Thursday, April 10, 2014

Weighing In: My thoughts on the Cliven Bundy situation

Imagine that you are living in a house that was built by your ancestors. You love this house. It is a piece of who you are, your heritage. It's a beautiful, one of a kind house, well suited to the needs of your family and the lifestyle you intend to live. It has been in your family for just under 150 years, passed down within the statutes of the law, from generation to generation. Each generation has maintained and cared for the house to the greatest of their ability.

One day, a team comes to your house and informs you they are now in charge of managing your house. There are a lot of people on the team. They are powerful and influential, and in an attempt to keep the peace, you agree to let them become a part of your life and have occasional access granted to your home. (I mean, you're not unreasonable, and your mother did teach you to share with others.)

Then, one day, this team shows up at your house and tells you that they are changing the scope of their management practices regarding your house, whether you like it or not. You are now going to be confined to living in only a portion of the house and the rest of the house will be given to some cats. Yep, I said cats. Naturally, you resist. Surely the management team can't just decide that you no longer have access to a portion of your house? Regardless of your resistance, the cats move in and you share your space. Still, you're not willing to give up without a fight. You begin seeking the help of legal council, you go to court, you do everything in your power to stop the management team from coming in and destroying your way of life and taking your home.

Finally, a court order is issued. It's not in your favor. The management team is coming in to take your home. Supposedly, their action is to protect the cats living in your house, but the same group that is taking your house for the cats is also down the road killing cats because they just can't afford to support them. What is your reaction to the situation? How do you respond to the management agency when they arrive at your home?

I'll give you a minute to think about it...

Now, I realize this isn't a direct translation of events as they are unfolding in Nevada. It would be impossible for me to create a scenario that incorporates all the different facets of the situation, but I believe it hits the highlights. I've thought a lot about this situation over the past several weeks and this is my take on it.

The Cliven Bundy family settled in the Bunkerville, Nevada area in the late 1800's. They established a ranching lifestyle and passed it down from one generation to the next. In 1946 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was established and began assisting with the management of public lands-already in use by a family that had arrived approximately 70 years earlier. Then, in 1993, this same management organization (the BLM) comes in and informs the Cliven Bundy family that they are no longer allowed to use the land because it is a habitat for the vulnerable (not yet endangered) desert tortoise. Never mind that the cattle and the tortoise have been sharing the land for the past 120 years without causing the extinction of the species? Never mind that this family's livelihood was tied up in the land? Never mind that just down the road in Henderson, Nevada, the same government forcing Cliven off his land for the desert tortoise was also planning to euthanize hundreds of the same species due to lack of funding? He was just to succumb to the will of the government and walk away? Wouldn't you resist, if it was your way of life at stake?

So now an unarmed family is being beaten and attacked. They have sniper rifles trained on them and when they tried to question the BLM about their belief that the BLM had begun shooting and disposing of the cattle on the range land, one of the BLM officers grabbed a 57 year old woman and threw her to the ground. Oh, and heaven forbid you should try to help that woman up or come to her defense, because that gets you hit multiple times with a taser, or at the very least, a threat of German shepherd attack dogs and "you'll be next".

I'm fairly certain that this is bigger than cattle and range land. The government must stand to gain A LOT over this, because if they don't, I can't imagine them fighting this intensely. I think it's safe to say that the government may have forgotten that they work for the people of the United States, and not the other way around. Whether you side with Cliven Bundy or not, the actions of the BLM, on site in Nevada, are inexcusable.

Now, for the disclaimer: Yes. I am a Bundy. I am related to Cliven, somewhere down the line. I believe my great, great grandfather is his great grandfather? Someone with better genealogy skills than mine can verify. I'm not claiming 100% innocence for either side of this situation-- such a thing rarely exists, but the BLM, the federal government, definitely crossed a line on this one. At least that's how the view looks from where I sit. Please, keep any posted comments clean and orderly. You are entitled to your opinions as I am entitled to mine. Discussion is one thing, but blatant disrespect for me or anyone else that may post here is not acceptable.

9 comments:

  1. I'm with you.....God Bless you and your extended family
    Scilla Robison, Utah UK legal resident

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  2. I actually see this a different way.
    Imagine that house is a house that wasn't purchased by your ancestors. That this special house was only rented. Not owned by the Bundy family but owned by the American People, as with all rentals the owner has the right to make the rules.
    In 1993 the Bundy Family Quit paying it's rent to the American People. Yet they continued to not only use the house but took over additional houses out of a sense of entitlement. Warning after warning was sent regarding the eviction while the Bundy Family Continued to stay in this house rent free all the while making a profit off of this particular house.
    Finally after, 20+ Years of warnings and a Million Dollars worth of unpaid rent, the American people decided to take their house back.
    Don't get me wrong. I hate the Government and believe it has too much power, and had the Bundy's paid rent, I'd be out there picketing with them.
    However, their sense of entitlement is foolish and they are going to get someone killed, and they are ruining it for the rest of us ranchers that are paying our grazing fees.
    What if I didn't pay my federal taxes for 20+ years? Would I get away with it because I hate Obama? Nope.

    In Conclusion, though I totally agree that the U.S. Govt. has too much power, the Bundy Family is contributing to the demise of the U.S.
    The sense of entitlement is killing us all. Whether a person feels entitled to health care, or entitled to welfare or entitle to Graze Cattle on my property. The Bundy's should have paid their bills plain and simple. They owe me and the rest of the American people over a million bucks and until they pay the rent they will not have my sympathy.

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    1. Hi Ed,
      Thanks for sharing your point of view. I especially appreciate that it was done politely. I considered the rent/landlord aspect of this argument as well but the more I read about pre-emptive rights, squatters rights, grazing and water rights, the more I believe that Cliven is right in his fight. I've spoken with Cliven and some of his children this week, and now have a better understanding of why he did what he did. His decision was not arbitrary or really even intentionally antagonistic. He was simply fighting for what he believed and trying to preserve his way of life. In so doing, yes, he stopped paying the people who were trying to put him out of business. Wouldn't you be inclined to stop sending a check to an organization that was trying to put you out of work? He did continue to pay state taxes and county fees, even after cessation of paying BLM fees. He didn't just wake up one morning and say, "That's it. I'm not giving anyone any more money." I believe the federal government paints a picture of Cliven as a free loader because that is the only leg they really have to stand on. If they can get the American people upset by telling them that Cliven is not only receiving something for nothing, but owes them something, they might be able to get the support they are seeking.

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  3. Ed Powers you are a lickspittle.

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    1. What is it with grown up people who don't agree resorting to name calling? Ed Powers put up a well articulated and respectful response. No one said you have to agree. If you cannot discuss the issue with the same amount of intelligence, respect and thoughtfulness you have no business calling names or commenting at all. The author of the article asked for discussion and respect. You could at least honor her request. I'm sure I'll get an epithet thrown at me for speaking the truth…go ahead

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    2. This is exactly what has me confused. What is the main point of contention? Unpaid fees? Are they fair? Does everyone else pay them? Are they outrageous, is that the problem? The point made that the Bundy's have grazing RIGHTS on our land (you, me, theirs, ours) not that they own the land is what I need to get straight on. I have no prob. with them grazing on public land, that's how I get my steaks, hamburgers and bbq. Does every other rancher in the US pay and they don't? The rental analogy is quite fair and I think any "rent" should be low as hell as long as I'm getting my tri-tip and prime rib. Hell, the govt subsidizes farmers up the butt, why not ranchers. But my question remains, fair use? fair fees? What exactly is going on? I have yet to see an expl. of whatever the basic facts are, I've seen only rhetoric.

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    3. Timmeehh, though I can appreciate the use of such a unique name that you have called me, your inability to intelligently argue a point leads me to believe that it's just a word that you parroted from the last militia meeting that you attended.
      Your lack of intelligent argument also tells me that you are in the fight, not because you are capable of understanding it, but because your hate for government drives you to follow the fight without even understanding the facts.
      This is the attitude that is going to get people hurt.
      In conclusion, I suggest educating yourself a little further than the militants dictionary, because your comment proves your lack of intellectual capacity.

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  4. Cliven paied the fees until the blm started using the fees to deliberatley put him out of business.

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