On the BLM v. Cattle Rancher
I was paying attention and hoping that this didn’t end in a shooting war. Some info here. It was odd. First, it seemed the BLM was overreaching. Then, it seemed that the guy was not paying the bill that he owed. But the rancher said that BLM was working to destroy his business so he stopped paying them. Regardless, BLM is pulling out:
However, today the BLM said it would not enforce a court order to remove the cattle and was pulling out of the area.
“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,” BLM Director Neil Kornze 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,” he said.
Afraid of getting shot, I guess. I suspect they’ll be back. I just hope it’s not with tanks and things that start fires.
And, we have a photo of the feds in action. Shameful.
April 13th, 2014 at 8:52 pm
Its called severe bullet allergies.
April 13th, 2014 at 8:57 pm
The “public safety” and “we don’t want to get shot” memes are at best plausible cover-ups of the actual truth. In order to sell livestock, or transport it across state lines, a brand inspection is required. The Nevada brand inspectors finally decided to pay attention to the law, and told the BLM they wouldn’t allow the cattle to be sold. The timing of the announcement strongly suggests it was hammered out before the majority of the tacticool folks showed up on Saturday.
April 13th, 2014 at 9:46 pm
Looks to me like a scandal about who was behind the BLM action was getting ready to fully emerge.
April 13th, 2014 at 9:52 pm
may have been done before the cavalry showed up but I am sure folks are taking note that they did show. . . that will be factored in next time. Things are getting out of control quickly. . . .
April 13th, 2014 at 10:11 pm
Note that the NPS was also involved. The thuginess seems more typical of them than the BLM. So who was really calling the shots?
April 13th, 2014 at 11:52 pm
For some reason this makes the cheap, crappy 1990s remake of “Vanishing Point” seem positively prophetic?
April 14th, 2014 at 12:16 am
Just as an aside, a group I’m part of has dealings with the US Forest Service. They have a number of roads we’d like to use, and they’d love to let us use them, but for some rule about no automobile competition on them. They’d need to and want to turn them over to the counties we run in, but the counties refuse them due to not having money for upkeep on said roads. I wonder if some of the same challenge exists out west. Not that I feel sorry for BLM, I don’t, just that this may be a problem for them in other areas of Nevada.
April 14th, 2014 at 1:02 am
Seems to have something to do with Harry Reid coveting the land in collusion with the Red (as in blood) Chinese for a solar farm. This was about to be outed on the real media.
April 14th, 2014 at 7:54 am
Horrible Harry manipulating behind the scenes again.
This time in collusion with the communist Chinese.
April 14th, 2014 at 11:02 am
I see this situation as indicative of something rather larger than one rancher in Nevada. If you look at the facts, the Bundy family may have been getting a raw deal, but they were also doing a number of things to make the situation worse, not better, and had lost in court several times. In another time, they wouldn’t have gotten any help from anyone, because they are clearly in the wrong. But in today’s environment, a whole lot of people have lost all respect for the Federal Government, and were willing to overlook the facts in order to make this situation into a confrontation. The silly “First Amendment area” BS just added fuel to the fire, and the strong-arm tactics against a few people didn’t help anything either – we should be glad SOMEBODY in the BLM decided to defuse the situation, or another Waco was a real possibility. Watch out, tho – those JBTs went home mad, and they would just love to kick YOUR butt to make up for it..
April 14th, 2014 at 12:45 pm
When you make national news being a dick, even if you have the law on your side, you’re still a dick.
As noted above, the popo didn’t like being told to stand down one bit. Add in the parting comments made by the protestors and you have a nasty recipe for Next Time.
Next Time it will be spray & pray and ask questions later.
April 14th, 2014 at 1:08 pm
BLM doesn’t need to come back with tanks and troops. All it has to do is have the FBI drop by with the US Marshals and an indictment against each person wielding a weapon. Just pick them up at the grocery, at work, etc. Then, swoosh, off into the netherworld of the BOP until a lawyer can find them.
April 14th, 2014 at 1:27 pm
ThePatroit, unless Bundy was holed up on his property they could have done that with him too.
It’s like how the feds got Whitey Bugler. They tricked him into leaving his apartment and knabbed him that way.
The question is if they want to do it quiet or flashy.
April 14th, 2014 at 3:03 pm
They’ll pull an ATF and bankrupt him with never ending court battles. Hatchet Harry (Reid) will get what he wants.
April 14th, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Well, Bulger was a evil fucker’s evil fucker in a world of evil fuckers. But why charge into a property, when, eventually, you gotta get milk.
April 14th, 2014 at 6:29 pm
Indeed, ThePatroit.
Unless there’s a hostage situation LEO’s really don’t need to charge into a property.
Course they now go with the whole “they was gonna destroy evidence” to do a stack and smash.