Assorted Militia/SovCit news,(formerly Bundy thread)

[China]

Ranchers whose case sparked standoff may get grazing rights

 

The federal government has proposed awarding grazing allotments to an Oregon ranching family whose members were convicted of arson in a court battle that triggered the takeover of a federal wildlife refuge by right-wing extremists.

 

The Dec. 31 action by the Bureau of Land Management in favor of Hammond Ranches angered environmental groups.

 

“Giving the permit to the Hammonds shows a flagrant disregard for the rule of law ... and is clearly a political move rather than a responsible allocation of public lands,” said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project.

 

Steven Hammond, co-owner of the ranch, and his father, Dwight, were both convicted of arson for setting fire to range land and sent to prison for mandatory five-year sentences.

That led to the armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon for 41 days in 2016. One occupier was shot dead by Oregon State Police. They say he reached for a pistol at a roadblock.

 

President Donald Trump pardoned the Hammonds in 2018, allowing them to be freed from federal prison.

 

In a proposed decision made on Dec. 31, the BLM said Hammond Ranches should be apportioned all available forage in the Bridge Creek area grazing allotments in the high desert of eastern Oregon, covering about 26,000 acres.

 

The federal agency cited the Hammonds' “extensive historic use of these allotments, past proper use of rangeland resources, a high level of general need, and advantages conferred by topography.”

 

But in 2014, when Barack Obama was president, the BLM denied Hammond Ranches, Inc. a grazing permit renewal, saying it “does not have a satisfactory record of performance” and cited numerous incidents of arson.

 

At the Hammonds' trial, witnesses testified that a 2001 arson fire occurred shortly after Steven Hammond and his hunting party illegally slaughtered deer on BLM property. One said Steven Hammond handed out matches with instructions to “light up the whole country.” The jury also convicted Steven Hammond for a 2006 blaze.

 

Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians said they plan to protest the proposed decision.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Far-Right ‘People’s Rights’ Leader Tied to Bundy Family Busted for Threats in Vegas

 

A leader of the Nevada branch of an anti-government group was arrested over Facebook posts wishing “a slow and painful death” on a district attorney and a police officer involved in his past criminal cases.

 

Joshua Martinez, 32, is the Nevada leader of the People’s Rights network, a fast-growing group that has led an escalating series of demonstrations against COVID-19 precautions. But Martinez has been involved in his own series of escalating feuds with local law enforcement, beginning with spats over his right to film inside a courthouse, and escalating to convictions on gun charges in 2019.

 

His animosity toward a detective and a prosecutor in that case was still hot when he allegedly authored a pair of Facebook posts wishing for their deaths last week. Now he’s facing a set of charges for stalking, threats, and firearm possession, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported.

 

The arrest isn’t going down well with Martinez’s fans in the movement.

 

On Feb. 17., Martinez allegedly posted a picture of Michael Dickerson, a prosecutor who argued a 2019 weapons case against Martinez. In the now-deleted post, Martinez allegedly wished death upon Dickerson and Kenneth Mead, a detective with whom he reportedly had a conflict during the 2019 case.

 

“This is Michael Dickerson. He is Detective Kenneth Mead’s ****. Dickerson, I hope you and Mead die a slow and painful death… Mead, I have a message for you—Molon Labe,” Martinez allegedly wrote.

 

In a still-live post from that day, Martinez also posted a picture of police officers carrying a casket with the caption; “How police officers take out their trash.” He added, “I can’t wait to see the news and hear that Detective Kenneth Mead is in that casket.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

[balki1867]

Geez man, back in the day, my parents backyard connected to the backyard of a neighbor who was Secret Service.  We were afraid to sneak over and use the swingset.

[China]

Waaaaaa!  You're supposed to be miserable you ignorant ****.

 

Ammon Bundy tells judge he’s miserable in jail

 

Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy is telling a judge he's miserable in jail causing his supporters to go to harass the judge outside his home.

 

Judge David Manweiler arrested Bundy on Monday on trespassing and failure to appear charges when Bundy refused to wear a facemask at his hearing.

 

Protestors then went to Manweiler's home, shouted obscenities and wrote "Tyrant" and "Mask hole" in chalk.

 

They told a neighbor they were "just getting started" and would be back.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Oh, and threatening a judge is a felony, so arrest his supporters as well.

[China]

Michigan AG Calls for Federal Domestic Terrorism Statute in House Testimony, Saying Her State Is ‘Ground Zero for Anti-Government Militia Extremism’

 

Describing her state as “ground zero for anti-government militia extremism,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) kicked off witness testimony for the first hearing of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism on Wednesday.

 

“Now, while Michigan has a robust array of laws to address domestic terrorism, many states and federal prosecutors do not,” Nessel noted.

 

Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst representing a district that includes Michigan’s capital of Lansing, had invited Nessel to testify for a hearing titled “State and Local Responses to Domestic Terrorism: The Attack on the U.S. Capitol and Beyond,” the debut proceedings of the subcommittee that she chairs.

 

In her opening remarks, Nessel summarized her state’s history with domestic extremism that led her state to adopt laws to clamp down on it, from Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh’s ties to the Michigan Militia to a more recent kidnapping plot by at least 14 men against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).

 

“The group spied on Gov. Whitmer’s vacation home, conducted firearms and combat training, and practiced building explosives,” Slotkin noted in her prepared remarks. “They planned to detonate a bomb under a highway bridge to distract local authorities as they kidnapped the governor, and relocate her to Wisconsin to conduct a ‘trial.’ These plotters weren’t affiliated with al Qaeda or ISIS; they didn’t hail from a war-torn region halfway around the world—they were Americans.”

 

Nessel charged eight of the suspects with “providing material support for terrorist acts” and two of those with additional counts of “threat of terrorism.”

 

In her testimony, Nessel called for federal analogues for her state’s domestic terrorism statutes.

 

“I want to emphasize that cure is a messaging crime,” Nessel testified. “Domestic terrorists seeks to send a message of fear, to intimidate and coerce the conduct of government, all government. Governments must send its own message back by labeling extremist violence as domestic terrorism. Labels matter. Prosecuting hate-motivated attackers as terrorists sends the clear message that the threat of extremism is just as significant when it is based on domestic, political, religious or social ideologies, as it is when it’s based on violent jihadism.”

 

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) agreed that labels matter, criticizing the circulation of the phrase “lone wolf” to describe far-right extremism.

 

“The phrase ‘lone wolf’ has been used to reference many culprits of mass violence who are usually white,” Ford, who is Black, noted. “Calling someone a ‘lone wolf’ implies that they are not terrorists, because they are not connected to a state sponsor of terrorism or a group organized around a group ideology.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

[Larry]

Which nutjob group are they, again?  

 

[China]

19 minutes ago, Larry said:

Which nutjob group are they, again?  

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogaloo_movement

[China]

 

[EmirOfShmo]

Guy confronts Boogiewoogie people in Ann Arbor (spoiler for language)

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Long n Left]

Bravo to the guy for standing up. That’s a bit too close for comfort AA police station is less than 2 miles from my daughter’s (a UM student) apartment. Unfortunately, AA is always a target, as it’s the furthest left leaning city in Michigan, not named Detroit.

[China]

Ammon Bundy arrested twice more at Idaho Statehouse

 

A local anti-government demonstrator has been arrested twice in a matter of hours after turning up at the Idaho Capitol Building, from which he trespassed last summer. 

 

Ammon Bundy, 42, was taken into custody for a misdemeanor trespassing by Idaho State Police and booked into the Ada County Jail at 12:44 p.m.  

 

A video taken by Emily Walton shows Bundy complaining to troopers outside the Statehouse as he is placed into a patrol car. 

 

After posting a $300 bond at the jail, Bundy returned to the Statehouse, was taken back into custody on another trespassing charge, and was back in the jail by 1:49 p.m.

 

The arrests are the latest in a series of brushes with the law for Bundy. He was issued a no-trespassing notice from the Idaho Statehouse for one year back in August 2020 after refusing to leave a committee room inside the Capitol after a hearing ended. 

 

Bundy was also charged with trespassing in connection to that incident, then arrested again last month when he failed to show up for his trial. The defendant went to the Ada County Courthouse, but stood around outside until after the judge revoked his bail and issued a bench warrant. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Feds file weapon of mass destruction charges against accused Whitmer kidnap plotters

 

Federal prosecutors Wednesday filed a charge of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction against three men accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and use bombs to carry out the attack.

 

The new charges against Potterville resident Adam Fox, 38, Delaware resident Barry Croft, 45, and Daniel Harris, 23, of Lake Orion come six months after the FBI said agents thwarted a plot to kidnap and kill Whitmer — a conspiracy that included visits to her home in northern Michigan and training with firearms and explosive devices. Each man faces one weapon of mass destruction charge.

 

Along with the kidnapping conspiracy count, the new charge means Fox, Croft and Harris are now facing two charges that could send them to federal prison for the rest of their lives if convicted in a case that has focused national attention on violent extremism in Michigan.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

 

[LD0506]

[China]

Idaho man convicted in shootout with police gets 18 years in prison

 

A former participant in an armed occupation at an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2016 has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in connection with his role in a police shootout in Idaho last year.

 

Sean L. Anderson of Riggins was convicted in April of felony aggravated assault on a police officer and the use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime. Second District Judge Gregory FitzMaurice sentenced Anderson on Monday, saying the defendant's justification for why he shot at police after they tried to pull him over was “shallow,” The Lewiston Tribune reported.

 

“Your actions in this case are the ones that escalated everything,” the judge told Anderson. “I cannot understand the degree to which you responded.”

 

Anderson was arrested several days after a police pursuit and shootout July 18, 2020, following an attempted traffic stop for an apparent equipment violation.

 

Police said he led authorities on a pursuit lasting about 30 miles from Kamiah to Ferdinand. The pursuit ended on a dead end road when officers said Anderson pulled out a 12-gauge shotgun and fired. The officers returned fire and Anderson was hit in the face as he reportedly attempted to reload his shotgun.

 

No officers were injured. Anderson was shot in the eye and has permanent vision loss, hearing damage and a brain injury, FitzMaurice said.

 

Anderson had previously been convicted of misdemeanor trespassing for his role in the 2016 armed standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon led by anti-government activist Ammon Bundy. Anderson joined occupiers who were protesting what they said was the federal government taking over private land in the area, and was one of the last four holdouts during the 41-day occupation.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

 

[China]

Report: Far-right anti-government group grows significantly

 

A far-right group launched by anti-government activist Ammon Bundy is rapidly expanding nationwide and making inroads into Canada, according to a new report from the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights.

 

The quick growth happened despite legal problems faced by some prominent People’s Rights leaders, and continued even as some of the organization’s Facebook groups were removed from the social media platform. The organization has grown by roughly 53% in the past year in large part because of continued anti-public health sentiment, according to the report.

 

People’s Rights started in deep-red Idaho, which remains one of the least-vaccinated states with only about 43% of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The group now includes activists in 38 states, according to the report.

 

“I think the report underestimates their overall strength, because they’ve also built out alliances with a range of groups from the Tea Party to the Proud Boys and anti-vax groups,” said Chuck Tanner, IREHR’s research director. “In certain places they are able to mobilize at levels that make an impact on policy.”

 

People’s Rights started in 2020 amid a wave of backlash against public health measures taken at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Started by Bundy — who is best known for leading a group of armed activists in the occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2016, and now is one of many candidates running in Idaho’s gubernatorial race — the group frequently staged protests at public health districts, state Capitol buildings, schools and public officials’ homes. The IREHR report analyzed internal membership data from the People’s Rights network.

 

Bundy did not immediately respond to phone and email messages left by The Associated Press.

 

Last year, the organization had just under 22,000 members nationally, according to a report by IREHR and the Montana Human Right’s Network. Now it has grown by roughly 53%, according to the new IREHR report, with more than 33,000 members including nearly 400 official leaders in 38 states. It also includes more than 100 members in Canada — largely in Ontario — even though most of its political ideology centers on fringe interpretations of the U.S. Constitution and Christian nationalism, according to the report.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Mr. Sinister]

Meteor

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

[Larry]

2 hours ago, Cooked Crack said:

 

 

 

[Jabbyrwock]

2 hours ago, Cooked Crack said:

 

 

 

[China]

Bundy: Campaigning counts as court-ordered community service

 

Far-right activist Ammon Bundy says time he has spent campaigning to become the next governor of Idaho should count toward the community service he was ordered to perform after being convicted of obstructing police during his trespassing arrest at the state Capitol.

 

Aaron Welling, Bundy’s campaign treasurer, wrote late last month to court officials that Bundy has “completed 1,621 hours of public service” — citing what appear to be campaign activities.

 

In the letter submitted with Bundy’s gubernatorial campaign letterhead, Welling said the candidate has traveled the state while encouraging people to “become more active in holding public officials accountable” and that Bundy also encouraged people to register to vote.

 

When Welling was asked by the Idaho Press Newspaper whether the letter he sent to court officials about Bundy described community service or campaign activities, Welling responded: “It is what it is. If the courts don’t like it, the courts don’t like it.”

 

According to Idaho’s criminal code, sentencing “may include the rendering of labor and services to charities, governmental agencies, needy citizens and nonprofit organizations.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

On 4/28/2021 at 2:12 PM, China said:

Feds file weapon of mass destruction charges against accused Whitmer kidnap plotters

 

Federal prosecutors Wednesday filed a charge of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction against three men accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and use bombs to carry out the attack.

 

The new charges against Potterville resident Adam Fox, 38, Delaware resident Barry Croft, 45, and Daniel Harris, 23, of Lake Orion come six months after the FBI said agents thwarted a plot to kidnap and kill Whitmer — a conspiracy that included visits to her home in northern Michigan and training with firearms and explosive devices. Each man faces one weapon of mass destruction charge.

 

Along with the kidnapping conspiracy count, the new charge means Fox, Croft and Harris are now facing two charges that could send them to federal prison for the rest of their lives if convicted in a case that has focused national attention on violent extremism in Michigan.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

The FBI Said It Busted A Plot To Kidnap Michigan’s Governor. Then Things Got Complicated.

 

When federal officials announced, on Oct. 8, 2020, that they had foiled a plot by militant extremists to kidnap Michigan’s governor, it was quickly hailed as one of the most important domestic terrorism prosecutions in a generation. They didn't mention FBI agent Jayson Chambers by name, but those who had worked the case knew that his role helping to run a central informant had been crucial.

 

There was, however, something about Chambers that some colleagues might not have known: 18 months earlier, he’d incorporated a private security firm and had spent much of 2019 trying to drum up business — in part by touting his FBI casework. The bureau won’t say if Chambers had gotten permission to set up his new venture, as agents would be required to do, but just five days after BuzzFeed News revealed its existence this August, federal prosecutors announced that he would not be on the list of witnesses testifying in the upcoming trial.

 

A continuing BuzzFeed News investigation reveals new information about how Chambers' business, along with an array of issues involving other FBI agents and informants, has bedeviled the prosecution. Those issues may well affect the course of the trial. But beyond the integrity of the case, the problems are serious and widespread enough to call into question tactics the FBI has relied on for decades — and to test the public’s trust in the bureau overall.

 

That situation is complicated by the fact that the case has become a political lightning rod, with right-wing commentators calling it a prime example of government overreach. Some even baselessly assert that the Michigan investigation was a test run for what they claim was a false flag operation conducted on Jan. 6.

 

Meanwhile, the challenges facing the prosecution mount: A second FBI agent, who had served as the case’s public face, was charged with beating his wife when they returned home from a swingers party. He was fired soon thereafter. A third agent was accused of perjury. A state prosecutor in a related case was reassigned and then retired in the face of an audit into his prior use of informants.

 

And an informant whose work was crucial to the investigation was indicted on a gun charge and is now under investigation for fraud. 

 

Click on the link for the full article