Focus: Oregon Militia Standoff (and Trump Op-Ed) - Jan 10, 2016

The central issue of the Oregon militia standoff is not a about furthering an extremist right-wing agenda, it is about federal land management. The militants occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge are not a fringe group, they voice the frustrations of local residents who complain about the policies of the federal authorities, specifically the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. Residents have little control over federal lands, but their lives are profoundly affected by changes in grazing leases, drought, wildfire and invasive weeds, water rights and irrigation allowances, logging and mining contracts, wildlife conservation and fishing, enviromental protection, national parks and recreation, fencing and public access, limits on all-terrain vehicles, etc. Residents see regulations on federal lands arbitrary and unpredictable, an imposition by out-of-touch federal bureaucrats who drive up costs and undermines their economic security.  For instance, ranchers say that their costs to maintain federal land are high notwithstanding the cheap grazing fee they pay. The solution of this longstanding political conflict cannot be by simply applying law enforcement. A deadly confrontation could be the outcome of charging the militants with trespassing and dislodging them with force. A dialogue between residents, county, state and federal authorities should be initiated over the issues of land management in order to find a consensus. Below are the latest news about the Oregon standoff plus a background documentation.

Burns, Ore., residents visit besieged land refuge; find common ground with Bundy movement - Yahoo News

Oregon standoff: Harney County group asks Ammon Bundy to leave but takes on his cause - OregonLive.com

Family members join refuge occupation; Ammon Bundy says group will go, but not yet - bendbulletin.com

Militia groups meet with leaders of Oregon occupation, pledge support - KFGO

Ammon Bundy doesn't want heavily armed members of the Pacific Patriot Network there and ask them to leave - OregonLive.com

VIDEO: A representative from the Bundy group says they are looking to de-escalate the situation, want to be peaceful and 'put away the long guns’ - YouTube

Faces of the Malheur occupation: Meet the militants and their visitors - OregonLive.com

Donald Trump op-ed on federal land control - rgj.com

Lawmakers contend that the protesters at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge are voicing concerns shared by many in the West, stop short of endorsing their actions - WND

VIDEO: Press Conference Walden on the situation in Harney County, Oregon - YouTube

Congressman Walden uncorks years of frustrations in U.S. House speech going viral, the official Youtube video of the speech logged 100,000 views - OregonLive.com

VIDEO: Congressman Greg Walden addresses U.S. House on situation in Harney County, give voice to rural frustrations with the Bureau of Land Management officials - YouTube

TRANSCRIPT: Oregon militants: Congressman Walden addresses U.S. House, takes Bureau of Land Management to woodshed - OregonLive.com

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Roots of Oregon land dispute stretch back decades, a struggle between federal agencies and ranchers, loggers and miners - WSJ

Tracing the deep roots of the Oregon occupation, Those beliefs aren't that unusual in parts of the American West - nationalgeographic.com

Armed Oregon occupation: Is it really about white poverty in the West? - Christian Science Monitor

Should the government own so much land in the West, should its control over that land be reduced? A Debate among experts - NYTimes.com

The Oregon standoff and the landowner’s right to burn - slate.com

BLM burns land unsupervised: Burn ranchers home and cattle alive, Fire video starts at 3:10 minute and you can see cattle that are burnt and suffering (VIDEO) - Examiner.com

I’m an Oregon rancher. Here’s what you don’t understand about the Bundy standoff - The Washington Post

How the Federal Government's Role Changed From Realtor to Landlord in the West - GovExec.com

Oregon Standoff: The Federal Land Grab vs. the Sagebrush Rebellion - garynorth.com

The Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service have systematically driven virtually all the ranchers out of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. All except the Hammonds - East Oregonian

What the Oregon standoff is really about, forget the Bundys and "terrorism”— the real crime is what federal bullies do to ranchers like the Hammond family - The American Conservative

Bundy blog details long feud between Hammond ranchers & Feds - Bundy Ranch Blog

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