Truths behind the Bundy situation

By John Esperian, Las Vegas

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 | 2:01 a.m.

Perhaps I don’t see the situation between Cliven Bundy, his armed militia supporters and the Bureau of Land Management as clearly as others —but some truths poke through, i.e., Bundy has not paid taxes imposed on his use of public land for private grazing rights, and Bundy and the militia men and women apparently feel that they are above the law.

The most disturbing part of this confrontation is the message that it sends, namely that the U.S. government is the enemy, not to be trusted, and that the best way to deal with it is through a shooting gallery rather than civil courts. The truth is, if indeed “might makes right,” the self-important militia cowboys wouldn’t get very far if it came to “protecting civil rights” through warfare with any agency of the U.S.

Finally, what kind of example does the armed swaggering in defiance of the law set for anyone old enough to read and hear the news? Unfortunately, that it’s OK to ignore the law when it becomes inconvenient to live by it. The Bundy episode is not so much about “bleeding heart environmentalists” as it is about carrying the heavy burden of responsibility that goes along with being an American.