Posted on 10/09/2015 5:51:15 PM PDT by george76
Today two Oregon ranchers were sentenced to five years in federal prison under terrorism statutes for setting preventative fires on their own land. We are gravely disappointed at this outcome.
“Elderly Harney County rancher Dwight Hammond and his son, Steven, a former OFB Board member and Harney County Farm Bureau president, have already served time in federal prison for their mistakes and paid their debt to society for the less-than-140 acres of BLM land that was accidentally impacted by the fires.
“This is an example of gross government overreach, and the public should be outraged.
“Today’s verdict is also hypocritical given BLM’s own harm to public and private grazing lands, which goes without consequence. It is unjust. OFB worked on this case quietly behind the scenes with BLM through the spring and summer. That diligent diplomatic effort was fruitless.
“This prosecution will have a chilling effect across the West among ranchers, foresters, and others who rely on federal allotments and permits. It will harm the positive relationship many ranchers and organizations have worked to forge with the BLM, and undermine the cooperative spirit most ranchers have brought to the bureau in helping the health of the range.
(Excerpt) Read more at tsln.com ...
And they were charged with terrorism?
But just remember, the Patriot Act was only temporary, and only for the Real Bad Guys.
Like, you know, farmers clearing fields...
This is one that begs for ‘the rest of the story’.
” less-than-140 acres of BLM land that was accidentally impacted” Ny BS meter is pegging on this phrase. I wonder if it means they burned land that belongs to the taxpayer.
Dwight Hammond, now 73 , and Steven Hammond, now 46 , were both sentenced to 5 years in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken.
The Feds are the real terrorists.
One of these days, one of these Gestapo dudes are going to meet a rancher with nothing to lose.
BLM should be divided up and handed off to the states along with the lands they supervise.
If the individual states want to continue to employ them, thats their business. Personally, they are not what I would call essential personnel doing an essential job.
And really, the BLM lands themselves should be auctioned off or sold by lottery to US citizens. The government doesn’t need to own vast swaths of land. Certainly not the federal government, and really, the state governments don’t need to own this much land either.
The BLM, IRS, and ATF need to go.
That's what it means, but without intent. They burned their own land, and the fire spread to 140 acres of adjacent land controlled by BLM. This was not terrorism. It was normal maintenance by politically incorrect ranchers who eat meat and own guns, so the thuggish administration in DC went after them.
Truly a sick government that has become tyrants of people who use their rational skills to form logical conclusions to peace and liberty.
The people who spawned ISIS have a hard time figuring out what terrorism is.
Nothing prevents your Elected County Sheriff from “Withdrawing Consent” for Federal Agents to operate within their County, or just Arresting Them.
BLM should be dissolved, and all land managed by BLM should b transferred to the individual states. No exceptions.
IRS should be dissolved and replaced by a tax to be set and collected by the states, with only the per capita total determined by DC.
BATFE needs to go, with all federal gun laws repealed and BATFE's few legitimate responsibilities transferred to FBI.
That would be a good start. Then we could repeal Obamacare and eliminate HHS, HUD, Labor, and Department of Education. Then we could drastically cut EPA. Follow that with sending Homeland Security back to the military, CIA, and FBI, and we're on the right track.
Better story here:
Also some background here (follow this link with all of your guards up, as it seems to want to try to do strange things
http://www.opb.org/news/article/hammond_witness_describes_setting_fire_in_2001/
Elected County Sheriffs need to step up to defend the US Constitution, freedom, etc. Many, not all, have.
Another voting “success” story. So how did voting for the gop help this?
This is a monumental miscarriage of justice. For these ranchers to be subjected to terrorism laws is outrageous.
In that area it used to be that junipers and sagebrush was burned or eradicated by using bulldozers pulling a huge chain between them to encourage grass for grazing. In that country 139 acres is like a cup of water being added to Harney lake.
The BLM and this judge should be tarred and feathered.
Nothing except the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and the U.S. Army.
So who’s going to jail for the Animas River pollution?
And the BLM land (well, our land, but try telling them that) that was burned is better off now in regrowth than it was before.
Meanwhile, the EPA once again (5 times since 2005) has ‘accidently’ dumped toxic waste into the river system.
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