Everything you need to know about the long fight between Cliven Bundy and the federal government

The Washington Post blog ^ | 4-15-2015 | Jaime Fuller

[MarMema]

The case of cattle rancher Cliven Bundy burst into the national news cycle over the past week, captivating conservative media outlets with its protagonist, a firm believer of states' right with an armed group of supporters backing him. The stand-off between Nevada rancher and federal government officials trying to push cattle off of protected federal land has paused for now, but officials plan to renew their efforts soon. This most-recent skirmish is only the latest in a decades-long fight between the federal government and Cliven Bundy, however. Here's a timeline that proves just how complicated this case is — as well as the power that the media still retains to elevate a local political issue into a national one.

[MarMema]

Cliff Gardner is sentenced to a month in a Reno halfway house, along with a $5,000 fine and a year of probation. He has been under house arrest for the three previous months for not taking his cattle off of federal land. When his sentence — which affirmed the U.S. Forest Service's authority over the disputed land — was announced, more than 50 states' rights protesters were in the courtroom with him. Three were dressed in white wigs as American Revolutionary War patriots and another wearing a wig and red coat said he was England's King George. "Has the West been won, or has the fight just begun?" read a banner at a rally outside the courthouse where 15 protesters on horseback carried signs while children waved the Nevada state flag. "This court has tried to intimidate the citizens of Nevada by attempting to make an example of Cliff Gardner," said Cliven Bundy, a Clark County rancher.

[GregoTX]

The history of the dispute in chronological order. Very interesting read, thanks for posting.

[bigbob]

Thanks - very useful.

[areukiddingme1]

Waco Texas and Ruby Ridge Idaho — Name two places in American history where Bill Clinton’s Attorney General killed Americans.

[Tenacious 1]

Here is something that goes unmentioned. Why would the states voluntarily “give” their land to the government and let the government collect permit fees for the effort? Deserts don’t need to be “managed”. The endangered species BS, which has mostly been a ruse starting with the Buffalo and working it’s way through and including newly discovered species of insects has been used as a federal weapon to confiscate land, power and wealth.

Remember the family that was finally forced to sell their redwood forest so that the forest could be saved (Northern California)? They owned and logged and cultivated that redwood forest for almost 150 years. In the 80s some lady climbed a tree and stayed there for a month to prevent loggers from cutting down their own tree. In 1998 the state and fed purchased the forest from the logging family (under duress) for $1 Million. Almost 10 years later, most of it burned in a forest fire because the dead wood was not being cleaned from the forest any longer.

Anything the fed touches turns the shit. They couldn’t manage a ham sandwich if Emeril Lagasse was their chef.

[70times7]

Really? Everything I need to know? Considering what this writer's head if full of, one wonders why it is called "yellow journalism".

She clearly has an agenda. She depicts those resisting the government as ignorant and aggressive. They cannot spell, they ignore authority, they plant bombs, they shoot and steal signs. The ranchers want to kill animals. Oh, those evil ranchers!

OTOH the government authorities are patient, long suffering, backed by science and oh so many studies. They just want to protect the land and its animals!

I reached the end of the article and was wondering where the section was on Harry Reid's connections to China and his friends and relatives working a deal to place a solar "farm" there. BTW - go research what would happen to the grouse and other birds if a solar farm was placed there. I guess those are things I don't need to know about.

[Altura Ct.]

I wouldn’t trust much of anything from the Wash Post

[RandallFlagg]

Wasn’t Ruby Ridge attacked in August of ‘92?

[MarMema]

The main part of the piece that astounded me and I wanted to share is in my comment just under it.

[gusty]

The Federal government has always owned the land outside of the original 13 states, plus Vermont and Maine. States like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, etc claimed the land out to the Pacific for themselves, but agreed to cede their claims to the Federal government back at the time of the founding. The land west of the Appalachians has always been Federal land, it is how the government funded itself, along with tariffs, by selling it to settlers. Since Nevada did not exist, and was still under the Bourbon monarchs in Madrid at the time of the founding, the state would own no land unless it purchased it from the Federal government. People might not like the fact, but it is a fact, and those responsible for it were the Founders, Madison, Washington, Hamilton, et al.

[TheBattman]

It just a shame that the article/timeline conveniently leaves off the “rest of the story” - that ties to Harry Reid and his family, back-door deals with foreign companies to use the land, control of gas/mineral rights, oh - and the history of Feds actually killing the supposedly “endangered” tortoises...

And For so many to just label Bundy as a “freeloader” - he admits to owing grazing fees. But he stopped paying when the Feds yanked his permit.

[tgusa]

“Anything the fed touches turns the shit. They couldn’t manage a ham sandwich if Emeril Lagasse was their chef.”

OMG, and I am now replacing my Depends. Quote of the week! Good job!

[areukiddingme1]

I stand corrected.

[ponygirl]

I thought this part of the article was veeeerrrrry interesting:

March 27, 2014: Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins also supports Bundy. “The U.S. government has perpetrated a bigger fraud on people over those tortoises than Al Capone did selling swampland in Miami."

And then from Facebook: Darin Bushman - Piute County Commissioner I was just told by commissioner Collins of Clark County NV that all of us folks from Utah are a bunch of "inbred bastards" and if we are coming to Clark Cointy NV to support Cliven Bundy we all "better have funeral plans". We should "turn our asses around on mind our own f-ing business". Now there's some classy leadership for you. · April 7 at 10:56am ·

Interesting change of heart there, Commissioner Collins. I think I just got whiplash.

[Ben Ficklin]

The states didn't give land to the federal govt. This land was ceded to the US from Mexico. The US govt paid for the war with Mexico. They also paid money for the Louisiana Purchase and the Gadsden Purchase.

The feds also built forts and hired soldiers all over the west to fight the Indians so the land could be settled

The feds paid for the territorial govts.

Bundy's family homesteaded for free. But he thinks the federal govt should have given him a million acres.

[MarMema]

I saw that too. A change of heart indeed.

[februus]

I can’t wait for that future time when we are able to incarcerate politically partisan bureaucrats for “failure to disperse” - and for setting illegal perimeters and cordons (so-called “free speech zones”) - whether in Washington DC or in Nevada, for unequal applications of law, for failing to abide by FOIA, for using hidden email accounts, secrecy, cronyism, use of force, and...and...

[Georgia Girl 2]

So true.

Everything you needed to know about the Bundy Ranch fiasco was in the form of 250 forest rangers who had been suited up with tactical weapons and supported by some hired mercs making an incursion into a sovereign state to steal the livestock of a private citizen. I don’t care how many court orders went out it was still wrong. These people are totally out of their jurisdiction.

Do you think they asked the Governor of the state if it was OK? Or any other local authority?

While there they comandeered a public highway, closed off a large section of an entire county and intimidated and brutalized anyone who protested.

This is not the role of the BLM. They are as I said basically land managers/forest rangers. Any enforcement action should have come through the local sheriff and his
officers.

This is the official debut of the civilian national defense force. If they are not stopped they will be doing this stuff all over the country.

Again I will repeat that there is a reason why you have not heard the words FBI or US Marshals during this debacle.

[ridesthemiles]

Eric Holder was the Assistant AG under Janet Reno.

This creep seems to never be far from trouble.

[kcvl]

Jaime Fuller - The Washington Post