Federal agents seal off occupied Oregon refuge after leaders arrested, one killed in shootout

[longship]

Source: Washington Post

Federal agents moved early Wednesday morning to seal off a remote wildlife refuge in Oregon, hours after authorities arrested several leaders of the armed activists who had seized the land in a shootout that killed one of the group’s most prominent members.

In the weeks since the group began its occupation, local and federal law enforcement officials had called for the occupation to end peacefully. On Tuesday, after these calls and attempts at negotiations went nowhere, authorities moved to arrest several group members while they were away from the compound. A total of eight people were arrested, at the shootout and other locations.

After the exchange of gunfire on a highway, Ammon Bundy, the group’s leader, and others were arrested on federal charges. Other members of the group remained at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, but before the sun rose over a remote swath of eastern Oregon previously best known for its bird-watching, authorities said they were blocking access to the federal land.

In a statement, the FBI and Oregon State Police said that they had established checkpoints along key routes to the refuge and that anyone who tries to travel inside would be arrested. Officials said people leaving the refuge would have their names confirmed and vehicles searched, but they did not say whether those people would be arrested.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/01/27/leaders-of-armed-group-occupying-oregon-wildlife-refuge-arrested-one-killed-in-shootout/

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More at link.

[Shrike47]

1. Good. Three and a half weeks is enough. Nothing going in should help get them out.

[mainer]

2. This appears to have been perfectly played by the feds

They captured the principals on the road, and the leftovers are now roadblocked in. No Waco replay.

[longship]

3. One wonders if the meeting was a rope-a-dope.

Get the leaders an excuse to leave and round them all up in one big net.

Too bad about blue tarp guy, but as he said he wouldn't be taken alive.

[L. Coyote]

18. Far easier than that, more like hubris run amuck.

Last edited Thu Jan 28, 2016, 02:12 PM - Edit history (1)

Goin' to a BIG meetin'
Gonna be a media star .... LOL


REPORTS: Harney District Hospital in Burns is on lockdown - Ammon Bundy is in custody - shots fired

[bjobotts]

37. Think it's romantic to be a martyr.

Sorry, the effect of a dead body brings one down to reality. Only a moron screams I won't be taken alivej or the equivalent of a parking ticket. Selfish bastards first run the Indians off and now want to keep the rest of us out and just take over the land which is protected by and belongs to all of us.

[groundloop]

7. Very true.... makes me think they had advance knowledge of all the kooks travelling

They planned it perfectly... nab them when they were on the road and didn't have access to their arsenal. Better chance of limiting causalities (except for apparently the idiot who decided to rush the officers).

[mopinko]

12. this is why they were letting them come and go.

no doubt they are also tapping all their communications.
nice work.

[MBS]

27. +100 n/t

[Botany]

4. Pure gibberish

“We will be here as a unified body of people that understand the principles of the
Constitution,” Ammon Bundy.


The refuge was set up by Teddy Roosevelt to protect migratory waterfowl and birds
who used his CONSTITUTIONALY GRANTED POWERS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malheur_National_Wildlife_Refuge#Creation_of_the_refuge

[CanonRay]

11. And most of the land was purchased from willing sellers

Nothing was appropriated by the government.

[Botany]

16. The land usage in and around that area is the result of careful thought and ....

Last edited Wed Jan 27, 2016, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

.... planning by land owners, ranchers, BLM range land managers, and biologists
the idea that Bundy and company showed up and cut some rancher's fence on
private land is really crazy.

BTW as the proud grandson of the late Bob W. of the Ashland, OR area I hate
to think what he or his fellow ranchers and farmers would do if some idiot had
cut their fence so their livestock might get out.

[MBS]

28. YES. n/t

[wordpix]

5. I say bravo feds...what can we negotiate?

Bundy can use the land for free, which is what he wants? These criminals can continue to poach wildlife, which birders have evidence of? No choice but to trap the rats

[dixiegrrrrl]

43. Well, Bundy IS now occupying another Gov. facility

so he should be happy.

[GOLGO 13]

6. Good job. The rest of the sheep will give up soon enough.

They'll be denied their desperate attempt at martyrdom.

[phantom power]

8. They might, but they've got supplies.

They've been laying in supplies up until yesterday, while they were all free to come and go. Whatever they have won't last forever, but they won't have to give up right away, if they don't want to.

[Vincardog]

14. But if no one can get in and they can't have their media to posture for; what is the point?

[phantom power]

21. They believe in their cause for its own sake.

I'm not sure everybody understands this. They aren't actually just "doing this for the attention." They believe in it.

[Vincardog]

23. Then why have press confrences? They are media whores

[phantom power]

24. For the same reason that anybody with a cause wants press conferences. To advertise their cause.

[Vincardog]

25. Their "cause" is stealing public resources for their own benefit. They are grandstanding.

[Hortensis]

29. Phantom, they're too ignorant to respect their beliefs.

Those beliefs are based on silly lies they tell themselves simply because they want to believe them. Do you realize the property clause in the Constitution is one sentence long? And that on line are many explanations in simple language that any lay person could understand if they bothered? A wish has to advance far beyond "I want" before it becomes a principle.

[phantom power]

31. Perhaps I haven't made myself clear

As I've mentioned on other posts, I think it is a mistake to treat them like they have serious principles. As you say, if you scratch the surface, it boils down to "I want to do whatever the hell I want on this land, for free."

However, it is an equally big mistake to treat them as if they are just goofing around, or grandstanding, or attention-whoring. They think they have a serious philosophy. They aren't going to just go away out of boredom, or lack of attention.

It's possible to sincerely, deeply, believe in your own bullshit, is what I'm saying. Finicum believed it enough to die for it. It would be a mistake to assume he's the only one.

We should under no circumstances respect them for their philosophy. But we shouldn't underestimate how seriously they take it, either.

[Hortensis]

44. Well, I have to agree with all that 100%.

I wish I'd slowed down to realize where you were coming from before I flexed my fingers. We don't know what was in Finicum's head, but we at least do know the authorities did a lot to give him a chance to live. He may just have panicked in the clutch.

IMO, although, it's important deny them the validation they seek from society in general,
Finicum would very possibly home playing with his grandchildren right now if some wealthy string-pullers weren't encouraging the delusions of people like him. That's the direction I hope we'll eventually focus very serious attention.

[phantom power]

45. You're right, movement Conservatives, Conservative talk radio, etc, have weaponized these people.

Stoking their paranoia and telling them it's moral to engage in this kind of armed resistance. Pushing them over the edge.

[LynneSin]

17. True but I have read they have cut power, phone and internet

So basically these people are very isolated and without any of their key leaders. I suspect those that remain behind turn into a 'Lord of the Flies' hoard of village idiots.

[alfredo]

15. No more snacks, no more toilet paper.

[vinny9698]

22. Don't forget about the dildos and the lube

which is exactly what they need the most

[alfredo]

39. I see them as self portrays of the militia men.

[Adsos Letter]

26. No more toilet paper.

That is the key.

Sagebrush just won't cut it.

[Human101948]

32. The Kiowa actually used it as toilet paper...

But these pasty-faced assholes might not be tough enough.

[Dont call me Shirley]

41. Ouch! Not sagebrush in the drought!

[alfredo]

40. We have a three leaf plant here that would be perfect for them.

[63splitwindow]

9. Good, good, good.

Let's see how long the others go without shooting each other. Nobody and no supplies in, nobody out. Wanna play soldier? Shit done got real.

[christx30]

47. That's what I've been saying since Filicum died.

You want to start Civil War II? You want to "take your country back" (whatever that means)?
This is why it looks like. It's not you people going from victory to victory, all the way to Washington DC. It's the FBI blockading, arresting or killing your people. It's your blood in the snow. It's you and your "cause" being laughed at on the American street, and on the Daily Show.

[cstanleytech]

10. I hope no judge is stupid enough to grant any of them bond to get out of jail. nt

[longship]

13. DUer L Coyote continues his great coverage on this.

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141327534

Recommended. Highly detailed account.

[libodem]

19. Sleeper Snooze Apparently

Can't believe this has zero traction in the snooze cycle.

[keithbvadu2]

20. What happened to the group of latter militia types

who were going to 'protect' the Bundy militia?

Were they safely holed up in town?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027515027

[packman]

30. Arrested today - Fox commentators tomorrow

Book and movie deals on the horizon.

[Eugene]

33. Remaining members of Oregon militia standoff debating whether to surrender

Source: The Guardian

Remaining members of Oregon militia standoff debating whether to surrender

Carol J Williams and Lauren Dake in Burns, Oregon, and Sam Levin in San Francisco
Wednesday 27 January 2016 18.59 GMT

The remaining members of the armed militia occupying a wildlife refuge in rural Oregon were deciding whether to surrender or stand their ground on Wednesday after officials killed one of their spokesmen and arrested the main leaders of the protest on a remote highway.

Hours after news broke on Tuesday night that law enforcement officials had fatally shot militiaman LaVoy Finicum, an Arizona rancher, and arrested leader Ammon Bundy and seven others, police began setting up blockades around the Malheur national wildlife refuge.

By early Wednesday morning, heavily armed law enforcement officials were blocking access to the refuge, preventing reporters and some Harney County residents from passing through.

Within the wildlife sanctuary, protesters were debating what to do next, according to militia members and supporters in direct communication with the holdouts.

“They arrested all of the leadership,” occupier Corey Lequieu said on Wednesday. “It’s all up in the air.” Lequieu, a Nevada resident who has been at the occupation for weeks, said the protesters who are still at the refuge became increasingly angry and sad as news spread Tuesday that Finicum was killed and that the main militia leaders were behind bars.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/27/oregon-militia-standoff-bundy-arrested-lavoy-finicum-killed-malheur-national-wildlife-refuge

[longship]

34. Should be an LBN post. nt

[justgamma]

35. Who here didn't see this takeover coming?

They let them get by with it once and it just emboldened the yahoos. I figured this would happen.

[AllyCat]

36. 24 days too late, but I guess it's better than never.

[bluedigger]

38. I hope they search the leaving vehicles like they were dirty hippys.

Pull everything removable out of the vehicles, toss it all in the snow when you're done searching, and leave it for the owners to pick up and put back together. Leave anything behind and get a ticket for littering. I'm sure the LEO's all know the routine.

[Joe Nation]

42. It's actually kind of sad

I guess we have always had people that refused to live within societal boundaries no matter how loose those boundaries were. Some people just refuse to put ideological nonsense into perspective and tolerate the reality the rest of us abide by. We make fun of these people and ridicule them for their fringe ideology but I hope that something good can come from this sad situation.

[Hortensis]

46. Agree. I was hoping they'd all be

going home eventually, via prison or however it may be.