Over the past 15 or so days, I've been watching & listening to many poli-talkers along with ordinary people concerning Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and his 20 year plus battle concerning grazing rights on federal land and what great theater it has been so far.
So enjoyable to watch a section of media gloss over facts and push an agenda driven mantra during an election cycle while others mock them. Yes, every media outlet wants a piece of Cliven Bundy, just a small morsel to help in their ratings.
However, we as viewers & readers have to admit to our addiction to the “Yellow Journalism” that has placed us in a hallucinated state over the past 120+ years. We are forced fed what we're told to be "truth" yet it's an abbreviated narrative truth.
In case you've forgotten, Yellow Journalism is defined as “journalism that distorts, exaggerates the news to create sensationalism to attract readers,” which pretty much sums about the vast majority of what we hear every day in our media. Notice I stated "vast majority" and did not point fingers to either Right or Left, but grouped together.
Along with our “Yellow Journalism” ways, we have to thank Social Media and the ever ending memes that help pass along falsehoods on issues. Yes I know I mock Social Media and stil use it fully for its intended purposes to pass along family news, connect with friends and pass news articles that I find enjoyable that leaves my intentions suspect to others.
OK enough dribble, let’s put fact to blog and rant when appropriate.
Mr. Bundy claims ancestral rights to the land his cattle graze upon, yet the lineage that he claims is skewed in that the maternal side of his family is of Mormon faith and polygamist marriages ran rampant. So even though his ancestors had moved to the Bunkerville, Nevada area in the 1880’s, it was not a homestead as the family moved back and forth between Nevada and Utah until land was eventually bought in 1948-1949.
And it wasn’t for another 5 years, in 1954, that the Bundy ranch took up cattle operations.
So the claim of 180 years of grazing cattle can be cut by less than half when taking into consideration the 1954 established operation year. Yet, it’s the timeframe between 1954 and 1993 that’s hazy, fuzzy, and blurred when it comes to grazing cattle.
For close to 39 years, the lands operated by the Bureau of Land Management and the Bundy ranch were all chummy with permits being paid on time and rule of law being followed. Now whether it’s to be blamed on the “Smokey Rainbow Hair Tortoise” or whatever environmental reasoning, but in 1993 the rules changed and the BLM had requested the Bundy’s to lower their cattle grazing to less then 150.
And this is when and how the 20 year fight began with laws being broken and court orders given that has Cliven Bundy in the news talking about who’s a better worker between Negros and Mexicans and how he doesn't believe the US Government exists.
Bundy refused to lower his cattle as requested/required, continued to illegally let them graze on federal land and by 1998 was taken to court (United States v. Bundy) where the ruling favored the US Gov/BLM. The court order gave Bundy up to 30 days to remove his cattle from federal land and as expected Bundy did not comply.
It must be addressed that during the 1993-2014 time period, the BLM did not impound any cattle owned by Bundy until just a few days ago, which they had the legal right to do.
As well everyone should know that other injunctions were judged against Bundy between 1999 and 2013 for his illegal actions from fines to destruction of public property and so on.
OK, did you get that, he was illegally using federal land and judgment passed against him that he blatantly ignored. Can anyone tell me what happens if you get caught using Federal or State land improperly? Yes, you get fined and possible jail time.
And here we are today, Poli-talkers bickering back and forth (Hannity and Stewart) to the amusement of many as well as politicians stepping up for Bundy and then away days later over the illegal actions of Bundy against the BLM.
But isn't funny how this BLM/Bundy issue is happening in 2014, an election cycle and better that it's also an election involving Nevada's Harry Reid, a man hated more by the Right then President Obama.
I am no Harry Reid supporter and believe he's one of the most arrogant members in Congress!
But it's coincidental that Harry Reid is up for re-election and the Right so desperately wants to gain seats in the Senate that creating some controversy helps (the House will easily stay in their hands).
Absolutely Senator Harry Reid is a fool and dumb enough to walk into the muck by addressing the protestors backing Bundy as "domestic terrorists." By responding he helped opposition create new campaign ads without no effort.
I gotta give props to Glenn Beck and his staff for their actions/stance on this situation.
When Beck left FOX News a few years ago too venture into his own Media soapbox, I called him the next "Ted Turner" and he's proven me correct ever since. It's the major reason why Beck has taken the calm/collective route concerning BLM/Bundy, that reason being that his actions/reactions will affect his company. He does not have Roger Ailes to protect him and hug sponsors/advertisers, he must personally face any backlash that affects the lives that he employs.
To quote Glenn Beck from his radio show on 4/24 "It is hard, because we believe the government is out of control, we believe the government is growing as an oppressor... But you have to know who you’re standing with.”
Too simplify that quote "Be responsible in your actions. Bundy and the BLM are in the wrong on this issue."
Absolutely the actions of the BLM actions of armed enforcement against Bundy is over reaching, but it's also over reaching to have armed protestors wanting to act against the government.
Fact is fact on this issue, however Media and their viewers/listening will take their "Yellow Journalism" by the scoopful and lessen the fat known as Common Sense to fulfill their cravings.
That's it, Slap the tap on a frosty cool one, pass the peanut bowl and hit the play button to watch the movie Idiocracy to realize where we're headed.
CHEERS!
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