LAST EDITED ON Jan-19-18 AT 07:38PM (MST)[p]I'd be more tolerant if I believed it was a form of protest, eel.
If we're going to guess, I'll give my "probables", which, along with a dollar and seven cents, you can buy a diet Coke at McDonalds.
I think Mr. Bundy didn't like the BLM guys telling him what he needed to do on his alotment, regarding where to graze, when to graze, where to put in water systems, where to put build corals, what dates to turn out and what dates to move to different pastures, etc. etc. which he agreed to do when he signed up for the lease. Every lease agreement, every mining lease, timber lease has stipulations that the parties agree to adhere to. I'm guessing Mr. Bundy didn't want to deal with the stipulations, for a lot of reasons, one being they cost him money. The extra dollars he was required to spend, out of his own pocket add to the cost of running his cows on the BLM, they are extra to the AUM fees, but well understood and part of why the BLM and USFS keep the AUM fees so low, to help the grazer keep up with the stipulations that the BLM required. "Probably", Mr. Bundy was in constant quarrels with the BLM administrators. Not just now and again but I'm guessing he throw a fit just about ever time they ever dealt with him.
I'm guessing he was in constant conflict with individuals within the BLM, battling over what "your making me do" and "your abusing me".
(Why do I think this was "probably" taking place? Because for 40 years I've watched a few grazers, certainly not the majority but definitely a few, do exactly what I think Mr. Bundy was doing, and why.)
Then........ during one of these many conflicts, Mr Bundy didn't have the cash to pay for his yearly AUM fees. It happens, cow prices go up and down, equipment needs to be replaced or upgraded, someone in the family has unexpected medical emergency. It could have been any number of very really reasons that he couldn't pay his AUM fees, so............. because he had been such a difficult grazer to work with over the years, the BLM said, "tough, pay the AUM fees or loose the lease". He couldn't, so he used the argument that it was unconstitutional for the Feds even own land let alone charge grazers for the use if it and "then" claimed he's was going to pay the County rather the the Feds. He knows the County will return his check.
Now the problem blossoms and blows up and both the BLM and Mr. Bundy start to double down on stupid behavior and the rest is history, 25 years of stupid on top of stupid history, until it has now become a national crisis and you know that they says about "never waste a good crisis". So......... politicians and folks trying to leverage an advantage out of the crisis start to take advantage, until the issue is not longer between the BLM and Mr. Bundy's unpaid AUM fees, but about freedom, government boots on the throats of the American rancher, etc etc.
And...... thats my story, an I'm sticking to it.
DC