澳彩开奖

If it wasn鈥檛 clear from the pronouncements that Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy made in TV interviews this past week 鈥� most notably that 鈥淚 don鈥檛 recognize the United States government as even existing鈥� 鈥� the that has drawn a horde of movement supporters and militiamen out of the woodwork is a classic example of the conflict between so-called Patriots and the real world in which bureaucracies like the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) operate.

That鈥檚 especially clear after a review of remarks Bundy made previously in the media, including threats to start a 鈥渞ange war鈥� and 鈥渄o whatever it takes鈥� to keep his cattle grazing freely on public land. The most notable of these was at which he trumpeted his refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the government; speaking at the same gathering was noted Patriot movement leader .

Bundy has been outspoken in promoting his antigovernment beliefs, including during an earlier this week. Santilli has of saying extreme things on the air, most infamously in the vagina. In recent weeks he has explicitly aligned himself with the Patriot movement.

Much of the interview revolved around Bundy鈥檚 belief that the U.S. government can鈥檛 possibly own the open public lands of the interior West:

Who owns this land? Who has title to this land? Is it the state of Nevada? Or is it the federal government? And if it鈥檚 the federal government, then I want to understand, I know I鈥檝e asked this question: How does the federal government own 90 percent of the state of Nevada? How does that happen?鈥� [鈥�]

The other question I bring forth, according to our Constitution, how could this possibly be? We claim the Constitution is the law of the land, and so how could this happen here in America? How could this happen that the United States could own this vast amount of land 鈥� not only in Nevada, but in the Western United States? So this is an issue that I bring forth.

Santilli chimed in enthusiastically, claiming: 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 own it!鈥� (In reality, of course, the U.S. government owns full title to public lands, which were usually acquired by treaty with other nations, and manages them through the BLM.)

Bundy claimed that he, not the government, was 鈥渢he manager of this land, at least because of my rights.鈥� If anyone is trespassing, he said, it is the BLM.

The upshot of the interview was striking: Santilli wound up to make their way to the scene of the confrontation in Clark County. Bundy himself said that 鈥渘ow it鈥檚 time to get on our boots and I guess make our stand.鈥� Santilli urged 鈥渁nyone in the general vicinity鈥� to make their way to the protest site so they could 鈥渟tand in the face of tyranny鈥�. He also vowed to call Sheriff Mack and ask him to speak to the Clark County sheriff so he would do the 鈥渃onstitutional鈥� thing.

鈥淲e need a show of force,鈥� Santilli , comparing the confrontation to standoffs with federal authorities that occurred in the 1990s and are credited with inflaming the militia movement 鈥� namely, at Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho.

Santilli then called for militias from around the West to come out and defend the Bundys, saying there needed to be 鈥渁 constitutional defense against a tyrannical government,鈥� by which he meant 鈥渁n organized militia鈥� and 鈥渁 Second Amendment.鈥�

Bundy agreed. 鈥淵ou know, the things like militias, you know, I haven鈥檛 called no militia out or anything like that, but hey, it looks like that鈥檚 about where we鈥檙e at,鈥� he told Santilli. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a strong army here we have to fight, they are bound and bent and not gonna back off, we don鈥檛 have our state officials not stepping up and saying no. So until the state officials step up and say no, or the county sheriff says no, it鈥檚 going to keep escalating to the point where we鈥檙e going to have to take our land back and take our rights back.鈥�

鈥淎nd maybe it鈥檚 the time we鈥檙e at in life,鈥� Bundy said. 鈥淚t just seems like we鈥檝e worked our way all the way to this point, now are we gonna back off, or take it to 鈥� somebody鈥檚 going to have to back off. If they鈥檙e not, We The People are gonna put our boots down and we鈥檙e going to walk over these people.鈥�

Bundy vowed not to back down: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e up against a man who will do whatever it takes,鈥� he told Santilli.

Santilli agreed: 鈥淭his is what our Founding Fathers, Mr. Bundy, would want us to do 鈥� to protect ourselves from a tyrannical government. This is not a conspiracy theory, is it?鈥�