At least some of them were already on the trailers. And if I had been there, as soon as the terrorists started showing up, I’d have floored it and gotten out of there as quickly as possible. I sure as heck wouldn’t wait around to unload what was already loaded.
After Ruby Ridge and Waco, citizens should never again provoke an armed confrontation with the Feds, but they do.
They do. And the Feds have learned to handle these matters more passively now, if they can. Finally. They pooched it a bit at Malheur, too.
It’s Ammon who’s in the wind now, isn’t it? Trying to hide and losing everything? No one jumping up to join his fight? Cliven maybe not far behind?
I don’t think confrontation is what’s needed. Relentless pressure is. Not as exciting as Gunfight at the OK Corral, I’ll agree, but in the end, more effective without the negative cost to the country. Personally, I’m not eager to provoke another Oklahoma City bombing.
The feds handled the occupation OK. They screwed up the aftermath. I’m OK with consequences taking a while, but no consequences?
IMHO, no consequences at Malheur was a result of some really egregious overcharging by overeager US Attorneys. I don’t lay that at the feet of the FBI. I watched that case very closely as it occurred in my backyard, and I was bitterly disappointed in how it was handled at the prosecution level.
These things are always unpredictable and messy, but that was an avoidable mistake.
Agreed, that was my thought. I should have said government, not feds.
They’re all feds, so that’s a fair characterization. But in this case, I’ll bet quite a few FBI folks are as pissed at those US attorneys as we are. That was a bad case to be so casual about its outcome.
Ha…oops. Band name typo!
Same! Not quite my backyard, but close…we recreate often in eastern OR. I was not happy with the outcome.
I sent money to Malheur to help clean up the filth they left and replace the equipment they stole.
Well, Bob Finicum kind of experienced consequences.
Sure; I just get rather annoyed by arguments that place all the responsibility on one side. Federal law enforcement, and ordinary citizens, should take lessons from Ruby Ridge and Waco and do better in the future.
He was pretty clear about what he wanted.
The thing is, there was nothing “ordinary” about those citizens. Federal law enforcement needs to be the adult in the room when SovCits and their ilk do stupid shit.
And when [del]SovShits[/del] ahem SovCits show up with a mob threatening regular citizens with guns, Federal law enforcement needs to show up with troops with bigger guns to protect regular citizens from the SovCits.
Why risk the lives of law enforcement officers, bystanders, and a ton of bad press to enforce a
unpermitted grazing law? Is it teally worth it?
To the species that need the habitat?
To upholding the rule of law?
It might not have made sense to have a firefight right then, no. But they didn’t arrest the perps when they caught them alone at the grocery store, either; or come back and collect the cattle some other time when there wasn’t a whole crew prepared to defend them, or levy major fines and seize bank accounts, paychecks, and property to cover them. It’s been years, and apparently nothing’s been done at all.
I’m with you.
Makes me wonder how much support the Bundys’ attitude has with the police, and members of federal law enforcement. The whole “standoff” was just a show for the national press. Because they certainly could have and should have arrested those yayhoos when they came in for supplies.
Actually, I was referring to the part of the article where the baby was removed from unfit parents for medical treatment and a mob of armed yahoos threatened / tried to take the hospital and/or kill the doctors in it.
It is not clear that Cliven was particularly aware that he had cattle before the government came for them. They are a scraggly lot that wander around in the desert eking out a miserable, gaunt existence, with little or no attention from the melon farmer. On land that Cliven claims rightfully belongs to his family yet is not so deeded or taxed.
Cliven: I should not be forced to pay for grazing my cattle on public land
BLM: Then you should not have cattle.
(sound of many weapons cocking)
That argument works in reverse, too. Why risk the lives of you friends, bystanders, and a ton of bad press just so your cows can graze on the other side of a line?