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Why The Feds Chickened Out On A Nevada Ranch
Townhall.com ^ | 4-12-2014 | Kevin McCullough

Posted on 04/12/2014 10:31:38 PM PDT by servo1969

Let me obliterate a bit of confusion here: the Obama administration attempted to go to war with a rancher in Nevada. Let me amplify a little bit of truth: They tucked tail and have returned home. And let me add a bit of clarity: they had no choice!

As the nation began to become familiar with the plight of the family of Cliven Bundy, many of us harkened back to another standoff in which the Federal government attempted to bully it's outcome: Waco, Texas and the Branch Davidian massacre.

It is telling that in the Nevada case the feds pulled out so quickly, given all they had indicated they were willing to do to resolve the matter to their satisfaction. They had set up a perimeter around the Bundy's family land, ranch, and home. They had brought in extra artillery, dogs, and snipers. They were beginning the process of stealing more than 300 head of cattle that did not belong to them.

They did so--or so we were told--for the reason of protecting the desert tortoise. But then it was revealed that the Bureau of Land Management had shot far more desert tortoises than the Bundy cattle had even possibly destroyed. We were told they did it because the Bundys had broken federal laws by not paying what amounted to retroactive grazing fees to the federal government. But the Governor of the state of Nevada told us that Bundy had paid every ounce of state tax, met the state requirements, and their family had been improving the property more than 100 years previous.

Finally we were allowed to know the connection between a communist Chinese wind/solar power plant and its connection to that senator named Harry Reid. Evidently a plan had been hatched to use the Bundy property for a solar farm and instead of paying the Bundys, someone, somewhere in the administration believed it was easier to just take what they wanted.

That approach is at least consistent with the readily documented abuse of imminent domain where the government for any number of reasons--few of them valid--have taken to taking what doesn't belong to them. Americans then watch as it gets handed over to some multi-national corporation for the "cause" of the "greater good."

There were a few specific reasons why the feds chickened out in the Nevada desert though.

1. Technology - As the Bundy family members were abused, cameras captured it. Not television network cameras, but dozens of cell phone video devices that gave witness to a Bundy aunt being shoved to the ground, and a Bundy son being tazed. All of this while threatening protestors with dogs, brandished weapons and vehicles was captured, uploaded and made viral to the watching world.

2. States' Rights - As the drama unfolded it became clear that the Governor of Nevada, and the Sheriff of Clark County knew that Cliven Bundy's family had not only not broken any state law regarding the land, but that they had gone to the enth degree to insure compliance with Nevada laws on the property. The Governor and the Sheriff, to their credit, did not favor the feds as a more powerful party in the conflict. Though there must have been pressure from Senator Reid's office, the administration via the Bureau of Land Management, and local officials who were bought and sold like the Clark County Commissioner who told those coming to support the Bundys to have "funeral plans in place."

3. Grassroots Response - As other incidents have transpired in the past, the amount of time it took honest information to reach the grassroots and thus the response to the action came to slow. In the massacre in Waco, most of the nation had been sold a single narrative from the limited media outlets covering the events. Similarly the events surrounding the abduction of Elian Gonzales from his family in Florida and deportation to Cuba took place in such a response vacuum that by the time Americans knew the real story, the damage was done. With the Bundy ranch, internet outlets by the dozen had competing information with the limited "official news" being released by the networks, and in most cases the alternative sources had it correct and usually a full day or so ahead of the news cycle. By the time afternoon drive hit, when the network news rooms in New York were preparing their first stories, talk radio audiences had already been dialing their elected officials in Washington demanding action.

The majority of Americans saw through the efforts to spin the story in Nevada. Couple that with the leadership failures that the American people view the administration responsible for, from Benghazi to the Affordable Care Act, all it took was the unedited video of federal agents tazing Bundy's son, followed by his pulling the wires from his chest and continuing to stand his ground for there to be comparisons made to the American revolution.

It's also important to note that merely pulling back from the Bundy property hasn't settled the matter for the American people either.

The feds have stolen 352 head of cattle, and will not confirm or deny if they euthanized some or all of them. Recompense must be made. And to be candid, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see if a few ambitious law firms don't try to convince the Bundy family of the validity of litigation.

Fortunately for the American people, the feds were not able to ultimately bully a simple rancher, not for a tortoise, a solar power plant, or a dirty Senator and his administration.

We owe the Bundy family a great deal of thanks for standing tall.

For if the federal government is allowed to do it with one, then there will be nothing stopping them from doing it again.


TOPICS: Editorial; Miscellaneous; US: Nevada
KEYWORDS: bhoblm; blm; blunders; bundy; bundyranch; bundyranchmap; propertyrights; rancher; reid
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To: servo1969

They will wait until all the militia members return home... then they will pounce in the middle of the night


221 posted on 04/13/2014 6:10:56 AM PDT by Robe (Rome did not create a great empire by talking, they did it by killing all those who opposed them)
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To: Forward the Light Brigade
Feds lost the battle in a PR victory for the Conservatives, but they haven’t lost the war. They will do their best with their Hollywood allies to paint the Ranchers as fools and Tea Party nut cases (and racists too). They will be back and this time they will win—If we let them! Remember Folks its all about Power and the November Election. The Democrats do not want a bloodbath on National Television—that will presage a Bloodbath at the polls that even corruption and ballot box tampering can not stop.

They will likely come back with an arrest warrant or a search warrant for the house...It will also likely be at night and by morning there won't be a ranch or people to rebuild it...

222 posted on 04/13/2014 6:11:12 AM PDT by Iscool (Ya mess with me, you mess with the WHOLE trailer park...)
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To: 98ZJ USMC

Dingy Harry would resign in a free country, but he will get away with this. Where is the condemnation from his fellow Senators?

Pray America wakes up


223 posted on 04/13/2014 6:11:19 AM PDT by bray (The Republic of Texas 2022 is here)
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To: Darksheare

Who was that FReeper?


224 posted on 04/13/2014 6:23:45 AM PDT by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spiritui Sancto!)
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To: bray
Dingy Harry would resign in a free country, but he will get away with this. Where is the condemnation from his fellow Senators?

(imho) an excellent statement and question bray. Am certain many of us suspect the answer the question but we are lacking proof. Proof is difficult to attain. Powerful people work constantly to suppress the truth. One becomes more powerful when many corrupt powerful people band together. Something am certain our powerful federal people know and enjoy with each others full support and compliant media suppressers.

225 posted on 04/13/2014 6:27:39 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: Mariner
"And let me add a bit of clarity: they had no choice!" And that right there is the news of the decade. Their only alternative was to stay and die, without support from the County or the State.

You KNOW Obama and Reid are gnashing their teeth and are both very upset.

Expect the next showdown to have:


226 posted on 04/13/2014 6:30:15 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: combat_boots
Morning boots ... I think I owe you a Thank You for all the work you have done also in making every attempt to dig out the truth. Thank You boots!
227 posted on 04/13/2014 6:30:39 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: combat_boots

FAA is his name. Nice, government agency acronym. Recent addition (2012).


228 posted on 04/13/2014 6:31:17 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: Lazamataz

You are scary posting that and I do not doubt you.


229 posted on 04/13/2014 6:31:43 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: servo1969

As a non lawyer, I have been told that the Federal Government can’t run an operation in a county unless the Sheriff agrees. The Sheriff is the highest law enforcement officer in a county.

I was surprised that the Feds came in without state support. The question is where were the Nevada State Police etc.


230 posted on 04/13/2014 6:34:26 AM PDT by Citizen Tom Paine (An old sailor sends)
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To: Lazamataz

I noticed that FAA hasn’t posted anything since.

Funny how that works.


231 posted on 04/13/2014 6:37:53 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (Uninstall Fascist Firefox. Get Pale Moon.)
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To: RandallFlagg; FAA
I noticed that FAA hasn’t posted anything since. Funny how that works.

Asking for names sure tripped an alarm in a lot of our minds; however, his or her failure to post is something I give a pass to. People aren't like you and I, who post here all the time. :)

Nonetheless, based on FAA's behavior (asking for freeper names), I'd say we keep a closer eye on that one.

232 posted on 04/13/2014 6:41:13 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: no-to-illegals

“Makes one wonder how many laws have been rewritten since the 1800s to possibly and probably remove ‘grandfathered rights’?”

Couldn’t say. However, these ranchers ancestors Homesteaded their respective 160 acres long before the open range came under jurisprudence of either the state or federal government. Hence, I suspect that these small islands of private ownership in a large sea of public land has been a festering thorn in the hides of radical environmentalists and their goons the EPA.


233 posted on 04/13/2014 6:41:46 AM PDT by snoringbear (E.oGovernment is the Pimp,)
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To: servo1969

Patriots responded with a semi-rapid response team with media and boots on the ground.
However, I believe that next time, in a similar situation, the Feds will instead respond with a SWAT raid or just drone strike. The area will be cordoned off, evidence will be gone and people will disappear.


234 posted on 04/13/2014 6:42:17 AM PDT by grumpygresh (Democrats delenda est. New US economy: Fascism on top, Socialism on the bottom.)
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To: Lazamataz

Agreed.


235 posted on 04/13/2014 6:45:46 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (Uninstall Fascist Firefox. Get Pale Moon.)
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To: Lazamataz

Tnx


236 posted on 04/13/2014 6:51:18 AM PDT by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spiritui Sancto!)
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To: grumpygresh

They’ll have to be able to wipe out all electronics, and make sure that no one leaks anything. They’ll have to also make sure that there’s no one in the, “Strike Zone,” that’ll be missed (say, Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, etc -if they happen to be there with our Patriots)
What I want to know is this:
Would it be going too far to leak all of the names and contact info of EVERY fed involved with this fiasco?
Every name?
Every badge?
Every License plate?
Opinion?


237 posted on 04/13/2014 6:53:41 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (Uninstall Fascist Firefox. Get Pale Moon.)
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To: everyone
evidence will be gone and people will disappear.

Sounds like an excellent reason to join Free Republic and make oneself known to those that can be trusted ... Jim Robinson comes to mind. By donating to Free Republic, Jim comes to know each of us. Data bases are build and protection is found inside the 1st Amendment. My humble opinion. Great point from you grumpy.

238 posted on 04/13/2014 6:54:53 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: RandallFlagg

Would it be going too far to leak all of the names and contact info of EVERY fed involved with this fiasco?
Every name?
Every badge?
Every License plate?
Opinion?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I was just ( a minute ago) saying this to my husband. WHO ARE THESE GUYS?????!!!!


239 posted on 04/13/2014 6:55:29 AM PDT by wintertime
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To: no-to-illegals

Thanks, NTI!

I will say that I began to sniff things out here, regarding the land: I thought someone wanted the land. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3142308/posts?page=77#77


240 posted on 04/13/2014 6:55:54 AM PDT by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spiritui Sancto!)
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