The federal assertion to total power over private land is a chilling prospect to a significant portion of Americans and the alarm begs a subsequent concern: What activities does Uncle Sam assume the right to engage in after entry onto private land and precisely which government officials get a perpetual pass?

Fair warning: The uncomfortable answers arguably are a far cry from the liberty assumed by most landowners and reveal few concrete restrictions on the power of bureaucracy and government. In a word, unbounded.

The Big Blank Check

The government proclaims power to enter, surveil, and remain on private land without warrant or probable cause. A fence, gate, posted sign, no trespassing marker, and purple paint on private land are barriers to ordinary citizens, but not to the feds.