It started four years ago, when Cliven Bundy and his sons refused to pay federal grazing fees and stared down government agents in an armed standoff outside their Nevada ranch.
The Bundys dared the federal government to arrest them. The government did, charging them with a range of felonies.
On Monday, a federal judge in Las Vegas set them free.
The decision left federal prosecutors swallowing another defeat at the hands of a family whose defiance has become a rallying cry for Westerners who believe the federal government has no business managing public land. Four times now — in high-profile cases in Nevada and Oregon — the Bundy family and its allies have beaten the federal government in court.
If you doubt civil war is coming, read the comments on that article. Hat tip:
Shall Not Be Questioned.
Yes, the divide is wide and deep. Having some experience with war, I devoutly hope that it doesn't come to that, but I have no solutions- no ideas on how to bridge this gap. Sadly, the divide is being widened by our "educators" (I don't include you in that remark, Clayton) as few seem to have read the Constitution, and even fewer understood it if they did read it.
ReplyDeleteOne of the commenters there, Itrimpey, said something that I agree with:
'Our Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 - "To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings". We the People did not vest power in our Congress over national parks, national forests, national preserves, national wildernesses, national national wildlife refuges, etc. Thus, our federal government does not have the constitutional right to own these types of land.'
The Fed thinks it owns far too much of the land which actually belongs to the people and the states. They should relinquish this control.
Even so, his armed resistance was sedition. He got off because the government was even worse.
ReplyDelete