Posted on 04/13/2014 5:55:42 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
Byers, Texas along the Red River — The BLM stole 140 acres of the Tommy Henderson ranch thirty years ago. They took his land and paid him absolutely nothing. He sued and lost. Now the BLM is using that court case as precedent to do it again. The problem is, the land they want to seize is property that ranchers have a deed for and have paid taxes on for over a hundred years.
The BLM claims that about 90,000 acres (116 miles along the Red River) have never belonged to Texas in the first place. They will seize the land and it will seriously change the boundaries between the two states.
Avulsion versus Accretion
Since 1803 when the Louisiana Purchase was completed, there has been a controversy over the boundary between Oklahoma and Texas. The boundary is supposed to be the vegetation line on the south side of the Red River. But the River has moved over time. The problem is the definition of that boundary line- Oklahoma and Texas each use different semantics to define it. And the BLM is finding ways to use the disputed words to give them the ability to seize the land.
According to the BLM, the Red River is always Accretion (gradual accumulation of sediment) to the south, and always Avulsion (rapid formation of a new river channel) to the north. So according to the BLM, the boundary only moves one direction, never in the direction that favors the ranchers. They are looking to re-draw the entire portion of the Red River boundary. That includes 90,000 acres of land along a 116 mile stretch of the river.
“BLM officials believe they have a responsibility to manage land they believe is federal which includes an estimated 90,000 acres along 116 miles of the Red River. If land is found to be public, BLM officials say they have three options: leave the land open, closed, or open with limitations.” January 2014
Public input ignored?
Land that has been in the families of ranchers is to be seized as “public lands” that would be subject to fees or blocked off entirely from rancher’s use. Or in some cases, moving the boundary line over to Oklahoma, where Texas ranchers can lose their rights to the lands that they have owned for more than a century. The BLM had open meetings back in January to “take input” from the public …but they are moving forward with their plan to seize the land anyway. There was likely never any intention of actually listening to the rancher’s stand.
The taking of property from land owners, the stealing of cattle, all of these things are apparently the modus operandi of the Bureau of Land Management. There are no tortoises involved in this incident, just land-grabbing feds who are intent to take away the property of ranchers that have owned it for hundreds of years. Will it come to armed confrontation as is occurring in Nevada? We don’t know.
Open grazing of cattle has always been a common law right in America. It is time for the American people to rise up against the theft of private lands and property by a government that is out of control. Ranchers have contact Texas Representative Mac Thornberry for assistance. We will monitor this situation as it progresses.
But if you have Oklahoma helping us, what a can of worms they are opening.
God Bless Texas.
It is TIME to DownSize DC! Close Entire Rogue/Unconstitutional Departments, including their SWAT Teams.
BLM, do you hear me?
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Note There is a video at the link.
This sort of thing is going on all across the country. It makes bigger news when its bigger chunks of land but nobody hears about the 50 acres here or the 100 acres there.
The BLM is out of control
Freedom is under attack
We need to stay on top of this and on top of the BLM land seizure in Wyoming
Any info on how the Henderson guy lost that first court fight? Did he not have a deed or what?
Yes, it said he had a deed and had payed taxes on the property for many years.
Still lost to BLM.
Ping to follow in the AM
BFL
BLM et all know they MUST win one of these thru force, else the mob* at Bundy’s ranch will be emboldened and snowball. Having relented to presence of arms, the bullies have to beat the crap out of SOMEONE as an example else lose power entirely. And soon.
* - meant affectionately. Good folk there.
/johnny
So the ranchers to the North are actually losing acreage, while the ranchers to the South are gaining acreage. According to their deeds that's the way it is, and the government does own squat related to the land.
Now one could argue I suppose that the amount of new land on the south bank actually belongs to the rancher to the north, but it is beyond ridiculous that the government should claim ownership.
correction: Government does NOT own squat!
/johnny
If they try to win this one through force, they may have picked the wrong battle.
Ping to this story about land grab along Texas/Oklahoma border. What do you think about it?
looks like a job for John Wayne and maybe Texas Ranger Chuck Norris
If they are picking the Red River as a MUST win... they have chosen unwisely.
/johnny
Anybody have the numbers handy for the rounds of ammo purchased recently by the BLM?
Red River changes all the time . sometimes there is more in OK and sometimes more in Tx, depending on the floods. Are feds going to tell mother nature what to do?
Any idea what the fabricated legal justification was by some bizzaro judge?
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