Posted on 01/30/2016 4:42:05 AM PST by Nextrush
There are still four people occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon.
David Fry, Jeff Banta, Sean Anderson and his wife Sandy are still there with the FBI saying negotiations are going on around the clock.
The four want safe conduct out and decided not to leave after the FBI arrested others like Jason Patrick who left the refuge with promises of safe conduct out.
The imprisoned leader of the occupation, Ammon Bundy, has called for the occupation to end, but the FBI's conduct with people leaving is putting a roadblock in the way.
The Pacific Patriot Network, which was negotiating to get people out, said it felt double crossed by the FBI's actions. On Thursday, the group called for a mobilization of patriots in the Burns, Oregon area.
Intitial reports spoke of a gathering today, but new reports speak of a Monday gathering in Burns. The PPN statement uses the words 'PEACEFULLY assemble within Burns, Oregon immediately.'
The PPN issued a statement yesterday with some demands including the resignation of local officials like Judge Stephen Grasty and Sheriff Dave Ward and the "Immediate removal of all militarized FBI personnel and equipment from Harney County."
It also called for the detention of the FBI Special Agent in Charge and all FBI and other law enforcement involved in the fatal shooting of LaVoy Finicum.
After their announcement, the profile of the FBI-Oregon State Police roadblocks in the area of the refuge was reduced with a pulling back of gear that included armored vehicles. Perhaps this was designed to prevent any confrontation.
Meanwhile a five foot tall wooden cross has appeared along US Route 395 north of Burns at the site where Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was shot to death Tuesday afternoon when the authorities arrested occupation leaders.
The snow is still bloodstained at the site of the cross, made of 2 by 4's.
Yesterday, a federal magistrate ordered two of the ten people who were arrested, Shawna Cox and Joseph O'Shaughnessy, released.
Is there something more important going on than the political porn show in Iowa right now?
There sure is.
The fight in Oregon and other western states is truly one about 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' as laid out in our nation's Declaration of Independence.
LaVoy Finicum is denied his life, the Hammonds are denied their liberty (the ranchers whose imprisonment led to the occupation), and all the across the Western states farmers, ranchers and loggers are denied their pursuit of happiness by federal restrictions on the land.
Perhaps Mr. Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz could get their priorities straight at this time in history.
I have no time to be drawn into the pants on the ground drama playing out over the caucus in this forum and elsewhere.
There's something more worthwhile than the political porn show to worry about.
Roadblocks, multiple gunshots, and then bleeding to death. I'd say the FBI violated the promise of safe conduct, with a very high level of harassment and bodily harm, followed by a painful death. My level of trust for anyone who willingly does Obama's work is exactly what followers of any petty tyrant deserve. The outcome in Oregon shows that an absence of trust is fully justified.
It's exactly the language the Malheur protestors used.
The FBI needs to clarify exactly what they offered, because I highly doubt they are legally allowed to promise immunity from prosecution unless the protestor agrees to provide evidence or something else of value.
What I saw looked like someone reacting to pain - I think he was shot from the front and reflex reached down. It was an awkward reach, not something like someone reaching for a weapon.
Just don’t know.
I still don’t understand why the government is acting so aggressively to this situation. There are many other situations where it doesn’t escalate like this.
Also, the kind of "safe conduct" you describe does not normally apply to citizens of the same nation in peacetime.
And Finicum is on tape reaching for his pocket rather than the sky.
I can drive from town to town if I want, but I know I'm not immune to roadblocks, traffic stops, sobriety checks, etc.
If the Malheur protestors thought they were being offered immunity from all laws they were dreaming.
Regardless of the circumstances, it’s hard to have any sympathy for someone who is gunned down by a law enforcement officer after spending months broadcasting all over the media that he’s never going to be captured alive.
I've never heard of someone seizing public property and being allowed to hold it for three weeks and also go on media appearances while they do it before.
This was amazingly lenient - and that's the way it is generally perceived by the public.
If Finicum hadn't tried to blow a traffic stop, he'd be making bail arrangements today.
I agree with you. Occupying a shack on a Federal wildlife preserve in the middle of nowhere — in January, no less — has got to be one of the most pointless courses of action I’ve ever seen among people who want to effectuate change in government.
Wow, without audio it’s really hard to determine exactly what happened. Why did the guy spin around and go back towards his vehicle? I’m talking about the guy the girls says shot first. Very strange indeed.
Releasing the video from the other dash-cams that had to be there would clear things up but no, we’ll never see them.
We do not know what was said, but we’ve heard from both sides that the promise was “safe conduct” or “safe passage” to a meeting to negotiate an end to the protest. That promise was clearly as empty as every other Obama promise of these terrible eight years.
I was not there specifically because I know “some animals are more equal than others” in Obama’s world. I expected Obama, his racist Attorney General, or one of his politically appointed minions to have peaceful protesters killed there, where the socialists would never have used anywhere near as much force against #BlackThugsMatter looters, and I didn’t think Oregon and this month were the place and time to take that risk.
Peaceful protests allow you to claim the moral high ground which is littered with the bodies of those who dare defy the king. Armed resistance allows you to get the king out of your hair for good. Physical superiority is the ONLY thing that ever has and ever will change a peoples’ station in a civilization. If slaves wish to be free they’d better have the power to demand that freedom and if tyrants wish to rule a populace they’d better have the power to suppress the ruled. It’s all about physical power and who wields it.
Really?
You haven’t paid attention when people do this on public universities all of the time?
You haven’t paid attention to Occupy Wallstreet protesters setting up shop, for years, in public places?
I agree that the seizing of this shack makes no sense. But why not ignore them? What was it about this that warranted this kind of response. Following them down the road with vans full of armed officers?
Set up shop outside and wait them out.
The government always escalates these situations out of control.
That’s pretty amazing about the cross appearing.
If he was unarmed they would have covered it up.
There was NO reason to shoot this guy. Who are these "agents" that can go home at night after doing this?
How twisted do you have to be to shoot a guy with his hands in the air? Even if he did reach for his waist they should have held their fire. He was surrounded and did not have a chance but that does not fit with today's shoot at the first opportunity mentality. What they did was an execution, pure and simple.
It’s a long running complex situation completely screwed over by nutcases looking for a fight and a hill to die on for their own overwrought hysterias.
Yes there’s a lot of justified outrage vested there. Alas, there’s more idiocy running rampant & jumping in the bandwagon.
Maybe the next “occupation” should be in a state with an R governor. I’m sure the Govt is overstepping their authority in R states too.
Bkmrk.
I agree with the ranchers general position and some of your points.
But “peaceful ranchers” dress like peaceful ranchers in western wear. They do not make themselves look militant with some of them wearing camo and having guns. They do not steal cars. They do not damage property.
I talked to a rancher neighbor the other day who is veeeeery conservative. He said they are kooks.
That’s exactly what that mob made themselves out to look like.
My biggest problem with that Oregon mob isn’t just that they made conservative causes look foolish to the general public, but the damage they did to 2nd Amendment rights. It can be used by the left to further attempt to disarm us. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to be armed. If no one was armed, chances of anyone getting killed drops close to zero.
They have a valid cause. Those morons could have had a well planned demonstration, exercising their right to assemble on public land and demonstrate. No weapons of any sort. Set up campers where appropriate for a 3 or 4 day stay, invite the media and explain their position. Then have a well planned organized departure as heroes instead of cowering off getting arrested.
Stage several of these throughout the nation. Many conservatives will then get the message and their plight will then have much more public support. With this type of a demonstration any arrests at all would make the feds the bad guys and a killing would be a martyr.
No! This has to be public! They shot and he was not threatening them!
This is not the story that is being told by officials out there!
Isn't that exactly what the government was doing?
It's not like the law enforcement people stormed the place and killed or injured dozens of people in the process. They waited until a group of them left in a vehicle and they attempted to pull it over to apprehend them.
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