Any thoughts on the Nevada rancher, Cliven Bundy, situation?

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Shadow T'Kia

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Apr 16, 2014, 12:52:39 PM4/16/14
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My boss who is a decent guy (working on his PhD at UAB) told me that in two months the government will go in and kill 100 people on Bundy's ranch "Waco-style" ... he used words like the government is evil and gets in the way ... he also stated that there will be a civil war in that state over the land.  It's hard for me to comprehend that my boss has such thoughts as they sound like something from Fox News and he really is a smart, well educated person.

Below is a diary from the Daily Kos regarding MSNBC's Krystal Ball commentary on the situation.  The actual link does have that video clip of her comments.



Krystal Ball came out swinging on Krystal Clear today on the Cyclist. She is rightfully mad that the Right Wing has appropriated the word patriot.

Cliven Bundy is a rancher who has been grazing his cattle on public lands without paying the required fees. He was also grazing on protected land. Cliven Bundy has lost his case against the federal government several times. The federal government finally came in and impounded Cliven Bundy’s livestock.

Ultimately an armed gang of thugs came from many parts of the country to support Cliven Bundy. Fox News and other conservatives referred to Cliven Bundy and his thugs as patriots.

Imagine if these were armed land owners in North Dakota and South Dakota attempting to protect their land against corporations evoking eminent domain on their land. Does anyone believe conservatives would call them patriots? Does anyone doubt the government would go in for the kill?

Yet the government backed down from Cliven Bundy and his thugs. The government gave him back his livestock.

Just because conservatives call Cliven Bundy a patriot does not make him one

These guys are not patriots. They do not recognize the United States as their government. They do not respect the rule of law. They disregard the ruling of the courts. Why are they called patriots? They are called patriots because many allow them to get away with it. In not pushing back it becomes a reality  for many.

Krystal Ball said it best when she said.

We on the left should not allow conservatives get to away with appropriating patriotism; bastardising it and claiming it as their exclusive domain. We should not accept their loaded rendering of the term. Because real patriotism should be grounded in the recognition that from the highest heights of power down to the homeless vet sleeping on the streets we are all Americans.



Shadow T'Kia

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Apr 16, 2014, 12:56:08 PM4/16/14
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Here is an article with a timeline on Bundy's & the government's actions to date:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/04/15/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-long-fight-between-cliven-bundy-and-the-federal-government/

Everything you need to know about the long fight between Cliven Bundy and the federal government

Updated at 2:15 p.m.

The case of cattle rancher Cliven Bundy burst into the national news cycle over the past week, captivating conservative media outlets with its protagonist, a firm believer of states' right with an armed group of supporters backing him. The stand-off between Nevada rancher and federal government officials trying to push cattle off of protected federal land has paused for now, but officials plan to renew their efforts soon.

This most-recent skirmish is only the latest in a decades-long fight between the federal government and Cliven Bundy, however.  Here's a timeline that proves just how complicated this case is — as well as the power that the media still retains to elevate a local political issue into a national one.

Eric Parker from central Idaho aims his weapon from a bridge as protesters gather by the Bureau of Land Management's base camp, where cattle that were seized from rancher Cliven Bundy are being held, near Bunkerville, Nevada April 12, 2014. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Saturday said it had called off an effort to round up Bundy's herd of cattle that it had said were being illegally grazed in southern Nevada, citing concerns about safety. The conflict between Bundy and U.S. land managers had brought a team of armed federal rangers to Nevada to seize the 1,000 head of cattle. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart (UNITED STATES - Tags: ANIMALS CIVIL UNREST AGRICULTURE CRIME LAW)

Eric Parker from central Idaho aims his weapon from a bridge as protesters gather by the Bureau of Land Management's base camp, where cattle that were seized from rancher Cliven Bundy are being held, near Bunkerville, Nevada April 12, 2014. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

1989: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the desert tortoise as an endangered species. A year later, its designation was changed to "threatened."

March 1993: The Washington Post publishes a story about the federal government's efforts to protect the desert tortoise in Nevada. Near Las Vegas, the Bureau of Land Management designated hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land for strict conservation efforts. "Among the conservation measures required," according to the Post's coverage, "are the elimination of livestock grazing and strict limits on off-road vehicle use in the protected tortoise habitat. Two weeks ago, the managers of the plan completed the task of purchasing grazing privileges from cattle ranchers who formerly used BLM land."

Many people were not impressed by the new conservation plan. "Cliven Bundy, whose family homesteaded his ranch in 1877 and who accuses the government of a 'land grab,' are digging in for a fight and say they will not willingly sell their grazing privileges to create another preserve." People who use the desert to prospect for minerals and to race motorcycles and jeeps also feel shortchanged. "'It was shoved down our throat,' said Mark Trinko, who represents off-road vehicle users on the committee that oversees the plan."

Bundy has repeatedly been fined for grazing his cattle on the protected land, fines he has not paid since 1993. The Bureau of Land Management, which oversees about 800 grazing areas in Nevada, responded by revoking his permit. Bundy has not applied for a new one.

April 1995: The fight between the Bureau of Land Management and the ranchers who want to use the federal land without fees or oversight is growing more tense, according to a story published in USA Today.

Thursday evening, a small bomb went off in the U.S. Forest Service office in Carson City, Nev.

Though no one has taken responsibility -- and no one was injured -- it has sent chills through government agencies involved in Western land management.

"If it was sent as a message," says Forest Service spokeswoman Erin O'Connor, "we got it."

Ultimately the issue will be settled by the courts, but ranchers who say they can't afford to raise livestock without greater access to public land are taking matters into their own hands -- setting up what some officials fear is an inevitable and dangerous confrontation.

The situation is becoming so tense that federal workers now travel mostly in pairs and are in constant radio contact with district offices.

"I'm concerned about the safety of my employees," says Jim Nelson, Forest Service district manager for Nevada. "They can't go to church in these communities without having someone say something. Their kids are harassed in school. Stores and restaurants are not serving them."

Nelson, who oversees 7 million acres in Nevada, says his agency is just doing its job, which is to ensure that land remains healthy and viable for ranchers and any others who wish to use it.

That goal, he says, is hindered by unattended, free-ranging cows that degrade the state's precious springs and stream banks.

The battle is being called Sagebrush II, a sequel to a 1970s movement that sought a state takeover of federal public lands. Today, many ranchers, miners and loggers argue the federal government never had a legitimate claim to the land.

The reason that things were ramping up? Counties were starting to challenge federal ownership of land. In 1991, Catron County in New Mexico passed an ordinance that claimed state ownership and local management of public land in the state. Thirty five counties followed suit. Nye County, Nevada, became the first to act on its legislated threat. The county commissioner bulldozed his way down a closed national forest road. Forest rangers soon followed, who the county commissioner threatened to arrest if they interfered.

At this point, Cliven Bundy had racked up $31,000 in fees for grazing on federal land without a permit. Helicopters often hover over his herd, counting up the cows so he can be fined appropriately. "They've taken their authority and abused it," Bundy said. "I'm not being regulated to death anymore."

Bundy's neighbors were also angry.

"The federal government just wants control of us. But I'm not going to be controlled," Keith Nay says.

But those seeking greater access to federal land deny they are looking for an old-West shoot-out.

"Do you want to see my weapons?" asks Norm Tom, a Paiute Indian and Nay's son-in-law, who runs about 100 cows on range adjoining Bundy's. He pulls out two copies of the Constitution, one pocket-sized, one full sized.

March 18, 1996: The federal government, which owns 87 percent of the land in Nevada,  is still worried about potential violence if they try to remove illegally grazing cattle from protected land. Two more pipebombs had exploded in Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management offices in the past two years. The Justice Department has 12 lawsuits pending against Nevada cattle ranchers. A federal court in the state struck down the Nye County ordinance that caused trouble the year before. Not that ranchers took that as reason to stand down, however. One local resident told USA Today,"A single district court decision in one district doesn't settle it. It's just a single day in the year of a revolutionary war. We're going to continue on with the fight." Bundy is also continuing to graze on federal lands. "I'm still saying the state of Nevada owns that land, and the federal government has been an encroacher. I'm not moving my cattle. We have ... rights."

Bundy states that his rights derive from the fact his Mormon ancestors were using the land far before the federal government claimed authority over it. One Elko County rancher, Cliff Gardner, has decided to take his case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that states' rights mean the federal government has no authority over the land where his cattle graze.

1998: A federal judge issues a permanent injunction against Bundy, ordering him to remove his cattle from the federal lands. He lost an appeal to the San Francisco 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He represented himself.

March 2002: Cliff Gardner is sentenced to a month in a Reno halfway house, along with a $5,000 fine and a year of probation. He has been under house arrest for the three previous months for not taking his cattle off of federal land. When his sentence — which affirmed the U.S. Forest Service's authority over the disputed land — was announced, more than 50 states' rights protesters were in the courtroom with him.

Three were dressed in white wigs as American Revolutionary War patriots and another wearing a wig and red coat said he was England's King George. "Has the West been won, or has the fight just begun?" read a banner at a rally outside the courthouse where 15 protesters on horseback carried signs while children waved the Nevada state flag. "This court has tried to intimidate the citizens of Nevada by attempting to make an example of Cliff Gardner," said Cliven Bundy, a Clark County rancher.

July 2009: The federal government is still fighting with local ranchers. They have signs posted all over the public land, stating that it is off-limits for grazing.

Some signs have been chain-sawed down; others have been filled with bullet holes. “There haven't been any confrontations out there, but we have to be careful,” says Gail Marrs-Smith, who manages the area for the BLM. “We travel in pairs.” Cliven Bundy,  a local organic melon farmer, is one of those who resent the changes. To protect an endangered tortoise, Clark County has set aside habitat by buying and retiring all of the government grazing leases in Gold Butte. But Bundy still runs his cows through here, even though since 1993 he has been ordered to desist because he has no permit. Bundy says that his family has grazed here since the nineteenth century and that he doesn't recognize the authority of the federal government. He has threatened resistance if anyone enforces the court order to remove his cattle from the wilderness. “It's so blatant,” says Rob Mrowka, a conservationist who works for the Center for Biological Diversity, in Las Vegas. “Anyone can go out there anytime of the year and see cattle. BLM employees trying to protect sensitive plants and animals are very frustrated. It's a problem that's been going on and on.”

April 2012: The BLM plans to round up Bundy's cattle. After several threats, these plans are abandoned. The Center for Biological Diversity files an intent to sue against the BLM for canceling their plans.

May 2012: BLM files a complain in a federal Las Vegas court seeking an injunction against Bundy.

February 2013: After endless complaints from ranchers and hunters, Nevada Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval demands the resignation of Kenneth Mayer, director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. One of Mayer's biggest projects was deciding whether to add another Nevada animal to the endangered species list, the sage grouse. He had mapped the best places to mark as protected sage grouse habitats in the state, and the best places to encourage environmentally safe economic development.

Ranchers thought his conservation efforts were misplaced. The president of Hunters Alert told the New York Times, “What did Ken Mayer do? Nothing. Just habitat, habitat, habitat, which is a terrible thing for a person in his position to do. You get instant results when you poison a raven or shoot a coyote.” Hunters also prefer predator killing because of its effects on the deer population. Scientists counter that ecosystem preservation is a far better way to stop extinction than predator management. Gerald Lent, a former chairman of the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners called these findings, backed up by extensive research, “voodoo science.”

Cliff Gardner reappeared during this fight, writing frequent letters to the editor to the Elko Daily Free Press about Mayer's eventual replacement. “I’m sure most of the people being considered for his job graduated from a college. These people are the cause of the destruction of wildlife.”

August 2013: A court order says Bundy has 45 days to remove his cattle from federal land.

October 2013: A federal district judge court tells Bundy not to “physically interfere with any seizure or impoundment operation.”

March 15, 2014: After nearly 20 years, the Bureau of Land Management sends Bundy a letter informing him that they plan to impound his "trespass cattle," which have been roaming on 90 miles of federal land. BLM averages four livestock impoundments a year, usually involving a few dozen animals.

March 27, 2014The BLM has closed off 322,000 acres of public land, and is preparing to collect Bundy's cattle. Bundy files a notice with the county sheriff department, titled “Range War Emergency Notice and Demand for Protection." Bundy also says he has a virtual army of supporters from all over the country ready to protect him. He also has Gardner. “I think Cliven is taking a stand not only for family ranchers, but also for every freedom-loving American, for everyone," Gardner said. "I’ve been trying to resolve these same types of issues since 1984. Perhaps it’s difficult for the average American to understand, but protecting the individual was a underlying factor of our government. ... My support is that I am determined to stand by the Bundy family in any fashion it takes regardless of the threat of life or limb."

Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins also supports Bundy. “The U.S. government has perpetrated a bigger fraud on people over those tortoises than Al Capone did selling swampland in Miami."

April 1, 2014: Bundy's 14 children and 52 grandchildren are all bunkered down at his house waiting for the BLM to arrive. Bundy is giving constant interviews and making constant calls to local and state officials. BLM has set up two "First Amendment areas" in nearby Bunkerville.

April 2, 2014: Around 30 protesters line up outside the Livestock auction house to protest the sale of Bundy's cattle. If Bundy doesn't pay the fees he's accumulated, his cows could be sold to another buyer.

A group of local conservationists sent a letter to local officials demanding that they support BLM's actions. One of those people was Bundy's cousin, Terri Robertson. They've only met a few times, and only at meetings about the federal lands. “He’s just in a world of his own. I don’t think he’s working on all four cylinders,” Robertson said. Bundy retorts that his city slicker cousin doesn't know what she is talking about.  “My cattle are the kind of cattle people look for at Whole Foods.”

April 5, 2014: After decades of trepidation, federal officials and cowboys start rounding up what they think are Cliven Bundy's hundreds of cows. The operation was going to cost $1 million, and reportedly last until May. BLM contends that Bundy owes $1 million in fees, and will also have to pay the round-up expenses. Bundy — who retorts that he only owes $300,000 in fees — says the city folk are only hurting themselves by taking his cows. He told a reporter from the Las Vegas Review Journal that there would be 500,000 fewer hamburgers per year after his cows were towed away; “But nobody is thinking about that. Why would they? They’re all thinking about the desert tortoise. Hey, the tortoise is a fine creature. I like him. I have no problem with him. But taking another man’s cattle? It just doesn’t seem right.”

He also thinks the co-habitating cows and tortoises could have a beautiful, symbiotic relationship if the government would let them. “The tortoises eat the cow manure, too. It’s filled with protein.”

April 6, 2014: Cliven Bundy's 37-year-old son is arrested for "refusing to disperse" and resisting arrest. He was released the following day. His face is covered with scratches from fighting the feds. Before he left the detention center, authorities gave him a tuna fish sandwich. "It wasn’t poison," he said. "I just ate it.”

The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association distances itself from protests over Bundy's cattle. “Nevada Cattlemen’s Association does not feel it is in our best interest to interfere in the process of adjudication in this matter."

April 9, 2014: Two of Bundy's family members are injured in a confrontation with federal officials. One of them was Bundy's son, tasered after he kicked a police dog. "I'm almost getting mad enough to swear," Bundy says. "The one thing we're going to do is stay cool and we're gonna fight."

April 10, 2014: A protest camp has formed. There is a sign at the entrance that reads, "MILITA SIGHN IN."

Traveling from as close as St. George — and as far as Montana — a mix of characters waved picket signs at an encampment just before a bridge over the Virgin River, protesting the BLM’s campaign.

“This is a better education than being in school! I’m glad I brought you. I’m a good mom,” said Ilona Ence, a 49-year-old mother from St. George and Bundy relative who brought her four teenage kids to the ranch. “They’re learning about the Constitution.”

... Jack Faught, Bundy’s first cousin, drove his forest green 1929 Chevy truck from Mesquite loaded with water and Gatorade.

“It’s not about the cows,” he said. “It’s about the freedom to make our own choices close to home.”

Polo Parra, a 27-year-old tattoo artist from Las Vegas, even showed up with two of his friends to support the rancher. Dressed in baggy clothes and covered in tattoos, the group carried signs that read “TYRANNY IS ALIVE” and “WHERE’S THE JUSTICE?” in red spray-painted letters.

One of Parra’s friends, who would not share his name, had a pistol tucked in his waistband.

“I think it’s bull, and it really made me mad,” said Parra, who decided to make the trip when he heard about the violence that broke out on the ranch. “This isn’t about no turtles or cows.”

One protester, a former Arizona sheriff named Richard Mack, told Fox News about the militia's plans if violence broke out in Bunkerville. “We were actually strategizing to put all the women up at the front. If they are going to start shooting, it’s going to be women that are going to be televised all across the world getting shot by these rogue federal officers.”

April 12, 2014: BLM decides not to enforce their court order: "Based on information about conditions on the ground, and in consultation with law enforcement, we have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concern about the safety of employees and members of the public."

The Bundy son who was tasered said, "We won the battle." He told another outlet, “The people have the power when they unite. The war has just begun.”

April 14, 2014: BLM also pledges that this isn't done. A spokesperson for the bureau said this Sunday, "The door isn't closed. We'll figure out how to move forward with this."

Some of Bundy's neighbors aren't impressed by his actions. "I feel that the rule of law supersedes armed militias coming in from all over the country to stand with a law-breaking rancher, which is what he is," one person told a local TV station.

Wild horse advocates are getting angrier, saying that the roaming cattle are ruining their habitats. Other scientists argue that the wild horses and cows alike are ruining habitats for other animals.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tells a local news outlet, "It's not over. We can't have an American people that violate the law and then just walk away from it. So it's not over."

Jaime Fuller
Jaime Fuller reports on national politics for "The Fix" and Post Politics. She worked previously as an associate editor at the American Prospect, a political magazine based in Washington, D.C.

Orson Zedd

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Apr 16, 2014, 10:06:48 PM4/16/14
to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com
Cliven Bundy is an insane separatist who believes that personal
liberty is more important than the welfare of others. He's everything
wrong with our culture. He should find an asteroid and live on it if
he wants the government to butt out of his life.

OZ

On 4/16/14, Shadow T'Kia <okbre...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Here is an article with a timeline on Bundy's & the government's actions to
>
> date:
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/04/15/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-long-fight-between-cliven-bundy-and-the-federal-government/
>
> Everything you need to know about the long fight between Cliven Bundy and
> the federal government
>
> - BY JAIME FULLER <http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/jaime-fuller>
> -
>
> <jaime....@washpost.com?subject=Reader%20feedback%20for%20%27Everything%20you%20need%20to%20know%20about%20the%20long%20fight%20between%20Cliven%20Bundy%20and%20the%20federal%20government%27>
> - April 15 at 12:20 pm
>
>
> -
>
> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/04/15/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-long-fight-between-cliven-bundy-and-the-federal-government/#>
> -
> -
>
> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/04/15/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-long-fight-between-cliven-bundy-and-the-federal-government//email/>
> -
>
> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/04/15/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-long-fight-between-cliven-bundy-and-the-federal-government//?print=1>
> - More
>
>
> Comments<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/04/15/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-long-fight-between-cliven-bundy-and-the-federal-government/#comments>
>
> *Updated at 2:15 p.m.*
>
> The case of cattle rancher Cliven Bundy burst into the national news cycle
> over the past
> week<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/04/09/the-federal-government-moved-some-cows-and-nevadas-governor-isnt-happy-about-it/>,
> one.<http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/sep/23/lone-rancher-prepared-fight-feds-land/>
> land<http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/sep/23/lone-rancher-prepared-fight-feds-land/>
> far
> before the federal government claimed authority over it. One Elko County
> rancher, Cliff Gardner, has decided to take his case to the 9th U.S.
> Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that states' rights mean the federal
> government has no authority over the land where his cattle graze.
>
> 1998<http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20140313/NEWS01/303130052/Bunkerville-rancher-ready-new-BLM-fight>:
>
> A federal judge issues a permanent injunction against Bundy, ordering him
> to remove his cattle from the federal lands. He lost an appeal to the San
> Francisco 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He represented himself.
>
> March
> 2002<http://missoulian.com/uncategorized/rancher-says-he-ll-do-time-to-win-range-war/article_445e359a-5348-5643-a4c8-e77238150026.html>:
>
> Cliff Gardner is sentenced to a month in a Reno halfway house, along with a
>
> $5,000 fine and a year of probation. He has been under house arrest for the
>
> three previous months for not taking his cattle off of federal land. When
> his sentence — which affirmed the U.S. Forest Service's authority over the
> disputed land — was announced, more than 50 states' rights protesters were
> in the courtroom with him.
>
> Three were dressed in white wigs as American Revolutionary War patriots and
>
> another wearing a wig and red coat said he was England's King George. "Has
> the West been won, or has the fight just begun?" read a banner at a rally
> outside the courthouse where 15 protesters on horseback carried signs while
>
> children waved the Nevada state flag. "This court has tried to intimidate
> the citizens of Nevada by attempting to make an example of Cliff Gardner,"
> said Cliven Bundy, a Clark County rancher.
>
> July
> 2009<http://www.cntraveler.com/ecotourism/2009/07/America-s-Forgotten-Lands>:
> 2013<http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/ouster-sharpens-debate-on-the-sage-grouse/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0>:
>
> After endless complaints from ranchers and hunters, Nevada Republican Gov.
> Brian Sandoval demands the resignation of Kenneth Mayer, director of the
> Nevada Department of Wildlife. One of Mayer's biggest projects was deciding
>
> whether to add another Nevada animal to the endangered species list,
> the sage grouse. He had mapped the best places to mark as protected sage
> grouse habitats in the state, and the best places to encourage
> environmentally safe economic development.
>
> Ranchers thought his conservation efforts were misplaced. The president of
> Hunters Alert told the New York Times, “What did Ken Mayer do? Nothing.
> Just habitat, habitat, habitat, which is a terrible thing for a person in
> his position to do. You get instant results when you poison a raven or
> shoot a coyote.” Hunters also prefer predator killing because of its
> effects on the deer population. Scientists counter that ecosystem
> preservation is a far better way to stop extinction than predator
> management. Gerald Lent, a former chairman of the Nevada Board of Wildlife
> Commissioners called these findings, backed up by extensive
> research, “voodoo science.”
>
> Cliff Gardner reappeared during this fight, writing frequent letters to the
>
> editor to the Elko Daily Free Press about Mayer's eventual
> replacement. “I’m sure most of the people being considered for his job
> graduated from a college. These people are the cause of the destruction of
> wildlife.”
>
> August
> 2013<http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20140313/NEWS01/303130052/Bunkerville-rancher-ready-new-BLM-fight>:
>
> A court order says Bundy has 45 days to remove his cattle from federal
> land.
>
> October
> 2013<http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/bunkerville-rancher-vows-resist-federal-roundup-his-cattle>:
>
> A federal district judge court tells Bundy not to “physically interfere
> with any seizure or impoundment operation.”
>
> March 15, 2014: After nearly 20 years, the Bureau of Land Management sends
> Bundy a letter informing him that they plan to impound his "trespass
> cattle," which have been roaming on 90 miles of federal land. BLM
> averages<http://lasvegassun.com/news/2014/apr/11/q-behind-bundy-blm-battle/>
> four
> livestock impoundments a year, usually involving a few dozen animals.
>
> March 27,
> 2014<http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20140327/NEWS01/303270003/Man-battling-BLM-says-he-has-army-supporters->
> : The BLM has closed off 322,000 acres of public land, and is preparing to
> collect Bundy's cattle. Bundy files a notice with the county sheriff
> department, titled “Range War Emergency Notice and Demand for Protection."
> Bundy also says he has a virtual army of supporters from all over the
> country ready to protect him. He also has Gardner. “I think Cliven is
> taking a stand not only for family ranchers, but also for every
> freedom-loving American, for everyone," Gardner said. "I’ve been trying to
> resolve these same types of issues since 1984. Perhaps it’s difficult for
> the average American to understand, but protecting the individual was a
> underlying factor of our government. ... My support is that I am determined
>
> to stand by the Bundy family in any fashion it takes regardless of
> the threat of life or limb."
>
> Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins also supports
> Bundy<http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/sep/23/lone-rancher-prepared-fight-feds-land/>.
> “The
> U.S. government has perpetrated a bigger fraud on people over those
> tortoises than Al Capone did selling swampland in Miami."
>
> April 1,
> 2014<http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/cattle-rancher-taking-fight-over-land-use-limit>:
>
> Bundy's 14 children and 52 grandchildren are all bunkered down at his house
>
> waiting for the BLM to arrive. Bundy is giving constant interviews and
> making constant calls to local and state officials. BLM has set up two
> "First Amendment areas" in nearby Bunkerville.
>
> April 2,
> 2014<http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20140402/NEWS01/304020020/Protesters-support-man-BLM-feud>:
>
> Around 30 protesters line up outside the Livestock auction house to protest
>
> the sale of Bundy's cattle. If Bundy doesn't pay the fees he's accumulated,
>
> his cows could be sold to another buyer.
>
> A group of local conservationists sent a letter to local officials
> demanding that they support BLM's actions. One of those people was Bundy's
> cousin, Terri Robertson. They've only met a few times, and only at meetings
>
> about the federal lands. “He’s just in a world of his own. I don’t think
> he’s working on all four cylinders,” Robertson
> said<http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/cousins-line-opposite-sides-cattle-dispute>.
>
> Bundy retorts that his city slicker cousin doesn't know what she is talking
>
> about. “My cattle are the kind of cattle people look for at Whole Foods.”
>
> April 5,
> 2014<http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/feds-start-rounding-bundy-s-cattle-northeastern-clark-county>:
>
> After decades of trepidation, federal officials and cowboys start rounding
> up what they think are Cliven Bundy's hundreds of cows. The operation was
> going to cost $1 million, and reportedly last until May. BLM contends that
> Bundy owes $1 million in fees, and will also have to pay the round-up
> expenses. Bundy — who retorts that he only owes $300,000 in fees — says the
>
> city folk are only hurting themselves by taking his cows. He told a
> reporter from the Las Vegas Review Journal that there would be 500,000
> fewer hamburgers per year after his cows were towed away; “But nobody is
> thinking about that. Why would they? They’re all thinking about the desert
> tortoise. Hey, the tortoise is a fine creature. I like him. I have no
> problem with him. But taking another man’s cattle? It just doesn’t seem
> right.”
>
> He also thinks the co-habitating cows and tortoises could have a beautiful,
>
> symbiotic relationship if the government would let them. “The tortoises eat
>
> the cow manure, too. It’s filled with protein.”
>
> April 6, 2014: Cliven Bundy's 37-year-old son is arrested for "refusing to
> disperse" and resisting arrest. He was released the following day. His face
>
> is covered with scratches from fighting the feds. Before he left the
> detention center, authorities gave him a tuna fish sandwich. "It wasn’t
> poison," he
> said<http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/rancher-s-son-describes-arrest-protest-federal-cattle-roundup>.
>
> "I just ate it.”
>
> The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association distances itself
> <http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/rancher-s-son-describes-arrest-protest-federal-cattle-roundup>from
>
> protests over Bundy's cattle. “Nevada Cattlemen’s Association does not feel
>
> it is in our best interest to interfere in the process of adjudication in
> this matter."
>
> April 9,
> 2014<http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20140410/NEWS01/304100011/>:
> Two of Bundy's family members are injured in a confrontation with federal
> officials. One of them was Bundy's son, tasered after he kicked a police
> dog. "I'm almost getting mad enough to swear," Bundy says. "The one thing
> we're going to do is stay cool and we're gonna fight."
>
> April 10,
> 2014<http://lasvegassun.com/news/2014/apr/10/militiamen-make-presence-felt-protest-blms-livesto/>:
>
> A protest camp has formed. There is a sign at the entrance that
> reads<http://lasvegassun.com/news/2014/apr/10/militiamen-make-presence-felt-protest-blms-livesto/>,
>
> "MILITA SIGHN IN."
>
> Traveling from as close as St. George — and as far as Montana — a mix of
> characters waved picket signs at an encampment just before a bridge over
> the Virgin River, protesting the BLM’s campaign.
>
> “This is a better education than being in school! I’m glad I brought you.
> I’m a good mom,” said Ilona Ence, a 49-year-old mother from St. George and
> Bundy relative who brought her four teenage kids to the ranch. “They’re
> learning about the Constitution.”
>
> ... Jack Faught, Bundy’s first cousin, drove his forest green 1929 Chevy
> truck from Mesquite loaded with water and Gatorade.
>
> “It’s not about the cows,” he said. “It’s about the freedom to make our own
>
> choices close to home.”
>
> Polo Parra, a 27-year-old tattoo artist from Las Vegas, even showed up with
>
> two of his friends to support the rancher. Dressed in baggy clothes and
> covered in tattoos, the group carried signs that read “TYRANNY IS ALIVE”
> and “WHERE’S THE JUSTICE?” in red spray-painted letters.
>
> One of Parra’s friends, who would not share his name, had a pistol tucked
> in his waistband.
>
> “I think it’s bull, and it really made me mad,” said Parra, who decided to
> make the trip when he heard about the violence that broke out on the ranch.
>
> “This isn’t about no turtles or cows.”
>
> One protester, a former Arizona sheriff named Richard Mack, told Fox News
> about the militia's plans if violence broke out in
> Bunkerville<http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/bundy-ranch-women-human-shield?utm_content=buffer584b4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer>.
> “We
> were actually strategizing to put all the women up at the front. If they
> are going to start shooting, it’s going to be women that are going to be
> televised all across the world getting shot by these rogue federal
> officers.”
>
> April 12,
> 2014<http://abcnews.go.com/US/nevada-cattle-rancher-wins-range-war-federal-government/story?id=23302610>:
>
> BLM decides not to enforce their court order: "Based on information about
> conditions on the ground, and in consultation with law enforcement, we have
>
> made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious
> concern about the safety of employees and members of the public."
>
> The Bundy son who was tasered said, "We won the
> battle."<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/13/nevada-rancher-cliven-bundy_n_5140411.html>
> He told another
> outlet<http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/blm-releases-bundy-cattle-after-protesters-block-southbound-i-15>,
> “The
> people have the power when they unite. The war has just begun.”
>
> April 14,
> 2014<http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cliven-bundy-nevada-rancher-standoff-turns-on-a-states-rights-debate/>:
>
> BLM also pledges that this isn't done. A spokesperson for the bureau said
> this Sunday, "The door isn't closed. We'll figure out how to move forward
> with this."
>
> Some of Bundy's neighbors aren't impressed by his actions. "I feel that the
>
> rule of law supersedes armed militias coming in from all over the country
> to stand with a law-breaking rancher, which is what he is," one person told
>
> a local TV station.
>
> Wild horse advocates are getting
> angrier<http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nevada-rancher-cliven-bundy-inspects-cattle-for-damage-by-feds/>,
>
> saying that the roaming cattle are ruining their habitats. Other scientists
>
> argue that the wild horses and cows alike are ruining habitats for other
> animals.
>
> Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tells a local news
> outlet<http://www.mynews4.com/news/local/story/Sen-Reid-on-Cattle-Battle-Its-not-over/nT5weKnqFkezV14I5GhESg.cspx>,
>
> "It's not over. We can't have an American people that violate the law and
> then just walk away from it. So it's not over."
> [image: Jaime Fuller]
> Jaime Fuller <http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/jaime-fuller> reports on
> national politics for "The Fix" and Post Politics. She worked previously as
>
> an associate editor at the American Prospect, a political magazine based in
>
> Washington, D.C.
>
> On Wednesday, April 16, 2014 11:52:39 AM UTC-5, Shadow T'Kia wrote:
>>
>> My boss who is a decent guy (working on his PhD at UAB) told me that in
>> two months the government will go in and kill 100 people on Bundy's ranch
>>
>> "Waco-style" ... he used words like the government is evil and gets in the
>>
>> way ... he also stated that there will be a civil war in that state over
>> the land. It's hard for me to comprehend that my boss has such thoughts
>> as
>> they sound like something from Fox News and he really is a smart, well
>> educated person.
>>
>> Below is a diary from the Daily Kos regarding MSNBC's Krystal Ball
>> commentary on the situation. The actual link does have that video clip of
>>
>> her comments.
>>
>>
>> http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/15/1292342/-Krystal-Ball-calls-out-Rancher-Cliven-Bundy-And-His-Gang-Of-Thugs?detail=email
>>
>>
>> TUE APR 15, 2014 AT 05:36 PM PDT
>> Krystal Ball calls out Rancher Cliven Bundy And His Gang Of
>> Thugs<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/15/1292342/-Krystal-Ball-calls-out-Rancher-Cliven-Bundy-And-His-Gang-Of-Thugs>
>>
>> byEgberto Willies
>> <http://www.dailykos.com/user/Egberto%20Willies>Follow<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/15/1292342/-Krystal-Ball-calls-out-Rancher-Cliven-Bundy-And-His-Gang-Of-Thugs?detail=email#?friend_id=36988&is_stream=1>
>>
>> -
>>
>> -
>> -
>> Email<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/15/1292342/-Krystal-Ball-calls-out-Rancher-Cliven-Bundy-And-His-Gang-Of-Thugs?detail=email#>
>>
>> - 229 Comments / 229
>> New<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/15/1292342/-Krystal-Ball-calls-out-Rancher-Cliven-Bundy-And-His-Gang-Of-Thugs#comments>
>>
>> Krystal Ball came out swinging on Krystal Clear today on the Cyclist. She
>>
>> is rightfully mad that the Right Wing has appropriated the word patriot.
>>
>> Cliven Bundy is a rancher who has been grazing his cattle on public
>> lands<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/04/15/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-long-fight-between-cliven-bundy-and-the-federal-government/>
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Shadow T'Kia

unread,
Apr 17, 2014, 11:40:57 AM4/17/14
to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com

Bud Purdy was so revered in Idaho that even a bunch of Republicans pay tribute to him.
Being a Westerner and the daughter and granddaughter of cattle ranchers, I think it's about time that the non-crazy Western ranchers get some equal national media time. Because they're not all federal government-hating, "wise use," sagebrush rebelling, gun-toting crazies—even in a state like Idaho. One of Idaho's most influential cattle ranchers, and conservationists is proof of that. His name was Bud Purdy, and in his 96 years, he became sort of a legend in the state. Unfortunately, he passed away this week, but this remembrance from the Idaho Stateman'sRocky Barker tells the story.
Purdy, 96, led the ranching industry into rest and rotation grazing on public lands that both protected the range and improved cattle production. He duck-hunted and skied with Ernest Hemingway and hosted Jimmy Stewart and Gary Cooper at his Picabo Ranch.

He helped start the Idaho Cattle Association, led the University of Idaho Foundation as president and was chairman of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry. In addition to the ranch, he and his late wife Ruth owned the Picabo Store, the Picabo Elevator and Silver Creek Supply, a seed business. […]

Purdy donated a 3,500-acre conservation easement on all of the ranch along Silver Creek in the 1990s to the Nature Conservancy, adjacent to its own Silver Creek Preserve. Purdy didn’t even take the tax break on the easement valued at $7 million. […]

He loved the cattle business, he explained to writer, producer and author Steve Stuebner in an article in 2012 for the Idaho Rangeland Commission (which he co-founded). "Every morning, you get up and do something different," he said. "You turn out on the range and ride a horse every day. Even now, I go out and make sure the water is OK, check the fences and make sure the gates are closed.

"It's just a constant going out there and doing it," Purdy said. "I was never a cowboy, but I've ridden a million miles."

As one of my good friends here in Idaho wrote on Facebook, "He loved his land so much he owned it and when owning it wasn't enough to preserve it for future generations, he figured out a way to do that."

Cliven Bundy doesn't represent the West. He doesn't represent cattle ranchers. He represents a minority of right-wing cranks who are good at making a lot of noise through threats of violence. He's also nothing more than a common crook.

If you're looking for an emblematic man of the West, it's not Bundy. It's Bud Purdy.



On Wednesday, April 16, 2014 11:52:39 AM UTC-5, Shadow T'Kia wrote:

Procyon

unread,
Apr 17, 2014, 12:58:33 PM4/17/14
to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com


On Wednesday, April 16, 2014 11:52:39 AM UTC-5, Shadow T'Kia wrote:
My boss who is a decent guy (working on his PhD at UAB) told me that in two months the government will go in and kill 100 people on Bundy's ranch "Waco-style" ... he used words like the government is evil and gets in the way ... he also stated that there will be a civil war in that state over the land.  It's hard for me to comprehend that my boss has such thoughts as they sound like something from Fox News and he really is a smart, well educated person.


Assuming this chart is correct, I think the rancher has a valid grief:


This may provide a better view (pages 6 and 7):


So it can be argued that some of the Western states got a raw deal when they officially became states.  Why does the federal government own so much of the land in Nevada, but so little in Texas?  There are parts of Texas where the geography is probably very similar to Nevada, but the government only owns about 2% of the land versus 85% of Nevada.  

However, regardless of who owns the land (the state of Nevada or the Federal government), the land is not the ranchers.  It is either jointly 'owned' by all of the citizens of Nevada, or all of the citizens of the U.S.  So I think he should have to pay some fee, but it appears Nevada's open range laws wouldn't require him to pay anything, or at least much less than what the federal government would charge him.  The merits of the state being open range can be debated, but if the land were in fact the state's and the state wanted to allow free grazing, I think the state should have the right to allow it.

So fair or not, the land is currently under the jurisdiction of the BLM.  I do think the state does have a legitimate grievance regarding the % of land that is owned by the federal government though.  

Procyon

 
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