Militia takes over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters

[davsel]

I had no idea this was taking place

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-no...ith_quiet.html

Government sources told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the militia also was planning to occupy a closed wildland fire station near the town of Frenchglen. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management posts crews there during the fire season.

Law enforcement officials so far have not commented on the situation. Oregon State Police, the Harney County Sheriff's Office and the FBI were involved.

Ammon Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page calling on patriots from across the country to report to the refuge – with their weapons.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...52518695942311

[cstone]

And the Hammond family at the center of this issue has distanced themselves from the people who have peacefully but illegally occupied the BLM office.

I suspect that just as the issue a while back with Cliven Bundy, Ammon's father, this issue is a bit more complicated than just a simple local folks vs the federal government.

Apparently the elder Hammond in his 70's and his son in his 40's were convicted three years ago of arson when the burned about 125 acres of vegetation in and around their property. Both of the Hammonds served their prison time and were released, however, on appeal, the federal judge in the case stated that both Hammond men needed to spend an additional four years in jail.

The whole thing sounds odd, which just reinforces my opinion that there are pieces missing in the puzzle as presented thus far.

[Irving]

I don't think this is going to end as peacefully as the Cliven Bundy thing did.

What ever happened with the Bundy thing anyway?

[davsel]

Protester's side of the story:
http://holdingblock.blogspot.com/201...l?view=classic

[cstone]

Twists and turns. Bundy got his cattle back but at some point he will probably lose his ranch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundy_standoff

[davsel]

WTF!

[Bailey Guns]

Wow...first I've heard of all this. I can certainly empathize with what the Hammond family has endured at the hands of the feds. It sounds like they pretty much just want their lives and ranch and to be left alone. Speculation only on my part, but it also sounds to me like a lot of people, many from outside the area, are using this terrible situation to inflame an already bad situation.

This is not the battle I'd choose, personally, to start some sort of armed resistance against the federal government. If I was in the middle of it my thoughts might be different. It's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out.

It's also a very complicated situation to understand with apparently decades of back story. I feel sorry for the Hammond family.

[BPTactical]

But wait- didn't former Atty General Eric Holder do something similar?
Why yes he did:

As a freshman at Columbia University in 1970, future Attorney General Eric Holder participated in a five-day occupation of an abandoned Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) headquarters with a group of black students later described by the university’s Black Students’ Organization as “armed,”
Department of Justice spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler has not responded to questions from The Daily Caller about whether Holder himself was armed — and if so, with what sort of weapon.

Holder was then among the leaders of the Student Afro-American Society (SAAS), which demanded that the former ROTC office be renamed the “Malcolm X Lounge.” The change, the group insisted, was to be made “in honor of a man who recognized the importance of territory as a basis for nationhood.”

[HoneyBadger]

It seems to me that Bundy and his followers have hijacked this unfortunate and likely unjust set of circumstances for their own cause. I would bet money that this ends like Waco. This could also be a strong political tool right before the election: "These crazies formed a private army to fight the government!" "Outlaw any organization that uses words like Militia, Liberty, Freedom, AR-15, etc." "Federal government has the power and the duty to intervene here (and everywhere)" etc.

I sure hope that this doesn't end in flames and dead bodies. It could also set several precedents very dangerous to what liberty we still have.

[Zombie Steve]

Biting my tongue.