Thursday, April 17, 2014

Bundy Redux

From the Washington Post on March 21, 1993: The Post article was written more than 21 years ago, before Cliven Bundy had been assessed even one dime in fees, and validates his claim that his grievance is about the intrusiveness of federal rules aimed at protecting the desert tortoise, and how the government has used the rules as yet another tool to pick economic winners and losers.
Three years ago, with tortoise populations crashing largely because of habitat destruction across its range in Nevada, California, Arizona and Utah, the federal government added the tortoise to its list of threatened species. The designation immediately imperiled tens of millions of dollars worth of construction projects in this development-crazed city.    
But it also triggered a novel experiment in the peaceful resolution of endangered species conflicts that is similar, in many respects, to the process Babbitt would like to try nationwide to defuse explosive development-versus-environment fights.    
Employing a rarely used mechanism approved by Congress a decade ago, environmentalists, developers, government officials, cattlemen, miners and off-road vehicle enthusiasts began negotiating a “habitat conservation plan.” The hope was it would satisfy both the needs of the tortoise and the Las Vegas area’s rapacious appetite for development.    
The result was a plan to protect the tortoise by providing vast tracts of federal land as a refuge while sacrificing other tortoise areas to development....    
By mid-1991, the Fish and Wildlife Service had approved a short-term conservation plan that allows for development of about 22,000 acres of tortoise habitat in and around Las Vegas in exchange for strict conservation measures on 400,000 acres of federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land south of the city. The plan is funded by development fees of between $ 250 and $ 550 an acre paid by builders. Almost $ 10 million has been raised so far.
Among the conservation measures required are the elimination of livestock grazing and strict limits on off-road vehicle use in the protected tortoise habitat. Two weeks ago, the managers of the plan completed the task of purchasing grazing privileges from cattle ranchers who formerly used BLM land....
Open Secrets reports that Harry Reid has raised more than $44 million of campaign donations during his time as Senator.  Many of the donors are attorneys, casino owners, developers, etc.

1989 - 2014 Total Receipts: $44,499,256
Say what you will about Cliven Bundy being a cantankerous old guy, the facts suggest that he and other ranchers are being screwed out of a living by the federal govenrment, all so other interests can use the land Bundy and other ranchers have been grazing their cattle for more thatn a century.  The land on which he holds grazing rights is being set aside as tortoise habitat so other lands can be deleloped, likely by people who have enriched Harry Reid's campaign chest.

And who, exactly, gave the order to kill Bundy's cattle?  Shouldn't we know that?  Damn right we should.

Read more here.

11 comments:

virgil xenophon said...

Also omitted have been several studies by prominent biologists (suppressed and/or ignored by BLM) that conclusively demonstrate that cattle are actually the main food source for the tortoise insofar as the they are toothless and the cow-pies provide their MAIN source of both food and water--especially in drought conditions as obtain now. Moreover, the cow-pies tend to crust over in the heat, preserving vital moisture for weeks. Thus cattle are actually essential to the survival of the desert tortoise population--as opposed to degrading it.

(Delicious has my bookmarks screwed up right now or I'd provide the link to the study)

Chip Ahoy said...

How very odd and interesting.

Almost like the dung beetle except totally different.

Notice how cows are always flicking their tails to swat the flies buzzing around their own filthy asses? Cows have the worst shit asses.

I noticed that at five years old walking through a pasture trying to avoid gushy wet patties and coming near a cow.

But stability and steadiness is the thing. Laws were written around the Bundy family, in front of it, behind it, both sides of it. Behaving egregiously throughout. Creating departments within government that write rules they do not adhere themselves, take on a view of ownership of property their task is to manage, not manipulate for special interests.

If I were king of America, the BLM would be disarmed. And so would Park Services. And so would a lot of other Departments.

The FRB is militarized. Shooting range right there in their downtown building at 16th St. and Curtis.

A Shooting range right there on the mall!

But you have to special to see it. Like me.

And even more special to shoot a gun down there. Like me.

One of the guards is actually a very good shot, the rest I wouldn't trust with a gun.


These are the insights I bring to this thread.

I think a good title for this post would "new insight into the Bundy case"


bagoh20 said...

I love me some Hazatopia!

bagoh20 said...

Is there anyone in politics more hated by the commenters here than Dingy Harry? If Pelosi got pregnant from Harry's mad lovin skills, would anybody still be pro-life?

virgil xenophon said...

@bagoh20/

Bring on the coat-hangers!

edutcher said...

Boy, there's a surprise.

This is the work of politicians catering to the enviro-nuts and making themselves rich in the process.

Chip Ahoy said...

How very odd and interesting.

If I were king of America, the BLM would be disarmed. And so would Park Services. And so would a lot of other Departments.


That Civilian National Defense Corpse Choom wanted.

And whom are they defending?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I read somewhere that the glare of sunlight reflecting off sun panels are becoming a hazard to aviation, and that the power they provide as opposed to a hydro electric power is negligible.

edutcher said...

Surprise again.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

44 million. for Harry. To screw us with.

The media takes its marching orders from Harry Reid.
Why are the media obsessed with Koch and Adelson?

The media used to work for democrats and will soon be given choice jobs and ambassadorships as rewards for their loyalty.
American ministry of apparatchiks.

All while Harry Reid screws Americans over, abusing the system while lining his family's pockets.

And remember – democrat donors are precious and full of perfect. GOP donors are all evil. Democrat donors have a right to free speech. GOP donors do not.

Count me as pro-coat hanger.

Methadras said...

I dont think i hate a person more than harry reid. his death would be a blessing for this country.