Group of armed protesters take over federal building in Oregon
In the wake of the re-sentencing of two Oregonian ranchers to 5 years in prison for clearing grazing land, a group of protesters has taken over a federal building to protest over-reach by the Federal Bureau of Land Management.
Ammon Bundy, the 40-year-old son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, has been acting as a spokesman for the group that took over the headquarters building in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Standing for the rights of men & womenBREAKING! SHARE! Standing for the rights of Men & Women. Calling all freedom loving people to come to Harney County Oregon, come to the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge. The people are finally getting some good use out of a federal facility.
Posted by Bundy Ranch on Saturday, January 2, 2016
“Now that people such as the Hammonds are taking a stand and not selling their ranches, they are being prosecuted in their own courts as terrorists and putting them in prison for five years,” Bundy said.
Bundy asserts that the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has taken over the space of 100 ranches since the early 1900s.
“We will be here as long as it takes,” said Ammon . “We have no intentions of using force upon anyone, (but) if force is used against us, we would defend ourselves.”
https://twitter.com/Montel_Williams/status/683530397590753280
Cliven Bundy, Ammon’ss father, said in a radio interview Saturday night that he had nothing to do with the takeover.
That’s not exactly what I thought should happen, but I didn’t know what to do. You know, if the Hammonds wouldn’t stand, if the sheriff didn’t stand, then, you know, the people had to do something. And I guess this is what they did decide to do. I wasn’t in on that
The Lake Malheur Reservation was established on August 18, 1908 by executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt in response to wildlife preservationists complaints that cattle were destroying the bird habitat in the region. Roosevelt set aside unclaimed government lands encompassed by Malheur, Mud and Harney Lakes “as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds.”
While Bundy’s assertion has not been confirmed, there have been recent efforts to turn huge swaths of grazing land into Federal monuments effectively removing them from use by ranchers.
An effort by conservation groups to have a large chunk of Malheur County set aside as a national monument or wilderness area has riled up ranchers and farmers in the area.
Locals say the new monument would eliminate 33% of the county’s grazing land and put many in the area out of business.
The protesters are armed and were part of a rally for convicted ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond who will be serving 5 years for unauthorized controlled-burns of underbrush.
“We are not terrorists,” Bundy said. “We are concerned citizens and realize we have to act if we want to pass along anything to our children.”
A Guardian reporter attempted to get into the facility yesterday, but was turned back by militia security. The reported also noted that no police or federal presence was evident.
https://twitter.com/jason_a_w/status/683482421778452480
Social media reactions are mixed. The Twitter hashtag #OregonUnderAttack is full of comments:
#OregonUnderAttack: <—Seriously though? This hashtag? Isn't that a bit overblown?
— Shawn Christopher Branch (@gntlman) January 3, 2016
Moderate white people. Speak out – we can't hear your voices. How will you tackle this radicalisation? #OregonUnderAttack
— Mo Ansar (@MoAnsar) January 3, 2016
Just back from self-imposed holiday media blackout only 2c perhaps most laughable hashtag ever: #OregonUnderAttack
You're a dumbass,Twitter.— Chad Richards (@thetawake) January 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/yagbebi/status/683572776771403776
Bundy “may be” extreme…Let’s consider that BIG, overreach and an over inflated government could be the straw that broke the camels back…..how many straws will it take to break yours???? Will it be when the government decides to take your home in the interest of public enhancement, or seize your guns or maybe say your kid can’t go to college to make room for a ‘refugee”?
Should this be a preamble to full blown civil unrest or another ‘American Revolution’ we had all best make up our mind where we stand and what our priorities are! Just how much are our fought and died for freedoms worth????
My gun will be with the Government, any questions?
Good ! I was hoping that if there were comments indicating a firm decision that they would include the reasoning. That might prove helpful for those still somewhat undecided…..Obviously I hope it never reaches a point where such a choice is necessary. yet with the frequency of ‘unrest’ being manifested, it does seem a possibility.
This is a quandary. I hate what happened to the Hammonds, and there is much more history than has been put to light so far. I am trying to confirm facts before printing the truth of the 2001 and 2006 fires for which the government chose to use a terrorism law to convict them instead of simple arson/destruction of public property.
As far as who’s gun is with whom … Bundy is doing it wrong, but also has not committed any crime punishable by death or necessitating any over-the-top use of force that may end in bloodshed. They walked into a building that had no people in it and are squatting. Since the building was currently closed, breaking and entering and trespassing are about all I can come up with.
That park is in its off-season with spring and fall being high time for people to come and look at birds in an artificial wetland (yeah they use irrigation canals to keep the ‘wetland’ wet.) So having these guys slowly get bored to death in the HQ is of little consequence.
Turn off the power and water, give it no media attention and they will get bored and leave.