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
I just came home from a lecture by Tom Brokaw. Absolutely awesome. I wish everyone here could have been there. If I can find a recording of this, or another similar talk by Mr. Brokaw, I'll post it here.
The main thrust of his talk was that there is often very little truth posted online, but too many people believe whatever they read after seeking out a site that broadcasts what they want to believe.
Trail, he doesn't know who Gruber is much less listened to his comments. If he does and has, we know who the "dolt" is.
Lee, I don't think Brokaw went far enough by limiting his thrust to just online sites. While the Interior Secretary Jewell bemoans the decision at Malheur there is the decision by Obama's Attorney General, Lorretta Lynch, to plead the 5th rather than provide information that she could be prosecuted for. Im proving Brokaw's point albeit expanded. Google LYNCH/5th Amendment and see how the different networks are reporting Lynch's action before Congress. There is truth out there but often it's beyond our understanding or the messaging that we are bombarded with every minuten of the day. One relief are these great landscapes that are so much bigger that the silly stuff, I believe.
Good morning, Trail. Just curious, were you at the lecture last night at Rowland Hall?
I agree with you. I was surprised that Mr. Brokaw didn't spend more time on regular networks, although he did mention that they, too, are now pounded by their fear of financial crunches. If I understood what he said correctly, he was warning that when any news media begins to worry more about profit than good journalism, they are edging closer and closer to the crap we find too often online. I do wish he had spent more time on that.
Your comment about truth and how difficult it is to find these days, was just what he was warning about. It's almost impossible for anyone who doesn't already have a preconceived notion of what "truth" should be -- or what they wish it was -- to find it anywhere. That's how and why we have the echo chambers of left and right wing media outlets. It takes a lot of serious effort to try to sort it out. And even when we really try, I'm not sure it's possible any more.
We see media biases easily if we do a little channel flipping. Every day as I bounce along (okay, plod along) on the gym treadmill, I flip back and forth between CNN, FOX, and sometimes NBC and CBS. Any time a big story breaks, such as the letter from Director Comey on Friday, the contrast is striking -- especially between CNN and FOX. It would be amusing if it wasn't such blatant abuse of the concept of good journalism.
No, Lee, I was not present last night but would have liked to be. I was in Salt Lake twice this last month going and coming back from Montana and my oldest daughter's wedding. Nephew will be working in Park City this winter so perhaps I shall keep checking the calender for Rowland Hall.
Recognizing and not succumbing to the corruption in one's own nest seems to be an answer. I know I must sound naive but accepting what's going on as normal is not how I want to live going ahead. Giving refuge to the corruptors is not an option so what's going on at Justice and above shouldn't be acceptable to anyone regardless of Party. Pretty simple it would seem. The differeence in scope of the crimes of Nixon and this bunch likens the difference between the size of Earth compared to the Universe at this point it would appear.
I'll keep checking Rowland, Lee.
Thanks, Trail. You're right. It sounds like you've heard Mr. Brokaw somewhere else, then, because you described his talk to the T.
Last night, he transitioned abruptly from talking about media to the Greatest Generation. A large part of his message was we are in a heck of a mess right now, but if we heed lessons from them, we'll survive. Somehow.
But as someone living near the bottom of the heap without the means to buy any politicians, I'm only guardedly optimistic. I'm afraid not much will change until the millenials discovered how badly they've been screwed over and rise up to do something about. Mr. Brokaw was hopeful that if they do, they might be able to use their electronic world to actually do something about it.
We'll see, I guess.
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https://www.theoutbound.com/imogene-davis/why-you-should-care-about-prot...
For anyone who may be interested, here is a report on Tom Brokaw's lecture from Salt Lake's Deseret News: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865665987/Tom-Brokaw-in-Salt-Lake-Who...