Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Short History of the Sagebrush Rebellion and Nevadas Assault on Wild Horses (and Burros)

Prior to the federal partisan-R take over by Sagebrush rebellion/post passage of the 1971 Act, the budget was about 12 millions dollars for the BLM WH program. These ranchers (sagebrush rebels headed by NV State Senator Dean Rhoads, a BLM permittee, and his rural buddies) tried to squeeze that out as well, hoping that they would be able to take over the management (attack and destroy) of America's wild horses-burros as the State (rural counties, etc) could manage their perceived problems much more efficiently, etc. (Yeah...slaughter). Once cowboy Bush took over, the budget gradually increased for massive irresponsible illegal roundups (on-going). Former NV U.S. congressman Jim Gibbons-R sponsored a committee hearing (invitation only-Dean Rhoads-R, NV John Ensign-R, Tony Lesperance-R, etc.) on 7-13-1998 in Reno for the purpose of repealing/gutting the 1971 WHB Act. Subsequently NV Governor Jim Gibbons (soon to be EX) who was NV U.S. Congressman at one time introduced into the 106th Congress his special interest bill H.R. 2874 to amend the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to provide for delegation to STATES (i.e. NDA, public lands ranchers/commissioners, etc) of the powers and duties under that Act regarding management of wild free-roaming horses and burros, and for OTHER PURPOSES (?) into the House of Representatives on 9-15-1999. Gibbons' co-conspirator was Hansen of Utah. Then NV State Senator Dina Titus-D went to D.C. and testified against it! Gibbons treated her rudely (his MO toward women). The Bill failed. BUT THEN Nevada wrote their own Wild Horse-Burros Management Plan (Cathy Barcomb was part of this) that was contrary (illegal) to federal law but became the law of the Nevada land to manage WHBs. Then the sagebrush rebels introduced NV S.B. 486 as an amendment to NRS 561.045 to change the NRS language from wild horses to FERAL LIVESTOCK in 2003 (5-5-2003). I testified against this bill to no avail. A done political deal. THUS between the NDA, BLM and the Nevada ranchers, it gave these rogue authorities to illegal power to treat America's wild horses-burros as FERAL LIVESTOCK or even "estrays" and off to auction/slaughter they go!!!! December 2004 Harry Reid/Conrad Burns "rider" that gutted the 1971 Federal Act, etc.

Over the years, this scam and plot against America's wild horses-burros and take over of OUR public lands as their private lands (and now water) has been well orchestrated and carried out by these corporate greedy thugs...what has and is happening to America's wild horses-burros is ditto as to what is happening to our country now by this same greedy and selfish faction. It’s an ugly and evil story that our WHB have endured. And Obama is doing nothing to help.

B.Kelly
Carson City NV

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