George P. Bush joins 'land grab' suit against feds

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush on Tuesday joined several North Texas land owners and officials in a lawsuit against the federal government over long-disputed property rights. In intervening court documents filed against the federal Bureau of Land Management, Bush proclaimed to challenge "the federal government's unconstitutional and arbitrary seizure" of land along the Red River, which he said belongs to Texas.  Bush's intervention is the latest chapter in a months-long dispute over the borders of federally-held public land along the Texas-Oklahoma line. In October, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote a letter to the BLM denouncing an "unconscionable land grab." Twelve other parties are challenging the federal agency, including three Texas counties, one sheriff and eight private landowners, who the BLM has reportedly said should never have been given the deeds to parts of their plots of land. Bush got involved because Texas General Land Office, which he heads, owns the mineral rights beneath approximately 113 acres of the contested land, which he said in a statement belongs to the Texas Permanent School Fund...more