The complexity of the case is what makes it interesting. What originally interested me was the massive overreaction by the government. As someone else posted, they are speending millions on a very minor dispute. It's not like this is prime grazing land or a kentucky horse ranch. It's basically hundreds and hundreds of acres of vacant moonscape, dried out rubble. With a few cows scattered about. I mean the whole dispute is over a few hundred head of cattle.
So why was it necessary for the government to mount the second iraq invasion here? I generally support law enforcement. they have a difficult job to do and deal with a lot of stuff I would goto great lengths to avoid. However, they often seem to create the very response they claim to be guarding against. Take some paranoid survivalist and surround him with dozens of heavily armed paramilitary operators and you have a recipe for disaster.
The other level on which this is fascinating is the breath taking display of hypocrisy. We are solemnly lectured about our responsibilities under the law by a government that routinely violates it and actually encourages violations by those it favors. The Attorney General is in open contempt of congress, a co-equal Constitutional branch. The contemp arose from his attempts to cover up a massive and mind-boggling government effort to run illegal guns into Mexico to gin up support for more gun control.
We have the examples of the IRS scandal and Obama's blatant refusal to enforce laws over subjects as diverse as immigration and health care. Let an ordinary citizen wander into the government 's crosshairs however, and they bring out the drones, helicopters SWAt teams, etc.
Basically, people have lost confidence in the rule of law and transparency in government. Expect more incidnet slike this one. it is only a matter of time before some people do more than peacefully protest. Perhaps that's what Obama and holder are trying to foment, so they can justify a full-scale crackdown on gun ownership ,etc.
