Bundy Ranch: Ron Paul Says ‘Waco’ Scenario Still Possible, Federal Land Comprises 81 Percent Of Nevada

Agents from the Bureau of Land Management vacated the Bunkerville area of Clark County around the Bundy ranch, but Ron Paul fears that the federal government is not done with Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy just yet. Due to the large amount of land the BLM oversees for the federal government in the state, Paul is worried that a Waco-like scenario could still unfold.

The United States government owns approximately 81 percent of the land in Nevada, a percentage which is a matter of growing concern for both ranchers and farmers in the state. While Paul is happy that the standoff between the BLM and Cliven Bundy ended peacefully, he is concerned that the federal agency will return to Bunkerville with a much larger force.

“Governments don’t give up their power that easily, and they may well come back with a lot more force like they did at Waco with the Davidians,” Paul told Neil Cavuto on Fox News.

Ron Paul blamed the controversy primarily on the fact that so much of Nevada is owned by the federal government.

“When they own most of these states in the West, everybody owns it and nobody owns it,” the former presidential candidate added.

Poet-rancher Waddie Mitchell told Newsmax TV that the amount of federal land in Western states has become “untenable.”

“To have the federal government own 87 percent of the land mass in the state kind of makes them almost monarchs, doesn’t it? When did we decide to arm and have Taser guns on land managers that they’re now calling federal agents? They call them federal agents at Waco, they call them federal agents during the McCarthy era, they called them federal agents during the Waco crisis, these [same] federal agents are very willing to Tase people, strong-arm them, and steal their personal property for their own gains, which has been set up and not really for the public good.”

The federal land in Nevada statistics quoted by Mitchell are often cited when referencing the amount of “public lands” in the state, but the Congressional Research Service puts the figure closer to the 81 percent mark. Regardless of the few percentage points of difference, the federal land holdings in the state are still the highest ratio in the country.

A report about federal land ownership in the West published by The Washington Post in October noted that the US government holds the deed to 52 percent of the land in the region. Mitchell is a staunch opponent of the encroachment of property rights by the government, pointing to the violent tragedies in Waco and Ruby Ridge to illustrate his point. Mitchell, like Cliven Bundy and Texas rancher Tommy Henderson, has butted heads with the Bureau of Land Management. After using a trail on federal lands which runs between two parcels of property which his family owns for many years, the BLM shut down the road, preventing Mitchell from accessing his land.

The poet-rancher’s concerns about government intrusion on states’ rights and property rights are also often touted by folks concerned about Agenda 21. The Agenda 21 United Nations program is a voluntary, non-binding action plan which is allegedly focused solely on sustainable development. Adopted by 178 countries in 1992, the plan is based upon a program to abolish poverty and protect “fragile environments” by “properly” managing cities. Some charge the program wants to push all citizens into cities.

America is a “signatory” country to Agenda 21. Since the plan is a non-binding statement and not a treaty, a vote on the matter was deemed unnecessary. In the United States, more than 500 major- and moderate-sized cities are members of an international sustainability organization that reportedly supports the implementation of Agenda 21.

The impact Agenda 21 could have on the very foundation of America is immense, yet the bulk of society knows little to nothing about the United Nations plan. One survey by the American Planning Association showed that 85 percent of Americans said they didn’t know enough information about Agenda 21 to form an opinion. Rosa Koire, the executive director of the group, also authored Behind The Green Mask: UN Agenda 21 to further educate Americans about the United Nations’ plan.

Does is concern you that the federal government owns so much land in the West and other significant portions of states elsewhere in the country?

[Featured and Bundy ranch images via: Bundy ranch Facebook page/ Agenda 21 map via: Fellowship of the Minds]