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Interior Secretary Cautions All Employees To Be Cautious In Wake Of Malheur Verdict

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Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, "profoundly disappointed" with the verdict in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge trial, on Friday cautioned her workforce across all land-management agencies to "take care of yourselves and your fellow employees. The armed occupation in Oregon was and continues to be a reminder that employees in all offices should remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to your supervisor and, where appropriate, law enforcement officials."

"While we must respect the jury’s decision because we believe in the rule of law and our system of justice, I am profoundly disappointed in this outcome and am concerned about its potential implications for our employees and for the effective management of public lands," the secretary said in an email to all Interior Department employees.

The verdict Thursday, in which a jury in Oregon acquitted Ammon and Ryan Bundy and five others on charges stemming from a 41-day occupation of the wildlife refuge in January, drew condemnation from such organizations as the National Wildlife Federation and the Center for Western Priorities.

“This outcome is simply outrageous. All Americans watched in horror for nearly six weeks as domestic terrorists occupied one of America’s great national wildlife refuges by force and terrorized the refuge’s dedicated public servants, their families, and local residents. This was not a peaceful protest; this was occupation by gunpoint and it assaulted the very foundation of our democracy, our Constitutional principles, and our shared public lands heritage," said Collin O'Mara, president and CEO of the wildlife federation. 

“These criminals prevented Americans from enjoying the wildlife that belong to all of us, destroyed refuge infrastructure, degraded wildlife habitat, and desecrated archaeological treasures. In a democracy, disagreements must be resolved through collaboration, debate or the courts, not by brute force. The danger is this decision will embolden vigilantes who take the law into their own hands and threaten the safety of the dedicated employees who manage our public lands. We stand with the women and men of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and strongly encourage the Department of Justice to appeal this decision if possible. We call upon Congress to stiffen the penalties for illegal occupations of our public lands and strengthen protections for public servants managing them.”

Secretary Jewell, who along with Deputy Secretary Mike Connor visited Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in March to meet with refuge employees, said in her email that it "was painful to hear from employees who had devoted entire careers to public service and were worried about their safety as they carried out their important missions on behalf of the American people. It was disheartening to walk room to room and survey the damage and destruction caused by occupiers to the natural, cultural, and tribal resources."

"...As we digest the jury’s verdict, our foremost priority continues to be the safety, security, and well-being of people who comprise the federal family and those visiting America’s public lands," she added. "I am absolutely committed to maintaining a safe work environment that allows employees to uphold the laws of the United States and carry out our mission of responsible public land and water stewardship for the benefit of all Americans. That will never change."

Comments

You Need To Understand Mormonism If You Want To Understand The Oregon Standoff

Mormonism has a long, complicated history of conflict with the federal government, and that history is deeply informing the actions of the militia members and ranchers who took over a government building Saturday.

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/09/defense_begins_in_case...
 
God Told Ammon Bundy to Take Federal Public Lands

 
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/heres-what-you-need-to-understan...


I'm not clear on how double jeaprody works. Having been cleared [by a jury of their peers, obviously], of the conspiracy charges, why couldn't they be charged witn one or a dozen of the many other charges they obviously committed?


No government overreach involved?  Probably hard to see for some not connected to rural private sector livlihoods.  


TA, you're babbling.


 

Free the Hammonds 

Our friends are serving 5 years (60 months) for burning under 140 acres of sagebrush. This career criminal is sentenced to 6 months for the fire + 7 months for lying to USFS law enforcement... And a free trip to Mexico. Equitable?

Time to #FreetheHammonds!

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/25/sanctuary-city-illegal-imm...

Immigraation not an issue for public lands?  Not for this administration.


Cut and paste doesn't fix spelling errors. By the way - the name Hammonds was not mentioned in the Moonie Times that you linked to.


Another freeking English Major.  You obviously feel quite superior.  Enjoy!


Cut and paste doesn't fix spelling errors.

You mean like double "jeoprody"?

I would assume the prosecuters went with their strongest cases.  A further pursuit of these people would likely end in the same result.  Acquittal.

As I said before, I don't agree with the verdict.  You perform civl disobedience you need to take the punishment.  But "domestic terrorists"?  Looks like we are going to dilute the meaning of "terrorist" as we have "racists" to the point where its true meaning is totally lost.  


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