Armed Militia Members take over Federal Building in Oregon

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OutHouse

OutHouse

Lifer
Jun 5, 2000
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Holder-Columbia-montage.jpg
 
DrDoug

DrDoug

Diamond Member
Jan 16, 2014
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Adam L. Silverman over at Balloon Juice has an interesting post up about Bundy and their 'movement' that is a good read. An excerpt:

In short Ammon Bundy and his fellow travelers want the Constitution upheld, starting in Harney County, Oregon. They also want to reclaim the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and give it back to the people. Also, they intend to be non-violent until they are forced to be violent. Most of us hear or read this and think: huh? The Constitution has not been suspended by the Harney County Commission. The Malheur Wildlife Refuge already belongs to the people and is held in trust and administered for them by the Department of the Interior. And if your intention is to peaceably assemble to seek a redress of your grievances, why have you broken into and are unlawfully squatting in a Federal building where you’ve established sniper’s nests and are stating that you’ll become violent (non-peaceful) if your actions are challenged in a manner that you do not like?


The real issue here is that Ammon Bundy, as well as his father (as evidenced in his orations during the Bundy Ranch standoff in 2014), and the others involved with taking the Malheur Wildlife Refuge headquarters building have learned, and are now acting on, a completely alternative understanding of US history, the Constitution, their particular religion’s belief, etc. This is a combination of epistemic closure originating from alternative, and factually inaccurate*, source material combined with an equally irrational paranoia that powerful, sometimes secretive, forces are arrayed against them and trying to destroy their way of life. It is all cemented by a pervasive belief that everyone and everything that is not part of their ideological/theological/doctrinal system is either purposefully trying to deceive them or being manipulated and fooled into doing it unwittingly. This is why they first appealed to the Harney County Sheriff, because they believe he is the highest level of legitimate Constitutional government in America**, and once he rebuffed them, they immediately denounced him as somehow being coopted by their enemies or an outright traitor.
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Interesting read. Silverman writes of military and social issues usually relating to the middle east, so this is interesting from him. One thing that I also noticed that seems to confirm what he is saying is while watching a clip of the morons talking, one of the guys mentioned that '60-70% of people in the city (it sounded like he was referring to Burns at the time) are on some kind of government support. It's the ranchers who suffer to support them and we're here to do something about it.', which I took to mean that people in the city of Burns generally weren't friendly to the men while some of the ranchers welcomed them.

Damned city slickers and moochers! :D

ETA: Reading down into the comments at the link above, Silverman posts that he thinks they are followers of Posse Comitatus and drops this link. Relating to what I said above about the guy talking about 60-70% of the city people being on government assistance, I spotted this at his link:

Most farmers turned a deaf ear to the Posse Comitatus. Others were too busy to be bothered; they may have already worked over 16 hours that day and had no time left to listen to the Posse. However, some farmers did listen. Sure the message was crazy and didn’t seem to make much sense, but some farmers were desperate. They saw people on welfare eating well with the help of farmers’ tax dollars, while farmers groveled for food and were forced from their homes.
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This was in relation to Posse Comitatus appealing to farmers during the farm crisis of the 80's. That explains the Bundy Boys looking to the Sheriff and getting turned down plus their anger at recipients of government assistance and backing the ranchers.

Posse Comitatus...lol! Now it all makes sense. Oh, wait...
 
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DrDoug

DrDoug

Diamond Member
Jan 16, 2014
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A bit of a roundup of the news on this:

- Yesterday I posted that ODOT (Oregon DOT) had closed Highway 78 at two points east and south of the wildlife preserve. The move confused people into thinking that there was some action planned so ODOT clarified the situation by stating that they closed the road due to it needing plowed of drifting snow. Local law enforcement states that no actions are planned and there are no roadblocks. ODOT has reopened the highway although they have put up information that it's open but you are on your own for 61.5 miles that may have drifting snow across it. Bummer for Posse Comeandgetus, no blockades nor road service from Idaho and Nevada. This reopening is unusual as the state usually just shuts the road down until they clear it. It's almost as if they are leaving it open and unplowed just to fuck with them.

- The federal government is not responding with any direct action, saying that right now it's a local matter. The federal wildlife service is having people from the Malheur site work from other locations, remotely or take administrative leave.

- Kids in the area get another week of winter break as adults play militia in the snow! As a result, parents suffer... :sneaky:

- Everyone in my area here in Oregon wants these morons to GTFO out of here. Nobody supports them, nobody. I live in a very conservative corner of the state and if they don't have support here then they don't have much support elsewhere in the state.

Finally, something we can all agree on! :cool:
 
umbrella39

umbrella39

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
13,816
1,126
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Victorian Gray said:
You support these guys (most of whom appear to non locals) stealing the land from the rest of you? That's even more brilliant.
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You're replying to one of the biggest idiots that posts here and that is saying a lot. You are expecting some sort of logical converstation? I only read this level of fucktard when someone quotes his stupidity now.... Thanks for reminding me what it was a wise move.
 
Fanatical Meat

Fanatical Meat

Lifer
Feb 4, 2009
35,862
17,407
136
Haha I just heard Joe Scarborough on Morning Joe say "Attorney General get these guys out send in the Chicago Police".
 
trenchfoot

trenchfoot

Lifer
Aug 5, 2000
16,145
8,740
136
The groundswell of support these protesters are generating is really impressive.......in a laughably pathetic kind of way.

They should march on and lay siege to the nearest branch office of the FBI if they're really serious about their cause. For the fact that they've haven't seems to allude to their lack of conviction or, well, maybe they're just smart enough to know where to draw the line as far as how "patriotic" they need to be to make their point.
 
Jaskalas

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
36,466
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A

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
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Jaskalas said:
Probably takes that long to get someone out there who has the authority to make such decisions.
*Hint, they're not in the middle of a city, town, or even village. It's in the middle of nowhere.
Now throw a ton of snow on top of that.
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Not to mention a holiday. But some people like to try and insert race where it doesn't belong.
 
G

Gonad the Barbarian

Lifer
Oct 16, 1999
10,490
4
0
Jaskalas said:
Probably takes that long to get someone out there who has the authority to make such decisions.
*Hint, they're not in the middle of a city, town, or even village. It's in the middle of nowhere.
Now throw a ton of snow on top of that.
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Sure, no rush, it's white people.

For whatever reason, the feds are calling this a "local matter."
 
G

Gonad the Barbarian

Lifer
Oct 16, 1999
10,490
4
0
Jaskalas said:
Damnit, Obama must be racist in favor of these "white people".
Or... maybe it's just not a priority.

What does Occam's Razor tell you this is?
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Oh after the failure to follow up on anything after the last Bundy standoff I'm sure it's not a priority. Just more white privilege.
 
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