KLAS-TV in Las Vegas is reporting that the FBI is now conducting an investigation into the armed standoff between Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s supporters and local and federal law enforcement. The confrontation, which occurred nearly one month ago, centered on Bureau of Land Management officials attempting to confiscate Bundy’s cattle due to his refusal to pay grazing fees for over 20 years. Bundy and his nearly 400 supporters confronted the BLM officials and refused to comply. Bundy’s supporters, most of whom are from extremist groups and militias, were armed and reportedly aimed guns at both the BLM agents and local law enforcement.
Now, Bundy and his supporters have repeatedly and adamantly stated that they did not point guns at any police officer or BLM official. However, local law officers at the scene tell a different tale. Per Metro Police Sgt. Tom Jenkins:
“It is not a rumor. When we first got out there and made a left to divide I-15, that is all you saw. You saw kids and women and horses in the backdrop and then men with guns, laying on the ground, in the back of pickup trucks. We’re going, ‘wow, this would never happen in Las Vegas,’ But it was there. That is not a rumor. It is reality and I saw it with my own eyes.”
Numerous members of the Metro Police force that were at the scene have confirmed that they’ve spoken with the FBI and that an investigation is definitely underway. It is against federal law to point a firearm at a federal officer. The local law enforcement that was at the scene that day state that the main reason they convinced the BLM agents to release Bundy’s cattle back to him that day was to avoid a violent situation, since there were numerous men surrounding them with heavy artillery. Since Bundy’s supporters had guns aimed directly at them, they decided to allow Bundy to have his way at that point rather than have a deadly eruption of gunfire occur.
Police officers and BLM agents that were there feel pretty confident that the FBI is going to be able to find clear evidence of several members of Bundy’s posse aiming loaded weapons at them. Considering that local news stations ended up filming and covering a good portion of the standoff means that there is probably ample video coverage of the event. Not to mention surveillance cameras or cell phones that might have gathered footage. It seems like a foregone conclusion that Bundy and many of his armed fanatics will be seeing heavy jail time in the near future.
For many residents of the area, that will be a welcome relief. Bundy and his group of gun toting idiots have pretty much worn out their welcome in Bunkerville, NV, which is 75 miles north of Las Vegas. After the standoff with the BLM, the militia members decided to take up residence at Bundy’s ranch and ‘patrol’ the surrounding area. Playing soldier, they set up checkpoints and asked residents to produce IDs to prove they lived there. This led to complaints from local residents. State Sen. Steven Horsford then appealed to the state of Nevada to have Bundy’s group of supporters removed as they made the citizens in the area feel unsafe.
Hopefully, the FBI’s investigation will lead to serious charges filed against Bundy and merry band of seditionists. It is one thing to be passionate about your beliefs and protest against what you feel is an unjust system. It is quite another to take up arms against law enforcement, claim that you do not recognize the law and threaten bloodshed simply because you don’t want to pay your bills. That is terrorism, pure and simple.
Justin Baragona is the Managing Editor at Politicus Sports as well as Senior Editor at PoliticusUSA. He was a political writer for 411Mania.com before joining PoliticusUSA. Politically, Justin considers himself a liberal but also a realist and pragmatist. Currently, Justin lives in St. Louis, MO and is married. Besides writing, he also runs his own business after spending a number of years in the corporate world. You can follow Justin on Twitter either with his personal handle (@justinbaragona) or the Sports site’s (@PoliticusSports).
The feds should never have left it get this far in the first place. Bundy should have been locked up on day one. The longer you let these nut cases hang around only made matters worst. What do they plan on doing when they ID the guilty ones aiming the guns? Hopefully don’t fool around and take them out of their, including Bundy. This freeloader should be in jail and his cattle sold. You can’t mess around with evil.
I’m looking forward to the effect global warming/climate change has on the militia wingnuts still hanging around terrorizing Bundyville folks. I wonder if they realize temperatures get up around 115 or 120 F. in another month or so?
But if diehards are still patroling, maybe a few of them turn into dessicated human jerky. More than a few of them could stand having about 50 pounds of fat rendered off them first.
“It seems like a foregone conclusion that Bundy and many of his armed fanatics will be seeing heavy jail time in the near future.”
Ten years, no parole. They wanted to send a message with their actions. We must do the same, or copycats (like the recent case in Utah) will be popping up all over the country. Hit them with a RICO prosecution, stick ’em in jail with mobsters, and gangbangers, where they belong.
There must also be laws on the books about crossing state lines, in the furtherance of a criminal conspiracy. All that are identified should have their bank accounts frozen, and all their assets seized. Let’s get Homeland Security in the mix, as well. Domestic terrorists are their bailiwick.
No one is above the law (or so they say).
Heat-induced dementia will claim quite a few…
How funny are a bunch of idiots playing soldier and demonstrating they should not be armed under any circumstances? How funny they support a criminal? How funny they want to make up their own laws and pretend the laws for the rest of us dont apply to their missing penis’s? How funny they daily admit they should not be in this country as they do not support it?
Not fun ny at all.
The National Guard should have been called up.
If Bundy and his supporters were black, they would have been shot. Why the double standards?
This is how it starts. They try this tactic and if the Feds back down..the extremists take it to the next level, so on and so forth. Before you know it, the extremists are ruling the state or part of it.
This needs to be dealt with harshly.
How “brave” and “secure” will all of these want too be “macho” militia fools feel when they are all locked-up into the U.S. Federal Prison System without their “guns” and “partners” too back them up? Some of them could get “lucky” and have only their balls shot off in a “fire-fight” with the U.S. Govt. and still “survive”. Many of them may die. Its their choice. The U.S.A. is still a “free” enough country where you still are allowed too make your own decisions in life. In my opinion.
Better late than never.
Once the temperature breaks 105, they will establish a second front — at the Hard Rock, in Las Vegas.
I can imagine that militias and Bundy are running around like chickens with their heads cut off after receive the ‘intelligence report’ that FBI is going after them.
Chip Diller, now a disgruntled patriot, runs around the encampment, frantically screaming “All is Well!!!”
The idea that this is ‘late’ is another notion that has to be laid to rest. Stop thinking law enforcement exists to make YOU feel good and give chest bumps with your bro.
The various agencies involved in all this take the time to do this WELL and to get FACTS before moving in. And you ought to appreciate that because it’s what makes democracy work. Due process isn’t just words, and the process itself takes time to get it right. We all know the 144 people freed from death row were evidence of the rush to judgement. You want to get your rocks off over this? forget it. The LEOs will do it right because they seriously have no other choice.
LOL
He said if his sheriff came to arrest him, he would submit. I doubt that. I think the only power he recognizes comes out of the barrel of his gun.
Which would make this Posse Comitatus a Maoist.
Agree 100%.
I believe all along that letting crazy people get away with crazy doesn’t stop the crazy. It makes the crazy crazier. They love crazy. Crazy comes easy and natural. It’s innate.
Case in point: gop
Subpoint: Not tried for war crimes
Result: Crazyass muthafuckers at high levels in our government
OMG! It means they can get crazier?!
If these fools were OWS protesters, the gop would be calling them stinky and asking ridiculous questions like, “Where do they go to the bathroom?”
The cops would had fired rubber bullets and shot teargas bombs in the crowd. Or maybe they would get pepper spray sprayed directly in their eyes and mouth. (All on peaceful protesters, mind you.)
I have been saying for years that this country has several pockets of totalitarian groups living in/around encampments that are totally anti-American. We not only tolerate these political or religious cults, but at times, support their right to live the way they want out side of the law. We take their side every time some agency removes their children or raids their illegal arsenals; we allow them to live off the government teat through various legal welfare plans as their way of “bleeding the beast” while all along they “preach” and go tax-free as non-profit (as church) cheating the system. Or, not paying taxes in protest like Bundy.
We like to believe that there are no cults here in “M’erika” because if we did, we’d have to do something about their totalitarian compounds and make arrest. No small town sheriff wants to be known as the person who started another Waco, or Ruby Ridge. So, we’ve collectively left them alone to grow, undermine democracy, go lawless and broaden …
they’ll probably blame President Obama for the temperature breaking 105….then they’ll find a way to link it to Benghazi which will end up in the IRS audit report.
I HOPE THEY LOCK SEAN HANNITY UP TOO. HE GOT ALL THIS MESS GOING. THROW THE BOOK AT HIM.
Damn. Rarely do I do a double take while perusing the net. But that’s so funny I spat upon my keyboard. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a mess to clean up.
Most of those supposed militia types, that showed up at the Bundy ranch, were wanna-be’s and stooges without a cause. Pretty pathetic bunch of rabble rousers. Ragtag would be to good of a word to use, to describe them.
Pretty dismayed at how the law treated the situation, because as someone else mentioned, if this had been OWS, the cops would have been blazing away, like there was no tomorrow and dead people be laying all over the place.
Careful of what you ask for. If this is how the Federal government approaches a dispute over grazing fees (with heavily armed soldier-police in SWAT gear, including snipers), then how will they deal with real challenges to the status-quo, like unauthorized demonstrations and people expressing themselves outside of ‘free speech zones’?
You don’t have to agree with Bundy or his supporters, but you DO have to be critical of Federal government overreach and overkill, or that power will someday be turned on…you.
I cannot help but wonder how this would have played out had everybody involved been black.
it is against federal law to point a gun at federal workers? does that mean it is ok to point guns at the rest of us?
what has local law enforcement been doing this entire time while the nuts violate the civil rights of every resident but bundy’s?
Exactly. This is such a sensitive issue, there are all kinds of laws, standards, etc. If the Feds are going to move in, they want to be sure it will stick; nothing was done improperly, because these nuts will look for any little thing to slither out of it. The Feds need to dot all the “i’s” and cross the T’s before they proceed. They do not want egg on their face, or anyone needlessly hurt during the process.
It is not OK to point guns at the rest of us, but, with certain notable exceptions, that falls (like most felonies) under state law. The fact that the victims are federal workers confers jurisdiction on the United States to prosecute the offenders in the federal courts.
The BLM videotaped and photographed everybody. If, after a month, they don’t have clear cut evidence of illegal gun-pointing, then I doubt it exists. The fact that they made a news story out of intending to look for it means such evidence is not readily available.
The existence of armed citizens was known, and it was not illegal to be armed in the presence of police. So before painting the Bundy supporters as a bunch of wild-men threatening to shoot, perhaps the BLM should produce evidence.
I watched the video of the citizens confronting the SWAT armed BLM, and it was clear that the BLM had only two choices: open fire on civilians who were, enmass, intending to go through barriers, or retreat. They did the right thing by retreating. Had the BLM fired first, there most certainly would have been bloodshed.
The civilians did NOT threaten to begin shooting the BLM, though being armed, it is reasonable to expect the ‘militia’ would have responded if fired upon.
“Human Jerky” that’s a good one.
No guns were fired because the Gov. decided to not fire! Although , Bundy’s and his men and were provoking, With a purpose and thoughts, now we can gat what we want. A take over of the Gov. by unseen and very evil men. I call men who say, they would place Women and children in the front of a possible fire fight, very evil nasty, people who hoping for a face off. A face OFF THEY DID NOT GET THIS TIME..
Heubler, heck, just heat exhaustion can make a person rather loopy. It’s not fun.
Las Vegas Metro PD officer: “It is not a rumor. When we first got out there and made a left to divide I-15, that is all you saw. You saw kids and women and horses in the backdrop and then men with guns, laying on the ground, in the back of pickup trucks. We’re going, ‘wow, this would never happen in Las Vegas,’ But it was there. That is not a rumor. It is reality and I saw it with my own eyes.”
They are witnesses, and they will be called to testify. I’m sure they also had cameras there, and took lots of pictures. But it will take time to identify all the terrorists involved, their accomplices, who abetted their lawless acts, and their locations. Some left the area, and will have to be run to ground, after they’re identified. You don’t believe evidence exists? [eyeroll] They can take officer identification statements, and pictures, to lock down the identities of the terrorists.
Agree, RICO act should be applied to these organizations…did you know that this was signed into law by NIXON? Yup lol
I was hoping and pretty sure that the FBI, and maybe even the CIA were investigating all these freeloaders. Those guntoting idiots, wannabe soldiers have been there a month now. Guessing I bet they are all Welfare recipients, as they are not going to work. Hope they lose their Welfare checks, if they can afford all those expensive guns, they don’t need welfare, let it go to people who really need it. I hope they are arrested soon and locked up soon, and a stop put to this kind of action immediately so it does not spread and they know they can not pull this kind of crap on law enforcement or the residents of cities and towns. If they want to shoot guns, let them join the military, but I bet they are not brave enough to go to actual war where someone will be shooting back at them. Ba-bye jerks, hope you enjoy prison life.
..
You believe everything the government tells you? (eyeroll..)
And I hope this rag tag bunch of morons all see jail time, every one out there that was pointing a gun should be in the Fed Pen before this is over…get that guy on the bridge who thought he was a sniper first!!!
I did not see children in the videos (though I’ll take another look) but there were women who volunteered to confront the BLM. Women are not helpless vessels who cannot take active part in confrontations that may turn violent. And men are not to be valued less than men by basically saying it’s ok to shoot men but not women.
Please note what you are implying: the BLM had the right to open fire but chose not to, but citizens did NOT have the right to open fire (and they did not fire). That’s twisted.
If a government has the right to open fire on people who have not fired upon it, then there is no limit to who they will consider a threat worthy of shooting. OWS will be next.
Is it ok for Federal police to point guns at civilians?
Folks, you’re advocating a kind of subservience to government that cannot end well!
Is it ok for civilians to point guns at Federal police while supporting a criminal?
Women are helpless when the men admitted to putting the women outfront. Big men with tiny dicks
Which “government employees” pointed guns at these nut-jobs? Strawman argument.
You believe this is a government conspiracy that included… The Las Vegas Metro Police Department? [facepalm]
Being anti government is ok if you have a few facts to back you up, this wasted arguement is factless. And feckless
“I did not see children in the videos (though I’ll take another look) but there were women who volunteered to confront the BLM.”
So far I’ve only read comments by men, who claimed the women came up with this on their own. Any link to a video by a female, who can prove she was there, and can confirm this?
I won’t hold my breath in anticipation.
Unless you are claiming that women were forced or deceived into confronting the BLM, I don’t see how the women who were present were any less than free individuals taking a side in a dispute.
You are taking a very very sexist position.
I made such claim. Now you’re hallucinating. (Shaking head in disbelief)
That OWS girl was charged and convicted of assault and is facing up to 7 years from a very aggressive judge
The Bundy clan’s chest-thumping ‘call to arms’ amounts to Whiskey Rebellion redux … i.e., lawlessness and self-serving grandstanding under the guise of a patriotic fight against “tyranny”.
Yes, you just made the claim om the previous post. Or are you not cognizant enough to read what you wrote?
Clearly you see ‘conspiracies’ where I do not. I have no idea what comment you are referring to.
There are no facts in evidence that show anyone pointed guns at anyone.
Rotuma YOU NAILED IT, if I could give you a thousand up’s…I would!!! They’ll>Fox will try and link this to the President some kind of way. It certainly is his fault that the White House released a global warming report this week, and never told them about it. But I do wonder where are they sleeping, eating and bathing? They all have to be unemployed!
People forget the BLM is a company Hired by the People, Paid by the People, to take care of the PEOPLES Land. BLM Does NOT own the land the people do.
Also that taking cattle that does not belong to you is called Cattle Rustling. ie: theft. It doesn’t matter what kind of badge you have on if your a crook your still a crook.
Wrong. Totally wrong
BLM is NOT a company, its a government department
Further, the cows in question are owned by a man who is illegally feeding them on government land and who also owes US, the people, a million dollars.
“I made such claim. Now you’re hallucinating. (Shaking head in disbelief)”
It begins with this assertion:
“The existence of armed citizens was known, and it was not illegal to be armed in the presence of police.”
To which I posted a rebuttal, a statement from an eyewitness who saw them pointing guns at federal agents(the witness, a member of the Las Vegas metro PD):
“It is not a rumor. When we first got out there and made a left to divide I-15, that is all you saw. You saw kids and women and horses in the backdrop and then men with guns, laying on the ground, in the back of pickup trucks. We’re going, ‘wow, this would never happen in Las Vegas,’…”
I made the inference that since your claim wasn’t supported by facts, you must think the metro PD was in on some sort of conspiracy with BLM, to misrepresent what actually occurred. So you accept that terrorists were pointing guns at federal agents, and that they were witnessed doing so by Las Vegas PD?
I agree with Shiva. BLM is NOT a company. BLM stands for Bureau of Land Management. They weren’t hired by ‘The People.’ It’s a government agency.
There’s a difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re.’
‘You’re as in ‘you are.’
‘Your’ as in it belongs to you.
Marci, you make a good point, and history ABSOLUTELY bares out that most of the biggest criminals ever known in the past several thousand years have had badges and taken their orders from “high ranking government officials” or kings, dictators etc.
But I think unfortunately you’re kind of pissing in the wind here, because most of the commenters here are not only pretty sure that big government is the best solution to most of a society’s needs, but also seem to have NOT the slightest clue (or they just don’t care) about what’s REALLY going on with the BLM, not just at the Bundy ranch but all over (primarily) the western united states of America??
Here’s an attorney who’s actually done some serious homework on “The 40,000 ft. view” of the story BEHIND the Bundy ranch story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAwALTdrMZ8
…but I’m sure several will find reasons why this info is not relevant here or why this attorney is just another wing nut.
Well, your handle is a joke. That land according to the treaty with Mexico, the US Constitution and the Nevada Constitution does not belong to him or any private citizens. You give idiots a bad name. Pay your bill you welfare moocher
Sorry, but the only reason the BLM is being targeted by the Koch and other corporations is that they want State governments to control the land so they can get it at a cheaper price and easier, seeing as state government workers are not in the spot light like the federal workers. SO they can do to the south west what they did to Detroit and do every low down trick to get the land into their puppets hands so they can buy it up at pennies on the dollar and rape it faster. that video is a even bigger joke then the Bundy welfare rancher…