Militiamen, ranchers in showdown for soul of Burns

[Paladin]

This is the 3rd of these types of incidents which I have heard about. The first was the Bundy Ranch in NV, the second was at a mine outside Medford, OR, and now this one also in OR. So far all have ended peaceably but odds are this won't continue forever and firefights could break out between the militia forces and LEOs.

The confrontations also show a high level of tension between federal bureaucracies and militia groups which believe the feds are acting unConstitutionally and must be resisted, even with armed force if necessary.

"BURNS – The strangers carrying the whisper of danger arrived in the vast territory of the Harney Basin just before the holidays.

Ammon Bundy once helped his father repulse the government in an armed showdown on a Nevada desert. He was Tasered for his effort.

Ryan Payne, an electrician from Montana, joined that same standoff and boasted of organizing civilians into sniper squads that drew a bead on federal agents.

And not long ago, Jon Ritzheimer worried the FBI with his threatening rants against Muslims in Arizona and elsewhere.

Now, the men say, they are in Burns to help Dwight and Steven Hammond.

The Hammonds are father and son ranchers, due to report to federal prison on Monday. They were convicted in 2012 of arson for lighting public land on fire adjacent to their ranch land south of Burns. They have been imprisoned once and must return for an additional term after federal appellate judges said they had been illegally sentenced the first time.

Self-styled patriots and militiamen gathering in Burns don't want that to happen, declaring the Hammonds' imprisonment illegal under the U.S. Constitution.

They have latched on to the Hammonds as their latest cause to stand against the federal government.

"I am here now trying to empower and motivate the people of this community to take a stand against tyranny and show them that I will gladly stand with them," Ritzheimer said.

The Hammonds don't want to be part of the outsiders' cause, and neither do many in Harney County.

But that hasn't stopped the strangers from summoning help from militia groups across the country. They are vague about their intention and their plans, unsettling the community and putting law enforcement on edge. The militia plan a rally and a parade on Saturday, circling the county courthouse that houses the sheriff's office.

The militia members have been insisting that Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward create a sanctuary so the Hammonds will be immune from surrendering. Ward met with the militiamen and rejected that demand. The militia has since labeled him an "enemy of the people." Ward said he has received emailed death threats among thousands of messages from across the country regarding the Hammonds.

Two weeks ago, Bundy and Payne roused 60 or so local citizens to their cause at a community meeting. They rented the Memorial Building at the fairgrounds for the night. They taped themselves lecturing the locals on their rights, on the Constitution, and on their duty to protect themselves."

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/12/militiamen_ranchers_in_showdow.html

[Sanguine]

Oh.  I thought it was about one of my favorite poets.

[Paladin]

"BURNS, Ore. (AP) — A peaceful protest Saturday in support of an eastern Oregon ranching family facing jail time for arson was followed shortly afterward by an occupation of a building at a national wildlife refuge.

Ammon Bundy, the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a standoff with the government over grazing rights, told The Oregonian (http://is.gd/bK7d4E ) he and two of his brothers were among a group of dozens of people occupying the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Ammon Bundy said the group planned to stay at the refuge indefinitely.

"We're planning on staying here for years, absolutely," Ammon Bundy said. "This is not a decision we've made at the last minute."

Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page asking for people to come help him. Below the video is this statement: "**ALL PATRIOTS ITS TIME TO STAND UP NOT STAND DOWN!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! COME PREPARED."

An Idaho militia leader who helped organize the earlier march said he knew nothing about activities after a parade of militia members and local residents in Burns walked past the sheriff's office and the home of Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven.

Beth Anne Steele, an FBI spokeswoman in Portland, told The Associated Press the agency was aware of the situation at the national wildlife refuge. She made no further comment.

Some local residents feared the Saturday rally would involve more than speeches, flags and marching. But the only real additions to that list seemed to be songs, flowers and pennies.

As marchers reached the courthouse, they tossed hundreds of pennies at the locked door. Their message: civilians were buying back their government. After the march passed, two girls swooped in to scavenge the pennies.

A few blocks away, Hammond and his wife Susan greeted marchers, who planted flower bouquets in the snow. They sang some songs, Hammond said a few words, and the protesters marched back to their cars.

Dwight Hammond has said he and his son plan to peacefully report to prison Jan. 4 as ordered by the judge.

Dwight Hammond, 73, and Steven Hammond, 46, said they lit the fires in 2001 and 2006 to reduce the growth of invasive plants and protect their property from wildfires.

The two were convicted of the arsons three years ago and served time — the father three months, the son one year. But a judge ruled their terms were too short under federal law and ordered them back to prison for about four years each.

The decision has generated controversy in a remote part of the state.

In particular, the Hammonds' new sentences touched a nerve with far right groups who repudiate federal authority.

Ammon Bundy and a handful of militiamen from other states arrived last month in Burns, some 60 miles from the Hammond ranch.

In an email to supporters, Ammon Bundy criticized the U.S. government for a failed legal process."

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/peaceful-protest-followed-by-oregon-wildlife-refuge-action/ar-BBo6RvQ?ocid=spartanntp

[EdinVA]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/01/03/armed-militia-storm-national-wildlife-refuge-building-following-protest.html?intcmp=hpbt2

Members of an armed militia stormed a national wildlife building in Oregon on Saturday, following a protest in support of ranchers facing jail time for arson. Ammon Bundy told the Oregonian that he and two of his brothers were among a group of dozens of people occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Burns. Ammon Bundy is the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a standoff with the government over grazing rights.
Ammon Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page urging militia members to come and support the cause. He said “this is not a time to stand down. It’s a time to stand up and come to Harney County,” where Burns is located. Below the video is this statement: "(asterisk)(asterisk)ALL PATRIOTS ITS TIME TO STAND UP NOT STAND DOWN!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! COME PREPARED."
He told reporters late Saturday that the group was occupying the government building because “the people have been abused long enough.
"I feel we are in a situation where if we do not do something, if we do not take a hard stand, we'll be in a position where we'll be no longer able to do so," Ammon Bundy added.

[jmyrlefuller]

I saw this on Twitter this morning. It's kind of hilarious the hypocrisy the left has shown.

Four years ago: "Occupy Wall Street!"

Now: "TERRORISM!"

[mountaineer]

This is from a site called Conservative Treehouse  (lengthy, so I won't post the entire thing - go to link):

Full Story on What’s Going on In Oregon – Militia Take Over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge In Protest to Hammond Family Persecution
Posted on January 3, 2016   by sundance

Grab a coffee, because this is soup-to-nuts.
Many people will awaken today to the news of approximately 100 to 150 armed militia taking control of a closed Wildlife Park Headquarters, and not know the full back-story – so here it is:  The short summary is:  in an effort to draw attention to a ridiculous arrest of a father and son pair of Oregon Ranchers (“Dwight Lincoln Hammond, Jr., 73, and his son, Steven Dwight Hammond, 46,) who are scheduled to begin five year prison sentences (turning themselves in tomorrow January 4th 2016), three brothers from the Cliven Bundy family and approximately 100/150 (and growing) heavily armed militia (former U.S. service members) have taken control of Malheur Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in the wildlife reserve.  They are prepared to stay there indefinitely.

Here’s the long version: including history, details, links video(s) and explanations:  HISTORY: (aa) The Harney Basin (were the Hammond ranch is established) was settled in the 1870’s. The valley was settled by multiple ranchers and was known to have run over 300,000 head of cattle. These ranchers developed a state of the art irrigated system to water the meadows, and it soon became a favorite stopping place for migrating birds on their annual trek north.

(ab) In 1908 President Theodor Roosevelt, in a political scheme, create an “Indian reservation” around the Malheur, Mud & Harney Lakes and declared it “as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds”. Later this “Indian reservation” (without Indians) became the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

(a) In 1964 the Hammonds purchased their ranch in the Harney Basin. The purchase included approximately 6000 acres of private property, 4 grazing rights on public land, a small ranch house and 3 water rights. The ranch is around 53 miles South of Burns, Oregon.

(a1) By the 1970’s nearly all the ranches adjacent to the Blitzen Valley were purchased by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and added to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge covers over 187,000 acres and stretches over 45 miles long and 37 miles wide. The expansion of the refuge grew and surrounds to the Hammond’s ranch. Being approached many times by the FWS, the Hammonds refused to sell. Other ranchers also choose not to sell.

(a2) During the 1970’s the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), took a different approach to get the ranchers to sell. Ranchers were told that, “grazing was detrimental to wildlife and must be reduced”. 32 out of 53 permits were revoked and many ranchers were forced to leave. Grazing fees were raised significantly for those who were allowed to remain. Refuge personnel took over the irrigation system claiming it as their own.

(a3) By 1980 a conflict was well on its way over water allocations on the adjacent privately owned Silvies Plain. The FWS wanted to acquire the ranch lands on the Silvies Plain to add to their already vast holdings. Refuge personnel intentional diverted the water to bypassing the vast meadowlands, directing the water into the rising Malheur Lakes. Within a few short years the surface area of the lakes doubled. Thirty-one ranches on the Silvies plains were flooded. Homes, corrals, barns and graze-land were washed a way and destroyed. The ranchers that once fought to keep the FWS from taking their land, now broke and destroyed, begged the FWS to acquire their useless ranches. In 1989 the waters began to recede and now the once thriving privately owned Silvies pains are a proud part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge claimed by the FWS.

(a4) By the 1990’s the Hammonds were one of the very few ranchers that still owned private property adjacent to the refuge. Susie Hammond in an effort to make sense of what was going on began compiling fact about the refuge. In a hidden public record she found a study that was done by the FWS in 1975. The study showed that the “no use” policies of the FWS on the refuge were causing the wildlife to leave the refuge and move to private property. The study showed that the private property adjacent to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge produced 4 times more ducks and geese than the refuge did. It also showed that the migrating birds were 13 times more likely to land on private property than on the refuge. When Susie brought this to the attention of the FWS and refuge personnel, her and her family became the subjects of a long train of abuses and corruptions.

(b) In the early 1990’s the Hammonds filed on a livestock water source and obtained a deed for the water right from the State of Oregon. When the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) found out that the Hammonds obtained new water rights near the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge, they were agitated and became belligerent and vindictive towards the Hammonds. The US Fish and Wildlife Service challenged the Hammonds right to the water in an Oregon State Circuit Court. The court found that the Hammonds legally obtained rights to the water in accordance to State law and therefore the use of the water belongs to the Hammonds.*

(c) In August 1994 the BLM & FWS illegally began building a fence around the Hammonds water source. Owning the water rights and knowing that their cattle relied on that water source daily the Hammonds tried to stop the building of the fence. The BLM & FWS called the Harney County Sheriff department and had Dwight Hammond (Father) arrested and charged with “disturbing and interfering with” federal officials or federal contractors (two counts, each a felony). He spent one night in the Deschutes County Jail in Bend, and a second night behind bars in Portland before he was hauled before a federal magistrate and released without bail. A hearing on the charges was postponed and the federal judge never set another date.

(d) The FWS also began restricting access to upper pieces of the Hammond’s private property. In order to get to the upper part of the Hammond’s ranch they had to go on a road that went through the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge. The FWS began barricading the road and threatening the Hammonds if they drove through it. The Hammonds removed the barricades and gates and continued to use their right of access. The road was proven later to be owned by the County of Harney. This further enraged the BLM & FWS.

(e) Shortly after the road & water disputes, the BLM & FWS arbitrarily revoked the Hammond’s upper grazing permit without any given cause, court proceeding or court ruling. As a traditional “fence out state” Oregon requires no obligation on the part of an owner to keep his or her livestock within a fence or to maintain control over the movement of the livestock. The Hammonds intended to still use their private property for grazing. However, they were informed that a federal judge ruled, in a federal court, that the federal government did not have to observe the Oregon fence out law. “Those laws are for the people, not for them”.

(f) The Hammonds were forced to either build and maintain miles of fences or be restricted from the use of their private property. Cutting their ranch in almost half, they could not afford to fence the land, so the cattle were removed.

(g) The Hammonds experienced many years of financial hardship due to the ranch being diminished. The Hammonds had to sale their ranch and home in order to purchase another property that had enough grass to feed their cattle. This property included two grazing rights on public land. Those were also arbitrarily revoked later.

(h) The owner of the Hammond’s original ranch passed away from a heart attack and the Hammonds made a trade for the ranch back.

(i) In the early fall of 2001, Steven Hammond (Son) called the fire department, informing them that he was going to be performing a routine prescribed burn on their ranch. Later that day he started a prescribed fire on their private property. The fire went onto public land and burned 127 acres of grass. The Hammonds put the fire out themselves. There was no communication about the burn from the federal government to the Hammonds at that time. Prescribed fires are a common method that Native Americans and ranchers have used in the area to increase the health & productivity of the land for many centuries.

(j) In 2006 a massive lightning storm started multiple fires that joined together inflaming the countryside. To prevent the fire from destroying their winter range and possibly their home, Steven Hammond (Son) started a backfire on their private property. The backfire was successful in putting out the lightning fires that had covered thousands of acres within a short period of time. The backfire saved much of the range and vegetation needed to feed the cattle through the winter. Steven’s mother, Susan Hammond said: “The backfire worked perfectly, it put out the fire, saved the range and possibly our home”.

(j1) The next day federal agents went to the Harney County Sheriff’s office and filled a police report making accusation against Dwight and Steven Hammond for starting the backfire. A few days after the backfire a Range-Con from the Burns District BLM office asked Steven if he would meet him in town (Frenchglen) for coffee. Steven accepted. When leaving he was arrested by the Harney County Sheriff Dave Glerup and BLM Ranger Orr. Sheriff Glerup then ordered him to go to the ranch and bring back his father. Both Dwight and Steven were booked and on multiple Oregon State charges. The Harney County District Attorney reviewed the accusation, evidence and charges, and determined that the accusations against Dwight & Steven Hammond did not warrant prosecution and dropped all the charges.  ...

[EdinVA]

This is from a site called Conservative Treehouse  (lengthy, so I won't post the entire thing - go to link):

What an abuse of power.
The troubling thing to me is that all of this went on thru 2 GOP administrations and was never put in check.
This convinces me that the corruption in the federal bungle runs top to bottom and regardless of what campaign rewards are given to supporters, the presidents cabinet either has no idea or does not care what their agencies are doing.

[rangerrebew]

'Bring your guns and come': Militiamen including Cliven Bundy's three sons take over Oregon federal building and call 'U.S. patriots' to arms in protest at pending imprisonment of two ranchers

    Militia members claimed to have as many as 150 supporters with them at the Malheur National Wildlife refuge building in Princeton, Oregon
    The group said they were not looking to hurt anyone, they would not rule out violence if police tried to remove them
    The occupation came shortly after a few hundred marchers paraded through Burns, Oregon
    The marchers were protesting the prosecution of father and son Harney County ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr, 73, and Steven Hammond, 46
    The Hammonds were ordered returned to prison by a federal court which ruled their original sentences for setting public fires were insufficient
    The group is demanding that the Hammonds be released and that the federal government give up control of the Malheur National Forest
    Occupiers include Ammon and Ryan Bundy, sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a 2014 standoff over grazing rights

By Kelly Mclaughlin For Dailymail.com and Reuters and Associated Press

Published: 00:40 EST, 3 January 2016 | Updated: 07:25 EST, 3 January 2016

 

A group of militiamen on Saturday occupied the headquarters of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon in support of two brothers who are slated to report to prison on Monday on arson charges - and the protesters don't plan on leaving any time soon, saying it's 'kill or be killed' time.

Militia members claimed to have as many as 150 supporters with them at the Malheur National Wildlife refuge building in Princeton, which is federal property managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service that was closed for the holiday weekend.

They later rescinded the number and said they would not disclose how many people were in the building, because of 'operational security'. Local reporters have said that there only appears to be a dozen cars outside of the building.

'We're planning on staying here for years, absolutely,' Ammon Bundy, one of the occupiers, told the Oregonian via telephone. ‘This is not a decision we've made at the last minute.'

Ammon Bundy and his brother Ryan, who is another occupier, are the sons of of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights.

The occupation came shortly after 300 marchers paraded through Burns, Oregon, about 50 miles away, to protest at the prosecution of father and son Harney County ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr and Steven Hammond, who were ordered returned to prison by a federal court which ruled their original sentences were insufficient.

The group is demanding that the Hammonds be released and that the federal government give up control of the Malheur National Forest.
Protesters march on Court Avenue in support of an Oregon ranching family facing jail time for arson in Burns, Oregon, on Saturday. Soon after, they occupied Malheur National Wildlife refuge building in Princeton, Oregon
+12

Protesters march on Court Avenue in support of an Oregon ranching family facing jail time for arson in Burns, Oregon, on Saturday. Soon after, they occupied Malheur National Wildlife refuge building in Princeton, Oregon
Ammon Bundy chats with a protester on Saturday during a march on behalf of the Hammond family in Harney County, Oregon
+12

Ammon Bundy chats with a protester on Saturday during a march on behalf of the Hammond family in Harney County, Oregon
The protesters said they plan on staying at the Malheur National Wildlife refuge building in Princeton, Oregon for as long as possible
+12

The protesters said they plan on staying at the Malheur National Wildlife refuge building in Princeton, Oregon for as long as possible

Dwight Hammond, 73, and Steven Hammond, 46, said they lit the fires in 2001 and 2006 to reduce the growth of invasive plants and protect their property from wildfires.

The two were convicted of the arsons three years ago and served time — the father three months, the son one year.

But a judge ruled their terms were too short under federal law and ordered them back to prison for about four years each.

Ammon Bundy, an Idaho militia leader, said that while the occupiers were not looking to hurt anyone, they would not rule out violence if police tried to remove them, the Oregonian reported.

Bundy's brother Ryan Bundy, who is also an occupier, told the Oregonian that they're 'willing to kill and be killed' if necessary, adding that the federal officials' actions have been 'in violation of the constitution'.
 
 
'The best possible outcome is that the ranchers that have been kicked out of the area, then they will come back and reclaim their land, and the wildlife refuge will be shut down forever and the federal government will relinquish such control,' Ryan Bundy told the Oregonian.

He added: 'What we're doing is not rebellious. What we're doing is in accordance with the Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land.'

The brothers said, however, that their real goal is to simply start a movement. It is unknown what types of weapons are now at the refuge building, but there are no hostages in the area.

'The facility has been the tool to do all the tyranny that has been placed upon the Hammonds,' told the Oregonian.   

Ammon Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page asking for people to come help him. Below the video is this statement: "(asterisk)(asterisk)ALL PATRIOTS ITS TIME TO STAND UP NOT STAND DOWN!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! COME PREPARED."

Ammon Bundy said the group planned to stay at the refuge indefinitely.

'The facility has been the tool to do all the tyranny that has been placed upon the Hammonds,' the Oregonian quoted Ammon Bundy as saying.

                                                                                                             READ MORE

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3382511/Militiamen-federal-wildlife-refuge-Oregon-anti-government-rally-support-two-ranchers-heading-jail-arson.html#ixzz3wC5qNAb5
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[flowers]

Just yesterday watched a show about Waco. This won't end well. The federal government will not be challenged.

[mountaineer]

Just yesterday watched a show about Waco. This won't end well. The federal government will not be challenged.

Indeed. I fear another Waco-like massacre.

[rangerrebew]

Libtards Whine Oregon Militiamen are Being Treated Nicer Because They are WHITE (VIDEO)

Liberals can find a way to work racism and “micro-aggression” into every conversation.

Now, the libtard whiner brigade is complaining because, according to them, the Oregon militiamen are being treated nicer because they are white.

As the whining goes, the response to the militiamen’s takeover is not proportional to the response to #BlackLivesMatter actions.

If these guys (and gals) were “Black Lives Matter protesters or if these were peaceful Muslim Americans [then] they would be treated very differently by law enforcement,” CNN host CNN Brian Stelter said, summarizing the activists complaint.

Yet, according to CNN’s own analyst, it is because the militiamen aren’t in a large city breaking stuff, not because the color of their skin.

“This is a very rural area. It is out in the middle of nowhere. What are they actually doing? They’re not destroying property, they’re not looting anything,” CNN law enforcement analyst Art Roderick explained on CNN.

He continued, “I mean, there’s a whole separate situation going on as to exactly why they’re there and that will be worked out through the legal process.”

http://downtrend.com/videos/oregon-militiamen-white-black-lives-matter

[rangerrebew]

Epic Fail: Lamestream Media Spins ‘Militia Takeover in Oregon into ‘Peaceful Protest’ (VIDEO)

On Saturday armed militia groups rallied in Burns, Oregon and took over a wildlife refuge center.

Here is what happened, even according to liberal Raw Story:

Militia members protesting a federal prison sentence for two Oregon ranchers convicted on charges of setting fire to federal land have occupied the headquarters of a national park.

The protesters include Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s son, Ammon, and two of his brothers. Also among them is Ryan Payne, who organized snipers to aim weapons at federal officers during the Bundy Ranch standoff last year.

They told OregonLive that they are accompanied by about 150 others and are hunkered down at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters. The group is described by reporter Les Zaitz as “hard core militia” who adopted the ranchers’ cause as their own.

Yet, this is how lamestream media giant ABC News covered it:

Screen-Shot-2016-01-02-at-9.40.46-PM (1)

Seriously ABC News? With reporting like this how are we supposed to believe anything you write?

http://downtrend.com/videos/lamestream-media-spins-milita-takeover-peaceful-protest

[ABX]

One thing missing in most stories, the Hammonds don't want the Bundys there.
The Sheriff who has been helping them don't want the Bundys there.
Even Cliven Bundy says his kids are wrong on this one and shouldn't be there.

http://www.opb.org/news/article/burns-oregon-standoff-militia/ 

In another interview I saw a few days ago, the Hammonds' lawyer was pissed at them because they are sabotaging their legal response for the upcoming re-sentencing.

Matt Bracken made a good point, it smells more like a situation where the feds want to get as many like minded people to come up there as possible for some reason (he called it a Buffalo hunt).

[truth_seeker]

It don't matter that the Hammonds don't want them there, or that the Sheriff doesn't want them there, or that Cliven Bundy says his sons are wrong.

What matters is they are "Angry" and that trumps everything else.

[jmyrlefuller]

It don't matter that the Hammonds don't want them there, or that the Sheriff doesn't want them there, or that Cliven Bundy says his sons are wrong.

What matters is they are "Angry" and that trumps everything else.

Was that pun intended? (snickers)

[ABX]

It don't matter that the Hammonds don't want them there, or that the Sheriff doesn't want them there, or that Cliven Bundy says his sons are wrong.

What matters is they are "Angry" and that trumps everything else.

[jmyrlefuller]

The left/Black Lives Matter meme seems to be that "but they have guns! The black kids who were committing crimes were unarmed!" These militiamen broke into an empty park office. Nobody was even struck. It's little more than a glorified sit-in. Compare that to the "unarmed" Baltimore rioters. Guns do not cause violence.

It is like the old adage: "speak softly, carry a big stick and you will go far."

[ABX]

More likely because they have a secured position and this is an ongoing media event.

[ABX]

Other militia units including the Sipsey Street Irregulars and III%ers are condemning the Bundy's too.

No more free Wacos. A National Three Percent Declaration Regarding the Situation in Harney County, Oregon. "Why would I want to do that? There's plenty of you federal sonsabitches around here."

    In 1996, common criminals calling themselves "the Montana Freemen," victimized their own neighbors in the community with fake liens and bank fraud. Eventually, the Federal authorities became involved and laid siege to their community. At the time, in the aftermath of Waco and Ruby Ridge, the FBI was very concerned that members of the constitutional militia movement might come to their aid.

    They approached the leadership of these formations, trying to determine what our intentions were should the situation "go south," turning into another Waco. As part of this effort, the FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Albuquerque New Mexico office journeyed downstate to visit Bob Wright, than (as now) commander of the 1st Brigade, New Mexico Militia. "Bob," he asked, "would you really take your unit up to Montana to protect them?"

    Bob looked him in the eye and said, "Why would I want to do that? There's plenty of you federal sonsabitches around here."

    Our point was, then as it is now, that as much as we disagreed with the people in the compound, we believed that the Federal government had an absolute duty to respect their due process rights and to do what was necessary to end the situation without killing them. Bob's rejoinder made it clear that if it did turn into another Waco, that there would be a NATIONAL response and that we would fight in our own areas of operation where we were strongest. What Bob was trying to communicate was that we were prisoners of our own principles. We had sworn after the immolation of the Davidians that there would be "no more free Wacos." That if the Feds began killing citizens without legal recourse that they would pay a price in blood for it. Indeed, if there is one principle that everyone in the liberty movement, such as it is, agrees upon it is that. Since then, we have sent that message in a number of ways including "No More Free Wacos: An Explication of the Obvious Addressed to Eric Holder, Attorney General of the United States" in 2009. I also made this a central tenet of the Three Percent Catechism.

    Among the other principles is no first use of force. We call this, "No Fort Sumters." To do so would be to surrender the moral high ground. The Founders understood that. Indeed, even the people who responded to the righteous cause of the Bundys at the time of the standoff there understood it. Yet now we have a situation contrived by some of the same people who first showed their true colors in the aftermath of that confrontation throwing this crucial tenet into the garbage can. I refer the reader to my article of yesterday, "Perfect timing for the regime. Federal provocateurs, sociopaths and idiots with a John Brown complex are writing checks that they expect the rest of us to cash in our blood," and to the statement of the Oregon Three Percent organization whose march was exploited by Ammon Bundy and his supporters to achieve the takeover.

    I hasten to add that this tactic is straight out of the communist provocateur's handbook. I know since as a former member of the Maoist Progressive Labor Party, we used to do the same thing to peaceful anti-war marches. Like wise, today's black flag street "anarchists" do the same thing all across the world. The point of the tactic is to take the violence up several notches, goad the government forces into responding and radicalize others who are subsequently beaten and tear gassed. It is a tactic older than Karl Marx.

    And yet, as wrong-headed and suspect as are the actions and the motives of the few people who are currently holed up in the Fish and Wildlife Service office (and they are far fewer than is claimed), the rest of us are still prisoners of our own enunciated principles. Bundy and the others (including several people whom are widely suspected of being federal provocateurs) have indeed written a check that they expect the rest of us to cash in our own blood in a ghastly civil war. Yet we cannot allow the federal government to take advantage of this perfect propaganda opportunity that they have apparently spent such effort contriving and use deadly force on the occupiers without response. As at the time of the Freemen standoff, we must get across the message to the Feds that if they do so, there will be a national response in those local areas of operations where we are strongest, politically and militarily. Frankly, this is a plea for any adults in the room in DC to intervene and use caution before this blows up in all of our faces.

    As to the personalities involved, I can say this from personal experience on the ground at the time of the original Bundy confrontation. The sociopathic weasel (and likely fed provocateur) Ryan Payne insinuated himself into the Bundy family by going to church with them and promising to convert to their brand of the LDS church. Whether he actually did or not is unknown to me, but I was told by Bundy himself that this was the reason that they trusted him and took him into their personal defense detail, much as Cleopatra clasped the asp to her own bosom.

    In addition, I am informed by someone on the ground out there that Ammon Bundy believes that it is his mission "to make the refuge into some sort of New Jerusalem." The parallels between Ammon and John Brown grow creepier by the minute. Others apparently view this as an opportunity for "suicide by Fed," acting out whatever private demons they have pursuing them.

    Boil all of this down and this is what we have left as our own demands, our own declaration, if you will:

    1. Put the Feds on notice that as much as we disagree with the actions of these people, that the government has an absolute duty to see that the situation ends without violence. In the case of the Freemen, that took 81 days and involved outside negotiators (at least one of whom, Kirk Lyons, was a federal informant).

    2. We must get across to the Feds that if they do not end this peacefully, if they go for a dynamic raid that gets people killed, that they will start a national conflagration that will be fought using the principles of Fourth Generation Warfare as adapted to an American civil war. War makers and decision takers, and not just SRT thugs, will put their own lives on the line in any conflict they start. No more free Wacos. Period.

    3. We must insist that some outside negotiators try to work out a compromise between the occupiers and the authorities to facilitate a peaceful end to the standoff. (Of course this time it would be preferable if none of those negotiators was a federal snitch.)

    4. We must declare that the Founders always looked upon the armed citizenry as the ultimate guarantors of liberty and safety and that by making these demands we are entirely consistent with their vision of a constitutional republic of limited powers and the rule of law.

    We are prisoners of our principles, as originally enunciated by them. As much as we disagree with the occupiers and whatever motives they have, we cannot do otherwise. No more free Wacos.

    (If you agree with this declaration, kindly pass it on.)

    Mike Vanderboegh, PO Box 926, Pinson AL 35126

    Founder, National Three Percent movement.

        Addendum: If I didn't make this clear in the above, let me make it plain. If you want to support the principle that Bundy and his followers are entitled to due process of law and to survive this confrontation of their own making, DO NOT ANSWER THE SIREN CALL AND GO THERE. Rather, get ready to fight in your own AOs, where you are strongest. If the occupiers are successful in their yearning for suicide by fed, the fight will in very short order come to you, as it will come to us all. Get ready. And do not neglect using every political lever open to influence everyone from the local sheriff and town councilmen to your congresscritters to exert every pressure on the regime to negotiate a peaceful end to this insanity.

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2016/01/no-more-free-wacos-national-three.html

I just wish when groups like this make official statements, they would check the grammar and spelling.

[mountaineer]

Posted by Dennis Michael Lynch * on Facebook:

Dennis Michael Lynch
12 mins ·

MY CONVERSATION WITH BUNDY
Just minutes ago I got off the phone with one of the Bundy brothers who is inside the government facility in Oregon. I was told there has been no activity today, but the situation is expected to change tomorrow morning when the government employees arrive to the facility for work.

I expressed my concerns regarding safety. He was clear in stating nobody within his group wishes to engage in violence, and that the objective is to send a clear message that the government can no longer be permitted to grab land at will. The Bundy boys are there to stand for the ranchers who are run out of business by the BLM.

I spoke to Bundy man to man, father to father, husband to husband, and then I voiced my concerns for a second time. "I fear this situation will end up being terribly dangerous," I said. He listened to me, and he appreciated my concerns, but I got the impression they are there to stay. I offered him TV time if he wants or needs it, and that I would treat the story fairly. He thanked me for a bunch of different things concerning the standoff in Nevada, and then we hung up.

Tomorrow morning will be the test.

*I'm not personally familiar with him, but he describes himself as an entrepreneur, filmmaker and public speaker.

[ABX]

Posted by Dennis Michael Lynch * on Facebook:*I'm not personally familiar with him, but he describes himself as an entrepreneur, filmmaker and public speaker.

He is one of Newsmax's personalities. I used to be friends w/ him on Facebook before he hit it big but he was a bit over the top (he would be probably cheering calls to 'shoot first' in this).

[Paladin]

Some additional information:

(1) This is all taking place in Harney County, OR, which is located deep in the southeastern part of the state, and is sparsely populated. "Harney County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,422,[1] making it the fifth-least populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Burns.[2]...As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 7,609 people, 3,036 households, and 2,094 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 people per square mile (0/km²) (Wikipedia). I don't know if this affects the situation there but the area is staunchly Republican. "Harney County voters in 2012 voted heavily Republican. In the general election in November, Republican Mitt Romney won about 73 percent of the votes for U.S. President to about 23 percent for Democrat Barack Obama, while other candidates and parties shared the remaining 4 percent." EdinVA noted, "The troubling thing to me is that all of this went on thru 2 GOP administrations and was never put in check.", and it has to be noted the Congressman from that area is (naturally) a Republican, Greg Walden. One wonders what he's been doing while the harassment of the Hammonds has been going on.

(2) One of the premiere militia groups, Oath Keepers, has advised its members to respect the wishes of the Hammond family and stay away: "We cannot force ourselves or our protection on people who do not want it.   Dwight and Steven Hammond have made it clear, through their attorney, that they just want to turn themselves in and serve out their sentence. And that clear statement of their intent should be the end of the discussion on this.  No patriot group or individual has the right or the authority to force an armed stand off on this family, or around them, against their wishes.  You cannot help someone who does not want your help, and who are not willing and ready to take a hard stand themselves." (https://www.oathkeepers.org/the-hammond-family-does/); and have been highly critical of the actions of Ammon Bundy. (https://www.oathkeepers.org/ammon-bundy-martyr-or-revolutionary/)

(3) Mountaineer posted a piece from Conservative Treehouse which certainly shows the Feds have subjected the Hammonds to "a long train of abuses and usurpations", and they aren't the first. I hope it ends peaceably but the legal harassment practiced by the various federal agencies has to end, peaceably or not.

[Paladin]

This comes from what I consider a reliable source.

[katzenjammer]

Thank you for your endorsed source of input.  In any of these situations, it is almost impossible to get a handle on the TRUTH of what is going on.

[truth_seeker]

Other militia units including the Sipsey Street Irregulars and III%ers are condemning the Bundy's too.

I just wish when groups like this make official statements, they would check the grammar and spelling.

They did. What you see is the result.