Its Indian land, by treaty, which has been taken from them by use of Eminent Domain, for the profit of the oil companies. The Indians also argue that the pipeline also poses an environmental threat to the water resources on land that remains under their ownership. They have a point.

Conservatives are supposedly against Eminent Domain, when its used to force private owners to surrender their property for public use, like building schools and highways. However, Conservatives never seem to have a problem when Eminent Domain is used for land giveaways to big oil companies.

As for the Bundy case, that was not "state land". Its Federal Land, owned by the US government, but available for private use providing certain regulations are observed. Now maybe that is open to debate and compromise, but the Bundy Militias used roadblocks, snipers and gunmen to drive off the Feds and then they occupied and trashed government property and interfered with legitimate government activities.

And why? Because the ranchers refused to pay their land use fees, and refused to follow range conservation practices so they could over-graze their mangy-ass cattle on MY land. It does NOT belong to the State of Nevada, and it does NOT belong to Bundy. It belongs to the US Government until legislation says otherwise, and through the BLM, to you and me. There are constitutional means to change that.

The observatory issue is different, its about whether land of cultural significance to the native Hawaiians can be used for scientific purposes. I tend to favor astronomy over the Goddess Pele, but at least phony land ownership claims don't come into the equation. I can't think of any other place in the Northern Hemisphere more suited for astronomy than the Hawaiian volcanoes, and there are already numerous observatory facilities located there, so maybe that should take preference and precedence over the religious argument. I believe astronomy trumps goddesses. And I believe human rights trump property rights. But that's my opinion. I'm not a Conservative.

That's why I didn't follow up on your earlier comment. I agree with the Indians. I don't agree with the Hawaiians, but at least they have a legitimate point. Bundy and his welfare cowboys are just freeloading thugs wrapping themselves up in the flag and the usual phony self-serving free enterprise rhetoric.

Yeah, I know. "Corporations are people too."