Re: 150 Militia Take Over Makhuer National Wildlife Preserve Headquarters
One year later a quieter land battle unfolds . . .
http://www.heraldnet.com/news/a-year...attle-unfolds/
A year after refuge takeover, quieter land battle unfolds
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Grant County Public Forest Commission members chat before their meeting at the Squeeze-In Restaurant & Deck in John Day, Oregon, on Dec. 7. The commission was created by voters in 2002 and was dissolved by a judge recently. Its members still keep meeting, though, to find a way forward amid a struggle for control over federal lands in the West. From left are Dave Traylor, Jim Sproul, Mike Smith and Elaine Smith. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)
JOHN DAY, Ore. — On a recent wintry evening, members of the Grant County Public Forest Commission walked into the warmth of a rustic diner and took seats at their customary table for their bimonthly meeting.
They voiced anger and frustration. At this meeting, they were officially a non-entity.
A judge this fall dissolved the commission at the behest of a former county supervisor who worried it was becoming a risk, citing the takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in a neighboring county.
While the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge grabbed the world’s attention, a quieter struggle over federal lands is being waged by those trying to use elections and the levers of government. Their grandparents and great-grandparents wrested a living from the West’s rugged landscape.
But now, the forest commissioners say, the government is tightening access to the same natural resources by closing roads and curtailing logging and other industries that allowed previous generations to be self-sufficient.
The commissioners feel they lost, by the stroke of a judge’s pen, a tool voters gave them to fight back.
Kim McKrola, a local, voiced the concern of many: “I would think we should have more say, because what does the federal government know about what’s going on around here?”
With 1,700 residents, John Day is Grant County’s biggest town, named for a fur trapper who in the early 1800s survived being robbed of everything by American Indians but trekked with a compatriot to safety. The second longest free-flowing river in the continental United States also bears Day’s name.
Created by voters in a ballot measure 14 years ago, the forest commission was tasked with determining the fate of public lands, which comprise 66 percent of the county’s 4,529 square miles.
Hours before the meeting at the Squeeze-In Restaurant &Deck, forest Commissioner Jim Sproul drove his pickup up a canyon and into the Malheur National Forest.
“My great-grandfather came here in the 1870s. He started the Humboldt Mine,” the 64-year-old said. A pin on his cap proclaimed support for Sheriff Glenn Palmer, a sympathizer of the refuge occupiers’ cause.
Sproul looked at skeletal trees killed by a 2015 fire that burned 43 homes and more than 172 square miles. He blamed the U.S. Forest Service, saying it let the forest grow too thick, allowing the blaze to crown and become a “huge fireball.” Sproul wants the agency to open more burned areas for loggers to salvage trees.
At the Squeeze-In, commission members voiced more complaints.
“You’re missing the point,” growled Commissioner Mike Smith from beneath the brim of his cowboy hat. “The point is, they want to make it so you can’t make a living in rural Oregon, so you have to leave.”
Others nodded assent.
Commissioner Dave Traylor said he suspects the government and environmentalists want to create a 200-mile-wide corridor from Canada to Mexico, with only animals present and no humans.
Federal officials say no such plots exist.
District Ranger Dave Halemeier noted the Forest Service has increased its transparency.
“We meet with the public before we even have an idea of what we want to do in an area,” Halemeier said in an interview. “Historically, we’d come up with a plan and then present that plan, and now the public’s involved in developing that plan.”
Malheur National Forest Supervisor Steve Beverlin said he had productive talks with a forest commissioner about modifying rules for gathering firewood, but faced hostility at commission meetings.
“It was difficult to engage because they wouldn’t share information,” Beverlin said
Mark Webb, whose petition for judicial review led to the commission’s dissolution, said he felt it was growing too close to Palmer and his “increasing belligerence toward federal government.”
The leaders of the wildlife refuge takeover were planning to meet with Palmer when officers intercepted them Jan. 26. State police shot and killed LaVoy Finicum as he appeared to reach for a pistol.
Sproul said he had invited takeover leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy to speak to residents about the Constitution and states’ rights, with no ulterior motives.
“Anyone who says there’s a militia here is a liar,” Sproul said. “But are there patriotic citizens here? Hell yes.”
Forest commissioners say no one informed them of the petition.
Judge W.D. Cramer ruled Sept. 14 that the ballot measure that created the commission violated the U.S. and state constitutions and federal statutes. In explaining his ruling, Cramer said he “may have personal views that align with many on how public lands are managed (or not), and views on how those who live close to the land should be heard.” But “facts and the law” dictate a decision.
Webb heads another organization, Blue Mountains Forest Partners, which describes itself as a diverse group of stakeholders who work to improve local forests and communities. He said his group and the forest commission have similar goals but “radically different” approaches.
“The public forest commission thought they had authority to tell the county (officials) and the national forest how to manage public lands. But Blue Mountains respects the framework … we have to operate in.”
Webb ran in the May primary for one of the commission’s seven seats. His name was removed from the ballot because of a technicality, Grant County Clerk Brenda Percy said. Webb told The Associated Press he ran in case his petition failed, so he could “inform or redirect” the commission, which he said was ineffective.
The forest commission, meanwhile, is planning to appeal the judge’s decision and has been in contact with the Secretary of State’s Office, which manages elections, to seek a remedy, Sproul said.
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Antlers hang above a doorway of a pioneer building near Dayville, Oregon. Sixty-six percent of the county’s 4,529 square miles of forests, mountains and high desert are federal lands, which sometimes puts locals in opposition with federal land managers. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)
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In this Dec. 8, 2016 photo, a worn footbridge crosses the John Day River and is dusted by newly fallen snow near Dayville. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)
Re: 150 Militia Take Over Makhuer National Wildlife Preserve Headquarters
Re: 150 Militia Take Over Makhuer National Wildlife Preserve Headquarters
Re: 150 Militia Take Over Makhuer National Wildlife Preserve Headquarters
Re: 150 Militia Take Over Makhuer National Wildlife Preserve Headquarters
Gary Hunt continues to expose the scum who serve the feds as confidential informants - Outpost of Freedom
http://outpost-of-freedom.com/blog/?p=1880
« Burns Chronicles No 48 – Robert “Rob” Seever (R.W. Seaver) #2
Burns Chronicles No 49 – Thomas S. Dyman (Tom Dyman)
December 22, 2016, 8:24 pm
Burns Chronicles No 49
Thomas S. Dyman (Tom Dyman)
Gary Hunt
Outpost of Freedom
December 22, 2016
Thomas S. Dyman was considered for a Second Tier position in Operation Mutual Defense (OMD). The structure of OMD had three tiers. The First Tier is the Advisory Board. The Second Tier is those who could assist in research; webpage management, specialty skills, or other capabilities that would work with the Advisory Board. The Third Tier would be those recruited by the Second tier to assist them, though they would not be under the Advisory Board.
Being recommended by Ryan Payne, he had to fill out an application. In the application, he admits that he had a criminal record and refers to a background check. OMD never received the background check.
A search resulted in finding at least one criminal charge against Dyman. He was arrested in 2011 for having taken his children from his first wife, back in 1995. The children had become adults, and apparently the charges were dropped.
Dyman now lives in Williston, North Dakota and has a contracting business, Dyman Construction, LLC.
Dyman’s application was submitted to OMD on November 1, 2015, though the application is signed and dated on 10/29/16. We have to wonder what his intentions were in responding to Payne’s request, since his first report as an informant (CS) was dated November 3, 2015.
That report was dated November 3, 2015 and began with a copy of an article on the Hammonds that had been posted on bundyranchblogspot. Then, he began reporting on Payne’s plans.xxxx Payne told multiple CHS’s that he and Ammon Bundy were meeting on the morning of 11/4/2015 and driving to Oregon to meet directly with the Hammonds. The purpose of the trip was to convince the Hammonds to take a stand against the federal government, and accept OMD and militia-related assistance in preventing their incarceration. Payne indicated he and Ammon Bundy were traveling largely at the insistence of Cliven Bundy, who has been pushing Payne to take additional militia-related actions like the one he led in Bunkerville in 2014. Payne and Ammon Bundy also plan on meeting with the local Sheriff in an attempt to convince him to support their resistance and aid in the effort. They may meet with other local officials, such as County Commissioners as well.
Payne stated that he felt obligated to act in defense of the Hammonds even if they do not request OMD’s assistance. Payne compared the situation to preventing a suicidal man from killing himself. Payne has suggested that if the Hammonds refuse to make a stand at their ranch, OMD should lead a “dynamic action” against the facility receiving them (presumably a prison or U.S. Marshals Service facility) to make it impossible for the Hammonds to turn themselves in.
It should be noted that OMD has recorded all of its Advisory Board meetings where the Hammond situation has been discussed. Payne xxxx and Ammon Bundy intend to record their meeting with the Hammonds, as well as an OMD meeting regarding the matter on Thursday November 5..The following day, November 4, he provided an additional report based upon his communications with Payne, though it is nearly identical to the first report. Does he know that he will be paid by the report, and that informing pays better than contracting?
Ryan Payne contacted CHS xxxx to advise that he is traveling to Oregon with Ammon Bundy in an attempt to convince two ranchers to accept militia assistance to resist the federal government. Payne intends to meet Ammon Bundy on the morning of November 4 in southern Idaho and travel together to meet with a father and son by the last name of Hammond in Oregon. The Hammonds were recently sentenced to prison in a case involving the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Payne feels the criminal case against them is unconstitutional. He has talked to the father, who seems resigned to his fate, but Payne hopes he and Ammon can convince him to accept Operation Mutual Defense (OMD)’s assistance and fight the government. He and Ammon intend to tell the Hammonds that they will have militia forces in place to back down the government if they intend to fight.
Payne claimed that Cliven Bundy has been pushing him to do some kind of militia-related action again soon, and has encouraged Ammon to travel with Payne to encourage the Hammonds to formally request militia assistance. Payne xxxx would be running around like crazy for a few days, and intended to meet with the local Sheriff in Oregon as well as the Hammonds.
In the event the Hammonds fail to accept Payne’s offer of support, he still feels inclined to act to save them from incarceration. He intends to explore options to use militia force to make the Hammond’s self surrender to federal prison impossible. He feels he and OMD have an obligation to prevent their incarceration, and is committed to taking whatever steps are necessary to do so. Payne said that this was one of the most difficult decisions OMD was going to have to wrestle with,
The next report was on November 12, 2015, and is obviously a report on a conversation he had with Payne.Payne and Hunt worked xxxx on OMD-related matters, as they prepared for the opening of the group’s website, and formal introduction of OMD to the public. The OMD website is being set up by a man who lives in Arizona or Nevada.
Prior to visiting Hunt, Payne was in Oregon with Ammon Bundy, where they were trying to convince the father and son rancher by the last name of Hammond to resist arrest by the federal government. Payne believes the Hammonds are beaten down, and intend to surrender despite the militia’s offer of assistance. Payne and Ammon Bundy also met with the local sheriff in Oregon, and believe he would stand by and allow the militia to protect the Hammonds from the feds.
So, it is clear that Payne’s whereabouts are being fed to the fed. Here is the November 25 report.
As of November 25, 2015, Ryan Payne was in Montana, but was planning on traveling to Oregon on Monday, November 30. The Advisory Board for Operation Mutual Defense (OMD), has voted against declaring a formal action to protect the Hammond family in Oregon, but Payne is still committed personally to keeping the Hammonds out of prison. OMD board member Jon Ritzheimer has told Payne that he will also be traveling to Oregon to join him in the Hammond-related operation. Payne believes he has also received commitments from several other militia-related individuals to travel to Oregon to defend the Hammonds.
Payne now believes the Sheriff in Oregon does not intend to support Payne in his effort to defend the Hammonds. Payne also claims the federal government has threatened the Hammonds to prevent them from associating with Payne or requesting militia help. Payne described himself as a sheep dog, who must defend the sheep (the Hammonds), even though they don’t know they require defending. Although Payne did not explicitly state his intentions, it was clear to CHS that Payne intends to use military-style force to prevent the federal government from arresting the Hammonds and taking them to prison. Payne did not say what he would do if the Hammonds traveled to voluntarily turn themselves in at a federal facility.
Because the Hammonds have not given Payne or the militia permission to stage an operation on their property, Payne intends to camp out on the public land surrounding the Hammond property. Payne appears to have borrowed money from unknown sources to finance his operation in Oregon. He has indicated he will need to obtain employment after the New Year to pay some of this money back. Because of the Oregon operation, Payne no longer is planning on traveling to Arizona to participate in border related training with OMD in December.
Payne is attempting to acquire Level IV body armor for his operation in Oregon, and wants a Montana militia associate, who is also a body armor supplier, to personally deliver this armor and other supplies to Oregon during the first or second weekend in December. Payne is contacting others who will be responding to Oregon to see if the would like to obtain new body armor from this supplier as well. xxxx CHS believes Payne will be responding to Oregon with his AR-style rifle, other firearms, and full load out of ammunition and magazines.
The next report was made on December 14, 2015.On the morning of December 14, 2015, Ryan Payne and Jason Patrick were in Seattle on the way to the federal courthouse to attend Schuyler Barbeau’s detention hearing. They want to look the terrorists (meaning the FBI) in the eyes. Patrick expects he will be arrested, but Payne is under strict instructions not to get arrested, as he is supposed to be at a meeting in Harney County, Oregon, regarding the Hammond matter on the evening of December 15.
Payne has been camping with Jason Patrick and others in Harney County near the Hammond Ranch. One of Payne’s teams had to pull out because they were not equipped for the winter conditions in Oregon; however, Payne believes others are on standby to respond quickly to the ranch if needed. He also believes they will be moving into a different facility soon, making winter camping unnecessary. Lack of funding is also a serious issue for the Hammond operation.
Payne believes the crucial militia operation in Oregon will occur around Christmas. He is expecting supplies to arrive from Montana during that time frame, including body armor, firearms, ammunition, night vision, and gear. He also will be expecting more militia associates to start joining him in Oregon around that time.
Despite the challenges presented by weather and lack of resources, Payne is confident that “the time has come,” meaning his much awaited conflict with the government will commence soon. He believes God is bringing this all together perfectly.
Next, we have December 16On December 16, 2015, Payne contacted CHS to advise that the previous evening’s meeting in Harney County went very well. He was ecstatic, and repeatedly commented that God appeared to be bringing things together very nicely. Payne claims there were approximately 60 people at the meeting, and all were very supportive of the Hammonds. All but one of the people voted to form a Committee of Safety, and seven people were elected to be on that Committee.
Payne seemed pleasantly surprised by the support he received from the people of Harney County, and is having to readjust what he thought would be solely a militia-based effort to protect the Hammonds. He xxxx that it is not necessary for supplies and additional people to be sent to immediately to Harney County xxxx but suggested everyone needed to be ready to respond quickly. He said the militia response would definitely be needed, but just not in the next two weeks.
Payne is turning his efforts toward the Committee of Safety, and the local community rising up to protect the Hammonds on their own. Payne is optimistic that the townspeople may now be able to convince the Hammonds to take a stand against the government, and solicit the help of the militia.
Payne xxxx still was not getting much support from the leaders of the Pacific Patriots Network (PPN), but had received several promises of support from individual PPN members.
The following day, December 17, we have:On December 17, 2015, Ryan Payne called CHS to request CHS’s support and travel to Burns, Oregon, to provide security for Payne and the Committee of Safety (COS) which had recently been formed in Harney County. Payne indicated that the COS had met for the first time that day, and he had received reliable information that the federal government was planning on trying to arrest Payne and the members of the Committee of Safety within the next few days. Payne requested that CHS travel to Oregon with others to provide a ten-man security detail for Payne and the COS to prevent their arrest. Payne advised that he was also contacting xxxx militia associates, xxxx to ask for their assistance.
Next, we have the first report after the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, on January 4, 2016. It appears that Dyman was involved in soliciting others to participate in the occupation.Randy Eaton now thinks that it is important to support Ryan Payne’s efforts in Oregon. Eaton was initially against seizure of the refuge building in Oregon, but now believes it is time to support Payne and his associates in Oregon against the feds. Nic Whiting, xxxx would like to go to Oregon to join Payne as well.
Apparently, Dyman recalled an earlier request made by Payne and now includes that in his reporting.On December 17, 2015. Payne sent CHS a link to a website advertising a Element DBAL-D2 red Dot Aiming Laser with IR LED Illuminator Dark Earth. The features listed for this device indicate it can be placed on a 20 mm rail system, and is capable of Infrared illumination and Night Vision observation. In a text accompanying the link, Payne said, “Have you seen these? Get 10. Iol”
On January 5, 2016, Payne learns that Dyman is not willing to travel to Burns. Apparently, as with Dennis Dickenson, Payne was led on thinking that Dyman was going to come when the time to act came.Payne indicated he understood he could not count on CHS, and would pursue some other avenues. Payne xxxx has been conducting operations for over three years, including the Bunkerville matter and what is going on in Oregon, and law enforcement has never messed with him.
On January 11, 2016, Dyman repeats that he will not be going to Oregon. Apparently, Payne finally realized that Dyman was a man of words, not of actions.CHS told Ryan Payne CHS would not be coming to Oregon to provide supplies, ammunition, and support for Payne’s operation at the wildlife refuge. CHS told Payne CHS was concerned about a recent visit CHS had received from county law enforcement, and the FBI or other officials might attempt to hamper CHS’s travel to Oregon. Payne indicated he understood that he could not count on CHS, and would pursue some other avenues. From several prior conversations, CHS knows that Payne believed CHS might be able to supply body armor, night vision, armor piercing ammunition, rifles, and other equipment. Payne told CHS he has been conducting operations for over three years, including the Bunkerville matter and what is going on in Oregon, and law enforcement has never messed with him. Payne angrily ended the exchange. CHS understood from Payne’s comments that their relationship is now severed.
Now, to provide a little more background, when I wrote Dennis Dickenson (Dennis Jones, you see that FBI Special Agent Mark D. Seyler is listed on a report. That report is on FBI Form FD-1057. I have done some research and found that the 1057 form is the results from a search of the government database, based on keyword search criteria. It appears that Ryan Payne was probably the search request.11/04/2015
Drafted By: Mark D. Seyler
Case ID: xxxx
Collected From: xxxx
Receipt Given?: No
Holding Office: SALT LAKE CITYDetails:Operation is a militia-related network founded by Ryan Payne and xxxx. xxxx Details concerning OMD’s current status and development can be found in the referenced EC # xxxx. In summary, Payne was the leader of OMD’s precursor organization Operation Mutual Aid, when he helped to instigate the militia response to the Bundy Ranch event in April 2014. He served as Militia Coordinator for the Bundy Family during the standoff against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and is seeking to instigate similar such standoffs against the government through OMD.
The entire 1057 is 6 pages long and gives a detailed account of the workings, and information obtained by Dickenson, of the Operation Mutual Defense (OMD) Advisory Board. The 1023 forms for Dickenson and Dyman are the only two out of the total 15 reports that have this 1057 in them. This ties both parties to OMD, and both had submitted the required applications to OMD.There can be little doubt that these two were recruited to report on OMD, as well as any other information they could obtained from that association.
Tom Dyman is CHS #9, and is an outside informant. NOTE: If anybody has a picture of Tom Dyman, I would appreciate being provided a copy so that we all know what this informant looks like. Share this:
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Tags: Ammon Bundy, Bundy, Burns Oregon, demonization, FBI, government, Harney County, Honor, informants, Moral Values, patriots
Category: Articles | Comment (RSS) | Trackback
2 Comments
- http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/669463c...=109&d=mm&r=pgArthur says:
December 23, 2016 at 1:00 pm
Gary,
Are you going to publish these government forms?
Reply to this comment
- http://outpost-of-freedom.com/blog/w...2220-48x48.jpgghunt says:
December 23, 2016 at 1:14 pm
Absolutely not. First, there were conditions set by my source. Second, each document is clearly marked, “Dissemination Limited by Court Order”. Though I don’t see that I am bound by the Court Order, I have agreed not to disseminate them. Now, as to whether the source disseminated them, I think not. That is because of out agreement that I would only excerpt from hem, and that is all that I intend to do.
There are many that question whether I am falsely representing what they say. That is their prerogative. All of us read things. When we are finished reading, we decide whether we believe them, or not.
I stand behind what I have written, and I am willing to discuss them with the subjects, on Internet radio, if they prefer. However, exception of McConnell, none of even declared their innocence, at least t te best of my knowledge.
I will state that all that I know from my investigation is not necessarily included in my articles. Perhaps, if they know that, it would explain their silence.
I find myself, once again having to deal with my accusers, however, I don’t run from it — I take it head on.
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Re: 150 Militia Take Over Makhuer National Wildlife Preserve Headquarters
Jon Ritzheimer's Christmas gift to Mark McConnell
http://thepetesantillishow.com/infor...on-ritzheimer/
Informant Mark McConnell Receives Surprise Christmas Gift From Activist Jon Ritzheimer
PROVEN – STRONG – ADVOCACY – JOURNALISM
Guerilla Media Network – LLC
Phoenix Arizona
MERRY CHRISTMAS MARK McCONNELL
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Informant Mark McConnell Ordered To Stop HarassmentOn Tuesday – October 11th, 2016 – Jon Ritzheimer was sitting at a outside table at Nana Tee’s restaurant in Phoenix Arizona with friends when he was suddenly assaulted by Mark McConnell and girlfriend Shannon Vita, who were armed and ready to fight.
McConnell, was revealed to be the key informant during the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge trials in Portland Oregon – who helped Oregon State Troopers and the FBI set up a deadly roadblock which resulted in the death of Mr. Ritzheimer’s friend and fellow activist, Arizona Rancher -LaVoy Finicum.
After the stop Mr. McConnell was apprehended along with Ammon Bundy and other’s who were actively taking part in an attempt at an adverse possession of the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge located about 30 miles outside of Burns, Oregon. McConnell had been an active participant in the possession posing as Ammon Bundy’s armed lead security person, and was driving the jeep that carried key occupation leaders when they were pulled over. McConnell was the only person who exited the vehicle armed, and was one of two released after questioning. This set off a flurry of accusations that McConnell was an informant, which he aggressively denied and still denies to this day – even though Oregon State troopers and FBI witnesses say otherwise.
Many official documents taken directly from discovery in the case of United States vs Ammon Bundy et al, proving Mark McConnell’s involvement as an informant – can be found on activist blogger/writer Gary Hunt’s website – Outpost of Freedom.
Ritzheimer, who would eventually be arrested for his role during the possession of the Refuge, said he was minding his own business when McConnell came at him aggressively walking up to his table; Jon’s friends saw McConnell before he did. ” I stood up as I saw him approach the table – he said, and I remember thinking as he and his girlfriend flashed their weapons, this could get ugly.”
Witnesses say it was clear McConnell was spoiling for a fight and that he knew because of Jon’s court-ordered release conditions he would not be carrying a weapon and likely to break his pre-trial release agreement if he were to engaged in a public fight. But it did not stop McConnell from approaching Ritzheimer using intimidation to coax him to react.
Friends say Jon stayed very calm and told McConnell that he wanted nothing to do with him. Ritzheimer filed a police report the following day on October 12th, 2016.
Sheriffs who had been trying to serve McConnell with an Injunction Against Harassment (Restraining Order) since the day it was granted to Mr. Ritzheimer on October 18th, found their target to be illusive, but early Christmas Eve morning Maricopa County Sheriffs received a tip that McConnell was home in bed nursing a pretty bad hang-over. The Injunction was later served successfully.
McConnell and members of the Arizona lll% Organization, Veterans On Patrol, and various groups who run operations on the border, have been critical of Mr. Ritzheimer and others who participated in the adverse possession of the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge, and that criticism took a sinister turn when McConnell approached an unsuspecting Jon Ritzheimer who was simply having dinner with his friends.
Even though some of McConnell’s friends were also present at the refuge, and are documented to have been reporting to the FBI on a daily basis, none played as clear a role as Mark McConnell did while there.
Fueled by internet rumor and speculation, many threats have been posted by McConnell and his followers on social media. So much so, a Judge ruled clearly that Mark McConnell and anyone acting on his behalf, posed a real threat to Mr. Ritzheimer and his wife Rachel – and have been ordered to stop all harassment and have no contact including on-line.
Critics of Mark McConnell say, McConnell’s assault on Jon Ritzheimer in a crowded restaurant where innocent by-standers could have been hurt, clearly proves his excuse for turning informant based on his concern that innocent people could have been hurt or killed at the Refuge, is a lie.
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Many also believe that McConnell is successfully achieving a gang-like mentality among various groups who are now boldly sending out threatening orders for certain people to stay off their turf. Threats seem to be predominately coming from Militias in Western States, in particular those groups participating in various organizations from Arizona. Arizona seems to be a hotbed of contempt where the beginnings of the Malhuer Shakedown is suspected to have been born and a good deal of the Malhuer informants call home.
We heard a lot of talk coming out of Arizona before, during, and after the Occupation of Malhuer – that was, and continues to be pretty threatening. It has not gotten past us that much of that talk originated with Mark McConnell and his friend Melvin Lee – said one concerned activist — To think that good men would wrap their arms around informants and call them Brothers – to simply settle a vendetta is abhorrent to me – he said. It is clear they want some kind of turf war that will turn former allies into mortal enemies, and good organizations into gangs. (Source Protected)
McConnell or anyone who is acting on behalf of Mark McConnell, have been ordered to stop harassing Mr. Ritzheimer and his family. McConnell is often noticed for his on-line bragging about “doing it right” and it is yet to be seen if McConnell and his merry group of “Full Overblown Ex-Patriots” will approach Jon Ritzheimer moving forward, or if they have sense enough to follow a court order and begin to practice what they preach. Sources tell us Sheriffs spent approx. (2) hours with McConnell and left carrying items they had taken from his mobile home. Guns are suspected to be among those items taken.
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Re: 150 Militia Take Over Makhuer National Wildlife Preserve Headquarters
Gary Hunt has more on govt. informants. Outpost of Freedom.
« Burns Chronicles No 49 – Thomas S. Dyman (Tom Dyman)
Burns Chronicles No 50 – Informants – What to do About Them #2
December 25, 2016, 7:07 pm
Burns Chronicles No 50
Informants – What to do About Them #2
Gary Hunt
Outpost of Freedom
December 25, 2016
Merry Christmas, Mark McConnell
The matter of informants, and the government’s efforts to protect the names of those who have snuck into our midst is a denial of justice and to some degree, the Sixth Amendment right “to be confronted with the witnesses against him.”
Now, we can look at what the government wants us to believe. We can also look at what common sense dictates that the Framers of the Constitution meant. Just because a person doesn’t take the stand in court, when that person has provided information to the government, upon which the government builds its case, he has witnessed against the accused. The defendants, then, had every right to confront that “witness”, as he is privy to what he saw, what he heard, and what he said to the government. He is as much a part of the case against the defendant as the person who takes the stand, takes an oath, and testifies. Quite often, he is the justification for a search or arrest warrant to be issued, or a criminal indictment to be brought, before the court.
However, when that ‘witness’ is hidden from the defendant, the defendant is denied information that may aid him in a proper and fair defense. In some cases, their testimony might provide exculpatory evidence, testimony that might prove his innocence, that would undermine the contrived case made by the government.
With the recent trial of Ammon Bundy, et al, we can begin to put together a picture of the injustice and the dishonesty of the government’s pretext for hiding such “witnesses.”
We will begin with a partial trial transcript of the trial on October 17, 2016:
THE COURT:I would like to start first with Ms. Harris’s motion with respect to the identity of a witness. [Some of] the defendants have subpoenaed, it’s Docket No. 1443, And it is really a subset of the larger issue raised both by Ryan Bundy in previous filings and by Ammon Bundy in his motion to compel 1423. Before, I received Ms. Harris’ filing, which I only received this morning about 7:00 a.m. it showed up in my system, I had emailed to the parties my preliminary conclusions having reviewed, in camera, the unredacted reports related to the so-called CHSs confidential human sources, 15 different individuals, 112 reports, and I conveyed in that email to the parties that I have compared the redacted to the nonredacted reports and according to the applicable standard, did not find any basis to disclose the identity of those 15 confidential human sources. I observed to the parties that as I compared the redactions from the unredacted material, I really didn’t find any substantive significance. The redactions primarily looked to me as necessary to protect the identity of the informant, and so with respect to that general review, I conveyed to the parties my intention was to deny the motion generally.Then came in Ms. Harris’s motion on behalf of Ms. Cox with respect to a very particular one of those 15 confidential human sources, identified in her motion as number two, as to whom I have the redacted and unredacted materials. That was one person’s records I went through.
The motion indicates that the defendants have found the actual CH#2 who was known to the — who went by an alias, according to this motion, of John Killman. K-I-L-L-M-A-N. And so the motion goes on to argue why it’s relevant, first of all, for the defendants to call this person whose alias is John Killman and to introduce evidence from his personal knowledge of observations he made at the refuge.
And I presume defendants already know his true name in that they — Ms. Harris tells me in this filing that he’s been subpoenaed in his, is physically present, and needs to testify first thing because of other issues in his life.
We can see that the identification of the informants is a primary concern of Judge Anna Brown.
Next to speak is one of the Government attorneys..
BARROW: Good morning, Your Honor, the government’s position is that the filing of ECF 1443 doesn’t change the analysis. If this whole issue of disclosure of informants had been filed in a timely manner, say in August, of this year, the government would have asserted the informant’s privilege and would have said we weren’t obligated to disclose the identity of any informants and would have, through that mechanism, tried to keep the defense from putting informants on the stand.
What has happened now is that the defense believes that its identified an informant and believes that somehow that triggers some obligation for the government to confirm his status and his identity and we simply don’t think that that is the way the law works. We’re [intending] to preclude the defense from calling anyone. We don’t believe we have that ability, but requiring the government to somehow confirm defendants’ suspicions would similarly be a way around the Roviaro [decision] in the informant’s privilege.
Mr. Barrow mentions the Roviaro decision with regard to “informant’s privilege”. So, it behooves us to know just where this privilege comes from and why.
The Roviaro decision, Roviaro v. United States 353 U.S. 53 (1957), dealt with an informant, “John Doe”, who had purchased narcotics from Albert Roviaro. Roviaro then moved for a bill of particulars requesting, among other things, the name, address and occupation of “John Doe”. The Government objected on the ground that John Doe was an informer and that his identity was privileged. The motion was denied.
Now, drug dealers are notorious for violence, even murder, to protect themselves. So, it is understandable that in those circumstances, the identification of the informant was protected, for his personal safety.
However, Mr. Barrow gave away his hand, in the first paragraph of what he said, above, when he stated, on the record, that it “would have, through that mechanism, tried to keep the defense from putting informants on the stand.” Quite simply, he did not want the informants to testify. In fact, no informants, though paid, or at least compensated for expenses, by the government, were called, even though we know that there were 15 of them.
Here are a couple of quotes from the Roviaro decision:
The purpose of the privilege is the furtherance and protection of the public interest in effective law enforcement. The privilege recognizes the obligation of citizens to communicate their knowledge of the commission of crimes to law-enforcement officials and, by preserving their anonymity, encourages them to perform that obligation.
Well, if a passing observer reports something amiss to the government, I can see that there might be a question of whether providing information about the informant would serve any useful information to the defense. But, this is not the type of informant we are addressing. This would be more along the lines of someone who was interviewed, though the form for that type of interview is the FBI form 302, where a report of a casual interview develops information. It is far different than the form 1023, which is titled “CHS Reporting Document”, and is based upon a contractual agreement, including expenses and compensation, legally making the informant a temporary agent of the government, however not required to identify themselves as such.
Then, we have the Court telling us:We believe that no fixed rule with respect to disclosure is justifiable. The problem is one thatcalls for balancing the public interest in protecting the flow of information against theindividual’s right to prepare his defense. Whether a proper balance renders nondisclosure erroneous must depend on the particular circumstances of each case, taking into consideration the crime charged, the possible defenses, the possible significance of the informer’s testimony, and other relevant factors.
Now, since two informants testified for the defense, how can it possibly be the determination of the prosecuting attorney as to whether the informant would serve as “the individual’s right to prepare his defense“, as was proven with regard to “the possible significance of the informer’s testimony.”
On to the meat of the whole argument:
Once an informant is known the drug traffickers are quick to retaliate. Dead men tell no tales. The old penalty of tongue removal, once visited upon the informer Larunda, has been found obsolete.
Of course where enforcement of a nondisclosure policy deprives an accused of a fair trial it must either be relaxed or the prosecution must be foregone. The Government is fully aware of this dilemma and solves it every day by foregoing prosecutions in many cases where evidence essential to the defense would require disclosure. But this is not such a case.Here, then, is the distinction between selling drugs and waving the Constitution. The simple fact that the Second Amendment right was also exercised does not allow that right, the presence of firearms, to denigrate any other portion of the constitutionally protected rights.
If the government cannot afford the right to a fair trial, which they did not do in the first Portland trial, then the subsequent prosecution of the remaining defendants “must be foregone.”
There remain eight unidentified informants. If they are not disclosed, then the government would be in violation of the very Supreme Court decision (Roviaro) that they used to argue their right to not identify the informers.
As far as the government and informants, it seems that Congress has trouble even finding out to what extent informants are used by the various investigative agencies of the government.
In recent “House Oversight & Government Reform Committee hearing"
(video 6:22), Rep. Stephen Lynch (D. Mass.) points out that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has 18,000 informants “out there”, spending $237 million last year. The FBI is not included in that figure, though Lynch suggests that the FBI budget is comparable to that of the DEA.
Now, perhaps, there is justification for the DEA to both use and protect their informants, since they are dealing with people that have a high propensity for violence. At about 5:10, Thomas Blanton, George Washington University, makes the point that serious threat, or current investigation, are the only roles for the protection of informants.
So, let’s look at the situation involving the events in Burns, Oregon, this past January and February. There is no threat, as Barrow suggests, and the investigation is over. So, that investigation is not current, but under the guise of risk to informants, the Judge upheld the government position.
During the trial in Portland, on September 21, 2016, government prosecutor Gabriel intentionally elicited testimony from Oregon State Police Officer Beckert that exposed Mark McConnell as an informant for the FBI during the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. So, was there a concern for the safety of a government informant? The intentional exposure defies any consideration of concern for McConnell’s safety. So, apparently, Roviaro had no justification in being applied in McConnell’s case, why would it be of concern with regard to any other informant?
During the course of the trial, two more informants came out of the cold. First was Terri Linnell, who contacted defense attorneys so that she could testify on behalf of the defendants. Then came Fabio Minoggio (aka John Killman), who was found by the diligence of the defendants and their attorney investigators.Since that time, not one of the informants has been subjected to any harm, though one has been subject to considerable verbal abuse on the Internet.Since the end of the trial, three additional informants have been exposed. They have not been subjected to death threats, or in any way subjected to any physical harm.
On the contrary, we have one of the informants who has threatened one of the defendants. Deb Jordan has provided a thorough and documented explanation of this threat in her article, “Informant Mark McConnell Receives Surprise Christmas Gift From Activist Jon Ritzheimer“.
However, briefly, this past October 11, Jon and some friends were at a restaurant. McConnell found out that Jon Ritzheimer was there, so he went to the restaurant with his girlfriend and threatened Jon, attempting to get him into a fight.
Suffice it to say that those who wave the Constitution are no threat, at all. However, government informants do pose a threat, and should be exposed for what they are — spies upon the American people who are doing no more than exercising their rights — Something that should never be tolerated in this once great country of ours. List of informants exposed, to date, and associated articles:
Burns Chronicles No 32 – Terri Linnell (Mama Bear)
Burns Chronicles No 40 – Allen Varner – Wolf
Burns Chronicles No 41 – Dennis Dickenson (Dennis Jones)
Burns Chronicles No 42 – Fabio Minoggio (John Killman)
Burns Chronicles No 43 – Terri Linnell (Mama Bear) #2
Burns Chronicles No 44 – Mark McConnell
Burns Chronicles No 45 – Mark McConnell #2
Burns Chronicles No 47 – Robert “Rob” Seever
BurnsbChronicles No 48 – Robert “Rob” Seever (R.W. Seaver) #2
Burns Chronicles No 49 – Thomas S. Dyman (Tom Dyman)
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Tags: Ammon Bundy, Burns Oregon, Constitution, courts, FBI, government, Harney County, informants, jury, law, Moral Values, supreme Court
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LaVoy Finicum gives a 5 minute lesson on the Constitution posted by his daughter Chalice Lee Finicum Finch Nov. 28, 2016
http://youtu.be/6FRTxo9Qqog
https://youtu.be/6FRTxo9Qqog
