Thread: Armed militia group attempting to overthrow the government

Oathkeepers are not happy about this protest.

http://www.alipac.us/f9/oath-keepers...refuge-327074/

Montel Williams Calls For "Shoot To Kill" In Oregon Showdown; Militiamen Respond They Are "Ready To Fight"

In the latest development in the ongoing saga of Ammon Bundy's seizure of a Federal wildlife reuge office in Oregon, the members of the militia said they're ready to fight, but they won't say what they would actually do if federal authorities try to remove them by force as reported in the clip below.


However, while we noted the shortcomings in Bundy's latest standoff last night, what is even more notable is that as Shepard Ambellas of Intellihub points out, Montel Williams he tweeted that the National Guard should be mobilized to “kill” protesters who have currently overtaken the federal building in Burns, Oregon.

Montel Williams Calls For "Shoot To Kill" In Oregon Showdown; Militiamen Respond They Are "Ready To Fight" | Zero Hedge

Leader of armed protesters in Oregon took out $530,000 federal loan

By Ralph Ellis, Holly Yan and Sara Sidner, CNN
Updated 10:16 PM ET, Tue January 5, 2016 | Video Source: CNN

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon (CNN)Ammon Bundy, a leader of the armed protesters who took over a federal building in Oregon, and his family are known for battling the federal government.

But Bundy told CNN on Tuesday that he's not opposed to government and said that taking a six-figure loan from the Small Business Administration doesn't conflict with his political philosophy.

Bundy borrowed $530,000 in 2010 for his company, Valet Fleet Service LLC, according to public records on usaspending.gov. Valet Fleet Service is a truck maintenance company in Arizona.

"I am not anti-government," he said when asked about the loan while standing outside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, adding that he thinks "there is a role for government and that the federal government's role is to protect the states from the outside world."

"And the state's role is to protect the counties from the federal government -- and the county's role is to protect the people from the state so the people can go about freely using their lands and resources and their rights. ... So there's a role, but all government's role is to serve the people. Whenever those governments step out, then that's when we step in."

Bundy denied he was being hypocritical about the loan because it "was an effort in assisting the people in using their rights."
'We're in it for the long haul'

The protesters call themselves the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom.

And they say they're not budging anytime soon from the refuge facility near Burns.

"We came very well-prepared. We're in it for the long haul," said protester Jon Ritzheimer, who has previously attracted attention for organizing anti-Islam rallies in Arizona.

Late Tuesday, Bundy told reporters that protesters had received information that the FBI had obtained arrest warrants for some of the armed occupiers, and that authorities were planning to raid the refuge.

CNN reached out to the FBI to ask about the possible existence of such warrants and the FBI referred all questions to the local authorities.

The Harney County Joint Information Center said that it had no information on arrests warrants, and that it was still working for a peaceful resolution to the occupation.

There have been no police at the snowy, desolate wildlife refuge since the occupiers took over the main building Saturday.

And that's a smart decision by authorities, analysts say.

What could happen next

Law enforcement should just wait the protesters out, experts say.

Protester: We'll stay until we secure land 02:01


"There is no real reason, at this point, to go in. And the FBI knows that," said Steve Moore, a retired supervisory special agent for the FBI.

He said federal authorities have learned that lesson the hard way. Take, for example, the deadly confrontation at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993.

"A hundred people died in that," Moore said. "It was a suicide; however, it was provoked by the FBI intervention."

Standoffs and occupations in the United States through the years

So how long should authorities wait, and what would force that tactic to change?

"I think they will wait a long, long time," Moore said. "The only thing that would force them to change that would be if these people posed a life-and-death threat to someone."

The FBI, which is leading the investigation, hasn't specified what it will do.

"The FBI is working with the Harney County Sheriff's Office, Oregon State Police and other local and state law enforcement agencies to bring a peaceful resolution to the situation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge," the agency's Portland office said in a statement.

"Due to safety considerations for both those inside the refuge as well as the law enforcement officers involved, we will not be releasing any specifics with regards to the law enforcement response."

What the protesters want




Oregon showdown explained: Patriots or #YallQaeda?02:47


The protesters are complaining about the amount of land controlled by the federal government as well as the sentencing of two local ranchers, Dwight and Steven Hammond.

For two days, the group made only vague statements about what would make the protesters leave. But on Monday night, Bundy laid out specific demands.

The occupation would end when "the Hammonds are freed and the federal government gives up control of the Malheur National Forest," Bundy tweeted.

The tweet was later deleted.

GOP field wants no part of Oregon standoff

Who the protesters are

Bundy is the son of Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who drew national attention in 2014 after staging a standoff with federal authorities. The government said the rancher owed more than $1 million for using federal land for cattle grazing. Hundreds of armed militiamen rallied behind him.

Armed Oregon protester speaks with CNN 05:05


The elder Bundy also made headlines for openly speculating whether African-Americans were better off as slaves.

The Bundys' history of fighting the federal government

Ammon Bundy has refused to say how many armed protesters are inside the refuge, saying that information might jeopardize "operational security."

But he said he doesn't want the situation to turn violent.
"As I said on @CNN this morning, I love my wife & family," Bundy tweeted. "I have no plans nor desire to die."

Sheriff: You're not helping

The armed protesters have said they are trying to help the Hammonds, who were convicted of arson and sentenced to five years in prison.

Armed protesters rally to support Oregon ranchers 02:05


The Hammonds have said they started a fire in 2001 to reduce the growth of invasive plants and to protect their property from wildfires, CNN affiliate KTVZ-TV reported.

But prosecutors said the Hammonds torched about 130 acres of public land in an attempt to cover up the poaching of deer on federal property.

Throughout the siege, Bundy has claimed the two ranchers were targeted for not selling land to the government.

But the father-and-son ranchers have distanced themselves from the group.

"Neither Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organization speak for the Hammond family," the Hammonds' attorney, W. Alan Schroeder, wrote to Harney County Sheriff David Ward.

On Monday, the Hammonds turned themselves in to prison to serve their five-year sentences.

Now, it's time for the protesters to end the siege, the sheriff said.

"You said you were here to help the citizens of Harney County.

That help ended when a peaceful protest became an armed occupation," Ward said.

"The Hammonds have turned themselves in. It's time for you to leave our community, go home to your families and end this peacefully."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/05/us/ore...&iref=obinsite

Opinion: Oregon building takeover is terrorism

Tribe says armed activists 'desecrating' land

Oregon activist: FBI has warrants for our arrest

Anderson Cooper 360 | Source: CNN
Added on 8:42 PM ET, Tue January 5, 2016
Ammon Bundy abruptly canceled his interview with Anderson Cooper and held an impromptu press conference instead. CNN's Sara Sidner reports.

VIDEO @ link

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/01...er-tell-ac.cnn

Montel's racism has raised its ugly head. Never heard him call for "killing" re other protest groups.

A Texas Standoff Without End, has ended

Ammon Bundy rejects sheriff’s offer of safe passage out of Oregon federal building


REUTERS
07 JAN 2016 AT 18:40 ET

Ammon Bundy speaks at a press conference in Oregon (screen grab)


The leader of a group of armed protesters occupying a U.S. wildlife refuge in rural southeastern Oregon on Thursday rejected a sheriff’s offer of passage out of the state to end the standoff.

Protest leader Ammon Bundy met with Harney County Sheriff David Ward, who offered to escort the occupiers out of the state as a way to end the standoff, but Bundy declined.

Bundy had left the compound with other occupiers in two vehicles to meet the sheriff at a neutral location.

The takeover that began on Saturday at the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, about 30 miles (48 km) south of the small town of Burns, is the latest incident in the so-called Sagebrush Rebellion, a decades-old conflict over federal control of land and resources in the U.S. West.

The move followed a demonstration in support of two local ranchers, Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven, who were returned to prison earlier this week for setting fires that spread to federal land.

A lawyer for Hammond family has said that the occupiers do not speak for the family.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/ammo...eral-building/

BREAKING NEWS

HARNEY SHERIFF ON REFUGE STALEMATE: NO MORE MEETINGS, 'ALL OPTIONS OPEN'


Harney sheriff on refuge stalemate: No more meetings, 'all options open'

Ammon Bundy: 'We're not the least bit ashamed of our actions'

Wanda Moore
Kandra Kent

POSTED: 12:34 AM PST January 7, 2016 UPDATED: 6:49 PM PST January 8, 2016
Day 7 update: No more meetings

BURNS, Ore. -On the seventh day of the armed militia standoff near Burns, as reporters gathered for another daily briefing, a lone horseman rode across the frosty sagebrush Friday, holding his U.S. flag high in the blue skies of the High Desert.

MORE FROM KTVZ.COM

• Ranchers cited by armed group have reputation for kindness
• Crowd at Burns meeting applauds plea that occupiers leave
• Walden speaks emotionally on House floor about West's...
• Crook County rancher weighs in on hot-button issues
• Merkley talks in Bend of gun control, refuge takeover

Self-professed "part-time cowboy" Duane Ehmer of Irrigon rode his horse Hellboy in the hills outside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, saying he'd traveled six hours to 'support the cause."

Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward issued a statement after Friday's briefing, which made clear they have no intention of leaving -- so a planned second meeting Friday was scrubbed, after Thursday's get-together.

His statement reads:
"During this morning's press conference, the people on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge made it clear that they have no intention of honoring the sheriff's request to leave. Because of that, there are no planned meetings or calls at this time. However, the sheriff is keeping all options open."

Ward had met with Ammon Bundy and other leaders of the refuge takeover at a nearby intersection Thursday afternoon "to discuss a peaceful resolution" to the six-day-old occupation. But the face-to-face meeting didn't resolve it.

On Friday, more militia's family, including several children, were on hand and joined the others at the daily late-morning media briefing.

"We're not the least bit ashamed of our actions," Ammon Bundy told reporters, repeating that they are here for "love of their neighbor" and plan to stay until the "community can stand on its own."

On the other hand, Bundy also said he has empathy for Harney County Sheriff David Ward, who he met face to face for the first time Thursday. He said he believes Ward is being influenced from above, as well as dealing with a divided community.

On Thursday afternoon, Ward made known through social media that he had "called a meeting with the folks from the refuge," at the intersection of Narrows-Princeton and Lava Bed roads.

Ward asked again - this time face to face -- that the occupiers "please leave the refuge and respect the wishes of Harney County residents,, but Bundy declined.

Nevertheless, the two men shook hands and plan to meet again tomorrow.

"Sheriff Ward is NOT there to make an arrest. He's there to ask them to leave," the office said in a Twitter message shortly after 3 p.m.

Around the same time, Gov. Kate Brown issued her first public statement on the refuge takeover:

"To members of the Burns-Paiute Tribe and residents of Harney County who seek a return to normal life: I hear you, and I agree that what started as a peaceful and legal protest has become unlawful. It was instigated by outsiders whose tactics we Oregonians don't agree with.

Those individuals illegally occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge need to decamp immediately and be held accountable."

NewsChannel 21's Wanda Moore and Kandra Kent were on hand for Friday's developments and will have reports in our evening newscasts.

On Wednesday, around two dozen local supporters drove up to the occupied refuge on Wednesday to shake hands with Ammon Bundy and show their support.

"I believe what they're doing is right," said Burns resident Lindsay Tyler.

Bundy, who has been occupying the refuge since Saturday with a group of about 20 armed men and women, was happy about the visit, the first time a large group of supporters had come up collectively to the refuge.

"They're feeling free enough to come talk," Bundy said.
The small community of Harney County is split on the takeover of the refuge, but on Wednesday afternoon, it's all smiles.

"I want to thank them for standing up for everybody's rights," Dale Houck said.

Bundy took it as a good sign.

"They're not afraid of us," he said, smiling at the cameras.

Many residents say they support the message, but not necessarily the method of the armed group.

"It's seems a little bit extreme at first," Houck admitted.

"But how else are you going to get it out there?"

Others agree -- the attention to the area's issues with federal oversight was needed.

"If they wouldn't have done with the refuge what they did, our voices in Harney County wouldn't have been heard," Tyler said.

They support Bundy because he drew attention to the problems they've been facing in the community.

"I'm sick and tired of the BLM and the federal government," Houck said.

It was the calm after the storm at the refuge.

Overnight, the group went into defense mode when rumor spread on the compound that the FBI had warrants out for their arrest and was about to move in for a raid.

In the middle of the night, group members moved heavy construction gear, blocking the road on both ends into the compound.

"We weren't sure what was coming this way, but we had to be ready for whatever it was," group member Jon Ritzheimer said.

MORE FROM KTVZ.COM

• Ranchers cited by armed group have reputation for kindness
• Crowd at Burns meeting applauds plea that occupiers leave
• Walden speaks emotionally on House floor about West's...
• Crook County rancher weighs in on hot-button issues
• Merkley talks in Bend of gun control, refuge takeover

It turned out to be a false alarm, and on day five of the occupation, there was still no sign of law enforcement anywhere near the compound, and the group is staying put.

"The support of the community helps remind us why we're here doing what we're doing," Ritzheimer said.

http://www.ktvz.com/news/harney-coun...efuge/37308444

Oregon Sheriff Says Militia Has 'No Intention' of Leaving Federal Land

• By JULIA JACOBO

Jan 8, 2016, 6:23 PM ET

Rick Bowmer/AP Photo

WATCH Oregon Sheriff Calls Meeting to End Standoff in 'Peaceful Resolution'

The Harney County Sheriff's Office has requested assistance from state and federal officers from the 36 other counties in Oregon until a peaceful resolution is reached with those occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Sheriff David Ward said in a statement that the militia and members of the Bundy family have "no intention" of leaving the federal land. In a meeting Thursday to resolve the standoff, Ward asked Ammon Bundy to "respect the wishes of Harney County residents" and vacate the land.

“We petitioned our representatives," Ammon said. "I gave them notice, and they did not even respond.”

“Let’s work it out," Ward told Bundy. "Let’s get our community back to normal.”

Oregon Sheriff Calls Meeting to End Standoff in 'Peaceful Resolution'

Feds Take Low-Key Approach to Oregon Standoff

FBI Monitoring Armed Standoff in Oregon National Wildlife Refuge

"I’m here to talk to give you guys the opportunity to leave the county peacefully and get back to your families," Ward said, after acknowledging that he understands the group's desire to be heard.

“We pose no threat to the community,“ Bundy said, suggesting to Ward that schools should be reopened.

Rick Bowmer/AP Photo
Cowboy Dwane Ehmer, of Irrigon Ore., a supporter of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, rides his horse at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, near Burns, Ore.

On Saturday, a rally began support of Harney County ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and Steven Hammond, who were to report to prison Monday on arson charges on land they leased for cattle grazing.

After Saturday's protest, militia, along with sons of Cliven Bundy, initiated the occupation of the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/oregon-sher...ry?id=36177782