Federal agency pulls back in Nevada

[xlter]

Federal agency pulls back in Nevada ranch standoff, but legal fight remains


Published April 12, 2014·
FoxNews.com


 
The Bureau of Land Management announced Saturday that it has ended its mission to remove illegal cattle from a rural Nevada range after a tense week-long standoff with a rancher and militia supporters, citing a "serious concern" for the safety of employees and the public.

"Based on information about conditions on the ground, and in consultation with law enforcement, we have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concern about the safety of employees and members of the public," the statement read.

Bureau officials had dismantled designated protest areas supporting rancher Cliven Bundy, who they say refuses to comply with the "same laws that 16,000 public land ranchers do every year."

"After 20 years and multiple court orders to remove the trespass cattle, Mr. Bundy owes the American taxpayers in excess of $1 million. The BLM will continue to work to resolve the matter administratively and judicially," the statement said. "We ask that all parties in the area remain peaceful and law-abiding as the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service work to end the operation in an orderly manner."

A group of about 1,000 supporting Bundy cheered and sang "The Star Spangled Banner" when BLM made its announcement.

The bureau also will release 100 of the seized cattle under a deal announced after protesters, some of them armed with handguns and rifles, headed for a corral outside Mesquite in an attempt to free all of the seized cattle, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The bureau did not immediately return calls to The Associated Press.

The standoff at the ranch, some 80 miles north of Las Vegas, became an increasingly tense issue the longer it lasted, prompting elected officials in several states to weigh in, militia members to mobilize and federal land managers to reshape elements of the operation.

The roundup started last Saturday 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 are trespassing.

Bundy, 67, and his large family cast their resistance to the roundup as a constitutional stand. He says he doesn't recognize federal authority over state land.

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 claimed ancestral rights to graze his cattle on lands his Mormon family settled in the 19th century. He stopped paying grazing fees and disregarded several court orders to remove his animals.

BLM officials, however, say Bundy owes more than $1.1 million in unpaid grazing fees.

BLM faced criticism when police used stun guns on one of Bundy's adult sons during a Wednesday confrontation on a state highway near the Bundy melon farm in the Gold Butte area.

Video of that confrontation spread on the Internet, along with blog commentary claiming excessive government force and calls to arms from self-described militia leaders. Some have invoked references to deadly confrontations with federal authorities, including a siege of a ranch home in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992 and the fiery destruction of a religious compound near Waco, Texas, that killed 76 people in 1993.

"Our mission here is to protect the protestors and the American citizens from the violence that the federal government is dishing out,” Jim Landy, a member of the West Mountain Rangers, who made the journey from Montana to Nevada, told Fox News Channel. “People here are scared."

Arizona state Rep. Bob Thorpe of Flagstaff said he and state legislators weren't arguing whether Bundy broke laws or violated grazing agreements. Thorpe said the Arizona lawmakers were upset the BLM initially restricted protesters to so-called free speech zones.

Sen. Dean Heller and Gov. Brian Sandoval, both Republicans, have also said they were upset with the way the BLM was conducting the roundup. After the areas were removed Thursday, Sandoval issued a new statement.

"Although tensions remain high, escalation of current events could have negative, long lasting consequences that can be avoided," it said.

Amy Lueders, BLM state director in Nevada, said Friday that two protesters were detained, cited for failure to comply with officers at a barricade on Thursday and released.

That brought the number of arrests to three. Bundy's son, Dave Bundy, was arrested Sunday on State Route 170 and released Monday with citations accusing him of refusing to disperse and resisting arrest.

Lueders said 380 cows were collected by Thursday. She declined to provide a cost estimate for the herding operation.

[redjamescash]

I guess its too long of a walk back to town with 5000 militia members breathing down their neck AKA Lexington and Concord style LMAO.

[xlter]

Kinda funny how a bully reconsiders thier possition when the public arrives and cameras are rolling ......... I just pray the rancher does'nt have an .. accident ? .... Before he proves his case in court ....

[unclebuck257]

Great ending for a very dangerous situation! He got his cattle back too!

[dave44]

I posted this over there. I am not sure it will last because it is uncomfortable. I liked it though so I am putting it here, I am not sure how many of you have ever been around BLM lands. This is my opinion of it. I have run cattle all over the BLM, I have explored and been a rock hound across those lands too. It is shameful what is happening, and the BLM is an entity whose time should be waning, as a usurper of property rights in America!

"Thanks Jog.

The Sheriff of Nottingham(BLM) has adopted the guise of Robin Hood to affect the fleecing of those greedy, fat cat Ranchers and prospectors. They now try to use the control of your thoughts through propaganda and it looks as if they have been winning.

Most Americans have no Idea what the BLM is,or does, that is good for a start, that means less pushback because of ignorance. And then the BLM has a much larger trumpet so that when the uninformed populace hears their proclamations and nothing else it is easier to sway the uninformed. It doesn't hurt their effort when the new mantra across the land echoes a belief in a class stratification that never existed, and should never exist in this country where every man should only be constrained by his own output, and within the morality of civilization.

When I was young, before ranchers had all manners of vandalism and lawlessness thrust across their property and holdings, and even before the BLM themselves knew the entirety of what their charter would become, gates were unlocked. If you go through one you latch it behind you, you respect the land and you cause no deleterious effects. Honest Americans were free to come and go. through the "managed" lands.

I believe that was the idea behind the BLM. Manage lands that looked to have limited potential, manage them for the state that they resided in, not for the Federal Gov. Looking back across time it looks like it was a planned confiscation from the start, no one I knew suspected it would Ever happen. "

[unclebuck257]

dave44,

I certainly don't have the experience with BLM lands that you do, but I do have some. My experience is in Colorado and with regard to Elk and Mule Deer hunting there. What I don't understand is with regard to this rancher's situation, it appears that the BLM is choosing to impose a heavy hand when they could just as well have chosen to let the state and county people handle this situation. They allow the Colorado DOW to handle everything regarding hunting on BLM land in that state, including Elk and all other game quotas on BLM land every year. Why couldn't they just allow the states and counties within those states to handle all the grazing permits and fees too? Since I don't know nor do I understand what changed the situation to the Feds handling all that, I'd appreciate you stating what you know, please. When did it change too? Thanks.

[dave44]

Here is some info. What was started to alocate land, and see to the management of unclaimed lands and bring civilization to the wilderness has been morphing for the last hundred years, with some of the nastiest changes happening around 1947? And the newest power grab looks like a natural evolution for a government entity that falls under the control of an out of control, power hungry administration. The rules are changing. Swiftly.

www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/049.html

When I was young the Mexicans were rioting over the attempted grab by the US government of their ancestral lands granted to them by the King ( of Spain). I really didn't understand it then, even though it happened occasionally. Funny that it looks like they fought for principles we didn't understand at the time.

[unclebuck257]

This entire deal in Nevada with Bundy stinks in the way it was handled by the BLM...PERIOD!

[xlter]

I'd say abuse of power . Seems to be the ( Status Quo ) for this entire administration . But as we all know and can see every day in the news , this administration is above the law . Or so they think .

[xlter]

Found this interesting . Not sure about the source . Never heard of them . ?





The Feds backing down is another ploy they are using to get intel and for future operations against those who questions the obamanation.

www.stevequayle.com/index.php?s=33&d=877

Date: Saturday, 12 April 2014
Time: 1840 ET
To: Steve Quayle
From Doug Hagmann

At 1750 hours ET, I was contacted by my source within the Department of Homeland Security regarding the current situation at the Bundy Ranch. To put it bluntly, the people are being hoodwinked into believing that the situation is being resolved. It is not. It is a strategic de-escalation to fool the public. This source stated that the retreat of the BLM agents and the release of the cattle was actually crafted as a potential plan yesterday (Friday, 11 April 2014) based on the following:

1. A military assessment of satellite and drone surveillance imagery of the “patriot resistance. Drones under the control of the U.S. military were in use, taking real-time photographic images of not just the activity at the ranch, but "identifying the protesters, any arms and any supplies they might have or be carrying. “Mission accomplished.”
2. Real-time communication intercepts between patriots on-site and their off-site support;
3. Active monitoring of internet traffic regarding the coverage of events at ranch;
4. The monitoring of real-time video from the scene.

This source stated that a response by the patriot movement was anticipated, although exceeded their expectations. Although this was a real operation, they also ran this as a test case for future government operations once they saw the response. They were also actively managing the media, in some cases threatening to cut off White House access to anyone covering the event.

Despite this, the coverage by the alternative media began to create a public relations problem that was not easily managed. Note the lack of acknowledgment by the White House regarding this event. They are intentionally framing it as a state issue, despite the fact that all federal response has been and continues to be from the White House. There is a reason for this – a reason that has not been identified in any of the public reports to date. I will explain in further detail in a follow-up report on Sunday, after this source attends [redacted] to obtain more specific information about future federal operations. Regardless, according to this source, the government will take back ‘their land’ as they must to fulfill international obligations. It was never about grazing rights or anything other than (1) “securing clear title” to the land, and (2) further demonizing any patriotic resistance. It is my understanding, based on the information from this source, that it is a critical task to create a situation that will also advance their agenda of gun control and confiscation.

A more detailed report will follow on Sunday, 13 April 2014, with additional and much more specific information about their inside plans and future operations.PLEASE MAKE THIS VIRAL!

[dave44]

Makes sense, since we are talking about the "most transparent administration" in the history of the world.

There was a great purge of top ranking military leaders, either because of a huge incidence of malfeasance that happened all at once, or to change the allegiances of the command structure.

[xlter]

Funny , I could have sworn the Feds brought in guns first ........ ?




Sen. Reid calls supporters of Nevada rancher Bundy 'domestic terrorists'


Published April 17, 2014·
FoxNews.com


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he believes the supporters who rallied around Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy in his fight against the federal government are “domestic terrorists” and Bundy does not respect his country.

The Las Vegas Journal-Review reported that Reid, D-Nev., made the comments at an event Thursday hosted by the paper called “Hashtags & Headlines.”


Federal land managers backed down in a weekend standoff with Bundy after hundreds of states' rights protesters, including armed militia members, showed up to protest federal officials seizing his cattle. Some protesters had their guns drawn and pointed toward law enforcement, some of whom were also armed. But ultimately, no shots were fired and the Bureau of Land Management reported that officials left over safety concerns.

Reid had harsh words for these supporters, saying the government cannot stop pursuing the issue.

“They’re nothing more than domestic terrorists,” Reid said, according to the paper. “I repeat: what happened there was domestic terrorism.”

Reid said he has been told a federal task force is being set up to deal with the Bundy situation, adding Bundy does not respect the U.S. or its laws.

“Clive Bundy does not recognize the United States,” Reid said. “The United States, he says, is a foreign government. He doesn’t pay his taxes. He doesn’t pay his fees. And he doesn’t follow the law. He continues to thumb his nose at authority.”

Reid also suggested the supporters were dangerous to the community.

“They had sniper rifles in the freeway. They had weapons, automatic weapons. They had children lined up. They wanted to make sure they got hurt first … What if others tried the same thing?” he said.

Bundy has been at odds for years with the feds, who say he owes more than $1.1 million in unpaid grazing fees. BLM long ago revoked Bundy's grazing rights on that land after citing concern for a federally protected tortoise. Bundy, though, claimed ancestral rights to the land his family settled in the 19th century and has refused to pay the fees or remove his animals.

BLM officials have said they'll continue their fight through the courts.

[xlter]

Now this sounds more like Reid and the abuse of power.........





Why is US Senator Harry Reid so concerned with a local Nevada rancher?



By Wayne Allyn Root
·Published April 16, 2014·
FoxNews.com



I live in Las Vegas. I live and breath Nevada politics. Something is very wrong. Something smells rotten in the Nevada desert. And Senator Harry Reid’s fingerprints are all over it.

I am of course referring to the Bundy Ranch siege. This was a dispute between a Nevada ranching family with rights to the land in question for 140 years and the BLM (Bureayu of Land Management).

The government claims they haven’t paid grazing fees for 20 years. The result was a government assault on the ranch- including snipers with assault rifles, SUV’s, helicopters, airplanes and over 200 heavily armed troops. No matter whether you come down on the side of the government or the ranch family, I think all of us can agree this was excessive force.


Doesn’t it strike anyone as strange that the U.S. Senate Majority Leader is so obsessed with a small rancher who hasn’t paid grazing fees?


But forget all that. I believe the more important question is, why is this case so important to United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid? And what was his involvement in this controversial assault?

Let’s start with Harry Reid’s obsession with the case. Just on Monday evening he weighed in again, promising, “This isn’t over.”

Doesn’t it strike anyone as strange that the U.S. Senate Majority Leader is so obsessed with a small rancher who hasn’t paid grazing fees? Does New York Senator Chuck Schumer get involved publicly when a New York company is late paying rent to the U.S. government?

Doesn’t the Senate Majority Leader have anything more important to think about?

There are almost 100 million working-age Americans no longer working. More Americans are today on entitlements than working in the private sector. More Americans are on food stamps than the number of women working in America. Iran is building a nuclear bomb. Russian jet fighters are threatening American ships. Yet Harry Reid obsesses about a rancher late on his rent? Something smells fishy folks.

There are other questions raised about Reid’s involvement. Why did this assault become the #1 priority of government only days after a senior political advisor to Nevada Senator Harry Reid took over BLM? Coincidence?

Government appeared completely uninterested in backing down for days on end…and completely unconcerned with instigating a deadly confrontation like Waco or Ruby Ridge. Then suddenly Senator Reid’s involvement was brought up by conservative web sites across the Internet. INSTANTLY, out of the blue, within hours of Reid’s name being attached to the raid, the BLM decided to back down, pack up and walk away. Don’t you think that this timing was a tad too coincidental?

It has been pointed out by journalists intent on covering for Reid that a $5 billion Chinese solar project backed by Reid was recently shelved. But what they forgot to mention is Reid’s involvement in multiple solar and wind projects across the Nevada desert. Only days ago, Senator Reid was featured in a photo at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new solar project. Where is that project located? Just 35 miles from the Bundy ranch in Bunkerville, Nevada.

Senator Reid’s fingers are in virtually every solar and wind project in the Nevada desert. Green energy is his obsession. Green energy is his baby. His vision is turning the Nevada desert into the “Green Energy Capital of America.”

Who benefits from that vision? Democratic donors who run green energy companies. Who stands in the way of that vision- Nevada’s ranchers, farmers and property owners- almost all of whom are diehard Tea Party conservatives and patriots who despise Reid.

Reid and the BLM needed a “cover story” to take the land away from the ranchers. So they claim it’s about protecting the “endangered” desert tortoise.

But if the protection of the desert tortoise was so important to the BLM, why did the same BLM kill hundreds of desert tortoises last fall?

If protecting the tortoises was so important, why has the BLM constantly waived rules protecting the desert tortoise for multiple solar and wind projects? If cattle are a danger to tortoises, why are solar panels and wind turbines not a danger?

There’s much more to this story folks. My educated guess is that someone in the government already has big plans lined up for the Bundy Ranch. Someone is going to make a financial killing with this forceful land grab. Someone powerful in government wants the Bundy family off their land (after 140 years).

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. It was U.S. Senator Harry Reid who famously made a guess about Mitt Romney's taxes. He guessed wrong. No one seemed to mind. So now it's time for all of us to ask questions about Senator Reid's involvement in this scandal and government land grab. It’s time for the media to investigate.

I'm only guessing…but something smells very rotten in Nevada.

[olroy]

Just wondering how he keeps winning that seat. I am from TX, and will vote for a dem over Cornyn this time. At least I know for sure how a dem will vote! And, probably not lie about how he did!!!!!!!!!!!

[xlter]

Now here is a possible solution . It's been a long time coming !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





Western lawmakers strategize on taking control of federal lands :


Published April 19, 2014·
FoxNews.com






April 12, 2014: The Bundy family and their supporters fly the American flag as their cattle were released by the Bureau of Land Management back onto public land outside of Bunkerville, Nev.AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Officials from nine Western states met in Salt Lake City on Friday to discuss taking control of federal lands within their borders on the heels of a standoff between Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management.

The lawmakers and county commissioners discussed ways to wresting oil-, timber- and mineral-rich lands away from the feds. Utah House Speaker Becky Lockhart said it was in the works before this month's standoff.


The BLM rounded up hundreds of Bundy's cattle, saying he hasn't paid more than $1 million in grazing fees he owes for trespassing on federal lands since the 1990s. But Bundy does not recognize federal authority on the land, which his family has used since the 1870s.

The BLM released the cattle after a showdown last weekend with angry armed protesters whom Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid referred to as "domestic terrorists."

"What's happened in Nevada is really just a symptom of a much larger problem," Lockhart said, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The Legislative Summit on the Transfer of Public Lands, as it was called, was organized by Utah state Rep. Ken Ivory and Montana state Sen. Jennifer Fielder. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, addressed the group over lunch, the Tribune reported.

"It’s simply time," Ivory told reporters. "The urgency is now."

Fielder said federal land management is hamstrung by bad policies, politicized science and severe federal budget cuts.

"Those of us who live in the rural areas know how to take care of lands," said Fielder, a Republican who lives in the northwestern Montana town of Thompson Falls. "We have to start managing these lands. It's the right thing to do for our people, for our environment, for our economy and for our freedoms."

Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Oregon and Washington also were represented, but none of the other states has gone as far as Utah, where lawmakers passed a measure demanding that the federal government extinguish title to federal lands.

The lawmakers and Gov. Gary Herber have said they're only asking the federal government to make good on promises made in the 1894 Enabling Act for Utah to become a state. The intent was never to take over national parks and wilderness created by an act of Congress, said Lockhart, a Republican from Provo.

"We are not interested in having control of every acre," she said. "There are lands that are off the table that rightly have been designated by the federal government."

Ivory said federal government's debt threatens its management of vast tracts of the West and its ability to make payments in lieu of taxes to the states, the Tribune reported. He said the issue is of interest to both urban and rural lawmakers.

"If we don’t stand up and act, seeing that trajectory of what’s coming … those problems are going to get bigger," Ivory was quoted as saying.

The University of Utah is conducting a study called for by the legislation to analyze how Utah could manage the land now in federal control.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.