Was the disclaim by Nevada and the claim by the fed gov legit in the first place?
I believe the answer to that question is "yes." Congress passed the Nevada Statehood Act (which includes the following provision,) Lincoln signed it into law, and Nevada voters voted 10,375 to 1,184 for statehood.
A provision of the Nevada Statehood Act of 1864 promised that Nevada would disclaim all rights to the unappropriated public lands lying within its boundaries, and that such land would remain at the sole disposition of the United States.
My question slightly rephrased...
What gave the fed gov the right to that land in the first place?
The uses for land that the fed gov can legally own are limited.
Do you really believe that the FF allowed a setup that would give the fed gov the legal right to take whatever land it wished for whatever purpose it wanted?
The fed gov is limited only to what The Constitution gives it power. Land ownership for reasons other than listed in The Constitution is not within the fed gov’s power in any legal manner.
Keep in mind that Constitutional restraints didn’t just start coming under concerted attack in the ‘60s. This is a problem with history damned near as long as The Constitution’s existence.
I know I am going to flamed for this and called a bunch of names.. but here goes. I will try to present this discussion in a straighforward manner and people decide for themselves. (I so far agree with BuckeyeTexan.)
How this question is answered is going to affect how a person views this current situation.
Does FedZilla have authority to purchase land?
If the answer is no, then an explanation of the Louisiana Purchase will be the next topic (and all other followup and similar purchases.)
Ok, but regardless of a no or yes answer, assume that FedZilla has purchased land. (Yes, I know that the purchase would be made with my money, which can open up a host of other discussions.) But with the FedZilla purchase, then what entity would then have authority over that land? Would it be FedZilla, would it be me (the purchase was made with my money), or who? Could I just go out to that land and build a house and declare it mine? If the purchase was the Louisiana Purchase, then there is no state involvment at the time of purchase. How does FedZilla control the land? Could FedZilla declare some of it as National Parks or National Forest? Could FedZilla sell some it to individuals such as myself? Could FedZilla relinquish some authority to a state after the state has been recognized?
This discussion changes quickly if FedZilla takes authority over land which it never purchased and never had authority but wants to have authority over; actions such as emminent domain, or declaration of wetlands, or some obtuse snail, come to mind.
One woman, more on the side of Bundy, claimed the Feds were killing Bundy's cows after they rounded them up. ALL agreed that if this is true, the Feds are guilty of a criminal act!