One for the too hard basket?
By Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
New Zealand
January 5, 2016 5:20am CST
I was wondering if someone - anyone - on myLot might be interested in writing something - anything - about what's going on in Oregon. You know, that standoff between the Feds and a, well, unregulated militia at the Malheur National Wildife Refuge. No?
Why is this? It's not like we don't have several members from Oregon and neighboring states. Are we confused because the troublemakers are white? Are we confused by the politics of the occasion, flirting as they are between land rights, Second Amendment rights and terrorism? Or do we just not care because Ammon Bundy and his Yall Queda brethren aren't seen as a threat to our own immediate security?
I'd like to know whether you disagree with what these folks are doing or whether you find their actions praiseworthy and necessary. Plenty of other people are having their say on this matter - maybe a few of us should too.
The militiamen were neither Muslims nor Arabs - they were white.
9 people like this
6 responses
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
5 Jan 16
I think they are self important nut cases. They have taken possession of a public building in a wildlife refuge. They are looking for attention, like the little boy in the back of the classroom who pulls a girl's hair.
4 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
5 Jan 16
@ElizabethWallace - There is no shortage of self-important nutcases, so we need to hope that a few others won't decide that this is a valid strategy for getting attention. Ridicule might be the best way to deal with these "patriots" - there has certainly been plenty of that on twitter so far.
3 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
10 Jan 16
@troyburns There is plenty of ridicule on FB and much it is quite humorous, like "yall queda" and "Snackback Mountain."
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
5 Jan 16
@troyburns Of course, allowing anyone with a credit card to buy assault rifles doesn't help the situation much.
2 people like this
@Bluedoll (16773)
• Canada
5 Jan 16
This story is about ranchers, the Hammon Family, the economy in that region, federal jurisdiction, an appeal process and the ability to run things regionally or not. I thought there was a better article on what is going on in Oregon with a video by marine John Ritzheimer on the subject. He does explain it clearly. The other off topic issues happening in the world have little to do with the ranchers.
I find what happens in myLot is exactly what happens with the rest of the world and its media. People go off topic.
The local sheriff told them to go away.
2 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
6 Jan 16
@Bluedoll - Ritzheimer may not be the best person to be associated with this situation - some of his opinions make Donald Trump look like a moderate. I'm not sure what you mean by "off topic" - whatever the origins of this dispute might be, it's now about much more than land rights.
2 people like this
@Bluedoll (16773)
• Canada
6 Jan 16
@troyburns By off topic I mean Khaled A Beydoun reporting is focused on Islamophobia as he compares it to white and black issues that have existed forever on the American landscape. As I listened to Ritzheimers video not sure if you did I found there was no reference made to any of those things Khaled wrote about. Instead it was an entirely different situation. I am not taking sides with either person but noticing a trend in media coverage.
Do you find there is a tendency to link everything together. Islamic interests have ties to ranchers? Why? Because they are white ranchers. Because Ritzheimer was in a completely different state when he was involved in another protest rally? Really? I don't see how you think this is about more.
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
7 Jan 16
@Bluedoll - I do find there is a trend to link things together, because nothing happens in a social vacuum any more. (What was the one thing San Bernardino was about? Or was it about more than one thing?) It's not important what I or any one other person thinks about this situation. It's inevitable that different people will see different things in it, and we shouldn't feel that an agenda has been set which stops us from talking about those things. The ranchers think they own this situation - they are wrong.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
6 Jan 16
This is the first I heard of this disgraceful episode - the militants certainly need to be disarmed if nothing more and the matter screams for a full public enquiry.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
6 Jan 16
@troyburns anybody else would be treated as outright terrorists for such tactics so they should be too
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
6 Jan 16
@arthurchappell - The FBI is tiptoeing around the problem - it has done so in situations like this ever since Ruby Ridge and Waco. I don't think there is much chance of the protesters being disarmed unless they surrender both their arms and themselves. I just hope they are not regarded as heroes - no matter what validity their claims might have, this isn't the way for anyone to to get what they want.
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
5 Jan 16
@jaboUK - I'm not really expecting the commentary to come from England, although it has been making news around the world. I did think that a few of the many issues at stake here would be important to some of our American scribes though.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
10 Jan 16
well, i figure those folks jest don't need the media 'ttention to bolster their egos myself. can't tell ya what my other thoughts're...i'd prolly need bail money :)
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
10 Jan 16
@troyburns yer purty danged close, my friend. i've tired immensely'f folks 'n their temper tantrums. particularly welfare farmers 'n ranchers....
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
10 Jan 16
@crazyhorseladycx - I'm making a wild guess here, but it sounds as though you may not be 100 percent behind what Bundy junior and company are doing. They've certainly received plenty of media coverage - a surprising amount of it has been informative and fair, I think.
3 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
5 Jan 16
@boiboing - Maybe everyone is waiting until gunfire breaks out before offering their thoughts? I'm staying neutral for now, but I will be upset if anyone blames our noticeable silence on the media.
1 person likes this
