The feds send a message
More news from the Malheur invasion:
The short meeting occurred as Oregon officials are putting increased pressure on federal authorities to take action against Bundy’s group.
On Thursday, Bundy went to the airport in Burns, where the FBI has set up a staging area, and spoke to an FBI negotiator over the phone. They agreed to speak again Friday, but Bundy left the airport shortly after he arrived because the FBI agent he spoke with said federal authorities wanted any conversation to be private.
Bundy wants face-to-face conversations in front of reporters. “I really don’t think, at this point, even having another phone conversation here without him would be beneficial,” Bundy said before leaving Friday.
So this armed thief who has broken multiple laws is setting the terms on which he will talk to a law enforcement agent, and coming and going as he pleases.
He also questioned the FBI’s authority. “If you haven’t got sanction from the sheriff, there’s no reason to be talking to you,” Bundy said.
A crowd of reporters watched the brief exchange, while state troopers and armed federal agents looked on.
Now, if you’re an unarmed black guy selling untaxed cigarettes, the cops will grab you and choke you to death. If you’re an unarmed black woman smoking a cigarette while driving her car when a cop pulls her over, the cop will taze you and arrest you. But if you’re a fascist white guy taking over a wildlife refuge owned by all of us, the cops will stand around and watch, smiling affably.
Bundy’s group began occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon on Jan. 2. The group plans to open the 300-square-mile refuge for cattle this spring.
The FBI did not immediately comment on Friday’s meeting with Bundy, but the agency said in a statement Thursday that the agency’s response “has been deliberate and measured as we seek a peaceful resolution.”
While the Bundyistas destroy the wildlife refuge.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday that she was angry because federal authorities have not taken action against Bundy’s group. The Democratic governor said the occupation has cost Oregon taxpayers nearly half a million dollars.
Brown sent a letter Thursday to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey, urging them “to end the unlawful occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge as safely and as quickly as possible.”
In a statement, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley said it was “long past time for this illegal occupation to end and for the people of Harney County to get their lives back.”
The Oregon Democrat said he hopes authorities could peacefully resolve the situation and hold Bundy’s group accountable.
The FBI said it would love to help but it’s taking a really long coffee break right now and can’t be disturbed.
Harney County Judge Steve Grasty said in a statement Friday that many locals “are incredulous about the federal government’s fear of taking action against the lawlessness that we are witnessing on a daily basis.”
Well I’m glad I’m not the only one…but at the same time I’m even more appalled that even with a governor, a senator, and a judge saying yo can you do something about this please, nothing is being done.
Hello, federal government? Could you please stop sending the message to fascists that they can do anything they want to as long as they wear guns to do it?
Their plan is to start grazing their cattle there?! Not sure how I missed this. So they get to commandeer the land, wreck it, and enjoy the profits. Well, that’s freedom for you.
And the funny part is that the locals don’t even appear to want them. So I guess that they’ll have to import their own cattle from Nevada and Colorado and everywhere else not even involved in the area that they come from.
From the reporting I’ve read, most of the locals REALLY don’t want them, and are furious that they’re being allowed to stay and stay and stay and stay
I certainly wouldn’t feel safe with a bunch of highly armed criminals having free run of my town.
These anarchist looters have an ideology that holds that ‘Sherriff’ is the HIGHEST legal elected office. They believe that all other officials are secondary or ‘unconstitutional.’
The ‘sovereign citizen,’ ‘tax-resisters,’ ‘posse commitatus’ whackos etc. all have similar lines.
And law enforcement allows them to act on any damn’ lunacy they want. Maybe because ‘sincerely held religious beliefs?’
Are we sure this whole Bundy thing isn’t just a reality show crossed with the Stanford Prison experiment?
I cannot help but make the observation that when it is a bunch of white men with guns blatantly breaking the law, the authorities seem to practically bend over backwards to accomodate them. But when it’s a bunch of black men with guns who are being perfectly law-abiding despite that, we get things like the Mulford Act.
@John
Yeah, and from what I’m hearing they’re holding/they’ve held a kangaroo court to indict the local sheriff for not doing what they want.