Story by Steven Long ~ Editor/Publisher of Horseback Magazine
Not so Clever BLMster Reveals Agency’s Mind-Think
Wild Horse Freedom Federation president R.T. Fitch with friends ~ photo by Terry Fitch
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – An employee in the Denver office of the federal Bureau of Land Management has been outed as advocating a hunting season for wild horses in the west.
The employee’s email was traced after it was sent to author R.T. Fitch’s “Straight From the Horse’s Heart” blog. Fitch, a fierce opponent of current BLM stampede, capture, and hold, policies traced the email address to BLM NOC OC-330, Denver Federal Center, Bldg 40 – the agency’s National Operations Center.
The employee wrote: “The deer populations up north are so big and beautiful, but down south there are far too many deer and they are all malnourished and fighting for little food sources. We regulate the populations through hunting permits and kill-quotas. Why is it such a faux-pa (sp?) to hunt a horse? If we leave the horse populations alone, all the press and citizens would look at the sickly and starving over-abundance of horses and beg the government to do something about it!!! Rediculous. (sic) Why is a horse’s life more important than a deer’s life? Or a chicken’s life? (sic) The populations must be regulated to ensure good healthy strong ones are around for future generations to enjoy.”
BLM national spokesman Tom Gorey quickly repudiated the statement saying, “The BLM is committed to the well-being of wild horses and burros, both on and off the range. Our agency categorically repudiates the remarks of the individual quoted on R.T. Fitch’s blog, which in no way reflect the views of the BLM.”
Yet in the blog, Fitch fears the statement of the Denver BLM employee who wrote to him is characteristic of the attitude of agency employees throughout the Wild Horse and Burro Program. Horseback Magazine as well as others has repeatedly exposed abuses ranging from threatening media with arrest while reporting and photographing “gathers” of horses, denying press and public access to the capture of wild horses, denying ongoing access to giant holding pastures paid for by taxpayer funding, use of veterinarians unlicensed in State of Nevada, and closing air space over its roundups in violation of Federal Aviation Administration rules.
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Related articles
- BLM Employee/Contractor Publicly Promotes Hunting Season on Wild Horses and Burros (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- BLM Boss Bob Abbey Plays Congress (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Another Win in Saving Colorado Wild Horse Herd from BLM Eradication (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
This BLM employee was “outed”? What does that mean? Fired? Transferred (i.e. gotten out of the way until this boils over)? Given a leave of absence with pay? Had his/her hand slapped (oops I think that is illegal these days)?
Although I agree that this BLM employee’s remarks (on publicly paid time) are likely the status quo for many many BLM employees … this one in particular needs to be used as an example – fired with no unemployment and no letter of recommendation and no future government employment.
This BLM employee is a product of what he/she probably hears “around the office” every day and likely not the brightest bulb in the package … but needs he/she needs to go bye bye.
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Steve has been a fine journalist for many years so he comes up with some good ones Outs ~ exposed, revealed, identified, fingered, etc.
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“Finds out about” etc…… got it … thanks!
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Margaret Mead Quote
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.
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Amen!
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Perception IS important – and what the “outed” BLM employee expressed does reflect a general attitude WITHIN the BLM towards the Wild Horses and Burros they are charged with taking care of – Tom Gorey’s repudiation is just a “spin doctor’s damage control” to try to brainwash the public – WON”T WORK – the BLM’s actions fairly scream their distain and disregard for both the Wild Ones, and We the People !!
at http://ppjg.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/the-quiet-coup-the-implementation-of-agenda-21/#more-17145
Quote from the above link’s article:
“Although the White House Rural Council might seem to be about helping our rural communities, it’s more likely going to be about letting international interests help themselves to our rural communities.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The Bureau of Land Management is removing our wild horses from their federally protected Herd Management Areas, then leasing the same land for $2 an acre for oil and gas lease sales, or permitting new mining and mining expansions to foreign owned companies. I think the wild horses are like the canary in the coal mine. As go these American icons that stand as symbols of our freedom, so goes our freedom.”
“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. … corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” ~Abraham Lincoln
“If they’re not free, we’re not free” – I weep for our horses – I fear for our country !!
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I’ve been reading a book written by an old miner – born 1886 and died age 90 something and in his older age he became very politically active – writing letters etc. Anyway, he wrote a letter to the DOI/BLM about their law to stop a prospector from mining – not going into that subject – but I thought you would get a kick out of a couple of his sentences in his protest letter:
“The impact of that edict destroys the trust and the integrity of the United States Government to abide by A LAW THAT WAS PASSED BY CONGRESS AND SHOULD ONLY BE ABOLISHED BY AN ACT OF CONGRESS. None of you fellows up there in Washington has ever soiled your hands with honest toil and you have a hole in your head to think … etc…”
Personally, I think I will steal part of his first sentence (A LAW THAT WAS PASSED BY CONGRESS …) to use in ALL of my EA comments!
But, my point is that if the law to protect (not harass and not brand etc) the WH&B was written by Congress then there is no court that can change that and it can only be changed by Congress and even the Burns ammendment did not change the part about not harassing and branding! And yet THIS VERY MINUTE the BLM is harassing OUR animals on the Triple B – ILLEGAL!!!
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Dear Beth , i also believe If they are not Free , we also are not Free….. To me The Wild Mustangs reek Freedom, I respect them for making and showing to me what real true Freedom is, the thought of them being Harassed by the Government makes me want to just toss my cookies, I have seen them in Nevada on the desert, just to see them brought to me great pleasure knowing they are there, Wild and Free, they are the embodiment of Beauty, Their Pride in themselves of who they are encourages me into believing in America, to harm them is to harm me and every other American……………..They are visual evidence that Pride , courage , beauty, trust power all walk hand in hand together……… Any disrespect on them , is disrespect to me…..They have been here for a long time , and I will never let anyone compromise their right to be here…………………
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The BLM employee should be fired for those remarks.
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There is an old adage Screw Up – Move up!
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I believe that phrase is in the Forward of the Federal Employee Handbook!
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Hear, hear R.T!!! Thanks for my laugh of the day!
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Yeah…it’s a part of the golden rule of the code of conduct.
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Grandma – he’ll most likely be transferred or let go – but they won’t allow this to used against them – hell, if they can get away with refusing to let the public watch the gathers, get near the traps, check on them in the holding pens, and control air space over the gathers (ALL IN DIRECT VIOLATION of laws that apply to WE THE PEOPLE … ), this will be nothing more than a burp in the system and tighter security of their employees and their emails. We need to accept the fact the inmates are running the asylum and we need to protect ourselves in dealing with them. LOL At this point, the best idea I’ve seen so far is gathering funds to “buy the bands” and then turn them out on private land near their home areas! The “legal technicalities” the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals claimed was they didn’t prove/show/? that the gathers ARE ILLEGAL! What BS!! It’s going to take a grass roots movement based on taxpayers money being SQUANDERED (gathers, storage costs, and possibly the illegality of selling the mustangs for slaughter?) to rally the people to get involved – doesn’t matter to me if they love horses, consider the wild ones iconic, or are just pissed at the entire ripoff system we all are living in right now with the “threat” of meeting our country’s bills! As long as we can come together like the Civil Rights Movement did and force change! After all, CRM started when one little black woman refused to move to the back of the bus! LOL We can do this!
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Or… under the table, given a raise and a better position…
Are not his remarks the reality of the BLM and their ultimate goal; putting aside the facade of “protective management” of which they have been entrusted and empowered, and which they would like us all to believe is their goal and mission?!
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YEP!!!
The comment and lack of self control, education and immaturity of that post reflects DOIs “corporate culture”.
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The sooner we can get the wild ones away from these pencil pushers the better. No science and no future are just a little slim on making things right and safe for our wild beauties!
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I think we should see that he gets what he wants for our horses. Why not send him out on the range and we can use him as an item to hunt. That sounds like a great idea to me — in fact, I think the whole organization of the BLM should accompany him. I can see it now. All the beautiful wild horses and burros standing on the cliff laughing and thanking us for getting rid of t he scum that prevails in this organization. And, we should also add the helicopter company employees to the mix also. What a great day for the horses and us — we will see all the wild horses back on their home ranges where they belong — and what God intended as well.
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“Our agency categorically repudiates the remarks of the individual quoted on R.T. Fitch’s blog, which in no way reflect the views of the BLM.” ~ Tom Gorey
But Tom, this man works for the BLM and these are his views. So I’d say they do reflect the BLM. Nice try though. Glad my taxpayer dollars keep you paid in the 6 figures.
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…and if he is at the head “assh*t” shed in DC, he gets COLA (cost of living adjustment) and that is significant metro area.
The perks just don’t quit…except for the wild equines.
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He doesn’t even try with the spin anymore. Must know his a$$ is covered no matter what.
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Well, Congress and the White House (and let’s not forget the press) NEVER spank (not literally) these incompetents or put them in a time-out or “expel” them or take way their piggy banks/allowance.
Children behaving badly.
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Very sadly, I believe this employee’s comments are reflective of a pervasive anti-wild horse culture within the BLM. My farrier mentioned 2 weeks ago that someone he knew in Nevada connected with the BLM (possibly a contracted wrangler) was talking about hunting wild horses. I am saddened beyond words…
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sick….and disheartening… Too bad we can’t have a hunting season on stupidity….
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Mother Nature takes care of “stupid” in the eco-system; problem is Man manipulates the eco-system and protects human stupid.
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