The value of Ammon Bundy’s stance in Oregon is illuminating the issue of federal ownership of land they have no right to own. But this, like so many other violations of the Constitution, requires the understanding of the Constitution in order to understand the issue. Unfortunately, most Americans have no understanding of the Constitution, its limitations on the federal government or the rights of the people it is required to defend.
They are locked into a simplistic understanding of the Constitution that creates the United States of America and little else. The fact that there is a United States of America, to them, means that the government is allowed to do whatever it wants. This is a view recently adopted by the Supreme Court. Rights are something that rich people are afforded, because they have the funds to hire lawyers that will argue for those rights. Public Defenders simply want to move the case through the system efficiently, which often means a plea of guilty for their clients. The facts, to them, are irrelevant. When one is paid by the state, they act in the interest of the state. This is exactly the position of the Supreme Court. They are paid by the federal government and they act in its interest.
There are so many cases that demonstrate that reality, I don’t even want to go into it. Knowing it as a fact, is enough.
