When it comes to the acts of militias, the past is not prologue …… except when it is. And while we assess the measures taken against the wingers in Oregon, it is worth a look at a situation here in New Hampshire that was defused years ago.
But first: Top Comments appears nightly, as a round-up of the best comments on Daily Kos. Surely ... you come across comments daily that are perceptive, apropos and .. well, perhaps even humorous. But they are more meaningful if they're well-known ... which is where you come in (especially in diaries/stories receiving little attention).Send your nominations to TopComments at gmail dot com by 9:30 PM Eastern Time nightly, or by our KosMail message board. Please indicate (a) why you liked the comment, and (b) your Dkos user name (to properly credit you) as well as a link to the comment itself.
Please use tonight’s Top Comments as a chance to weigh-in on the situation in Oregon — heaven help us, we’ll learn more as time goes on.
Yet much of the angst until this week came from many who wondered why law enforcement had not apprehended the Ammon Bundy bunch a long time ago. Just the other day, Charlie Pierce spoke for many in asking how long would this be going on? Others asked what would happen if a group of armed African-Americans did the same thing?
I think we all know the answer …….… the difference is, no one in the Democratic Party would carry a torch for such a group.
By contrast, all of the GOP presidential candidates — while stopping-short of “endorsing” the methods of the Ammon Bundy gang — all cited their “legitimate concerns”. And that was mild compared to the hardline right-wing press: who offered cheering support of the "Patriot", "Militia" and other groups on the fringe of wingnuttery.
In October, 2007 I wrote about a situation that we here in western New Hampshire had endured much of the year. It was not national news (in the manner that Oregon was) but it was every bit as frustrating. At this link you can read the entire essay, but here is a summary.
A married couple had refused to pay U.S. income taxes, due to their belief that no law compels them to. Ed Brown was a retired pest control businessman, who had been convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon (at age 18), had served five years in jail before being paroled and then was pardoned years later by … get this …. Governor Michael Dukakis. Brown later joined the militia movement (think “Trilateral Commission”). His wife Elaine Brown was a dentist.
They were convicted in federal court and sentenced to five years - but since they declared themselves to be Patriots, gun-owners, et al, they refused to return to court for sentencing … and found no shortage of supporters.
Before it all caved-in …..On the other side were the townspeople of Plainfield, New Hampshire, who were the target of much unwanted attention (as well as TV cameras and increased vehicular traffic) — just like the citizens of Harney County, Oregon. (At the time, I lived in the adjacent town of Lebanon, New Hampshire).
The Browns remained in siege (over an eight-month period) at their home, with a "You'll never take me alive, copper!" attitude. But then … after US Marshals followed a rope-a-dope strategy — they were …...…. indeed taken alive.
As an update to my 2007 diary: the Browns were immediately sent to jail (to serve their original sentences) and were subsequently convicted of numerous other crimes, and will not qualify for parole until each is at least 100 years old.
In 2014, Elaine Brown wrote a letter of apology to their fellow residents of Plainfield, saying that she and her husband were trying to advance the "cause of justice," but that they "failed to realize the fear, anxiety and impact we were causing" to residents, Plainfield police and town administrators. "Now, seven years later, I realize the wrong I have done to you all".
Lastly, their home was finally sold just last year— for many years, no one wanted to risk buying it (despite the building’s space, and a generous amount of land) — because many feared it was booby-trapped with all sorts of ordnance.
Let’s clear the air with John Mayall’s apropos tune from 1970: Waiting For the Right Time seems to sum-up the approach being taken with our sovereign citizen pals. May the situation in Oregon fully resolve itself in as positive a way as what happened in Plainfield.
x YouTube Video Now, on to Top Comments: -------------------------------------From Expatjourno:
In the diary by Bob Johnson about a Democratic fundraiser - here is a comment by Thumb pointing out a Democratic parallel with Donald Trump's boast that he wouldn't lose votes if he walked down 5th Avenue and started shooting people.From leu2500:
Once again, it's Meteor Blades with the mic drop in VL Baker's diary on a fundraiser in Philly.From Otteray Scribe:
In the diary by annieli about the Malheur siege - Witgren responds to an observation about the Oregon weather by i saw an old tree today:And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the front-page story about the difficulties facing Jeb Bush - inclusive heart suggested that his donors might also have made a different kind of investment at the same time.And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
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