Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Monday, February 8, 2016

They Are Still There And I Am Mad

I am more than a little put out over the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.  No I do not live close to it.  To be frank it's over the mountains from where I live and might as well be in another country.  I do, however, pay taxes in the state of Oregon and use services provided by the state that could well be in jeopardy given the amount of money this little stunt is costing the state of Oregon.

I'm annoyed because none of these militia occupiers even live in Oregon.  They've come from Arizona, Utah, Nebraska, Montana, and other states.  Many of them are young men with large families to support and now they're sitting in jail for the state of Oregon to support.  One is dead. Who's taking care of their families?

The occupiers are demanding the refuge land be distributed to ranchers in the area.  Perhaps they should have studied a little history before this event.  The ranchers will have to get in line to claim that land.

The land has never belonged to the state of Oregon.  In the statehood agreement of 1859 that land remained in the hands of the federal government to be used by Oregon for certain purposes, education being one.

The federal government seized 1.5 million acres of the Paiute Tribe's ancestral homeland in 1879.  They are still waiting to receive compensation checks from the federal government.

These occupiers don't seem to understand Oregon can't give what they don't own. Ranchers may rightfully have complaints against the federal Bureau of Land Management but it is what it is.  The land belongs to the federal government not Oregon. They're not likely to turn it over to these occupiers or the state of Oregon.  Besides there are more effective peaceful means of protest.

We have developed a Wild West mentality in this country, you want something, get a gun and go after it. These occupiers claim they came in peace.  Sorry but you don't come armed to the teeth seeking peace.

How do you think militia occupiers should be handled?

8 comments:

  1. Is there a way to post a photo in my comment? I've got a great one for you. Might have to email it.

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  2. Had heard on the news some info about this but didn't go into it enough to realize that the "occupiers" were from out of state. How to handle this? I have no idea but it seems the powers that be have no idea either.

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    1. The leader of this group applied for a $500,000 small business loan a few years ago. He apparently liked the federal government then. The dead one received $115,000 from Catholic Charities for keeping foster children, & objected when children were removed saying he & his wife depended on that income for their livelihood.

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  3. I can't even begin to understand how they think the land should be open to them and them alone. Simply, it is not their land. Some twisted thinking there.

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    1. Oregon and the federal government will have to deal with this mess for years to come as these trials make their way through the courts. These fellas have gotten themselves into more than they bargained for. They're going to wish they'd never seen Oregon before this is over.

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  4. The occupiers are no longer headline news, so I had sort of forgotten about them. When one was killed, just as he wished in order to be a martyr for his lost cause, we heard about it, of course.
    From the beginning, I have been outraged at the wrongheadedness of these guys. As a tax payer, this is my land, and your land, and not something to be given away.
    I guess I think the ones still there should be put under siege until tey run out of snacks, then rounded up and sent home.

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  5. That county cannot begin to absorb the expense of this stunt. Now the governor and the legislature will have to find the funds, money that could be better spent in a hundred different ways.

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