Armed Militia Members take over Federal Building in Oregon

[Fanatical Meat]

Do those guys have scurvy yet?

Nah the kids packs of cereal they've been donated are fortified

 

[bshole]

Nah I'm good yelling into the internet void and then going about my day.

Aw c'mon, you can be my wingman. Hell I'll even let you be the spokesperson. When the media comes; I'll be the guy standing behind you chewing tobacco, sneering viciously and waving the hi mom sign.

 

[Jhhnn]

I'm in favor of the divestiture of a good portion of the public lands, but at auction and at fair market value.

Why? So that the Bundy boneheads & friends can clear cut it & graze it down to bare rock?

For farming? We already have excess capacity.

 

[DrDoug]

The Bundy Boys were busy at the refuge today! One of the local ranchers wanted a section of fence down so he could move his cattle onto the BLM land he wants to use without permission or for free. The local rancher was even nice enough to point out the section of fencing he wanted removed. Maybe Ammon "gave the land back to him" too! I hope they had a pretty ceremony with lots of flowery speechifying to go with it. The Fish & Wildlife Service issued a statement:

"In the century of [the] Malheur National Wildlife Refuge's existence, enormous effort has been displayed by partners, surrounding communities, ranchers and landowners to restore a devastated landscape," the statement reads. "Removing fences, damaging any refuge property, or unauthorized use of equipment would be additional unlawful actions by the illegal occupiers. Any movement of cattle onto the refuge or other activities that are not specifically authorized by [the Fish and Wildlife Service] constitutes trespassing.

"If they take down the fences, it hurts the refuge, but it also destroys the positive conservation impacts reaped from decades of direct collaboration and sweat equity paid by the Harney County (and surrounding) communities, ranchers, landowners, partners and friends."

Regarding the bolded section the reason the lands were so devastated before the existence of the Malheur Wildlife Preserve was because of asshole ranchers like this guy. It was a consortium of state agencies, ranchers and the federal government who created what became the BLM and now this rancher wants to get rid of it and go back to the good ol' days of he who has the most guns gets to have the most free land. He thinks he should be able to graze his cattle wherever he wants on our public lands, to hell with conservation efforts and letting the land rest when it needs to. Nope, he's the expert and once he has destroyed the land he will blame the government, the weather, misfortune and/or anything else he can come up with as an excuse. But it will never be his fault when he ruins the land, it will always be the fault of outside forces beyond his control.

So I guess this rancher feels so emboldened by the presence of Bundy and his boys that he thinks this will actually work and he will get his free land. I hope they nail the rancher to the fullest extent of the law too. If he wants to work with criminals to trespass on and damage federal land, I want him to have to pay for it like any other criminal would have to. Ranchers like this guy are not helping themselves by acting this way. The rest of the locals there get it, this asshole thinks he's a special rancher snowflake.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Jon Ritzheimer seems to be pretty handy at fence demolition for someone on disability.

 

[ivwshane]

Jon Ritzheimer seems to be pretty handy at fence demolition for someone on disability.

I don't know who that is but disability fraud seems to be happening quite a bit (I have no actual figures to back that up, just anecdotal evidence). Seems like a good thing to look into with these free loaders.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I don't know who that is but disability fraud seems to be happening quite a bit (I have no actual figures to back that up, just anecdotal evidence). Seems like a good thing to look into with these free loaders.

Sunglasses:
http://image.oregonlive.com/home/ol...gonian/photo/2016/01/11/-11edfc9cb931808b.jpg
His other shens are worth googling his name for.

 

[Vic]

Why? So that the Bundy boneheads & friends can clear cut it & graze it down to bare rock?

For farming? We already have excess capacity.

I said "a good portion," not all. I do not support the divestiture of national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.
Moot point anyway. The Bundys have no interest in actually buying the land they're squatting on.

 

[ivwshane]

Sunglasses:
http://image.oregonlive.com/home/ol...gonian/photo/2016/01/11/-11edfc9cb931808b.jpg
His other shens are worth googling his name for.

Well in that pic, you see a man getting low in the snow to help put up a fence, to a free loader though, they see a man struggling to stand up in the snow who had fallen to his knees and is using the fence to help himself up. Clearly someone had to be right and I just can't imagine free loaders like this guy lying to a government he hates in order to steal from said government.

/s

 

[DrDoug]

Sunglasses:
http://image.oregonlive.com/home/ol...gonian/photo/2016/01/11/-11edfc9cb931808b.jpg
His other shens are worth googling his name for.

He wears the shades to hide the swastikas on his eyelids...lol! Wants to look better for the pressers.

ETA: The other day when I was mentioning all of the people who have come here uninvited to our state I was thinking that Montana wasn't representing. Actually, a Montanan was involved long before they took over the wildlife refuge:

It may have looked spontaneous, but the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge a week ago was part of a plan Ammon Bundy and a trusted associate developed largely in secret over the past two months.
Bundy, the son of controversial Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, and Ryan Payne, a militia leader from Montana, came to believe that an armed occupation was the only way to bring enough attention to a pair of local ranchers heading to prison and change the underlying problem: federal land ownership.

The Bundy Boys had planned for this operation to go forward no matter what the locals thought, using the Hammond father and son going to prison as the 'reason' for their operation. They planned on doing whatever they wanted, no matter what the locals thought.

Soon we will have the rest of the 49 states militias represented here! Maybe they can throw a party or something...

 

[zinfamous]

The Bundy Boys were busy at the refuge today! One of the local ranchers wanted a section of fence down so he could move his cattle onto the BLM land he wants to use without permission or for free. The local rancher was even nice enough to point out the section of fencing he wanted removed. Maybe Ammon "gave the land back to him" too! I hope they had a pretty ceremony with lots of flowery speechifying to go with it. The Fish & Wildlife Service issued a statement:

Regarding the bolded section the reason the lands were so devastated before the existence of the Malheur Wildlife Preserve was because of asshole ranchers like this guy. It was a consortium of state agencies, ranchers and the federal government who created what became the BLM and now this rancher wants to get rid of it and go back to the good ol' days of he who has the most guns gets to have the most free land. He thinks he should be able to graze his cattle wherever he wants on our public lands, to hell with conservation efforts and letting the land rest when it needs to. Nope, he's the expert and once he has destroyed the land he will blame the government, the weather, misfortune and/or anything else he can come up with as an excuse. But it will never be his fault when he ruins the land, it will always be the fault of outside forces beyond his control.

So I guess this rancher feels so emboldened by the presence of Bundy and his boys that he thinks this will actually work and he will get his free land. I hope they nail the rancher to the fullest extent of the law too. If he wants to work with criminals to trespass on and damage federal land, I want him to have to pay for it like any other criminal would have to. Ranchers like this guy are not helping themselves by acting this way. The rest of the locals there get it, this asshole thinks he's a special rancher snowflake.

It's like the dustbowl never happened!

 

[Zorba]

I said "a good portion," not all. I do not support the divestiture of national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.
Moot point anyway. The Bundys have no interest in actually buying the land they're squatting on.

The federal government tried to give away the vast majority of its land for ~100 years, whats left nobody wanted. The fair market value for most of it is probably less than $100/acre, especially if the government didn't do massive irrigation projects for free or nearly free. And once it is sold, it is gone forever to be abused and fenced off from the public.

I personally think the Federal government holding on to and managing the Western lands is one of the best decisions this country has ever made, especially considering the long term discipline required in the face on consistent opposition from short sighted fools.

Not to mention the federal lands are much more accessible for economic use for small/medium business than vast swaths of private land.

 

[Zorba]

I am glad the complete lack of LEO response is really wearing them down:

Bundy seemed confident that the group's actions wouldn't result in any immediate response from law enforcement officials, who have remained low-profile and have adopted a "wait-them-out" approach to the situation.

"I don't think they want to do anything," Bundy said. "I think there's a lot of good people in the federal government who feel the same way as us."

Payne said the militants plan similar actions in the future.

It is time to roll in the National Guard in overwhelming force. I don't think these wusses will really go down in a blaze of glory against a massive outsized force. Against a bunch of BLM rangers with .45s, sure, but against the Oregon National Guard seriously doubt it.

 

[compuwiz1]

Do you think Ya'll Qaeda will shout Allahu snack bar! , before they start shootin'?

 

[JSt0rm]

All I know is these people have done more to solidify the country against them them.

 

[DrDoug]

Payne said the militants plan similar actions in the future.

This is why the government will not let this stand and the Bundy Boys and their supporters are delusional (duh) if they think the government will do nothing to stop this crap. Initial inaction and the ability to corral support, however weak, is emboldening the militia and the few locals that support them. The last damned thing the government is going to let happen are militia takeovers of federal lands across the country. Out west here we have the loggers who would clear cut every square mile of land if they were allowed to do so. We have the fisheries who will capture every single fish in the ocean, rivers and streams (at least the ones that the ranchers and farmers haven't already polluted) if they were allowed to do so. We have the ranchers who would let their cattle overgraze land, trample and pollute stream beds and worse if they were allowed to do so. We have mining interests who... hopefully you get the idea by now.

In short, there are a lot of businesses, industries and individuals who benefit from federal and state regulation of lands because it prevents their neighbors from abusing their lands in a way that negatively affects others. Others who benefit from federal and state regulation are those who not only the public has to be protected from, but also those who have to be protected from themselves due to their selfishness and shortsightedness. Are federal and state regulations perfect? No, but history has proven that they are better than no regulations at all. Regulations change all of the time and that's what voting and working with government is all about. If that doesn't work then there's the courts. These same type of individuals, businesses and industries historically have worked the politicians until they couldn't get their way any more. Then they took it to the courts and while they have had some wins, they have had to suck it up when they have lost. Well no more! The Bundy Boys want to roll back those losses and get back to the good ol' days where those with the guns ran things.

The government has to get this situation under control or risk losing control across the nation.

ETA:

Do you think Ya'll Qaeda will shout Allahu snack bar! , before they start shootin'?

OK, that's damned funny...lol!

 

[mysticjbyrd]

Someone should go in there and sabotage them from the inside. Eat all their cereal, doritos, and beer, and then clog to the toilets, and take a massive shit.

 

[DrDoug]

Harney County Sheriff Ward posted a message to their Facebook page stating:

When those who are now occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge first came to town several months ago, we started to see an up-tick in the number of vandalism, harassment and intimidation reports. In recent days, they issued a “call to action,” which resulted in the arrival of numerous outside militia members. They claim to be here in peace, but we continue to see behavior by some that is concerning. There are continual reports of law enforcement officers and community members being followed home; of people sitting in cars outside their homes, observing their movements and those of their families; and of people following them and their families as they move around the community. While not direct physical threats, these activities are clearly designed to try to intimidate.

Specifically, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, which manages the refuge, has told me that while their employees are physically safe, this is clearly a distressful situation for all involved. As this issue has developed over the past week, employees and their loved ones have reported a number of uncomfortable incidences in which unknown individuals from outside our community have driven past slowly or idled in front of their homes, observing the residents and their activities. In addition, self-identified militia members have attempted to engage employees and family members in debates about their status as Federal employees. Many of these confrontations are taking place as their employees are grocery shopping, running errands with their families and trying to lead their day-to day lives.

Let me be clear: the law enforcement agencies – those that are local as well as the sheriff’s deputies from around the state, the Oregon State Police troopers and the FBI Agents – will not be intimidated from doing their jobs. Everyone on the law enforcement side is working together to bring a peaceful resolution to this situation, and the behavior of these folks from outside of our community only serves to escalate the situation unnecessarily.

The people on the refuge – and those who they have called to our community – obviously have no consideration for the wishes or needs of the people of Harney County. If they did, they, too, would work to bring this situation to a peaceful close.

I really don't think this is going to be able to be settled peacefully. I just don't see Ammon and his gang backing down without a fight. Remember, God told him to do this which means to him that God is on his side in this fight.

ETA: Bundy Boy mouthpiece and Neo-NAZI Jon Ritzheimer has a clip up on Facebook showing off some of the supplies that have sent to them that he picked up at the post office. I guess he is less than pleased with the bags of (gummy) dicks and dildos they've been sent so he says that despite the slings and arrows (or dildos and bags of gummy dicks!) their haters send, they will just keep on truckin'!

I guess they didn't like the gaming supplies joystick substitute?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Harney County Sheriff Ward posted a message to their Facebook page stating:

I really don't think this is going to be able to be settled peacefully. I just don't see Ammon and his gang backing down without a fight. Remember, God told him to do this which means to him that God is on his side in this fight.

A mildly aggressive facebook post. That's some bold action. The noose is finally tightening!

 

[DrDoug]

They had some kind of meeting for locals in the county last night, here's a Twitter feed from someone who covered the meeting live:

County Judge Steve Grasty says he intends to bill Ammon Bundy for $60k to $75k in daily county costs due to occupation.
— Les Zaitz (@LesZaitz) January 12, 2016

That one caught my eye...lol! Maybe Ammon can talk the government into another loan to cover the cost. Shorter assessment of the meeting? Bundy GO HOME!

Dave Killen ‏@killendave 6h6 hours ago
Emotional young woman: "I should not have to be scared in my own hometown" to extended applause #Oregonstandoff

1. Dave Killen ‏@killendave 6h6 hours ago
   She got a standing ovation actually #Oregonstandoff
   7 retweets 17 likes

Bundy doesn't give a shit about the locals, all he cares about are the ranchers. His people.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

They had some kind of meeting for locals in the county last night, here's a Twitter feed from someone who covered the meeting live:

​

That one caught my eye...lol! Maybe Ammon can talk the government into another loan to cover the cost. Shorter assessment of the meeting? Bundy GO HOME!
Bundy doesn't give a shit about the locals, all he cares about are the ranchers. His people.

I think there are a lot of people in that meeting that are getting a taste of being in the outgroup for the first time. But if it came down to it I bet they'd still side with these clowns over "the feds" actually doing much about them. Congrats folks, you built this.

 

[fskimospy]

They had some kind of meeting for locals in the county last night, here's a Twitter feed from someone who covered the meeting live:

​

That one caught my eye...lol! Maybe Ammon can talk the government into another loan to cover the cost. Shorter assessment of the meeting? Bundy GO HOME!
Bundy doesn't give a shit about the locals, all he cares about are the ranchers. His people.

Haha good luck. If there is one thing the Bundys are good at it is not paying the government for the costs they foist on the rest of us.

They are the ultimate freeloaders.

 

[DrDoug]

I think there are a lot of people in that meeting that are getting a taste of being in the outgroup for the first time. But if it came down to it I bet they'd still side with these clowns over "the feds" actually doing much about them. Congrats folks, you built this.

Living in rural Oregon myself, if I'm reading the situation right there this is more like a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" situations that didn't quite work out. I caught on to one of the militia guys ranting at the beginning of this about how most of the people in the city are on the government dole, unlike the hard working ranchers they were there to support. I'm pretty sure he was bitterly referring to Burns and the lack of support there because the topic was them getting support for their cause from the locals. The 'city folks' may not love the government and they may back more reasonable sentences for the Hammonds, but they aren't in to overthrowing the government and giving public lands to the ranchers to do with as they wish.

Bundy came there for his cause, to pry federal lands out of the hands of the government and turn them over to the locals. He clearly tried to use the sympathy of the locals to gain support for his plan. As the day the Hammonds were to return to prison neared and the rally was being held that Saturday, it became clear that the locals in the city (where a lot of the county population resides) would not get behind them so they went and took over the wildlife refuge.

I noticed in that Twitter feed that one of the newly minted members of Bundy's Safety Committee was complaining that they were being blackballed by the community. IOW that rancher is being ostracized for joining Bundy's committee and he is complaining about it. I have seen people basically driven out of our own area because of boneheaded crap they pulled that pissed our small community off. When you get cut cold in a small town, you get lonely real fast. I even heard our own cops tell a new neighbor from Denver that he was going to make the a-holes life miserable because the young punk had a mouth on him that didn't know when to quit. I won't repeat what the cop said but two weeks later the new neighbor suddenly moved back to Denver. I really don't think most of the locals ever wanted these guys in the first place, they were just sympathetic to the Hammonds and thought maybe Bundy might help them. They have since learned otherwise but now it's too late for them.

This is all about ranchers and the property they want to steal, nobody else matters to them.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Living in rural Oregon myself, if I'm reading the situation right there this is more like a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" situations that didn't quite work out...

That's my point. Half these folks would be leading the pro-Bundy brigade if they were being prosecuted for their previous shens. And I fully expect people just like this, if not some of these very ones themselves, leading it if they end up actually facing anything for this. The local pushback isn't some grand ideological epiphany, it's N.I.M.B.Y.ism. All kid gloves and half measures because they're still more "us" than "them."

 

[Jaskalas]

Harney County Sheriff Ward posted a message to their Facebook page stating:

OMG...
Based on that testimony from the townsfolk, my stomach churns in ill rebuke of a situation that should be brought to end... by force.