It’s crazy up at the legislature right now, what with the recent passage of the budget and the rush to push through a bunch of bills so everyone can go home. And, not surprisingly, it’s crazy time as well. Five Republican legislators went to Mesquite, Nevada, over the weekend to support the rancher, Cliven Bundy, whose cattle have been grazing illegally on government land and thinks he should be able to keep them there, regardless of the law.
Several state lawmakers traveled to Mesquite, Nev., over the weekend to support rancher Cliven Bundy, who is in a standoff with federal Bureau of Land Management officials over Bundy’s two decades’ worth of unpaid grazing fees.
Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff, had returned to Phoenix in time for Monday’s floor session and urged members of the House of Representatives to support Bundy. Thorpe also said that if he is re-elected, he plans to introduce legislation in 2015 that would assert the primacy of county sheriffs in enforcing the law in their counties. That’s a central tenet of the sovereignty movement, which rejects much federal control.
In addition to Thorpe, Reps. David Livingston, R-Peoria, and Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, traveled to Mesquite, along with Sens. Judy Burges, R-Sun City West, and Kelli Ward, R-Lake Havasu City.
Monday’s legislative speechifying included impassioned statements by some of the travelers about the federal thugs trampling on the rights of citizens of Nevada.
Here are some highlights of the adventure, which I found in a post by Facebook friend Anna Johnson.
Friday, Rep. David Livingston delivered a speech on the floor about federal overreach, about receiving “security briefings,” about the federal government bypassing the constitution and bypassing the state of Nevada. “I have been asked to stand up, and I’m asking you to stand up.” He called for legislators to join him on a trip to Nevada. Here’s the video.
In a tweeted pic, Sen Kelli Ward stood proudly at the Bundy Ranch with Rep. Paul Gosar. Her Facebook page has a lot more photos of Ward, her fellow legislators and other protesters. Ward’s talk at the rally made local Nevada TV news. “We don’t need the government to tell us what to eat, what to wear, what to drink [and] how to drive,” she said. “We don’t need that. We can do a lot of self-governance.”
Kelly Townsend says she was horrified when she saw a video of police using a stun gun on one of Bundy’s sons.
“Watching that video last night created a visceral reaction in me,” said Arizona Rep. Kelly Townsend, a tea party Republican who is driving up from Phoenix to take part in a rally with lawmakers and Oath Keepers near the Bundy ranch Monday. “It sounds dramatic, but it reminded me of Tiananmen Square. I don’t recognize my country at this point.”
Wonkette, who gave Townsend the day’s “At Least You Didn’t Say Hitler” award, reminded Townsend that the use of a stun gun isn’t the equivalent of hundreds of protesters being killed by troops in China’s Tiananmen Square.
Two interesting side notes.
Apparently there was a plan by Bundy supporters to use women as human shields, to put them in the front lines to deter the feds from shooting. We learned that on Fox News from Richard Mack, a former Arizona sheriff. Arizona’s just gotta get into the act.
And the normally provocative and inflammatory Glenn Beck as well as just-plain-silly Tucker Carlson cautioned right wingers to cool it on the Bundy protest. Beck was concerned that extremists were using the incident to promote acts of violence.
“We did some research online with PsyID today,” Beck said on his show, “and found that there’s about 10 or 15 percent of the people who are talking about this online that are truly frightening.”
When Beck warns that someone on the right is “truly frightening,” you better listen.
Meanwhile, Carlson pointed out the obvious.
[I] think it’s important to point out that this land does not belong to [the Bundy’s] and that’s not a minor distinction, it’s the essence of private property.
Unlike Beck and Carlson, at least five Arizona legislators seem to have no reservations about the Bundy Ranch standoff.
This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2014.
Pay your fees Bundy, just like the other ranchers do.
Our wing nut politicians should stay home. There is plenty of damage to do here in the AZ!!
The Anarchistic tones of the Neocon/Teabagger is reaching a treasonous pitch. And people here just gobble it up and vote in crazier politicians each cycle!!
Oh I saw this coming. lol
Let’s see what real journalism looks like:
Exclusive: Does Cliven Bundy Have Something Called “Prescriptive Rights”, Why The BLM May Be Afraid To Go To Court
http://benswann.com/exclusive-does-cliven-bundy-have-something-called-prescriptive-rights-why-the-blm-may-be-afraid-of-going-to-court/
LOTFI: Who actually “owns” America’s land? A deeper look at the Bundy Ranch crisis
http://benswann.com/lofti-who-actually-owns-americas-land-a-deeper-look-at-the-bundy-ranch-crisis/
Senator Burges is a not job. She claims that wolves are VARMINTS and need to be killed….she claims that her constituents don’t want them…SHE LIVES IN SUN CITY…not exactly WOLF country
I am not shocked or the least bit surprised that some GOP Legislators would support this lawless rancher. I am dismayed that the BLM allowed this to go on so long. Arizona Legislators need to attend to their Constitutional duties and not wander off to another state to protest or support an illegal uprising.
Thank you, sanity is about to return to Arizona when the Legislature adjourns.
I’ve noticed of late that teaParty folk like to use multiple layers of semantics and the ‘historical understanding’ of words to make the constitution say whatever they want it to. I saw one person display a 2 & 1/2 page explanation of how “A well regulated” really means completely unregulated.
In this case, the constitution states that the US government can own land and the State Of Nevada signed it over to them decades before the Bundy family moved to the area.
Why are ranchers leaving the area. Same reason Tucson is no longer a major cattle town. The climate got drier, the water table dropped and longer supports cattle. Simple as that. If you need to ‘borrow’ an additional 600,000 acres of land to graze a mere 400 to 1,000 cattle then I’d say thats God’s way of telling you the area is no longer cattle country.
Add to this the fact the the man has been preaching his belief that the federal government is an illegal institution, making the constitution an illegal document, and calling himself a “True Patriot” at the same time. Sounds like someone who just believes he’s entitled to be above the law. Sort of like the rancher that The Duke or Shane has to save the town from in the movies.
Hey Kenneth Groves, why not state explicitly what is incorrect in Ben’s Swann’s two articles. Did Bundy have to agree to those terms before paying the grazing fees or not? This actually sounds like an executive power grab under the veil of “environmentalism”.
Here’s my favorite take on this — from a poster on Alternet this morning:
Imagine a gathering of 100 pot smokers, strapped with handguns and armed with AR-15s, lighting up at a marijuana grow on Federal land because they did not “believe” in Federal or state drug laws. They threaten to “resist” efforts by the DEA and Forest Service to eradicate the grow. Think the DEA would back down, or would they arrest their asses when they returned to their homes, compounds or bomb shelters?
Why haven’t we heard about the mass arrest of these “range warriors?” They threatened Federal officers. They are clearly identifiable on all of those Fox interviews. Where are the arrest warrants?
Oh, we don’t want to inflame the situation? Well then, the terrorists have already won, haven’t they? The problem is that Fox, etc. treat them as heros, not terrorists.
Here is Article I, Section 2 of the Nevada State Constitution: Purpose of government; paramount allegiance to United States. All political power is inherent in the people[.] Government is instituted for the protection, security and benefit of the people; and they have the right to alter or reform the same whenever the public good may require it. But the Paramount Allegiance of every citizen is due to the Federal Government in the exercise of all its Constitutional powers as the same have been or may be defined by the Supreme Court of the United States; and no power exists in the people of this or any other State of the Federal Union to dissolve their connection therewith or perform any act tending to impair[,] subvert, or resist the Supreme Authority of the government of the United States. The Constitution of the United States confers full power on the Federal Government to maintain and Perpetuate its existance [existence], and whensoever any portion of the States, or people thereof attempt to secede from the Federal Union, or forcibly resist the Execution of its laws, the Federal Government may, by warrant of the Constitution, employ armed force in compelling obedience to its Authority.
THis seems to make it very clear that the decisions of the US Supreme Court in granting the federal government the right to retain land that it purchased or took by war, i.e. the land now occupied by the state of Nevada.
US Supreme Court also ruled that the land given to Natives in Nevada by the Ruby Valley Treaty and later taken back was stolen by the US Government…but did not make them give it back. The Supremes just interpret the laws. Those with the money write the laws. Those with the most guns enforce them. And I’m not going to miss those legislators if they stay in Nevada…
http://chn.ge/1ftZRdI
I’ll bet none of those AZ lawmakers ever had to pick cotton or be on the government dole, like Bundy is talking about. Birds of a feather flock together?? Well according to Bundy, Al Melvin now has a place to dump toxic waste and free too! I guess all BLM land is available for massive use.