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A week out West: Oregon militia standoff hits day 7

Published time: 9 Jan, 2016 01:43

It’s been one week since militia took over a federal property in Oregon, cocked their guns to the side and said they’re angry. Five days ago the world laughed at them for saying get snacks together … but it’s still unknown when they’ll say they’re sorry.
On Friday, seven days after an armed militia took over a federal wildlife center in a remote part of eastern Oregon, the local sheriff slammed the group’s unwillingness to leave based on statements the leaders had made earlier in the day.

https://img.rt.com/files/2016.01/original/56905957c461885d558b45fc.png

Leader of a group of armed protesters Ammon Bundy (L) greets occupier Duane Ehmer and his horse Hellboy at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, January 8, 2016 © Jim Urquhart / Reuters

Standoff between militia, feds at Oregon wildlife refuge
“During this morning's press conference, the people on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge made it clear that they have no intention of honoring the sheriff's request to leave,” Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward said in a statement. “Because of that, there are no planned meetings or calls at this time. However, the sheriff is keeping all options open.”

The group, which calls itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, took over the refuge on Saturday to protest the re-sentencing of two Oregonian ranchers, Dwight and Steve Hammond. The two men were found guilty of arson when they started a fire to clear their property that spread to federal lands. Dwight, 73, originally received a sentence of three months in prison while Steve spent one year and a day in prison. However, federal prosecutors appealed their sentences and requested that they receive the minimum of five years. The Hammonds turned themselves in on Monday.

Ward had met with militia leader Ammon Bundy on Thursday to end the situation peacefully. The sheriff offered the two dozen or so armed members safe passage on the condition they leave Oregon. Bundy, the son of anti-government rancher Cliven Bundy of Nevada, “kindly declined” the deal, telling reporters, “we always consider what people say.”

The militia members ‒ most of whom are not from Oregon, let alone the town of Bend ‒ have been allowed to come and go as they please since they took over. Their leaders, Ammon and his brother Ryan Bundy, did give an 11-year-old reporter an interview for his local school paper. The school has been closed due to the standoff.

Also on Thursday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown released a statement decrying the activities of Bundy’s militia and ordering the group to “decamp immediately and be held accountable.” She called the occupation a part of “tactics we Oregonians don’t agree with.”

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A U.S. flag covers a sign at the entrance of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon January 3, 2016. © Jim Urquhart Sagebrush rebellion: What’s at stake in the Oregon standoff
The Citizens for Constitutional Freedom are demanding the federal government relinquish its claim to about three-quarters of the land in the county, then “return” it to the local residents. However, those same local residents are unhappy with the militia presence. At a Harney County community meeting Wednesday night, residents cheered when Ward called on the outsiders to go home.

The federal government didn’t steal the land from the locals, however. It was taken from the indigenous people in what was to become Harney County nearly two centuries ago.

"The protesters have no right to this land. It belongs to the native people who live here," Charlotte Rodrique, chair of the Paiute tribe in Burns, said Wednesday in front of the tribe’s cultural center. The Burns Paiute accused the Bundy-led group of "desecrating one of our sacred sites."

Three members of a different militia group, Veterans on Patrol, arrived at the compound on Wednesday. By that night, one was hospitalized with a black eye after being punched in the face. The small secondary group was trying to get women and children out of the camp set up by Citizens for Constitutional Freedom. The main group has been accused of using women and children as human shields against federal officials.

Earlier in the day, police disconnected the electricity to a building at the far end of the nature reserve ‒ about 30 miles from the militia’s camp ‒ to prevent them from taking over a second location, the Oregonian reported. Electricity remains on in the refuge headquarters, however.

The actions by law enforcement were a far cry from rumors of a raid that circulated through the camp in the overnight hours, however. Ammon Bundy said Tuesday night that he had heard police were preparing to arrest him, complete with warrants, leading the militants to move heavy equipment owned by the federal government across roadways in the refuge. The militia leaders also said that the group wouldn’t stand down until the wildlife center was privatized.

On Monday, the militia members set off a social media storm after asking for snacks to be shipped to Malheur.

https://www.rt.com/usa/328330-oregon-militia-standoff-week/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

"This Is Government Land": The Eternal Refrain of the Federal Occupiers (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189353-2016-01-08-this-is-government-land-the-eternal-refrain-of-the-federal.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/533-0108185437-a.png (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189353-2016-01-08-this-is-government-land-the-eternal-refrain-of-the-federal.htm)

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They weren't welcomed by local residents, some of whom petitioned the government to evict the intruders from federally administered land.

Rather than sending in the troops to uproot the uninvited settlers, the U.S. government told the local residents to accommodate them even as they put up fences and started to run cattle on the land they had seized. This destroyed the local agricultural balance, leaving many of the locals near starvation.

Hunger can drive a man to do desperate things, especially when its effects are visible in the faces of his children. Driven beyond forbearance, many of the locals resorted to violence. Although federal authorities were unimpressed by the pleas of starving people, they acted with alacrity to put down what they considered an armed insurrection, driving the locals from the scene and conferring title to the land on those who had occupied it illegally.

Read a load more at http://www.freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2016/01/this-is-government-land-eternal-refrain.html. (http://www.freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2016/01/this-is-government-land-eternal-refrain.html)

:)

Historic"Militia" Moment: Pacific Patriot Network (Including Oath Keepers) Calls On FBI (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Article/189550-2016-01-12-historic-militia-moment-pacific-patriot-network-including-oath-keepers-calls.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/463-0112115736-stewart-rhodes.jpg (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Article/189550-2016-01-12-historic-militia-moment-pacific-patriot-network-including-oath-keepers-calls.htm)

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Note from Stewart Rhodes, Founder and President of Oath Keepers:

See the below video. Very interesting interaction between the Pacific Patriot Network (PPN) leadership delegation and the FBI (who were all kitted out with rifles, plate carriers, and chest rigs).

Among the PPN leaders are Brandon Curtiss, the founder of the Idaho III%; Brandon Rapolla, the Oregon Oath Keepers state CPT Coordinator; and Joseph Rice, the leader of the Josephine County, OR chapter of Oath Keepers (site of the Sugar Pine Mine operation this last year). They are doing this under the banner of the Pacific Patriot Network, which is a coalition of groups from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, including local Oregon Oath Keepers chapters (and note that they stressed several times at an earlier press conference that they are not a militia, but that is what the media, including alternative media, insists on calling them).

Their purpose there in Harney County is to help open a line of dialogue and to serve as a buffer to prevent another Waco incident. This is a righteous mission, if done right, and we stand in full support of it.

However, at this time we are not doing a national call out for other Oath Keepers members to go there. The local Oregon guys, along with the very capable leaders of Idaho III%, appear to have this mission covered (of being a buffer and facilitating dialogue), and less is more when it comes to keeping things deescalated, as is the stated wish of everyone involved, including Ammon Bundy.

Unless our guys in OR say they need our help for this mission, stay home and get your own AO squared away. Got a community Quick Reaction Force (QRF)? Have a neighborhood watch with real teeth? Can you answer the three critical questions of "who's on your buddy team? Who's on your fire teem? Who's on your squad?" Got a posse behind a good constitutional sheriff? Got Minuteman unit? Got civil defense unit? Got militia? If not, then you need to get that done before you even think of running off to another state, unless it's a dire emergency, like Bundy Ranch was.

If this situation goes south, and the Obama Admin turns this into another Waco, the crap WILL hit the fan nationwide, since there are no more free Wacos – not anymore – and you will have your hands full right where you are, and in reaction, the first thing you should do is organize town and county militias for mutual defense. And that is something we will all need sooner or later. So, start laying the groundwork for that now. Today.

Stewart Rhodes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5w99LTKEA0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5w99LTKEA0)

:)

What the Oregon Standoff Is Really About (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189483-2016-01-11-what-the-oregon-standoff-is-really-about.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/533-0111160004-a.jpg (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189483-2016-01-11-what-the-oregon-standoff-is-really-about.htm)

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The occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Oregon, by a group led by Ammon Bundy—yes, of those Bundys—was supposed to have focused attention on the plight of a rancher family that has been fighting decades-long efforts by federal officials to drive them off their land. Instead, this dramatic act of civil disobedience has done the opposite: amid debates over the Bundy family, their tactics, and ideology, the focus has been taken off the Hammond family, and their struggle to preserve their land and their way of life has been largely obscured.

This is their story.

Dwight Hammond and his wife Susan bought their ranch in 1964. The Hammond ranch consists of 6,000 acres, grazing rights in four areas on public land, and rights at three separate water sources. They live in a small ranch house—a beautiful structure of stone and hand-hewn wood—on the property.

The land sits in Oregon's Harney Basin, an area first settled at the tail end of the 19th century. While the narrative we are getting in the media depicts the ranchers as despoilers of the land, implacable enemies of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1908, the true history of the region shows that the "cowboys" who lived there and ran as many as 300,000 head of cattle were in fact its best defenders. Without them, there would be no Malheur Wildlife Refuge.

... (http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/what-is-the-oregon-standoff-really-about/)

Read more at http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/what-is-the-oregon-standoff-really-about/ (http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/what-is-the-oregon-standoff-really-about/)

:)

Ammon Bundy Breaks His Silence with Dave Hodges, Hear His Side of the Story (http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2016/01/12/ammon-bundy-breaks-his-silence-with-dave-hodges-hear-his-side-of-the-story/)

http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/siteupload/2016/01/a-bundy.jpg
Ammon Bundy, leading the way for the
restoration of property rights for ranchers
and Native Americans in the West.burn (http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2016/01/12/ammon-bundy-breaks-his-silence-with-dave-hodges-hear-his-side-of-the-story/)

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On January 10, 2016, Ammon Bundy was to have been a guest on The Common Sense Show.

The Common Sense Show interviewed Ammon Bundy and this time, the feds were not able to interfere. This interview came the day after the feds took down the communications of The Common Sense Show as well as the Patriots led by Ammon Bundy.

Both the established contact with the Bundy camp and the facilitation of the interviewed was secured by the health reporter of The Common Sense Show, Katy Whelan.

The show, itself, began as an interview with Sheila Ziliniski and we discussed some of the content of her recent book, The Green Gospel. After a great deal of difficulty, and two days of chasing this rare interview opportunity, Katy was able secure the interview and I was forced to terminate the interview with Sheila. However, Sheila graciously stayed on board and assisted with the interview.

Mainstream Media Deception

... (http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2016/01/12/ammon-bundy-breaks-his-silence-with-dave-hodges-hear-his-side-of-the-story/)

Read more at http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2016/01/12/ammon-bundy-breaks-his-silence-with-dave-hodges-hear-his-side-of-the-story/. (http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2016/01/12/ammon-bundy-breaks-his-silence-with-dave-hodges-hear-his-side-of-the-story/)

Also read Why Are the Feds Keeping Ammon Bundy and Dave Hodges Apart By Any Means Possible? - http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2016/01/11/ammon-bundy-and-dave-hodges-are-being-kept-apart-by-the-feds/ (http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2016/01/11/ammon-bundy-and-dave-hodges-are-being-kept-apart-by-the-feds/)

:)

EDIT: Also read Ammon Bundy Is the Next Davy Crockett - http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2016/01/08/amman-bundy-is-the-next-davy-crockett/. (http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2016/01/08/amman-bundy-is-the-next-davy-crockett/)

Oregon Standoff: Federal Land Grab vs. the Sagebrush Rebellion (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189595-2016-01-13-oregon-standoff-federal-land-grab-vs-the-sagebrush-rebellion.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/687-0113082820-Joel-SkousenA-2-220-JPG80.jpg (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189595-2016-01-13-oregon-standoff-federal-land-grab-vs-the-sagebrush-rebellion.htm)

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While the majority of rancher disputes are against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) the US Fish and Wildlife Service has been just as ruthless–in this case expanding the wildlife refuge at the expense of neighboring ranchers. This week I'll detail the struggle of the Hammond family, and of Ammon Bundy the protest leader. When you read the litany of federal abuse of ranching families, you will better understand why some ranchers are staging an armed resistance. I also give some suggestions on how this can be resolved peacefully.

The root of the controversy is a constitutional dispute that has never been properly adjudicated. Under Article IV, Section 3:2 (The Property Clause), it says,

The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States….

However, once a territory becomes a state, the federal government can only possess land, within that state for limited purposes: a national capitol, federal military facilities, and certain docking and warehouse facilities related to the collection of tariffs. This is governed by Article I, Section 8:17 which states:

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District [Washington DC] (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of Particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings [such as post offices].

Notice, those lands have to be specifically ceded by the states through consent of the state legislatures; they cannot be taken arbitrarily by government. The federal government got around this by making federal ownership of large parts of Western territories a condition of statehood. This had never been done to any state until the territories west of the Dakotas, down through Texas became states. Nevada was literally robbed of 84.5% of its land. In most western states the federal government owns more than half of the land mass. This is outrageous. Here is a link to a map showing the sad facts.

From the beginning there were private lands interspersed among lands claimed by the federal government, and the forest service, in particular, has engaged in a long series of abuses making it difficult, if not impossible, for "inholders" to gain access to their land or use it.

The BLM has likewise engaged in a myriad of tactics to harass ranchers, including the denial of long-held grazing and water rights, access to their land and even starting controlled burns which threatened private land and forced ranchers into a costly battle to protect buildings and livestock–all of this without legal consequences for the government. Here's video proof (http://freedomoutpost.com/2015/12/blm-burns-ranches-and-destroy-cattle-but-ranchers-get-charged-with-terrorism/).

And yet when ranchers like the Hammonds do a controlled burn that crossed over to federal lands, they are prosecuted and fined even when authorities agree there was only benefit to the land from the fires. As the Wounded American Warriors have documented (http://woundedamericanwarrior.com/bigger-bundy-standoff-armed-militia-high-alert-feds-label-oregon-ranchers-terrorists/):

Tri-State Livestock News reports on that testimony, "In cross-examination of a prosecution witness, the court transcript also includes an admission from Mr. Ward, a range conservationist, that the 2001 fire improved the rangeland conditions on the BLM property."According to Erin Maupin, a former BLM range technician and watershed specialist and rancher in the area who had been the neighbor of the Hammonds for years, said it was because researchers had determined that managing the invasive junipers, which steal water from grass and other cover was something necessary to increase the conditions on the land. "Juniper encroachment had become an issue on the forefront and was starting to come to a head. We were trying to figure out how to deal with it on a large scale," said Maupin.

The fines are meant to be so heavy that ranchers are forced to sell their land to the BLM, which turns out to be the hidden purpose of the draconian prosecution. Ultimately this is what will happen to the Hammond family of Harney County, Oregon. But it is not sufficient to review the doctored court records of their case alone, as the press is doing, you also have to know the background of harassment ranchers surrounding the Malheur Wildlife Refuge have been subjected to by government agencies and the collusion of judges and prosecutors to deny justice to them when these matters come to trial. All of these cases taken together paint a vivid picture of ranchers being hustled out of their land and livelihood.

Read a lot more at http://www.garynorth.com/public/14709.cfm. (http://www.garynorth.com/public/14709.cfm)

:)

BLM Burns Ranches and Destroy Cattle, but Ranchers Get Charged with Terrorism (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189632-2016-01-13-blm-burns-ranches-and-destroy-cattle-but-ranchers-get-charged.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/522-0113154707-a.jpg (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189632-2016-01-13-blm-burns-ranches-and-destroy-cattle-but-ranchers-get-charged.htm)

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The family has been threatened by federal agents and fear for their lives (http://freedomoutpost.com/2015/11/oregon-rancher-fears-for-his-life-after-feds-threaten-him-through-his-attorney/). Now, the Bureau of Land Management (http://freedomoutpost.com/?s=blm) is doing the very thing that the Hammonds did, which is burn off some of the land, only in the case of the BLM, they have killed more than 80 head of cattle, endangered the ranchers, injured other cattle, burnt homes and other structures such as fences and power poles and threatened an entire town! Yet, it is ranchers who are considered terrorists by the feds, not the BLM.

Ammon Bundy (http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/05/ammon-bundy-men-must-decide-rights-freedoms-god-granted-assigned-federal-government/) recently spoke out on the injustices and criminal activity of the BLM against the Hammond family.

Bundy claims that there was no due process, something that is specifically supposed to be protected under the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution, and he went on to state that there was a tremendous amount of corruption involved in the sentencing, the re-sentencing and even in the present situation.

Read more at http://freedomoutpost.com/2015/12/blm-burns-ranches-and-destroy-cattle-but-ranchers-get-charged-with-terrorism/.

Note: If this link doesn't work for you, try going to the link at the top of this post first, and clicking to this page from there. (http://freedomoutpost.com/2015/12/blm-burns-ranches-and-destroy-cattle-but-ranchers-get-charged-with-terrorism/)

Watch the videos at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvrrQbjepc and https://www.youtube.com/embed/MDYavVAZRLw.

:)

EDIT: It seems that Godaddy might have taken this page down (http://freedomoutpost.com/2015/12/blm-burns-ranches-and-destroy-cattle-but-ranchers-get-charged-with-terrorism/), right at the time of this post. If anyone wants the rest of the content, PM me. If enough people want it, I'll post it. Let me know what you think.

If Godaddy doesn't release this site, I may delete my copy of the content in a couple of weeks.

Imbalance of Federal Land Ownership Sheds Light on Oregon Militia (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189633-2016-01-13-imbalance-of-federal-land-ownership-sheds-light-on-oregon-militia.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/522-0113155143-a.jpg (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189633-2016-01-13-imbalance-of-federal-land-ownership-sheds-light-on-oregon-militia.htm)

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The federal government owns large tracts of the western states: from a low of 29.9% in Montana, already more than the national average, up to a whopping 84.5% in Nevada.

This map, depicting the distribution and share of federal land per state, was first published on this blog way back in 2008. Nevertheless, it keeps accumulating comments and hits at a steady pace, and is still frequently shared around. Unlike hundreds of other random maps, this one has become a perennial. That raises an interesting question for map geeks like yours truly: Which nerve, exactly, does this map strike with the Great Online Public?

http://assets3.bigthink.com/system/tinymce_assets/944/original/federal_lands.jpg?1422311293 (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189633-2016-01-13-imbalance-of-federal-land-ownership-sheds-light-on-oregon-militia.htm)

Read more at http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/291-federal-lands-in-the-us?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook. (http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/291-federal-lands-in-the-us?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook)

Note: The various State held lands include lots more property. Many government owned properties are held in trust. Probably non-government owned land is in the range (no pun intended) of 60% of all the land, with government owning the other 40%.

:)

BUSTED! FBI POSING AS MILITIA TRIGGERS FIRE CHIEF DEFECTION TO BUNDY MILITIA (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189694-2016-01-14-busted-fbi-posing-as-militia-triggers-fire-chief-defection-to.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/687-0114093053-fbi-busted-joins-militia.png (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189694-2016-01-14-busted-fbi-posing-as-militia-triggers-fire-chief-defection-to.htm)

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Chris Briels, the Harney County Fire Marshall, resigned his office after he exposed FBI agents pretending to be Militia.

In a statement to Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, Briels revealed that the Sheriff's office, and Judge Steve Grasty, engaged in a whisper campaign, spreading lies and falsehoods to the community that the militia has been following and harassing people. It turns out it was allegedly the FBI who was doing the harassing.

Local KATU news was on the scene.

Chris Briels, was the Burns Fire Chief from 1984 to 2006. When he retired in 2006 Harney county asked him to stay on as the county Fire Marshall.

The resignation was triggered when Briels saw what he thought was Militia poking around the county Armory. He followed the suspects and pulled them over. It was then, According to Briels, he discovered the men, who were posing as Militia, were actually the FBI.

These are extremely damning allegations coming from a top official from within the inner circle of the Harney County authorities, and shows the lengths the FBI and local officials will go to deceive the public to protect their own interests.

What will happen next is anyone's guess, as for right now, the Bundy Militia just scored huge against the Federal Government, and Harney County Officials.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LXOHz3kpKbQ/mqdefault.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXOHz3kpKbQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXOHz3kpKbQ)

:)

While this is not Oregon...

Tension between ranchers and federal officials is dangerously high in Nevada (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189710-2016-01-14-tension-between-ranchers-and-federal-officials-is-dangerously-high-in.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/522-0114144625-la-la-na-nevada-ranchers-blm-04-jpg-20160113.jpg (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/189710-2016-01-14-tension-between-ranchers-and-federal-officials-is-dangerously-high-in.htm)

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As a local, he figured he was uniquely suited to work with the ranchers who have long resented the federal government's role in land management here.

It didn't quite work out that way.

Now retired from a job as district manager for the BLM, Smith knows all about the tensions that have long defined relations between ranchers in the rural West and the federal government, which manages much of the region's land. Those tensions have boiled over in recent days at a wildlife refuge in Oregon and are at a perpetual simmer here.

Now it is Smith's successor as district manager, Doug Furtado, who has become the enemy for many people in the region.

Although there have been no violence or threats here, the risk is real. Federal employees in Nevada have been attacked in the past over land-use disputes — shot at, their offices and cars bombed.

Read more at http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nevada-ranchers-blm-20160114-story.html. (http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nevada-ranchers-blm-20160114-story.html)

:)

Oregon militia standoff: One dead after Ammon Bundy and others arrested

An associate of the armed Oregon militia occupying a wildlife refuge was shot dead on Tuesday after a shootout with federal agents that resulted in the arrest of the group’s leader Ammon Bundy and a group of protesters.

The shootout appears to have taken place on a highway in rural Oregon – away from the federal refuge the armed militia have been occupying.

FBI officials said they arrested Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy, Bryan Cavalier, Shawna Cox and Ryan Payne on Tuesday afternoon after they stopped them along the highway.

The agency described the shootout and arrests as resulting from “an enforcement action to bring into custody a number of individuals associated with the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge” that occurred at 4.25pm PST.

It is was not clear how many rounds were exchanged during the incident.

Police have not identified the individual who died, but said they were “a subject of a federal probable cause arrest”. One individual suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, the FBI said in its statement. He was arrested and is currently in custody.

Reached by phone Tuesday night, Cliven Bundy, Ammon’s father, who led a standoff with the federal government in 2014, said he was devastated by the reports. “My sons are good people and they were there to help … It’s a rotten shame that people there are not trying to harm anybody and now they are shooting them dead.”

He added, “We’re not going to put up with this … This is a pretty big deal for America. This is the way they treat people who try to help? We are tired of the abuse.”

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/26/oregon-militia-standoff-ammon-bundy-arrested-and-one-confirmed-dead-after-shootout

There some activists at an occupied federal wildlife refuge preached rowdyism and brimstone, Robert “LaVoy” Finicum was wistful, almost sad.

Bedecked in his trademark earmuffs and cowboy hat, the Arizona rancher would wonder aloud with a shake of his head why reporters couldn’t simply see the rightness of his position: that the federal government was illegally possessing land it had no right to take.

He insisted he and the other occupiers were helping the people of Harney County, Ore. He often carried a handgun at his side and sometimes set up watch with a long gun across his lap.

He maintained a blog — “One Cowboy’s stand for Freedom” — in which he posted videos of himself denouncing the federal government and demanding that federal land be turned over to local authorities and private ranchers. He also wrote a novel, a post-apocalyptic Western thriller called "Only By Blood and Suffering."

<snip>

Finicum was, for most of his life, a rancher who paid his grazing fees to the federal government. He declared bankruptcy in 2002 with his wife, Dorthea, on a New Mexico business called Southwest Horse and Trails.

Nine years later, in 2011, Finicum had relocated to Arizona and obtained loans from the Farm Services Agency from both Arizona and Utah — his ranch near Colorado City, Ariz., is near the Utah border in a heavily Mormon part of the state. He put up as collateral all of his crops, equipment and inventory.
Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum, militia member in Oregon

Robert "LaVoy" Finicum died during a clash between law enforcement and his group during a traffic stop. Finicum told the Associated Press in early January that the occupation of a wildlife refuge was "intended to be peaceful." He also said, indicating a rifle in his lap, "I'm not going to jail."

Finicum said that his outlook began to change regarding his own grazing fees and the vast swaths of land owned by the federal government when Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy refused to pay $1 million in fees and faced off with federal agents who had rounded up cattle he let graze on federal land.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-oregon-refuge-lavoy-finicum-20160127-story.html

EDIT: I don't usually quote the LA times, but I found this article an easy read. Is it relatively accurate?
If not, I will replace with another one.

3 More Arrests in Oregon as Protest Leader Says ‘Go Home’

PRINCETON, Ore. — The armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon, which flashed into violent confrontation with law enforcement on Tuesday when eight members of the group were arrested and one was killed, appeared to be unraveling on Wednesday night when the jailed leader of the siege advised his followers to go home.

Several hours later, the police announced that they had arrested three more protesters. Over two days, 11 members of the group that has occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge have been arrested.

For weeks, the occupation barely felt like a siege at all: The antigovernment militants came and went as they pleased, driving down snow-packed highways to attend community meetings and even going out for dinner. With little sign that law enforcement was about to move beyond surveillance, the occupation of the refuge became more theater than threat.

That changed Tuesday night when the ringleaders, the Bundy brothers, Ammon and Ryan, were among eight arrested, and a leading protester, LaVoy Finicum, 54, was shot dead by the authorities during a traffic stop on a rural road.

But late Wednesday, after an appearance in Federal District Court in Portland, Ammon Bundy issued a statement through his lawyer, Mike Arnold.

“To those remaining at the refuge, I love you. Let us take this fight from here. Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is ours for now in the courts. Please go home,” Mr. Bundy said.

Speaking on the telephone from inside the refuge on Wednesday night, an occupier, David Fry, 27, said that seven people remained and that they had been drinking. “We’re camping out tonight here, by this campfire,” he said, adding that they would stay “until someone starts listening or until they slaughter us.”

Group members, passing around a phone, said that they believed Mr. Finicum was murdered and that holding Ammon Bundy in jail was an outrage to them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/us/oregon-standoff.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Oregon militia leader's plea to refuge holdouts: 'I love you ... go home'

Militia leader Ammon Bundy presented a loud-and-clear message to the protesters who continue to stand their ground at the occupied refuge in rural Oregon: It’s time to go home.

After a Wednesday afternoon hearing in federal court in Portland, Mike Arnold, Bundy’s lawyer, read a statement from Bundy, who was arrested on a remote highway on Tuesday afternoon in a confrontation and shootout with police that resulted in the death of protest spokesman LaVoy Finicum.

“To those who remain at the refuge, I love you. Let us take this fight from here,” Arnold said, standing on the steps of the downtown courthouse, reading a written statement from Ammon. “Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is ours for now, in the courts.”

He added: “LaVoy is one of the greatest men and greatest patriots I have ever seen,” and further called on law enforcement officials to let protesters leave the occupation without facing repercussions. “I am asking the federal government to allow the people at the refuge to go home without being prosecuted.”

The call for an end to the standoff came after the first court appearance of Bundy and six other protesters who were also arrested on Tuesday and are facing federal felony charges of conspiracy to impede officers through the use of force, intimidation or threats.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/27/oregon-militia-standoff-ammon-bundy-arrested-malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-occupation-leave

Why is the SPLC So Terrified of "Sovereign Citizens?" (Part One) (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/191097-2016-02-07-why-is-the-splc-so-terrified-of-sovereign-citizens-part.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/522-0207122224-a.png (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/191097-2016-02-07-why-is-the-splc-so-terrified-of-sovereign-citizens-part.htm)

Quote from: http://livewithhonor.info/blog.php?id=10

I'm not sure anyone has broached this topic, and thus no one to my knowledge has put their finger on the exactly the catalyst which creates the desire to dehumanize people who identify themselves as "sovereign citizens," and instead makes them another terrorist group that the world needs to destroy.

To begin with, I am not claiming to be a "sovereign citizen," because that would be an ignorant claim. It would be based on something I heard from someone else, who heard it from a TV somewhere. What I am is simply: "one of the people." When I say this in a court, I'm legally stating that I am a sovereign being. There are multiple US Supreme Court, as well as state supreme court rulings which support this legal conclusion. I would be more than overjoyed if ANYONE out there would like to debate me on any open forum if they disagree. Instead of course… I'm just another "domestic terrorist" you need to FEAR and DESTROY because God forbid, I might keep talking, posting stuff on my blog and making videos.

The only solution to ME is VIOLENCE (if you're the bad guys). This is the purpose for the tragedy you just saw in Oregon. You can't beat me in a court. You can't legally go through the motions and prove your case! If you let me stay free, eventually you're going to have to find a different, more productive occupation, because fewer and fewer people will be knocking on your places of business! If I survive, your very professions become OBSOLETE! The time for fear is over for us. I saw a nation wake up at the cost of one man's life.

...

There are two different types of people in this society from all of my knowledge: parasites and producers. The parasites are folks who produce nothing, or not enough on their own and need to somehow get that from a producer in order to survive. The entire legal profession and everyone employed in it is comprised of parasites. Every politician is a parasite. Can you eat a “law?” Want to grab some salad dressing and munch down the Patriot Act written by some attorney? If politicians and attorneys did not exist would you be able to survive? You'd probably be not just okay, but a heck of a lot happier to boot!

...

Essentially what the Bundys, Lavoy and others were doing in Oregon was to inform people that they were not required to abide by commercial codes (which includes BLM “laws”), they had in fact been TRICKED into private contracts, because they thought they needed these agreements in order to exercise their guaranteed rights! In these agreements they waived those rights in return for certain “benefits” as well as a few duties and obligations, such as following commercial codes. Keep in mind while researching this issue: nowhere in the “violations” against the Bundys and others will you find the word “law.”

Lavoy and the Bundys were encouraging people to revoke these contracts based on a clearly held maxim of law: One must have full knowledge of a contract in order to be legally bound by it. It does not matter what's in the fine print, or that you didn't comprehend the legal-ease. There must be a “meeting of the minds” to have a valid contract. If the INTENT of all parties is not CLEAR, it is a voidable contract. Until you void it however, you are presumed to have a full understanding. How else can someone know you didn't know if you don't tell them?

...

Read more at http://livewithhonor.info/blog.php?id=10. (http://livewithhonor.info/blog.php?id=10)

:)

What you are talking about is the difference between common law and maritime contract law. Common law is the constitution which includes all of your human rights and restrictions of government powers. Maritime, or commercial contract law basically consists of anything anyone can legally consent to in a commercial contract. The problem is the current government is operating under maritime law, but under the color of common law. They rely on tricking people into confusing the two types of law in order to get them to consent to giving up all of their rights under a private contract. This is why they consider "sovereign citizens" so dangerous, because they understand the legal fraud that is being perpetrated under color of law. If they start telling people, and people start understanding, the current legal system as it is known today will have no teeth and all rights will be able to be restored and legally protected.

A small example that you can see for yourself. Next time you are in a court room check out the flag. You will notice it is different than flags you would find at schools or other public buildings. The flag in court will have a gold fringe trim around the outside of it, and this signifies the court is under the jurisdiction of maritime law, not common law, as a standard USA flag would represent. This is an example of one of the subtle ways they inform you of their jurisdiction without straight out telling you. If you aren't paying attention you don't have an option but to be at the mercy of the court, because you have long ago given them consent to take all of your rights just by appearing there and identifying yourself and therefore giving them jurisdiction over you in a court of Maritme law. Imagine it as if Microsoft were taking you to criminal court over violating its Terms Of Service agreement, and then imposing criminal penalties for violating it. What the government is doing is no different, and is just as complicated if not more so.

Quote from: TECSHARE on February 08, 2016, 05:01:28 AM

Actually, the Constitution is NOT common law. The Constitution only alludes to common law.

Common law is the law that everyday people do when they do their everyday living among themselves. At times it is very similar to some of the law that flows out of the Constitution.

In order to mix the people up, legal people called court cases common law. This common law is legalized common law. At times it can be similar to the common law of the people. But it is extremely different as well.

Next time you are charged with something, and there is a case pending against you, write to the one who is bringing the case against you. Attempt to settle out of court, especially if you are innocent of the thing that you are being accused of.

Since all government is static (it can't do anything of itself), and the only time government can appear to do something is when a man or woman does it, write to the man or woman, not to their governmental office; write to them man/woman to man/woman. In a separate batch of letters, you might want to contact their governmental office, as well, especially if you are seeking damages for something that they have already done to you regarding their court case.

If they won't return your property to you or compensate you for the wrong that they have done to you, file a suit right on top of their case, and file it with the court clerk... in and on top of their case against you. Your case inside theirs has to be heard first. Write your own rules of court as an attachment/exhibit in your case.

Whatever you do, do it against the man/woman who has harmed you, either in addition to or in place of, against their governmental office. If the judge usurps his position of simple arbitrator in your case, it is fraud against the court. Charge him with contempt of court, and if he won't accept, bring another case against the man. He is wronging you, and may be harming you.

This is common law of the people. Learn the details of what it is about at these two websites - http://voidjudgments.com/ and http://1215.org/. These people have the information. They don't use it correctly to make it the common law of the people. But they have it.

Karl Lentz is one of the few who has it and uses it properly (the common law of the people). It is extremely simple. The common law of the people goes like this:
1. You wronged me.
2. Compensate me for the wrong done to me, and extra for my time, etc.

Karl - http://www.broadmind.org/.

First your letters, and finally court, all exist to make a record of what is going on so that the jury (or the judge if you opt for him making the judgment) can judge based on the facts.

:)

BREAKING: Video from INSIDE Lavoy Finicum's Truck Clearly Shows What Happened in Oregon (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/192928-2016-03-09-breaking-video-from-inside-lavoy-finicums-truck-clearly-shows-what.htm)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/522-0309045412-a.jpg (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/192928-2016-03-09-breaking-video-from-inside-lavoy-finicums-truck-clearly-shows-what.htm)

Quote from: http://thefreethoughtproject.com/cellphone-video-lavoy-finicums-truck-shows-happened-oregon/

On Tuesday, a torrent of new information on the Lavoy Finicum shooting, including a photo of where he was shot and video from the inside of his vehicle during the road block, were released to the public.

Since the shooting, which was captured on video from the FBI’s birdseye view, there have been many theories surrounding the death of Finicum.

According to the official story, Lavoy Finicum was killed by officers because they had no other choice as he was reaching for a gun in his left pocket. Officials claim they later found a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic handgun in that pocket.

...

In a photo of the autopsy report, taken by RT’s Simone Del Rosario at the press conference on Tuesday, and the newly released video, there is a now an alternative reason, outside of going for a gun, as to why Finicum was reaching toward his left side — he was shot there.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YWLHiU8gYWY/mqdefault.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWLHiU8gYWY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWLHiU8gYWY)

:)

Bitcoin Forum

Other => Politics & Society => Topic started by: galdur on January 09, 2016, 02:38:31 AM