Horse News

UPDATE: BLM’s “Animal Abuser” Email Points to Brighton CO BLM Office

By Nell Walton of AllHorses Post – Live Link

Editor of AllHorses Post Tracks Down the BLM “Animal Abuser”

BLM employee harassing taxpayers

Yesterday at 10:12 am, November 9, 2010, our good friend, wild horse advocate and blogger R.T. Fitch received the following comment on his blog.  It was caught in Fitch’s spam filter, but he found it and reported it yesterday in his blog.  Here is the text of the message:

A new comment on the post “BLM Takes Wild Horse Killing to Oregon” is waiting for your approval
https://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/blm-takes-wild-horse-killing-to-oregon/

Author : Animal Abuser (IP: 204.124.92.254 , BLM-92-254.blm.gov)
E-mail : AAafterYOU@*****.com
URL    :
Whois  : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=204.124.92.254
Comment:
You ALL have WAY TOO MUCH TIME on your hands to sit around bitching.  And *****, could you really be so stupid to think that the BLM has hired animal abusers??  Honestly- you all need to get a life.  If you really cared, you would search out the truth, and stop spending so much time with narrow blinders on.  No one is perfect, not the BLM, not YOU.  If you really want to see something done differently, you would pick a different approach.”

This IP (computer) address can be easily traced to the Bureau of Land Management office in Brighton, CO.

Why someone from the BLM would chose a name of Animal Abuser, is of course, extremely puzzling.  And what does the email address AAafterYOU mean?  This could be construed as a threat to Mr. Fitch.

And, I will have to point out the obvious that this individual who is apparently a FEDERAL EMPLOYEE is harassing AMERICAN TAXPAYERS online during business hours.

So it is beyond ironic for he or she to accuse the Wild Horse Advocates of having too much time on their hands.

They aren’t the ones using taxpayer dollars to support their online surfing at work.

This just shows you can run but you can’t hide.

For more information:

https://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/blm-employee-%e2%80%9canimal-abuser%e2%80%9d-issues-email-from-blm-gov/

FYI – to report incidents like this:

Dept. of Homeland Security Computer Emergency Response Team:

https://forms.us-cert.gov/report/

Dept. of Interior Office of the Inspector General:

http://www.doioig.gov/hotline

77 replies »

  1. Nell, thanks for tracking this down. It may have been easy for you, but I wouldn’t have known where to start.

    Reminds me of the MMS/Gulf scandal. Wonder what other questionable Internet activities DOI/BLM employees are indulging in – not just in Colorado, but around the country. And on our dime!

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  2. What the BLM needs is a thorough house cleaning from the top down. Better yet, their whole government program needs to be dismantled–PERIOD. Merge them with another government agency and downsize the upper management level. It’s time they had to earn their keep.

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      • One thing to consider, here, is that mismanagement of our wild horses and burros is not all that the BLM does, it is probably a relatively small part of their total scope of responsibility. I am in favor of the horse program being pulled from the BLM and assigned to a private and controllable consortium of professional horse SMEs. A group grounded in science, heart and with the well being of our national icons up front and center.

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    • I agree completely, I donot believe the BLM can be rehabilitated, the corruption and mismanagement was pointed out across everything BLM manages-long before we came to the Wild Horse issue..and as we have dug into the wild horse issues we have come face to face with the wholesale destruction of our public lands..something I would venture to say-most of us were unaware of before..The only people I would consider keeping would be those field people who i know do their damdest to see the horses are well treated even tho they have no power what-so-ever to change policy..and I think we all know people we could put on that very short list..who want to see the wild horses back on the range, who have NO input into the welfare of the horses today..those people should be promoted-the rest can go to Palin country and hand feed the grizz.

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      • They shoot wild animals from helicopters there and are darn proud of it – yes, heaven for many BLM people and Sue Cattoor and Jody L Holms et al.

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  3. The Wild Horse and Burro program is a dismal failure and it needs to be scrapped.
    We have a NATIONAL TREASURE that has been put under the care of pirates.

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    • Very well put! This is the most frustrating situation I have ever witnessed- and I”ve witnessed some pretty frustrating situations! It seems that nothing is going to happen in time to stop these guys. Lots of talk, lots of concern, but no MASSIVE surge that cannot be ignored. WHO do we line up behind to REALLY march to war on this??? It’s about to be too late.

      BLM (Butcherers of the Last Mustangs) is laughing up their sleeves as they kill horses and destoroy America’s legacy.

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  4. In your calls to the Appropriations Committee members, be certain to advise them of all misconduct. OBJECT to our tax dollars being spent for GOVERNMENT SPONSORED ANIMAL CRUELTY!

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  5. It seems that some one in BLM is a little peeved because you /we have them by the tail & they are feeling the pinch. Please be sure to save this every way you can on PC incase they send more.
    Take Care & Stay Safe. And again, Thank You for all you do.

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  6. Also – the host (computer) name is blm-92-254.blm.gov, and it appears to have a static IP (one that is permanently assigned on the device) – whether that is accurate or not I don’t know. And I have picked up locations in Idaho, Utah and CO.

    Looks like a laptop to me.

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  7. I went to the Homeland Security & other website & copied/pasted all the info on their complaint sheet. Am also contacting the BLM as well because as all of you, I would say this sounds like a threat to me & any of those out there in the field thats on the horses & burros side. WATCH YOUR BACK & BRING REINFORCEMENTS!

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  8. @savethewildhorses

    I’m wondering if this could be a laptop they LOAN to contractors to upload data or something. The old operating system, static IP address – that’s a possibility.

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    • Could be. I am skeptical that a govt employee would do this. And the language sounds like contractor-ese to me. But who knows.

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  9. “could you really be so stupid to think that the BLM has hired animal abusers??”

    Evidence is evidence, we all see the abuse, either live or on video. AND the BLM is in fact stupid, we don’t have to “think” it we KNOW IT! Exactly what approach should we be using a**hole???? Animal abuser, please get a life of your own, preferably one that does not involve innocent animals. WE are trying to SAVE lives- not harass, maim, and kill. From all of us out here without lives, and with too much time on our hands would like to shout a collective “BITE ME!”

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      • He was convicted of stealing government property and of using an aircraft to round them up… a private citizen cannot do that. Misdemeanor. No mentions of abuse… mar

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      • No.

        But we “see” animal abuse occuring – documented on tape – at every roundup and short term holding facility.

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      • The key word here is “convicted”. As far as I know it has never been reported that he was ever even “charged” with any animal abuse.

        Anyway we should not say people are convicted or charged with crimes unless they actually are.

        If we stick with facts they are good (or bad) enough – no need to stretch anything – and then we have not done anything wrong ourselves – we have “seen” and documented abuse – that is a fact.

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  10. Although this blatant attack is not part of the new BLM plan to discredit the wild horse advocacy, it is one they had better hunt down and kick out. They can find this person and likely have already. What will they do?? This is definitely a real Unlawful Offense.
    If this goes without arrest or response then BLM has become the worst possible authoritarian agency that places itself above the laws of the land and the people who have been taxed to support them.

    Obama has allowed this stupidity that has cost many horses lives to go on far too long. This agency is defunct. It has lost any real stewardship intent towards Public lands and has run amok. This war with us has been petty on their part while being very real and about life and death on our part. It has been intimidation and misdirection and all means of lies and deception to keep us from doing The Right Thing! mar

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    • I find it telling that our president — after the thousands of calls, letters and e-mails concerning our wild horses — hasn’t made comment #1 about the WH&B program. Not a peep — good, bad, or ugly. This tells me that a) he isn’t getting our messages from his cronies b) he considers it a non-issue in the larger scheme of things or c) he knows there are other plans in the works for our public lands, including energy-related business operations, and he’s choosing to side-step the equine issue in favor of big business.
      No matter what the reasoning, though, I’m disappointed.

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      • I think BLM is baiting us.. this is the new tactic. It is going to stay ugly now that they have unleashed their minions on us at FB and with this threat to Cloud. This is the Ultimate Bait; Cloud threatened by BLM. Beware of this… mar

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  11. Sorry all – I don’t see the ‘threat’ in this e-mail. Or even “harrassment”. Maybe I am missing something?

    I see stupidity from someone that truely has no clue what the truth is because they are the ones with the blinders on – they live within ‘the party line’ and rhetoric and lies – one only has to watch any of the thousand hours of documented video to know there is animal abuse occuring – SOP – day in and day out – documented pits full of dead wild horses at these roundups.

    PS – Mega stupidity to use a BLM computer – probably should get that resume spruced up.

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    • Ran across this older post doing some research. These are the members of the BLM Resource Advisory Council. Mining has a seat on the council along with ranching, wild horse interests, environmental interests, state agencies, and others. They receive briefings on all BLM issues that affect the district/region to which they have been appointed by the Secretary of the Interior.

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  12. These folks seem very familiar with the low road. Another sad commentary on humanity. There are some of us that aspire to another way of living with our fellow creatures versus harassing them to a viscious and untimely death. Carry on my friends and kudos your way.

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    • I’ve been in and out of corporate environments all my life, and one thing I learned, the corporate culture is set by the leadership.

      This is a symptom of a corporate culture gone horribly wrong. Just the fact that they aren’t educating their employees on internet usage, or monitoring for that matter, is a big problem.

      I am anxiously awaiting developments on this – to see if anything happens.

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  13. Somewhere in the BLM or DOI information I saw something about published guidelines for using aircraft to gather wild horses. Does anyone have info in this? What the guidelines are? Where to find them?

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  14. I suggest this is an excellent time to ask that firearms be removed from BLM personel and their contractors at gather sites where they could draw a bead on unsuspecting and unarmed american citizens, I would like to remind homeland security of Ft Hood, and that government employees who are expressing these kinds of threatening intentions..do in fact carry them out..Disarm them NOW!

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    • Certain law enforcement activities are licensed to carry weapons. The next question would be how is it that the killers are allowed to utilize firearms as part of roundups without incident reports and why those incident reports are not immediately available.

      As to consideration by the employers of firearms via DOI, their decision making process has been repeatedly shown by results to be unacceptable. Difference? No one at the enforcement level cares.

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      • Would the incident reports only need to be filed to BLM? I imagine that the contractors have a report that includes all this and That would be very nice to read at the end of each killing spree! mar

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      • Two issues:

        (1) Every government agency that uses firearms and discharges has to have an incident report; and

        (2) How the contracts on behalf of state and feds with regard to wild equines should have been required to stipulate the use of firearms and subsequent discharge.

        Having said that, it may not have been called out in the contract (and should be subject to an immediate investigation as it was done on behalf of a state or federal agency)…that would be the requirements activity (DOI, BLM Nevada Ag Dept, etc).

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  15. Seems that Kenny and the rest of his goons have another PR debacle. Someone changed that blowout incident report back in May AND the DOI IG caught it after the scientists consulted on the original report NEVER reviewed the 6 month moratorium on deepwater drilling as part of their report. Now there is another IG report out with other issues. Anderson Cooper covered it last night.

    Apparently the White House Energy Czarina plays fast and loose with facts and/or the idiots at DOI shuffled some paragraphs around with new inserts to support fathead Kenny’s 6 month moratorium. Why is this important? Because it proves DOI manipulates data, puts words in their SME’s mouths and lacks transparency with a ton of help from the White House…..plus 12000 people got laid off.

    As a Republican Representative from LA put it, …”whether it was manipulation OR incompetence, it is unacceptable for government agencies to behave this way.”

    Looks like there might be further investigation by Congress…maybe we could jump on that bandwagon if the opportunity arises.

    Oh…Kenny apologized to the scientists but couldn’t say who was responsible for the tampering, nor the White House.

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  16. On this Veterans Day, i would like to thank Mr. Fitch, twice over for his service to his country, and apologise to him for the disrespect shown to him by an employee of the american government.

    I would like to also thank our first generation of freedom fighters, who came to this country seeking freedom, and gave their lives in the american revolution to get it..They were called ACTIVISTS and REBELS by the British, a ragtag bunch of “backwoods colonists”. My fathers family came to the “colonies on 1 of William Penns ships-my maternal side the Vreelands from the Netherlands and my fathers side from England-They were quakers and Plymouth Rockers, Richard Waln and one of his sons gave their lives in the American Revolution-they fought in spite of their beliefs against war..That means I come from a long line of Freedom Fighters, rebels, and activists..so while others stand in fear of being called an activist, I proudly say I am an Activist and a “bonafied Daughter of The American Revolution” and a Warrior in the fight for Freedom for the Wild Horses of America” and I am not hiding behind the name of Advocate and disgrace my relatives by being a coward!

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    • I’m sure I should not even attempt any reasoning here, but my staying here or not, and I do want to stay, depends on a few things:

      Some people who participate here could have their public service retirement put in jeopardy if they end up on certain Home Land Security lists, others lively hoods could be jeopardized by being on no fly lists.

      R.T.has advised us that this site has already been pinged under the Patriot Act/Homeland Security and has asked us politely to be very careful.

      There is no disgrace in being an activist and no disgrace in being an advocate – perhaps activism would better placed on another web domain? I hope so.

      Activism needs clear defined scope and limits so that one can make an informed choice to participate or not – because activism can be NON peaceful.

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      • No one who has been called an activist or claims to be one has any violent intentions! None of us will be a party to that! We have too much at stake..

        Why do you feel that activism some how has to include some inability to decide to be non violent when in fact there is a real commitment to being non violent???

        We have been here before and for some reason you do not believe the commitment we all have to non violence?! Please tell me why you think that the semantics makes one more prone to possible violence with one word over another???

        Come on Roxie! We are the ones who have everything to lose. What people need to realize is when they say dumb things here which imply violence they are Jeopardizing the entire campaign and the very people who have to work face to face with BLM in the field and in the courtroom! This implied violence comes from people like Dawna who turns around and says she would never hurt anyone! Good Bye to posting here because she can’t control her anger? The Drama is not needed and the harm was done. “They” know all of us and they know who has said what! That is threat enough to us and to this campaign not vise versa!

        Laura was “Threatened” with a SWAT team when she picks up her stallion at Gunnison Prison! The violence is implied by the presence of people pointing guns at my friend and having itchy fingers and the mere possibility she could be shot is too much! She is one little unarmed woman. People talk about ‘packing’ fire arms at Face Book and all manner of things because BLM carries guns. Sandra has said they should be disarmed. Someone of us could get hurt by a malcontent with a gun as it happens too often in our society.

        But we have to be above reproach to do what we do so we can be seen for who we are; Good People Wanting to Save Wild Horses! Will you not be convinced of our sincerity about our commitment to non violence??

        It is not as if something could not happen and then this entire issue will be blown out of proportion forever! But it would never be any of us here! mar

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      • Roxy, it appears to me you are confusing..ecco-terrorism with activism..and maybe you have let political forces define activism..I think I am pretty clear what the difference is, and you will have to decide what the difference is to you. to me an advocate talks about things an activist actively does things..Whether you call yourself Little Bo Peeps..it suits the purposes of the BLM to paint whatever word is used with the same brush..you are not gaining ‘anything” none of the newspaper articles I have read call us advocates, they call us activasts..and I suggest you remind me of anything that has been done that remotely crosses the line..You are getting mentaly steamed up over something that does not exist..we have plenty to worry about with out adding that kind of garbage to the mix..Ralph Nader was an activist..did he burn down buildings and break windows ..nope..was he effective..dang tootin..maybe we could start modeling ourselves after those who have actually done great things

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      • Where did I raise drama? Mentally steamed up ? Where was that? I did not call any advocate or activist names or diminish the worth of either one or any individual.

        All I did was plead my case – my public retirement has very well spelled out restrictions whether you or I agree with their definitions or not – you don’t care about that – I don’t even want you to – you want to be activists – so be it – go get ‘em – model it however you want – clearly there is no place in your wild horse world for advocates or challenges – except against Dawna – ok you got it all.

        As my last post I will stoop to tit for tat – now, here is my steamed up mentality and drama – how does the mirror look?:

        My grandfather and grandmother raised me. My Grandfather and his 7 siblings raised themselves as homeless little kids on the Oklahoma frontier at the turn of the century. He fought in WWI. Then he and my grandmother created a successful business from Oklahoma to California in both bitter enemy farming and ranching communities through advocacy and cooperation as saddlers, shoe repairman and buggy makers – never called anyone names or diminished their worth or value. He later retired from public service after many years building California State highways and during that time encountered many threats from obstructionist land owners – all the while serving with the Grange and other groups to assure them fair treatment and appropriate compensation for their land. He was a long time active and respected Grange member – an ADVOCACY – again spanning from Oklahoma to California – and though not mentioned in many history books there were bloody land encounters among individuals even under this “advocacy”. There were people standing outside a totally crowded church at my Grandfathers funeral from all over the country from all walks of life for his service days to present – I’m not going to disgrace him, my lineage, or other advocates by accepting any attempt to coin my Grandfather, his siblings, myself or advocates as “cowards” or “do nothings”.

        Threats? I have myself, while working in a controversial industry, that had only one outcome and that was to save lives, been threatened with bodily harm by special interests many times both in the private sector by government employees and competition, and later in the public sector by the very same industry I was in a job to support with quality control – it comes with the territory – along with armed law enforcement – that is the heat in the kitchen kindled by activists.

        Perhaps there is another site for advocates for point/counter point, courteous debate and sharing of knowledge and ideas.

        I have already stooped low enough myself for the ways I have written even about BLM, Cattoor, the whole lot – I have let my Grandfather down.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grange_(organization)

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