Posted: September 29, 2011 at 12:46 pm

Trampling on Our Rights

This week’s must read is a guest editorial in the Bozeman Chronicle by Blaine County Commissioner Vic Miller. The well-written piece explains how Congressman Rehberg’s federal land grab bill amounts to trampling our rights to declare a police state over Glacier National Park, Indian reservations, and a vast swath of public lands. Commissioner Miller says:

it is exactly the kind of Big Government Montanans don’t tolerate. All of us should be up in arms over the prospect of this bill. It infringes on our constitutional rights in the name of freedom – much like the controversial REAL ID Act. In fact, this bill builds off of REAL ID.

Commissioner Miller knows what he’s talking about, he runs a county on the Hi-Line and deals with border issues as part of his job. Don’t miss the piece on this bill up at Intelligent Discontent either.

8 comments

September 29, 2011 - 3:53 pm Craig Moore

It’s funny how the Dems were silent when Jon Tester supported SA 2523: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/amendment.xpd?session=111&amdt=s2523

SEC. __. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS TO IMPEDE OPERATIONAL CONTROL.

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to impede, prohibit, or restrict activities of the Secretary of Homeland Security on public lands to achieve operational control (as defined in section 2(b) of the Secure Fence Act of 2006 (8 U.S.C. 1701 note; Public Law 109-367) over the international land and maritime borders of the United States.

Nor did Dems protest when Tester said http://gillibrand.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=EF2ED3D8-24BE-4F50-9A31-C2535E3BB424 :

“An investigation that I asked for revealed that Customs and Border Protection has control over just one percent of the northern border. That’s not acceptable. We need to use every effective and affordable tool to do better,” Sen. Tester, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee said. “Folks on the ground in Montana understand the need to bolster border security, to keep our communities safe from illegal drugs, illegal immigration and terrorism.”

Look’s like Dems are only against giving Homeland Security operational control to, in the words of Tester, “…to keep our communities safe from illegal drugs, illegal immigration and terrorism” when a republican steps forward to agree with Tester.
- September 29, 2011 - 4:09 pm rleeh
  
  more evidence…
  of a dime’s worth of difference.
  party matters nicht.
- September 29, 2011 - 4:36 pm Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers
  
  Didn’t Pogie already kick your butt for this type of argument? Why yes, he did. Shall I post it?
  - September 29, 2011 - 5:31 pm Craig Moore
    
    Larry, the issue is about what operational control DHS should have to address the cumbersome mess that presently exists with the several govt agencies. See the GAO report: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d1138.pdf The inability of these agencies to cooperate and work together is the reason for this bill. What’s funny is how Tester voted for HS operational control before he found out R’s were for it too. Now he is against it. See his letter to Napolitano and Gates imploring them to work together and use the best technologies. http://tester.senate.gov/Newsroom/pr_021011_radar.cfm His vote for SA 2523 shows his support for DHS having operation control except, of course, when there are R’s supporting that position.
    
    So it comes down to this: Let the agencies fight over turf or move to create operational command and control efficiencies to, as Tester suggests, “…keep our communities safe from illegal drugs, illegal immigration and terrorism.”
    - September 29, 2011 - 5:52 pm rleeh
      
      last time i saw jon…
      told him i was really thankful for the federales beefing their hi-line presence…
      you know…
      we are all sick as hell of those damn cannuks raiding our women and burning our crops…
      so…
      we can only hope that who pisses in which sink gets lined out for our SAFETY.
- October 2, 2011 - 12:15 pm Ilikewoods
  
  AHHH Craig, who begat the Homeland security in the first place???? wasn’t it the GOP!
September 29, 2011 - 8:43 pm Lynn

Here’s another bill that bearing watching http://www.alternet.org/news/152548/congress_could_pass_a_bill_that_would_giveaway_50_million_acres_of_publicly-owned_wildlands_to_oil%2C_gas_and_mining_companies_
October 3, 2011 - 12:53 pm Publius II

Fascinating how it’s the GOP/Tea(Koch) Party that’s on the path to defund and privatize our NATIONAL Parks and sell ‘em out to the highest corporate bidder someday, and what would TEDDY ROOSEVELT (socialist, liberal!??)say, as he was chief architect of our National Parks, for ALL Americans.