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Is Bundy's Protest Tarnishing the Tea Party? (Weekly Standard jumping the shark?)
The Weekly Standard ^ | April 22, 2013 | Michael Warren

Posted on 04/22/2014 6:56:08 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Senior writer John McCormack joined Greta van Susteren's political panel Monday on Fox News to discuss the protest at the Bundy ranch in Nevada. Watch the video below:

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)

Meanwhile, in this week's issue, the Scrapbook writes about the problems with Cliven Bundy's cause:

Twenty years ago, the federal government, which owns the land on which Bundy grazes his 900 cattle, decided to impose a grazing fee. Bundy opposes that fee, has consistently refused to pay it, and the federal Bureau of Land Management now claims that he owes $1 million in unpaid fees. Bundy has challenged the grazing fee in federal court—indeed, has challenged the federal government’s title to land in Nevada—and has consistently lost. Sixteen years ago, a federal judge issued a permanent injunction against Bundy, ordering the removal of his cattle. Bundy appealed that ruling to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and lost again. Last August, a federal court gave Bundy 45 days to remove his cattle, and in October, a federal district judge ordered Bundy not to “physically interfere with any seizure or impoundment operation.”

This does not sound to The Scrapbook like the dread hand of tyranny, in Nevada or Washington, oppressing an innocent farmer, or pushing some law-abiding citizen around. It sounds, instead, like a rancher gaming the system to his own financial advantage, and disguising his scheme in populist rhetoric: refusing to pay a tax which others must pay, and “tying up the courts”—for two decades!—as he continues to ignore the law. Far from acting in an arbitrary or capricious manner, the federal government has shown patience and forbearance in the face of lawlessness that customarily lands people in jail. It is worth noting that Bundy’s rancher-neighbors and the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, who contend with the same federal policies, offer him little support.

Bundy has exercised his First Amendment right to plead his case publicly and inflame his admirers. And inflamed they have been: A few hundred people from around the country converged on Nye County, Nevada—many armed and brandishing weapons—to disrupt the government’s attempt to enforce the law, taunting and attacking agents dutifully carrying out the orders of a federal court. Last week, fearful of violence, the BLM suspended its roundup and withdrew from the area.

This is no victory for anyone other than Bundy and, The Scrapbook hopes, a temporary one at that. There is a term to describe the people who surround him, and it isn’t “militia.” The word is “mob.” And what this mob has practiced is not civil disobedience but armed provocation of a democratic government which has afforded Cliven Bundy every right and privilege as a citizen. One of Bundy’s supporters boasted to the press that “we were actually strategizing to put all the women up at the front.” This is the same spirit that animates people who attack firemen during riots, or opposed school integration with violence in Little Rock, Arkansas. In that case, 57 years ago, President Eisenhower was obliged to send the 101st Airborne because, as he said, “mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts.”

What was true then remains true today. Cliven Bundy is no hero of any kind. No conservative would pick and choose the laws he intends to obey, defy the rest, and challenge the rule of democracy with guns. No hero would adopt the terrorist’s tactic of placing innocents in harm’s way. Any fool can pick up a weapon and aim at an officer of the law; the moral power of civil disobedience lies in the willingness to defer to the law and accept punishment on principle.


TOPICS: Heated Discussion
KEYWORDS: blm; bundy; cinos; rinos; teaparty
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To: cloudmountain

“QUESTION: What do you think Jesus would say to Bundy? “

I meant to include that I’m sorry you didn’t know what Christ would have said, but I’m pleased to be able to help you out in my post #117.


121 posted on 04/22/2014 9:10:10 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle (Want to keep your doctor? Remove your Democrat Senator.)
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To: FrankR
Great picture and true . but Obama should be in that Picture too. Yes Obama is a criminal .It was Barack Obama the president who sent an army with guns and special forces against a private American citizen for a civil matter.

Here is proof Obama sent special (armed) forces to attack Mr. Bundy:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3147138/posts
Obama broke the law of Posse Comitatus and must be imprisoned now

The federal gov nor a president cannot send an army against a private citizen for a civil matter. that is a crime , a violation of Posse Comitatus . plus you’ll say that is not army well it was and Obama also sent special forces that only answer to him to help out in the raid against Bundy.

We need to focus on who the head of the BLM, IRS and special forces is , only one individual and that is Barack Obama the president. the buck stops with Obama. It is Obama that is responsible for all this monstrous socialist evil his government is perpetrating against the American people and private business. Yes Reid and Lois Lerner are also culpable but look at who is the leader of these government agencies and see it is Obama . Plus these special forces there in Nevada sent to attack mr Bundy only take command directly from the President. don't let the media fool you . it's Obama who is behind all this evil

122 posted on 04/22/2014 9:10:53 PM PDT by Democrat_media (Obama ordered IRS to rig 2012 election and must resign)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

is that weakly?


123 posted on 04/22/2014 9:20:20 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: RIghtwardHo

Most people were against our indepence from england as well so who cares what the sheeple think


124 posted on 04/22/2014 9:23:30 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

Hear,hear!


125 posted on 04/22/2014 9:25:36 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: RIghtwardHo; All

Well .. as has been discussed by several conservative people on TV .. a lot of people really support the Tea Party but they’re afraid to speak up; the reason is fear of the IRS (an audit) and the DOJ (gun issues).

But .. come election day, their voices are going to be heard loud and clear.

Don’t get discouraged .. I’ve had dozens more people asking me questions .. I think people are really waking up.


126 posted on 04/22/2014 9:25:50 PM PDT by CyberAnt (True the Vote: MY AMERICA, "... I'm terrified it's slipping away.")
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To: cloudmountain

Are Harry Reid and his sons all lawyers?


127 posted on 04/22/2014 9:27:11 PM PDT by rolling_stone
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To: re_nortex

Follow the trail... there is a couple of these on this thread.


128 posted on 04/22/2014 9:42:01 PM PDT by antceecee (Bless us Lord, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It takes longer for some to realize what’s going on than others.

The Bostoners legally owed the tax on that tea too.


129 posted on 04/22/2014 9:43:17 PM PDT by SaxxonWoods (....Let It Burn...)
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To: MarMema
Plus all kinds of things to sign under a contract.

I feel a song coming on ... but I won't link it, I'll quote it:

Now a very great man once said
Some people rob you with a fountain pen
It don't take too long to find out
Just what he was talkin' about

I might add that it don't take too long to find out that the left was talkin' about themselves all these years.

130 posted on 04/22/2014 9:43:53 PM PDT by dr_lew
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

More sophistry and spin that won’t change my mind about anything.


131 posted on 04/22/2014 9:53:58 PM PDT by TigersEye (Stupid is a Progressive disease.)
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To: RushIsMyTeddyBear

Small quibble on the accuracy of your statement:

The WS is run by neo-con GOPe tripe.


132 posted on 04/22/2014 9:54:17 PM PDT by NVDave
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To: kiryandil

Thank you.


133 posted on 04/22/2014 10:00:18 PM PDT by Fungi
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This guy is a moron. Slavery used to be the law of the land. So conservatives should not opposed it because its the law of the land?


134 posted on 04/22/2014 10:01:54 PM PDT by 4rcane
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To: Therapsid

you just assume it should be legitimately “Federal land” - thus, you so miss the bigger point.


135 posted on 04/22/2014 10:03:03 PM PDT by C. Edmund Wright (Tokyo Rove is more than a name, it's a GREAT WEBSITE)
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To: 4rcane

Did the author forget how the original Tea Party started? They revolted against the tea tax law. Today’s Tea Party is very much aligned with tradition


136 posted on 04/22/2014 10:05:02 PM PDT by 4rcane
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To: babygene

ok...it safer if you dont...less stressful ...knitting ive heard good things...have you tried it?


137 posted on 04/22/2014 10:44:01 PM PDT by Therapsid
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To: C. Edmund Wright

The Federal govt purchased the land from Mexico, so they are legitimate owners. The people living in that territory failed to arrange to take title of the land when the Nevada state constitution was created, so it has remained federal land within the state’s boundaries since the original purchase. If Nevada really wanted it, which they apparently don’t, they would have to change their constitution, among other things.


138 posted on 04/22/2014 10:46:48 PM PDT by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: kiryandil

I think the big story is chineese fed land deals brokered by various washington sh-t-birds....but Bundys contractual quandary is interesting and In a freepress type situation would of course already be known to most of the non apathetic population.Thanks....I didnt know that.


139 posted on 04/22/2014 10:54:30 PM PDT by Therapsid
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To: kiryandil

You have to wonder if the 0 administration is feeding the liberal journalists the information they need so they don’t have to research it and can go to press faster. Of course the 0 administration could be supplying them with false information because you know how bad lefties are about checking anything for accuracy.


140 posted on 04/22/2014 11:16:03 PM PDT by jsanders2001
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