Bundy's Box

There's a reason why we've been talking about it. It's something we should really take seriously.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has just released a new report, War in the West, detailing why. When Jerad & Amanda Miller opened fire at a CiCi's Pizza and a Walmart in the Northeast Las Vegas Valley last month, we knew it didn't come from nowhere. When they proclaimed their murderous rampage the "start of the revolution", we could sense exactly where this came from.

In April, Cliven Bundy declared his "Range War" against federal law. And once he declared war, he summoned "Patriot Movement"/"sovereign citizens" from across the nation to help him fight this "Range War". Yet when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) warned of the dangers of the escalating armed conflict in & around Bunkerville, plenty of politicians & pundits (especially those of the "TEA" tinged variety) condemned Senator Reid for his "poor choice of words".



While "TEA" flavored politicians and pundits were attacking Senator Reid for refusing to mince words, Jerad & Amanda Miller wanted to spread the #BundyRanch "revolution" elsewhere. They shared the same extreme anti-government ideology as the Bundy family. Yet unlike the Bundys, the Millers weren't afraid of spreading the "revolution" into Las Vegas. So they walked into a pizza place and opened fire on 2 Metro Police Officers.



They weren't alone in their "revolutionary" fervor. Even before #BundyRanch dominated cable TV in April, radical right militia groups were on the rise. The "Patriot Movement" has roots going all the way back to resistance to post Civil War Reconstruction in the 1870s. The "Posse Comitatus" movement sprang from the ashes of that resistance nearly 100 years later, after the contemporary civil rights movement scored key legislative and judicial victories. And in 1995, this movement seemed to reach its pinnacle when Timothy McVeigh and his "Patriot" cohorts bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

But after the onset of "The Great Recession" and the first election of President Obama in 2008, the "Patriot Movement" and other anti-government militia groups made a major comeback. And while the "Patriot Movement" has "rebranded" itself in recent years, it hasn't actually strayed from its xenophobic roots.



Just take a look at the current revitalization of the anti-immigrant militia movement. They're trying to take advantage of the Central American refugee crisis and claim this "invasion" is grounds for "war". Last week, Jim Gilchrist called for the revival of the very Minutemen Project that spawned the likes of Shawna Forde & JT Ready. And now, several "Patriot Movement" leaders are calling for armed patrols of the US-Mexico Border.



While their "call to arms" in South Texas has gone mostly unheeded as of late, this may only be the calm before the storm. After all, it looked like #BundyRanch quieted down in late April. Many didn't realize the "Range War" was only the beginning.

When a number of G-O-TEA politicians and media personalities rallied around Cliven Bundy and his "Range War", they either didn't realize or didn't care to acknowledge that they were endorsing something awfully frightening. And when the Bundy family decided to bring these "Patriot Movement" acolytes into Southern Nevada, they didn't care to think about the danger they were importing here and the extreme ideology of violence they were embracing.

Like Pandora, they have opened this box full of evil. That's the reason why we continue to talk about it. This is something we must take seriously.

War Games

We witnessed yet another one yesterday. And it came right on the heels of another one in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

This time, it happened at a campground near Nevada City, California, and Lake Tahoe. Brent Douglas Cole opened fire on a BLM ranger and California Highway Patrol officer. Both the BLM ranger and Cole had to be hospitalized for their injuries.



Brent Douglas Cole considered himself a "sovereign citizen". Remember the "sovereign citizen movement"? We've been seeing it on full display here lately.



Cliven Bundy and his gang of "outlaw cowboys" may view their armed madness "Range War" as just good old fashioned "fun & games", but "revolutionaries" like Jerad & Amanda Miller took this far more seriously. They viewed it as war games.

Before he finally attained the violent showdown he desired, Jerad Miller had taken to radical conspiracy web sites to discuss important issues... Like killing police officers. Who could have guessed?

And now, we have the Nevada City incident. And we have the Kalamazoo incident. And we have the Cumming courthouse shooting. And we have a possible Portland murder. And we have this ongoing affair in Montana.



These war games may seem comical at times. They often look farcical to those of us who operate in civilized society. But when certain elected officials bestow a shroud of legitimacy upon a "movement" built on criminality, terrible consequences ensue. After all, war is hell. And these games they're playing aren't for fun.

Do Over

Last year, he had been considered the Democrat least likely to vote for any gun safety legislation. But then, Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) eventually backed a very modest background checks package. And the NRA still conspired to kill it.

But now, he's back. He wants to try expanding background checks again. And he's not alone.

After all, Senator Manchin wasn't the only Senate Democrat who evolved on gun violence. So did Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In fact, he went further, way beyond a mere milquetoast background checks compromise. But now, he may be ready to try for those mere milquetoast background checks again.



So what's happened since then? Sunday, for one. Jerad Miller was able to access firearms despite his felony convictions. And now, three innocent people are dead.

What's also happened since then? Well, we've just experienced 74 more school shootings since Newtown. Troutdale just happened to be #74. We don't remember which number Sparks Middle School is.

What else has happened since then? More extremism. More senseless tragedies. More family losses. And even more blood shed.

Now, the only question is: What's changed on Capitol Hill since then? Has Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA) grown a spine yet? Hell, has he sorted out his relationship with Cliven Bundy yet?

We shall find out soon. Last year, Congress put on one of the worst sh*tshows in American history (actually, one of several). Now, they have a chance at a do-over. Will they take it? Or will we have to endure 74 more unnecessary and horrifically bloody tragedies?

How Should a Patriot Act?

Remember this? Back in April, both of Nevada's US Senators appeared on KSNV/News 3's "What's Your Point?". Both were asked about #BundyRanch. Yet while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) refused to mince words regarding the Cliven Bundy fiasco. Senator Dean Heller (R), on the other hand, celebrated the Bundy Gang as "patriots".



Senator Heller was partially correct. They're anything but real patriots, since they seek to undermine the very foundation of this nation. However, many of the Bundy Crew happen to be part of the radical right, xenophobic, anti-government "Patriot Movement". We suspect this wasn't what Senator Heller intended to say...

But he ultimately, though accidentally, gave more credence to what Senator Reid was saying. We, Senator Reid, Rachel Maddow, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and a few others tried to warn the #BundyRanch cheerleaders of what they were so eagerly jumping into. The "Patriot Movement" is anything but patriotic, and it's certainly anything but nonviolent and well-intentioned.

On Sunday, Metro Officers Alyn Beck & Igor Soldo were taking their lunch break at the CiCi's Pizza at Nellis & Stewart. It was supposed to be a normal Sunday on the beat. They didn't know this would be their last day on earth. They didn't know they were being targeted by "Patriot Movement" followers Jerad & Amanda Miller. They didn't know they were about to become bloody "sacrifices" for "the start of the revolution".



The Millers proclaimed their act of terror as "the start of the revolution". It's not as if they just thought this up on their own. It's not as if this originated from a vacuum. It's not as if no one noticed what they were saying on Facebook. And it's not as if they were the only "Patriot Movement" figures to threaten violence. (The Millers just happened to follow through on their threats.)

In April, Senator Heller proudly proclaimed all the #BundyRanch agitators to be "patriots". Even though his own staff had briefed him on the severity of what was going down in Bunkerville, he nonetheless endorsed their actions.



And now, two Metro officers and another victim are dead. They're dead because two "Patriot Movement" fans wanted "the start of the revolution". They're dead because Jerad & Amanda Miller had a very disgusting, distorted, and disturbing definition of "patriot". And they're dead because Jerad Miller was able to obtain firearms despite his felony convictions.

In April, the usual G-O-TEA suspects lambasted Senator Reid for daring to speak the truth about the dangerous characters swirling around #BundyRanch. And they cheered Senator Heller when he called them "patriots". What a difference two months can make.

Full Circle

Last Friday, a normally sleepy Georgia town on the outskirts of Greater Atlanta was rocked by shocking violence. In Cumming, Georgia, a shootout occurred when a man tried to carry an AR-15 assault weapon and explosives into the Forsyth County Courthouse.



Dennis Marx was due to appear in the Forsyth County Courthouse last Friday to answer to his marijuana and weapons charges. He also had a running law suit against Forsyth County, as he claimed the county violated his civil rights. Dennis Marx was also part of the "Sovereign Citizen/Patriot Movement".

Remember them? They're the ones who rushed to the aid of Cliven Bundy when he declared a "Range War" against the federal government. And they're the ones with a storied history of breeding terrorists who have committed some of the worst crimes this nation has ever seen.

Jerad & Amanda Miller were also part of the "Patriot Movement". White supremacist paraphernalia were found at their apartment yesterday. Jerad & Amanda Miller opened fire at the CiCi's Pizza and Walmart in the Northeast Las Vegas Valley yesterday. They shot two Metro officers dead before shooting someone else dead in Walmart and ultimately killing themselves.



Jerad & Amanda Miller had boasted to their neighbors about their involvement in #BundyRanch. Reno area NBC affiliate KRNV even interviewed Miller in Bunkerville back in April.



We can't help but wonder what Senator Dean Heller (R), Governor Brian Sandoval (R), Assembly Member & NV-04 candidate Cresent Hardy (R), Assembly Member Michele Fiore (R), and other G-O-TEA politicians who had so merrily jumped on the #BundyRanch bandwagon nearly two months ago are thinking now. Do they regret what they said then? Are they embarrassed over their endorsement of what's turned out to be a collection of fringe extremists, some of whom haven't hesitated to resort to violence?

Of course, these are also the same G-O-TEA politicians who have boasted of being "what stood in the way" of legislation that could have prevented criminals like Jerad Miller & Dennis Marx from obtaining firearms. Might they be rethinking this as well? Is that "A rating" from the NRA truly worth more than actual human lives?

Sadly, the #BundyRanch saga has come full circle. Two months ago, a ragtag group of fringe extremists threatened violence against the federal government for daring to enforce the law. A month ago, they began fighting each other and scaring an entire community. And now, some of those threats have actually materialized here in the Las Vegas Valley. Why didn't our "leaders" take these threats seriously before yesterday?