Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who orchestrated an armed standoff with federal officials last year over his refusal to pay two decades worth of grazing fees and fines, is back in the news. Late last month, he and his followers rallied in Carson City to support AB408, a radical (and unconstitutional) bill in the Nevada State Assembly, the purpose of which was to seize all U.S. owned lands, mineral rights and water rights in the state, and to block enforcement of federal law. That bill has since been gutted of those provisions, but Bundy is staying in the news. This weekend he plans a “Bundy Ranch Freedom Reunion” at his ranch.
Bundy, who says he does not recognize the United States as “even existing, owes the government more than $1 million and has ignored countless court orders. That Bundy is still running around free and not behind bars is almost as perplexing as his crazy beliefs are.
Bundy somehow believes that Nevada is a sovereign entity that is not bound by the U.S. constitution and not subject to federal law. He has apparently even went so far as to order the Clark County sheriff to disarm federal officials and tear down National Park entrance fee booths. His wacky views are more or less in line with those of the Sovereign Citizen Movement, which the FBI has expressed growing concern about.
Check out recent CRS op-eds in the Las Vegas Review Journal and the Salt Lake Tribune, linked below, to read why Bundy and his followers are anti-America and anti-conservative.
Las Vegas Review Journal: Bundy’s stance not in line with true conservatism
Salt Lake Tribune: Cliven Bundy’s crusade is not responsible and it’s not conservative