For those who may not have seen or heard, rancher Clive Bundy of Clark County, Nevada and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) were recently tightly-locked in a heated standoff regarding Bundy’s cattle, which are apparently trespassing and grazing on land reserved for tortoises.
Really?
There is certainly a more pressing issue at hand here, which is that Bundy was being bullied by big government to be displaced against his will for allowing his livestock to feed. With the BLM standing down on April 12, the efforts of the supporting protesters and the Bundy family should be lauded. The BLM wanted to strip him of his land simply because he was living his life and conducting his business as he saw fit in order to provide something good for people iwith whom he works to buy, use and interact with. Though Bundy stopped paying fees to the BLM in 1993, he was paying fees to Clark County to allow his cattle to graze on the land.
Additionally, it is very well worth noting that the BLM as well as Desert Tortoise Conservation Center (DTCC) have been working to euthanize said tortoises in the area since August 2013 because they are no longer able to sustain them at the center designated for them. Funding for the project was affected by the recent recession, and so population control was then needed for the tortoises in order for them to have a habitat.
In retrospect, why this really matters and the most disturbing part of this controversy is that BLM agents and law enforcement have clashed with protesters who came to the defense of the Bundy family ranch. A recent YouTube video uploaded on April 9 by user GNM Telemedia shows said law enforcement using tasers and police dogs to intimidate and use force on protesters to get a reaction. One officer can even be heard in the video yelling “Back up, or you’re going to get bit.”
The protesters in the video, aside from one kicking at a police dog, were only armed with their angry words and cell phones.
If we as citizens continually allow ourselves to submit to government when they pressure us to move against our will, we are most definitely doing something wrong. Simply relinquishing to the government in this instance would be damning to law abiding American citizens. To me, that gives the impression of “Oh hey government! You can come force me off my private land that I own—any day!” Absolutely frightening. We have all heard that as Americans “We have rights.” However, the reality more than ever seems to be that we only have the rights we are willing to defend in the face of oppressive forces.
By standing up and staying rooted to their cause, Bundy and his supporters did the right thing. I also find it appalling that during this whole ordeal, designated “free speech zones” were set up for unhappy protesters to go to. What’s the use of our First Amendment rights if we can’t use it where we see fit, especially in a rural setting like this?
I believe as DU students, no matter where we sit politically, or whatever initiative you may find yourself to be a part of, we owe it to ourselves to question our leadership about why we can only voice our thoughts in certain areas should that be the case. When we are given confinement over where our thoughts can simply be heard, that alone is enough for us to raise concern about violations of this right.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, a Republican, voiced this view in an article with Western Journalism, calling the move something that “tramples upon Nevadans’ fundamental rights under the U.S. Constitution.”
While the discussion is still ongoing at this point, I again commend Bundy and his supporters for standing in defense of his ability, and need, to let cattle graze and more importantly, their rights as citizens to express displeasure over the BLM’s overreaching actions.
