By Ronald L. Ray
Forget Smokey the Bear. Ranchers in Otero County, New Mexico, find themselves in an escalating dispute with the United States Forest Service (USFS) over adequate access to water for their drought-stricken cattle. But while the USFS insists that it has acted properly and legally, the county commission and sheriff have come down strongly on the side of frustrated ranch-owners, raising significant issues of individuals’ and states’ rights versus the power of Obama’s White House. In a series of interviews, May 16- 19, AMERICAN FREE PRESS conducted an in-depth investigation.
Rancher John Bell, whose great-grandfather was a territorial legislator, explained, “We are trying to follow the rule of law, but our patience is wearing thin.” He asserted that federal officials, by contrast, were ignoring laws and court decisions.