Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Weekend Contributor
Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher and scofflaw, was hailed by some people as a folk hero and patriot recently when he—and his followers–engaged in a standoff with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Caty Enders (Esquire) described the scene in Bunkerville, Nevada, as pundits and politicians descended on the Bundy camp last week “to throw in their American flag hats with the BLM protestors.” She said that a FOX News van had been parked by the side of the road for days—and that “militia snipers kept a trained watch” up on a ridge “as Bundy held court.” She added that disciples of Bundy came from far and wide “to share their personal theories as to why the government was enforcing a court order.”
Bundy has had a number of advocates who have spoken in support of his militant stance against the BLM. Those advocates included some prominent politicians and members of the media. Sean Hannity was one of Bundy’s biggest boosters and helped to make him into a folk hero. Hannity talked with Bundy on a number of occasions on his Fox News show. Joan Walsh (Salon) asked a pertinent question about Bundy on Friday: “How does a guy who declared early on ‘I don’t recognize the United States government as even existing’ become a folk hero in the first place?” She said that both Hannity and Fox News should have realized that the Nevada rancher was “too toxic” prior to his “ongoing self-exposure as a racist.” She added that the extremism of Bundy’s statement about the US government “should have been warning enough that Bundy was not only crazy but dangerous…”
Enders posed a question that was in the same vein as Walsh’s: “Exactly how difficult was it, though, to determine pretty early on that Bundy and his followers were using the threat of force to back up some terrifyingly misguided beliefs?” Enders provided some insight into the thinking and beliefs of Bundy and disciples of his with whom she talked.
Members of the Bundy Brigade Speak Out
Enders spoke to a militia member named Mark who was affiliated with the Oath Keepers group. Mark explained to her “the truth behind public land management.” He said, “The assumption is that the BLM is part of the federal government. But we need to check the facts on that one. The BLM doesn’t work for the government: they work for the United Nations. They might as well be wearing blue helmets. If we find out there’s money being exchanged between Harry Reid and the Chinese government, no one should be surprised.”
Another Bundy disciple told Enders that “Bar-certified lawyers, like the ones who prosecuted Bundy, have sworn loyalty to the British government, whose statutes encourage sex with clients. ‘That’s what they do with all their clients.’”
Enders spent time talking to a former cop who chuckled as he related a story about one of his buddies who once worked as a sheriff in New Mexico. He said his buddy got into some trouble after he pulled over a group of illegals one night. He said his pal “didn’t have room to haul ‘em all, so he put a chain around their neck and put a padlock through it, went to the next one, then he chained ‘em to a tree!” Enders said that the former cop then buckled with laughter as he told her how his friend “left ‘em and went to town to get his pickup to haul ‘em all back in. So, you might imagine, that didn’t play well — ha! You’re a young’un, but everything wasn’t against the law, way back when.” The former cop also told Enders that it was now being proved that the Bureau of Land management was acting on orders “from Troy and Harry Reid, who want to build a solar farm on the land — or a wind farm.”
One of Bundy’s disciples drove a beige sedan covered with the following message:
IF YOU WERE BORN IN 1980 AND AFTER. YOU MAY BE IMPLANTED WITH A GOVERNMENT MICROCHIP WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE: GOOGLE DOCTORS THAT REMOVE MICROCHIPS.
Cliven Bundy, God’s Messenger
During the time that Enders spent at the Bundy camp, she witnessed one of the public addresses the Nevada rancher made to his followers. She said that as Bundy—who had just been given a standing ovation—took the stage, he didn’t seem pleased. She said that Bundy reproached the crowd “for failing to follow the word of God – to the letter …”— which he claimed was being “delivered through him.” He wasn’t happy that his supporters failed “to follow his instructions to tear down the toll booths at Lake Mead and disarm the Park Service.” Bundy added, “The message I gave to you all was a revelation that I received. And yet not one of you can seem to even quote it.” He continued, “The records of our bible — how long have they been kept? Thousands of years. They’ve been turned over generation after generation, buried, and all kinds of things happen to ‘em. And yet, here, something I felt was inspired [by God] and yet we haven’t even carried it forth for even a couple of days. Shame on us.”
Bundy expressed frustration because his followers hadn’t been able to deter the BLM “within an hour”—“as the revelation had prophesied.” When an hour had passed, Bundy reportedly got into his bulldozer and decided to march on the BLM himself. His dozer got stuck in the mud—and that led to Bundy’s receiving yet another revelation: “It come to my mind real plain — the good Lord said, ‘Bundy, it’s not your job, it’s THEIR job.’” Bundy reiterated that revelation a little differently in an effort to ensure that his followers understood what he had just told them, “This is not my job, it’s YOUR job.”
Bundy said that he received a message that morning after he prayed. He claimed that he heard a voice say, “Sheriff Gillespie, your work is not done. Every sheriff across the United States, take the guns away from the United States bureaucrats.”
Uncivil Disobedience
Even The Weekly Standard–as well as Glenn Beck–has been critical of Cliven Bundy. The magazine’s Scrapbook explained the whole Bundy situation with regard to grazing fees and court rulings. The Scrapbook said that what had transpired over the years didn’t sound “like the dread hand of tyranny, in Nevada or Washington, oppressing an innocent farmer, or pushing some law-abiding citizen around.” It said it sounded, 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.”
The Weekly Standard:
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.
Apocalypse Cow – Welfare Rancher, Part 1 (The Daily Show)
Apocalypse Cow – Welfare Rancher, Part 2 (The Daily Show)
SOURCES
Fox News’ new laughingstock: Cliven Bundy — and Stephen Colbert — will destroy Sean Hannity (Salon)
Uncivil Disobedience (The Weekly Standard)
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Question quotas Nick? Really?
hskiprob,
Are you forgetting that Cliven Bundy has broken the law that we all have follow? The only rights usurped were the rights of the federal officers who were doing their job properly when they were confronted by an armed militia. Mr. Bundy owes large sums of money to the government, that even Glenn Beck said he has to pay, so why does he get a free break? He has/had a chance to his day in court, but under the rule of law we do not allow armed militiamen to challenge government authorized officers. Challenge them in court. However, that would require Mr. Bundy to go into a court room under US law, which he claims he doesn’t recognize, but yet waves the US flag.
raffaw. You really want to discuss the rule of law? Like When Lincoln suspended Habeas corpus without Congressional approval, shut down some 30 northern opposition newspapers and arrested northern opposition politicians, even deporting A Ohio Congressman. Or when FDR stole the gold from the Citizens in 1933 and further debased their paper currency about 40% within weeks.
The government has been abrogating the Constitutions and usurping the rights of Citizens for over 150 years and you really want to hide behind that façade of obeying the law.
Lets talk about when George Bush and his cowboy cronies used eminent domain to buy and build the parking lot for his Texas Rangers Stadium when the rancher refused to sell his land. Let’s talk about when The Citizens were denied a response to their Petition for Redress of Grievances in We The people v. United States in 2008. Let’s talk about all the Police brutality. Let’s talk about the government corruption going on behind the scenes in this case. How about the extermination of Tortoises by the BLM and that they benefit from the cattle despite the lies by the BLM. That the head of the BLM is a past staffer of those pushing the Solar Farm and the sale of the property to the Chinese.
You would think that as a libertarian I would be in favor of building a solar farm. I would if they weren’t taking this property by political means and if the government wasn’t subsidizing the project.
Low and behold looks what the BLM is trying to do in Texas: http://wearechange.org/blm-claims-90000-acres-belong-texas-attempts-seize-ranch/
on 1, April 28, 2014 at 2:16 pmNick Spinelli
“When my daughter was young she was very inquisitive and asked many questions. However, she asked too many questions that just came off the top of her head. And, she would often ask the same question more than once. Being people who ask questions for a living, my wife and I put our daughter on question quotas. We used that parameter to help her learn how to ask GOOD questions. As stated previously, her inquisitiveness remains in tact but her questions are focused, and she does not ask the same questions twice. I did the same w/ some students I had w/ the same problem.*** I think I need to put some folks here on question quotas.”***
Mr. Keebler. Here.
Elaine, are you a paid political hack?
The issue is much more complex than this article illuminates. Pointing out such misunderstandings by some of his followers, such as the UN Treaty and it’s recognition of UN World Heritage Sites – http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/1968 – and how some people feel it’s infringing on US National Sovereignty does not make the authors points any more valid for people who do have a broader knowledge of the world.
The attempt to discredit the rancher, his followers and 2/3s of the population of this country who are tired of the ever encroaching Federal Government and the ruling oligarchs who constantly usurp the rights of the Citizens for personal benefit, is quite obvious. A solar farm? really!!!! How long will it take this one to BK?
Has anyone noticed that more and more women are being used by the oligarchs to spew out the reams of yellow journalistic horse crap that just so happens to spin new stories in favor of the government. All main stream media and of course Comedy Central as sources.
Many people turn to God in hours of great challenges and desperation and to try to discredit people who do this is appalling but typical of the progressives. The progressive movement can’t even call themselves what they really are; Socialists and/or Fascists, yet want to criticize others who feel they are being inspired by God.
I think if all the facts are placed on the table, your article would be crushed by it. Why don’t you try doing that. A fair and balanced article and I’m not talking about the FOX type of Fair And Balanced. lol.
Annie,
Maybe I missed that, but who is limiting peoples comments?
Unless Professor Turley say otherwise, NO ONE here has the AUTHORITY to limit other commenter’s questions.
Annie writes: “Unless Professor Turley say otherwise, NO ONE here has the AUTHORITY to limit other commenter’s questions”.
Annie, well said and Thank You for taking the stand.
When my daughter was young she was very inquisitive and asked many questions. However, she asked too many questions that just came off the top of her head. And, she would often ask the same question more than once. Being people who ask questions for a living, my wife and I put our daughter on question quotas. We used that parameter to help her learn how to ask GOOD questions. As stated previously, her inquisitiveness remains in tact but her questions are focused, and she does not ask the same questions twice. I did the same w/ some students I had w/ the same problem. I think I need to put some folks here on question quotas.
Teji, You know NOTHING about my politics. I am disgusted by Sara Palin and have said so many times. I’ll end my refutation of how you characterized me there, because that is all the time warranted to your comment.
Nick writes:
“Teji, You know NOTHING about my politics. I am disgusted by Sara Palin and have said so many times. I’ll end my refutation of how you characterized me there, because that is all the time warranted to your comment”.
Nice try Nick. I know a lot more about politics and your political leanings than you would ever imagine. That is why you are frothing and very cleverly picked out Sarah Palin by deliberately ignoring the rest of the post. That is the reason you were not able to answer any of my questions asked.
People like you always get mad at others when they are told, “The obese Emperor has no clothes on”. 🙂
Good job done as usual Nick. BTW, Denial is not the river in North Africa,Nick.
Feynman,
Please don’t go anywhere. We appreciate you.
Dr. Stanley, Upon rising every day I will think of you with much gratitude.
Ipse Dixit may be the two most valuable words I have ever learned.
Thank you one and all for an informative discussion.
Mr. Spinelli,
Generally speaking if you make a claim. you will present your citations to back it up. “google it” is not helpful. I
You know if you can’t win an argument, move the argument, change the subject or continue with personal attacks until your opponent gets tired of it.
Mr. Spinelli,
I am asking about muni WC funds for private construction companies. Can you help on that?
I understand they would need such afund for public employees.
Mr. Keebler, good work everyone! Overwhelming proof by citations are always the best way to win an argument. 🙂
Good word Annie.
Ipse dixit.
Municipalities have been setting up their own funds @ an increasingly higher rate as private insurance WC rates have just skyrocketed w/ increasing claims. I can only speak w/ some certainty about Wi. There is a fund set up where Counties and Municipalities can join. The State has their own taxpayer funded WC system. I did a lot of work for State, County and city funds back in the 90’s but gave them up for a client. They were unprofessional and used WC as a way to intimidate their employees. There are no nastier and more petty bosses than govt. administrators. I don’t know the %’s, but if you’re curious you could research it.
So I guess we have established that the assertion that there is an increase in fraudulent SSI and SSDI claims under Obama is fallacious. No one has given any substantive proof that it isn’t an erroneous notion.
Anyone,
Would munis set up WC for private construction companies? If they do I’m curious as to why.
Also, how big is WC’s slice of the pie?
SWM, I know what different disabilities pay. The most lucrative and some of the most abused are police and firefighter. I have stories about some of those frauds that would curl your hair. I KNOW you don’t get rich on disability, but depending on the job, you can live just as well as you can working. You can get rich on personal injury lawsuits, that’s where I made the big bucks, because big busks were in play.
Fraudulent SSI and SSDI **claims**.