Liberty activist Adam Kokesh is one of the bulls in the herd.

In case you have not heard about the exploits of Adam Kokesh yet, I think he is well worth watching.  Here is his latest move: taunting police by virtue of his simple presence at a marijuana smoke out protest into arresting him:
http://www.spreadlibertynews.com/talk-show-host-adam-kokesh-detained-by-feds-video-evidence-and-defense-funds-to-back-him/

In short, he is an in-their-face activist who has put himself at legal risk several time with the government and continues to do so in the name of libertarian/constitutional values.  Each time they try to charge him with bogus charges that carry very severe penalties (i.e. decades in jail).  Each time there is enough video evidence to call the police lying scum bags who are using their jackboot tactics and abuse of authority to try to intimidate people into submission.  They bandy "felony" charges about like it was nothing.  It is clearly abuse of power, a clear constitutional violation.  Yet when the charges don't stick, nobody gets busted for false arrest. 

Kokesh is what they think of as a "hard case", a nail that needs to be hammered down.  For years they have gotten away with doing this sort of thing and few people cared.  Government enforcers focus overwhelming force onto a single individual and serve him up as an example to anyone else who would speak up for their (OUR) rights.  But the mood of the herd has certainly changed.  Congress recently showed that they picked up on this by finally slapping Eric the gun running con man Holder with contempt charges.   Congress didn't do this because it was the right thing to do.  They did it because they knew the herd is watching.  The herd is no longer docile.  Leadership members of the herd will no longer just sit there while government rips us all off.  Their actions will incite others to resist.

Just like the lions vs. the water buffalo video that I think is so instructive, the herd will become bolder and bolder in its own defense going forward.  The momentum is obvious.  The best bet for government would be to, right here, right now, back off and wave the white flag and ask "can't we all just get along" and "give" us some of our freedoms and privacies back.  After all, they can resume their corrupt activities after the herd calms down a bit.  But those running the show are like the core team of lions in the video.  They are steely eyed.  They do not believe they can lose.  They think they hold all of the cards.  They have significantly discounted the herd's ability to organize and to strike back.  They think the herd is perpetually stupid and/or docile.  They have discounted the power of the Internet in spreading the word which can whip up the herd to action.

The government can no longer win with Kokesh.  Each time they arrest him for trumped up felony this or that they risk that he will be acquitted.  Each time he is acquitted it becomes part of a growing pattern that shows he is being targeted.  Each time the herd observes this happening he looks like less of a crazy loon and more like someone who is really on to something with all of his claims about government abuse.

There are only 3 choices now:

1. leave him alone and risk him telling everyone that he beat the government.  That is a real risk at this point due to the gross mishandling of him that has occurred so far.
2. continue arresting him and pushing his buttons in the hopes that he will make a mistake and open himself up to provable felony bull$shit charges.
3. kill him either overtly in the course of "doing their job" or covertly.

Kokesh is not going to give up until he wins or until he is dead.  That is the most dangerous kind of enemy a government can have.  One who cannot be intimidated even by threat of imprisonment, physical harm or death.  Government has put itself in a no win situation here.  Their best option is #1 and even to apologize and to punish some of the centurions who falsely arrested him.  Government should extend the olive branch even if they can only do it disingenuously.   #2 just gives him a safe location (prison) to run his anti-government campaign.  And #3 could kick off civil war, guns and all.  I know that sounds far fetched and indeed it is not high on the Gaussian distribution of likely outcomes but history has shown time and again that a butterfly flapping its wings or one extra straw is all it takes to trigger a reaction that has been boiling under the surface for a long time.  

I believe that government fears that some catalyst will eventually do just that.  Why else go to such extremes to limit the supply of ammunition on the open market for the people?  Of course, it's nothing more than a stalling tactic.  The ammo manufacturers will eventually fill the recent government orders for a billion plus bullets and then the manufacturers will have plenty of capacity for the people again.  Fear of this event might press government into another false flag operation which they might use to disarm people.  I think this would be a giant miscalculation on the part of government.  This is not the time for another shock and awe power grab from the people.  Nobody will give up their guns this time as they did when their front doors were kicked in by the cops during Katrina.  My read of the herd is that the people will fight back this time if that's what it comes to.  If government doesn't show signs of backing down soon I think there are a lot of people out there, regardless of whether or not they are misguided in their beliefs, that will decide to stand their ground and fight for their rights using all means available instead of being bullied into submission.