Trump serves as distraction to tragedy in Eastern Oregon

Pathetic is the only word that could describe the skimmed over media treatment of the indiscriminate gunning down of a rancher in Oregon in favor of covering the non-news of Trump’s debate antics. A peaceful standoff in Harney County, Oregon, came to a violent end as a contingent of protesters were traveling to John Day, Oregon, to meet with the sheriff about resolving the Malheur Wildlife Refuge issue. A recorded interview with a shaken eyewitness, who was part of the company on its way to the meeting, recounted the incident that left one man dead, lying facedown in the middle of the road as he complied with law enforcement.

The so-called traffic stop occurred on a stretch of Highway 395 in eastern Oregon where there was no cell service. According to the witness, it was an ambush with armed officers stationed in the trees surrounding the area where the vehicles, carrying Ammon and Ryan Bundy, group Spokesman LaVoy Finicum and other individuals, were ordered to pull over. The witness described how none of the firearms legally openly carried by the vehicle occupants were accessed at any time, the individuals putting their hands out the windows in attempts to avoid forceful response from the officers and federal agents. In the recording, she explained how the occupants repeatedly assured law enforcement that they had no intention of giving cause for alarm or aggression, to no avail. Despite hands raised and compliance with officer demands, the vehicles were fired upon and Finicum, who had lain down in the road as commanded, was shot while on the ground offering no resistance. Mainstream media either has not the details or is refusing to divulge them in keeping with the meager statements made by the FBI, which includes reporting that as few as three shots were fired by law enforcement. Whereas the eyewitness stated that not one shot was fired by any of the occupants of the pulled over vehicles, somewhere around 100 rounds were let loose toward the vehicles by federal agents and their backup. The whole incident appears to have been engineered to take place in an easily protected area where the Feds could close the roadway for miles in either direction to avoid media and other witness access. Portland television station KOIN showed video footage from a reporter’s cell phone taken from a distance behind the stop before federal agents bearing firearms told him to leave the area. He was unable to see what had occurred or subsequently report on any facts of the incident.

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Suspicious in its planning and execution by federal agents, it is evident that the traffic stop had been pre-determined by the FBI as the protesters from the refuge had made it clear for two days previous that they planned to attend a townhall meeting in John Day to discuss resolution of the situation in Harney County. According to KOIN, the meeting went on without the Bundys, Finicum and their travel mates while vague reports of a “gunfight” were broadcast. The ranchers and supporters squatting at the refuge, designated to be public land, had clarified numerous times that they were not interested in an armed confrontation but hoped for a peaceful resolution to benefit local ranchers. At the time of writing this column, federal agents were reported to have blocked access roads to the refuge as far out as eight miles, likely to discourage other protesters from joining those still occupying the visitor center. It is worthy of note that when people converged on city streets across America to bolster the dishonest BlackLivesMatter group, there was no law enforcement opposition. Yet should peaceful supporters attempt to join protesters at MWR, they will encounter armed federal agents. The lawlessness of the Obama Administration becomes more apparent with each passing day as Americans taking a stand to protect the Constitution literally come under fire, all the while it sponsors “resettling” thousands of unvetted “refugees” who hold America in contempt. Will this become another media blackout and cover-up like the one that painted Randy Weaver as a vicious scofflaw? Having met both Weaver and a survivor of the Waco disaster, the parallels are uncanny. Don’t expect any video from the federal agencies involved in this one-way shootout. As far the media are concerned it will be a “he said, she said, FBI said” situation. If history holds true, the ranchers courageous enough to bring needed attention to land use rights being subverted by government regulation₁ will be shackled, and the unjustifiable death of a good man will be overlooked. In memoriam, Robert LaVoy Finicum (Too late. Evidently, youtube took it down as Finicum warned would happen within the video itself.)

1. A. Dru Kristenev, 2015. Administrative regs or “Law of the Land?” Pg. 215. Pay Attention… your life, family and nation depend on it. ChangingWind.