A “Don’t Tread on Me” flag at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge entrance, where armed men continue to occupy a federal wildlife refuge despite locals’ calls for them to leave the area.
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A local judge in OR has declared that the leader of armed ranchers now occupying a national wildlife refuge are racking up expenses for the county and should foot the bill of $75,000 a day.
“We went and picked up some mail that came in from a lot of supporters, but along with that mail we got an abundance of hate mail”, one of the group’s members, Jon Ritzheimer, said in a video posted to Facebook.
Another militia spokesperson, Mo Peltier, says that they’ll just be reselling the dildos on eBay.
Officials in Burns, about 30 miles from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, said the meeting can’t be held at the fairgrounds or any other county facility.
The event is being hosted by the group Republicans of Spokane County, which is not affiliated with the Spokane County Republican Party. The safety committee, which had previously asked the armed men to leave town, has now offered to take on the cause of the occupiers after they depart. Should the federal government own such a large portion of land and restrict use of ranchers who depend upon the extra land for the grazing and watering of livestock?
A pastor, who is opposed the occupation, and the wife of a local police officer told the newspaper motorists were driving slowly by their houses during the night or parking for lengthy periods in their driveways in an apparent attempt to intimidate them.
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is not as well-known as Yellowstone, but it is important in the same ways that Yellowstone is important. The protesters say their action reflects their grievances over the federal prosecution of two eastern OR ranchers on arson charges and broader opposition to federal land-management policies in the West. Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, a militia member, told The Oregonian today that the militiamen will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. on Friday to discuss an exit plan. He even promised the group he’d escort them to the county’s boundaries.
Jerry DeLemus, a 61-year-old New Hampshire resident who was at the refuge until Monday and has helped Bundy coordinate meetings with nearby ranchers, said the occupation has made significant progress in recent days and could soon be ready to leave.
The small group is under pressure from many locals to end the occupation that began January 2.
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Governments in general are big employers in Harney County, with local and state government agencies providing about 750 jobs combined, according to Oregon Employment Department.
