Oregon governor criticizes feds’ handling of occupation

Brown had originally called the news conference to discuss her agenda for the upcoming legislative session, but she focused on the occupation by Ammon Bundy and his armed group of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in remote southeastern Oregon.

The front-page article on the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge represented thinly veiled rhetorical sneering.

With the armed takeover of a national wildlife refuge in southeastern OR in its third week, Ammon Bundy and his group are still trying to muster up broad community support – so far without much luck.

Kate Brown has had enough.

Brown said the residents of Harney County have been “overlooked and underserved by federal officials’ response thus far”.

Three days later, the sheriff met with the president of 3% of Idaho, Brandon Curtiss, who said his group is providing a “security buffer detail”, monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of the local citizens and the people occupying the refuge.

He said, based on personal opinions not official intelligence, the group would be more likely to target Malheur County or Prineville, where large swaths of federal land are being considered for designations as wilderness areas or national monuments. “Go home and I hope you get arrested on the way there!”

“Ammon, you need to go home to your family; thank you”, local resident Jennifer Williams said.

Here are some things to know about how conservation groups are trying to rally public pressure on Bundy to leave, and what Bundy is doing to try to win more sympathizers.

When Tuesday’s meeting ended, Bundy and his militamen left without a word.

Among the more important points rancher Keith Nantz made in his January 17 Outlook essay, “Obama has made life very bad for ranchers like me”, was that rural Westerners and the federal government on which they depend can find middle ground on land-use issues.

“We are not coming into your town to shoot it up”, he said, according to the AP. Bundy’s group has been using federal vehicles on the refuge. People shouldn’t be coming and going. He has also said he is obeying a divine command.

Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand. “Look what you did to this county”.

Share with Us – We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism.