“We want to meet with officials and find out what has been going on with the Bundy family and see if there is something that can be done to protect the Bundy family,” said Thorpe.
Thorpe and fellow lawmakers are not disputing that Bundy has broken laws or violated grazing agreements. Thorpe said they are concerned about the family, and the restrictions on protesters. The federal agents created “free speech zones” near the property in question.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Representative Kelly Townsend said she “was shocked” after seeing the video in which federal police attacked one of Bundy’s sons with a stun gun. “Watching that video last night created a visceral reaction in me,” Townsend told the Review-Journal. “It sounds dramatic, but it reminded me of Tiananmen Square. I don’t recognize my country at this point.”
Rep. David Livingston said on the floor of the House Friday morning, “If we don’t stand with our fellow citizens in Nevada today, next it will be Arizona.”
The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that approximately 40 protesters gathered outside of local police headquarters “on Friday asking for Sheriff Doug Gillespie to intervene and “protect the people” involved in the Cliven Bundy cattle dispute. The gathering organized by tea party supporters called for Gillespie to “do his job” and protect the Bundy family from the federal government.”
“Sheriff Gillespie is the top elected law enforcement officer in Clark County and he has abdicated his role as sheriff leaving the people of Clark County void of protection from abuse by the federal government,” said Connie Foust, president of the Virgin Valley Tea Party in Mesquite and co-organizer of the protest told the Review Journal.
Agents with the Bureau of Land Management have been accused of harassing Bundy family members during the round up of the family’s cattle.
The Review Journal reports, “The bureau has temporarily closed off nearly 600,000 acres of public land to round up of more than 900 head of cattle. Bundy, whose ranch is approximately 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas, left his livestock on the land but hasn’t paid federal grazing fees since 1993. Amy Lueders, state director of the BLM in Nevada, said this week Bundy owes nearly $1 million.”
A Republican candidate for Nevada Congressional District 4, Niger Innis, told the crowd the “federal officials are being abusive” and violating people’s civil rights. He urged everyone to “remain peaceful and leave their weapons at home.”
Related articles:
Arizona ranchers know U.S. Mexico border is not the same
The perils of a taxpayer in a foreign land
Meanwhile, little is being done by state officials on behalf of the Arizona ranchers working along the Arizona Mexico border, who live in constant fear of the drug cartels. The Border Patrol agents have been positioned about 25 miles north if the border leaving the ranchers to essentially protect themselves from the increasing drug traffic across their private property.
Fortunately for Bundy, his plight of federal overreach is popular with many. Few know of the abandonment by state and federal officials of the ranchers in Arizona.
While there is some dispute as to whether Bundy makes a good case for land rights, there is no dispute that the federal agents have overreached and abused citizens rightfully gathering in support of Bundy.
According to Dana Loesch, a nationally syndicated writer and talk show host, the BLM is harassing the 67 year-old rancher because they want his land. Loesch writes, “The tortoise wasn’t of concern when Harry Reid worked BLM to literally change the boundaries of the tortoise’s habitat to accommodate the development of his top donor, Harvey Whittemore. Whittemore was convicted of illegal campaign contributions to Senator Reid. Reid’s former senior adviser is now the head of BLM. Reid is accused of using the new BLM chief as a puppet to control Nevada land (already over 84% of which is owned by the federal government) and pay back special interests. BLM has proven that they’ve a situational concern for the desert tortoise as they’ve had no problem waiving their rules concerning wind or solar power development. Clearly these developments have vastly affected a tortoise habitat more than a century-old, quasi-homesteading grazing area.”
According to the Western Center for Journalism, “In an apparent effort to cover its tracks, the BLM has reportedly removed documents from its website showing that the move to kick the Bundys and their cattle off of the land was at least in part due to the fact that their presence impeded development of solar energy on the land.”