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Stuart G

(38,359 posts)
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 01:55 AM Jan 2016

Question , Who do you suppose is making the final decision on dealing Bundy & squatters in Oregon?

That is to wait patiently, or do otherwise? Like shooting it out with them or some other kind of very strong action.

My guess is President Obama.

69 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Question , Who do you suppose is making the final decision on dealing Bundy & squatters in Oregon? (Original Post) Stuart G Jan 2016 OP
good question KT2000 Jan 2016 #1
it can't be the bginning because there have been so many similar occupations in the past. Bluenorthwest Jan 2016 #15
I am aware KT2000 Jan 2016 #49
He probably has the ultimate word, but just delegates his situation managers in the FBI to deal with world wide wally Jan 2016 #2
They are doing infograthering all the time. Probably have an undercover person Jim Beard Jan 2016 #3
^^ exactly ^^ lamp_shade Jan 2016 #9
more than one, is my guess eShirl Jan 2016 #13
Yes! This is what I've been hoping would happen. Lars39 Jan 2016 #17
I'm so tired of hearing of the standoff described this way: either violent action or 99th_Monkey Jan 2016 #4
I think to a bigger extent than we perhaps realize law enforcement sympathizes with the militias Fumesucker Jan 2016 #5
No shit. Have you seen this 2006 FBI report, that no one talks about? 99th_Monkey Jan 2016 #6
OMG newfie11 Jan 2016 #7
Yes, it certainly does. n/t 99th_Monkey Jan 2016 #33
Yep!!! This, says it all! n/t RKP5637 Jan 2016 #29
Thanks for the links. ronnie624 Jan 2016 #42
Thanks! Very interesting stuff WhaTHellsgoingonhere Jan 2016 #47
As a person who worked with many LEOs, I can attest to the truth of this. It's the job Nay Jan 2016 #30
Serious question... Blanks Jan 2016 #51
Not that I noticed. Unless it was on the order of "Guns for me, but not for thee." Nay Jan 2016 #53
That's what I mean... Blanks Jan 2016 #62
The feds? Seems highly, highly unlikely. Hortensis Jan 2016 #55
I trust that you're not conflating my post w/ 'authoritarianism' or summary execution of Bundy jerks 99th_Monkey Jan 2016 #63
Nope. I'm suggesting an identification with Hortensis Jan 2016 #65
I certainly can't argue with that. Thanks for the clarification. nt 99th_Monkey Jan 2016 #66
+1000 smirkymonkey Jan 2016 #43
You have pretty much described it. Sickening. nruthie Jan 2016 #57
I believe your guess is right. There will be no Waco under Obama's watch. lamp_shade Jan 2016 #8
You have a lot of faith rjsquirrel Jan 2016 #10
Agree, plus the Bundys have their children there to act as hostages flamingdem Jan 2016 #34
If Obama is calling the shots, I'm with him. safeinOhio Jan 2016 #11
For sure GummyBearz Jan 2016 #21
He is. Think of the Somali pirates and Bin Laden flamingdem Jan 2016 #35
Also think of Cliven Bundy. Jim Lane Jan 2016 #67
Just found out what some are saying so I guess flamingdem Jan 2016 #69
Why does he not or the FBI not do something? There options. daybranch Jan 2016 #12
Can you cite laws which allow the seizing of accounts of those who have not even been arrested? Bluenorthwest Jan 2016 #14
Seizure is done all the time in the name of drug enforcement. hobbit709 Jan 2016 #16
Arrested people with evidence collected and when that is abused good people oppose it and do not Bluenorthwest Jan 2016 #19
IRS does it all the time NT 1939 Jan 2016 #28
Shhhh...he or she is on a roll! nt Rex Jan 2016 #40
good idea treestar Jan 2016 #44
Estimated taxes are due on Jan 15 NT 1939 Jan 2016 #50
Look at the War on Drugs. Law enforcement seizes money from people all the time, without charges. backscatter712 Jan 2016 #61
They do it to terrorist groups all the time, but yeah this is not the same thing. Rex Jan 2016 #39
There's asset forfeiture... backscatter712 Jan 2016 #58
Cut off food, for sure. Water's on-site, but if they can cut off power... Lizzie Poppet Jan 2016 #23
cutting utilities handmade34 Jan 2016 #31
There are children there nt flamingdem Jan 2016 #36
Good point. Lizzie Poppet Jan 2016 #54
Whomever it is has a lot more patience than I do FLPanhandle Jan 2016 #18
Loretta Lynch, who is probably listening to regional FBI. nt geek tragedy Jan 2016 #20
If anybody at all has made a decision (an open question), it was the wrong one. Paladin Jan 2016 #22
Some expert group at Homeland Security is developing the strategy haele Jan 2016 #24
spock or maybe odin? not sure really. nt JanMichael Jan 2016 #25
POTUS. He wants NO DRAMA. WinkyDink Jan 2016 #26
I think he's being proved right as long as other incidents don't start up elsewhere flamingdem Jan 2016 #37
Actually, "other incidents" are now being planned, incited & actively organized 99th_Monkey Jan 2016 #45
If there are other incidents the FBI could arrest more flamingdem Jan 2016 #46
You are wish-dreaming IMHO. 99th_Monkey Jan 2016 #48
IMO it's with President Obama. Also, I bet there is a lot of discussion on how actions might RKP5637 Jan 2016 #27
Good point. Could be an endless talking point if anyone is killed or injured. flamingdem Jan 2016 #38
I bet there are a whole 2naSalit Jan 2016 #32
Only one person with a cool head in DC, the President of the United States! B Calm Jan 2016 #41
I support much of what Obama has done, but on this one, not so much. 99th_Monkey Jan 2016 #52
Is anyone??? nruthie Jan 2016 #56
So far, it appears that the burglars are. Tierra_y_Libertad Jan 2016 #59
Nobody? Retrograde Jan 2016 #60
Lynch... TipTok Jan 2016 #64
I found the thread!1 Here: sorta the Department of the Interior, no?!1 Or Mobil Oil?!1 UTUSN Jan 2016 #68

KT2000

(20,544 posts)
1. good question
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 02:18 AM
Jan 2016

and we should find out at some point because this is not the last of these - may be just the beginning.

 

Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)
15. it can't be the bginning because there have been so many similar occupations in the past.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:11 AM
Jan 2016

Some which you have never heard of which lasted years, some which we all know about which lasted months and months and ended without violence and a few which ended tragically but if you think this is 'the beginning' you should do some reading. Federal lands have been repeatedly occupied by a variety of groups for most of the history of Federal lands. Carnage is not the usual ending. Nothing about this event is even particularly unique.

KT2000

(20,544 posts)
49. I am aware
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 02:28 PM
Jan 2016

of other occupations such as the Sage Brush Rebellion. There are three things that are different now.
1. The Koch brothers are funding a group that is trying to get governments to have federal lands turned over to the locals. I have to wonder if they are not surreptitiously funding some of these characters.

2. There are a lot of people in this country armed to the teeth now. They have arsenals of weapons. There are militia groups, and all manner of hate groups now that have instant communication through the internet. It could be up to anyone of them to form a group and take over what they want to make any kind of crazy point.

3. These people are bullying the people in the town of Burns. This is not just about turning over land to the industries to exploit, it is about some crazy read of the constitution - and those people are nuts. As an example, my sister worked for the state in an office where electricians get their licenses. There is also a nest of "constitutionalists" in this state. My sister's office had to get guards (state patrol) because of their insane and threatening behavior toward state employees.

I actually attended a meeting of one of these groups to see what they were about. Hate and armed insurrection. The leader was arrested and sent to prison a couple weeks after that meeting for something having to do with weapons or bombs or something.

Lars39

(26,093 posts)
17. Yes! This is what I've been hoping would happen.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:20 AM
Jan 2016

I think the FBI was caught a bit off guard because of remoteness of area and Homeland Security deciding not to investigate these yahoos.

 

99th_Monkey

(19,326 posts)
4. I'm so tired of hearing of the standoff described this way: either violent action or
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 03:19 AM
Jan 2016
simply doing nothing and 'waiting them out'. It's not like these two equally unattractive
options are the ONLY options. it's simply not the case.

Anyone who's familiar at all with law enforcement knows this. So let me go over it again for the
200+ time on DU. If the FBI or other law enforcement really wants to end this peacefully and yet
avoid it dragging on and on indefinitely -- which only lends credence to the Bundy Bunch's absurd
claim to be entitled to seize Federal land at will at-the-point-of-a gun whenever and wherever they
like-- then they only need to do 3 simple things, noted below (a-c)

But first, let's be clear about what these armed-to-the-teeth Bundy Terrorists are NOW doing:
1) breaking the law with impunity in broad daylight, at the point of a gun, stealing Federal vehicles,
breaking into Federal employees desks, computers and personal belongings, and using their
security badges to hack into federal computers containing employees SS numbers, credit card info, etc.

2) using the Malheur sanctuary (a Native American sacred site with many artifacts at risk) as
a National TV platform to spew their arrogant & hateful anti-Federal Gov't nonsense into our
living rooms every night. Just today, I read they have deliberately bulldozed an area known
to contain NA relics.

3) "putting out the word" to like-minded armed lunatics with cell phones and Gov't computers,
to "join them" in their armed insurrection, seizing Federal land at the point of a gun & inciting
other ranchers to refuse to pay their grazing fees and tear up their contracts with the BLM,

4) coming & going freely at-will to stockpile more food, water, guns, ammunition and lord know
what else, thus insuring that the "standoff" will continue indefinitely. and Just today it's reported
some are bringing their children to join them in the stand-off, deliberately putting them in danger.

5) regularly driving into nearby town of Burns to terrorize local residents while armed-to-the-teeth.

Now MANY of these ^ activities are illegal, some are felonies. Yet ALL of them can be stopped
in their tracks anytime the FBI et. al. decides to do so, by doing the following:
a) cut off all access (in & out) to the Federal facility and lands involved, especially roads, and
surrounding the place with wide perimeter to insure no-one goes in or out..
b) cut off all utilities, jam the cell phones & all computer access, cut off all water, electricity, etc.
c) then, simply wait them out, arrest them as they leave, or use tear gas, as needed to force the issue.

Yet they are doing NONE of these things, they are merely "monitoring" the situation from a base-camp
30 miles away from the Refuge, near the Burns airport.

Not doing any of a-c to me amounts to malfeasance if not complicity by the FBI.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)
5. I think to a bigger extent than we perhaps realize law enforcement sympathizes with the militias
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 03:28 AM
Jan 2016

Cops who aren't at least somewhat right wing are fairly rare and some of them are very rightist.

ronnie624

(5,764 posts)
42. Thanks for the links.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 01:31 PM
Jan 2016

I've seen them before, but they merit more attention.

Fumesucker's post is perceptive. As a result of the trend toward police militarization and the current methods of training officers, we are essentially regarded as subjects of occupation, by a police force that will be very handy to those in power, should fascist darkness fully descend.

Nay

(12,051 posts)
30. As a person who worked with many LEOs, I can attest to the truth of this. It's the job
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 12:11 PM
Jan 2016

of choice for lots of serious RWers.

Blanks

(4,835 posts)
51. Serious question...
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 03:08 PM
Jan 2016

Aren't most law enforcement types in support of some kind of gun control?

They're the folks most likely to be on the receiving end of a nutjob with a gun.

Blanks

(4,835 posts)
62. That's what I mean...
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 05:00 PM
Jan 2016

Cops want (and should have) guns themselves, but would prefer that they didn't show up to an armed domestic violence dispute.

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
55. The feds? Seems highly, highly unlikely.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 04:05 PM
Jan 2016

As for law enforcement professionals in general, there's a far larger authoritarian component to them than rebel component. It's that authoritarianism that has gotten out of hand and is causing much trouble for the people, who are supposed to be served by government, not serving it.

Much of the dissatisfaction voiced on this forum about the government not acting is actually frustrated authoritarianism. At least a third of the population is not happy with a government that does not compel prompt and strict obedience with the law, and that trait is present to lesser and lesser degrees in others. Authoritarians want a just government, yes, but one that takes no crap from people who step out of line (i.e., break the law, even minor ones) and that dishes out swift and strong discipline to those that do. (The stronger the authoritarianism, the harsher the punishment for disobedience.)

Thus we've even had calls here on DU (!) for ordering these jerks out and shooting them down as "necessary" if they don't obey. In effect execution for occupation and disobedience.

 

99th_Monkey

(19,326 posts)
63. I trust that you're not conflating my post w/ 'authoritarianism' or summary execution of Bundy jerks
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 05:13 PM
Jan 2016

Here's the post I'm referring to:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=7558026

Am I correct in making this assumption?

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
65. Nope. I'm suggesting an identification with
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 05:40 PM
Jan 2016

authority is a lot more prevalent among law enforcement than rebellion against it.

lamp_shade

(14,796 posts)
8. I believe your guess is right. There will be no Waco under Obama's watch.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 05:45 AM
Jan 2016

I believe the FBI has an extensive "sheet" on every individual in that building... has carefully compiled, and is continuing to compile, a list of incontestable evidence against each of them. Child Endangerment has likely been added to the list.

To the next group of similarly-minded outlaws, Obama and the FBI are saying "Go ahead... knock yourselves out. There will be no shoot-out at the OK Corral. No martyrs. Make all the "statements" you want... it will get you nothing but humiliation while the world watches you make complete fools of yourselves".

The story has become almost irrelevant and has been relegated to the back page or "in other news".
They really have only two choices: tuck tail and surrender peacefully and unconditionally or go out in a blaze of fire and bullets.
I think they'll choose the first option and it'll be over by the end of the month.
Just my thoughts.


flamingdem

(39,304 posts)
34. Agree, plus the Bundys have their children there to act as hostages
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 01:18 PM
Jan 2016

Even tear gas is a problem with kids in the compound.

Obama likes to give a lot of rope, let 'em hang themselves.. or rope a dope.

And then add the complication of some sympathies by locals, but I don't think the FBI is sympathetic and they're running the operation.

 

Jim Lane

(11,175 posts)
67. Also think of Cliven Bundy.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:15 PM
Jan 2016

If there's some kind of 11th-dimensional chess game going on there, it's had the adverse consequence of giving the impression (to those not privy to the chess moves) that Bundy has gotten away with illegally grazing his cattle on public land and refusing to pay even the absurdly low fees that he owes. He and his cohorts have also gotten away with pointing guns at federal employees and chasing them away, preventing them from doing their jobs.

Every day that the Nevada situation continues undermines respect for law and emboldens thugs like the Bundy children and their emulators around the country.

I'm prepared to cut Obama some slack concerning Oregon, because that situation is still fairly new, but the dealing with Cliven Bundy (or the refusal to deal with the problem) is past that point.

flamingdem

(39,304 posts)
69. Just found out what some are saying so I guess
Mon Jan 25, 2016, 12:33 AM
Jan 2016

the wait and see the chess moves is in doubt on this one.

http://freebeacon.com/politics/oregon-democrat-obama-admin-to-blame-for-bundy-standoff/

Of course I think that's a Republican site so probably the Defazio quotes are taken somewhat out of context.

daybranch

(1,309 posts)
12. Why does he not or the FBI not do something? There options.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 07:18 AM
Jan 2016

First off the FBI can seize the bank accounts of these squatters to pay for damages they do and our loss of the federal lands during their occupation. We should also reduce any payments of federal dollars being sent to any of them, their wives or children. We should not starve the innocent but nothing is wrong when our government exerts some financial pressure to get our laws obeyed.
We could also start harassing them and cutting off any deliveries of food and water , while asking them to send home the weak and sick, so their health issues can be addressed.

 

Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)
14. Can you cite laws which allow the seizing of accounts of those who have not even been arrested?
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:06 AM
Jan 2016

Of course you can't. No indictment, no conviction, just skip to the punishment. Think about that for a moment.

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)
16. Seizure is done all the time in the name of drug enforcement.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:13 AM
Jan 2016

Been more than one case where someone was stopped and their money taken with no charges ever filed

 

Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)
19. Arrested people with evidence collected and when that is abused good people oppose it and do not
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:27 AM
Jan 2016

call for such things to be more widely applied. Show me anyone who has had accounts seized without charges filed. Never arrested, never indicted, just had unrelated accounts taken from them.

treestar

(82,383 posts)
44. good idea
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 01:38 PM
Jan 2016

they may fail to file their tax returns. By the end of January, estimated taxes are due, if they are self employed.

backscatter712

(26,355 posts)
61. Look at the War on Drugs. Law enforcement seizes money from people all the time, without charges.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 04:55 PM
Jan 2016

All they need is an "anonymous tip" that assets to be seized were somehow involved in drugs or something.

Yes, they can do this if they want. Yes, asset forfeiture without charging the owners of those assets with crimes is incredibly unjust and needs to be stopped.

 

Rex

(65,616 posts)
39. They do it to terrorist groups all the time, but yeah this is not the same thing.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 01:21 PM
Jan 2016

Nobody is willing to call these guys terrorists since they fit the right skin color and political party to be given some immunity.

backscatter712

(26,355 posts)
58. There's asset forfeiture...
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 04:52 PM
Jan 2016

The cops, including the feds, seize large amounts of money from people all the time without charging them with crimes.

Though that's not a good thing...

You want my opinion, charge these bastards with terrorism, seditious conspiracy, making various threats of terroristic violence, and damaging Federal property.

 

Lizzie Poppet

(10,164 posts)
23. Cut off food, for sure. Water's on-site, but if they can cut off power...
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:36 AM
Jan 2016

...it'll have to be hand-pumped from the well - if there even is a hand pump. Apparently cutting off power isn't just a matter of flipping a switch (the power company folks out there released a statement in the first week of this fiasco), but it needs to be done.

The feds already screwed up by not isolating the site from any back-and-forth whatsoever. I mean massively, someone-should-be-fired screwed up. Now these lunatics have been allowed to get a couple of their kids in place...human shields that will make any eventual use of force vastly more controversial.

handmade34

(22,755 posts)
31. cutting utilities
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 12:38 PM
Jan 2016

seems a logical act but I live in a very cold area and the power being cut to my house could potentially lead to much damage to my house... I would guess that the choice to keep utilities on is for good reason...

 

Lizzie Poppet

(10,164 posts)
54. Good point.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 03:53 PM
Jan 2016

Frozen, ruptured pipes would be a big pain to replace, especially this time of year, and everything that stops or inhibits the facility from doing its job is a problem. It's the staging area for pretty much all of the work done on that very large refuge.

FLPanhandle

(7,107 posts)
18. Whomever it is has a lot more patience than I do
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:22 AM
Jan 2016

I'd have ordered a fleet of drone attacks by now, so its probably good that I am not in charge.

Paladin

(28,202 posts)
22. If anybody at all has made a decision (an open question), it was the wrong one.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:35 AM
Jan 2016

First the Bundy stand-down, now the similar non-action in Oregon---these land-grabbing assholes and thousands like them have been encouraged to take similar actions in the future, to make the news, to inflame right-wing hate radio from one coast to the other. Spectacularly bad tactics by law enforcement---if any such tactics even exist. Keep that in mind, the next half-dozen occupations these pricks engage in, with innocent civilian casualties a virtual certainty.

haele

(12,581 posts)
24. Some expert group at Homeland Security is developing the strategy
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:37 AM
Jan 2016

and providing the assessments, and the heads of Homeland Security and the Justice Department will probably make the final decision based on that information. Obama is the nominal final decision maker, but the actual final decision is being made below him.
Wouldn't be surprised if various other factions that have been allowed to fester in their careers over the decades in the BLM and DoJ thanks to Watts and Meese. Someone that would be acceptable to those nhialists who began his or her career back in the 1980's is now typically in a position of power if they decided to make a career living "the best of both worlds" by living off taxpayer provided welfare while taking kickbacks from private organizations and corporations.
Now, whether or not the backers of the Bundys and their ilk are getting high cover from taxpayer-funded seditionists (Oathkeeper types) is another question.

Haele

flamingdem

(39,304 posts)
37. I think he's being proved right as long as other incidents don't start up elsewhere
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 01:20 PM
Jan 2016

They could bog things down.

I think the bet was made that there aren't that many crazies willing to do what the Bundys are doing. Thus, they'll sit them out and avoid violence since children are living there.

 

99th_Monkey

(19,326 posts)
45. Actually, "other incidents" are now being planned, incited & actively organized
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 02:00 PM
Jan 2016

precisely because of the FBI's kid-gloves treatment of the Bundy Terrorist Gang.

Please see:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=7558026
... Which includes a description of what the Armed Bundy Gang are actually NOW doing, including:

2) using the Malheur sanctuary (a Native American sacred site with
many artifacts at risk) as a National TV platform to spew their arrogant & hateful anti-Federal Gov't
nonsense into our living rooms every night. Just today, I read they have deliberately bulldozed an
area known to contain NA relics.

3) "putting out the word" to like-minded armed lunatics with cell phones and Gov't computers,
to "join them" in their armed insurrection, seizing Federal land at the point of a gun & inciting
other ranchers to refuse to pay their grazing fees and tear up their contracts with the BLM,


NONE of this ^ crap should be allowed to continue, because FBI & LE knows full-well how to
put a stop to it NON-violently, yet they sit on their hands 30 miles away in a base-camp near the
Burns airport doing nothing except 'monitoring' the situation. Here's what they could/should be
doing'
a) cut off all access (in & out) to the Federal facility and lands involved, especially roads, and
surrounding the place with wide perimeter to insure no-one goes in or out..
b) cut off all utilities, jam the cell phones & all computer access, cut off all water, electricity, etc.
c) then, simply wait them out, arrest them as they leave, or use tear gas, as needed to force the issue.

NOT doing these three things is actively enabling this RW white-supremacist land-grabbing of
Federal land & buildings by a bunch of armed thugs, and it's just wrong; and it's pissing off Oregonians
(including myself) big-time. Even OR Gov. Kate Brown has gone public with her chastisement of
the FBI for it's inexplicable inaction, bordering on complicity, while local residents of Burns OR
are being daily harassed and intimidated by armed insurrectionists. It's just bizarre beyond belief.

There's no excuse for this kid-gloves treatment of domestic terrorism. none.

flamingdem

(39,304 posts)
46. If there are other incidents the FBI could arrest more
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 02:12 PM
Jan 2016

wingnuts. They know a lot more about what's going on and I assume .. hmm I hope that they're working from a plan of attack not passively waiting.

 

99th_Monkey

(19,326 posts)
48. You are wish-dreaming IMHO.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 02:26 PM
Jan 2016

You do know that the FBI et. al. have completely backed-down from enforcing the law already at the Bundy Ranch
in Nevada: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundy_standoff

The Bundy standoff was an armed confrontation between protesters and law enforcement that developed from a 20-year legal dispute between the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and cattle rancher Cliven Bundy, over unpaid grazing fees on federally owned land in southeastern Nevada.

The ongoing dispute started in 1993, when, in protest against changes to grazing rules, Bundy declined to renew his permit for cattle grazing on BLM-administered lands near Bunkerville, Nevada. According to the BLM, Bundy continued to graze his cattle on public lands without a permit. In 1998, Bundy was prohibited by the United States District Court for the District of Nevada from grazing his cattle on an area of land later called the Bunkerville Allotment. In July 2013, the BLM complaint was supplemented when federal judge Lloyd D. George ordered that Bundy refrain from trespassing on federally administered land in the Gold Butte area of Clark County.

On March 27, 2014, 145,604 acres of federal land in Clark County were temporarily closed for the "capture, impound, and removal of trespass cattle". BLM officials and law enforcement rangers began a roundup of such livestock on April 5, and an arrest was made the next day. On April 12, a group of protesters, some of them armed, advanced on what the BLM described as a "cattle gather." Sheriff Doug Gillespie negotiated with Bundy and newly confirmed BLM director Neil Kornze, who elected to release the cattle and de-escalate the situation. As of the end of 2015, Bundy continued to graze his cattle on Federal land and had not paid the fees.


I mean seriously, how much damning & incriminating information does law enforcement need, before it decides to take any meaningful action to actually enforce the law of the land?

RKP5637

(67,032 posts)
27. IMO it's with President Obama. Also, I bet there is a lot of discussion on how actions might
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:58 AM
Jan 2016

affect the 2016 elections.

flamingdem

(39,304 posts)
38. Good point. Could be an endless talking point if anyone is killed or injured.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 01:21 PM
Jan 2016

Especially children. Potus and admin would look "incompetent" and "evil".

2naSalit

(86,054 posts)
32. I bet there are a whole
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 12:47 PM
Jan 2016

bunch of Congress critters threatening a fiasco if these assholes are harmed or acted upon. And I also suspect that they are being sponsored by the kochtopus who like to call the shots using money.

 

99th_Monkey

(19,326 posts)
52. I support much of what Obama has done, but on this one, not so much.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 03:09 PM
Jan 2016

Cool Heads don't ignore a seditious, white-supremacist armed insurrection to run rough-shod
over the rights of my fellow citizens in Burns OR to not be harassed and intimidated by armed
thugs, or the rights of Native Americans to not have their sacred land full of artifacts bulldozed
and desecrated, or the rights of Federal employees to not have their security badges illegally
used to invade their privacy, including SS numbers, credit card into, etc.. And this is just a
few of the reasons Oregon's Gov. Kate Brown has openly raised the question as to why this
gang of armed thugs are so 'special' that the FBI is treating them with kid-gloves and allowing
them to break the law with impunity, for nearly a month now.

nruthie

(466 posts)
56. Is anyone???
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 04:41 PM
Jan 2016

I wish I felt that someone somewhere is actually handling the situation. Right now it seems that Bundy and his moron followers are controlling the thing. As an Oregonian I am repelled at what is happening.

Retrograde

(10,070 posts)
60. Nobody?
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 04:55 PM
Jan 2016

I don't think it's high on Lynch's list of things to do, Jewell's been invisible (since the BLM and National Parks - not to mention Native America artifacts - come under her department you'd think she'd be doing something), Jeh doesn't seem to be treating this like the domestic terrorism it is - all there seems to be are a few (probably not very high ranking) FBI agents who are essentially impotent, a frustrated state governor and locals watching their economy take a big hit.

UTUSN

(70,496 posts)
68. I found the thread!1 Here: sorta the Department of the Interior, no?!1 Or Mobil Oil?!1
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 11:23 PM
Jan 2016
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027557225

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http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Malheur/
[font size=5]US Dept of Interior @Interior
@DebGaudet We understand your concern about Malheur. [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]We're working[/FONT] with @FBI [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]to resolve the situation as quickly as possible[/FONT].
3 days ago[/font]

Malheur Refuge Closed
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is closed until further notice.

An unknown number of armed individuals have broken into and occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge facility near Burns, Oregon. While the situation is ongoing, the main concern is employee and public safety; we can confirm that no federal staff were in the building at the time of the initial incident. We will continue to monitor the situation for additional developments.


[font size=5]Sally Jewell was sworn in as the 51st Secretary of the Interior on April 12, 2013.[/font]

In nominating Jewell, President Obama said, “She is an expert on the [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]energy[/FONT] and climate issues that are going to shape our future. She is committed to building our nation-to-nation relationship with Indian Country. She knows the link between conservation and good jobs. She knows that there’s no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress; that in fact, those two things need to go hand in hand.”

As Secretary of the Interior, Jewell leads an agency with more than 70,000 employees. Interior serves as steward for approximately 20 percent of the nation’s lands, including national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public lands; oversees the responsible development of conventional and renewable [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]energy supplies on public[/FONT] lands and waters; is the largest supplier and manager of water in the 17 Western states; and upholds trust responsibilities to the 567 federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives.

Prior to her confirmation, Jewell served in the private sector, most recently as President and Chief Executive Officer of Recreation Equipment, Inc. (REI). Jewell joined REI as Chief Operating Officer in 2000 and was named CEO in 2005. During her tenure, REI nearly tripled in business to $2 billion and was consistently ranked one of the 100 best companies to work for by Fortune Magazine.

Before joining to REI, Jewell spent 19 years as a [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]commercial banker[/FONT], first as an [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]energy[/FONT] and natural resources expert and later working with a diverse array of businesses that drive our nation’s economy. Trained as a [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]petroleum engineer[/FONT], Jewell started her career with [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]Mobil Oil Corp[/FONT]. in the oil and gas fields of Oklahoma and the [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]exploration and production[/FONT] office in Denver, Colo. where she was exposed to the remarkable diversity of [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]our nation’s oil and gas resources[/FONT].

An avid outdoorswoman, Jewell finds time to explore her backyard in the Pacific Northwest where she enjoys skiing, kayaking, hiking and other activities. She has scaled Mount Rainier on seven occasions, and recently climbed Vinson Massif, the highest mountain in Antarctica.

Jewell has worked to ensure that public lands are accessible and relevant to all people from all backgrounds, and to build a connection between the great outdoors and a new generation of Americans.

Jewell is a graduate of the University of Washington. She and her husband, Warren, have two adult children, Peter and Anne.

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