Issues of concern to people who live in the west:
property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy
production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western
history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the
NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative
assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is
the founder of the DuBois Rodeo
Scholarship.
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
Email from Ramona Hage Morrison commenting on the Bundy situation - Wayne Hage Jr is at the Bundy Ranch
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| Government vehicles and personnel outside of the Bundy ranch / Cliven and Carol Bundy |
My brother Wayne Hage drove to the Bundy Ranch last night
with a friend to provide emotional support to Cliven during this federal raid on
his ranch and encourage them to keep a cool head. However, I am very concerned
about the safety of Wayne and the Bundy family.
Here is the problem. The BLM and BLM attorney out of
Sacramento, Nancy Zahedi, are running this entire law enforcement action. The
Sheriff has told Mr. Bundy he is staying “neutral”. As you are aware, every
land law passed by Congress has reserved civil and criminal jurisdiction to the
states unless they have a specific session of exclusive jurisdiction by the
State legislature under Article I, Sec. 8, Clause 17 of the Constitution. The
lands at issue here are held in “proprietorial interest only” jurisdiction,
wherein the federal government has the same status as “any other land
owner.”
I spoke with the Bundy’s and my brother this morning. Here
is what is happening on the ground according to them. They said over 40
government vehicles including BLM, Park Service, Homeland Security and FBI
passed by their property this morning, not counting rent-a-cowboys, and other
bureaucrats that are elsewhere on the ranch. They understand from a Mesquite
city police officer and their personal friend (whose department has been ordered
by Clark Co. Sheriff Gillespie to stand down) that the Bundy’s should not be
deceived; that the BLM has hired special forces wearing BLM gear to run this
operation. Also, at a private airport near the Bundy ranch, photos were taken
of a military helicopter landing and military men in full military gear
disembarking. This possibly invokes the Treaty of Posse Comitatus. The Bundy’s
say their ranch is completely surrounded by federal forces on the hills around
the ranch.
Clearly the Clark Co. Sheriff has committed malfeasance of
office by allowing federal employees impersonating law enforcement officers to
breach the peace in his county and not running this impoundment himself under
state law. I sit on the Board of Agriculture and we have brand inspectors
situated in the middle of this fracas for whom I am concerned. However, as far
is Congress is concerned, I believe the time has come to open investigative
hearings into these land management agencies and their widespread unlawful law
enforcement activities.
My questions are these: Under what authority are these
bureaucrats receiving appropriations for law enforcement guns, equipment and
manpower? Under what authority are they conducting these activities? These
same questions apply to the USFWS raid on Gibson Guitar. As you are well aware,
Congress has only granted federal law enforcement authority in very limited
instances.
On the local level we obviously need Sheriffs like Sheriff
DeMeo in the neighboring county of Nye to stand up to these thugs. But the
reality is in the west that the lowest level federal employee can waltz into
practically any office from Nevada’s Governor on down and claim they have
supremacy under the Supremacy Clause and Territorial Clause and our local
officials will most often submit, including the Governor. We for all practical
purposes have a territorial governor, a sheriff who instead of serving at the
pleasure of the folks who elected him, serves at the orders of the BLM. It goes
downhill from there. These federal agencies need to be disarmed. Unless
the United States and individual states intend to continue down this slippery
slope of acquiescing to an unelected, armed, federal police force operating
under an unlawful assertion of power, then I believe we had better get control
of this situation soon. We need everyone to follow the law INCLUDING federal
employees. These out-of-control federal land management bureaucrats are an
obvious place to start.
I have attached several papers addressing the issue of the
Supremacy Clause and federal law enforcement authority. I have additional
information on this subject which I am happy to provide.
Regards,
Ramona Hage Morrison
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