When the Cows Came Home – A Rancher’s Story, Our Story

By Denise Simon and Scott Winchell 

Cliven Bundy and his entire family are the last ranchers standing in their area of Nevada due to the heavy handedness of the Federal Government that began in the 1870′s.

 Grazing areas controlled by the Taylor Grazing Act

In what has become a battle for the ages, it is the Federal government versus States Rights and real cowboys/ranchers just trying to make a livelihood and live their lives in freedom. 

For more than a week after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began seizing and removing cattle from the land they were grazing upon, the court of public opinion and the media raced down so many tracks including ‘Agenda 21′ objectives, nefarious politicians and their collusion and investments, so-called endangered plants and turtles, environmentalist interference, fees gone unpaid, permitting issues, and even fracking. 

It is reported that the Bundy Family did owe over a million dollars in grazing fees, we at SUA dispute these numbers, but that does not explain the whole story. But there is a component of this whole issue that may have involved undue pressure from the Center for Biological Diversity, read the letter they sent to the BLM and CountyCommission in 2010 about grazing on Federal land. 

When all was said and done on Saturday, April 12, 2014, the Bundy defense of their sacred honor was a clarion call for all God fearing, true American patriots to come to a singular moment of solidarity with what was at the core of Bundy’s fight, use of the open range, individual rights, and States Rights; all running smack into the Federal behemoth and its overreaching ways. 

The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 (43 USC 315), signed by President Roosevelt, was intended to “stop injury to the public grazing lands [excluding Alaska] by preventing overgrazing and soil deterioration; to provide for their orderly use, improvement, and development; [and] to stabilize the livestock industry dependent upon the public range” (USDI 1988). This Act was preempted by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). (Read more about the Act here.) 

Many ranchers in several western states have been run out of business over these many, many years due to pressure from the Federal government agencies forcing compliance with ever expanding laws and regulations that made their livelihood impossible to endure financially and emotionally. 

But for the Bundy family, their fight became the fight of modern day history for countless citizens across America and many supporters saddled up and came to the aid of the Bundy family. 

We were buoyed when it was announced by the local Sheriff that the Bureau of Land Management capitulated; they retreated that day, and cowboys from all over went to the pens on horseback and released the seized cattle belonging to the Bundy family. 

It was a vision right out of a movie, only this one was a true story unfolding before our eyes. 

At one point, Interstate-15 had to be closed because of the fears of violence as the cowboys rode to free the cattle. (Read the BLM statement here.) 

The local Sheriff had been negotiating for over three days with the BLM to diffuse the situation and was accompanied by a few local lawmakers, state and local commissioners, and the Governor of Nevada. 

The scene was ugly as all sides were armed, some more heavily then others with some 200 sharp shooter/snipers poised in the surrounding hills, positioned by the Federal government. 

This stand-off, led by Sheriff Mack, of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA.org) even included the tactic of putting women on the front line as a shield. 

Also, upwards of 30,000 supporters of the Bundy family were on their way or already standing by their side, many lawfully armed. Many confrontations had already occurred, with people being ‘tazed,’ and the possibility of blood being shed was very high. 

Fortunately, the story introduced a new champion who entered the fray. An American technology company called Appsame stepped up and pledged to pay the grazing fees that Bundy refused to pay the Federal government. 

Bundy had suspended the fees some twenty plus years ago because the BLM had not responsibly performed its mandated duties on the designated land. The duties fell to the ranchers instead. 

The land Bundy was using was maintained by Bundy, not the BLM, and he was tired of paying a fee, and doing all the work the BLM was supposed to do. His fees by contract were a $1.35 per head, per month, hence money was never an issue, it was principal instead. 

Initially, Bundy tried to pay the State of Nevada instead of the Federal government but the state rejected his payment. He then paid the county and then they too began to reject his fee payments. In short, Bundy’s position was that the land belongs to Nevada not the Federal government. 

After some long research, a paper trail was found that proved the Bundy argument. It is the correct argument and has been since the late 1800’s because the Federal behemoth has not resolved many issues that date back to the Mexican/American War.

It seems that when Mexico ceded the land to the U.S. Federal government, they maintained full possession even though many western states were soon created and accepted into the Union. This is where the rub began for ranchers and the states themselves concerning ownership, fees, regulations, rules, usage, and much more. 

In theory, Bundy was right all along, but to date, an unknown number of lawsuits began over land ownership, sales, and usage.

For the most part, all legal decisions fell in favor of the Federal Government. Even the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a similar matter in favor of the Federal government citing the ‘Supremacy Clause.’

 

On numerous occasions, U.S. lawmakers authored bills to address solutions to Federal land issues, but in at least six Congresses, these measures never got any traction.

In the 1980s, even President Reagan sought a solution, so he signed an Executive Order creating a commission to study the matter, urging Congress to assign members and create a bill he could sign. Sadly, that failed as well. (Read about the Sagebrush Rebellion here.)

Yet, this is at the core of the Bundy argument, forcing a final resolution for the sake of the states, ranchers, and private business. Again we ask, why does the Federal government own so much land?

It currently owns over 80% of Nevada. We understand the need for parks and military installations, but the Federal government controls far too much of our free open range and is not a great steward of the public’s property and is always susceptible to the pressures of special interests. 

Much has been discovered this week due to the Bundy travails and we are indebted to them for standing up to the collusion, underhanded tactics, political aspirations, special interest pressures, and a Federal government that has grown into an unwieldy behemoth that does not understand people in fly-over country.

The cement jungle is dictating its fiats without understanding what really takes place in the open range, or on property “we the people” own, not the people in government. 

This went far beyond the imagination of most voters; we all now see the need to become better informed. With the government taking even more land, we need to be more vigilant because they are doing like the title of one article says: “Government Seizing Private Property In Colorado Because SHUT UP! That’s Why! ”

Then there is the whole Harry Reid aspect of this story which is gaining much momentum. The link lists seven questions we need to ask ourselves about Senator Reid of Nevada. Was “Dingy” Harry really involved, you be the judge?

Related Reading:

Why You Should Be Sympathetic Toward Cliven Bundy

Bundy Ranch and the Political Powerlessness of Rural America

The Case for a Little Sedition

 
Is Dingy Harry Behind The Siege At The Bundy Ranch?

Bundy and the Rule of Law

When the Cows Came Home – A Rancher’s Story, Our Story