Posted on 04/29/2014 4:25:46 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
The Bureau of Land Management doesn’t need its own heavily armed police force, Rep. Chris Stewart said Tuesday, referencing the recent standoff between federal agents and a civilian militia siding with Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy.
Stewart, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, says he’s going to try and cut funding for any "paramilitary units" and require the BLM, Internal Revenue Service and other regulatory agencies to rely on local law enforcement rather than their own armed crews.
"There are lots of people who are really concerned when the BLM shows up with its own SWAT team," the Utah Republican said off the House floor Tuesday, noting that land managers aren’t the only government agents with serious firepower. "They’re regulatory agencies; they’re not paramilitary units, and I think that concerns a lot of us."
The BLM sent dozens of law enforcement officials to help with security surrounding the roundup of Bundy’s cattle after a court ordered their seizure in a 20-year-long dispute about grazing rights. Bundy doesn’t recognize federal control of the public lands near his ranch where he lets his cattle roam; two federal judges have disagreed and upheld more than $1 million in fines and fees against Bundy.
Faced with a small army of Bundy supporters, many with guns, the BLM backed off and released the cattle in hopes of finding a nonviolent solution to the dispute.
Stewart, who insists he isn’t taking sides in the Bundy showdown, says he was shocked to see the government’s response and believes it led to the civilian militia that showed up to defend the rancher. But Stewart says agencies such as the BLM should defer to local police for muscle instead of bringing in their own.
"They should do what anyone else would do," Stewart said. "Call the local sheriff,...
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
Amen and great post Jim!
My reading of the ruling is that the Court didn't order the roundup, it only gave permission for it to happen.
Clark County Sheriff Gillespie (who in an odd situation is actually in charge of the Metro Las Vegas PD) had some of his "troops" embedded with the BLM military.
well how do they protect Obama’s Land then ?
At what point did the BLM acquire its own armed forces? Every part of the government seems to be militarizing at exactly the time they are hollowing out the actual military.
Daniel P. Love is apparently a BLM Special Agent based in SLC.
Well if Mr Steward is doing anything other than fishing for votes he has my support, however a bill like that has to go some where other than out of his office . It would be a different story if 98% of congress were not composed of ball less, noodle spine, self serving a$$wipes.
Stewart and Chaffettz are big amnesty supporters.
Neither does the Social Security office, the EPA, the HHS, the IRS, etc......
Isn’t the U.S. Marshall’s office in business for just these sorts of things? The BLM or IRS or any other of the alphabet soup should be calling on the Marshall’s service to perform arrest functions.
Honestly, I am having a bit of trouble with all of this SWAT business anyway. The police, Sheriff, State Police, Highway Patrol, etc. should not be using these paramilitary units against citizens armed or (more often) not.
Grandpa Jo is in bed and they kick in his door on a no-knock warrant, He reaches for his shotgun, and they fill grandpa full of holes. Then say “ooops we got the wrong house”. This happens far too often for it to be an accident. It is part of the ongoing intimidation to compliance from these lefty scumbags.
He’s right Jim, BLM don’t a SWAT Team, not when they have Blackwater Mercenaries on their payroll.
I don’t believe it will come to that because if the government is going to hire trained killers (yes, ex seal & rangers) to kill Americans on American soil, then their families too are open to the fun.
I so agree
Congress can shut down these armed federal bureaucracies whenever it wants but won’t.
The criminal Congress allows these unelected, unaccountable federal fascists to write law. Now the stupid Congress has allowed these Gestapo thugs to arm themselves.
The entire situation is completely illegal. Only Congress may write federal laws, according to the US Constitution.
We have the beginnings of a federal police state, thanks to the gutless worms in the RINO party.
You have a way with words! I wonder...is this one of the last times we will ever hear a congress person mention this.
While you're at it do away with the Capitol Police and rely on the D.C. Police Department. And just out of curiosity why does the Capitol Police need a SWAT team anyway?
Solzhenitsyn
It is part of the ongoing intimidation to compliance from these lefty scumbags.
that was how the gulag worked so well
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