Cliven Bundy/BLM dispute

About

The dispute between Cliven Bundy and the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which reached its climax with an armed confrontation in 2014, began in 1993 when the BLM, concerned about the effects of overgrazing on the endangered desert tortoise, changed land-use rules to prohibit grazing on certain lands where it had previously been allowed, on penalty of monetary fines.

In pursuit of this, the BLM purchased grazing rights from cattle ranchers who had been using the land in question -- but Bundy refused to sell his rights and continued grazing his cattle on the now-off-limits lands while refusing to pay the new fines.^[S]

The confrontation began when the BLM attempted to round up the cattle in order to remove them from federal land, but the round-up was called off due to concerns about safety of BLM employees if the Bundy supporters were to initiate a fire fight, ending the confrontation.

After the rounded-up cattle were released back to the Bundys, the Bundy family determined that two bulls had been shot by the BLM (which the BLM has confirmed) and several others had died from dehydration. This was followed shortly by the family's discovery of the corpses of the dead cattle.

It has been widely reported (primarily in the right-wing media) that the desert tortoise was just an excuse for government to behave illicitly (in the words of Shiree Bundy Cox, the government was "playing the endangered species card", i.e. raising the issue solely to gain support from liberals and environmentalists).

Conclusions

Bundy and his cattle ranching business have been profiting hugely from the use of land on which they not only pay no usage fees or taxes, but which is to some degree maintained for the benefit of cattle-grazing by the BLM, largely at the expense of US taxpayers.

Despite the claims of Bundy and his followers, the federal property in question was never owned by either Bundy, his family, or the State of Nevada, having been purchased by the federal government before Nevada became a state. This matter has been settled in court twice.^[S][S]

Bundy has been essentially mooching off the federal government -- whose existence he denies -- for at least 20 years, while unapologetically violating their property rights.

Pages

• /standoff: the armed confrontation with federal agents
• /cattle grave: the Bundy family's discovery of the burial sites of the cattle which died during the roundup

Discussion

• User:Woozle/IRC/2014/04/16/WeThePpl: dialogue between Woozle and a defender of the Bundys' position

Links

Reference

• Bureau of Land Management: Frequently Asked Questions [about the] Northeast Clark County Cattle Trespass

Related

• 2014/05/02 [L..T] Militiamen and Oath Keepers Drew Weapons, Threatened to Kill Each Other
• 2014/04/29 [L..T] [[2014/04/29/Harry Reid Describes Vile Threats From Backers of Cliven Bundy|]]
• 2014/04/25 [L..T] Federal Grazing Program in Bundy Dispute Rips-Off Taxpayers, Wild Horses
• 2014/04/24 [L..T] CNN exclusive: Rancher says he's not racist, still defiant over grazing battle "Cliven Bundy -- the Nevada rancher turned conservative folk hero for bucking the federal government's attempts to stop his cattle from grazing on public land -- admits he doesn't understand the bipartisan uproar over his comments suggesting blacks might have been better off under slavery."
• 2014/04/22 [L..T] [[2014/04/22/Property records cast doubt on Cliven Bundy's ancestral claims to disputed federal land|]]
• 2014/04/21 [L..T] Apocalypse Cow - Welfare Rancher "In a surprising move, Sean Hannity comes to the defense of Cliven Bundy, an anarchic Nevada rancher determined to trespass on federal land to feed his cattle. (4:30)"
• 2014/04/21 [L..T] One Courageous Democrat Stands Up and Calls For an Investigation into ALEC
• 2014/04/18 [L..T] What made Nevada rancher fight the feds? "The Bundy standoff is emblematic of the larger anti-government sentiment around the country that has been amplified with the creation of the tea party movement in 2009. But the latest move in a two-decade-long tug of war between Bundy and the federal government is bringing to light the delicate balance that has lasted between citizens in the West and the federal government over the use of federally owned land for generations."
• 2014/04/17 [L..T] BLM: 2 bulls euthanized during Cliven Bundy cattle roundup
• 2014/04/17 [L..T] Bundy Ranch and the New Age of Anti-Fed Standoffs "April 19 is the 21st anniversary of the holocaust which ended the 51-day standoff between followers of the Branch Davidians and federal authorities in Waco, Texas. Though it calmed down before any violence took place, all last week the news cycle was consumed with talk of a comparable, potentially bloody confrontation between supporters of lawbreaking cattle rancher Cliven Bundy and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) agents in Nevada."
• 2014/04/15 [L..T] Everything you need to know about the long fight between Cliven Bundy and the federal government "The case of cattle rancher Cliven Bundy burst into the national news cycle over the past week, captivating conservative media outlets with its protagonist, a firm believer of states' right with an armed group of supporters backing him. The stand-off between the Nevada rancher and federal government officials trying to push cattle off of protected federal land has paused for now, but officials plan to renew their efforts soon."
• 2014/04/08 [L..T] Dave Bundy, son of Cliven Bundy, out of Jail after arrest for defending Cattle. No Charges! "I have had people ask me to explain my dad's stance on this BLM fight. Here it is in as simple of terms as I can explain it. There is so much to it, but here it is in a nut shell."
• 2014/04/01 [L..T] Sign the petition: Collect every cent deadbeat Cliven Bundy owes
• 2013/10/19 [L..T] United States v. Bundy
• 2013/07/09 [L..T] United States v. Bundy

Video

• 2014/04/21 [L..T] Apocalypse Cow - Welfare Rancher "In a surprising move, Sean Hannity comes to the defense of Cliven Bundy, an anarchic Nevada rancher determined to trespass on federal land to feed his cattle. (4:30)"
• 2014/04/08 [L..T] Dave Bundy, son of Cliven Bundy, out of Jail after arrest for defending Cattle. No Charges! "I have had people ask me to explain my dad's stance on this BLM fight. Here it is in as simple of terms as I can explain it. There is so much to it, but here it is in a nut shell."