https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/01/malheur-militia-movement-oregon-hammond-bundy-waco/
i wholeheartedly agree with this
What a bunch of goofballs. Straight out of looney tunes.Crying
One of those food items looks like a bag of dog food.
So the situation has already been handled?
Or are they still in that building...
Still there.
So the situation has already been handled?
Or are they still in that building...
A federal government official told the Guardian that authorities were planning on Monday to cut the power at the refuge.
“It’s in the middle of nowhere,” said the official, who is based in Washington, DC, and has knowledge of the planned response to the militia. “And it’s flat-ass cold up there.”
The official, who asked not to be named, said they were not privy to the FBI’s plan of action. However, they said the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which is leading the crisis management reaction to the occupation in liaison with the FBI, planned to cut the power to the building where the militiamen are spending their nights.
“After they shut off the power, they’ll kill the phone service,” the government official added. “Then they’ll block all the roads so that all those guys have a long, lonely winter to think about what they’ve done.”
Snowstorms are expected in the wilderness surrounding the refuge on Tuesday, which is some 30 miles from the town of Burns. At night, temperatures are forecast to plummet to -8C (18F).
The militia, numbering few more than a dozen, have been building fires to stay warm and have been sleeping in the building usually used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which runs the refuge for wild birds.
Knucklehead posted a goodbye video
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/...n-Militia-Loons-Post-Hilarious-Goodbye-Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcOIdVMa4-0
Shut it all down.gifThe militia is still occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, but the feds have finally blocked off access, and are discussing whether to shut down power.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...litia-standoff-power-cut-off?CMP=share_btn_tw
The militia is still occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, but the feds have finally blocked off access, and are discussing whether to shut down power.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...litia-standoff-power-cut-off?CMP=share_btn_tw
The militia is still occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, but the feds have finally blocked off access, and are discussing whether to shut down power.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...litia-standoff-power-cut-off?CMP=share_btn_tw
The only word that pops in my head is "masturbatory".
Ritzenheimer has been looking for an opportunity to shoot up some feds for awhile, which is why the FBI has been keeping tabs on him. This is the same guy that led the armed demonstrations in front of an Arizona mosque. The Oath Keepers tossed him out because he planned to "arrest" a Senator.
It's a shame law enforcement officials allowed this man to reach the Malheur Refuge. If you want a peaceful resolution, you don't want Ritzheimer in the building, because he's not looking for a peaceful resolution.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/01/armed-militiamen-occupy-oregon-wildlife-refuge.htmlAnother man from Utah who took part in the Bundy standoff told Oregon Public Broadcasting that he was miffed by how few protesters showed up. I feel quite betrayed. Its been on Facebook that everyone is going to come. And we show up, and everyone just craps out, he said. You come up here, ready to get killed if we have to and these people are just on Facebook about it." He added, Im not here to shoot anyone, Im here to get shot."
Somebody flaked out on a Facebook event? I am shocked, shocked!
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/01/armed-militiamen-occupy-oregon-wildlife-refuge.html
these rubes planned this whole thing on the fly didn't they?
and here I was thinking they had planned this out
Another tidbit from the Dept. of Hypocrisy - Ammon Bundy's business has received a federally-subsidized small business loan.
http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2016/01/ammon-bundy-oregon-protest-sba-loan
these rubes planned this whole thing on the fly didn't they?
and here I was thinking they had planned this out
The militia is still occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, but the feds have finally blocked off access, and are discussing whether to shut down power.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...litia-standoff-power-cut-off?CMP=share_btn_tw
Somebody flaked out on a Facebook event? I am shocked, shocked!
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/01/armed-militiamen-occupy-oregon-wildlife-refuge.html
I’m not here to shoot anyone, I’m here to get shot
Somebody flaked out on a Facebook event? I am shocked, shocked!Another man from Utah who took part in the Bundy standoff told Oregon Public Broadcasting that he was miffed by how few protesters showed up. I feel quite betrayed. Its been on Facebook that everyone is going to come. And we show up, and everyone just craps out, he said. You come up here, ready to get killed if we have to and these people are just on Facebook about it." He added, Im not here to shoot anyone, Im here to get shot."
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/01/armed-militiamen-occupy-oregon-wildlife-refuge.html
As apeshit crazy as that post was waiting this long to start discussing whether or not to do things like cutting the power is crazyThat is why the people screaming for the authorities to push this issue are so misguided.
That is why the people screaming for the authorities to push this issue are so misguided.
Nearly every part of the Bundy familys business is funded by government welfare programs.
The armed militiamen currently occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon have attempted to portray an image of themselves as rugged, independent Americans rejecting government interference in their businesses. But nearly every part of their existence as ranchers is made possible by government welfare programs even the building theyre depending on for shelter from the cold was built by federal tax dollars as part of the New Deal program. Here are just a few ways taxpayers are subsidizing the livelihoods of cattle ranchers like the Bundy family:
1. Ammon Bundys loan from the Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a loan guarantee program for businesses that dont qualify for assistance in the private credit market. As Mother Jones reported, Ammon Bundy the ringleader of the Malheur takeover bemoaning federal overreach got a $530,000 loan from the SBA in 2010 for his truck maintenance business in Arizona, costing taxpayers over $22,000. What the loan was used for or whether or not Bundy repaid it is not listed in public records.
2. The US government charges 93 percent less for cattle grazing than private landowners
One of the biggest gripes from cattle ranchers like Cliven Bundy and other Western cattlemen is that the federal government is bleeding ranchers dry with overpriced cattle grazing fees. But the opposite is true in 2012, it cost roughly $1.35 a month for each cow to graze on federal land, as opposed to the average $20 per month charged by private landowners for cattle grazing. FiveThirtyEight.com illustrated the price difference in a graph:
If anybody is getting the raw end of the deal from the federal governments cattle grazing prices, its the federal government. As of 2014, grazing fees only accounted for 15 percent of the total cost incurred for the Bureau of Land Management to manage land for cattle grazing. The other 85 percent comes from we, the taxpayers.
3. Ranchers get huge discounts on leases of public land
In Nevada, home of the Bundy family, 80 percent of the states land is owned by the federal government. But ranchers get to lease that land for their own private businesses at a huge discount. According to an investigation by The Atlantic, the lease discount program cost taxpayers anywhere from $52 million a year to $200 million, when accounting for all of the administrative overhead involved in managing the program.
4. Livestock farmers milk the emergency feed program even in non-drought years
Western states, like Nevada and Oregon, where ranchers like the Bundys reside, only produce roughly one-fifth of the nations beef supply, but require a considerable amount of taxpayer subsidies to stay afloat. The Atlantic estimates that the 11 Western states populated by ranchers eat up approximately $26 million per year.
5. Ranchers depend on big government assistance to keep livestock safe
The Bundys and other ranchers would have very little livestock to feed if it werent for the animal damage control program, in which federal employees kill off the nearby predators that present a danger to cattle. The Atlantics study of this program found that, again, Western ranchers are responsible for a disproportionate amount of taxpayer subsidies compared to the other 39 states:
In 1994 this program cost $55.9 million nationwide, of which roughly $22 million was spent on western livestock operations. The animals killed nationwide with this money included 163 black bears, 293 mountain lions, 1,928 bobcats, 8,973 foxes, and 85,571 coyotes.
If the Bundy family really wanted the independence from government they claim to stand for, their businesses would be underwater. Ammon Bundy and his gang should thank their lucky stars to benefit from so much government assistance.
There are no good guys to cheer for in the militia takeover of an Oregon federal office building on January 2. The ostensible issue is the re-sentencing of two Oregon ranchers–Dwight Hammond and son Steven Hammond–for arson, while the underlying issue is federal land ownership of much of the West.
The arson fires lit by the Hammonds in 2001 and 2006 may have actually represented sensible land management, but the Hammonds lost the high ground by their failure to coordinate with the government agency managing the land they burned. Prescribed fire is a tool used to improve wildlife habitat, increase land productivity, and control wildfire. The 2001 fire aimed at improving productivity, but the government says the ranchers didn’t bother informing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) they planned to burn until two hours after they lit the fire. While they lit the fire on their own land, it escaped and burned 139 acres of federal land, but that burning probably did not do serious damage to the grassland and they put the fire out themselves.
The 2006 fire was more questionable. A wildfire was burning on BLM land near the Hammond’s ranch, so to defend their land they lit a backfire on their own land. That would be standard procedure except, again, they didn’t tell anyone and when their fire crossed over onto federal land it endangered firefighters who the Hammonds apparently knew were located between the wildfire and their backfire. Due to severe fire hazards, the county had a no-burn rule which the Hammonds apparently violated, but this was hardly a terrorist act.
For these actions, they were sentenced to a year in jail, which possibly was appropriate considering they endangered people’s lives. But the federal government, citing an anti-terrorism law that sets a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for arson on federal land, demanded that they be re-sentenced. Having already served the first year, they were scheduled to be re-incarcerated for four more years after the New Year. It is always disturbing when the federal government uses laws aimed at foreign terrorists to oppress citizens who have political differences of opinion with government policy. The Hammonds, who have paid $400,000 in fine related to the fires they lit, probably should not have been re-sentenced to four more years in prison, but that’s a problem with mandatory sentencing laws and overly aggressive prosecutors, not federal land management.
One of those food items looks like a bag of dog food.
It's really not a good article on the mess, which isn't surprising, as it's from the Cato Institute. It plays fast and loose with the facts, acting as if the Hammonds hadn't been convicted of arson, and continuing to assert that both fires were accidents.A good article on the background of this mess:
It's really not a good article on the mess, which isn't surprising, as it's from the Cato Institute. It plays fast and loose with the facts, acting as if the Hammonds hadn't been convicted of arson, and continuing to assert that both fires were accidents.
It's a shitty, propaganda filled article that essentially carries water for the sorts of crazies who think the government shouldn't exist. Again, not surprising given it came from a think tank created by the Koch Brothers.
A good article on the background of this mess:
http://www.cato.org/blog/no-good-guys-west
The rest is at the link.
"We've shut them down. We let 'em sweat for a while, then... we give 'em helicopters."This really feels like the plot to Die Hard now
Didnt know dale from king of the hill was a terroristKnucklehead posted a goodbye video
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/...n-Militia-Loons-Post-Hilarious-Goodbye-Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcOIdVMa4-0
I think terrorist is a little bit of a stretch.Didnt know dale from king of the hill was a terrorist
Another man from Utah who took part in the Bundy standoff told Oregon Public Broadcasting that he was miffed by how few protesters showed up. I feel quite betrayed. Its been on Facebook that everyone is going to come. And we show up, and everyone just craps out, he said. You come up here, ready to get killed if we have to and these people are just on Facebook about it." He added, Im not here to shoot anyone, Im here to get shot."
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/01/armed-militiamen-occupy-oregon-wildlife-refuge.html
Someone finally figured out that a Yes on Facebook means probably not.
How did this start?
Protests began after local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond were ordered to return to prison because their time already served for committing arson did not meet minimum-sentencing laws, which, to be fair, often do more harm than good and are certainly worthy of reevaluation.
Who are the ranchers protesting against?
Gubment.
What are the protesters demands?
$5 million in cash and safe passage to 1874.
What is the militia ultimately hoping to achieve?
Garner enough attention over next few weeks to be brought onstage during rally for a low-polling GOP candidate.
Is the protest going to work?
Nope.
What are the protesters demands?
$5 million in cash and safe passage to 1874.
Dusty Hammond was punched to the ground, forced to hike 10 miles to a family ranch and ordered to eat chewing tobacco, according to a 2004 police report against uncle Steven Hammond and grandfather Dwight Hammond Jr., who surrendered to federal authorities Monday on a 2012 arson conviction.
The teenager waited an agonizing eight years to reveal his family’s role in setting fires on public land, fearing more abuse at the hand of his uncle, officials said.
Steven Hammond used sandpaper to erase a homebrew tattoo from Dusty’s chest. The coarse abrasive left the rancher’s nephew with twin scabs.
Dusty refused to cry during the 10 minutes his uncle spent scraping away the initials “J” and “S,” which the teen had carved using a paperclip. If he had shed a tear, Steven Hammond would have kept going, he told a Harney County deputy at the time of the inquiry.
Dusty’s punishment was requested by his grandparents, Dwight and Susan Hammond, who witnessed the abuse. Steven Hammond later defended it as an attempt “to teach Dusty to respect his body.”
When it was over, Dusty’s grandmother, Susan Hammond, told him to clean his bleeding wounds with alcohol and “not to have a pity party.”
She later claimed Dusty “did not think the areas were sanded deep enough and thought that he should use steel wool,” after being confronted by Harney County sheriff’s Lt. Brian Needham.
Susan Hammond denied the abuse when reached by phone on Tuesday, telling the Daily News that Dusty inflicted the wounds on himself.
"He put them there," the 75-year-old woman said, who has been left alone on their family's ranch after her husband, Dwight, and son, Steven, turned themselves in on Monday for the arson charges to serve a five-year sentence.
"He was manipulated into testifying, he’s disturbed and the government isn’t helping anything that I can see," she added, alluding to the long land dispute the Hammond family has had with the federal government. "The government has been very invasive into our family and it seems there are no limits to what they can do to destroy people."
Even the infamous Taiwanese Animators crew has a sense of irony about racism and Islamophobia in America? Damn. It is THAT well known these days? I love on the FBI agent celebrating actually just won the game of Connect Four. Side note, their YouTube hits are depressingly low.jesus christ
so spot on
Cato Institute is a propaganda wing of the far right/ultra conservatives.
I think terrorist is a little bit of a stretch.