Bundy, A Navada Republican Rancher Believes Negroes Better Off As Slaves

Cliven Bundy

Bundy gain recent national publicity by challenging the federal government on its land restrictions limiting where his cattle can graze on.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 24, 2014

Bunkerville, Navada - The Navada Republican conservative rancher, Cliven Bundy, 67, who recently gained national attention after challenging the federal government land restrictions that limited his cattle where to graze has made news again. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rangers under a federal court order attempted to confiscate about 500 cattle from Bundy. Bundy's cattle had been grazing on government land since 1993. The rangers confronted Bundy and his armed supporters in the attempt and the rangers backed off from confiscating the cattle.

According to the feds, Bundy owes about $1.2M in grazing fee taxes since 1993, which he was allowed to pay $1.35 per month for each of the 150 cows under agreement. More than 200 cows have crossed over into federal lands. In the stand-off with the feds, the cows were released back to Bundy. The armed militia that gathered to support Bundy were prepared to exchange gunfire with the feds and local sheriff's office. The BLM rangers backed down and released the cows. Some militia members say, that they were ready to exchange gunfire with federal rangers.
The federal government is accused of allowing federal contractors and BLM rangers kill dozens of stray cows and bulls that graze on government land along the Virgin River. The government land is not fenced. A mass grave was discovered where the carcasses were dumped by the feds.

But Bundy's recent comments targeting Blacks has numerous federal politicians backing away support for the rancher after he made some racist comments about African-Americans and suggested that Blacks would be better off a slaves who he labed as "negro" during a New York Times (NY Times) article.

Bundy stated according to the New York Times, "I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro," he said. Mr. Bundy recalled driving past a public-housing project in North Las Vegas, "and in front of that government house the door was usually open and the older people and the kids -- and there is always at least a half a dozen people sitting on the porch -- they didn't have nothing to do. They didn't have nothing for their kids to do. They didn't have nothing for their young girls to do.

"And because they were basically on government subsidy, so now what do they do?" he asked. "They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I've often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn't get no more freedom. They got less freedom."

Several U.S. Senators have condemned his racist statements. Senator Dean Heller (R-Nevada) distance himself from Bundy and his spokesperson told the NY Times, that Heller "completely disagrees with Mr. Bundy's appalling and racist statements, and condemns them in the most strenuous way."

Also, Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) who supported Bundy's cattle grazing cause released the following statement, that "His remarks on race are offensive and I wholeheartedly disagree with him."