MORE BUNDY

I often receive letters and comments about my blog and I very much appreciate and enjoy the chance to banter with friends and readers. Here is a brief exchange which may help to explain my position.

Hey Judge,

I must respond to your message regarding Mr. Bundy of Nevada.  Over 20 years Mr. Bundy has lost numerous cases in Court regarding his non payment of grazing fees on federal lands.  I'm sure if you or I chose to not pay the federal government our taxes, we certainly would be subject to the consequences of our actions.  Not being a lawyer or judge, I am assuming that the judgments by the courts handed down over the years regarding Mr. Bundy's failure to pay up are lawful and correct.  Therefore, he is subject to the consequences of his actions.

We are a nation of states who have agreed to the federal system of government and who abide by the U S Constitution, a government which Mr. Bundy does not recognize.......how convenient.

As a citizen, not a lawyer, I consider Mr. Bundy a welfare cheat and his time to pay up is well past due.

Respectfully,

Dan Santucci

Dan:

Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I'm afraid my blog dealt with a very fine legal point which is difficult to explain. What I basically said, and believe, is that when a state is admitted to the union it takes jurisdiction over all the territory within its borders, even that which is still owned by the federal government. If the feds want to keep someone off of their land in Nevada they should have to go to the Nevada courts, just like any other owner of land in Nevada. 

The feds see it differently. In their view the land is not in Nevada, it is a separate federal territory like Puerto Rico. That's why they go to federal courts to enforce their rights, and that's why they enforce their rights with guns instead of pursuing a civil remedy like filing a lien against Bundy's property.

TEB