Posted on 04/15/2014 8:15:19 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
1. First, I just have to say that with regards to the Bundy Ranch situation, the PAIUTE INDIANS have been unavailable for comment. Just had to get that out there. Someone had to say it.
2. The best source I have yet seen on the whole mess is the Brietbart piece that includes all of the legal filings and really even-handed explanations of the issues. Nobody’s clean in this.
3. I was happy to see Karl Denninger chime in. The comment thread (as is often the case at Market-Ticker.org) is quite informative as well. KD confirms that he has received THREATS from loons over this, and he hasn’t really said much at all about it. While I haven’t received any explicit threats of violence from pro-Bundy people, I have received a veritable mountain of hate mail and the usual accusations of being a lesbian, a JOOOO and of being on the FEDGOV payroll – simply for not falling IMMEDIATELY and WITHOUT QUESTION into line and elevating Bundy to instant hero status. Yeah, no red flags there.
4. Even more troubling is the large volume of hate mail that conveys a profound DISAPPOINTMENT that blood was not shed. Attention to all of you guys and ladies who are genuinely a part of the “first responder” or “minuteman” community: There are a hell of a lot of people who view what is going on and what WILL eventually happen in the former U.S. as a big reality show or form of entertainment. And guess what? Y’all are the “entertainers”. I have alluded to this in terms of the sports and entertainment culture, as well as the general societal disconnect from and inability to grasp REALITY many times before. Before you get drawn into a theater, much less a hot engagement, just remember that a bunch of those commenters hiding behind handles are loons who just want to see a bunch of people get their heads blown off. Are you ready for your close-up?
5. Which leads to my next point. TRUST YOUR GUT. Intuition is a gift from God, but we have all been conditioned by the “culture of nice” to ignore it and even be racked with guilt about it. If your stink-o-meter is pegged, HONOR THAT. Let me run through some of the things that pegged my stink-o-meter:
A.) Alex Jones pushing the narrative. Alex Jones is an INSTANT massive warning that much, much more information is needed, because his outfit is every bit as unreliable as CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and FOX. If Alex Jones said, “two plus two equals four”, dude, I’d reach for my calculator JUST TO BE SURE. His target audience is people with mental illnesses who will believe any looney-tunes conspiracy theory that they hear. It’s sick.
B.) Early emails coming in from drooling, frothing anti-semites, contrail nutters, Planet X nutters, you name it. People who want to “finish what Hitler started” are an extremely reliable counter-indicator. ‘Nuff said.
C.) Bundy is one of those “sovereign citizen” nutters. You know, the people who think that birth certificates are legal incorporation documents and all that. I ran across several of those types over the course of my career and it was always indicative of either mental instability, or a need to deflect personal responsibility for either failures or sleazy behavior. Either way, homie don’t play dat.
D.) Another lesson I learned in the cattle business was that the guys who were always talking about being screwed were the guys who could be trusted the least. You never, ever did a handshake deal with the guy who was constantly claiming that he was being screwed.
6. What I find especially scary is the inability of people to grasp that BOTH parties in a conflict may be unsavory. Again, I attribute this to the modern mindless “sports culture” in which everything is either Team A or Team B. Furthermore, YOUR team never commits a foul. YOUR team never travels. YOUR team never double-dribbles. YOUR team never camps in the lane. And that is simply dishonest, but that “dishonesty in the name of team loyalty” is considered a cardinal virtue. We all agree that the Obama regime and the FEDGOV of the Iniquitous Gutter Republic are bad, bad, bad. But is it really wise to then say that ANYONE or ANYTHING on the “other side” of the Obama regime is therefore “good, good, good” and worthy of life and limb? This extremely shallow thinking, devoid of any real prudence or nuance, is why “conservative” people are swooning over the KGB tyrant and neo-Soviet dictator Putin. Well, if he’s against Obama, he MUST be teh awesome, right? Only if your thermostat and IQ read the same. Remember, in a relatively recent macro context, Patton was assassinated for having a thorough and nuanced grasp of the Germany-Soviet Union dynamic, namely that Uncle Joe was every bit the enemy that Hitler had been, if not more.
7. Finally, I hope that when the time comes, that leaders of men who show prudence and an insistence on assaying counterparties, gathering intel, and NOT sending men (and probably women) at the drop of a hat to lose life and limb based on sketchy sources and “herd think” are not instantly fragged. Based upon this episode, which near-miraculously came to a bloodless, albeit temporary, impasse, I worry tremendously about the ability to establish any sort of respected chain of command, and equally marvel at the ability of men in times and civilizations past to come together, establish and recognize command structures, and then to obey orders. Throughout history guys would muster, be ranked and sorted into outfits, and then go do (or NOT do) what they were told. Can you imagine that happening in today’s world? I gotta tell you – I struggle to envisage it. I hope I’m wrong.
EPILOGUE:
While this was all going on last week, my bank account was swept again. Within 48 hours of the legal case against me that I told you about regarding the Home Owner’s Association at my old office/condo in Lone Tree, CO and the fines for having the Epiphany Blessing in 1.5 inch chalk letters above my front door, a garnishment and seizure of the balance of my bank account was executed. Less than 48 hours. For chalk symbols that could have been wiped off with a wet sponge. They didn’t get anything close to the haul the IRS got, but they got a little as the last remaining bills that I have to pay all hit between the 10th and 17th of the month, so I had a little money sitting in the account to pay bills – and call me crazy, but I still believe in paying bills and staying as square as I possibly can. (Getting totally off the grid is almost impossible.) Apropos indeed to the topic above, zeroes and ones on computer servers simply cannot be defended. I look forward to all of the “Ha-ha, you deserved it!” emails. Sigh. Of course. Because ten 1.5 inch chalk letters over a door invoking God’s blessing and protection of a domicile is exactly the same thing as 20 years of grazing hundreds and hundreds of cow/calf pairs. Exactly the same. No difference at all. Ah, well. All is well in Riverville. As I was washing the dishes last night, I was able to quietly bask in a profound contentment. I reckon if washing the dishes inspires a keen awareness of one’s own beatitude, then one just might be moving in the right general direction. I hope so, anyway.
The citizens of this nation have discovered something the Natives discovered 150 years ago. The great white father in washington is the father of lies...
Correct.
In posting about this here I came to a conclusion that Bundy is actually a kind of hero. He has been quietly fighting the feds in court at what expense? For 20 years? Bless him and his family.
1of3 Stephen Pratt speaking to Sheriffs at WSSA conference
2of3 Stephen Pratt speaking to Sheriffs at WSSA conference
3of3 Stephen Pratt speaking to Sheriffs at WSSA conference
Here's one that shows why the Sheriff of Clark County is duty bound to keep the BLM and all Federal agents from arresting Cliven Bundy.
Steven Pratt, Bound by Oath to Support THIS Constitution,/a>
I like Ann's ramblings, but she is off base here. Given that she is formerly a cattle industry insider, she should know better.
The point is, in NO conflict is either side completely without sin. This is a fallen world, people. Even those of us who have been redeemed struggle with sin. None of us is without sin.
We can only make comparative judgements; God sees the whole picture.
Since none of us are spotless, why should that be a criteria in whether we pick sides against the FedGov in a fight? The Feds have blood all over their hands. Who has Cliven Bundy ever killed? Really, who has he ever harmed? He is an asset to his community, and by all accounts a gentleman. On the government's side, we have Ruby Ridge, and Waco, and Miriam Carey, and countless other events where the Feds have outright murdered citizens for doing comparitively nothing.
Anybody who stands up to what Ann calls the "iniquitous gutter republic" ought to be an ally of hers, and she should know it. But she doesn't. I guess Bundy isn't Catholic; maybe that's it.
And if the Bundys aren't the good guys, then who the heck is? Sure ain't FedGov.
While some of us are looking for the right hill, others are growing weary of waiting and will just start watering trees.
My feeling is, and I normally like her stuff, is that she felt the need to be contrarian because, well, she’s a contrarian. Thus, she assumed we all think Bundy is perfect because we back him against the Feds, period. She was wrong.
Exactly. And she is calling Bundy a "sovereign citizen nutter"? She doesn't see who her allies are.
You might have nailed it. Even AB is susceptible to that ol' green monster. We all struggle with sin. The enemy will divide us with it, too.
Once the spark to that powder keg is lit, there's no going back and everyone knows it. It's no longer controllable, which is scary as hell.
My wife and I have been avid readers of AB for years. Over the past few months, I have remarked on several occasions that Ann’s growing self-obsession was destroying her. She’s clearly going through a very difficult period. And I’m sure she is and has been coming under heavy spiritual attack.
She might want to step away from the keyboard for a while. She’s not doing herself any favors by painting her friends and allies who happen to disagree with her as contrail/shape-shifter nutters and anti-semites. Her recent columns have just been ugly and destructive. It’s sad to watch.
Your comment was very thoughtful and actually struck a chord. It’s been an observation of late that there seems to be a lot of spiritual attacking going on, everywhere. My prayer partner and I have been discussing it quite a bit and we’re seeing it on many levels. I hope AB recognizes it for what it is. I think I’ll add her to my prayer list!
Having been a fan of Ann Barnhardt’s statements in the past this is very disappointing. If Bundy hadn’t made a stand years ago there would be no pushback against the FedMob at all there and there would be zero ranchers in that area. 52 ranchers who obeyed the letter of the law are out of business and gone.
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