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  • Oregon Standoff Comes To An End As Last Protesters Surrender

    The Oregon standoff finally came to a conclusion after 41 days of occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Following a rather dramatic exchange between the militants and FBI agents, the last four protesters surrendered Thursday morning.

    At one point, one of the four holdouts refused to follow his comrades and continued conducting the Oregon standoff by his lonesome.

    The last holdout named David Fry initially insisted that he would not leave before airing his grievances about religion, occupation, America, and even marijuana.

    “I declare war against federal government,” said Fry from inside the refuge. “There’s no way to beat this anymore. Liberty or death.”

    After more than an hour speaking with negotiators, Fry emerged from the refuge and entered the custody of authorities.

    “I heard hallelujahs from the SWAT team. I heard hallelujahs in unison from an entire building that was watching that, hoping to God they could get everybody out alive,” said Harney County sheriff Dave Ward.

    A video of the surrender has been uploaded on YouTube, and shows supporters of the protest coaxing Fry to come out of the refuge and give up to the police.

    Just hours before the protesters emptied the refuge, Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy was arrested in Portland. The 69-year-old Bundy, whose son Ammon spearheaded the Oregon standoff over cattle grazing rights, previously announced on Facebook that he was heading over to Burns, Oregon to join the militiamen.

    As a result of the Oregon standoff, the elder Bundy was charged with a slew of offenses, including assault on a federal officer, conspiracy, and other weapons-related counts.

    Before his Oregon standoff surrender, 27-year-old Fry admitted to authorities that he was having suicidal thoughts and allegedly even held a gun to his head. He was also said to have demanded pizza and marijuana, both of which were not granted.

  • Cliven Bundy Cuts Ties With The Republican Party

    Southeastern Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy has officially left the Republican Party. Along with his wife, Carol, Bundy appeared at an event in Las Vegas on Friday to register with the Independent American Party. Bundy, who was a featured speaker at the said affair, was honored by the Party for his “courage” in defending for the sovereignty of the state.

    Bundy is best known for his involvement in a long-standing conflict with the United States Bureau of Land Management over his refusal to renew his cattle grazing permit in Bunkerville, Nevada. The ongoing dispute, which started in 1993, was sparked by Bundy’s protests against modifications in the grazing rules in USBLM-administered lands. In 1998, the Nevada District Court banned Bundy from grazing his cattle on the Bunkerville Allotment.

    The peak of the dispute happened in April when hundreds of armed individuals headed over to Bundy’s property to express their support for the cattle rancher. More than 140,000 hectares of public land were previously closed by the federal government in order to “capture, impound, and remove” all trespassing cattle. After negotiations among Bundy, Sheriff Doug Gillespie, and USBLM director Neil Kornze, the situation was managed and the seized cattle were released.

    Apart from the grazing dispute, Bundy was also implicated in a racist controversy, in which he suggested that black people “would be better off as slaves” rather than recipients to government subsidies. This remark caused Bundy to be condemned by the media as well as some fellow Republicans, who distanced and disassociated themselves from the rancher.

    Cliven Bundy’s racist rant

    During the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, President Barack Obama condemned Bundy’s racist comments.

    The Independent American Party is currently the third-largest political party in the state of Nevada. According to a tally released by the Nevada Secretary of State, the Party has more than 70,000 members, although the number of “non-partisan” voters could be much higher.

    Cliven Bundy joins Independent American Party

    Image via YouTube

  • Nevada Cattle Released to Cliven Bundy by Feds

    Federal land managers explained that “escalating tensions” forced the release of roughly 400 head of cattle that had been corralled on public land in southern Nevada. The cows belonged to rancher Cliven Bundy, who had refused to relent to federal authority over rights to land he doesn’t legally own. Hundreds of Nevada states’ rights activists, as well as various militia members congregated around corrals outside of Mesquite, demanding the return of Bundy’s animals. Some protesters were armed with rifles and pistols, prompting the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to hand the cattle over, to prevent any bloodshed.

    Bundy’s dispute with the government began in the mid 1990’s after he refused to pay the bill for his herd grazing on federal land near Bunkerville, Nevada. After a United States District Court for the District of Nevada trial in 1998, known as the United States v. Bundy, the rancher was prohibited from allowing his cows to eat government grass. Bundy failed to comply, and after years of multiple violations, the BLM rounded up Bundy’s trespassing cattle.

    With the “Bundy Standoff” looking to be ready erupt in violence, the BLM let Bundy’s stock go free on April 11. Bureau of Land Management Chief Neil Kornze stated, “Based on information about conditions on the ground and in consultation with law enforcement, we have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concerns about the safety of employees and members of the public.” Kornze’s statement came after Bundy promised to “do whatever it takes” to protect his herd.

    No injuries were reported, though U.S. Senator Dean Heller, R-Nev. said in a statement, “The dispute is over, the BLM is leaving, but emotions and tensions are still near the boiling point, and we desperately need a peaceful conclusion to this conflict. I urge all the people involved to please return to your homes and allow the BLM officers to collect their equipment and depart without interference.”

    Various Twitter intrigue concerning the Bundy Standoff:

    Bundy, 67, has claimed that he has ancestral rights to the federal land under contention. Kornze on the other hand commented, “After 20 years and multiple court orders to remove the trespass cattle, Mr. Bundy owes the American taxpayers in excess of $1 million. The BLM will continue to work to resolve the matter administratively and judicially.”

    Image via YouTube