Members of the Texas Farm Bureau, including the rancher who lost 140 acres to the BLM over twenty years ago, Tommy Henderson, along with Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, State Senator Craig Estes and a host State Representatives from across the state, gathered along the Red River northeast of Byers, Texas to discuss the issue of the day, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) perceived land grab. Henderson provided a “low-tech” slide show to inform those in attendance about the issue and how the movement of the Red River over the years has complicated the issue.
At the request of Breitbart Texas, two members of the BLM, Public Relations Specialist Paul McGuire (who was previously interviewed by Breitbart Texas on this matter) and Assistant Filed Manager Richard Fields, attended the meeting. While they opted out of speaking at the microphone, the BLM’s McGuire and Fields remained after the briefing and answered questions from all who cared to address them. Many of the questions became somewhat heated.
State representatives came from as far away as Houston, Texas to show their support of the ranchers. Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Tomball) told Breitbart Texas she related strongly to the ranchers like Henderson because her family has owned ranch land for generations not far from this area. Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford) organized the Reps and the meeting. Other reps included the local representative Drew Springer (R-Muenster), David Simpson (R-Longview), Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth) and James Frank (R-Wichita Falls). Cook County Precinct 4 Commissioner Leon Klement was also present and addressed several questions to the BLM.
Following the briefing, Mr. Henderson invited Breitbart Texas to accompany him along with Lt. Gov. Dewhurst and GLO Commissioner Patterson for a tour of his ranch and the affected land.
Land Commissioner Patterson and BLM spokesman Paul McGuire provided Breitbart Texas with two very informative interviews on this topic.
Breitbart Texas posted a photo album from the event on its Facebook page. Below is raw video of the speakers from the event. The video is in two segments.
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