BLM Backs Off on Cattle Roundup

Las Vegas Sun:

The campaign to round up Cliven Bundy’s cattle has been canceled.
The Bureau of Land Management announced today that federal agents would conclude their one-month operation to seize the 900 cattle roaming on federally owned land about 75 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Additionally, federal land managers confirmed they released all 400 head of Bundy's cattle from corrals outside Mesquite.
The BLM took the action Saturday afternoon after hundreds of states' rights protesters, including militia and Tea Party members, showed up at corrals outside Mesquite to demand the animals' return to Bundy.
The bureau issued a brief statement saying the cattle were released "due to escalating tensions."
Some protesters were armed with handguns and rifles, but there were no reports of shots fired or injuries.
“Based on information about conditions on the ground, and in consultation with law enforcement, we have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concern about the safety of employees and members of the public,” BLM Director Neil Kornze said in a statement.
“We ask that all parties in the area remain peaceful and law-abiding as the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service work to end the operation in an orderly manner,” he said.
Clark County Sheriff Douglas Gillespie helped mediate the agreement between the Bundy family and the BLM, according to a Metro Police press release.
Business owners in Mesquite had received threats related to the dispute, according to the release.
“I want to stress to all of you that as the sheriff of Clark County, I cannot interfere with the federal government when it is operating on federal land,” Gillespie said in a statement. “And because this is BLM property, it is in their jurisdiction. But when a group of protesters threaten civil unrest or violence in this county — it is my job to step in and ensure the safety of citizens.”
Officers will remain in Bunkerville and the Mesquite area through the weekend, Metro said.

This is a very weird story.  This seems pretty clear-cut:

Some 400 cows were gathered during the roundup that began a week ago, short of the BLM's goal of 900 cows that it says have been trespassing on U.S. land without required grazing permits for over 20 years.
The fight between Bundy and the BLM has widened into a debate about states' rights and federal land-use policy. The bureau revoked Bundy's grazing rights after he stopped paying grazing fees and disregarded federal court orders to remove his animals.
Bundy, 67, doesn't recognize federal authority on land he insists belongs to Nevada. His Mormon family has operated a ranch near the tiny community of Bunkerville since the 1870s near Mesquite a few miles from the Utah line.....
A federal judge in Las Vegas first ordered Bundy to remove his trespassing cattle in 1998. The bureau was implementing two federal court orders last year to remove Bundy's cattle after making repeated efforts to resolve the matter outside court, Kornze said, adding the rancher has not paid grazing fees in 20 years.
"This is a matter of fairness and equity, and we remain disappointed that Cliven Bundy continues to not comply with the same laws that 16,000 public-lands ranchers do every year," Kornze said. "After 20 years and multiple court orders to remove the trespass cattle, Mr. Bundy owes the American taxpayers in excess of $1 million. The BLM will continue to work to resolve the matter administratively and judicially."

Tea Partiers should recognize moochers, since they can see them in the mirror.