The money statement is this:
The dispute between Bundy and the federal government dates to 1993, when land managers cited concern for the federally protected tortoise and capped his herd at 150 animals on a 250-square-mile rangeland allotment. Officials later revoked Bundy’s grazing rights completely.
To me, I now think I know what has been going on. At first I thought, this guy deserves this because he stopped paying his BLM grazing rights money in 1993.
But now we see a rancher, who had 900 head of cattle being forced by the government to cut his herd to 150, which would put most ranchers of this size operations OUT OF BUSINESS for a friggin' turtle.
I hope you and other conservatives can take another look at this, seriously. I thought Bundy was wrong (not to pay his grazing fees) but now I see beyond that and had an epiphany. THAT is what this is all about. A turtle.
The daughter has spoken:
THE BUNDY DAUGHTER SPEAKS OUT ON GOVERNMENT TERRORISM AGAINST HER FAMILY! (Nevada Rancher)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3143026/posts
No, the Bundy ranch was composed of 150 acres which they owned and more acreage that they grazed on. This is a common configuration out West. The US government has owned the land since Nevada became a state.
The US government gets to make the rules on how to use US Government land. The date of when the administrative / management arm was created is irrelevant. BLM does not own the land the US Government does.
“But now we see a rancher, who had 900 head of cattle being forced by the government to cut his herd to 150, which would put most ranchers of this size operations OUT OF BUSINESS for a friggin’ turtle.”
I disagree. It is the long established pattern of the BLM to invent such things as supposed endangerment to a critter in order to steal land from private citizens.
The turtle was never anything other than a tool.
Your facts are incorrect. See post #55. The U.S. has owned that land since 1848.
“The most complete data is from the Beaver Dam Mountains. Woodbury and Hardy reported a tortoise population density of 150 per square mile in 1948. BLM reduced cattle grazing a few years later and eliminated cattle in 1970. Coombs reported a tortoise density of 39 per square mile in 1974. In these 26 years cattle use was reduced 100 percent and tortoise numbers were reduced 74 percent.
“These tortoises were doing so poorly a veterinarian, Dr. Jarchow, was consulted. He reported all six specimens were suffering from osteoporosis caused by a protein deficiency in their diet. Dr. Jarchow examined five specimens from the same mountains that shared their range with cattle. He reported these specimens were all healthy and well nourished.
“The historical record proves conclusively that tortoise thrive when cattle are on the range with them and without cattle grazing they are always malnourished and unhealthy and their numbers plummet.
http://www.vinsuprynowicz.com/?p=80
The Bundy family has owned a 150-acre ranch since 1876. Ownership of the 150-acre ranch is not in dispute. What’s in dispute is grazing rights to hundreds of thousands of acres of public land to which the BLM asserts title. The Bundy family says an ancestor bought permanent grazing rights to the old Bunkerville allotment in 1887. They have not said from whom they purchased it nor, for the skeptics, produced any document of conveyance. Bundy is now grazing on the old Bunkerville allotment as well as additional land to which the BLM or the National Park Service claims title.