5 yrs for burning 139 acres of BLM

[Cross-7]

I've read a couple articles and there is more to the story but they were forced to pay 400k and if they had to sell their ranch to pay the fines they had to agree to give the BLM first option to buy it.

But it seems a little extreme, especially for Dwight( age 74) I haven't figured out how he is involved

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-north ... bile_index

 

[Cross-7]

http://topics.oregonlive.com/tag/dwight%20hammond/

 

[JMJ Farms]

Wow. Mighty harsh punishment. Sounds to me like somewhere in the process they made the wrong person mad and in turn that person caused someone else to make a example of them. Still sounds a little fishy to me. Never trust people in high places. Chances are that they didn't get there by being a good honest upstanding citizen.

 

[Cross-7]

The label "terrorist" is what's surprising and the reason for such a stiff penalty.
The attacks is San Bernardino were labeled workplace violence

 

[hurleyjd]

http://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/easte ... ars-prison

 

[Cross-7]

Seems excessive, but he could have killed someone

 

[JMJ Farms]

I understand they done wrong. And they should be punished. Whether you like laws are not, you are supposed to abide by them. But 5 years in prison? To me "arson" is burning someone's house or business. Grazing land though? Did it really "destroy" it?

As for the 2006 fire I can understand him wanting to save the winter feed. But he shouldn't have set a fire with firefighters in the close proximity and endangered them.

I don't know these people. They may be fine upstanding people. But these articles portray them almost as people who do what they want with no regard to others or the law. If this is the case it makes the sentence seem more appropriate. If they are good folks then 5 years is very very harsh considering what some people get off with for crimes that, in my poor country mind, are much worse. I mean they did pay a $400k fine.

 

[Jogeephus]

Wow. Our arsonist destroyed over a million dollars worth of timber and he was only sentenced to 18 months and has to pay $5/month restitution. He is also banned for life from our county and at his release he moved in the next county and a few weeks later they suffered a rash of mysterious arson fires. I guess trees lives don't matter as much as federal grass. I wonder if I should be offended. Maybe burn a town down. They don't seem to care much for town's either. Is this equal justice or politics?

 

[ike]

How any one can not support these cattlemen , after what the BLM, attorney said about them is beyond me.
The whole. Of the west was on fire last year are these a holes going after God and fine him.
About time we hired government employees with " Common Sense"
Good luck to these people

 

[Cross-7]

I keep looking at BLM ranches and stories like this always scare me away
But I don't know if the BLM and the USFS are that bad or is it the people bumping heads with them and breaking the rules and causing trouble ?
From what I've heard on the Hage case, the Bundy and the other 50 ranchers they were victims of the powers within the BLM and USFS with an agenda

I'd really like to buy a place with BLM permits but I'm afraid they'd find a reason to pull my permits and I'd be screwed

 

[greybeard]

They don't need a reason to pull a permit--they're the govt.

 

[ram]

They don't need a reason to pull a permit--they're the govt.

Yes they are, to serve and protect the people.

 

[greybeard]

They don't need a reason to pull a permit--they're the govt.

Yes they are, to serve their own interests and protect their own rear ends.

Fixed that for ya. ;-)

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

BLM and NFS have been a landing site for folks with there on agenda's for a while now.

 

[JWBrahman]

Now I know why Greybeard doesn't burn pastures. They guy basically did everyone a favor and look at the thanks he got for cleaning up trash.

 

[Supa Dexta]

There's something really fishy going on down there. Same as with the bundy issue. The gov't is acting like thugs and taking back land, out of private control.

 

[I luv herfrds]

H*ll our one didn't even do time and only had to pay so much cents on the dollar for the fences and pasture land he burned! Second idiot got a nice fat Bill for all the firefighters and equipment used to put out his 2500 acre fire.
They never did catch those tourists who burned 150+ acres of BLM and private property this summer. Only took 6 different fire departments, BLM, DNRC, 2 helicopters and 3 small planes to put that sucker out; lost count of how many private guys were out there with their water trucks. Didn't dare try to do a fire line in those breaks wind kept shifting the heading of the fire.

 

[greybeard]

Now I know why Greybeard doesn't burn pastures. They guy basically did everyone a favor and look at the thanks he got for cleaning up trash.

You bet!! NFS and TFS can burn anytime anywhere with impunity, but if I let a pasture burn get into the forest, they'd hang my butt for it and I'd have to pay for their firefighting even if they were gonna burn it themselves the next day or next week.
And Lord help me if I let one get out in there during red cockaded woodpecker mating season--I'd get of easier if I murdered someone or run over a busload of kids.

 

[dun]

'A group of armed protesters have taken over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, accusing officials of unfairly punishing ranchers who refused to sell their land, a spokesman for the group told CNN.'
'"Now that people such as the Hammonds are taking a stand and not selling their ranches, they are being prosecuted in their own courts as terrorists and putting them in prison for five years," Bundy said.
He said the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has taken over the space of 100 ranches since the early 1900s.
"They are continuing to expand the refuge at the expense of the ranchers and miners," Bundy said.
He also said Harney County, in southeastern Oregon, went from one of the state's wealthiest counties to one of the poorest.'

 

[slick4591]

'A group of armed protesters have taken over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, accusing officials of unfairly punishing ranchers who refused to sell their land, a spokesman for the group told CNN.'
'"Now that people such as the Hammonds are taking a stand and not selling their ranches, they are being prosecuted in their own courts as terrorists and putting them in prison for five years," Bundy said.
He said the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has taken over the space of 100 ranches since the early 1900s.
"They are continuing to expand the refuge at the expense of the ranchers and miners," Bundy said.
He also said Harney County, in southeastern Oregon, went from one of the state's wealthiest counties to one of the poorest.'

FOX article.