Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Second rate reporter says what?

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Consistently wrong since 2002

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

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Reader Interactions

110Comments

  1. 1.

    StringOnAStick

    I found out yesterday that the doc I was seeing at a cutting edge joint pain clinic “has left the practice”. I’m actually OK with it because it became apparent he was a special snowflake libertoonian, and I was starting to try to figure out how to switch to a different doc there but concerned about avoiding his probable wrath if I did. Their treatments are highly specialized and saved me from the knee replacement I was considering last spring so I still wanted access to what they offer.

    He exhibited classic libertoonian self-regard, always running far, far behind schedule and thus screwing it up for the other docs when they needed various specialty-equipped treatment rooms. I have no doubt they told him to stay on schedule or be gone, and he decided his super-doper, ultra-doctoring that only a Roark like him can deliver was too good for that clinic, so now he’s gone.

    Sometimes problems do solve themselves!

  3. 3.

    grillo

    One of the wonderful things about that song is that it translates essentially directly and the English version is quite wonderful also.

    I was just listening to A Felicidade by Joâo Gilberto, which I could listen to about a thousand times.

  4. 4.

    Firebert

    @StringOnAStick: I’ve worked with people from a variety of leanings, and libertarians almost always are the laziest, most useless people. They have no concept of the need to contribute towards making things work, and expect to be rewarded just for going through the motions. That is, if they’re not wandering around moaning to anyone who’ll listen about their taxes, and how they like to shoot their guns.

  5. 5.

    ? Martin

    I think that newspapers are missing their monetization strategy. One of the benefits of buying a subscription should be that they’ll make it so you can’t see the comments any longer.

  8. 8.

    kindness

    Tech stuff. I bought a new program (Touchcopy) and found my OS 10.68 wasn’t new enough to run it. So I upgraded to OS X Maverik. Seems good so far. Anyone else running it yet?

  9. 9.

    Gravie

    Love this song, and this is a really great version. Eliane Elias also does a great solo piano version.

  10. 10.

    The Dangerman

    Anyone have any great analysis of this Bundy situation in Nevada? From all I’ve read, it seems like we need to figuratively cull the herd (I’m not necessarily talking about the cattle) but there’s not a lot of information out there that isn’t clearly partisan.

  11. 11.

    Baron Elmo

    One of the greatest Brazilian songs of all time… in other words, one of the greatest songs of all time, period. “Água de Beber” too, hell yeah. And let’s not forget “Desafinado.”

    If there’s a more sensuous sounding, more musically inclined language than Portuguese, I ain’t heard it yet.

  12. 12.

    Cassidy

    @The Dangerman: RWNJ grazed his cattlemen public land. BLM said you have to pay to do that. RWNJ said no because freedom and reasons. BLM said fine we’ll take your cattle in payment. RWNJ cries about being oppressed.

  13. 13.

    Bob In Portland

    I guess Ukraine isn’t a story anymore. The miners are in the streets demanding independence from Kiev. Slavyansk just fell to the anti-Kiev activists. The Kiev government is having trouble finding any local police or military force to quash the demonstrations, and I guess there aren’t enough mercenaries.

    As was easily predicted, the east and south are in turmoil now.

    Meanwhile, Russia won’t extend any more credit for gas to Ukraine and Merkel and Putin are negotiating how to keep the gas flowing to the EU.

  15. 15.

    Baud

    @Cassidy:

    IIRC, the government charges below market rates for allowing cattle to graze on public land. So he’s a double moocher.

  16. 16.

    Jewish Steel

    My exercise clothes are kind of snug. I must have put on some muscles over the winter.

  19. 19.

    Cassidy

    @Just One More Canuck: BECAUSE REASONS AND FREEDOM! SWEET BABY JEEBUS YOU COMMIES DON’T GET IT!

    I read somewhere that he’s arguing that since it’s public land he has a right as a US CITIZEN BY GOD! to be there or something.

  20. 20.

    Dave

    @The Dangerman:

    Looks like it’s over for now. Doesn’t say how many head they gathered, out of the herd of 1,000. I’m guessing the Feds backed off to avoid another Waco situation. Maybe the drought will take care of the problem.

    From the Grey Lady herself, via Reuters:

    Standoff ends

  21. 21.

    PsiFighter37

    It is a gorgeous weekend here in NYC – 70 degrees, pure sunshine – I think spring has finally made it to the Northeast after what was unquestionably a very shitty, very snowy, very cold winter. Took a 9-mile run this morning down the East River; going to go walk around Midtown now.

  24. 24.

    dmsilev

    @Just One More Canuck: Well, the argle-bargle he’s using is “the State of Nevada actually owns the land, not the Feds because when the Federal government took over management umpteen decades ago that didn’t count, and I refuse to pay the Feds any money.” Note that both the state and the federal government agree that it’s BLM (i.e. Federal) land.

  25. 25.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @grillo:

    One of my favorites is Corcovado.

    I love that one, too. I almost linked it instead, but I figured I’d stick with the water theme. ;)

  26. 26.

    Tommy

    I never watched The Wire when it first aired on HBO. Pretty much everybody I knew said it was one of the best TV shows ever. Watching it on DVD and have to admit I don’t really see the appeal. I am not saying it is a bad show, but I won’t put it anywhere close to the best show ever. Just saying.

  28. 28.

    Tommy

    Wow Florida, how the heck is this even legal:

    Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade County Elections Department quietly implemented a policy to close the bathrooms at all polling facilities, according to disability rights lawyer Marc Dubin. Dubin said the policy change was in “direct response” to an inquiry to the Elections Department about whether they had assessed accessibility of polling place bathrooms to those with disabilities.

    “I was expecting them to say either yes we have or yes we will,” Dubin said.

    Instead, he received a written response announcing that the county would close all restrooms at polling places “to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not treated unfairly,” a January email stated. “[T]he Department’s policy is not to permit access to restrooms at polling sites on election days,” Assistant County Attorney Shanika Graves said in a Feb. 14 email.

    http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/10/3425252/new-rule-prohibits-voters-in-miami-dade-county-from-using-the-restroom-no-matter-how-long-the-line/

  29. 29.

    Villago Delenda Est

    More Noismax silliness:

    Justice Stevens: Second Amendment Meant for Military

    Well, duh, but there are people on the Supremes with reading comprehension problems. That first clause spikes the entire notion the arms flacks of the NRA are selling.

  31. 31.

    NotMax

    @Tommy

    Sympathize with that. Never seen that particular show, but have had the same thing happen with who knows how many non-comedy* programs over the last few years.

    Too many are either well-produced but mundane, populated by a cast with no redeeming qualities or whom I care so little about that watching them is an impediment on my time or else filled with two-dimensional characters, ploddingly predictable, have plot holes gaping enough to fly a flotilla of starships through, or (worst cases) all of the above.

    Greatest sin of all may be when a show simply seemingly isn’t interested in being entertaining.

    *Comedy is inherently so much more subjective (even fragile) that not finding that something which tickles someone else’s funny bone doing the same to mine can be chalked up to taste, perspective and natural variation much more than can drama.

  32. 32.

    D58826

    @The Dangerman: There is a long piece over on KOS written by a local along with links to the local paper. The guy only believes in obeying county laws. He is defending the constitution (well at least the 2nd part of the 2nd amendment). With the militia types showing up and his wife talking about another Waco it looks like the BLM is backing down. Faux news and the rest have been cheer leading this thing along with Alex Jones suggesting that this could be the next shot heard round the world. Funny how these folks talk so big when they are in their radio booth or TV show.

  33. 33.

    Svensker

    @Baron Elmo:

    If there’s a more sensuous sounding, more musically inclined language than Portuguese, I ain’t heard it yet.

    Brazilian Portuguese. Portuguese Portuguese sounds like Russian with bad adenoids. No offense to any Portugalis out there. There’s Portuguese radio in Toronto and sometimes I listen just for fun (also, too, sometimes they play Brazilian music altho mostly they play bad Porti Europop).

  34. 34.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @D58826:

    Alex Jones suggesting that this could be the next shot heard round the world.

    Alex Jones is a psycho idiot.

  35. 35.

    Tommy

    @D58826: I am no expert on the BLM but I thought in many areas Federal land can be used for grazing. Ranchers only seem to pay like pennies on the dollar for the rights. Seems pretty darn fair to me.

  36. 36.

    Cassidy

    @Villago Delenda Est: Had one of my stellar coworkers suggest it was time for a revolution when this story came on. It took a while, but once I was done laughing I explained what a BFV tends to do to people. He wasn’t pleased with my response.

  40. 40.

    CarolDuhart2

    @Cassidy: -One more thing, in revolutions there are as many defeats as victories, and the winners aren’t always what you think they are.

    Are those folks ready to die a needless death?

    And they refuse to live in the real world where revolution is very hard to do.

  41. 41.

    dmsilev

    @Villago Delenda Est: Of course it’s bullshit.

    Apparently the latest news is that BLM has called off the cattle seizure. I suspect this is just temporary and they’ll be back later, though perhaps with different tactics. Can you put a lien on a cow?

  43. 43.

    Cacti

    @dmsilev:

    Well, the argle-bargle he’s using is “the State of Nevada actually owns the land, not the Feds because when the Federal government took over management umpteen decades ago that didn’t count, and I refuse to pay the Feds any money.” Note that both the state and the federal government agree that it’s BLM (i.e. Federal) land.

    Pure fiction.

    The land in question has belonged to the United States since the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, and all of the litigation to date has recognized as much. Bundy’s family didn’t migrate to the area until the 1870s.

  44. 44.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @D58826:

    Alex Jones suggesting that this could be the next shot heard round the world.

    So if the BLM gives the cattle to NASA and that agency puts them into orbit will it be the next herd shot round the world?

  45. 45.

    Tommy

    @dmsilev: This has been ongoing since 1993. Guy owes the Feds one million. It would seem to me the BLM was pretty darn “cool” about the whole situation.

  46. 46.

    D58826

    @Tommy: According to the article, BLM issues thousands of permits for grazing on federal land every year. It is cheaper than commercially available graze (socialism?); however there are rules that have to be obeyed. In this particular case there was an issue with an endangered tortoise species. So in addition to BLM you had the national park service involved. Other rules and regs would involve the number of cow/calf units (the standard unit of measure in this area) per acre, impact on water supplies, etc.

    But he has FREEDOM! so every one else can go hang

  47. 47.

    Cacti

    @dmsilev:

    Apparently the latest news is that BLM has called off the cattle seizure. I suspect this is just temporary and they’ll be back later, though perhaps with different tactics. Can you put a lien on a cow?

    I’m also assuming as much. Some of the brave militia folk had brought children with them.

    Presumably to hide behind if any shooting started.

  48. 48.

    MikeJ

    @dmsilev: I don’t blame the BLM as they aren’t really a law enforcement agency. I hope the FBI roll in soon and round ’em up.

  50. 50.

    Tommy

    @D58826: Every so often I read stories about the BLM with grazing and even the selling of mineral rights and it always seems to me like we’re just giving it away for next to nothing. It pisses me off to no end.

  51. 51.

    D58826

    @efgoldman: It seems to me that all of these claims about states rights are suspect since, with the exception of the 13 original states, the rest of them are creations of act of congress under the powers granted in the constitution. The federal government either stole the land from the Indians (Ohio, Indiana, etc) or bought it from the people who stole it from the Indians(Louisiana purchase and Alaska) or just stole it from Mexico (California and Nevada).

  52. 52.

    Cassidy

    @CarolDuhart2: I wish. Sometimes I wish they’d just hurry up and try to be the tv heroes they think they are so we can get the messy part over with and move on to rebuilding.

  53. 53.

    dmsilev

    @Tommy: We are. And the most annoying part is that lots of the people we’re (incredibly cheaply) selling the land access to like to posture and bluster about how self-sufficient they are and so forth.

  54. 54.

    WereBear

    @Tommy: it’s one if those shows with such a long arc it doesn’t grab you at first. And it might not be your cup of tea anyway.

    Me, I’m getting into Breaking Bad and enjoying the heck out of it.

  56. 56.

    Tommy

    @dmsilev: And that is another thing that pisses me off. Look if the Feds are not using the land then I don’t mind if they sell the rights to use it. But they should get a fair value and I don’t want the folks getting it for pennies on the dollars to bitch about the Federal government.

  57. 57.

    Tommy

    @WereBear: Yeah I am only on the 6th show. I will give it time, but I was just expected something more.

    Breaking Bad is amazing and depending how far along you are, I actually think the show gets better season to season.

  59. 59.

    D58826

    And the poor dears keep forgetting that after the failure of the Articles of Confederation ( a true state rights document) the founders added that nasty little supremacy clause. But they would have to read more than just the 2nd half of the second amendment to know that.

  60. 60.

    Amir Khalid

    News about MH370 coverage:
    The New Straits Times, my old newspaper’s competitor, is claiming a “world exclusive”: a cellphone tower in Penang detected first officer Fariq Hamid’s cellphone as MH370 flew over. But NST’s different sets of sources seem to be interpreting the data differently. One set is saying he tried to make a phone call before MH370 flew out of the tower’s range, but refusing to identify the called party; the other is saying the detection of Fariq’s cellphone means only that it had been turned on again at some point. (He would have turned off his phone because up at cruising altitude there’s no signal.) It is Sunday in Malaysia and the time is 04:10 as I type this, so there has been no official confirmation or denial of this story yet. Make of this what you will.

  61. 61.

    Tommy

    @CarolDuhart2: I am pretty good with empathy and I can almost see why they hated Ruby Ridge (almost). But Waco, they really want to hang their hats on a cult? If you have to look that hard to prove the feds are jackbooted thugs maybe the problem isn’t as bad as they think.

  63. 63.

    Anoniminous

    @ various:

    Between water rights, water availability, BLM, Park Service, National Forest, Wilderness designation, state lands, Spanish Land Grants, railroad grants, private land, mineral rights, and the observable fact 80% of the people living in the Inter-Mountain West and short grass prairie are simple people of the land expect no rationality.

    Various endangered species are highly useful for determining when the person using the land has gone beyond sustainability. Since it’s near impossible to use water, grazing rights, etc. sustainably (See: Ogallala Aquifer, depletion of) and earn a living Federal Agencies have to step in to keep the dummies from destroying the ecology.

  64. 64.

    CarolDuhart2

    @efgoldman: I suspect it’s temporary, until they can get a more aggressive agency to enforce the law and the court orders.

    Those folks are so isolated and naive as to just how much firepower the state-let alone the feds can marshal when they have to marshal it. They don’t realize that this may be their last chance for things to end peacefully.

    And the crazies from out of town are no help and are likely to incite something just to prove themselves manly.

  66. 66.

    D58826

    @efgoldman: I understand the BLM wanting to avoid another Waco but giving in to hostage takers and terrorists (and that is what these folks are) is a bad idea. Unless less they got what they wanted, regardless of the law, they were threatening violence. Bundy’s wife was bragging on her expertise with a shotgun and was proud of her son’s desire to be in the fight. Now maybe they just meant this language to be metaphorical and colorful but when a man with a gun say’s he is going to use it, then you take him at his word.

    AFT did not take the folks in Waco seriously when they said they would shoot and 4 agents died. And speaking of Waco, on GOP senator was complaining that Eric Holder is the most partisan AG we have ever had unlike previous attorney generals, like Janet Reno, who worked in a bipartisan fashion. Yes THAT Janet Reno. I kid you not he really had something nice to say about her. That can’t even keep the fact/lies straight in the alternate reality that they occupy.

  68. 68.

    gnomedad

    These guys are all about the sanctity of property except when trying to use for free something that doesn’t fucking belong to them. He’d probably shoot at hikers crossing his land.

  69. 69.

    Tommy

    @CarolDuhart2: Yeah you don’t even really have to read between the lines of what the government is saying, we are afraid you might kill us. I am not sure the process to bring in the FBI or ATF but this guy is barking up the wrong tree IMHO. The Federal government and the DOJ can’t let this stand.

  70. 70.

    Cassidy

    @D58826: More than likely it’s a tactic to defuse the situation. This will soon be followed by a call to his lawyer.

  73. 73.

    Anoniminous

    8.3 earthquake 102km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands, tsunami alarm has been issued.

  75. 75.

    Baud

    I don’t like the Bundy people either, but people need to chill. Thus is ultimately about collection of a debt, and that’s not going away. The government is doing the right thing to diffuse the situation if at all possible.

  76. 76.

    srv

    You nazi libs, always missing the real story

    Now, questions surrounding family ties are flaring again in Nevada around the Senate majority leader. He and his oldest son, Rory, are both involved in an effort by a Chinese energy giant, ENN Energy Group, to build a $5 billion solar farm and panel manufacturing plant in the southern Nevada desert.

    ..

    Two months after Harry Reid’s China trip, Lionel Sawyer registered ENN Mohave Energy LLC as an American subsidiary of the Chinese company. The firm negotiated with the county to buy the land rather than lease it, as the county’s staff had recommended.

    In December, Clark County commissioners voted unanimously to sell up to 9,000 acres of public land to the subsidiary at pennies on the dollar.

    The deal spurred local controversy. Separate appraisals valued the land at $29.6 million and $38.6 million. The commission agreed to sell it to ENN for $4.5 million.

    On the other hand, we haven’t had a good bonfire since Waco.

  79. 79.

    Tommy

    @gnomedad: The dude has almost 1,000 head of cattle. I am sure some ranchers might have a lot more, but thinking this guy isn’t just some “small” rancher. And if he was feeding them for free on government land for 20 years, that might be a business I’d like to be in. I mean outside of like vet fees wouldn’t feeding and providing water be kind of all you do?

  80. 80.

    CarolDuhart2

    The Secretary of the agency can request help from Justice/FBI/US Marshalls as backup.

    I remember working the night after Oklahoma City, and being told that there were FBI plainsclothes working in our agency Plainsclothes and no doubt some Federal Marshals as well. So this thing can escalate quickly.

  81. 81.

    D58826

    @efgoldman: Probably should make that a more generic – the gov’t wants to avoid a Waco. BLM was handling the cattle and I think the federal Marshalls were handling security. Either way a short term cooling off period might be a good idea but you can’t let these militia/soveran citizen types call the tune. A couple of years ago two of them killed a state trooper because they didn’t recognize his authority to stop them for a traffic violation.

  82. 82.

    Tommy

    @efgoldman: I tend to agree with you. It has be ongoing for 20 years. A couple more days shouldn’t matter that much.Plus from the pics I’ve seen and some of the government statements, all the children around had to worry them.

    BTW: Who brings their young children to am armed standoff?

  87. 87.

    D58826

    Slightly off topic buy still falls in the wingnut category. Mike Hucklbee thinks there is more freedom in North Korea then in the US. Under the circumstances I say we take up a collection buy him a one way ticket to the land of the dear leader. We really don’t need the Onion or Jon Stewart, the current GOP provides all of the absurdity that we need.

  89. 89.

    Tommy

    @D58826: Yes they are. I just can’t wrap my mind around thinking it is a good idea to being your kids to an armed standoff. Heck if I did something like that any my parents found out, they’d come take my kids away from me.

  91. 91.

    Anne Laurie

    @Tommy: Yes, progressives make bitter jokes about the “welfare ranchers, welfare miners, and welfare loggers” of the freedumb-loving American west, who wouldn’t exist without the government safety net giving them our joint natural resources for pennies on the dollar. The Koch brothers’ daddy, for instance, could never have left them all those billions if he’d had to pay a fair market price, and part of the reason his boys spend so much money buying GOP congresscritters is to keep their personal welfare pipeline gushing.

    As for the minor Bundy parasite and his fellow agitators, I’m sure the BLM is not in such a hurry that they can’t wait until after Alex Jones’ favorite holiday, April 19… aka the end of the Branch Davidian siege… aka the day before the birthday of a certain dead world leader butwedon’ttalkaboutthat. The worst of the wannabe “patriots” will trickle away after the anniversary, I suspect.

  93. 93.

    CarolDuhart2

    @Tommy: I can’t either. Yes, they may think somehow that the Feds won’t fire if the kids are there. But kids die from stray bullets-and the Feds will defend themselves if the nuts fire first.

  94. 94.

    opiejeanne

    Found this gem:

    http://www.teapartynovels.com/

    On Amazon you can read the first few pages as well as the reviews which were divided along party lines, as you can imagine: readers on the right gushed, people on the left pointed out the writing flaws, lack of character development, lack of nuance, and that every Democrat was evil. My favorite said it wasn’t worth the 99 cents it cost. Must have been a markdown because right now all of the series is $1.99.

    From what I saw it’s all talking points mouthed by cardboard people, all beautiful women, handsome men, and Christian. The main character is a lawyer who works for the county or state of Indiana (not clear what was meant). HIs friend is another lawyer who works for the same public agency, urges him to run for Congress because the friend wants to be the next Karl Rove. Said friend is described in unflattering terms as being one step ahead of the IRS and exhausted from his most recent one night stand, so I’m guessing that Mr Rove is not popular with some members of the Tea Party.

  96. 96.

    opiejeanne

    @Anne Laurie: OH! You just reminded me of a creepy conversation my DH had years ago with his Nazi boss when he worked for a city agency. Yes, a real, genuine Nazi. He and his brother had both been in the HItler Youth during WWII.

    Nazi-boss and DH were visiting a work site and there was a calendar inside the contractor’s office. Boss pointed out that if the war had gone differently, that date would now be a national holiday in the US. DH took a minute to figure out just what he was talking about because we have had a couple of wars since WWII. Said it gave him the creeps, but sometimes so did this boss. When it became really apparent that his heart was still with the Vaterland (this incident wasn’t the tipping point) DH started looking for a new job.

  98. 98.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @efgoldman:

    For the first time ever, I’m going to be a poll-watcher* in Georgia’s May 20th primary (and presumably also for the general election in November). To the best of my knowledge, I will be entitled to regular bathroom breaks.

    *(I also told the Michelle Nunn campaign that I’d be happy to drive people to their polling places if transportation is an issue. And I fully expect to be doing some serious voter registration/GOTV canvassing in the weeks leading up to the election in the fall.)

  99. 99.

    D58826

    The rancher and his followers are now complaining about the son being hit with a tazer and the fact that the protesters were confined to a ‘free speech area’.
    Now I don’t remember a lot of criticism from the right when occupy wall street was forcible removed including the use of tear gas, tazers and police dogs.

    As to the protest zone a couple of points
    1. the right had no problem penning up antiwar protesters when W was president
    2, these protest zones are pushing the first amendment to the limits and usually past it in most casers.
    3. In this case however if you have 1500 lb grumpy cows, thousand pound horses and possible cattle trucks all in a confined area then a protest zone might be a good idea for safety reasons. This would be especially true if the protesters had young children along. Really don’t want a 5 year old wanting to get up close and personnel with an open range steer.

  100. 100.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate:

    I first heard (herd?) a version of that joke about 50 years ago*, at the dawn of the space age. I groaned then. I groan now.

    *Fifty-three years ago, in fact. To the day. Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth on April 12, 1961.

  102. 102.

    D58826

    Earlier in the thread someone asked if the militia could try and storm the cattle pens to liberate the cows. Apparently that happened and it was part of the reason the BLM backed off. These folks are terrorists – give us what we want or we will shoot.

  104. 104.

    Fort Geek

    @Cassidy: From what I saw in the SPLC writeup (linked above), he’s got some attitudes like a “sovereign” citizen, like there’s no higher governmental authority than county sheriff. He says his family’s been using that land for generations, as if he could inherit land use rights.

    He’s the only rancher using the lands who isn’t complying with BLM rules and he’s lost every court case in the past 20 years–but apparently thinks the courts and Feds have no authority over him.

  107. 107.

    Cassidy

    @efgoldman: that’s what I meant. I won’t lose sleep if this idiot forces a gunfight and takes a dirt nap, but I don’t see that as the best solution. What I really want is arrest, humiliation, and vigorous prosecution followed by paying everything he owes and what it’s cost the govt to come after his dumb ass.

  108. 108.

    barbequebob

    @dmsilev:

    I call it “Cowboy Welfare”

    Time to call it what it is and point out how so many in rural America are making a living from all the federal giveaways designed to benefit them.

  109. 109.

    Gravie

    That rancher is just a moocher and a looter. Funny that Hannity can’t see that. I wonder how the other ranchers who actually pay their fees for using land that is not their own feel about this little stunt. I’d be pissed.

  110. 110.

    Eric U.

    I lived near some BLM land in Utah. It was prime real estate on the Wastch, and the people that leased it used it as their personal playground. A lot of the lands should be evaluated for economic value and probably turned into national parks

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