February 11, 2016 7:35 AM

Being a patriot means never having to worry about inconvenient things...like the rule of law

Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher whose refusal to pay federal grazing fees led to an armed standoff with law enforcement two years ago, was arrested late Wednesday in Portland, Ore., according to the F.B.I….. The F.B.I. provided no details on Bundy’s arrest, but a Facebook page operated by his supporters said he “was surrounded by SWAT and DETAINED” just after he landed at the Portland airport…. “They keep coming for us patriots, they keep attacking peaceful principled men and woman,” a post on the Bundy Ranch Facebook page said after the arrest. “What are the people to do when our government becomes the enemy of the law. Pray fervently tonight. Many are in peril.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick to death of self-professed “patriots” taking offense at anyone having the temerity to believe they should be held accountable for their actions. Evidently, for some being a “patriot” means having the God-given right to violate laws found to be inconvenient or disagreeable…even if the reasons are cherry-picked, nonsensical, and thoroughly self-interested. It means being arrogant, delusional, and self-important enough to believe that you’re being targeted for persecution by a tyrannical government. It also means not recognizing the truth that said government doesn’t give a @#%& about your beliefs as long as you stay within the law. Violate the law, and there are consequences; this is every bit as true for “patriots” as it is for lesser mortals.

It fascinates me that many of those involved in the Malheur National Wildlife Preserve takeover- and the militia movement in general- are angry, un- and/or under-educated White Conservatives whose understanding of the constitution is incomplete, self-interested, and highly selective. They cling to parts of the Constitution that seem to support their prejudices…and ignore those which don’t dovetail with their inflated view of their role and importance.

Not that there aren’t reasons for legitimate grievances against the federal government, of course; it’s by no means a perfect institution. That said, when you look at those who make up the militia movement, it’s hard not to have a good laugh at their expense. Most of them couldn’t fight their way out of a snack bar, let alone develop a cogent, well-supported argument for why the federal government is the enemy of the people.

The biggest point that seems to escape these brave, dedicated “patriots” is that not being allowed to do what you want when you want is not incontrovertible evidence of a “tyrannical” federal government. It’s called the rule of law, and it’s what America is and always has been based on. It’s the moral and legal framework that protects Americans from chaos and lawlessness…like what’s happening in southeastern Oregon, f’rinstance.

Ammon Bundy’s lawyer, Mike Arnold, said Cliven Bundy was considering joining Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore at a news conference that had been planned Thursday morning in Portland to talk about the refuge takeover. Almost immediately after she arrived in Portland, Fiore started talking to the last occupiers by phone and left in a car for the six-hour drive to Burns to help work out their surrender.

“It’s terribly unfortunate the timing of his arrest, given all the progress Assemblywoman Fiore made this evening,” Arnold said, referring to Fiore’s intervention on behalf of the holdhouts.

In a democracy based on the rule of law, one simply doesn’t have an unfettered right to contravene the law when they find it inconvenient or abhorrent. There are means in place which allow for working within the system to change such laws if there’s a groundswell of agreement behind the idea…but there’s no right to universally violate a law with the expect of escaping the prescribed consequences for doing so.

It seems being a “patriot” means believing in something greater than the rule of law- your own beliefs and self-interest. Being a “patriot” means not being held to the same standards other, lesser mortals are expected to adhere to. It means being able to take over a federal wildlife refuge…and believing your should be able to walk away free of consequence and universally hailed for your selfless patriotism and heroism. It means having the right to point weapons at federal employees and law enforcement officers and swearing to shoot them if they attempt to do their job. It means that your (cherry-picked, largely inaccurate) understanding of the Constitution means being able to take over and destroy public property in the name of God, freedom, and the American people…who would rise up behind you, if only they could be made to understand.

Cliven Bundy’s arrest at Portland International Airport (I’d been working there a few hours earlier) is welcome…if about 18 months late. While I understand law enforcement’s desire to avoid bloodshed, I wonder what might’ve happened had the “patriots” at the Bundy Ranch in 2014 and those who occupied the wildlife refuge this year not been White Christians. The treatment of these “patriots”- more accurately, “armed thugs”- speaks to the truth that justice in America isn’t blind. Far from it.

In part because of the seemingly lackadaisical manner in which law enforcement handled both cases, “patriots” have come to believe that they have unspoken, de facto permission to take action free from fear of consequences. Cliven Bundy’s arrest might just go a long way towards reminding angry White “patriots” that the rule of law applies to them as it does to any other American.

As for “all the progress Assemblywoman Fiore made this evening,” no one save for law enforcement should be allowed to negotiate with criminals. In this case, the four remaining miscreants occupying the wildlife refuge are in no position to issue demands or negotiate for anything. They’re criminals, and every day the occupation continues it costs taxpayers money. As a taxpayer, I’m tired of the remaining criminals being treated with kid gloves. It’s time for the FBI to do their job- move in and arrest them.

There’s no requirement that one like government or the rules which accompany living in a free, democratic society. Accepting the benefits of living in said society means accepting the rule of law that holds it all together…and protects society at large from thugs and criminals who’d resort to force of arms to get their way.

It’s time everyone associated with the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge be allowed to occupy another federal building for an extended period of time- a minimum security prison.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 11, 2016 7:35 AM.

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