"I'm a sovereign human being, I stand under common law only" - Thread of Freemen

right thx i'm typing during a meeting and got distracted midway thru the acronym xp

One of the sustaining myths out here in the rural west is "I work damn hard, constantly, so all my success is due to my hard work." This is, of course, a very self-flattering myth and thus very appealing. After all, most ranchers do work damn hard.

The fact is that most homesteaders in the same areas worked much harder, lived on a much smaller real income, failed in spite of backbreaking toil, and had to move away because the land would not support them no matter how hard they worked. The successful homesteaders usually succeeded because they got onto the right parcel of land, bought out their failing neighbors for a song, and hung on by their fingernails until WWI brought a commodities boom. Even then, they barely survived until the federal government programs of the New Deal put the local economies on a more stable footing.

after he retired he still goes to these meetings to yell back at these guys.

I love this

local native tribe says "get the hell out"

Burns tribe says armed activists 'desecrating' Oregon land

<3

OK so these Hammond guys aren't so great either

(trigger warning: descriptions of child abuse)

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/04/3735722/meet-the-child-abusing-arsonists-at-the-center-of-the-oregon-militia-standoff/

"I work damn hard, constantly, so all my success is due to my hard work."

one of the sustaining myths of capitalism even

Yup

Colin Meloy of the Decembrists has been tweeting erotic fan fiction about the Malheur standoff.

@colinmeloy
"Jason pressed Jed against a rack of "Birds of Oregon" books; his breath was sweet with jerky. Somewhere, an egret cried" ‪#‎bundyeroticfanfic‬

Apologies if this has already been linked, but this is a good 'splainer: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/upshot/why-the-government-owns-so-much-land-in-the-west.html.

Among other things, it notes that the ranchers couldn't afford to buy the land, and it would cost states too much to administer it, so it would be tricky for the feds to dispose of even if they wanted to.

that's a very strange notion, since, you know, the government itself is setting the price for the land. either it isn't priced to market or it's implied that other parties (but not the ranchers) would be able to buy the land.

When Astroturf Patsies Go Rogue lol

If the federal government were to divest itself of federal lands directly to private ownership, they would sell it in such enormous parcels that only banks, insurance companies, hedge funds, or pension funds could afford to bid on them. These owners would, in their turn, go about maximizing their profits on those lands as they saw fit. Handing them over to ranchers at bargain prices seems like the most unlikely outcome of all. More likely the new owners would just put up no trespassing signs and sit on their investment, if it didn't yield an immediate 30% profit.

That's why the Bundy types want the lands turned over to the local counties. Lots of these counties are very sparsely populated, so it would be relatively easy to capture county government with just a small amount of horse-trading, back-scratching, and a healthy dose of voter intimidation whenever needed. Just the way the KKK worked in the Jim Crow south.

Is this a really dull story? Feels like one.

you're bored of it, congratulations

http://usuncut.com/news/oregon-standoff-member-caught-drinking-donation-money/

xpost, well I'll keep checking in case someone posts a link to an article summarizing the situation! Can't wait.

That summary could be pretty long, since there are a lot of facets to the story.

http://www.vox.com/2016/1/3/10703712/oregon-militia-standoff

so good http://gawker.com/we-sent-the-oregon-militia-idiots-a-care-package-1751223009

That Vox summary had the look and feel of something tossed together in about an hour. Its facts were factual enough, but woefully insufficient to arrive at any understanding of the situation at all. It didn't even connect the few facts it contained in a particularly coherent sequence.

yup

Who is Vox Media writing for?

Oh. An ironic link, then?

nah I think the link was in good faith but I agree w/your critique

I found that thread pretty interesting in and of itself, they only got on my radar recently

Vox thread, that is

xxp thx Aimless, useful explanation

tensions w/local increasing

http://thelapine.ca/79-year-old-bird-watcher-takes-down-oregon-militant-with-old-high-school-wrestling-move/

localS

“We’re hoping this is an isolated incident and we’re asking the elderly not to knock any more militants on their ass,” said the grinning FBI agent.

that is a 'satirical' website, isn't it?

god damn it, yes I think so. sorry.

here's some better links that are real:

http://usuncut.com/news/oregon-militia-descends-into-fist-fights-chaos/

http://www.hcn.org/articles/im-not-so-different-from-the-bundys-heres-what-id-like-to-say-to-them

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/01/oregon-malheur-standoff-militia-ammon-cliven-bundy/

and this one, which illustrates the frustration of the locals:

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/pissed-as-hell-rancher-blows-up-at-bundy-militants-im-not-going-let-some-other-people-be-my-face/

Militants say they'll reveal exit plan Friday

Cue post of finale to The Wild Bunch

If they say anything they haven't already said, I'd be surprised. This is more likely to be just another excuse for grandstanding in front of the media.

sick of these idiots. let them have the outpost, keep the roads blocked and the power & water off and just wait it out. eventually they'll exit the standoff and enter custody.

hope to some day see a play based on this with some brokeback mountain types cast

yessss

script by Colin Meloy

"yokel haram" is a good name if that hasn't been mentioned yet

they brought in a "judge"

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/oregon-militiamen-prepare-for-grand-jury-against-local-officials

how long wld these guys persist if they didn't get so much press i wonder

but also how did they get this guy in i thought somebody was preventing movement in/out

lol a fake judge, that's adorable

the roads to the wildlife refuge are still open to anyone coming or going. if those guys had any money, they could order a dozen pizzas every night to be delivered.

U.S. Superior Court Judge Bruce Doucette (not a real judge)

please god let that be his title in full

some day history will remember these brave men that took off work and say in a powerless cabin drinking beer for a few weeks.

we are witness to history

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jon-ritzheimer-militia-care-package--4

“We’re not going to be deterred, we’re not going to let your junk and hate mail sidetrack us”