by Pa Rock
Daniel Millis is a 29-year-old Spanish teacher who was hauled before a Federal Judge last Friday on a charge of littering. Littering! Business must be mighty slow at the Federal Courthouse!
There is, of course, more to this case than simple littering, in fact, the case is not about littering at all. It is a reactionary attempt to put one more obstacle along the footpaths of undocumented workers as they make their perilous way across the Sonoran Desert to harvest America’s crops, mow her lawns, and clean her toilets.
Daniel Millis was tried for carrying water to the thirsty. He left 22 one-gallon water jugs in the desert in an effort to save lives. (While he was leaving the water jugs, he was also picking up litter!) People who cross the Sonoran Desert on foot sometimes have the bad luck to die along the way, and Daniel Mills worked as a Good Samaritan to insure that they could survive the journey.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Commission cited Daniel for littering last February and issued a fine in the amount of $175, which he declined to pay, preferring a court trial instead. He admits that littering is a crime, but he does not believe that he is a litterbug. Indeed, it appears as though his “crime” was providing humanitarian aid.
A Federal Judge heard the case on Friday, and promptly dodged the bullet by “taking it under advisement.” A ruling will be issued sometime, maybe.
Daniel Millis volunteers for a humanitarian group called “No More Deaths.” Information about this group may be found at www.nomoredeaths.org.
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