Congressman: Bundy Militia Has Set Up Road 'Checkpoints' In Nevada

[CreekDog]

Congressman: Bundy Militia Has Set Up Road 'Checkpoints' In Nevada

DYLAN SCOTT – APRIL 29, 2014, 5:07 PM EDT

A Democratic congressman from Nevada said in a letter this week that his constituents have reported the armed militia supporting rancher Cliven Bundy have set up checkpoints to verify the residency of anybody passing through.

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), who represents the area, sent the letter Sunday to Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie, asking him to investigate.

"I am writing to bring your attention to the ongoing situation in northeastern Clark County which has caused many of my constituents to fear for their safety," Horsford wrote. Residents in the area "have expressed concern over the continual presence of multiple out-of-state, armed militia groups that have remained in the community" since Bundy's dispute with the Bureau of Land Management came to a boil.

The militia, as reported by Horsford's constituents, "have set up checkpoints where residents are required to prove they live in the area before being allowed to pass," the letter said.

...



http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/bundy-ranch-militia-checkpoints-horsford

[Aristus]

1. That has to be a felony.

Obstructing passage of anyone has got to be illegal for anyone not in law enforcement.

[HooptieWagon]

4. And the irony...

The militant terrorists aren't locals.

[hrmjustin]

16. Well library girl I see you are a conservative.

Time to nuke now.

[SidDithers]

17. ...

Sid

[Jim__]

2. So, in the name of freedom, we all have to justify our existence to some idiots with guns.

[Boreal]

11. We already do

and if we don't kiss their asses they'll shoot our dogs and us.

Kelly Thomas
Miriam Carey

two examples (out of THOUSANDS)

[Crunchy Frog]

22. The more the merrier?

Nobody on this board supports police brutality. It does not make RW militia brutality justified or acceptable.

Why are you on this site? The only posts that I've seen from you have been defending that moron and his armed thugs.

[Boreal]

24. What brutality are you talking about?

link?

[Jim__]

25. These guys are even stupider.

[center][/center]

There's a picture of your leader.

[Boreal]

27. My leader?

Why is that? Because I don't goose step to the jackbooted thugs?

I'm liberal who wants a good social safety net, compassion for those in need, a clean environment, no police state. I'm not an authoritarian, war monger, bully who wants to see my government pointing guns at people. I'm also an unlikely defender of anyone who supplies meat eaters (cattle ranchers) since I've been a vegetarian and animal rights activist for my entire life. I know what this is about, though, and it's about running people like Bundy off the land. Las Vegas wants the water and Bundy owns the water rights.

[Nevernose]

29. Ridiculous.

Las Vegas doesn't want the water rights. They're actually getting water rights from places with decent amounts of water -- 200 miles north if Bunkerville.

What BLM people tried to remove Bundy from his land? Zero. That's made up bullshit. Bundy is not only allowed to do whatever he wants on his own property, he even has permission to run 150 head on BLM. Any more than that, and the BLM has determined that there will be serious damage to the environment you claim to care about.

Of course, Bundy won't pay the fees on the 150 head he has permission for, which makes him both a liar AND a thief.

[Bjorn Against]

31. Bundy does not own the land and he absolutely should be run off of it.

He has refused to pay grazing fees and he owes taxpayers a million dollars, now he has called up militia members to intimidate federal workers. Cliven Bundy is a criminal and he absolutely deserves to be run off our public land.

[pinboy3niner]

32. I've seen claims that Bundy owns water rights on public land, but no evidence

Do you have evidence to show that those claims have any merit?

[Boreal]

37. Here's some

He has vested water rights under the law of prior appropriation (western water law going back to Mexico). Where it says, Bundy, Cliven, you'll see "VST" which means vested. He not only owns the water rights but the forage (which comes with water rights).



What I find troubling is that to many the truth won't mean a damn thing. This kind of information is all freely available which means those who are spinning the story have deliberately ignored it knowing that that average news consumer would never bother checking.

[pinboy3niner]

38. Those appear to be annual permits expiring 12/31 each year, 1974-84

Why do the pemits end in 1984? If you search on the Application Number for the last permit (1984), the "Period Start" date is 01/01 and the "Period End" date is 12/31.

[Flying Squirrel]

40. Whoops! Wouldn't hold your breath for a response....

[pinboy3niner]

41. Yeah, I noticed that

Too bad, as I was hoping for an explanation why those "vested" water rights permits expired 29 years ago.

[Jim__]

39. If you're comparing these self-appointed assholes pointing guns at innocent people to ...

... police authorized by the state under the general consent of the people, then, yes, you belong in the same category as them.

[spanone]

3. who do these people think they are? they have no authority to do anything.

[HooptieWagon]

5. Thats what happens when the govt "backs off"

It only emboldens the terrorists.

[951-Riverside]

6. Las Vegas Metro made clear today they don't want to do anything

Metro Police say they investigating concerns a U.S. congressman raised about actions of militia members in northeast Clark County, but they’re not saying much more about the situation surrounding Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy and his armed supporters.

In a letter Sunday to Sheriff Doug Gillespie, Rep. Steve Horsford, D-Nev., wrote that his constituents were concerned about Bundy supporters carrying weapons near local churches, schools and elsewhere. Horsford, whose congressional district includes the area, also said militiamen had set up checkpoints on public roads and highways where drivers were stopped and asked to provide a proof of residency.

Metro Police Sgt. Jesse Roybal said today the department had received Horsford’s letter, was aware of complaints and allegations and were “investigating each report. As of this time, there are no criminal charges in any of these cases.”

Pressed further, Roybal said police were trying to verify Horsford’s claims but Roybal was not certain to what extent that investigation had gone.

Roybal added the sheriff was "in contact with multiple people in elected office" regarding the matter.

If someone does encounter the claimed checkpoints or people with guns near churches or schools, Roybal also said, "they need to report it to (Metro)."

Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak, who sits on Metro's Fiscal Affairs Committee, said he hadn't heard anything from Metro about Horsford’s concerns.

"I trust the sheriff to handle this," Sisolak added.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2014/apr/29/metro/

[Demo_Chris]

7. Sensatíonal, but probably untrue. nt

[mike_c]

8. on edit....

I've looked and cannot find any photos or even first person accounts of these supposed militia checkpoints on state highways. Anyone else find any actual accounts?

[pintobean]

9. Why would people report it to a congressman

rather than law enforcement? That seems odd.

[CreekDog]

14. it doesn't say they haven't reported it to law enforcement

come on. didn't you know that calling the police doesn't mean you can't also call up your congressman?

or is there some sort of feature on the phone that says, "i'm sorry, you've already called the police about this, thus your call to your congressman cannot be completed as dialed, please try again when you have a new issue to report and only report it to one entity."

come on. nice try.

[pintobean]

23. From post #6

Pressed further, Roybal said police were trying to verify Horsford’s claims but Roybal was not certain to what extent that investigation had gone.

Roybal added the sheriff was "in contact with multiple people in elected office" regarding the matter.

If someone does encounter the claimed checkpoints or people with guns near churches or schools, Roybal also said, "they need to report it to (Metro)."

It sure as shit looks like all the alleged reports have gone through the congressman.

[Boreal]

15. Because it's not true?

OTOH, Las Vegas cops have REALLY committed police state crimes.

[oneofthe99]

10. False report

It's not happening.

No one has set up check points on public roadways .

[CreekDog]

12. not false, here's a news story on it:

http://www.examiner.com/article/nevada-militia-heightens-tension-with-armed-checkpoints

[Boreal]

18. That's repeating the same thing

without proof. Pics? Youtubes?

[CreekDog]

21. your defense of the indefensible is noted

Boreal (109 posts)
68. I've also written that's there's a lot more to this

Bundy owns the water rights and, I think (not 100% sure) that means he owns the land. There are also lawsuits, by environmental groups, ranchers, and tribes over a plan by Las Vegas to siphon away all the water from eastern Nevada, including in Clark county. IMO, this is about a whole more than grazing fees. Additionally, grazing fees are paid for BLM assistance, to ranchers, for help with land management, fence mending, and the like. The Nevada Cattle Ranchers Association pays such fees but Bundy is not a member and said he doesn't want BLM services. I am NOT saying know all of the intricate details, only that my impression is there's more to this than the general public is being told. People who don't live in the west and run ranches and farms also don't know the intricacies involving land ownership (water rights, mineral rights, grazing rights, etc) so I think it does a disservice to the truth to form opinions with out all of this information. I don't want to see this devolve into a violent confrontation, unlike a lot of other posters do, and I'm sure as hell not going to be running my trap about giving anyone the fucking DEATH PENALTY over something that has not happened.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4849137

you've been trying to make a case that Bundy owns the land.

now don't tell me that you have some sort of high standard of proof. you clearly don't.

[Boreal]

30. The water rights

Under what is called "prior appropriation". Those rights include the ownership of the forage and whoever owns such rights doesn't owe any fees.

Now, you go ahead and find some proof, as in county records, that indicate otherwise, if you feel inclined. I don't really feel like arguing about it and I don't have enough online time to get into a long back and forth about it. I know what's going on. Other parties want the water. It's happened before, sometimes successfully running people off the land and sometimes not. It really doesn't matter to me what you think but it would be nice if you at least educated yourself. Western land use and water rights are very complicated. I have a friend in Colorado who can't even have a cistern for rain water because he doesn't own the water rights.

Please feel free to add this, my latest reply, to your files, lol.

[CreekDog]

34. how long have you been a fan?

you've been here less than a month? what is your commentary on my 11 years of membership here, though you've only been here less than 1 month of that.

and by the way, i don't have to prove you wrong. when you have so much evidence lined up against your assertions, you're wrong on the facts. you're going to have to prove the courts, the government, the experts wrong.

i don't have to play a game where someone throws some random thing out that isn't supportable and i/we have to go do a dissertation on it or else they are considered correct by default.

that's not how it works.

but maybe you're not looking at the long term, so maybe it doesn't matter.

[oneofthe99]

19. I'm telling you it's not happening

Reporters like to run with stories without verification.
We had a DU member investigate this further and it's only on the road leading to the Bundy ranch.

The dirt road where they are is private land owned by Bundy

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

33. Say what?

Who is we? Who is the DU member? What did the DU member find?

Is there some reason I'm just supposed to accept your unsupported statements over two published articles?

[CreekDog]

35. maybe since two of them are posting the same thing

it's confirmed then.

you know, like "two sources" thing.

[pinboy3niner]

20. That story links to an opinion article citing Horsford's letter

Rep. Horsford initially cited "a checkpoint" when he appeared on Hardball, and explained that he had just received one email about it from one constituent. It was guest host Kondracke who introduced the plural, "checkpoints."

There have been other reports since then about checkpoints (plural) without identifying locations or giving more detail about IDs being checked.

We know from news reports about a "Patriot Checkpoint" at the end of Bundy's driveway that is the entrance to his property. But claims about other checkpoints or interference on public roads have yet to be substantiated.

[atreides1]

26. If the feds won't do anything

Then maybe it's time to send in the NYPD...they didn't seem to have any problems with kicking out the Occupy people!

And it'll be a sure bet that the NYPD won't hesitate to use lethal force if it's required...but let's hope that no one gets hurt on either side!

[Babel_17]

28. I'm reminded of Mack from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

http://gawker.com/nevada-militia-sets-up-armed-checkpoints-demands-to-se-1569203069

These guys can't be so oblivious that they don't know how awful things can turn when they train weapons on lawfully operating government officials and peace officers.