitted he only needed a variance. So he can have it there anyway. The assholes with to much time on their hands just want him to live by their standards. Group think communist ideology.
The dicks were the people harassing him and they should be treated as such.
Even Hillary supporters have a rights. Why would you even bring that up unless you made up your mind on this based on who he voted for.
I've lived in these communities a couple of times. The problem isn't so much with the contract, but with the 80 year old retirees with nothing better to do than report some inconsequential violation to the management to make themselves feel important.
Water rights or river ownership. What are we talking about.
If the river runs through your land you have a right to use the water. Of course.
Do you have a right to stop me from walking down the river and fishing in the water surrounded by your land. No you don't have that right because no one owns the river. Hopefully that clears up your misunderstanding.
The problem isn't so much with the contract, but with the 80 year old retirees with nothing better to do than report some inconsequential violation to the management to make themselves feel important.
Yep. Private property restrictions frequently wind up being more onerous than government zoning.
Dumb ass I said no one owns the river. I didn't say no one has rights to the river. No one owns it. I can walk down, kayak, canoe and fish in any river.
Dumb ass I said no one owns the river. I didn't say no one has rights to the river.
Ownership rights to the river.
Usage rights, access rights, fishing rights, water rights...
Basically, you want to ban the ownership of all private property rights to rivers, in favor of communal ownership. Have you ever heard of The Tragedy of the Commons?
Every town in the U.S. probably has a Joe Robertson; someone who feels like their property is theirs to do with what they wish. But those folks often meet a cruel fate when the government, especially the federal government, gets involved. The Justice Department filed a criminal case against Robertson, and the senior citizen was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for damaging wetlands and waters belonging to the United States.
After the conviction, an independent environmental consulting firm, Kagel Environmental, LLC, Nationwide Wetlands, Waters & Wildlife Consulting, located in Rigby, Idaho 83442, conducted a pro bono evaluation of the property the federal government claimed had led to harmful pollution of “wetlands” in violation of the Clean Water Act.
Robertson’s family gave the Free Thought Project a copy of this report. The firm concluded that the area where Robertson built his ponds could not be considered “wetlands,” nor did they find a single sliver of evidence that Robertson caused pollution.
The EPA lied to throw an innocent man in prison.
KE writes, “According to the USGS topo map (Mt. Thompson Quadrangle) the unnamed tributary to Cataract Creek is an intermittent headwater drainage channel. According to the NRCS Soil Survey, none of the ponds are underlain by hydric (wetland) soils, and according to the USFWS NWI maps, none of the ponds are located within federally mapped wetlands.”
(Rand) Paul wrote, in his book titled, Government Bullies, “The Clean Water Act never even mentioned the term ‘wetlands’ while passing through Congress for approval. The unelected bureaucracy (EPA) simply created the concept and defines it in distinct terminology dependent upon whatever scenario they are currently considering. ‘Wetlands’ quite literally can mean whatever the EPA wants it to mean.
The definition of wetlands has become so absurd and transparent that the Army Corps of Engineers developed the ‘migratory bird theory.’ This theory states that if your land is a stopping point for any migratory bird that has traveled between real navigable waters, then your land is now de facto connected to the interstate navigable streams. I’m not kidding.
This theory is irrational & completely illogical. How did it ever become enforceable law? It happened because Congress has abdicated its duty in this area. Citizens often run afoul of these rules inadvertently due to the constant evolution of complex and unexplained regulations.”
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
Paul Derangement Syndrome (PDS) is a mental condition that, though it was first detected during the 2008 Republican presidential primaries, has only now been identified for the dangerous disorder that it is. Also known as “Paulophobia,” those suffering from it find themselves tortured by their fear of Texas Congressman and three time presidential candidate Ron Paul.
PDS is peculiar in that in spite of its being a contagion, there is but one segment of the general population that it is known to afflict. Even more curious is the fact that this segment consists of Ron Paul’s fellow partisans in the Republican Party. More specifically, it is neoconservative men and women, especially those with a particularly powerful proclivity for “conservative” talk radio and Fox News, who are most susceptible to contracting PDS.
PDS is known to ravage the rationality of its hosts. While this disorder indeed promises to reduce its victims’ thoughts on Congressman Paul to textbook cases of illogic, it would be a mistake to infer from this that every Paulophobe was a clear thinker prior to falling prey to PDS: In a not inconsiderable number of instances, Paulophobia hasn’t so much as caused the wild irrationality that is the most salient characteristic of all PDS victims as exacerbated the general unreasonableness with which they already lived.
Unlike many other illnesses, PDS isn’t at all difficult to identify. The Paulophobe’s discourse on all matters pertaining to Ron Paul, or at least to Ron Paul’s presidential candidacy, is replete with, not just inconsistencies, but glaring inconsistencies, contradictions that are so profound that even a college freshman enrolled in an introductory logic course couldn’t help but to be pained by them. To anyone remotely attuned to reality or possessed of a modicum of reason, the Paulophobe’s utterances can’t but sound like the babblings of a baby: indecipherable noises intending to signify we know not what.
At one and the same time that he loudly and proudly affirms “limited government,” “liberty,” “individualism,” “fiscal sanity,” “the Constitution,” and “the Founders,” the Paulophobe will just as loudly and unabashedly repudiate Ron Paul. Although the latter has proven to be, by far, both more committed and more consistently committed to these values than any political actor of our generation — although, that is, he is an incomparable champion of the very ideals that the Paulophobe claims to cherish — the Paulophobe insists upon treating Ron Paul as an enemy.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
Just a thought. GAB.ai is growing pretty fast, but their interface and functionality sucks pretty bad compared to the setup here. Maybe they would pay for some much needed improvements.
I want everyone to have access to the water. To the beaches, the rivers and lakes.
Hard to realize that admirable goal if all of the property adjoining a lake isn't subject to easements.
How can the developer of lakefront property withhold easement rights if he's subject to a "If you want to control the property then don't sell it" rule?
So Joe chose not to obey the EPA rules, and since EPA rules have the force and effect of law, good old Joe made the choice to sit in “solitary.”
The EPA LIED!
Or did you conveniently ignore that fact?
Oh, that's right - in Gatlin Bizarro World, the government doesn't lie.
Robertson dug some holes on HIS OWN PROPERTY, and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for damaging wetlands
“According to the USGS topo map (Mt. Thompson Quadrangle) the unnamed tributary to Cataract Creek is an intermittent headwater drainage channel. According to the NRCS Soil Survey, none of the ponds are underlain by hydric (wetland) soils, and according to the USFWS NWI maps, none of the ponds are located within federally mapped wetlands.”
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
The Defense had a opportunity to prove that to the jury….IT DID NOT.
Did you conveniently ignore that fact?
Citizens often run afoul of these [wetland] rules inadvertently due to the constant evolution of complex and unexplained regulations.”
Conversely, “citizens often intentionally choose to ignore these wetland rules” and when they do….they suffer the consequences as set forth under the law.
Joe was given every chance to cease digging the ponds, he chose not to.
He knew he was violating the conditions of his probation….yet, he made the choice to do that.
A jury of his peers listened to all the evidence and then convicted him….he was sentenced to serve time.
That is the way the system works.
Basin Man Convicted of Clean Water Act Violations and Destruction of US Property
MISSOULA – Following a four day federal trial, a Montana jury found Joseph David Robertson, 77, guilty on two counts of unauthorized discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States and one count of injury or depredation of United States property.
Robertson was indicted by a grand jury in May of 2015 as a result of illegal ponds he built on two parcels of land near Basin, Montana, one on Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest land and the other on adjacent private property. The ponds resulted in the discharge of dredged and fill material into a tributary stream and adjacent wetlands and caused widespread damage to both properties.
At trial, the government introduced evidence that in October of 2013, a United States Forest Service (USFS) Special Agent visited the National Forest property to determine whether Robertson had complied with previously issued conditions of probation for misdemeanor violations of USFS regulations. The Agent testified at trial that during the site visit, she observed multiple ponds dug into an existing stream on both USFS and adjacent private property.
During a subsequent site visit in November of 2013, Robertson admitted to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USFS Criminal Special Agents that he had performed the work on the National Forest property using an excavator. State and federal officials visited the site again in May of 2014, and observed that Robertson had done additional work. The site was now approximately 1.2 acres in size, and extended beyond the National Forest property to a private property that he did not own. The work consisted of nine ponds of varying sizes, including some as large as approximately 4900 square feet that were placed directly in the stream and wetlands area. Unconsolidated dredged material from the ponds had been used to create the berms and had been placed in and around the stream and wetlands. Robertson admitted that he had completed the additional work. Additional investigation revealed that Robertson continued to construct ponds on the USFS property after May of 2014, despite being told repeatedly that he had no legal right to do so.
One of the central legal issues at trial was whether the waters polluted by Robertson were “waters of the United States” for purposes of the Clean Water Act. The United States introduced evidence and expert testimony from the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA that the stream and wetlands had a significant nexus to traditional navigable waters, and therefore were “waters of the United States.” Fishery biologists from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the USFS testified that this headwater and wetland complex provided critical support to trout in downstream rivers and fisheries, including the Boulder and Jefferson Rivers.
“This verdict sends a message that the United States will not stand by and allow streams and wetlands of the United States to be polluted, or National Forest lands to be injured,” said United States Attorney for the District of Montana Mike Cotter. “Clean and healthy waterways are a critical resource for all forms of life and are a Montana value. It is imperative that we protect this increasingly scarce resource. The collaborative efforts of multiple state and federal agencies in cases like this help ensure that individuals who seek to degrade it will be held accountable.”
“Rivers, streams and wetlands provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife which must be protected, and EPA and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting these invaluable natural assets as well as the communities around them,” said Jeffrey Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Montana. “The defendant’s illegal activity took place not only on public land but also on private property he didn’t own. Today’s guilty verdict demonstrates that polluters will be held accountable for their actions."
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Whittaker and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Nelson from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This case was investigated by multiple state and federal agencies including the United States Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Other agencies that assisted the investigation included Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Jefferson Valley Conservation District.
MELISSA HORNBEIN, Public Information Officer, (406) 457-5277 https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/basin-man-convicted-clean-water-act- violations-and-destruction-us-property
You never seem to know what you are talking about….and you never bother to research further after reading some yellow journalism article.
You to wise up….it was NOT HIS OWN PROPERTY.
“The defendant’s illegal activity took place not only on public land but also on private property he didn’t own.” https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/basin-man-convicted-clean-water-act- violations-and-destruction-us-property
The same Justice Department which sent Robertson, arguably an elderly old codger who liked picking small, school-yard types of fights with the federal government, had also investigated the BP oil spill. According to Reuters, “A Justice Department probe into the spill led to criminal charges against just four, mostly lower-level BP employees. The other rig supervisor, Robert Kaluza, was acquitted in February by a jury of the same pollution charge as Vidrine’s.
Kaluza and Vidrine previously faced manslaughter charges, but those were dropped.Former BP Vice President David Rainey was acquitted by a jury last June of charges he lied to federal agents about how much oil was spilled. The fourth defendant, engineer Kurt Mix, was sentenced to six months of probation last November after pleading guilty to damaging a computer, a misdemeanor.”
The result: no one spent one day in prison. Not one person, involved with history’s largest oil spill, spent one day behind bars as a convict. But let a squatting gold miner dig a few ponds on what he considered to be his own property, and admittedly a little sliver of federal land, and the government showed no mercy. And he isn’t fairing well in prison, reportedly. His wife told reporters he’s been kept in solitary confinement, has suffered fainting spells, and is in overall poor health.
Ironically, the independent evaluation also found that Robertson may have actually done the federal government a favor by creating the ponds. They write: “KE determined that the creation of Ponds #1, #2, and #3, which we understand are located on USFS lands, have actually enhanced the aquatic resources relative to the intermittent channel and adjacent wetlands.”
From the KE report, one could conclude Robertson was within his rights to construct the ponds, they weren’t located in a “wetland”, and while he may have erred in building ponds on federal property, the environment is now better off as a result.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
“This verdict sends a message that the United States will not stand by and allow streams and wetlands of the United States to be polluted, or National Forest lands to be injured,” said United States Attorney for the District of Montana Mike Cotter. “Clean and healthy waterways are a critical resource for all forms of life and are a Montana value. It is imperative that we protect this increasingly scarce resource. The collaborative efforts of multiple state and federal agencies in cases like this help ensure that individuals who seek to degrade it will be held accountable.”
There is the MESSAGE....I repeated it since you have trouble getting it.
“This verdict sends a message that the United States will not stand by and allow streams and wetlands of the United States to be polluted, or National Forest lands to be injured,”
Furthermore, the report added, “We understand that the pond excavation was accomplished using a Case 780 trackhoe with a 36-inch wide bucket and/or a 580 Case backhoe with a 24-inch wide bucket.
Any dredged material dripping from the bucket back into the water or wetland is considered an incidental fallback and therefore not subject to any requirement for a Section 404 permit (Tulloch Rule).”
The firm found that Robertson did not need the federal permit required for the ponds’ construction because his equipment was not considered heavy-equipment and the dredged drippings would be inconsequential.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
Unfortunately, the jury didn't hear all of the facts.
Then put the bong down and appeal. Until then, he's a GUILTY criminal scumbag. You wouldn't have such a hard time defending the SHIT you post if you'd stop posting YELLA garbage.
I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
Do you know why Joe is in solitary confinement? No? Then let me tell you. Joe sits in solitary confinement because he got into an altercation with his counselor and she had him assigned to the hole. He was “fighting” with her because she would not have all his mail marked “legal” so it would not be searched outside of his presence. She is the advocate for him and the last person he wants to fight with. The old codger just doesn’t know when to give up ….
Innocent people are imprisoned all the time you braying jackass.
Joe was not innocent....he ADMITTED to his crime.
He said he dug the ponds on government land and on privatge land that he did not own.
During a subsequent site visit in November of 2013, Robertson admitted to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USFS Criminal Special Agents that he had performed the work on the National Forest property using an excavator.
Innocent people are imprisoned all the time you braying jackass.
It's called life. It's not always fair, fun or safe.
MILLIONS of criminal assholes are found NOT GUILTY, yearly, because of the built in fail-safes of our court system. Miranda, rules of evidence... and so on. The system FAVORS the criminal. So, if some people (and it isn't nearly as many as your want to libtardly fear monger) fall through the cracks, that's LIFE. No system is perfect and 100% foolproof... and the American justice system is still way better than any other country.
If you're wrongly convicted, appeal... stfu.
I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
MILLIONS of criminal assholes are found NOT GUILTY, yearly, because of the built in fail-safes of our court system. Miranda, rules of evidence... and so on.
It certainly appears that you are suggesting that we do away with constitutional protections for anyone charged with a crime simply because cops fuck up and don't follow the rules.
Attaboy!
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#120. To: Deckard, A KA A Stone, misterwhite, goldilucky, jeremiad, Roscoe, no gnu taxes, hondo68, GrandIsland (#119)
Court Officials Who Jailed a Veteran for Living Off-Grid …
This entire article was presented in typical yellow journalism fashion in that it was never an enigma because there were no puzzling or inexplicable occurrences in the situation involving Tyler Truitt. The headline was worded in a explosive manner to grab attention and immediately solicit sympathy. The headline was a lie and the article was misleading from the very beginning. Truitt was never jailed for living off-grid. Furthermore, that Truitt was a veteran had absolutely noting to do with the problem he created for himself. The descriptive term, veteran, was used only to solicit sympathy. A person who had never served in the military or a draft-dodger and conscientious objector during the time of the military service draft, would have received the same sentence as Truitt for exactly the same reason.
A picture of Truitt is placed under a caption that reads: ”MAN BANNED FROM HIS OWN LAND FOR LIVING OFF-GRID.” Again, that is an outright lie. Truitt was prohibited from occupying his trailer home because of deplorable “unsanitary conditions” following a health department inspection.
The whole article then turns into a “fluff piece” omitting facts.
Living off-the grid is permitted within the city Huntsville. There are ways Truitt could have done it. Truitt however took the stand that he would not comply with an ordinance that is unconstitutional to begin with….and chose to do it his way. For Truitt to live in his off-grid in his trailer, he needed first to apply for a variant in the zoning law to allow his trailer to be parked in the space not zoned for trailers. The next process was a simple one. If he wanted to “go green” by living off-grid, he should have gone to the Community Development Office to check out the building code for off-grid living….it is absolutely permitted within the city limits of Huntsville. Truitt refused to do that since he said he will not comply with an ordinance(s) that is unconstitutional to begin with. He said his trailer is no danger to anyone else and that the building codes he's accused of violating are unjust.
The idea of living “off the grid” can often be a source of controversy. Zoning and land use laws sometimes forbid individuals from using their own property as they see fit. On one hand, it’s said that these laws are necessary to ensure uniform property upkeep, and to keep neighborhoods clean, safe and prevent public health hazards.
There was a public park across the road from Truitt’s property where he improperly disposed on the composted contents of his toiler and there was also a neighbor next door.
On the other hand, some argue that these regulations infringe upon the rights of land owners to do as they wish, especially if their actions harm no one.
Tyler set up solar panels for electricity, and began collecting and filtering rainwater for household use. He even composted his own waste. His electrical and water system were not in compliance with the safety codes and the “waste he was composting” included the waste from his own toilet. The city said that “Tyler’s solar, water, and composting system violate building and health ordinances.”
The Mayor of Huntsville’s position:
There is nothing illegal about living off the grid, provided interested citizens go through proper channels. We encourage green environmental living, and our departments stand ready and willing to guide citizens through the appropriate permitting process. The City has worked with Mr. Truitt on his desire for an alternative living environment and explained how to work through the permitting process to bring his property up to code.
The first citation for Truitt was on March 27, 2015 for failing to meet zoning requirements – trailers are not allowed in the city limits unless they are located in a trailer park. Zoning Administration informed Truitt that he could apply to the Board of Zoning adjustment for a possible variance. He chose instead to go to municipal court and was found guilty of the violation on May 20, 2015. He appealed and has lost in court.
A second citation was issued May 12, 2015 by our Community Development Department for owning an unsafe structure (multiple code issues regarding safety, sanitation, sewer, utilities - Code #7-357 through 7-388. (https://www.municode.com/library/al/huntsville/codes/code_of_ordinances). The city worked with Truitt for nine months and ultimately issued the two citations when he showed "no willingness to comply with city codes or regulations."
Tyler lost his court case and has already lost an appeal….an appellate court upheld the ruling that he has 14 days to remove his trailer from the land. However, he insists he will stand his ground, and will not be prevented from living off the grid on the land he owns. Truitt's home was condemned last year by the city, saying that his sanitation systems were in violation of a state health code….mainly, one would could rightly suspect, from composting his toilet. The methodology for Truitt was there for Truitt to live off the grid. However, he said he had rather fight the ordinance in court. He did that….and he lost.
The purpose behind the zoning requirements is public health and safety. It is not to generate funds through permits – the cost is only about $11. The permitting process ensures that occupants of a residential dwelling have safe, potable, running water, and electricity, particularly in the wintertime. These are public safety regulations, regardless of how perceived by one members of the public. The City has posted Truitt’s trailer as "Unsafe" for this reason. The absence of a connection to a sanitary sewer system (whether a septic system or sanitary sewer outfall line connected, ultimately, to a treatment facility, is not only a health and safety issue for the occupants, it's a health and safety issue for others who may live nearby. There are both benefits to be obtained, and compromises to be made, when people choose to live in an urban community.
The ordinances are there for a good reason, they are not there just to fight with Truitt. There have been many problems in the past with landlords who have taken advantage of poor tenants by refusing to ensure the availability of such basic utility services - people who have lived in houses or apartments with no running water, no heat, no electricity, no proper connection to sanitary sewer facilities. The regulatory tool to force these landlords to bring their properties up to code so that their tenants can be assured of having the basic services required for survival - services most of us all take for granted.
In summation, Truitt was ordered to leave and given until June 1 to bring the trailer up to code where he still could have complete off-grid living….only through healthy and safe methods. Truitt refused to do that and stated he does not intend to….he considers staying put an act of "civil disobedience" while he fights the city's claims.
The building code violations in Truitt's case would not be a problem in rural Madison County. But in the city of Huntsville….it just doesn't fly.
I honor Truitt’s military service and his desire to be self-sufficient. But he chose, for whatever unknown reason, to select the wrong place and the wrong way to accomplish that when it would have been best had he looked for un-zoned land in the county where he could live off-grid hassle-free….exactly the way he wants to do within the city limits of Huntsville, and cannot.
There was a public park across the road from Truitt’s property where he improperly disposed on the composted contents of his toiler and there was also a neighbor next door.
You can't dump your accumulated shit and piss in the public park across the street? Tyranny!
