Does Anyone Else Find This Rather Ominous?

 

Senator Harry Reid at a Las Vegas Review-Journal event had some interesting statements to make regarding recent events at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada.

“They’re nothing more than domestic terrorists, I repeat: what happened there was domestic terrorism….There were hundreds, hundreds of people from around the country that came there,” Reid said. “They had sniper rifles in the freeway. They had weapons, automatic weapons. They had children lined up. They wanted to make sure they got hurt first … What if others tried the same thing?”

Mention was also made of a federal task force being organized all though no details were provided regarding that.

This type of attitude seems all but guaranteed to escalate matters.

Published in General
Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 45 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Guruforhire Inactive
    Guruforhire
    @Guruforhire

    Domestic terrorism?  Really?  This was a good old fashioned peasant revolt.  Now they want to get all boston massacre-y?

    Yeah, thats going to look good in the ol history books.

    • #1
  2. Severely Ltd. Inactive
    Severely Ltd.
    @SeverelyLtd

    Where did the line about kids being lined up come from? I got my news online and didn’t see any television. Were there kids even there?

    • #2
  3. Pencilvania Inactive
    Pencilvania
    @Pencilvania

    I too was looking for signs of children being there, hoping nobody stooped to that – anybody see a reference or photo?  That is usually a labor union or pro-abortion tactic, putting kids on the front line of a protest, holding tasteless signs written by their unfit parents.

    • #3
  4. Suzanne Temple Inactive
    Suzanne Temple
    @SuzanneTemple

    I wonder if that’s how those on the far left see gun owners: one American with a gun is a killer-to-be. Lots of Americans with guns must be terrorists.

    • #4
  5. Roberto Inactive
    Roberto
    @Roberto

    It’s a fairly large group, I don’t notice any children myself but it’s certainly possible there are a few somewhere in that crowd.

    Edit: Ugh image didn’t work, link here: 

    http://lonelyconservative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Bundy-Ranch.png

    • #5
  6. Roberto Inactive
    Roberto
    @Roberto

    This short video of the confrontation is also rather informative, gripping even. 

    I see no children, however it is rather short and comes from the InfoWars folks so a grain of salt is definitely needed. 

    http://intellihub.com/bundy-ranch-standoff-video-media-doesent-want-see/

    • #6
  7. Klaatu Inactive
    Klaatu
    @Klaatu

    Sniper rifles?  I guess to Harry Reid any hunting rifle with a scope is a sniper rifle.

    • #7
  8. user_82762 Inactive
    user_82762
    @JamesGawron

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    I have read the accounts and watched the videos.  I think it is time to stop focusing on the Bundys and start focusing on Harry Reid.  If the Turtle data was falsified and used to suppress the price of Land from $3500 an acre to $500 an acre then sold to a Chinese investor through a firm controlled by Reid’s son all of which was orchestrated by Reid’s Senate power, it is time for Reid to be exposed and brought down.

    The cry in Nevada needs to go beyond ‘don’t tread on me’ and become “Impeach Harry Reid”.  I’m glad Senator Rand Paul is on the job about the NSA but I am afraid protecting us against possible future abuse is not as important as defending Americans against immediate ongoing abuse.  Someone needs to get Rand into this fight.

    The Solar idea is as bankrupt as Solyndra but this corruption happens over the dead bodies of honest ranchers.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #8
  9. Carey J. Inactive
    Carey J.
    @CareyJ

    Klaatu:

    Sniper rifles? I guess to Harry Reid any hunting rifle with a scope is a sniper rifle.

    This sort of attitude among government officials is why some of us are leery about domestic surveillance programs. If the people running the government have such a “broad” definition of the term “terrorist”, I don’t expect them to show much respect for privacy laws or the Constitution. If anybody who stands up against government tyranny is a terrorist, then their political opponents are terrorists or terrorist supporters, and therefore should be spied on.

    • #9
  10. captainpower Inactive
    captainpower
    @captainpower

    @JamesGawron

    Not sure if you saw this one yet, but it seems to dispute the Harry Reid + Chinese angle.

    http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/04/13/is-harry-reid-involved-seven-answers-to-seven-questions-youre-probably-asking-right-now-about-the-nevada-rancher-situation/

    And this one seems to cast some doubt on the Harry Reid angle.

    http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/04/12/The-Saga-of-Bundy-Ranch

    If you have newer better information, please share.

    • #10
  11. Klaatu Inactive
    Klaatu
    @Klaatu

    Carey J.:

    Klaatu:

    Sniper rifles? I guess to Harry Reid any hunting rifle with a scope is a sniper rifle.

    This sort of attitude among government officials is why some of us are leery about domestic surveillance programs. If the people running the government have such a “broad” definition of the term “terrorist”, I don’t expect them to show much respect for privacy laws or the Constitution. If anybody who stands up against government tyranny is a terrorist, then their political opponents are terrorists or terrorist supporters, and therefore should be spied on.

    If this is your fear, the NSA having your phone bill should be far down on your list of concerns.

    • #11
  12. James Of England Inactive
    James Of England
    @JamesOfEngland

    Klaatu:

    Sniper rifles? I guess to Harry Reid any hunting rifle with a scope is a sniper rifle.

     My gun law isn’t nearly as strong as it should be. Is there a reason to believe that there aren’t sniper rifles out there? I’d have imagined that you’d find a few.
    Regarding the children, on the other hand, I found this very persuasive. When you have controversies over the use of women as human shields, you have no children. Also, if it was true, they had no respect for American snipers. I’m pretty sure that if the Feds did decide to shoot people, they’d have been able to select targets. I hope the first half of that sentence was sufficiently conditional to avoid CoC conspiracy theory problems.

    • #12
  13. user_82762 Inactive
    user_82762
    @JamesGawron

    captainpower:

    @JamesGawron

    Not sure if you saw this one yet, but it seems to dispute the Harry Reid + Chinese angle.

    http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/04/13/is-harry-reid-involved-seven-answers-to-seven-questions-youre-probably-asking-right-now-about-the-nevada-rancher-situation/

    And this one seems to cast some doubt on the Harry Reid angle.

    http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/04/12/The-Saga-of-Bundy-Ranch

    If you have newer better information, please share.

    cont.

    • #13
  14. user_82762 Inactive
    user_82762
    @JamesGawron

    cont from #13

    These two articles don’t exonerate Reed at all. This in fact is why I have suggested to stop looking so narrowly at the Bundys and focus on Reed. That Reed’s son’s interest were only close to the Bundy ranch is irrelevant. The land grab was much much larger in scope and the Bundys are probably just collateral damage. The fact that the phony turtle issue created a false grazing issue and smashed the economic viability of the ranchers and dropped the land price from $3500 to $500 isn’t challenged by either article. I don’t care if Bundy was ground zero and Reed’s direct target. When you use a false environmental issue to destroy the value of someone’s business so you can buy up their land for a fraction of it’s value you are mightily abusing the power of government.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #14
  15. Carey J. Inactive
    Carey J.
    @CareyJ

    Klaatu:

    Carey J.:

    Klaatu:

    Sniper rifles? I guess to Harry Reid any hunting rifle with a scope is a sniper rifle.

    This sort of attitude among government officials is why some of us are leery about domestic surveillance programs. If the people running the government have such a “broad” definition of the term “terrorist”, I don’t expect them to show much respect for privacy laws or the Constitution. If anybody who stands up against government tyranny is a terrorist, then their political opponents are terrorists or terrorist supporters, and therefore should be spied on.

    If this is your fear, the NSA having your phone bill should be far down on your list of concerns.

     With the medadata the NSA collects, it wouldn’t be hard to create an application to accept information about an “enemy of the state” and generate a list of all his friends and associates, automatically generate arrest/search warrants for each of them, and email them to the appropriate agencies. Lavrentiy Beria would have killed for this sort of data mining capability. 

    • #15
  16. user_82762 Inactive
    user_82762
    @JamesGawron

    Gentlemen,

    I don’t know about Beria being interested in the NSA though I’m sure he’d be thrilled.  I had something more mundane in mind.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYMWkRrC7UY

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #16
  17. DocJay Inactive
    DocJay
    @DocJay

    Reid had committed dozens of crimes but isn’t held accountable.    The reason why is likely very depressing.

    • #17
  18. Sisyphus Member
    Sisyphus
    @Sisyphus

    Reading the quote, Reid does not make at all clear whether he is labeling the outnumbered and outgunned rancher and his family terrorists, or the hundred of trained killers representing their federal government. Of course, the fact that these events became an occasion to spotlight the dingy one’s deep and long attachment to the quid pro quo has clearly soured his mood. I just want the crocodile tear concession. Or at least the tar and feathers.

    • #18
  19. Kozak Member
    Kozak
    @Kozak

    Oh this has been a long time meme of the anti gun crowd.  Any “high powered” scoped rifle is no longer a hunting rifle, but an evil sniper rifle.  And the only people with “automatic weapons” were the Federals.  In case Harry forgets we already have laws banning automatic weapons for civilian use.

    • #19
  20. Klaatu Inactive
    Klaatu
    @Klaatu

    Carey J.:  With the medadata the NSA collects, it wouldn’t be hard to create an application to accept information about an “enemy of the state” and generate a list of all his friends and associates, automatically generate arrest/search warrants for each of them, and email them to the appropriate agencies. Lavrentiy Beria would have killed for this sort of data mining capability.

    Of course that would not be hard, the data is collected to make such connections woth regard to terrorists.  The point is, if you are worried about rogue politicians misusing military capabilities to target innocent US civilians, the NSA is not the portion of the military I would worry about.

    • #20
  21. James Of England Inactive
    James Of England
    @JamesOfEngland

    Klaatu:

    Carey J.: With the medadata the NSA collects, it wouldn’t be hard to create an application to accept information about an “enemy of the state” and generate a list of all his friends and associates, automatically generate arrest/search warrants for each of them, and email them to the appropriate agencies. Lavrentiy Beria would have killed for this sort of data mining capability.

    Of course that would not be hard, the data is collected to make such connections woth regard to terrorists. The point is, if you are worried about rogue politicians misusing military capabilities to target innocent US civilians, the NSA is not the portion of the military I would worry about.

     I think you’re conceding way too much there. I find it difficult to imagine the automatic generation of search warrants. I don’t know if Carey’s meaning that the judicial system would be bypassed, or that judges would read something generated by the machines and rule on it, or what, but applying for warrants is not a low skill, easily automated, task. We have more efficient information processing than Beria, but lack the totalitarian state, which is the more important precondition.

    • #21
  22. Carey J. Inactive
    Carey J.
    @CareyJ

    Klaatu:

    Carey J.: With the medadata the NSA collects, it wouldn’t be hard to create an application to accept information about an “enemy of the state” and generate a list of all his friends and associates, automatically generate arrest/search warrants for each of them, and email them to the appropriate agencies. Lavrentiy Beria would have killed for this sort of data mining capability.

    Of course that would not be hard, the data is collected to make such connections woth regard to terrorists. The point is, if you are worried about rogue politicians misusing military capabilities to target innocent US civilians, the NSA is not the portion of the military I would worry about.

    And Reid & Co. believe anyone who would stand up to the government is a terrorist. This sort of program helps them target their attacks more precisely, and kill off fewer “loyal” serfs in the process. 

    • #22
  23. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    As far as I can tell, the only “sniper rifles” in the vicinity were those the federal government had trained on the citizens.

    Children as human shields? That’s another Harry Reid lie. When you lie as much as Harry Reid does, why stop? He knows he won’t get called on it.

    • #23
  24. user_82762 Inactive
    user_82762
    @JamesGawron

    Sisyphus:

    Reading the quote, Reid does not make at all clear whether he is labeling the outnumbered and outgunned rancher and his family terrorists, or the hundred of trained killers representing their federal government. Of course, the fact that these events became an occasion to spotlight the dingy one’s deep and long attachment to the quid pro quo has clearly soured his mood. I just want the crocodile tear concession. Or at least the tar and feathers.

     S,

    You’ve got it!  TAR & FEATHERS for Harry.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #24
  25. James Of England Inactive
    James Of England
    @JamesOfEngland

    Carey J.:

    Klaatu:

    And Reid & Co. believe anyone who would stand up to the government is a terrorist. This sort of program helps them target their attacks more precisely, and kill off fewer “loyal” serfs in the process.

    Are you suggesting that Reid favors killing all the militia at the Bundy Ranch? 
    While that doesn’t seem plausible to me, it may be that I’m missing your point entirely. For instance, I’m against the killing of Republicans in general, but if we were transported to an alternative universe where this might happen, and Reid were to kill a few hundred of them, I’d prefer it if he killed as few “serfs” in collateral damage as possible. Why would anyone want more Americans to die?

    • #25
  26. Carey J. Inactive
    Carey J.
    @CareyJ

    James Of England:

    Klaatu:

    Carey J.: With the medadata the NSA collects, it wouldn’t be hard to create an application to accept information about an “enemy of the state” and generate a list of all his friends and associates, automatically generate arrest/search warrants for each of them, and email them to the appropriate agencies. Lavrentiy Beria would have killed for this sort of data mining capability.

    Of course that would not be hard, the data is collected to make such connections woth regard to terrorists. 

    I think you’re conceding way too much there. I find it difficult to imagine the automatic generation of search warrants. I don’t know if Carey’s meaning that the judicial system would be bypassed, or that judges would read something generated by the machines and rule on it, or what, but applying for warrants is not a low skill, easily automated, task. We have more efficient information processing than Beria, but lack the totalitarian state, which is the more important precondition.

    If you have enough tame judges, getting them to sign boilerplate warrant applications isn’t a problem. Reid already killed the filibuster on judicial nominees. Now you know why.

    • #26
  27. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    The recent revelation that the IRS sought to jail a conservative or two to send a chilling “message” to other conservative groups frightens me. There are also many indications that Fast and Furious was purposefully intended to cause deaths so that the government could get gun control legislation passed.

    What would Harry Reid advocate as a means of putting down a peasant revolt in Nevada? Is there a line he wouldn’t cross? How about the President himself? Eric Holder? How far would they go? They assert the right to use drones against American citizens if they think they’re terrorists. Oh, look! Harry Reid says they’re terrorists!

    • #27
  28. The Mugwump Inactive
    The Mugwump
    @TheMugwump

    Reid has fully accepted the demonization of the right wing as a standard political tactic.  Facts matter less than the hyperbole.  However, we certainly have the right to ask why a sitting senator is so heavily involved in a local land deal.  My understanding is that Reid has made a fortune in local real estate over the years.  Skullduggery and influence peddling always seem to be part of the package.  It seems likely that Reid is involved in this controversy because somewhere he has a vested interest.  Of course, a compliant press is not about to do the investigative work that will expose this scandal to the light of truth.  Republicans may not be able to unseat this senator for life, but a successful 2014 election might be able to defang him as majority leaders.  Here’s hoping.

    • #28
  29. No Caesar Thatcher
    No Caesar
    @NoCaesar

    The only automatic weapons and sniper rifles I saw in the videos were held by the BLM agents.

    • #29
  30. No Caesar Thatcher
    No Caesar
    @NoCaesar

    DrewInWisconsin:

    What would Harry Reid advocate as a means of putting down a peasant revolt in Nevada? Is there a line he wouldn’t cross? How about the President himself? Eric Holder? How far would they go? They assert the right to use drones against American citizens if they think they’re terrorists. Oh, look! Harry Reid says they’re terrorists!

    Experience shows they are only limited by what they think they can get away with. 

    • #30
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.