Is it time yet? Rancher: armed feds are surrounding my farm

[PAMedic=F|A=]

http://freebeacon.com/issues/last-man-standing/

Last Man Standing
Rancher: armed feds are surrounding my farm

Government vehicles and personnel outside of the Bundy ranch / Cliven and Carol BundyGovernment vehicles and personnel outside of the Bundy ranch / Cliven and Carol Bundy
BY: Elizabeth Harrington
April 8, 2014 7:34 pm

A two-decades-old battle between a Nevada rancher and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has resulted in officials armed with machine guns surrounding the ranch and forcibly removing the owner’s cattle, according to the rancher’s family.

Cliven Bundy, the last rancher in Clark County, Nev., has been fighting a “one-man range war” since 1993, when he decided to take a stand against the agency, refusing to pay fees for the right to graze on a ranch run by his family for centuries.

After years of court battles, the BLM secured a federal court order to have Bundy’s “trespass cattle” forcibly removed with heavy artillery, the family said.

“The battle’s been going on for 20 years,” Bundy told theWashington Free Beacon. “What’s happened the last two weeks, the United States government, the bureaus are getting this army together and they’re going to get their job done and they’re going to prove two things. They’re going to prove they can do it, and they’re gonna prove that they have unlimited power, and that they control the policing power over this public land. That’s what they’re trying to prove.”

Bundy said the government has brought everything but tanks and rocket launchers.

Armed men outside the Bundy ranch / Cliven and Carol Bundy
“They’re carrying the same things a soldier would,” he said. “Automatic weapons, sniper rifles, top communication, top surveillance equipment, lots of vehicles. It’s heavy soldier type equipment.”

His wife, Carol Bundy, said that roughly 200 armed agents from the BLM and FBI are stationed around their land, located about 75 miles outside of Las Vegas. Helicopters circle the premises, and the airspace and nearby roads remain blocked.

“We’re surrounded,” Carol Bundy said. “We’re estimating that there are over 200 armed BLM, FBI. We’ve got surveillance cameras at our house, they’re probably listening to me talk to you right now.”

A National Park Service spokesman denied there were armed guards rounding up the cattle in a conference call on Tuesday. However, she confirmed that there was “security” in place, citing threats to the contractors who are removing the cattle.

“Contractors are here and they are in place to round-up the cattle and to bring them to the impound area,” Christie Vanover said. “As for security, there [is] security in place, but that is merely to protect the contractors.”

“As you know, we have received threats and the contractors have received threats,” Vanover said. “Our personnel here and throughout the park service and throughout the BLM have received threats, as well. So security is in place to merely protect the contractors so that we can complete this operation.”

As of Monday, officials have seized 234 of Bundy’s 908 cattle. Impounding the cattle alone could cost the government as much as $3 million.

“They just brought a load down today,” she said. “They kind of harass us as well. When we leave they follow us.”

This afternoon eight helicopters surrounded the family after they began taking pictures, according to Bundy’s daughter, Bailey. Their son, Dave Bundy, was arrested for taking pictures on state road 170, which has been closed, and is being held by BLM.

Government helicopters circle the Bundy ranch / Cliven and Carol Bundy
The BLM said they took Dave Bundy into custody following his “failure to comply with multiple requests by BLM law enforcement to leave the temporary closure area on public lands.”

Carol Bundy said five officials took Dave and “threw him on the ground.”

“One put his knee on his head, the other put his boot on his head and pushed him into the gravel,” she said. “He’s got quite a bruised head. Just bruised him up pretty good.”

Environmentalists are praising the government’s forceful actions, which are being taken to protect the “desert tortoise.”

“We’re heartened and thankful that the agencies are finally living up to their stewardship duty,” said Rob Mrowka, a Nevada-based senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Gold Butte area has been officially designated as critical habitat for threatened tortoises—meaning the area is essential to their long-term survival as a species.”

“[Cliven] Bundy has long falsely believed that Gold Butte is his ranch,” added Terri Robertson, president of Friends of Sloan Canyon.

The BLM designated 186,909 acres of the Gold Butte off-limits for the “critical desert tortoise” population in 1998. Bundy had already lost his grazing permit five years earlier for refusing to pay fees for the land, which his family has ranched since the 1870s.

The “federal grazing fee” is $1.35 per “Animal Unit Month,” or the amount of forage needed per animal, each month. Bundy said he owes roughly $300,000 in back fees, while the BLM asserts he owes over $1 million. The BLM defended the removal because Bundy did not “voluntarily” give up his cattle.

“We’ve tried to do this through the legal and we’ve tried to do it through the political, and what we’re at right now, I guess we’re going to have to try to stand,” Cliven Bundy said. “We the people have to stand on the ground and get our state sovereignty back, and also take some liberty and freedoms back to where we have at least access to this land.”

“The story is a lot about the cattle, but the bigger story is about our loss of freedom,” Carol Bundy added. “They have come and taken over this whole corner of the county. They’ve taken over policing power, they’ve taken over our freedom, and they’re stealing cattle.”

“And our sheriff says he just doesn’t have authority, our governor says he doesn’t have authority, and we’re saying, why are we a state?”

“I’m a producer,” Cliven Bundy said. “I produce edible commodity from the desert forage, and all of these things are governed under state law. So, in other words, this type of government has eliminated all of our state law, eliminated our state sovereignty, and has took control over our public lands and even took control over our Clark County sheriff. They’ve taken the whole county over. The whole state, almost.”

“This is just about power of the government,” Carol Bundy said.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R.) voiced his concern about so-called “First Amendment Areas,” designated locations set up by the BLM where citizens can protest the removal.

“Most disturbing to me is the BLM’s establishment of a ‘First Amendment Area’ that tramples upon Nevadans’ fundamental rights under the U.S. Constitution,” he said in a statement Tuesday.

“To that end, I have advised the BLM that such conduct is offensive to me and countless others and that the ‘First Amendment Area’ should be dismantled immediately,” he said. “No cow justifies the atmosphere of intimidation which currently exists nor the limitation of constitutional rights that are sacred to all Nevadans. The BLM needs to reconsider its approach to this matter and act accordingly.”

Sandoval also said his office has received numerous complaints about the BLM’s conduct, including road closures and “other disturbances.”

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[WereWolf]

I'd say they gave him ample warning.

[hog45]

The first rule of gunfighting is "Have a gun." I would hope/assume this family already obeys rule number 1.

The second rule is "Have a friend with a gun." This is what they need now. They are surrounded by enemies with guns, and they are alone.

Just imagine if a couple hundred Nevada gun owners started driving laps around the property with their guns on display for all the Jack Booted Thugs to see. It wouldn't even have to be .50 bmgs and belt-fed full autos. It could be a bunch of hunting rifles, ARs and AKs.

I'm not advocating violence. I don't want them pointing at people or firing. Just their presence. JBTs do their dirty work when nobody is looking, one house at a time. They don't do well surrounded by armed witnesses. My guess is they would go home.

The "First Amendment Area" is about as scary a phrase as I have heard in a while. I don't even know where to start with that. I just know the 2nd amendment was created to enforce the 1st and I'll leave it at that.

[ForeverPA]

Just imagine if a couple hundred Nevada gun owners started driving laps around the property with their guns on display for all the Jack Booted Thugs to see.

And what's that gonna do?

[Emptymag]

the Center for Biological Diversity

Barf.

I can tell you right now that those liberal fuckers would rather see that rancher's entire family slaughtered with automatic weapon fire than see one more cow step on a blade of grass.

[RXM]

It would not surprise me if the land owner is shot dead from pointing a gun at an agent. I would equally not be surprised if the weapon recovered is a "drop gun". I hope they don't set his farm on fire.

[iamtommyboy]

Okay, not taking sides here, just trying to gain some clarity.

He has cattle.
They graze on public land.
He refuses to pay fees that are required for use of said land.
They are seizing the cattle that are on the public land.

Is the above correct?

Then, the government needs a small army to carry out their seizure of cows?
Is it possible that something has been said or done in the past that lead them to believe they would need firepower to take the cows?


I think there is a lot missing from this story. I also think there is a lot of fail on both sides of the story here.

[hog45]

And what's that gonna do?

Well, if you read the rest of my post you would see that I surmised it would cause the JBTs to go home. I could be wrong, and you can feel free to disagree.

I do agree with the others here. This will turn into a burning Ruby Ridge disaster if some friends don't show up soon. If they do show up, it may still turn into a disaster.

Or it could cause the JBTs to go home. That is my sincere hope. Once you are surrounded by enemies with guns, there are very few peaceful solutions.

[streaker69]

Okay, not taking sides here, just trying to gain some clarity.

He has cattle.
They graze on public land.
He refuses to pay fees that are required for use of said land.
They are seizing the cattle that are on the public land.

Is the above correct?

Then, the government needs a small army to carry out their seizure of cows?
Is it possible that something has been said or done in the past that lead them to believe they would need firepower to take the cows?


I think there is a lot missing from this story. I also think there is a lot of fail on both sides of the story here.

The government has a long and sordid history of over playing their hand. Contrast this with what happened at Waco for a moment. The ATF couldn't get a warrant for the alleged gun violations so they some how got a warrant for child molestation. They could have picked up David Koresh at any point in time while he was out for his morning run, or any of the number of times that he was seen in the town after the warrant was issued. Instead, they planned a full out assault that started with them shooting the dogs on the ranch.

Now look at this case, according to the government, he's in the hole to them for $1M+ and the solution is to conduct an armed raid and seize the cattle? It'll be really tough for the government to get that money that the claim he owes if they take all his livelihood.

My point is you cannot always believe what the government is telling you about situations such as this. The government is not above lying to portray the people they're targeting as nutjobs or criminals. The news certainly doesn't have all the truth regarding this case. It comes down to who you want to believe, the rancher that by some reports his family has owned that land since the late 1800's and it was seized from him, or the government that is claiming they want to protect the wildlife from those evil cattle.

[Aggies Coach]

Barf.

I can tell you right now that those liberal fuckers would rather see that rancher's entire family slaughtered with automatic weapon fire than see one more cow step on a blade of grass.

Do you really think there are people that would rather see a family get slaughtered ??? Seriously !?!?!? I think the rancher had ample warning about the problem and decided her was gonna do it his way. If ya mess with bull, dont be surprised when ya get the horns.