Posted on 01/04/2016 10:33:31 AM PST by ObozoMustGo2012
Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas.) on Monday slammed the protesters who have taken over a federal building in rural Oregon, urging them to lay down their arms.
“Every one of us has a constitutional right to protest, to speak our minds,†Cruz told reporters at campaign event in Iowa, according to NBC News.
“But we don't have a constitutional right to use force and violence and to threaten force and violence on others,†he said. “And so it is our hope that the protesters there will stand down peaceably, that there will not be a violent confrontation.†Cruz said he is praying for everyone involved in the dispute, particularly law enforcement officials who “are risking their lives.â€
The protesters, led by two sons of the Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, say they are taking a stand against a prison sentence for two landowners convicted of arson on federal property.
They’re also part of a group that frequently protests against federal government's management of Western lands. They protesters have told media outlets that they plan to stay on the refuge for years.
The standoff has put Republican presidential candidates on the spot, with some of them having expressed support in a similar dispute in 2014 between Bundy and the government over unpaid grazing fees.
The support for Bundy eroded when he began making racially charged statements in interviews.
Up until Monday, most of the GOP's White House contenders had refrained from speaking out on the Oregon dispute, but that is beginning to change.
Like Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) condemned the takeover at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, though he told an Iowa radio station that he sympathizes with the movement to shrink federal land holdings.
“You’ve got to follow the law. You cannot be lawless,†Rubio told KBUR in an interview highlighted by Buzzfeed. “We live in a republic. There are ways to change the laws of this country and the policies. And if we get frustrated with it, that’s why we have elections, that’s why we have people we can hold accountable.â€
Rubio lent some credit to the stated goals of the occupation, reported by local media to involve a small group of armed men with very few local residents. The group is objecting to federal land control and ownership and pushing for the federal land to be given to states or individuals.
“I agree that there is too much federal control over land, especially out in the western part of the United States. There are states, for example, like Nevada that are dominated by the federal government in terms of land holding, and we should fix it,†Rubio said, adding that it shouldn’t be done “in a way that is outside the law.â€
Among the 2016 hopefuls, Cruz has been one of the most vocal advocates for reducing federal land ownership, along with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
Cruz led the charge against the Bureau of Land Management’s claims over property around the Red River in Texas, saying he wants to “protect landowners from federal overreach.â€
Rubio has been less vocal about federal land ownership, but his energy policy platform calls for more local and state control over federal property for oil and natural gas drilling or other uses.
Land management is a major political issue in Western states. Nationwide, the federal government owns and manages nearly 630 million acres, with most located west of the Mississippi River.
Cruz and Rubio have increasingly clashed in recent weeks, with both seeking to overtake Donald Trump in polls of the Republican race.
While Rubio is seeking to gain ground in New Hampshire, the first primary state, Cruz has taken the lead in Iowa, which will hold its caucuses on Feb. 1.
The right to carry does not mean the weapons will be used. A call for a protest against the BLM and this huge young fascist government is in order.
If anyone gets just 5 years for murder or even rape, that`s wrong but you don`t endanger other`s property to save your own stuff. So if your neighbor burns down your house while torching weeds in his yard, that`s ok? Interesting logic, you do know even the justifiable use of lethal force carries a penalty if you also wound or kill an innocent bystander.
Come on..
He's got the podium and the press. A perfect time for him to speak the truth about this epic federal corruption/control. See #202.
The right to carry does not mean the weapons will be used. A call for a protest against the BLM and this huge young fascist government is in order.
No one is saying you don’t have a right. Honestly -this is not what I wrote at all to get an answer like that.
The Hammond’s have already paid the $400,00 in fines.
Just FYI.
I was going to do fundraising if I could and contacted a friend in the area who is closely connected.
Thanks for your informational post!
Ah, I see.
So free trade and immigration are anti-freedom, and government control of trade and Soviet-style border controls are pro-freedom.
I think I understand your perspective now.
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No, you need to wake up. Free trade is stripping America of our wealth, our jobs, our manufacturing, the basis of our economy’s health. FAIR trade is when countries compete on a generally fair footing. EVERYTHING in the “pacts negotiated” (har de har har)with other countries strips America of her sovereignty. Trump advocated one on one negotiated pacts which are fair to both parties. He is absolutely correct. Look at the damage done to America by Mexico and Canada who are supposed to be our trading partners. THEY are the only ones winning.
Well, whatever it is, it is legitimately a state’s issue, not a federal issue. The feds have no constitutional business being there.
Huh? Ted Cruz on, “First Principles”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WL6RnLa-VI
Land is land. Hopeful, isn’t it? I like that page.
Additionally he says is praying for everyone but **particularly** law enforcement officials.
So long, Ted.
I think you need to get into the details about burn offs and proper land management especially during drought conditions. You sound like a city dweller. Maybe I’m wrong, but you surely don’t sound like anyone familiar with “country” living.
Bush has my gratitude for not signing at Rio.
That was huge to me. I love him for it.
Yes, he was.
If it hadn’t have been Carter, it would have been someone else. It was inevitable after T. Roosevelt’s unconstitutional “feel good” federal land grab in the name of “National Parks”. Sooner or later, “feel good” tyranny become just plain bold-faced, coercive tyranny.
States don’t need federal permission to exercise their legitimate state sovereignty especially in the face of unconstitutional federal acts which by definition are acts of tyranny.
He has certainly shown his true colors and they are NOT Red-White-and Blue! Unbelievable how easily he blew away the second amendment. Typical political crap!
Thanks for posting that. just another in a long line of government tyrannies.
Guess I misunderstood how carrying a weapon is a “veiled threat” as opposed to being used as a tool for defense. No biggie.
Or not....
he manager of the wildlife refuge is married to the woman who got the Hammonds back in court, conveniently waiting until after they had served their first sentencing.
Additional the wildlife refuge too the Hammond’s to court over water rights, and lost, but still - costly and stressful for the Hammond’s.
They also blocked roads on the Hammond’s own property and then tried to block them from using another road.
About a decade of harassment from the wildlife refuge.
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Thank you. Was sure there was a water rights issue somewhere in the mix. Obama’s action last year through one of his alphabet agencies...was it EPA....grabbing ponds, mud puddles and anything with a drop of water in or on it by government agencies has not been given the exposure it deserves. We are seeing a lot of stuff in Florida that is outrageous. AGENDA 21, people. Study up!
Good grief...Ya post a link to a freaking tv campaign commercial?
Get real pal.
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