On MSNBC, Schultz and Schweitzer Raise Concerns about Direction of Western 'Revolt'
MSNBCâs Ed Schultz hosted former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Monday night to discuss the growing ârevoltâ over federal land use policies in Western states, embodied in the at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada. Schweitzer has deep experience with contentious land use issues and dealing with federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
As Schultz pointed out, antigovernment animus â rife with extremist ââ and militiamen, as well as ample weaponry â appears to be building. Just last week in Utah, a BLM livestock wrangler was on Interstate 15, and protesters â including two Bundy sons â intentionally on motorized vehicles in a natural area, put in place to protect nearby archaeological sites.
Schultz blamed the rise on right-wing media: âWe all know where this antigovernment sentiment started, donât we?â
Schweitzer, who has had plenty of experience in dealing with âPatriotâ extremists in his own state, including , was particularly scathing in his assessment of the motivations of the people involved in the ârevoltâ:
SCHWEITZER: And now this bunch, this Cliven Bundy bunch, coming over from Nevada giving advice to people in Utah on how to deal with the BLM? My God, thatâs like the Aryan Nations giving advice to Donald Sterling. This bunch, the Bundy bunch are grifters, they havenât paid their fees, they havenât cooperated with the federal government, they say they donât even recognize the United States government. And these Tea Party, militia Foxtrotters, theyâre a bunch of neâer-do-wells â they arenât ranchers, they arenât loggers, they arenât people who have legitimate businesses on the land. You wouldnât get ranchers to stand next to Bundy. And people who are in the mining business, and the oil and gas business on federal land, they wouldnât stand next to these people because they make a living on that land, and they listen to the rule of the land.
Schultz pointed out that the fanatical behavior of the âPatriotsâ raised real concerns about the rule of law: âSo now we have got government officials in this country wondering, âWhat do we do if we go out and try to enforce the law, and people are openly armed with assault weapons?ââ
âNo one knows where this is going to end,â he added. âAnd no one knows how itâs going to end. And itâs kinda scary. It has the roots of a movement that wonât end really peacefully. I hate to say that. But this is how it goes, isnât it?â
That was the conundrum he presented to Schweitzer: âAre we now seeing a culture develop in America: âWell, you can go ahead and do what you want, weâll just decide which law we are going to uphold?ââ
Schweitzer agreed that it was a real concern. âWe are a land that has rule of law,â he observed. âWeâre not Yemen. Weâre not Somalia. Weâre a land that has laws. And we all have to follow those laws. We donât get to decide which ones weâre going to follow and which ones we donât. Thatâs what a civilized society does.â
Schweitzer also said he was glad the people who had pointed weapons at federal agents during the Bundy standoff in Nevada on April 12: âIf you point a gun at law enforcement or federal officials, you should have no expectation of this ending good for you,â he said.