OREGON STANDOFF: CRUZ, TRUMP, NEVADA,OREGON

Nevada Assemblywoman  Michele Fiore, who went in to witness the end of the protest at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and defends those arrested there as part of the Coalition of Western States. is an upfront supporter of Senator Ted Cruz for the GOP presidential nominaton.

"The Guardian" from the United Kingdom  has published  a story noting Assemblywoman Fiore is part of the Cruz leadership team in Nevada.   They quote her as saying: "Ted Cruz is the only candidate talking about giving lands back to the state where they belong."

Also on Cruz's Nevada leadership team, Assemblyman John Moore, who said that he believed LaVoy Finicum was 'murdered' in an FBI led operation last month.   Moore told "The Guardian" how he feels about the Bundy family and the federal prosecution of them over the Oregon protest and the standoff at Cliven Bundy's Nevada ranch in 2014.   

"I know Cliven, Ammon and Ryan.  To me, this is purely political prosecution.    The federal government....has an agenda, and they're using the Bundys as another way to get more land."

Ted Cruz called for the protest to end after it began last month, but Nevada Assemblyman John Wheeler spoke for the campaign and told "The Guardian".

"Ted Cruz is a law and order guy.  You follow the law.  If you don't like the law, you have the power to change it .   The one thing Oregon and Bunkerville did is bring it to the front and get the conversation started."

"The Guardian" also quotes Donald Trump as opposing the transfer of federal land to state control.

Trump is quoted this way.

"I don't like the idea (of local control of federal land) because I want to keep the lands great, and you don't know what the state is going to do."

According to the "OregonLive" website, Trump is the only Republican candidate for president who opposes federal land being returned to state control.  The blog  notes that Trump made his comments to "Field and Stream" magazine last month and added some more comments from Trump in opposition to state control of federal land:  "I  mean, are they going to sell it if they get into a little bit of trouble?  And I don't think it's something that should be sold.  We have to be great stewards of the land."

"The Guardian" spoke with Cliven Bundy's wife, Carol.   She said regarding Cruz's recent statement:

"I wasn't convinced too much.  What he said is good..but I want a little more.  I want to know how he is going to do it. "

She also told "The Guardian"

"Nobody wants to take a stand on this, and I think that's sad."

Perhaps Ted Cruz and his upfront supporters like Glenn Beck, who used his microphone to defend the life of Terri Schiavo, could be a little more upfront about the jailing of the Hammonds and other issues related the federal abuse of land in the West.

Perhaps Beck could stop at the jail in Portland to visit Ammon Bundy and the other prisoners and perhaps Ted Cruz could go to Harney County, Oregon and visit the Hammond family members and maybe visit the federal prison in California to see Steven and Dwight Hammond.

The little step of producing a television spot criticizing federal control of land did help Cruz win votes in the rural areas of Nevada last night with a first place finish in Elko and Lincoln counties.

There are more farmer and rancher states of the West in play in the weeks ahead like Idaho on March 8th and Arizona and Utah on March 22nd, even Oregon has a mail in primary on May 17th.   Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington and northern California also play into this issue as well.

Cruz needs to notch up his concern and focus on matters like releasing the Hammond's from their unjust imprisonment.

As for Mr. Trump, his views seem very disappointing indeed and reduce any confidence I  have in him to make things better in this country.