Bloody Bundy

Back in April, one "outlaw cowboy" in Bunkerville decided to wage a "Range War" against the federal government. So he gathered an army of fellow "outlaw cowboys" to point guns at federal agents and back up traffic on The 15. And the rest is history...

Except it's also still happening. Over the weekend, the Southern Poverty Law Center checked in on "The Bundy Files" and uncovered no legal action against Cliven Bundy or any of his accomplices. Neither the feds nor local authorities have stepped up as of yet, though both claim investigations are still underway.

So now, Bundy is enjoying the celebrity life as he accepts speaking engagements, media interviews, and even invitations to appear in campaign ads. Yep, he's actually going there.



Never mind he and his cohort pointed guns at federal agents. Never mind he's still palling around with his buddies in the sovereign citizen gang and the Patriot Movement. And never mind that he still owes the feds over $1,000,000 in back owed taxes and fines while he continues to trespass on federally owned land.

For now, let's return to Bundy's "sovereign" and "patriot themed" buddies. Remember them? They just have an extensive history of resorting to whatever means necessary to overthrow our duly elected government.



Remember when #BundyRanch was not just trending on Twitter, but was also attracting "sovereign" warriors from across the nation? One of them happened to be one Jerad Miller. Remember him? He & his wife just shot two Metro Police Officers and a third victim dead before they shot themselves to "start the revolution".



Even before #BundyRanch exploded onto the national media's radar, "sovereign citizen" inspired criminal activity was on the rise. But since Cliven Bundy has taken to the national stage to legitimize this fringe "movement", we've been witnessing even more "sovereign" activity across the nation.

Last month, a sniper opened fire on a Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Pike County. Trooper Alex Douglass was critically injured in the attack. Corporal Byron Dickson was shot dead.

Investigators soon found an abandoned Jeep Cherokee nearby containing the Social Security card belonging to Eric Frein. The Jeep was then traced to Frein's parents. Eric Frein is now the sole suspect in this attack. Pennsylvania State Police is in an active manhunt for Frein, and the FBI recently added Frein to its "Ten Most Wanted" list.



Surprise, surprise, Eric Frein is a "sovereign citizen". Who could have guessed another one would attack law enforcement?

Yet even though they deny their role in promoting him, a slew of prominent Nevada Republicans refuse to actually condemn Cliven Bundy's free range lawlessness. And because calling this what it is has somehow become "controversial", the federal response has been awfully slow... Perhaps too slow.

And so for the time being, we're stuck with the Bundy Family Circus. And no, we're not laughing.

Disconnect

Violence and turmoil erupted again last night. This time, tear gas was used. Rocks were thrown. (More) Journalists were arrested. And Ferguson endured its most brutal night of conflict yet.

Ferguson has become a flashpoint in the growing conflict over police brutality, ongoing economic injustice, and institutionalized racism. But for G-O-TEA media pundits, this is just another chance for them to peddle conspiracy theories and inflammatory rhetoric.



Apparently, they haven't paid close enough attention to what's happening in Ferguson. While police continue to attack both protesters and journalists, most of the protesters have been dissenting peacefully. Oh, and they've also been cleaning up the street every morning. That's certainly something we typically don't hear from G-O-TEA media spinners decrying the "lawlessness" of Ferguson.



Even CNN's Don Lemon had to experience firsthand the reality of what's happening there.



This unrest first erupted because of public anger over the murder "good police work" of Michael Brown. Yet instead of answering questions and allowing for any kind of justice, police have added fuel to the fire by unleashing so much brutal force on both protesters and reporters. And now they're wondering why Ferguson is so tense and why a few demonstators have turned to rocks and Molotov cocktails to fight back.

Now don't get us wrong, we never condone violence. Two wrongs never make a right. No one should be celebrating the suffering of real human beings. So why don't Ferguson city officials and their G-O-TEA media apologists understand this?

Ironically, these very G-O-TEA media spinners were condemning local and federal law enforcement here in Nevada when they were trying to simply enforce the law in Bunkerville. When Cliven Bundy and his Patriot Movement militia buddies were engaging in armed conflict against federal agents, G-O-TEA politicians & pundits were praising them as "freedom fighters". Yet when a very large majority of protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, demonstrate against the wrongful execution of an innocent man, they're demanding water cannons and condemning voter registration drives.

Does anyone else notice the disconnect here? We wonder what may be causing this logical disconnect. We wonder why they're describing something that's far different from what the rest of us are actually seeing there. And we wonder why they're condemning protests that are less violent than the protests they championed on live TV 24/7 just four months ago. Why are we seeing this disconnect?

Anything But Glamorous

It seems like an eternity ago. Once upon a time, Cliven Bundy was a nationwide G-O-TEA celebrity. G-O-TEA politicians from across the nation (and some nearby Nevada communities) rushed to Bundy's defense, regardless of what the law had to say about Bundy's "Range War".

But then, Cliven Bundy opened his mouth... And some incredibly racist s**t flowed out. And all of a sudden, G-O-TEA celebrities no longer wanted to talk about Cliven Bundy. But then again, they also didn't want to talk about the armed madness he and his fellow "outlaw cowboys" have wreaked upon the Virgin Valley.

They won't be able to avoid the Bundy Gang forever. Even though Cliven & Carol Bundy have left the Republican Party (to join Janine Hansen's party), their "outlaw cowboy fan club" has returned to GoFundMe to collect more wingnut welfare "request funding for a feature length documentary". We can't make this stuff up.

It's nice to see that the Bundys are having so much fun with their "cute little armed insurrection". Perhaps they thought that since the NRA is jumping into the entertainment industry, #BundyRanch might as well "go Hollywood" as well. Yet while the NRA & the Bundys are glamorizing their "gun culture", others are seeing a different side of their "gun culture". People like Richard Martinez are seeing a far more dangerous side, one that the NRA & Bundy Gang prefer that we not discuss.



What happened in Isla Vista last Friday was not a game. What Elliot Rodger did was not "entertaining". And gun violence is anything but "glamorous".

It's painful. It's lethal. It's most certainly sorrowful. But really, it's anything but glamorous.

Public Service

Let's just say his district has been through a lot lately. Nevada's 4th Congressional District has only existed since 2012, yet it's now becoming famous across the nation. But sadly, that fame is at least partially due to Cliven Bundy and his merry gang of "outlaw cowboys".

Last week, the Bundy Gang again made news when they descended into total armed madness. Think "Lord of the Flies: Nevada Edition". They threatened each other. And they've been wreaking havoc throughout the Virgin Valley.

Law abiding residents there have had enough of the armed madness. And so has their Member of Congress, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas). He addressed the Clark County Democratic Party Convention on Saturday... And didn't hold back when he mentioned the #BundyRanch fiasco that's still plaguing his constituents.







And he didn't stop there. Rep. Steven Horsford has been working on a number of critical issues since arriving in Washington 16 months ago. And he hasn't let anything stopped his work, not even #BundyRanch.

On Saturday, Rep. Horsford also talked about what he wants to accomplish in Congress. And yes, this means he wants Congress to start accomplishing good, meaningful things again.



Rep. Horsford hasn't forgotten why he was elected to Congress in the first place. It's about public service. It's about serving the people. It's about serving the community.



Nevada's 4th Congressional District has only existed since 2012. And Steven Horsford has only been in Congress since 2013. But already, he's making his mark on Capitol Hill. And he wants his constituents to know he hasn't forgotten why they sent him to Congress in the first place.

It's about public service. And even during these trying times for Nevada's 4th Congressional District, Rep. Horsford refuses to let up on doing his job.

Real Life Nightmare

Yep, we had spoken too soon. Cliven Bundy and his merry gang of "outlaw cowboys" have found their way back onto national media. They're still brazenly violating all sorts of laws. And now, they're threatening local residents of Bunkerville & Mesquite.

Once again, Rep. Steven Horsford is asking law enforcement to listen to his law abiding constituents in the Virgin Valley and kick out the law violating militia groups. He even went on national TV again last night to plead his constituents' case.



Even though Sean Hannity has moved on to praise a convicted murderer (??!!) and other national G-O-TEA media personalities have found something else to harp about, Mesquite & Bunkerville residents are still being annoyed & harassed by the imported #BundyRanch militia. And the Bundy Gang still refuse to let up. Instead, they're now threatening local media that are not reporting #BundyRanch stories to their liking!

Oh, and the Bundy Gang now want to stage protests at Metro Police's Downtown Las Vegas headquarters because they still want Metro to arrest BLM agents... For trying to enforce the law! Seriously, we can't make this stuff up.

Sometimes we're tempted to simply point & laugh at the insani-TEA run amok at #BundyRanch. But sadly, this insani-TEA is not some harmless political #FAIL. Yes, the politics of this has boomeranged to the point of backfiring on the very local & national G-O-TEA politicians who were hoping to play this "SCANDAL!!!" to their political advantage. However, this is no longer simply a harmless political circus.

This hot mess has come to adversely affect the day-to-day life of the Virgin Valley. People are canceling their trips to Mesquite. They're worried about their kids going to school in Bunkerville. They're even calling Metro just to make sure the 15 Freeway is safe to drive on.

This has gone way out of hand. #BundyRanch may be the NRA's wet dream come true, but it's a real life nightmare for us here in Southern Nevada. And we just want this real life nightmare to come to an end already.