Militia, Ranchers in a Showdown With the BLM

Ronald Reagan famously said the nine scariest words in the English language are “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” It is true that levels of distrust of the government, and particularly the Federal government, are reaching new highs as citizens see a government eager to require the purchase of health insurance, demand implementation of national educational scheme such as Common Core, and force acceptance of hordes of Syrian immigrants into cities and neighborhoods. The public is recognizing that Washington is not for them, and oftentimes against them.  Little wonder that there are citizen groups, militias, if you will, that are gathering and communing about how the heavy hand of the Federal government can be countered.

The concern is especially pronounced in the Western states, and it is telling to learn that the Federal government owns and controls 47% of the land found in 11 western states, comprising 640 million acres. The feds own 53% of the land in Oregon, 67% of the land in Utah, and 81% of the land found in Nevada. When explaining why this is so, former director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pat Shea stated to Utah state representative Ken Ivory “the states are not capable of the complexity of managing these lands.” The arrogance is stunning, but probably typical of the federal bureaucrats who manage these agencies.

In 2014, the BLM challenged rancher Cliven Bundy regarding grazing his cattle on BLM land in Nevada, something he had done for decades, and demanded payment of over $1 million. When he refused, the BLM sent agents in to confiscate his cattle.  The standoff continued until citizens who objected to the outrageous theft of his property came to support him and to stand up to the federal bullies, at which time the BLM agents backed down. Of course the government labeled the citizens “militia,” which at one time was considered an honorable title when confronting the British armies as they tried to force their rule on the people.

Unfortunately, the federal government seems more than willing to violate the rule of law and to demand obedience to whatever law or policy they choose to impose, often in total contradiction to the Constitution.  Occasionally, the people reject that overreach and rise up en-mass to oppose the tyranny. It is no doubt why so many leftist lawmakers are anxious to disarm the American public and to excise their second amendment right to bear arms. Tyrants always take away the guns before they impose their self-serving will.

And now we have the recent case in Oregon where the Federal government is once again harassing hard working ranchers that are simply working the way that they have always worked. And as in Nevada with the Cliven Bundy debacle, armed citizens have come to the rescue to limit the overreach of the government.

Outrageous prosecution by BLM, page 2

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