Armed Protesters take over Oregon Federal Wildlife Refuge Part 2

[AmazonGrace]

More of their patriotic mess: 

 

http://koin.com/2016/03/23/first-look-how-the-occupiers-left-malheur-refuge/

[EyeQueue]

52 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

More of their patriotic mess: 

 

http://koin.com/2016/03/23/first-look-how-the-occupiers-left-malheur-refuge/

I hope these yahoos get a big fat bill for trashing the place.

And what's with the booze hidden under the couch cushions? I thought most of these guys were good LDS menz, and so drinking (and smoking--what was going on with that huge pile of tobacco??) was forbidden?

[47of74]

51 minutes ago, EyeQueue said:

I hope these yahoos get a big fat bill for trashing the place.

And what's with the booze hidden under the couch cushions? I thought most of these guys were good LDS menz, and so drinking (and smoking--what was going on with that huge pile of tobacco??) was forbidden?

Yeah it pisses me off too how they trashed the place.  Gee I wonder if they lived like this at home?  Granted I'm no angel myself when it comes to keeping my place squared away but I try not to trash my living quarters.

I donated some cash to the Friends of Malheur.  Not a whole lot but I figure do my part in helping them recover;

http://www.malheurfriends.org/donate.html

[Howl]

What a disgusting mess.  Broke into a safe, used computers, rifled through files, rifled through desks, mishandled artifacts, drove heavy equipment?  Shouldn't be hard to sort out who did what because finger prints were everywhere and the entire area was treated as a crime scene. 

Hope there is a large garage sale of all that stuff at some point. I can only imagine the level of hysteria the night news of LaVoy's death reached the refuge, and people were in such a panic they just left everything behind.  So much for a "well regulated militia". 

[nokidsmom]

14 hours ago, EyeQueue said:

I hope these yahoos get a big fat bill for trashing the place.

And what's with the booze hidden under the couch cushions? I thought most of these guys were good LDS menz, and so drinking (and smoking--what was going on with that huge pile of tobacco??) was forbidden?

Exactly what I thought when I heard of the booze.    I suppose maybe it was the non-LDS participants but still there was lot of booze found there from what I understand.

Yeah, the pictures seeming the place trashed pissed me off too.  Is this how these guys really live or is this part of their message?  Either way it's disgusting.  I hope these idiots get slammed with every possible charge they can get.

[Howl]

12 hours ago, nokidsmom said:

Exactly what I thought when I heard of the booze.    I suppose maybe it was the non-LDS participants but still there was lot of booze found there from what I understand.

Kinda boring at the old refuge as the days dragged on.  No cable TV, no family, no friends, no nada and you can only clean your gun so many times. Not much else to do besides stand around outside and freeze your a** off.  Surely at least some of the militia members were getting on their fellow militia members very last nerve. Probably a lot of pot smoked as well as the booze to take the edge off. 

 

Edited March 27, 2016 by Howl

[AmazonGrace]

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/northwest/birds-and-staff-return-to-malheur-national-wildlife-refuge/

 

Meanwhile, the extremists who sought to transfer the refuge to local control claimed Beck’s desk, rifling through her files and mocking her work. Someone also removed her personal items that included a pelican’s beak, a carp’s skeleton and a stuffed crow that had been passed on to Beck from her grandmother.

 

Petty thievery... 

[Howl]

Hate to say it, but a lot of these militia types at the Refuge were just poor white trash with guns, posing as "Patriots".   

Hoping things have settled down in Burns enough for the Refuge employees to feel comfortable and safe in their own community.  

Just read an article about the intense open hostility experienced by BLM employees in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument area in south central Utah. Scary. 

[anniebgood]

5 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/northwest/birds-and-staff-return-to-malheur-national-wildlife-refuge/

 

Meanwhile, the extremists who sought to transfer the refuge to local control claimed Beck’s desk, rifling through her files and mocking her work. Someone also removed her personal items that included a pelican’s beak, a carp’s skeleton and a stuffed crow that had been passed on to Beck from her grandmother.

 

Petty thievery... 

Can they add that to the charges?

[AmazonGrace]

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/04/david_fry_stands_to_make_unusu.html

 

David Fry in court. Someone in the comments linked to this page https://www.facebook.com/bundycourtsketch/?fref=photo

 

 

[Howl]

@AmazonGrace, what an awesome, amazing find. I love these cartoons.  The judge thinks David needs to stay put in protective custody, because that's where he's safest. 

Quote

 Fry responded that he threatened suicide because he feared that he'd be raped in jail after his arrest. He gave up only after the FBI assured him that wouldn't occur, he said. He sought to justify his threats by citing a biblical passage, referencing how people "jumped on their swords'' rather than face an army of uncircumcised men.

This also led to links related to the current Shawna Cox debacle -- she can't stop ranting on FB and is also urging people to go to Montana to support the last person on the indictment, who is currently hiding in Montana.  She's been admonished by a judge to not use social media or talk about Malheur, but now she can be out of the house but only to tend to the family's small businesses, but she was also advertised as speaking at an event in Orem, which was cancelled, maybe.  Her lawyer is probably trying to talk some sense into her (just SHUT UP already!), but Shawna may end up back in jail before it's all over.  Leg humpers are screaming that she is being denied her 1st Amendment rights. I suspect she's a true believer and thinks it is SO IMPORTANT to get the word out about her beliefs that no sacrifice is too great. 

 Some of the comments are worth reading. 

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/03/federal_judge_admonished_shawn.html

Then there is the leader of one of the Three % groups who came out to the Refuge with his group to act as a buffer so there were no mass casualties.  He has just declared bankruptcy for the THIRD time.  He was supposedly running a property management company but sounds like he was just keeping the money, but nobody can actually find the money now, and he owes almost $250,000 with assets of $13,000 and he and wifey racked up some stupendous credit card debt.  So, basically, he's just a crook and scam artist, but hey, constitution.  The other most recent bankruptcy filing was in 2009 for $130,000.

Idaho patriot group leader filed bankruptcy after Malheur visit: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/west-ada/article68581597.html

ETA: if you want to get into the historical background of the entire thing, going back to the founders and coming right on up to the Bundys, check out this Web site.  It's not a short article, so have some time: 

https://riversong.wordpress.com/the-new-anti-federalists/

Edited April 5, 2016 by Howl

[AmazonGrace]

Shawna Cox is on at about 28 minutes. She talks about the gag order and how her first amendment rights are being denied and she needs to be able to speak because there are important elections coming up, and she wants you all send the judge a million phone calls. It's the battle between good and evil there. Good people who listen to the Spirit and God have a responsibility to be on Shawna's side.

[Chowder Head]

10 hours ago, Howl said:

@AmazonGrace, what an awesome, amazing find. I love these cartoons.  The judge thinks David needs to stay put in protective custody, because that's where he's safest. 

This also led to links related to the current Shawna Cox debacle -- she can't stop ranting on FB and is also urging people to go to Montana to support the last person on the indictment, who is currently hiding in Montana.  She's been admonished by a judge to not use social media or talk about Malheur, but now she can be out of the house but only to tend to the family's small businesses, but she was also advertised as speaking at an event in Orem, which was cancelled, maybe.  Her lawyer is probably trying to talk some sense into her (just SHUT UP already!), but Shawna may end up back in jail before it's all over.  Leg humpers are screaming that she is being denied her 1st Amendment rights. I suspect she's a true believer and thinks it is SO IMPORTANT to get the word out about her beliefs that no sacrifice is too great. 

 Read that as creaming....it has been a long day,

 

[nana sew dear]

Mr. Sew Dear works as a public affairs officer for the Oregon Department of Transportation in Eastern Oregon.  Within a day or so of rounding up the final "patriots" and hauling them to the pokey, someone removed the roadside memorial for LaVoy Finicum.  Although ODOT road crews are within their rights to remove memorials, seen as a distraction to drivers, they weren't touching this with the proverbial 10 foot pole.  Mr. SD was on the phone several times (at home) telling various newspapers and individuals that ODOT was not responsible, the militia somehow got the names and home addresses of 2 of the road crew and published them on their web sites and Facebook pages.  So far they haven't found our address.

The Grant County sheriff showed up at militia support meetings, as a participant, in full uniform.  Don't know how he still has a job.

My family came to Grant County in 1870.  My 4X great grandmother is buried in the Burns Cemetery.  We live a couple counties away but this whole ordeal has saddened me.

 

[DaisyD]

That's scary! I wouldn't want a second glance from any of these crazies. They have an abundance of paranoia and a remarkable amount of free time to act on it. Stay safe up there!

[Howl]

The round up is over.  Happy trails.  The last of the peace-lovin', trench poopin', Goldfish snackin, gun groovin', lube likin', pocket constitution totin' protest cowboys is now in jail.   Shawna Cox can stand down, bless her heart. 

From OPB

Quote

 

FBI Arrests Another Defendent In Oregon Standoff

Federal authorities have arrested a Montana man accused of taking part in the armed occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge.

Jake Ryan was booked into a Portland jail Tuesday on charges of depredation of government property, conspiracy to impede officers and possession of weapons in a federal facility.

Ryan was to have a federal public defender assigned to him at his initial court appearance.

 

I hadn't seen 'depredation of government property' as a charge before. Certainly is an accurate description. 

Jury selection is set for Sept. 7th. 

[Howl]

Video from Ryan Bundy's phone has been released in two parts.  This video is from the same general time period that Shawna Cox's phone was recording, both at the first stop and at the second, although I think Shawna Cox's phone recording was more complete. 

As reported by OPB, Gavin Seim, an activist who recorded the surrender of the last 4 occupiers, is going on a speaking tour, where he 

Quote

suggested that supporters of the occupiers pack federal courtrooms and attempt to record the proceedings en masse as an act of civil disobedience.

That should go over well. 

Edited April 12, 2016 by Howl

[Howl]

@nana sew dear, hope all is well and safe with Mr. Sew Dear and family and Mr. Sew Dear's co-workers. 

Some updates on our erstwhile defendants: 

Shawna Cox got a break and the court decided to lessen restrictions on her ability to blather on about this and that:

Quote

In his new order, Jones wrote that Cox should refrain from any conduct or speech that would incite others to trespass on or destroy federal government property, or incite unlawful violence.

It marks a step back from his earlier March 29 much broader restriction that she not make "any public comment' about her case, co-defendants "or any future protest movements.''

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/04/federal_judge_backs_off_from_t.html

In the meantime, over in Grant County, there's got to be a bit of tension between the police, the sheriff and the DA, what with the Police Chief and dispatcher complaining about Sheriff Palmer's behavior and Sheriff Palmer right back at ya! with a lawsuit. 

Quote

JOHN DAY – Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer has opened a new front in his fight against allegations that he supported armed militants, notifying John Day city officials that he intends to sue over their complaints to the state about his conduct.

Palmer, 54, said in a tort claim received by city officials last week that dispatchers put his life in danger when they withheld information from him on the day that state troopers shot and killed Robert "LaVoy" Finicum. Palmer asked for information about the confrontation as he left a John Day meeting 90 minutes after the shooting, but dispatchers limited what they told him for worry he had a refuge occupier with him....

....Palmer claimed in his tort notice that the John Day police chief and dispatch center manager falsely accused him of supporting and consorting with militia members. Chief Richard Gray and Valerie Luttrell, the dispatch manager, are among 10 people who have filed complaints against Palmer with the state's police licensing agency, the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

However, this is likely to take a bit of wind out of Sheriff Palmer's sails and kinda makes him look like a big wuss. The DA says unequivocally that he WAS NOT SKEERED: 

Quote

Grant County District Attorney Jim Carpenter said in a statement late Tuesday that he never felt threatened or in danger when riding with the sheriff towards a roadblock

Plus, Sheriff Palmer was on the Glenn Beck! show talking about Obama and gun restrictions.  There's a link on the Grant County Sheriff's web site. 

In the meantime, Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne, Brian Cavalier and Blaine Cooper got a free trip to Nevada for a hearing.  The judge ended up entering a "not guilty" plea for all of them, since the five refused to enter a plea to the charges of 

Quote

conspiracy, obstruction, extortion and assault on a federal officer.

 And there's this: 

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The three-hour arraignment was unusually long because one of the defendants asked for the 64-page indictment to be read in court. That took more than 90 minutes

And this

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Before his case was called, his Oregon defense lawyer, Mike Arnold, was ordered to leave the courtroom after he was observed using his cellphone in the gallery. Security officers had warned people ahead of time that they risked being removed if caught using a phone.

And this

Quote

[Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore] accused federal authorities of “governing by gunpoint for an unpaid bill,” a reference to the Bundy family’s longtime battle with the Bureau of Land Management over unpaid cattle grazing fees.

“We really need to get these patriots released,” she said. “We want to make sure our patriots know we stand with them.”

Now exactly who was doing what at gunpoint? The irony! 

Edited April 17, 2016 by Howl

[Howl]

Things are moseying right along and here are some legal updates:   

Ammon Bundy offered a plea deal early on after his arrest: he would plead guilty if everyone else was released.  The government politely declined his offer. 

Ammon Bundy's lawyer is putting forward his claim that the Feds have no jurisdiction in the Malheur occupation and will file a motion to dismiss. 

Quote

She (Ammon's lawyer) says Bundy intends to argue the government relinquished the land that became the refuge when it was previously deeded and homesteaded. Moreover, it lost the right to own the land once Oregon got statehood.  http://www.opb.org/news/article/ammon-bundy-questions-authority-of-feds-to-prosecute-him-/

From the Salt Lake Tribune: 

Quote

 

The U.S. Supreme Court, however, has twice ruled that the government owns the land in question, presenting an uphill climb for the attorneys.

"We look forward to Ammon Bundy's attempt to re-litigate 200 years of jurisprudence regarding the property clause, and the 1935 Supreme Court case that specifically established the American people's ownership of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge," Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, said in a statement posted on the organization's website.

http://www.sltrib.com/home/3818350-155/ammon-bundy-questions-feds-authority-to

 

Meanwhile, two ethics violation complaints have been filed against Mike Arnold, another Bundy lawyer, alleging that 

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Eugene-based attorney Mike Arnold has asked people on Facebook to file public records requests with the Oregon State Police, the Bureau of Land Management and the FBI to “frivolously burden our Government [SIC] agencies.”

Mike Arnold claims he is just crowd sourcing legal research, because he's just a tiny law firm and the government is, WHOA, SO BIG!  

Arnold also points out that an ethics violation complaint can be filed by

Quote

anyone with an internet connection and a pulse. 

 

[DaisyD]

I really hope these judges have senses of humor or this is going to be a long process for them. Whoever said the thing about 200 years of jurisprudence obviously does.

[AmazonGrace]

Quote

The three-hour arraignment was unusually long because one of the defendants asked for the 64-page indictment to be read in court. That took more than 90 minutes

Literacy is a wonderful thing.

Quote

[Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore] accused federal authorities of “governing by gunpoint for an unpaid bill,” a reference to the Bundy family’s longtime battle with the Bureau of Land Management over unpaid cattle grazing fees.

“We really need to get these patriots released,” she said. “We want to make sure our patriots know we stand with them.”

Will she stand with me and call me a patriot if I get in trouble for my unpaid rent and threaten my landlord with a gun?

[EyeQueue]

7 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Literacy is a wonderful thing.

Will she stand with me and call me a patriot if I get in trouble for my unpaid rent and threaten my landlord with a gun?

Are they sovereign citizen types who are going to try to bog down court proceedings with their shenanigans? (I don't know why the "64-page indictment" part didn't quote down here).

[Howl]

I found this in a Forbes article about the original Bundy Ranch standoff in Nevada, written exactly two years ago: 

Quote

While most observers and commentators have focused on Bundy’s recent statements on race, something far more problematic drives the standoff.  Bundy, his family, and many of his supporters are part of the modern day Sovereign Movement, a loosely-knit group that subscribes to a complex system of bizarre legal theories.  

They believe that the current U.S. Government is an illegitimate sham, and, in the most extreme situations, they are willing to resort to violence when the courts and government agents don’t agree with their schemes.

While many pundits have assumed that greed drives Bundy’s stand, he has spent decades absorbing “patriot” legal theories, piecing together quotes, codes, and court case citations that appear to lead him to the conclusion he desires, while carefully ignoring those that don’t.  To Bundy and his supporters, the fight isn’t just about money; it’s about a deep-seated belief that they are right, and the rest of the nation is just too brainwashed or stupid to understand.

Lately, Bundy’s leadership has taken on a religious tone.  He claims that he has had a revelation from God that his supporters are to disarm the BLM and National Park Service, and to tear down the toll booth at Lake Mead.

The Bundys believe that this is their chance to present their case in court and (hopefully) a national stage, so everyone can understand the inherent rightness of their beliefs.  It's just sad.  They are all going to end up in prison, unless they manage to get a rogue juror here and there. 

Edited April 30, 2016 by Howl

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Howl]

Sending a friend request to Bundy Court Sketches!