CA: Latest BLM Victim Speaks Out Exclusive Interview With Rancher Dave Fisher

The Sierra Times ^ | 10 December, 2001 | Susan Callaway

[brityank]

CA: Latest BLM Victim Speaks Out Exclusive Interview With Rancher Dave Fisher ( It's Time To Hang Together!) Report By Susan Callaway 12.10.01 Sierra Times was privileged to talk with Dave Fisher, a rancher in the California Mojave Desert, who is faced with the total loss of his livelihood and generations old ranching business. Last week, a federal land official reinstated a grazing ban on nearly 500,000 acres, including Fisher's grazing allotments due to the so-called threatened desert tortoise. Robert S. More, director of the U.S. Interior Department's Office of Hearings and Appeals, issued the order. It lifted a stay issued Oct. 24 by a judge in that office who found that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) needed to show it had adequately consulted with ranchers before putting the ban in place. When the decision goes into effect, Fisher will have just 48 hours to remove his cattle from the 154,848-acre allotment he leases from the BLM. What's more, if Fisher's livestock stray into the closed areas, even though there are no fences, he could be charged with trespassing and lose all or parts of what is left of his grazing privileges. (For more background, see the related stories linked above.) Dave had some interesting insights into the current mass attack on agriculture by the BLM and various other government agencies and unconstitutional "laws", all spawned by the piranha that call themselves "environmentalists" these days. "The only really endangered species is the American farmers and ranchers who produce the wholesome and inexpensive food, leather/fiber and other such products we all need every day." According to Mr. Fisher, one of the lesser understood, but vital factors is that the BLM and assorted other agencies are staffed with civil service employees and are therefore not accountable to the citizens and taxpayers of this country in any way. "They are not elected and they don't really answer to our elected officials." They have their own agendas and wish lists", he said, "mostly mandated by the rabid environmental organizations - and carry them out with impunity, in addition to the plethora of unconstitutional 'laws' that are passed by the various elected bodies." In fact, as most of us know, it is very difficult to fire or replace those employees even if the agency management finds them incompetent or worse! Therefore, they have no reason at all to be responsive or helpful to mere citizens, with every incentive instead to feather their own nests by ever increasing their bogus "authority" and taking ever more control of anything they get a foothold in. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of Congress and the various state legislatures to control these agencies, but they have historically shown a total disinclination to do so, instead giving them more and more power over ordinary citizens and their property. The new Bush administration has done little to clean house, and most management positions are still occupied by devoted Clinton followers. Dave was adamant that, "Something must happen to make Congress and the state legislatures once again become real representatives of the people so that these unconstitutional activities and 'laws' can be controlled and removed before agriculture, no more or less than all free enterprise, is completely destroyed." With the "administrative hearing" findings being ignored by the BLM, and the deck being actively stacked against him to seek redress of wrongs that way, Mr. Fisher has decided to pursue lawsuits in Federal Court under Article 3. This is terribly expensive, of course, and he doesn't know, at this point, if these are jury trials. He said, "I would welcome the involvement of a jury", agreeing that they need to be informed of their right to judge both the facts of the case and the law - popularly called "jury nullification", but he fears that "most juries would be easily swayed by the emotional appeal of the enviro-whackos and it could actually work against him." He said he just doesn't have much else to choose from. Dave Fisher was adamant that "this is not just a desert rancher problem. It's not just a Midwest farm problem, nor an Oregon wetland problem." All farmers, ranchers, herders, packers, manufacturers and every single person in the country must become involved. At stake here is the entire system that provides American produced and processed foods, American made clothing and shoes, medicines, and everything else produced by American farmers and ranchers and the attendant industries. Each and every one of those groups must start thinking "out of the box" and begin to work together with their customers and elected representatives to stamp out this malignant cancer from the face of the land. Nothing less will do. © 2001 Sierra Times.com - All rights Reserved

Related Stories The Green Land-Grabbers: It's Not Just the Feds Who Are After Your Land by Bonner Cohen 11.28.01 CA: Farmers Ready to Meet Next Year's Challenges California Farm Bureau 12.04.01 EASTERN MOJAVE: Federal land official reinstates cattle-grazing ban to save a Desert Tortise Wire Reports 12.6.2001 APA's Legislative Guildebook: A Federal "No Growth" Blueprint on Viagra By Nancie G. Marzulla 12.7.01 Cliff Gardner: Latest Rancher to Fall Victim to the Western Federal Juggernaut Sierra Times 12.7.01

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[brityank]

Check out the other links on the left.

[brityank]

More bad news.

[Rowdee]

Does anyone else ever get the feeling there is an intentional push to eliminate farmers and ranchers--the food producers in the United States--and by eliminating these productive members of society (they feed the world, essentially), the dirt poor farm families of Mexico, other Central American countries as well as South American countries can climb the class ladder under the upcoming Commonwealth of Amerikan States in the Western Hemisphere?

This sort of BS was been in the works for a long time. When I was a producer in Montana back in the 80s, a very reliable source in Idaho told me of a public meeting wherein a lady from the US Forest Service suggested that it was probably time for the US to quit producing food and 'just import it'.....chew on that, compare to what is happening, and what is planned......

[antienvironmentalist]

Another attempt to gain control over a land under the guise of the endangered species act. The premise is the same " The productive rancher is expendable but the worthless toroise is not, because the tortoise is wothless and the rancher is not." In the end it is the complete destruction of the human race, whether they are conscience of it or not, that they are fighting for. It is time to draw a line in the sand. We had better end them before they end us.

[rebel]

It will say a lot about the republicans and Bush personally if this order stands.

[Osinski]

*uh-oh.

[poet]

All these years of us sitting on our hands has allowed these totalitarians to rule us in contravention of the constitution. We have to get rid of bureaucracies because they can circumvent the Constitution by judicial fiat.
Congress never oversees them, just gives them incredible powers.

[Snow Bunny]

Thank you for the information and ping.

[B4Ranch]

The Republicans are promoting the New World ODOR!

[brityank]

It will say a lot about the republicans and Bush personally if this order stands.

Check out how many of his cabinet and supporters are members of this group and/or also a companion group.

I'll lay dimes to donuts, the order will stand.

[Ben Ficklin]

Siege of the Tortoise

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

"At stake here is the entire system that provides American produced and processed foods, American made clothing and shoes, medicines, and everything else produced by American farmers and ranchers and the attendant industries."

Guys, It affects the consumers as well. Once food and clothing are dependent on foreign concerns and/or godgov's chosen in this country {Archer Daniels Midland; Supermarket for the World, Tyson foods, and others} food and clothing will become expensive {price has NOT gone down with our "free trade" agreements with "partners" in the world}. "Interdependence" is the LOSS of freedom. The OPPOSITE of independence! Peace and love, George.

[amom]

Thanks for the heads up here.

[monkeywrench]

Bttt!