That would explain why the BLM backed down. Confiscating the herd for subsequent auction might be within the rulings of the courts. On the other hand, killing the herd would be seen as pure spite on behalf of the the Feds. They couldn’t allow that to hit the 10 o’clock news coverage, because everyone would see it for what it was: bullying.
Talking with a lawyer friend of mine who has dealt with BLM issues before, Bundy doesn't have much of a legal case. However if they killed the cattle (which I suspect was the point of this little game), now he has a HUGE case.
In short, they can take you cattle to auction to pay for back fees, but they can't just kill them.
Not everyone can "see": most can't.
“...killing the herd would be seen as pure spite on behalf of the the Feds.”
Hey - if it’s good enough for FDR, it’s good enough for Obama.