By Vanessa Murphy, Reporter
BUNKERVILLE, Nev. -- Armed civilians continue to guard the Cliven Bundy ranch. They have traveled from afar, are camped out, and remain at their posts for hours in an effort to provide security for the cattle rancher.
Bundy supporters drove to Bunkerville from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other states to show they believe in Bundy's cause. The rancher has been in a battle with the federal government over the illegal grazing of his cattle for the past two decades.
"I'm just here to help them sleep easy and rest at night," said Booda Cavalier, who says he is providing security for the Bundy family. "They're worried about assassination attempts, a nut case coming into the property and trying to do harm to the women and children that are here on the property."
The people who are protecting the Bundy's say they are willing to put their lives on hold and even die for that cause.
"It's a brotherhood to the point where I would give my life for another," said Patrick Downs, a 20-year-old from California.
He drove to Bunkerville with fellow members of a militia which he joined last August. He connected with the California group over the Internet.
"Enough is enough. The government is trying to take so many things away from us," Downs said.
He won't name his militia because of his concerns about the federal government. He tells 8 News NOW he's unemployed and looking for a job. Currently, he scrounges to get by. He says he doesn't plan to have a family because he fears he'd leave a child fatherless from causes like this one. He is never far from his AR15.
"I will never fire upon a federal agent first. Our rules of engagement are strictly do not fire until fired upon," Downs said.
Just down the road, Kenneth Mitchell, another Bundy supporter, won't say if he's armed.
"I'll be here until the end. What does the end mean? Hopefully, a peaceful resolution to all this that America wakes up and realizes an oppressive government that we have, a tyrannical government that we have, that needs to be stopped and the time is now to stop."
Mitchell plans to move to Las Vegas from Montana. He just joined the Oathkeepers Saturday, which is described as a non-partisan group of people who either serve in the military or have served. The group has a specific mission.
"To make sure that everybody is aware of the constitution and what our constitutional rights are, and to protect the oath of preserving the constitution," Mitchell said.
The supporters, including the ones guarding the Bundy's, tell 8 News NOW they are volunteers and the Bundy's have provided food and water to help them get by.
oped: Just my two cents...they be Good old boys never meaning no harm:)
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