Bundys have been aquitted in Oregon.

[Mike21]

They should of charged them with camping illegaly. That would of been a slam dunk !

How come no ones talking about the guy that got killed with his hands in the air? Then the FBI lied and said they never fired when the video showed bullets coming into the truck. Picked up their brass. These statements are fact and a hell of a lot more scary than some guys camping illegally. Hope we don't have to show civil disobedience for our lands one day .

 

[Mike21]

Because humans are fallible, the judicial system is necessarily so.

It will be interesting to see where the defense out-maneuvered the prosecution: the psychological manipulation of the jury, the bias identified and capitalized upon in the jurors, the overconfidence of the prosecution and those of us watching....

Go back and read the Bundy threads on this forum knowing now what the outcome would be. Every single commenter including myself was way off...

Not to say I told you so but here is my post from this summer.

"I see a wish list of possible crimes. Do you have the CFR numbers and the possible punishments?

Which of these crimes do you know for a fact occurred ? Who do you know close to this situation that has confirmed your above list?

In summary, Bundys want federal land back to the states, this puts our hunting tradition at risk. We as hunters disagree with the Bundys, we think they are wrong, short cited, etc.

Therefore now that something they believe in affects something we believe in, we can call them names, accuse them of crimes, call for them to be killed etc.

I get it, but as of right now no one has facts about what crimes, if any have actually been committed."

Let the negativity begin........

 

[EBOLAVIRS]

The Feds have proven this year that they are nearing the point of complete futility when it comes to their ability to enforce the law. Clinton and the Bundys are just two of the cases they have screwed up in the last few years.

 

[WapitiBob]

Well, at least one guy on our side got a Taser shot in.

 

[rogerthat]

Not to say I told you so but here is my post from this summer.

"I see a wish list of possible crimes. Do you have the CFR numbers and the possible punishments?

Which of these crimes do you know for a fact occurred ? Who do you know close to this situation that has confirmed your above list?

In summary, Bundys want federal land back to the states, this puts our hunting tradition at risk. We as hunters disagree with the Bundys, we think they are wrong, short cited, etc.

Therefore now that something they believe in affects something we believe in, we can call them names, accuse them of crimes, call for them to be killed etc.

I get it, but as of right now no one has facts about what crimes, if any have actually been committed."

Let the negativity begin........

Give me a break! They YouTubed themselves occupying a federal facility with guns. Crapped in a self made poop trough that the Feds had to clean up. Drove govt vehicles and equipment around. Vandalism? Theft? Littering? All a jury acquittal shows me is that they must have found 12 of the stupidest Oregonians in the state. Ignorance is running rampant in this country.

 

[mwfishy]

This will more than likely cause the opposite effect. In order for further self protection, Federal Lands will made off limits in order to make trespassing claims easier to prosecute. I am just a dismayed as the next person. This is going to set a very dangerous precedent on further public land claims. I'll be surprised if I don't wake up in the morning to find a National Forest or other National Recreation Area "occupied" by arms.

 

[Straight Arrow]

....call for them to be killed etc. ....

Where did that come from, Mike21? It is inflammatory assertions like that which get everything distorted.

 

[sbhooper]

This outcome is abysmal, but it is a trend. The feds are blatantly failing on their ability to prosecute criminals such as Bundy and the Clintons. The only way the feds seem to win a case, is if it is behind the scenes and not on YouTube and facebook.

 

[mplane72]

While I don't understand how this could have been the outcome with all the evidence we have all seen I can only surmise the defense did well during jury selection. I heard some reports during the trial that the judge worked pretty hard to limit the defense and Bundy from talking to much about their views on government overreach but I'm pretty sure I heard he spent three days on the stand so I don't see how that could have happened.
Reports I already heard this AM make it sound like these people have been emboldened and things will only get worse. On NPR one of their supporters was linking this right to the land transfer movement. I have a feeling things will not go well in Nevada.

 

[LuketheDog]

Wow, I'd bet money this is the result of either an extremely good defense team, or an extremely bad prosecution team...

 

[Odin]

Where was your outrage for the Feds not arresting the protesters on ACOE land that has cost North Dakota millions of dollars?

 

[MattK]

I believe this is a result of citizens/ media using the word "fed". In some way, Federal government employees have become the enemy. When they protect public resources, the "fed" is intruding on states. When they don't stop a fire, the "Fed" let acres of land burn. This is just in the realm of the forest service. It gets worse with prosecutions, drug enforcement, IRS, etc, etc. Listening to the radio in the morning, it is clear that anything the Federal government does, is not right, no matter what...and that is even to the people who directly benefit from the federal government. While I agree the legal system is messed up (especially in this case), there is such a prejudiced against the federal government, I'm not sure how you could get an unbiased jury at this point in time. In the current political climate, I'm not sure when "the Fed" will not have a negative connotation or when the federal government will not be looked at as an over reaching entity within the states. Hopefully, people will start to base their decisions on the laws and not the players.

 

[RobG]

Sounds like the prosecutors seriously messed up in charging them with something that was hard to prove. Can there be a civil case or something to make them pay for the damages they caused?

What happened to the people who plead guilty?

This will further embolden them. Pretty bad deal. And I do believe those cattle are still illegally on BLM land...

 

[MTGomer]

It is interesting and to me, pretty surprising they got off.

I remember when the trial began, all their loony supporters were calling it a kangaroo court and complaining how the feds and the judge were railroading the Bundys, suppressing their evidence, not letting them have witnesses testify etc... If you listened to them people, the verdict of guilty was already made.

If anything this judgement maybe goes a ways to show the Bundy-type that you aren't guilty until proven innocent, and that everyone does get their fair day in court. Maybe something to consider as a plan of action/recourse, before taking over public land, and getting their friend shot in the process..

 

[Paul in Idaho]

Unbelievable. My minimal trust of the legal system just took a big step closer to zero.

 

[Irrelevant]

I know practically nothing about law, but how could we have possibly lost this case?? I'm both confused and pissed.

How was OJ found not-guilty? Juries are not fail safe

 

[Mtnrunner]

Where was your outrage for the Feds not arresting the protesters on ACOE land that has cost North Dakota millions of dollars?

As of this morning over 270 protesters have been arrested. Not to mention being subjected to tear gas, rubber bullets, bean bag rounds, and attack dogs. LEO response has been at the local and state level. The feds have been largely silent on the DAPL situation. It's a political grenade no one wants to get near this close to an election.
I'll leave it at that as it's not a public lands issue, and not at all relevant to the Bundy situation in that context.

 

[Odin]

As of this morning over 270 protesters have been arrested. Not to mention being subjected to tear gas, rubber bullets, bean bag rounds, and attack dogs. LEO response has been at the local and state level. The feds have been largely silent on the DAPL situation. It's a political grenade no one wants to get near this close to an election.
I'll leave it at that as it's not a public lands issue, and not at all relevant to the Bundy situation in that context.

They were arrested because they were on private land yesterday. They were not arrested when they were on ACOE land. That makes it a public land issue.

 

[Ben Long]

There is no appeal for the prosecution. That would be double jeopardy and is unconstitutional. Clearly the prosecutor screwed up royally. Hopefully they will bring the A-Team for Cliven's standoff charges. This verdict sends a chilling message to public land managers. Can you imagine running a business when angry customers can walk into your office with guns, take over your desk and computer, and destroy your property for a month? That is what we are asking our federal land managers to put up with. Insane. Imagine being a talented young person wanting to go into public land management? What kind of future will they imagine for that line of work. One thing is clear: those of us who love public lands have a LOT of work ahead of us to defend them.

 

[Odin]

There is no appeal for the prosecution. That would be double jeopardy and is unconstitutional. Clearly the prosecutor screwed up royally. Hopefully they will bring the A-Team for Cliven's standoff charges. This verdict sends a chilling message to public land managers. Can you imagine running a business when angry customers can walk into your office with guns, take over your desk and computer, and destroy your property for a month? That is what we are asking our federal land managers to put up with. Insane. Imagine being a talented young person wanting to go into public land management? What kind of future will they imagine for that line of work. One thing is clear: those of us who love public lands have a LOT of work ahead of us to defend them.

It happened in ND. The Feds did nothing to protect our land and this was before the verdict.