The Patriot Post® · 500K Acres for National Monument

Today, Barack Obama will allocate 500,000 acres of land in southern New Mexico for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. This raises a concerning question: Why does the government need half a million acres for a monument, a good chunk of which will be off-limits? According to The Washington Times, “About half of that land is expected to be set aside as wilderness, meaning it will be closed to vehicles and construction.” This has many residents and law enforcement officials fearing more Cliven Bundy-like confrontations while hampering border security efforts. “Local ranchers say it’s a land grab that will interfere with their grazing rights,” the Times adds, “and border security advocates said the move will make it tougher for federal agents and local police to patrol the land, leaving a security gap that Mexican smuggling cartels will exploit.” Then again, since when have Democrats cared about any of that? More…