Longtime Nevada rancher Clive Bunchy appears to be backing down from his tough stance with the Federal Bureau of Land Management.
The crux of the dispute is that Bundy believes that his cattle have the right to graze on BLM land. His family has grazed cattle for many generations but he stopped paying fees on the land in 1993 when he claimed that the government was not the landlord of the property.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LhJ6H9vlEDA
The government says Bundy owes over $1 million and decided to take action so they started to round up the cattle. They have so far rounded up over 200 of the nearly 1000 cattle that Bundy owns.
This sparked protests by the Bundy family and a number of his supporters, many who have anti-government views.
Bundy claimed in an interview with theFree Beacon that the government was acting in a very threatening manner and said,
They’re carrying the same things a soldier would. Automatic weapons, sniper rifles, top communication, top surveillance equipment, lots of vehicles. It’s heavy soldier type equipment.
His wife Carol Bundy claimed that over 200 agents from the BLM and FBI had them surrounded.
The siege type action against Bundy might be related to oil fracking leases according to the Before It’s News website.
The BLM banished protesters to certain areas which clearly violated first amendment rights. There have been numerous confrontations between the opposing groups that have resulted in the arrest of at least one Bundy family member and another was tasered by authorities.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval had some harsh words for the BLM. He said,
Due to the roundup by the BLM, my office has received numerous complaints of BLM misconduct, road closures and other disturbances. I have recently met with state legislators, county officials and concerned citizens to listen to their concerns. I have expressed those concerns directly to the BLM. Most disturbing to me is the BLM’s establishment of a ‘First Amendment Area’ that tramples upon Nevadans’ fundamental rights under the U.S. Constitution. To that end, I have advised the BLM that such conduct is offensive to me and countless others and that the ‘First Amendment Area’ should be dismantled immediately. No cow justifies the atmosphere of intimidation which currently exists nor the limitation of constitutional rights that are sacred to all Nevadans. The BLM needs to reconsider its approach to this matter and act accordingly.
Sandoval is at expert at diffusing potentially explosive situations. His diplomatic actions earlier this week helped to the City of North Las Vegas reach an agreement with two major unions thus averting a likely state takeover.
His comments about the BLM situation very likely resonated with Clive Bundy to bring about a peaceful resolution to the long standing feud between Bundy and the BLM.