If Ammon Bundy and other Mormons involved in taking over a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon believe their religion is backing them, they should reconsider. Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "strongly condemn the armed seizure of the facility," spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a news release Monday, "and are deeply troubled by the reports that those who have seized the facility suggest that they are doing so based on scriptural principles." The release further states, "...this armed occupation can in no way be justified on a scriptural basis...Americans are privileged to live in a nation where conflicts with government or private groups can — and should — be settled using peaceful means, according to the laws of the land."
Neil Wampler joined Bundy’s 2014 armed standoff with Bureau of Land Management officials at the ranch outside Las Vegas. He said the wildlife refuge offers hot showers, comfortable beds, and, on Monday night, a spaghetti and sausage dinner with a vegetable salad and homemade biscuits. “Man, that dinner was good,” he said. “When I was at the Bundy ranch, we lit a fire on a propane stove in an outdoor shed and washed our dishes in a ditch. But I could get used to this.” Late Monday, Wampler said, ranchers arrived with enough meat to fill four industrial refrigerators, replenishing the group’s diminishing supplies. The next morning, Wampler walked and wondered why more militia members hadn’t flocked to southern Oregon as they did to the Bundy ranch in 2014.
“These are excellent conditions compared to other standoffs I’ve taken part in,” said Wampler, whose wool cap bore the slogan “State of Jefferson”, signifying a move for northern California and southern Oregon to secede and create a new state.
Some, like Jason Patrick, were wild-eyed about their military-style occupation. “There’s a rifle pointing from every blade of grass,” he said. Others were more practical. Michael Stettler, a 49-year-old electrician who arrived on last Monday from a nearby county, said he “wasn’t ready to take a bullet, but if the federals move in and offer a chance to leave, I’m leaving,” he said.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/01/03/armed-militia-bundy-brothers-take-over-federal-building-in-rural-oregon/
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/05/tension-grows-as-militia-prepares-for-fourth-night-in-oregon-standoff
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-responds-to-inquiries-regarding-oregon-armed-occupation
Neil Wampler joined Bundy’s 2014 armed standoff with Bureau of Land Management officials at the ranch outside Las Vegas. He said the wildlife refuge offers hot showers, comfortable beds, and, on Monday night, a spaghetti and sausage dinner with a vegetable salad and homemade biscuits. “Man, that dinner was good,” he said. “When I was at the Bundy ranch, we lit a fire on a propane stove in an outdoor shed and washed our dishes in a ditch. But I could get used to this.” Late Monday, Wampler said, ranchers arrived with enough meat to fill four industrial refrigerators, replenishing the group’s diminishing supplies. The next morning, Wampler walked and wondered why more militia members hadn’t flocked to southern Oregon as they did to the Bundy ranch in 2014.
“These are excellent conditions compared to other standoffs I’ve taken part in,” said Wampler, whose wool cap bore the slogan “State of Jefferson”, signifying a move for northern California and southern Oregon to secede and create a new state.
Some, like Jason Patrick, were wild-eyed about their military-style occupation. “There’s a rifle pointing from every blade of grass,” he said. Others were more practical. Michael Stettler, a 49-year-old electrician who arrived on last Monday from a nearby county, said he “wasn’t ready to take a bullet, but if the federals move in and offer a chance to leave, I’m leaving,” he said.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/01/03/armed-militia-bundy-brothers-take-over-federal-building-in-rural-oregon/
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/05/tension-grows-as-militia-prepares-for-fourth-night-in-oregon-standoff
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-responds-to-inquiries-regarding-oregon-armed-occupation