Every single fact you state is made up

Actual interesting questions itt.

I have given some thought to the position the feds are in and I can't think of any course of action that seems even remotely non-terrible at this point.

Completely backing down is obviously problematic, but how do you approach this guy again? He has a veritable army with just his immediate family and there is a non-zero chance this idiot goes all Ruby Ridge. While that would be tragic enough, given the political climate surrounding the issue combined with real time social media there is a decent risk of a small to medium scale ******pocalypse. I mean at any point prior to deescalation we were one imbeciles misplaced rage/patriotism/frustration (on either side btw) from this thing going critical.

The only thing that is clear, given the circumstances, the feds absolutely had no choice but to deescalate. And while I find it hard to admit this, the only way this is probably avoided is a greater show of force (by that I mean immediately arresting family members/people who interfere) by the feds before these tards had a chance to organize.

The real shame is these people think they are some sort of states rights crusaders or something but the likely result of their actions, when faced with similar circumstances, is an even harder stance by the feds in general. The only thing they have accomplished is making it worse for everyone.

eta: re: ******pocalypse, small to medium scale going critical; while I have no idea what would ultimatly happen I am referring to dozens of casualties and mass arrests or something along those lines. I don't mean to imply some sore of viva la revolucion...lol.

As to the charge that his supporters are “domestic terrorists”, Bundy said that the real domestic terrorists are the BLM.

“Talk about terrorists, it seemed like those people who were holding those high-powered weapons against we the people of the state of Nevada and our visiting neighbors—they had to be the terrorists… It wasn’t the people that’s terrorists, it had to be the United States government, the BLM that had to be the terrorists.”

I feel like you posted that quote because you think he's like, saying something really deep here, or is really onto something that nobody in this thread has thought of yet.

The real reason you should have had for posting that quote is that it's ****ing hilarious.

The way to end this is rustle his cattle with a bunch of Blackhawks driving the herd away from WhackjobTerrorist, NV in the dead of night. EZ game.

And get it done quick so they get turned into delicious steaks and Obama can grill them ****s up on Martha's Vineyard in August.

Someone call the White House and get me nominated for Troll Czar asap.

Why use federal-terrorist-sniper-agents when you could just put up Wanted Dead or Alive posters and have the bounty hunters deal with it ?

That was North Carolina sir.

I think it's important to remind the right wing and the libertarian right that when they decry the vast government overreach -- my libertarian sympathies can find alot to nod along with -- but when this clown and his band of merry gun-totters become the archetype of people under the jackboot of the feds, you do start to wonder if the whole movement isn't just thinly veiled old white guy porn. I really can't find a less sympathetic cast of characters than this rancher and the half-wits arming themselves for war with the BLM in the grand play of Feds Versus AMERICA. Part of me thinks the libertarians yet again are just need of like semi-competent PR people to stop them from making this crew and the Paul family their Pied Pipers but it will come as no surprise that the cynic in me just wonders if the whole movement isn't really just thinly veiled old white porn when people and situations like these are the perpetual standard-bearers. Like I bet cops shot a dozen unarmed black people and droned an Afghan wedding, probably just yesterday. But it's all RANCHERS, WHITE PEOPLE, BLACK PRESIDENT, AMERICA'S DUSTBIN, STATES RIGHTS, GUNS, AGENCIES KNOWN BY ACRONYMS.

I wonder what Bundy et al would think about the government response if a bunch of Greenpeace hippies tried to block the highway to prevent grazing on that land to protect the turtles or whatever?

(Weirdly, Silver_Man's bizarre obsession with how the feds brought "snipers" in the other thread appears to be conventional wisdom, Senator ****ing Heller was whining about wanting to hold hearings to find out who at the BLM authorized that. The sniper-phobia has to be Ruby Ridge, right?

I tend to agree that this is generally just showmanship on the part of the ranchers, but goddamn, the drones would've been called in so fast if you shifted this scene out of the US.

What's with the desire to shrug this off like it's just a bunch of guys LARPing or whatever? These jackasses were heavily armed. They traveled hundreds of miles to participate. They constantly nurture elaborate fantasies about armed insurrection. They jerk off to The Turner Diaries.

These people truly WANT lethal conflict. They were out there actively looking for it.

Because generally people are motivated at least a bit by self preservation? I mean, they know that if this turns violent they are going to be on the losing side. I don't really believe these guys want to die right now. As dvaut put it, this is just old white guy porn, so to continue that analogy, hanging out in the studio bragging about how youre going to really lay it down is nice, but when it comes time to actually put it in, none of these guys will be able to get it up.

People probably wont notice as arrests and investigations go unreported, but someone somewhere in the Homeland Security apparatus has a file on everyone involved. The thing about elevating you own level of scrutiny is that it reveals the largely criminal nature of being human (or the criminalizing nature of human laws, I can't remember which).

All this apologizing sounds just like an awkward cover story for doing something wrong in plain sight. If it quacks like a duck. We aren't talking about civil war renactments or what is qualifiable as a peaceful protest.

Cliffs: Excuses, Excuses.

Lol these guys are LARPers

Is there any country other than America where a large portion of the population would assume that a group of people showing up with assault rifles are about to engage in a "peaceful protest"?

And to contrast, if the police show up with non-lethal weapons as part of their riot gear, it's like "OMGZ TYRANNICAL GOVERNMENT FORCE!!"

As for people's willingness to die, I'm sure that (as in most situations) there were shades of gray here rather than just black and white. While undoubtedly some were willing, even hoping, that there would be a massacre and it would be the start of some neo-revolution to overthrow Obama, my guess would be that most would not want this outcome. Instead, they were probably hoping they could provoke one of the government agents into taking the first shot, as long as they weren't the ones shot. Then they could demonstrate how they had showed up with peaceful intentions and the government was using excessive force.

So they should rustle his jerseys?

Most states in the mid-west you only have the legal right to walk the streets. The BLM has set up a system where they can still raise cattle privately, yet other people can use the land for other purposes. The right wingers want more. There should be a limit to the amount of land you can own to 1-2-5-10-20 acres. 10 people own an amount of land 1/2 the size of Iowa. You as a citizen have the legal right to camp on the same land the cattle is grazing on. If you run on bad luck you can get a long-term BLM campground permit for like $180 per year.

Before the right wingers gain control of the congress and do some sort of sage brush rebellion land giveaway to right wingers. Obama should write a bill giving 1 acre to each inter-city kid. It is their land too.

To start with all the land surrounding the ranch, Obama should give way 1 acre to all the kids in Compton, Detroit, and Oakland for free. Also 1 acre to all the homeless people. Make sure the land adjoins the ranch.

Politardia has taught me none of those Comptonians have ID's, tho.

Tried to told y'all steelhouse is a beast.

@SteelHut - Why should I be limited to owning under 20 acres?

Also, What is a homeless person going to do with 1 acre of land in the Nevada desert?

I'll take 1 in midtown Manhattan please.