The world according to Riff.

This is more of "burning Atlanta " stuff, but I heard this on the radio and it ticked me off so much that I had to post it too.....(Burnsey is more the expert on this)....Has the legal system gone crazy?...MALDEF  is in the middle of this bull too....I hope the rancher had deep pockets, because fighting this travesty of justice is going to cost plenty.......riff

TUCSON - A federal jury has found that a southern Arizona rancher didn't violate the civil rights of a group of illegal immigrants who claimed he had detained them at gunpoint in 2004, but has ordered him to pay $77,000 in damages for four claims of assault and causing emotional distress.(Bullshit....)

The verdict by the eight-member civil jury on Tuesday also found Roger Barnett wasn't liable on claims of battery and false imprisonment.

Barnett declined to comment afterward, but one of his attorneys, David Hardy, said Barnett has a good basis for appeal on the two counts on which he lost because the jury didn't award full damages to the immigrants. (Fight em tooth and nail, don't let a crazy precedent like that get started)

David Urias, the attorney for the plaintiffs, said all six are citizens of Mexico.(so go back to Mexico)

Five are living in the United States with visa applications pending, said Nina Perales, an attorney with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She declined to say where in the United States they're residing. The sixth resides in Mexico but was allowed into the United States for the trial.(In other words she is harboring fugitives, it would be funny as hell if they showed up to trial and got escorted away by border patrol)

Perales called the outcome "a resounding victory that sends a message that vigilante violence against immigrants will not be tolerated."

Urias said his clients were disappointed. "But I think that overall this was a victory for the plaintiffs," he said.

For more than a decade, Barnett has been a controversial figure in southern Arizona. He's known for aggressively patrolling his ranch property and areas along highways and roads, often with his wife and brothers, on the lookout for illegal immigrants.(Its a constitutional right to defend your home)

The plaintiffs alleged that Barnett threatened them with his dog and told them he would shoot anyone who tried to escape. (Then stay the hell off his property...but that would make too much sense)............KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BARNETT.....riff

Barnett's lawyers argued that his land was inundated with illegal immigrants who left trash on his property, damaged his water supply and harmed his cattle.

Barnett has been known to wear a holstered 9 mm pistol on his hip and upon encountering groups of migrants, to flash a blue and gold badge resembling that of the highway patrol, with the words: "Barnett Ranch Patrol. Cochise County. State of Arizona."...(he he he...thats funny..I like it)

The Barnetts detain and turn over immigrants to the U.S. Border Patrol. In 2006, Barnett estimated that he had detained more than 10,000 illegal immigrants in 10 years.(Give the man a stipend from the border patrol)

His actions have resulted in formal complaints from the Mexican government accusing him of acting as a vigilante, and in several lawsuits, including one stemming from an October 2004 incident.(I have been to Mexico, in the border cesspool called Tijuana....they commonly "arrested" Americans to get their money...you pay or go to jail...almost was one of the victims myself, when they found out I had already drank my money in one of their bars, and was broke, they let me go....so hey Mexican Government....screw you...clean up your own backyard before complaining about the mess over here)

In that case, a jury awarded a family of Mexican-Americans on a hunting trip $100,000 in damages, later upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court.