Militia takes over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters

I have absolutely no doubt that there is far more to the original story than has been reported and that the Hammonds aren't completely innocent. But just as white people can't fully understand the black experience (and vice versa), those of us in the the PDX area and upper valley can't fully understand the issues, concerns and frustrations our rural cousins deal with as an every day as part of their lives. Because they are a minority in this state, they have no real representative government. Instead, they are bound by laws and rules voted in or written by a majority who have no clue about or sympathy for the lives they lead outside our immediate purview. That said, it doesn't excuse their lawless actions. But before the government goes in and makes the problem bigger, questions need to be answered. It seems to me that the federal government needs to be held at least as accountable as the Hammonds and the militia. Personally, I'm tired of government by the government for the government. That's not the way it's supposed to be....and the first and best lesson my mama EVER taught me is that there are two sides to every story.....

 

The place the militia has comandeered is a wildlife refuge. That's the end all be all. How can you blame the government for the actions of the Hammonds for possibly being arsonists to cover up their poaching? 90 days for burning a hundred and some odd acres? Sounds like the 90-day sentence was a slap on the wrist for something that was a terrible thing to do. More information will come out, but if it's true that they were poaching and they burned down land to cover it up, their balls should be nailed to the wall.

 

That's a red herring if I've ever seen one. To rural people ANY regulation is government over reach. Having a wildlife refuge is a government over reach in their eyes.

 

I first became aware of the Hammonds and their Illegal activities back in the nineties when I was still a BLM employee.

The Hammonds have been deliberately violating just about any and every land-use and hunting law on the books since at least 1994. They have threatened the lives of BLM workers, endangered hundreds of their neighbors' lives and poached unknown numbers of game animals from Federal lands with impunity. They have continually set range fires that raged wild across Federal lands simply to cover their game poaching, again endangering hundreds of firefighters. They have used their wealth and "good ole boy" connections to intimidate most local law enforcement for decades. They are just typical, arrogant land barons who think they are above the law, and they are incredibly lucky they are not serving life in prison for the numerous deadly crimes they have committed without remorse.

The government has never taken any land from them nor do they have any legal claim to supposed "grandfathered" grazing rights or "historic" cattle trails.

http://www.morelaw.com/verdicts/case.asp?s=OR&d=83415

 

And there you have it.

 

Now hopefully they fucking storm that place with some SWAT assets and finish this stupid shit. OR.......talk it out. whatever.

 

Just curious, what are everyone's thoughts on unregulated militias?

 

I've told you this before, Sly...In general, prison sentences in this country are too long. Most sentences would get the same amount of crime-decreasing results if they were cut to 10% of what they are.

The most heinous long sentences are the ones for first offenders for minor offenses. The evil legal system ruins someone's life by sentencing him to an unemployable life in hiding after release, in effect a life sentence.

That's true for both black and white people. Black people then get a double effect because of their disproportionate percentage arrested. The crappy prison sentence lengths need to be reduced for all races. This evil started in the Reagan Administration. Republican state legislators are also at fault.

 

Whether it's the "Constitutional Patriots", the KKK, AIM, or Black Panthers/Black Lives Matter, they are all caused by a credible perception of danger or discrimination by the Feds or Society-in-general against their particular niche of Americans.

Until the Feds treat all Americans equally, rather than use discrimination as a tool to end discrimination (Affirmative Action), they will continue to exist, and perhaps necessarily so.

I would never be a part of one, or any mob action for that matter. I prefer to control my actions myself, rather than follow someone else.

 

He's flaunted the law for decades.

The sentence is right. He just should have served it years ago, and he'd be free now.

 

Whoah... Weird... Grouping the Black Panthers in the BLM movement makes absolutely no sense. They are not one in the same. Also saying that affirmative action was the reason for any of this flies in the face of reality. Affirmative action has nothing to do with these dumbass ranchers burning down federal land and these unregulated militias taking action. Militias and the KKK have been alive and well WAY before affirmative action (upheld by the SCOTUS) ever existed...

That's just a weird response.

 

While I personally don't believe in mandatory minimum sentencing, unfortunately that is the law. I do believe it should be changed. But that has happened yet. MANY black people have been disenfranchised by MMS. Funny how when it happens to a White Conservative people want to get armed and participate in terrorist activities...

 

To be fair Clinton passed a crime bill that instilled mandatory minimum sentencing. In my opinion that is cruel and unusual punishment. MMS has disproportionately affected black people and has doubled the prison population since Clinton passed it.

 

Republicans were behind it. Clinton didn't represent most congressmen in his own party. Dennis Hastert, the "clean ethical Republican," was one of the biggest rats.

 

Who gave this group the title of Militia? Seems like a bunch a wacko ranchers to me, much like exist in many places.

I had a ranch in North East Oregon for about 10 years. The friggin locals thought they should be able to run their cows anywhere they roamed. Their land, my land, Federal land or your land.
One close neighbor named Riesdom, decided to test me one day. There were about 150 of them in the phone book, and old Dutch family had been interbreeding there for years.
Anyway, coming home one day, I found the gate to one of my wheat fields was open and the field full of Riesdom cattle. Old Darrel R. was sittling there in his pickup truck watching them.

I said Darrel, why the fuck are your cattle in my wheat field?
If you had it fenced they wouldn't be there!

Darrel, I want you to remove them now, or I start gut shooting them.
I headed for the cows.

He beat me to them.

I wonder how long these guys down around Burns have been there fucking each other breeding cousins?

 

Why?

 

Why?