The Liberal Bully of the Week - Bureau of Land Management

by Rusty Humphries

The Liberal Bully of the Week can really only go to only one organization this week. There were few challengers to the crown who even came close: the Bureau of Land Management.

Thank God the BLM put down the guns in Clark County, Nev., and backed down (for now). The last thing we need is jackbooted government guys with guns pushing around citizens so they can look and feel tough

Still, I don’t think Cliven Bundy is the Great American Hero he has been acclaimed in some conservative circles.

Quotes like this are not the words of a modern day John Wayne: “I believe this is a sovereign state of Nevada,” Mr. Bundy said in a radio interview. “I abide by all of Nevada state laws. But I don’t recognize the United States government as even existing.”

That’s just flat-out nuts, and to not pay more than $1 million in grazing fees on land you don’t own — because you don’t want to — is not a reason for good-hearted Americans to come armed and to your defense.

To be fair, some BLM supporters need to seek a rubber room and professional help as well.

Rob Mrowka, senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, says, “The BLM has both a statutory and a sacred duty to manage our public lands in the public interest, to treat all users equally and fairly.”

A “sacred duty”? There we go again, comparing the creation to the Creator. Since when is the BLM known for treating anyone — much less ranchers — “equally and fairly”? They are better known as the arbitrary enforcers of laws nobody voted for in an attempt to foster favor with environmental extremists, as well as for their power- and land-grabbing patrons in Washington, D.C.

The BLM has some responsibilities, but as a former resident of Nevada, I can say without hesitation that agency is far too quick to threaten, intimidate and unnecessarily bully American citizens. Case in point: protecting the sensitive feelings of the BLM thugs by erecting “First Amendment Zones” to keep the pesky taxpayer and concerned citizen away.

For threats, theft of livestock, the reduction of First Amendment rights and far too many other abuses to list here, this week’s Liberal Bully of the Week is the Bureau of Land Management, which needs to remember that its employees work for the people, and its role is one of service, not imposing servitude

Rusty Humphries, a nationally syndicated talk-radio host, is a contributor to The Washington Times.