The take over of the Oregon Wildlife Refuge still hangs heavy on my mind. I guess it is because I love this earth and I do not believe the way these militiamen-terrorists took over that land was an example of how to win an argument. They lost the support of the locals, the American Indians, and all of us environmentalists in short time. They also, like so many radicals, claimed God was on their side.
One of my blog readers (keeping them anonymous as they argued only with me) provided a link to support the argument regarding the promotion of environmental grazing of lands. The person making the argument did not convince me as there was little example or science to his blog post.
But I do not like to think I am closed minded and thus I went on a bit of research and came across the link I am providing below. It does not win me over to the side of those who make arguments with guns and breaking the law and claiming they should get a resource for free, because they needed to be more intellectual and take their case to those that can provide the rational and science arguments for them that this African does. It is an environmental argument. Does this work on our continent? Who knows? It might be worth looking into though.
It is a TED talk which means it carries some validity and is worth paying attention. I am just linking here to provide a better argument.
(https://www.ted.com/talks/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_climate_change?language=en)
Oh, the photo above is a macro of my couch fabric with some photo-painting!
I think they took their protest way too far, but the video of the protester being shot at the road block was very disturbing. Video is small and a bit blurry, but the man does not seem to be resisting and he was shot in the back. Seems uncalled for, but then making an arrest of someone who might not be compliant must be scary.
ReplyDeleteThe man who was shot said he would never spend the rest of his life in a jail cell and was willing to die for his cause. If I was a policeman this would have really put me on the spot.
Deletewhen they asked for the list of provisions after they started the protest, they lost credibility. It was not well planned for sure. It was all downhill from there.
DeleteThe whole thing was a sad and sorry episode. You are right to keep an open mind and back the scientific study to see if it would work.
ReplyDeleteI will have to watch that TED talk. I have been against this whole messy scenario since Day 1. You do not take over the land and claim it for your cattle. :-(
ReplyDeleteWise grazing of land is a good thing but not for a wildlife refuge where it's supposed to be natural and as the birds would've come through during their migration. The national forests though benefit from grazing enough to keep the grass from getting too tall and being a fire hazard. It takes management. The problem with the leasing program is the ranchers have gotten the idea they own that land and they are not even paying a fair rate for its use. Bundys didn't want to pay even their minimal fees. The Malheur was totally wrong but it allowed a group who feel they should be privileged to act as though it was fair. A smart rancher knows that first they raise grass and then cattle. If it's the other way around, they aren't in the business long. We've all seen the abused lands when nobody regulated the usage. In actuality, those who are vegetarians who want to live on soybeans, not meat, have more potential damage to the land than smart grazing. Lots of articles out there make the point.
ReplyDeleteAlso on the man who was shot. He was reaching toward where he had a 9mm gun. He had said he'd never be taken alive. It does not matter if someone shot him in the back. He could have killed the man in front of him just as well. He nearly ran down one man on his way out of the roadblock. Nobody can do what they did and expect there not to be violence used by the law. They were given far more lenience than they should have. IF they win their argument, say goodbye to parks, federal lands and refuges as they will close it off to the public. It's what they do.
ReplyDeleteThere may well be an argument for "environmental grazing." Does it justify the near extinction of the buffalo or displacement of the native population. I think not then and not now.
ReplyDeleteI started a post on the situation but haven't published it yet. may not. it seems to me that their main beef with the BLM is that the BLM won't let them use the land however and whenever they want and for free to boot. if you depend on public land to run your ranch then maybe you need to be in a different business. the men, who already get various subsidies from the government, wanted more. you notice when they started, it was taking the land back for the people but it already belongs to the people. it was not 'taken away' from area ranchers. it was taken away from the First Nation whose land it was. and what they wanted was to have the public lands to graze, log, and mine for their own profit however they saw fit. when you take over a federal facility, terrorize a community, and publicly broadcast that you will fire on any FBI or LE who tries to arrest you, then expect to be shot when you try it. This man publicly announced he would rather die than go to jail, he resisted arrest, tried to make a getaway nearly running someone down, he feigned surrender seconds before going for his loaded gun, and he got exactly what he wanted. I'm sorry he died. I would rather he spent a good chunk of time in jail. My desire is for the land to be protected over the livelihood of any one or group of people. if more grazing would be beneficial, then fine but armed insurrection and threatening government employees and purposefully intimidating them is not the way we are supposed to do things in this country.
ReplyDeleteThat land they were supposedly willing to die for never belonged to ranchers; it belongs to all of us. If we were going to give it to anyone it probably should be returned to Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteI've been on and through the Malheur area many times in the last 60+ years, being a 4th gen Oregonion. I despise these rednecks and all they confusedly stand for. I feel sorry for the family of the idiot that got himself shot, but few others will miss him.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this video or one like it some time ago. I think it is impressive. What it has to do with lawlessness, I am not sure.
ReplyDeleteThat is my point. Why try to make an argument with lawlessness that may have some validity in a broader context?
DeleteLand disputes are a part of our history from the beginning of this country. When eventually all of the land that was claimed through land grants was settled, there were vast areas left unclaimed. The Bureau of Land Management was created. BLM land is our land, owned collectively. If someone wants to use it for grazing or mining, they must pay the fees and follow the rules. Heaven knows we charge too little and our rules were not strict enough to protect the environment. Times change, we see the damage, we expect better compliance.
ReplyDeleteThere guys are no more than domestic terrorists, with weapons at ready, trying to grab something that belongs to all of us.
Yes, times change. We now know the damage grazing does. Unfortunately, many of us still eat meat.
ReplyDeleteSaving blogs. I save the ephemera, like the medical info, cards from kids and grandkids, travel stuff, all in folders in a archival box. Boy, they take up room. Even two years to a box. In each box I include a cd of the good photos and another of my blogger blog. It really records my life from the early 1970's througb now. I've saved it...an illustrated life...now I need to find a home for them all.
Our storm went through Tucson and knocked it flat. Now it is coming your way still windy and dramatic. We never have winds like that. You take care out there.
ReplyDeleteMay I recommend a book, "The Invention of Nature, Alexander Von Humboldt's New World." Excellent material for supporting our natural world. -- barbara
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