Don’t Follow Idiots…

I’ve mentioned previously my less than complimentary view of those who share my devotion to freedom, but who apparently drool with anticipation at the thought of armed conflict in this country.

I’ve lived in Oregon 3 separate times. The first time, I was in about the 3rd grade, we moved to Burns. Yep, Burns, Oregon. The nearest town of any size to an ill-conceived action by a group of idiots. If you are somehow unaware of what’s been happening, let me give you the very brief version.

• Dwight and Steve Hammond, father and son ranchers, were due to report to federal prison on Monday, following a conviction for arson related to a fire set on BLM land. Though they have already served some time, a federal judge ruled they had been illegally sentenced.
• Members of Cliven Bundy’s family, the folks associated with a standoff with the feds in 2014 in Nevada over grazing fees, and other independent militia folks attended a protest in Burns on behalf of the Hammonds.
• The Hammonds specifically said they did not want the assistance of the Bundy’s or other militia folks.
• The Bundys and others used the protest in Burns as a means of staging a takeover of some federal buildings in the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Okay, that’s the short version. Here’s my analysis, as a person who has relatively little trust in the federal government’s regard for freedom: THIS WAS A STUPID THING TO DO! Here’s why.

• Neither Malheur NWR, nor the buildings on it, are of any strategic, tactical or symbolic value.
• There is evidence the Bundy’s, and perhaps some of their allies, used the protest on behalf of the Hammonds to do the very sort of thing the Hammonds had said they did not want.
• Those folks occupying the buildings seem to be trying to artificially bring about some sort of “Lexington Green” event, in apparent ignorance and/or defiance of everything that led to the relative success of the original.
• It is self-aggrandizement, at best, when self-styled militiamen declare themselves to be “the tip of the spear,” as these folks have done. Politics may thrive on hubris, but revolution and combat are pretty intolerant of it.

It is my belief the Bundy’s and those like them have little understanding of what was involved in making our revolution a success and how rare it is for revolutions to lead to stability and freedom. Instead, I see them as people with adolescent fantasies of achieving great things in a civil war and being praised as fathers of the new American Republic. What I find really interesting is the folks who quite specifically do not support their actions. Among them:

• Brandon Smith, here and here
• Stewart Rhodes
• Dutchman6

Yes, I know it appears Montel made his idiotic statement. So what? The fact he said something profoundly stupid is poor cause to run off and give the feds reason to do what he suggested. Here’s a better idea, if you’re just absolutely committed to revolution (if you are, I think you’re an idiot, too, but so what?), spend some serious time studying how the Founders did things leading up to our revolution and how long they worked at finding another solution. The goal of revolution is not simply to revolt (or shouldn’t be, anyway). The goal should be to procure a freer nation for future generations and that requires a lot of thought and action beforehand. If your thought and action has been largely limited to storing food and ammo and doing the things you find on prepper sites, allow me to suggest you’re doing it wrong. You do not want to cross this particular Rubicon unprepared. I really believe the vast majority of militias and preppers are unprepared for what some of them advocate.

Instead of rushing off to foment revolution, why not spend some time engaging in concerted efforts to get significant numbers of people who share your concerns to vote and be generally more active in the political process? Isn’t that better, when it’s a viable option, than watching those you love die in combat?

So, if you’re making plans to rush to Oregon to support the Bundy’s, you might want to reconsider. Idiots make poor leaders.