When Harry Reid is committed to something, I'd suggest getting out of his way, because he has no problem smacking down his critics. Right now, everyone seems to be a critic, despite the fact that he's telling the absolute truth about these nutcases hanging around Bundy Ranch.
Appearing on local television Friday, Reid was asked about his remarks the day before where he referred to them as domestic terrorists. When asked by one of the hosts what he meant by that remark, Reid replied, "Just what I said."
Senator Reid tells the truth
The simplicity of his answer took the entire table by surprise, I think, because there were a couple of beats of silence before the other host asked him to expand on his thoughts, which he also did.
Host: Talk to me a little more about that, Senator, in the sense of...what triggered the pullout? I mean, you're obviously privy to intelligence. What was it that they were doing up there that would make you call them domestic terrorists?
Aside: Perhaps it would be good for the press to actually Google the term so they understood the definition before asking such a stupid question.
Reid: The National Cattlemen's Association has a wonderful branch in Nevada. I met with them last week. They pay their taxes. They pay their fees. They follow the law.
Bundy doesn't believe the American government is valid, he believes the United States is a foreign government. He doesn't pay his taxes. He doesn't follow the law. He doesn't pay his fees.
And, if anyone thinks, by any figment of their imagination that what happened up there was just people rallying to someone who was oppressed, 600 people came in. Armed. They had practiced, they had maneuvered, they knew what they were doing. They set up snipers in strategic locations with sniper rifles. They had assault weapons. They had automatic weapons, and they boasted about the fact that they put women and children -- in fact, one retired sheriff from Arizona boasted that he put women and children so they would get hit first.
So. 600 people. If there were ever an example of people who were domestic violent terrorist wannabes, these are the guys and I think that we should call it that way.
We have a situation where I think that it's really untoward. Would it be appropriate where Jim Rogers, owner of this station, got behind in his taxes or had a problem with the Federal Communications Commission to station around here when people tried to collect taxes or to do something that was in keeping with the law and surround this place with armed people? Of course not.
And remember, not only did Bundy do what I just said, there are two valid court orders, a permanent injunction. Get the cattle off the land, pay your fees.
Pants on fire
Senator Reid mentioned the court orders. I went to PACER yesterday and downloaded all of the available court documents. In Bundy's response to the government's renewed request for an injunction and order for him to remove the cattle and pay the fees, he said this:
Text: Plaintiff's assertions that Defendant is violent and is a danger to the public safety are baseless and without foundation and Plaintiff claiming it needs protection from Defendant in some form of super styled Order from this Court is silly and Plaintiff should be sanctioned for trying to prejudice this Court and gaining an unfair advantage with perpetuation of such lies.
There's a "pants on fire" moment for you.
Heller: Patriots and Boy Scouts?
Back to the round table discussion. After Reid finished, the hosts turned to Senator Dean Heller for his thoughts.
Host: Senator Heller, are the Bundy family, are his supporters -- are they domestic terrorists?
Heller: No, I have a very different view --
Reid: No one called Bundys a domestic terrorist. I said the people that came there were.
Heller: What Senator Reid may call domestic terrorists, I call patriots. We have a very different view and I --
Reid: No and I said, if these people think they're patriots, they're not. I use that word typically. If they're patriots, we're in big trouble.
Heller: Well, it's a pretty broad brush, when you have the Boy Scouts there, you have veterans at the event, you have grandparents at the event. And these are people that as long as they're not promoting violence, in my opinion --
Reid: Promoting violence? Sniper rifles. Talk to Sheriff Gillespie. Automatic weapons. That's grandmothers? That's Boy Scouts? I hope not, because we've got a lot of problems with Boy Scouts and whether they can have gay leaders.
Yes, that reference to gay leaders was a bit of a non-sequitur. Not sure where that came from. Back to the discussion.
Who's the paramilitary threat, again?
Heller: I take more issues with BLM coming in with a paramilitary army of individuals with snipers. And I'm talking to people with groups that were there, at the event, and to have your own government with sniper lenses on you -- it made a lot of people very uncomfortable.
A picture is worth a thousand words, Senator Heller. Here's one for you:
You suppose that might have made the BLM folks a bit uncomfortable? There's video, there's pictures, there are live broadcasts, and so you can just save the whining over government agents doing government agency jobs at risk to their own life for someone dumber than we are, Senator Heller.
Perhaps Senator Heller was ‘inartful’ using the term Paramilitary, but the word usually means an organization the structure, training , culture, and function of which is similar to the military, but is NOT considered a part of a state or federal military branch. So, who has gathered a “paramilitary army of people?” From the photographs of the scene the honors appear to go to Mr. Bundy.
But, Senator Heller is disturbed that people have their own government with sniper lens on them. It makes them uncomfortable. At the risk of flippancy, when is it acceptable to have those who have broken the law for 20 years feel “comfortable?”
The radical right gives every appearance of wanting another drama — another Ruby Ridge, — another Waco, — another armed confrontation with authority, especially federal authority. Senator Heller’s unfortunate use of the word “Patriot” offers sustenance to the fantasies of the radical right wing which feeds on these scenarios, and revels in the scripted Hollywood versions like Red Dawn.
They're just warming up
Indeed. They are not patriots. They are seditious anarchists who are threatening all of us with acts of violence, and just in time for the planned May 16th "American Spring" assault on Washington, DC, where they plan to march on the White House in numbers too great to subdue in order to force the President to step down so Ted Cruz can take his place.
Two weeks ago, I laughed at this. Now? Not so much, nor do I believe for one bloody minute that they will leave their weapons at home. I think they plan to provoke authorities in order to make martyrs.
Tea Party Nation's Judson Phillips sent this out in an email blast last week:
I love the notion that Cliven Bundy lives in Bunkerville. It reminded me of Bunker Hill and you know how badly that eventually turned out for the British in 1775. What ensued was a guerrilla war led by George Washington that defeated the most powerful nation of its time. There is no way a militia with small arms can defeat the kind of arms the U.S. government can bring to bear on such a battle, but one has to admire the courage of those people who showed up to confront them. That’s quintessentially American!
[...]
All tyrannies over-reach at some point and we are seeing that occur in the White House. The nation is fortunate to have the House controlled by Republicans and now needs a Senate as well in order to dispense some much needed justice on behalf of Americans.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the White House responds to the May 16th “Operation American Spring” being organized to bring a million or more to Washington, D.C. to participate in an event that will demonstrate the breadth of the unhappiness that has spread since Obama’s first election and is gaining momentum since his second.
From their rules of engagement:
No weapons, no ammunition: The Communist forces that control Washington DC do not recognize the 2nd Amendment and have banned all weapons and ammunition from the district. Do not give them the opportunity to arrest you and prosecute you. Leave your guns and ammo within the safe proximity of a free state. When the government is changed constitutionally so will the laws in Washington DC when we return our country back to a republic that recognizes the constitution. Bring Bibles and constitutions. Of course your 2nd Amendment Rights are God given and no man can disarm you but at this point we must follow the rules laid out by the Communists until we vote them out of office. You do have a right to self defense.
That's right, kids. We're all a bunch of commies. But they're still domestic terrorists.
