18 thoughts on “Finally

  1. After repeatedly threatening to shoot himself, complaining that he couldn’t get marijuana, and ranting about UFOs, drone strikes in Pakistan, leaking nuclear plants and the government “chemically mutating people,” the last occupier, David Fry, 27, lit a cigarette, shouted “Hallelujah” and walked out of his barricaded encampment into FBI custody.

    I see now why they packed for the siege so irresponsibly.

  2. If it wasn’t for the fact that our government is chemically mutating people.. I’d say the guy is a complete nutjob.

  3. “I see now why they packed for the siege so irresponsibly.”

    Yes, and it explains the 27 cases of “Screaming Yellow Zonkers” that were found stashed in a makeshift igloo.

    There was definitely something very odd about David Fry, even apart form his neo-nazi views. There seemed to be a LARPy vibe about him. Thankfully, this installment of the drama seems to be at an end. I suppose we should all retire to the lobby, avail ourselves of a bracing cocktail and wait for act II to start.

    This whole event seems to be another example of the phenomenon of stochastic terrorism. When you bombard a population with disinformation, no matter how outlandish, there will be a certain number of people who are susceptible enough to believe it and take action. In this case the true believers got stuck out on a limb by themselves.

    “Infinity makes the barely possible, inevitable,” or something like that.

  4. “When you bombard a population with disinformation, no matter how outlandish, there will be a certain number of people who are susceptible enough to believe it and take action”

    You got that right, I wanna know why conservative media is not being held at least partially responsible for this, they have been pushing these wild conspiracy theory’s right along side of the crazy’s for years. FAUX news was onsite promoting Cliven Bundy in 2014 (until the unfortunate, let me tell you about the negro). And wasn’t the rational the NRA and right wing politicians gave for not outlawing assault rifles so that real mericans could rise up against a tyrannical government? Gee I wonder where these nut-jobs got these silly ideas?

  5. Paradoctor
    conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation or threats

  6. I was listening to the audio feed of the surrender show featuring Sharon whats-her-name from Nevada. She’s promoting herself with the nut-balls, ‘christian country’, ‘peaceably assemble’ (with Ak-47s) ‘unconstitutional’, ‘patriots’… ad nausium. She had the shtick prepared and polished for the waiting rubes.. and then the 4th holdout wouldn’t go along. For an hour and a half he wouldn’t surrender. What was a gift to the media and the lefties (like me) was the list of reasons.

    First (and not reported) he’s afraid of being raped in jail.
    He was worried about being cut of from marijuana. (Maybe he can tell the jury he has a girlfriend named Mary Jane)
    The authorities had not addressed his grievances. (That’s customary in an arrest, right before they read you your rights, they grant your grievances.)
    He was worried about UFOs. (No, I’m not kidding)
    He doesn’t like Obama.
    He didn’t like payroll deductions.
    He’s worried about leaking nukes.
    I think there was something about genetic modifications.
    He wanted pizza in prison (which Sharon promised to deliver.)
    He offered to commit suicide.
    He was worried about the mid-east. (So am I but you aren’t going to get a resolution at a bird-farm in Oregon, dude.)

    Overall, he derailed the Sharon what’s-he-name narrative so thoroughly that the wreckage wasn’t in the vicinity of the tracks. The prima-dona who hijacked the narrative was a complete whack-job. The gravitas of the surrender they wanted had all the dignity of an Abbot & Costello routine.

    The holdout, to his credit, is positioned to offer an insanity defense.

  7. Over the last few years I’ve been watching two movements. One is my passion, getting money out of politics. The other movement is armed insurrection which the Bundy crowd has been the Petri dish experiment of. There’s a maelstrom of movements out there – and it’s a gross oversimplification, I admit, to narrow my view to these two. However in terms of themes, one or the other will prevail – I see no middle path. Either we will reform government in a non-violent populist wave to make the government responsive to the people (including conservatives) by eliminating the domination of big money, OR the growth of violent fascist groups will be tolerated by enough of mainstream America for this government to be toppled. If the militias ever get strong enough that the US military is called out to fight a civil war, the insurgents have won. Their movement must never get that strong.

    I’m also convinced, and this is purely my paranoid thinking, that if there is an armed insurrection which causes the government to fall, the Koch Brothers are prepared to move into the vacuum in the same way the Russian Mafia moved in when the USSR fell. The Russian revolution in 1917 was fought by true believers, but the outcome was hijacked by Stalin. The French Revolution with noble motives was subverted by Bonaparte. Right-wing militias ignore history and the big players behind the scenes now as they offer to shed blood, ignoring who will really take the reins of power.

    I’m delighted with the outcome this week. The clowns that were arrested look like kooks, not patriots. The Bundy crowd exposed themselves as racist before -the outcome in Oregon undermines PR efforts to rehabilitate them as patriots. The Bird Farm has no national or political significance – there’s no justification for trying to liberate it. The locals didn’t ever support the out-of-state insurgents – the general mood of Oregonians is/was irritation that Bundy started a war with the feds in Oregon. (‘Start a war in Nevada, if you want a war.’ is how I read the reaction of locals.) The entire engagement has been a setback for the militias – the handwriting is on the wall. Armed protest leads to jail or the morgue. Best of all, the feds are NOT going to give the kooks a battle which inspires popular support.

  8. Contrast this with the events at Waco, with the vestiges of Republican leadership still in charge on site at the time.

  9. I’m also convinced, and this is purely my paranoid thinking, that if there is an armed insurrection which causes the government to fall, the Koch Brothers are prepared to move into the vacuum in the same way the Russian Mafia moved in when the USSR fell.

    Oh Doug your not Paranoid at all!

  10. “Oh, I’m so sorry, but that was the wrong answer!

    As a compilation prize, and to thank the four of you on your team for playing in this week’s episode of ‘The Game of Treason,’ we have a bag of dick’s for each of you!!!

    What?
    You already have more than you need, and besides, where you’re going…
    Say no more!
    We’ll give you soap-on-a-rope, instead!” *

    *This is a sad attempt at a joke, and I don’t want anyone in prison being raped.
    EVER!!!

  11. Every time I see a story about Cliven there’s a picture of him in that darn hat. Is there a real cowboy hat mug shot?

    Goatherd, I’ve been in the lobby for weeks, and the bartender is getting a little tired of me.

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