# When will Cliven Bundy (et. al.) be arrested by the federal government? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521 "2015-04-12T22:51:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/1 "2015-04-12T22:51:22Z")
[Yesterday, Cliven Bundy held a barbecue for his fans and supporters to commemorate 1 year since he and his forced the federal agents to back down and release his cattle. > [@](#): > > “We want to make a statement that we’re still here,” Bundy, 68, said, overlooking a swath of the Mojave Desert near the Virgin River. ]([Las Vegas News | Breaking News & Headlines | Las Vegas Review-Journal](http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/bundy-blm/bundy-supporters-mark-standoff-anniversary-barbecue))IMO he and his supporters conspired to thwart federal agents from performing their lawful duties, and also many of them pointed loaded weapons at the agents, threatening their lives. Some of them did it on camera and talked openly about their roles in the so-called standoff. Yet a year later, none of the participants has been arrested and charged with a crime. Clive Bundy still hasn’t satisfied the judgement against him, nor even acknowledged the validity of the claim. In fact, the delusional jackass continues to make idiotic statements to the press and to his fans: > [@](#): > > “At that time the federal government had unlimited power, total control of this area, had it locked away from ‘we the people.’ Myself, I had snipers pointed at me 24 hours a day probably,” he said Saturday. > > “My cattle were being stolen and abused and my range equipment were being destroyed, things like my water troughs and water lines,” said Bundy, his eyes shaded by the brim of a 10-gallon hat. > > “The main thing that was being threatened is our rights: rights to be here, rights to run cattle, rights for the forage. This bouquet … All of these varieties of plants are forage. They’re a renewable resource,” he said. “What I do as a rancher is change this renewable resource into an edible commodity for ‘we the people,’ — you. You look at this as a bouquet. But I look at it as red meat, hamburger, steak. That’s good. That’s what I do, and I do that for American people.” See, he knows that what he does is avail himself of land and resources that belong to the public and that he then sells those resources to people in the form of meat. He just thinks that isn’t stealing or anything he should have to pay for, mostly because of other delusions he has regarding how long his family as been in the area and what that means to anyone who isn’t also named Bundy. Anyway, the rant is beside the point, which is, when do you think Cliven Bundy and/or anyone else involved organizing, promoting or participating in the armed standoff will ever be charged with a crime and arrested? Does anyone think there will be any convictions? I’m starting to think that the Feds are trying to ignore it and hope it goes away or is at least forgotten, but I don’t think it ever will be as it seems to prove that if you have enough people with guns, you can do whatever you want; that lesson isn’t going to be lost on various segments of the populace. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/2 "2015-04-12T22:54:44Z")
Would you be happier if some people had been killed? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/3 "2015-04-12T23:33:27Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Would you be happier if some people had been killed? Do you really think there is no way to bring Bundy and his cohorts to justice without bloodshed? ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/4 "2015-04-12T23:38:50Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Would you be happier if some people had been killed? He’s a thug and criminal. There is no reason why now that the uproar has died down he shouldn’t have been picked up and tried for his crimes. And he he could easily be picked up quickly without any bloodshed. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/5 "2015-04-12T23:40:44Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Do you really think there is no way to bring Bundy and his cohorts to justice without bloodshed? There are lots of ways he could be arrested or induced to give himself up. Many of them less likely to result in bloodshed than rolling out to his place with a lot of badges and guns. His case is interesting to me solely because of the number of people who seem bitterly unhappy that some redneck hicks didn’t get killed that day. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/6 "2015-04-12T23:49:57Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > There are lots of ways he could be arrested or induced to give himself up. Many of them less likely to result in bloodshed than rolling out to his place with a lot of badges and guns. His case is interesting to me solely because of the number of people who seem bitterly unhappy that some redneck hicks didn’t get killed that day. Who here on the SDMB has written something that makes you think that “people who seem bitterly unhappy that some redneck hicks didn’t get killed that day” are present on the board or in this thread such that you felt justified in asking after the OP “Would you be happier if some people had been killed?” ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/7 "2015-04-13T00:03:17Z")
Me? No, I much prefer that everybody, anti-gummint cranks and jack-booted thugs alike, all go home alive and with no extra holes. The cranks pointed guns at the JBTs and the government is electing not to act on it. That is their prerogative. if the cranks hadn’t had guns, would you really give a wet fart about Cliven Bundy and grazing rights? Did you follow the issue before he was part of it? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/8 "2015-04-13T00:05:58Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Would you be happier if some people had been killed? No, but I could see seizing the cows and auctioning them off to pay his fines. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/9 "2015-04-13T00:10:28Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [QUOTE=Cliven Bundy] > Myself, I had snipers pointed at me 24 hours a day probably,” he said Saturday. [/QUOTE] Meh, I’ve had super-intelligent aliens in ever hovering spacecraft hired by the US government with ray-guns pointed at me for 35 hours a day — probably. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/10 "2015-04-13T01:16:34Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > … when do you think Cliven Bundy and/or anyone else involved organizing, promoting or participating in the armed standoff will ever be charged with a crime and arrested? … IMO … This is a no-win tarbaby for the current administration. And will be for any Democratic president. The propaganda negatives, even of a 100% peaceful arrest and prosecution, far exceed the benefits to society. The whole thing will be spun as the leading edge of the Fed’s \*Confiscatin’ our GUNS!!! \*movement and the crazy won’t subside for years. Under a Republican administration there will be an opportunity to deal with Bundy. And spin it as a simple matter of law-and-order. If he’s smart he’ll go back to being a rancher not an internet celebrity. I bet he won’t be smart. He may never be prosecuted for the earlier stand-off. But there will be another provocation for which he will be arrested. So my answer to the “when” question is sometime in year 2 or 3 of the next Republican administration. I won’t speculate on whether that happens in the 2016 election or 2020 or even later. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/11 "2015-04-13T01:57:57Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Who here on the SDMB has written something that makes you think that “people who seem bitterly unhappy that some redneck hicks didn’t get killed that day” are present on the board or in this thread such that you felt justified in asking after the OP “Would you be happier if some people had been killed?” I know that this is a hard thing to remember once you’ve been here a while, but there are people outside this board who have even dumber opinions than we do. 😉 Now would be a good time for an arrest. It’s long before the election and none of his supporters would vote for Hillary, anyway. And if somebody forgot to take away his bootlaces and an unfortunate incident occurred in his cell, well, that would be tragic, wouldn’t it? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/12 "2015-04-13T02:00:40Z")
Yeah, it would. The idea of a government that murders citizens held in custody pleasing to you, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/13 "2015-04-13T02:13:37Z")
> [@Cumberdale](#): > > He’s a thug and criminal. So was George Washington. I don’t remember where I read it, but this has stuck with me. – “One of the quickest ways to get a reputation as a dangerous person is to go around repeating things that the Founding Fathers said.” ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/14 "2015-04-13T02:16:06Z")
I’ll say this about Cliven Bundy: It’s a good thing he didn’t have a taillight out. And tried to run away. And is white. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/15 "2015-04-13T03:03:36Z")
I still fail to understand why they gave him the cattle back. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/16 "2015-04-13T03:06:58Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > So was George Washington. Read about the Whiskey Rebellion, son. George Washington would have been on the side of the feds and would have not let Clive Bundy insinuate the federal government had no authority in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/17 "2015-04-13T03:08:46Z")
Bundy is a nut job. But he does raise an interesting point which is why does the BLM control 66 percent of the state? Nevada and Utah are both mostly under federal control while a tiny percentage of the land east of New Mexico is under federal control. If you look at the map of federally controlled lands in the U.S. it is rather apparent that the western States are screwed compared to the eastern half of the country. I imagine that if ranchers in Texas or farmers in Georgia ran into similar issues you would see a similar response. But probably without the racist idiocy. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/18 "2015-04-13T04:09:27Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > …why does the BLM control 66 percent of the state? Nevada and Utah are both mostly under federal control while a tiny percentage of the land east of New Mexico is under federal control. Here in Nevada, it’s because that was the deal when the Feds agreed to allow a bunch of people to form into the State of Nevada. All the land here was controlled by the federal government long before Nevada was even a pipe dream. And the folks forming up Nevada agreed because statehood was more important than a lot of waterless, inaccessible terrain. ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/19 "2015-04-13T04:33:09Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > But he does raise an interesting point which is why does the BLM control 66 percent of the state? Nevada and Utah are both mostly under federal control while a tiny percentage of the land east of New Mexico is under federal control. If you look at the map of federally controlled lands in the U.S. it is rather apparent that the western States are screwed compared to the eastern half of the country. [Previous thread on the subject](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=720845). The gist is that the land _remains_ in federal control because it is federal land that was never homesteaded – a lot of Nevada and Utah is desert. Another thing to note is that most of the western states were formed out of land that was acquired by the federal government through treaties or purchases – a stark contrast to the way eastern states came to being. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521/20 "2015-04-13T04:37:57Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > Bundy is a nut job. > > But he does raise an interesting point which is why does the BLM control 66 percent of the state? Nevada and Utah are both mostly under federal control while a tiny percentage of the land east of New Mexico is under federal control. If you look at the map of federally controlled lands in the U.S. it is rather apparent that the western States are screwed compared to the eastern half of the country. > > I imagine that if ranchers in Texas or farmers in Georgia ran into similar issues you would see a similar response. But probably without the racist idiocy. > Slee Pretty much all of the land north of Texas and west of the Appalachians used to belong to the feds. The BLM’s predecessors (the General Land Office, for most of the country’s history) sold off this land to anybody who would buy it, and after 1862 anybody who would homestead it. [Texas has a separate land history, courtesy of its status as an independent republic, and the original 13 colonies controlled all of the unclaimed land within their borders at the time the U.S. was founded.] As you get further west, however, the land gets drier and less desirable for farming. By the time you get to Nevada, nobody WANTED to buy or homestead the land before the feds ended homesteading and most sales in 1976, whereas pretty much all of Missouri had been sold to private landowners by the time of the Civil War, and the desirable parts of Kansas were mostly gone by the 1890s. Similarly, the Union Pacific Railroad remains one of the largest private landowners west of the Mississippi because they received enormous amounts of land as part of the Pacific Railway Acts in the 1860s and 70s. The good land in places such as Kansas was snatched up more than a century ago; they’re still trying to peddle dry lands in places such as Nevada. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-cliven-bundy-et-al-be-arrested-by-the-federal-government/717521.md?page=2)