Monday, January 4, 2016

Fighting The Good Fight?

Here's a very good article at the Conservative Treehouse about the mess in Burns, Oregon. This part of the saga really bothered me:
"In October 2015, the 9th District Court “resentenced” Dwight and Steven, requiring them to return to prison for several more years. Steven (46) has a wife and 3 children. Dwight (74) will leave Susan (74) to be alone after 55 years of marriage. If he survives, he will be 79 when he is released."
How can these guys be "resentenced" after they've already served their time? That stinks. Actually, this entire story stinks.

This won't end well. I question the sanity of the men staging this "protest", especially when they're bringing women and children to the standoff location. Are they intentionally provoking the Obama regime into a Waco/Ruby Ridge response? The attorney general hates her some white cracka people, and the prezzy could gain some street cred with the hood rats if he slaughters these families. Will he? Will he order them all killed?

No, this won't end well. If anything happens to these patriots (however misguided), the grassroots outrage and backlash will be brutal.  I'm just not sure our prezzy is smart enough to see the trap for what it is.  Whether it's a genuine protest or a false flag operation to expedite gun control legislation, it's playing with matches in a tinder box.

35 comments:

  1. Yeah, something's really wrong when they are persecuting Americans like this while the government actively works to keep our borders open. These people, however, do not want the support of the Bundy people and I can understand why.

    The government is still persecuting Dinesh D'Souza, when is THAT going to end?

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    1. Yes, I respect them for not wanting the Bundy brothers there. Of course, if there is a TV camera, the Bundys will show up (and have).

      The heavy-handed, BLM goons have been despised by many, if not most, westerners for decades. Even when I was a kid there were clashes between ranchers and the BLM. However, in those days, the ranchers were the "good guys" and an integral part of the community. These days? Not so much. I'm curious if the townspeople of Burns supported/do support the Hammonds.

      And yeah. The persecution of Dinesh is WAY over the top.

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    2. I read some comments at Instapundit from (self declared but credible sounding) Burns residents that the Bundys and their circus was not welcome.

      As for support for the Hammonds, not sure about the other ranchers there, but there are a number of anarchist feminist lesbian geeks that I follow on Twitter who are very critical of the prosecutors and recognize the injustice and overreach. So there's that.

      The strongest talking points I can muster are

      1) the gov threw the book at the Hammonds with the typical zillion-count indictment - "plead guilty or serve a 400 year sentence if you're found guilty on every count".

      2) the Hammonds plead and did not appeal their sentence.

      3) the prosecutros DID appeal and demanded they go back and serve 2 more years. Because their "arson" (lighting fires to control undergrowth - on their own land - spread to federal land) was "terrorism".

      (Sorry no links, it's late and I have stuff to do, sadly - but I believe the above is correct).

      These facts are not reported widely; if the context was black teenagers or Muslim immigrants, the left would be in outrage mode and full scale riots would be excused.

      So far the body count is zero. I'm betting it stays that way, actually.

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    3. Thanks for your thoughts lewy. I'm hoping it ends peacefully.

      When we get a new president and a new attorney general, I'm hoping they file charges against the gov't employees involved in this persecution. I'm not holding my breath though.

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  2. Thanks for posting about this, lady red. It's a long article so too late for me to read now but I definitely want to know the details and I really like (and appreciate) the site to which you linked.

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    1. You're welcome! There is lots of stuff to talk about in this article. I'd really like to know what everyone thinks.

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    2. I think that re-sentencing after these men had already served and been released is the height of injustice, at least.

      I also think it came straight from the top in order to bolster the argument of the bastard in the White House that standard Americans are far more likely to be terrorists (at least to be labeled such by this administration) than any number of military-aged males he brigs from the middle east, or for that matter, any number of tattooed thugs he fails to deport.

      Trouble is, that I also think these people are playing right into his hands and giving him an excuse for martial law, with all the powers that will arrogate to him in that case, to control nearly everything, confiscate any weapons, and firmly crush anyone he sees as in opposition.

      Where that will lead, depends on just how many people would rather die standing than live on their knees.

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    3. Excellent assessment DWT. I'm watching with more than a passing interest.

      It's looking like the prezzy will ignore these guys and let the locals carry the big stick. Will the general population of Harney County stand behind its sheriff? Will more patriots rally to the cause and travel to Oregon? We'll see, on both counts.

      In the meantime I'll pray for the safety of those making a stand, and the safety of the local deputies and lawmen.

      Eff the feds. And the taxpayer-funded horse they rode in on.

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  3. Popehat has a widely read summary which is getting good reviews: link

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    1. The "teenage relative" has a long history of mental illness. It wouldn't be hard to manipulate him. How can his testimony be credible? It isn't.

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    2. That "summary" is cursory at best. I don't know why it's getting good reviews. The summary at the Conservative Treehouse is much more thorough and informative.

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  4. Why are the Bundys and their people clowns, lewy? Actually, it was his father who made the weird statement about blacks. It was creepy but I took his age & generation into account; I don't hold his kids responsible for that.
    Now that I know the background of the case, I'm really glad that Bundy and the vets are there and occupying the Malheur Refuge headquarters. This kind of shit has to stop. It goes on all the time, it's happening here to with private property. Enough is enough, if these people are forced to serve these ridiculous sentences, something is really wrong in this country. As Bundy pointed out this evening, the feds were the plaintiffs, law and judge in this case, WTF???
    The Hammonds are probably afraid to show gratitude to these people since they've been harrassed, violated and prosecuted for DECADES.
    I wish I could go down there and join them at the refuge.

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    1. I wouldn't hesitate to make an armed stand with other patriots if the feds unleashed their firepower on private citizens, but to me this is not the event, the time, or the place. There are some real nutjobs with that group. Being a "martyr for the cause" is not my end-goal.

      What happened to the Hammonds should be shouted from the rooftops, and that I can help do. I'm a bit puzzled why Drudge has tiptoed around the story. Cucking cucks.

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    2. I'm sure I'm already on some kind of "list" as a subversive, dangerous grandma. They can add my previous comment to their file. I don't care.

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    3. I'll second your disclaimer of gratuitous martyrdom. :)

      The Japanese have an expression: もったいない

      It can refer to a lot of things, but among them, do not throw your life away like an idiot. If you're going to do it, make it count. Don't see this as the hill to die on.

      Why hasn't this gotten more play? I dunno. It could be that nobody's real eager to make common cause with the Bundys.

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    4. flo - didn't mean to suggest the Bundys are clowns, just that there is a spectacle in the neighborhood now which the neighbors didn't seem to want. Not the way I'd play it.

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    5. Oh yes, I see what you mean. lewy, and it is happening in your backyard. After the father's comments, I no longer followed their personal story although I think their plight was also one of government overreach and abuse.

      Gosh, the more I read of the article, the angrier I got. Then I saw Bundy the younger interviewed on the Kelly program last night. Uncalled-for government intrusion has happened here in our county, not nearly on the scale of what the Hammonds have experienced but still devastating and costly to the property owner. And absolutely wrong and a government overreach.

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  5. The article linked by lady red rebuts (or refutes) some of the statements in your linked article, lewy. The original article also details the decades of harrassment by the BLM & FWL which your article did not. I think it's important background.

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    1. The background is critically important to understand the vehemence and longevity of the campaign waged against the Hammonds.

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    2. With respect to the whole context - agreed.

      The Popehat article is talking about the sentencing and re-sentencing.

      The problem for the Hammonds is that a jury found them guilty of a fairly serious count of arson.

      Was this wrong? Yes, totally - selective prosecution, malicious prosecution, prosecutor suborning perjury from the teenager, prosecutor making shit up - etc.

      But facts are stubborn things, especially when they're made up. In this case, the invented facts will be treated as facts by the court system, and it's really not in the power of any judge to change that as far as I can see.

      A judge did try to ameliorate the impact by reducing the sentences. And this is where the Popehat article kicks in.

      Is what the prosecutor did in this case with the sentencing and re-sentencing in any way unusual? No, it happens all the damn time.

      Which is, of course, a scandal in its own right.

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  6. Replies
    1. No, it wasn't arson. Or terrorism. The feds simply wanted their land, and would do ANYTHING to get it.

      My God, if every farmer or rancher who had a controlled burn encroach on federal land was incarcerated, our prisons would overflow. It happens thousands of times a year.

      The farmers and ranchers are the best stewards of the land. IMHO, the feds are the terrorists here, and those individuals responsible for this gross miscarriage of justice should be tried in a court of law. They shouldn't be exempt just because they work for the gov't.

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    2. The Feds are the terrorists, here and in so many places and cases today. It seems anywhere a person stands for his rights the Feds do all they can to show he has none that they cannot take away on the whim of a bureaucrat or federally appointed judge.

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  7. There is more at Zero Hedge.

    Read the comments too. Interesting.

    And an update at Conservative Treehouse. Don't miss reading this.

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    1. While I wouldn't dispute that the US Attorney for Oregon appears to be a full strength moonbat, I believe the law blogger Ken White at Popehat would dispute the sentence appeal as "rare".

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    2. ok the ZeroHedge comments are really interesting - especially this one

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    3. Yes, that particular comment caught my eye too lewy.

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    4. Yes, it was interesting. But the various groups are not coordinated, they aren't organizing together, why would Bundy's group contact the posters groups before taking their actions? And how it that dumping in the posters lap? He can join in or not. I would join in. People love to talk, talk, talk until they're blue in the face and then talk some more. For decades the BLM and F&WL have abused people and stomped on their constitutional rights (and so have the IRS, EPA, etc., etc.). Perhaps the time has come for less talk and more action. I was listening to Medved briefly this afternoon and he's concerned that this will turn into a Waco-type situation. I doubt it, I hope not. But will someone please tell me how the BLM, FWL and others will be stopped if not by this sort of situation? How long ago was the original land grab, 130 years ago? The passage of time hasn't made it right, nor has the increasing land acquisition of the "reservation" by the fed's jack-booted tactics.

      The more I think about it, the madder I get. I guess I'll go play some mah jong and relax ;-)

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  8. I'll second your disclaimer of gratuitous martyrdom.

    The Japanese have an expression: もったいない

    It can refer to a lot of things, but among them, do not throw your life away like an idiot. If you're going to do it, make it count. Don't see this as the hill to die on.

    Why hasn't this gotten more play? I dunno. It could be that nobody's real eager to make common cause with the Bundys.


    Yes, I agree with all you said. Plus I'm impressed you got those Japanese characters in there :-)

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    1. I know! How did you do that lewy? It's very cool!

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  9. OT: Fay, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the sidebar! Thanks so much for the great pictures!

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    1. I love them too! They brighten up the page and your great photos are the first thing I notice when I log in. I hope we are going to get several more (hint, hint).

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    2. Thank you ladies, glad you enjoy them! Florrie I have posted quite a few on FB the last couple of months. If you go to my page you will see them, plus a brief description for most of them. Still have loads more to come.

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