Discussion for article #221019
Interesting that this twerp thinks his rights pre-date those of the government, in the government. Public lands are in the commons and are managed in the best interests of all citizens, not just a few.
In this case I stand with Ed Abbey.
The rancher strings barbed wire across the range, drills wells and bulldozes stock ponds everywhere, drives off the elk and antelope and bighorn sheep, poisons coyotes and prairie dogs, shoots eagle and bear and cougar on sight, supplants the native bluestem and grama grass with tumbleweed, cow shit, cheat grass, snakeweed, anthills, poverty weed, mud and dust and flies – and then leans back and smiles broadly at the Tee Vee cameras and tells us how much he loves the West."
– Edward Abbey
2 Likes
That land belongs to everybody, but he gets to use it for his private profit? I’d really like to hear this SOB explain just how he derives his “rights” to use this land that belongs to everybody.
Mr Bundy hasn’t a legal leg to stand on since he refused to up hold his end of the lease. He axed his standing himself. End of story. No judge will side with him.
“…illegal grazing…”
Once upon a time, the Republican Party stood for law and order. Now it’s devoted to cheating, lying, and stealing, rationalized by hatred of the United States of America.
3 Likes
Had just the same thought. I wasn’t clear whether this is some sort of original rights argument - that his inalienable right predates that of government or whether this is an issue whether the federal government’s claim to the land is somehow recently. Maybe another way of putting it is whether his argument is ideological or factual.
It makes no sense. It’s not like he’s a native American. I’ve not been able to find anything that speaks to the basis for his argument either.
Having grown up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma and later exposed to the majesty of public lands ( and Edward Abbey) I feel pretty strongly about what he is doing. Public lands are held as “The Commons” for the best interests of all Americans so what gives him any right to run his cattle on public property? And aside from that, cattle and sheep have no business on that land. It takes over one hundred acres of high desert to support the grazing of one damn cow, It’s just not suitable, nor is much of the western high desert, for grazing.
Beeves should be grazed on sustainable land like wheat farms. The USA has all the beef we need, we’re not so desperate as to need Mr. Bundy’s bovine parasites.
What year is this? Is there no absolutely settled issue that the right wing fringe won’t try to re-open, hoping to find some tiny morsel of victimhood? No arbitrary, anti-government lost cause they won’t support? I would suggest going after standard time next. Obama is coming for our sundials!
2 Likes