Roger Barnett’s Wild West
A lot of times you will hear on the radio a politician saying something or other. Or you hear that a bill passed or a new law is in effect, but you never really see its effects. That is, unless you are Roger Barnett.
Roger Barnett owns a ranch in southeastern Arizona along the Mexico border. For years now, he has had to take the law into his own hands. He brandishes a firearm wherever he goes on his ranch. This may sound like a scene from an old spaghetti western film, or an excerpt from an outlaw country-western tune but its not. It’s a harsh reality.
For years, the Barnett ranch has endured vandalism, trespassers, robberies, and many unaccounted violations to its land and property. Who’s the culprit? Our southern neighbors. You see, Roger Barnett has installed spigots to his water drums to stop illegal immigrants from destroying the drums in efforts to gain access to their contents. Areas of his land is trod with immigrants so frequently and at such quantities that they are now dirt trails. His livelihood of livestock are slaughtered and left to rot.
He has contacted authorities constantly for 4+ years and asked for help to which none was provided. In efforts to protect his land and family he now goes out as often as possible and rounds up these massive numbers of immigrants every week at gunpoint and trucks them to the nearest Border Patrol station. These numbers are so massive, in just one week, it is normal to nab 70+ individuals on his property. In total, he has turned in over 12,000 illegal aliens to authorities. That’s amazing and discouraging, and he claims its only getting worse.
Now to the controversy, illegal immigrants have rights. Correct, they aren’t legal residents of the US, but they still have basic human rights (which they should). The problem is, one of the many basic human rights the illegal immigrants possess is to sue an individual in a US court of law. That, is EXACTLY, what a handful of these immigrants are trying to do.
As of February 9th 2009, 16 of the immigrants that Roger Barnett has detained, are now trying to sue him. Whether this suit holds up in court is missing the point.
Should basic human rights include the use of facilities of a government and country of which one is not a part?
Is Roger Barnett right in detaining these people? Does Mr. Barnett have the right to protect his property and family?
