Texas Front-Runner...Calls on Governor to Mobilize National Guard to Prevent BLM Takeover

Restoring Liberty ^ | 4-15-2014 | Sid Miller Campaign

[smoothsailing]

April 15, 2014

Texas Front-Runner for Statewide Office Calls on Governor to Mobilize National Guard to Prevent BLM Takeover

Sid Miller Campaign

Sid Miller, the former Chair of the Texas House Homeland Security & Public Safety and Agriculture and Livestock Committees, and now the frontrunner in the Republican race for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, said today that the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to halt their forced removal of Cliven Bundy’s cattle in Nevada was only a temporary delay in the federal agencies attempt to violate the private property and water rights of Americana and warned Texans to remain vigilant against future BLM abuses.

Miller went further, calling on Texas Governor Rick Perry to mobilize the Texas State Guard, if necessary, in order to prevent the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from seizing 90,000 acres of land along a 116 mile stretch of the Red River.

Miller said that televised images of armed federal agents attempting a forced cattle round-up on a rural Nevada range have alarmed farmers, ranchers, and landowners, as well ordinary citizens across the Southwest. Miller says the actions of the BLM are unlawful and have ignited a new range war—this one between law-abiding citizens and their own federal government.

In Nevada, the roundup started last week, after the BLM and National Park Service shut down an area half the size of Delaware to let cowhands using helicopters and vehicles gather about 900 cattle that officials say were trespassing. Cliven Bundy, 67, and his large family cast their resistance to the roundup as a constitutional stand. He said he didn’t recognize federal authority over state land.

Although the BLM announced yesterday that they were backing down from what became a stand-off between Bundy and his supporters and heavily armed BLM agents, the dispute has widened into a debate about states’ rights and federal land-use policy. The dispute that triggered the roundup dates to 1993, when the BLM cited concern for the federally protected tortoise. The agency later revoked Bundy’s grazing rights. Bundy claims ancestral rights to graze his cattle on lands his family settled in the 19th century.

Miller says that BLM agents used excessive and unlawful force to exert their will and unnecessarily inflamed passions, putting lives as well as private property and state rights at risk. Miller said that especially disturbing was the BLM efforts to restrict supporters of Bundy to so-called “free speech zones.”

“Barack Obama may not understand the concept, but our founding fathers understood that the entire United States of America is a constitutionally protected “free speech zone,” Miller said.

In Texas, Miller says the BLM is attempting a repeat of an action taken over 30 years ago along the Red River when Tommy Henderson lost a federal lawsuit. The Bureau of Land Management took 140 acres of his property and didn’t pay him one cent.

Now, Miller says that BLM is attempting to use Henderson’s case as a precedent to seize land along a 116-mile stretch of the Red River. “They’re wanting to take the boundaries that the courts placed here and extend those east and west to the forks of the river north of Vernon and east to the 98th Meridian which is about 20 miles east of us,” Henderson explained. The BLM clams this land never belonged to Texas.

Sid Miller says that both he and the Texas landowners who have lived and cared for that land for hundreds of years beg to differ. BLM plans on taking the land anyway. Property owners will be forced to spend money on lawsuits to keep what is theirs. For many, that property has been in their family for generations and landowners not only have deeds to the property, but they have also paid property taxes for over one hundred years according to Miller. About 90,000 acres could be seized by BLM, disappearing across a new state line.

Miller said that if the BLM attempts to use the same kind of tactics in Texas that they have used in Nevada to unlawfully seize privately held land, that Texas Governor Rick Perry should mobilize the Texas State Guard to prevent them from doing so.

“What Barack Obama and his armed BLM agents did in Nevada is the worst violation of the tenth amendment and individual states rights I have seen in my lifetime,” said Miller.

“As Agriculture Commissioner, I will go to war with these out-of-control federal agents and bureaucrats who have no regard for the United States Constitution or state and individual rights,” Miller said.

“In the meantime, I would urge Rick Perry to be prepared to activate the Texas State Guard in order to defend the State of Texas and her citizens from an abusive federal government.

Miller said that the mission of the Texas State Guard (TXSG) is to provide mission-ready military forces to assist state and local authorities in times of state emergencies; to conduct homeland security and community service activities. They are not a part of the United States Armed Forces and are not subject to orders from the President.

“What happened in Nevada this week could very well happen in Texas next week and our citizens and their property have a right to protection. If not, we might as well as throw out our constitution and the concept of private property rights. We must always be vigilant against federal overreach. We must act now and we must act decisively,” Miller concluded.

[Sicon]

We can only hope that the "anger" you are talking about transfers to the ballot box this fall, and that those elected will start paying more attention.

If not, then it is hard to say what recourse is left.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Important legal note: In past, the federal courts have found that they have supremacy over state courts; and they have also found that congress has supremacy over state legislatures.

But they have *never* found that the president has supremacy over state governors. This means that if a state governor resists presidential authority, the only recourse the president has is the use of armed force by the US military.

The last time this happened was when Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, Bill Clinton’s mentor, refused to let the Little Rock high school be integrated, despite court orders. He also turned out the Arkansas National Guard to prevent it being integrated by Federal Marshals.

But his mistake was in challenging president Eisenhower, who had backbone to spare. He sent in the 101st Airborne division.

However, in a spineless tyrant like Obama, ordering the military into conflict with the Texas National Guard would be highly unlikely from any number of directions. Especially those regular army officers who tried to order it suddenly appearing on the medical roster after having fallen down a flight of stairs.

[Georgia Girl 2]

“Miller went further, calling on Texas Governor Rick Perry to mobilize the Texas State Guard, if necessary, in order to prevent the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from seizing 90,000 acres of land along a 116 mile stretch of the Red River”

This is what Brian Sandoval should already have done. Another RINO hiding under his desk.

[iontheball]

I would love to see states pass a law that no federal SWAT teams are allowed on their soil, except for FBI and then only by invitation and in cooperation with local law enforcement.
________________________________________________
I believe the smart county sheriffs already realize they have the authority to set these parameters right now. Gillespie, if he wasn't a lib. suck-up to Reid would have done as much in Clark County.

[Verbosus]

This is the Texas State Guard, not the National Guard

[Carry_Okie]

In conclusion, if Perry mobilizes the Guard, Obama could just federalize it and order them down.

It would be very interesting if they refuse the order as an exercise of constitutional authority toward an unconstitutional usurpation of power and property.

[stevie_d_64]

I resemble that remark!

;-)

All in all, I believe the ire of the American people who do have and understand the virtue of keeping this government in check, much less Texans in general...

It will be a different type of showdown...

Whats funny is that I do believe some of our elected officials from Texas should be out there with us, but I am concerned that they may break a nail or something and have to go to the ER for treatment.../sarc

As far as I am concerned they need to take up arms, or stay out of the way...

We got this...

[stevie_d_64]

The only problem I see with mobilizing the “State” Guard...

Is that I do not believe they have accessible firearms in the conventional “armory” sense...

They do not go to an “armory” to draw weapons in the conventional sense...I stand to be corrected...

I am an Admiral (as many others are) in the Texas Navy...I would have to heavily modify my Bass boat to operate on the Red River to secure either upstream or downstream any issues...;-)

I did hear a number from the Nevada standoff...Up to about 5000 people (citizens) were in the immediate area to make their presence known to the forces contracted by the government...

I think Texas will field 10 times that amount...At the very least...

I got some time...And if I do not, I’ll make the time...

[Windflier]

Heads up, fellow Texans.

[2ndDivisionVet]

The Texas State Guard (not ARNG or AFRNG)
https://www.txsg.state.tx.us/

[MamaTexan]

Silly people! You wouldn't call out the Guard first, you'd break out the Rangers.

:-)

Thanks for the ping!

[Ditter]

The last time we drove along the Red River, Texas side, we saw lots and LOTS of windmills. Is that the land they are talking about?

Question to all: I never considered that that was state or federal land along the Red River. Does Texas have federal land like the western states contain?

[Westbrook]

> Does Texas have federal land like the western states contain?

I don’t think so. They were a free, independent, sovereign nation for at least a couple years before joining the Union, then the Confederacy.

Texas was never a U.S. territory.

[Psalm 144]

Texas Nat Guard standing toe to toe with a Fed Agency would be very interesting.

********************

It should have happened at Waco. Better late than never.

[Ditter]

I didn’t think so...... so what is this 90,000 acres of private land takeover all about?

[GregoTX]

Correct.... State Guard. Article Tile is wrong here, the body does say State Guard.

[KC_Lion]

the Militia Act of 1903, yet another gem from the Progressive Era.

[Ben Ficklin]

Because Texas was a nation annexed by the US, Texas was allowed to retain all her lands, so this is much different from other states where the US Govt owned the land and states(like Nevada) were created on federal lands, in this case lands ceded by Mexico.

Lands owned by the feds in Texas were acquired in modern times

Conflicts between Texas and Oklahoma over their Red River boundrey have existed for a long time, either from a shifting south bank or a course change.

[Marcella]

In an article on FR yesterday or the day before, there was a map of federal land in the states and there was none in Texas. I'm almost positive I have that right. I would have noticed if the feds owned part of Texas.

While I think the Rangers would be a first choice for the governor since they operate directly under his command (they guard him personally and the capital personally and it's been known for many years, if there is a riot, takes one Ranger to put down one. “One riot, one Ranger.”

I think he would also call up the Texas State Guard to be there with the Rangers. Then, I suspect all the bubbas in Texas would be there with firepower. Think they would all take vacation or personal leave time from their jobs and head for that border. I just think, “Don't Mess With Texas”, would be the battle cry, or it would be, “Remember the Alamo”, when Mexico thought they would own Texas.

Here is a personal example of one riot, one Ranger, that happened to my husband who was a Republican County Chair:

We were at a Republican State Convention in Houston, Texas. Bill Clinton was president. My husband had two artificial hips so we always used a motorized wheel chair for the long distances to travel at a convention center.

It was just after lunch time and we were headed back to the convention center. We went through a park, then would cross the street right in front of the convention center. I left him for the last bit of path to travel before he reached that street, to go in convention center to ladies room.

As he was approaching the street, suddenly the Black Panthers appeared with hoods covering their heads and all had shotguns, stood between him and the street and he was stuck there with Black Panthers/shotguns surrounding him. He had a cap on that read, “Jail To The Chief”. Well, husband began to chew out the Panthers, telling them in a loud voice they had no business there with hoods and shotguns and to get out of there.

There were police officers on the other side of the street in front of the convention center and they just stood there. Being inside the convention center and husband not appearing, I went to the front doors and they were locked. We had been locked in due to the Panthers. If I could have gotten out there, I would have beaten the Panthers to death myself. You who have spouses you love, know you would do that, too.

This was a stalemate with no police action and news reporters and cameras were recording this.

Suddenly, a medium sized, hat wearing Ranger appeared. He walked into the Black Panthers and told them to get out of that man's way so he could cross the street, and they had to leave right then, get out of there. The Panthers melted away. One riot, one Ranger.

That night on Houston TV, there was my husband in his hat, in his wheelchair, chewing out the hooded Black Panthers with their shotguns.

GOD BLESS THE TEXAS RANGERS AND GOD BLESS TEXAS

[Texas Fossil]

Yep.