This topic got me thinking about a few things, and brought up a few questions.
Is the government here to serve the people, or the people here to serve the government?
Does the government derive it's power from the people, or some other source?
At what point is it ok for the people to stand up against their own government?
What does it take to break the spell of apathy that has blanketed a nation's citizens?
Sometimes it seems to me that our government is putting into practice the "how do you boil a frog" and the "how do you eat an elephant" questions.
Turning the head up little by little, or taking one bite at a time for a long period of time... out of it's citizens.
Am I wrong? What would be the signs of this to see it happening if it were?
There is a time to unite and make a stand. Maybe for these ranchers now is that time for them. Enough is enough, maybe they believe in their country and in the people around them. It's not always a bad thing to make a stand against your government to get them to change. It can be and in many cases is, but is not always the case.
The question is, when is the right time, and what makes it ok?
I think I see what PKM is saying, and think it's good to see people stand up for what they feel is right even if it's against their government and even if others think they are in the wrong. There is rarely a perfect and obvious time to stand up for something where all will see it your way. It doesn't mean you are what some of the people in this thread have called the Bundys or their supporters, it could just mean others don't get the full picture or haven't seen all you've seen. Honestly I would prefer to be around people willing to stand up for something as opposed to people not willing to get up off of their butts because they are too busy with whatever entertainment or whatever to care about what goes on in the world around them. Like PKM said, it's not a right or wrong issue, it's something else.