I'll take this opportunity to again shake my head at the FBI's choice to treat this one with kid gloves. This could have been over long ago with less damage to the land and federal property and without the apparent risk to historical artifacts. I'd say the good that has come of waiting though include: (1) It gives the terrorists more rope to hang themselves with, piling up more and more charges the Feds can eventually throw at them. (2) Bundy seems to have learned something about how using guns has been bad for public relations, judging on how they started back-pedaling on their self-defense rhetoric. Maybe the next right-wing extremist group will leave the guns at home and try nonviolent protest, which I can respect and listen to much better. That's probably a stretch. (3) Bundy's national appeal went over like a lead balloon. Maybe extremists think he's a god, Idk, but he's a joke in the mainstream. Of course, if the FBI kicked in the doors on Day 1 and dragged him to prison, it would have been less funny but equally damaging to his reputation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Federal authorities arrest Ammon Bundy, leader of gunmen occupying federal site in Oregon. <a href="https://t.co/MytHwOJWaH">https://t.co/MytHwOJWaH</a>. <a href="https://t.co/OxkBTro1MK">pic.twitter.com/OxkBTro1MK</a></p>— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/692173190387335173">January 27, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One person killed as authorities arrested gunmen who had been occupying federal site in Oregon. <a href="https://t.co/MytHwOJWaH">https://t.co/MytHwOJWaH</a>.</p>— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/692185199602483200">January 27, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
They were killed occupying a log cabin because two guys who burnt some federal land to protect their land were convicted of breaking laws related to terrorism and were then told they needed to go back to jail because their previous jail term was too short.
Actually he was killed in a traffic stop apparently resisting arrest on felony charges. He'd rather "defend freedom", ie get killed, than go to jail. I hope they all enjoy their jail cells for a while.
They decided to occupy the building, but they also wanted the right to leave and do other things when they wanted. These guys are THUG. Wonder why the media isn't calling them what they are.
LaVoy Finicum is a great name, like from a nineteenth century rugged American novel of some sort. RIP, weird guy.
Apparently Ammon Bundy & the gang was going to give a speech at John Day, Oregon (100 miles away from the Malheur Wildlife Refuge). Why these morons think they can just come & go from their occupied log cabin is beyond my comprehension.
Looks like the feds handled this one well. Patience, and force when needed. No martyrs. This isn't even a story any more. Outflanked by high school girls and Tshirts. FWIW -- that's beautiful country near John Day. Empty. Odd folk. But beautiful.
Bizarre that these chumps thought they could come and go. Sad that someone had to die, but it could have been far worse. What about those left at the cabin? I assume some fools were left to "hold the fort."
I read Finicum had 11 children and 19 grandchildren. On the one hand, I'm sad for his family to lose their patriarch. On the other, he's such a dumb-ass to throw his life away like this. If he thinks he was making the world a better place for his grandchildren, well he didn't and he was never going to with this cockamamie plan. Still a half-dozen people holding out there, from what I last heard. They might need to get more forceful with the remaining fighters.
It would make sense if they have hostages of some kind, but if not the only deterrent for the feds is maybe optics or indirect costs of federal property damage.
I feel bad for his family but this was his doing. I don't know enough about the make up of whose left but I'm guessing that once they stop getting snacks they probably won't stick around for too much longer. These people all along didn't seem like they truly were ready to deal with the actual hard ship of a siege.
They thought they could because they had been allowed to for the last several weeks since thing started. One guy even got stopped by a cop in town for some traffic violation, but was released and allowed to go back to the wildlife refuge. It's amazing what they were allowed to get away with.
