ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday November 21st, 2001 Sen. Harry Reid is standing behind the Bureau of Land Management’s seizure of cattle from a Nevada rancher who allegedly trespassed his cattle on federal land and owes the government $70,000 in back grazing fees.

“I have no sympathy for these people,” said Reid, D-Nev., the second-ranking member of the U.S. Senate, told KOH Radio on Monday. “I think the BLM did the right thing. I support them 100 percent.”

The BLM confiscated 62 of Ben Colvin’s cattle in central Nevada in July and sold them at auction in Palomino Valley north of Reno two weeks ago for $13,000, which will be used to help retire Colvin’s alleged debt.

BLM officials say Colvin has been grazing his cattle on BLM land for years without a legal permit. Colvin says he doesn’t need a permit because the state water rights he owns include the accompanying forage.

Cody Palmer, 19, of Lincoln, Calif., used his grandmother’s credit card to purchase the cattle for $13,000 on Nov. 13 with a bid he faxed to the BLM.

But he since has said he didn’t know what he was getting into and has put off any immediate plans to resell the cattle.

About 50 protesters, many of whom disavow federal authority over public lands, were kept behind a guarded gate as the BLM sale was conducted north of Reno. The protesters, many of whom belong to the Nevada Committee for Full Statehood, thwarted an earlier auction in August by jeering the BLM and shouting at proposed buyers not to bid.

Reid said the livestock trespassers are giving the rest of Nevada’s ranchers a bad name.

“We have hundreds of ranchers and farmers in the state of Nevada and 99.9 percent of them are upstanding citizens who do the right thing,” the senator said.

About 87 percent of Nevada is owned by the federal government and much of it is open to livestock grazing, Reid said.

“But when you do that, you have to pay your bill. These people (whose) cattle were repossessed, so to speak, or confiscated from these cowboys who have refused to pay the bills,” he said.

“We have a lot of people who work so hard to take care of riparian areas and do all these good things to take care of the land. We have others who do whatever they can to damage the land,” he said.

-----Two letters to Senator Reid in rebuttal:

Letter#1:

From:  Roni Bell
To: senator_reid@reid.senate.gov

Sent: Friday, November 23, 2001 2:33 PM
Subject: Truth
 
Dear Senator Reid,
 
Reading your quoted response to the Bureau of Land Management versus Nevada rancher Ben Colvin situation, added even more questions to my already copious number of un-answered questions regarding my look at BLM/Monument/Federal Lands versus Permittees/private property situations.
 
With each case I find what I cannot find.  And that is, the TRUTH. 
 
Let's use, as an example, the Ben Colvin (Nevada rancher.) versus Bureau of Land Management. You state with seeming confidence, "I have no sympathy for these people." I don't know Ben Colvin, nor do I know you.  Thereon raises my first question:  Did "these people" ask for your sympathy?  Or, as their elected representative, did they look to you for judicious representation? 
 
Another question:  You say, "I think the BLM did the right thing." How do you know for an absolute, well researched, documented fact, that the "BLM did the right thing?"  The Taylor Grazing act might be contraire to your thinking.  By what standard did you make your claim?
 
You further say, "I support them (BLM) 100 percent."  How can one support anything 100 percent, when there's a chance they may be remiss even 1% pertinent information?  In this case perhaps Mr. Colvin is 100% correct and within his legal rights when stating, "because the state water rights he owns include the accompanying forage."  What is the truth?
 
As a city person, I try to walk in the shoes of my rural neighbors - our natural resource and agricultural producers, as they are rapidly being extirpated. 
 
In trying to protect your livelihood and your family, what would you do if someone plopped wolves or  prairie rat villages in the path to your office?  Or demolished your kitchen because you didn't abide by Peta's laws against cooking turkey; or shut off your sprinkler  because gummer snails were thought to of once slogged across a flap of adjoining federal land; or  severely fined  because a member of your family moved a federally owned rock to brace up a federally owned fence; or extorted you into becoming a "willing seller" of your private property because "interested public" wants to try discover traces of gummer snail; or haranguing attempts to coerce you into wrongfully signing a "willful trespass" statement; or use up your children's college savings to retain an attorney to try and save your family's "livelihood, home and land;" or be smirked, ridiculed and arrogantly giggled at by your representatives while testifying about your losses; or tell your children that the future of so-named "wild" horses (When in truth they're "domestic.") far out weigh their future;  or  explain to your children that they must generate sizable incomes just to feed, clothe and shelter their children (Your grandchildren.)  because those goods must be shipped from Katchausa, -and if they have any dollars left will be ordered to give it  to "interested public;"  or tell school children that from now on their lunch menus will consist only of un-salted Escargot;  or shouted down with - "we're playing a political game here, and if you don't do what we want you'll make our Congressman mad." And on, and on............
 
What would you do Senator?  What would you do?
 
Are you prepared to tell Las Vegas that every casino must be shut down until such time Robert Redford has created and blessed an energy source which will once again light up the strip?
 
I for one, would not shoot  anyone, unless they happen to stand upon a spot of which I was about to shoot.  Could it be Senator Reid, that they (BLM?) stood upon a spot of which Mr. Colvin was about to shoot?  I don't know.  Do you?  Did you get all the truth and facts from all parties involved before you decided to "support them (BLM) 100 percent?"
 
In our diggings, we've found conspicuously dishonorable behavior, to be far greater within government employees, elected officials, attorneys and certain environmental groups.  Some groups consistently violate truth in advertising laws to manipulate public opinion and generate funding.   Some attorneys file suits only to cripple and maim their targeted and collect from both client and federal government.  Some elected officials operate solely to get re-elected, not to affect  good health on the whole of our country. And our federal government has become rife with employees who, heady with confidence they cannot be fired, are given to bold and blatant lying.  Many non-bias researchers, can provide you volumes of information which thoroughly document all of the before-mentioned.  And that, - is the truth.
 
Billions of our tax payer dollars are funding the unjust enrichment of folks who are in the business of "The Conflict Industry?"   Growing unchecked, this industry  is paralyzing our  domestic natural resource/agricultural producers and every industry reliant, and choking off any honest,  fearless, non partisan policy makers remaining. 
 
An uncertain future for our rural is likewise a shaky future for our urban.  Right now, while our producers should be focusing on re-building New York and America as a whole,  they are instead shackled to the sheer chaos of the litigious ones.  A moratorium on all pre-existing and the generating of new actions against the Departments of Interior and Agriculture is desperately needed.  Time is needed to investigate then clean up the many inherited messes before there can be any hope of moving forward in ways necessary, healthy and productive.
 
Senator Reid, your quest for truth would be greatly enhanced if you'd initiate this moratorium.
 
In our efforts to shut down the Conflict Industry and revitalize resource production in America, we're working up a profiling of those who count on this industry as their source of income. Naturally, we would not libel ourselves by naming names, but through the providing of articulate identifiable features of said individuals, you'll probably come up with your own findings. These findings will not only help you, but your peers and all of us, - make great judicious decisions thereafter.  Your "100% support" will then be gifted to the courageous ones who bring only facts, truth and resolutions to the table.
 
When truth is brought out, it changes everything for the good.  And that, is the truth.
 
Thank you,
 
Roni Bell
La Salle, Colorado 80645