OR - PRESIDENTIAL PARDON - Militia members occupy federal building in Oregon after protest #4

Ammon Bundy’s Unusual Trial Is About To Get Even More Unusual
“I have no choice to get the truth to the jury but to get on the stand,” Bundy said.

Michael McLaughlin
Reporter, The Huffington Post
10/04/2016 12:30 pm ET

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ammon-bundy-testify-trial_us_57f32508e4b0d0e1a9a96598?section=&

“PORTLAND, Oregon — The stage is nearly set for the alleged ringleader of an armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge near Burns, Oregon, to testify in his own defense on Tuesday.

Though defense attorneys often warn against defendants taking the stand, Ammon Bundy said it’s necessary because of how the federal trial has so far unfolded against him and six co-defendants who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for 41 days in January and February.

“I do not feel I have a choice to testify or not,” said Bundy, 41, in response to questions from U.S. District Court Judge Anna Brown after the jury had been excused on Monday. “I have no choice to get the truth to the jury but to get on the stand.”

Central to the opinion of Bundy and the other defendants, including his older brother Ryan, is their claim that federal authorities did not have constitutional authority over the refuge. But Brown has forbidden the defense from broaching that topic. This trial is an inappropriate venue for debating views of federal land ownership and it has no bearing on whether the defendants are guilty of the charges, Brown has said.”

*

“In a sign of frustration from the Bundy camp, his wife, Lisa Bundy, told KGO-TV during Monday’s lunch recess, “I feel that the judge is very biased.””​

More!

 

Here come the big boys. I wish we could watch.

 

OR maybe this:

JJ MacNab – Verified account ‏@jjmacnab

@Leah_Sottile Upcoming witnesses Sheriff Mack, Michele Fiore, Jeanette Finicum...
1:17 PM - 4 Oct 2016

 

Oregon standoff trial: Tuesday highlights, and what's next
The Oregonian/OregonLive By The Oregonian/OregonLive
on October 05, 2016 at 5:00 AM, updated October 05, 2016 at 7:42 AM

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/10/oregon_standoff_trial_tuesday_3.html

Paraphrased, sort of:

- With his Bible in hand, Ammon Bundy portrayed himself as a weak underdog pitted against a powerful federal government that has tried to crush his family.

- His father made him do it.

- In November, he decided to travel to Oregon to meet with the Harney County ranchers to "understand who they were.''

- David Fry's father testified Tuesday that he tried to convince his son not to go to Oregon, but his son told him he wanted to let the world know about the injustices that ranchers faced.

- His father described his 28-year-old son as a computer whiz, not a gun enthusiast.

Coming up: (Wednesday)

- “Ammon Bundy is expected to return to the witness stand this morning, and will continue to testify under direct examination from his lawyer Marcus Mumford. Mumford estimated that he'll complete direct examination by mid-day.”

- “Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight said he expected a cross-examination of Bundy to last about 30 minutes.”

- “Another defense witness who may be called today is Michele Fiore, a Nevada lawmaker who was in frequent contact with Ammon Bundy and other occupiers at the refuge. Fiore showed up in the public gallery of the federal courtroom briefly Tuesday afternoon during part of Ammon Bundy's testimony. U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown said she recognized Fiore from media coverage, and reminded defense lawyers that witnesses can't be in the courtroom until after they've testified.”​

More...

 

Ammon Bundy says he tried to resist father's push to rally around Oregon ranchers
By Maxine Bernstein | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on October 04, 2016 at 6:21 PM, updated October 05, 2016 at 7:43 AM

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/10/ammon_bundy_testifies_saying_h.html

“Ammon Bundy carried a worn Bible to the witness stand Tuesday and portrayed himself as a weak underdog pitted against a powerful federal government that has tried to crush his family.

Asked where he lived, Bundy said, "At the Multnomah County jail ... just across the street. I've been there eight and a half months.''

Bundy became emotional on the stand several times, his voice quivering as he described how "useless'' it seems fighting against federal authorities who have put his father, his brothers and him behind bars.”

*

“Ammon Bundy told jurors that his family has grazed cattle at their ranch near Bunkerville, Nevada, since they homesteaded in the 1870s. But he didn't mention anything about his father owing the government more than $1 million in grazing fees. His father stopped paying after the Bureau of Land Management ordered him to restrict the periods when his herd roamed as part of an effort to protect the endangered desert tortoise.

Bundy said his family faced a "tremendous amount of abuse'' for trying "to protect these grazing rights that we own.''”

*

“In October, he said his father asked him again what he knew about the Hammonds' sentencing.

"He said, 'I'm afraid what's happening ...,'' Ammon Bundy said, pausing mid-sentence as he fought back tears, unable to get more words out.

Struggling to compose himself, he continued, trying to complete what his father had told him: "He said, 'I'm afraid what's happening is the same thing that happened to us.'''

"At that time I said I can't fight another battle. We're doing the best we can to keep our family from going to prison,'' Bundy testified, a pocket Constitution in the left front pocket of his blue jail scrubs.”​

Much more. Admittedly there is probably a slight bias in my selection of snippets. Read the whole article for yourself, its a good one!

 

Ammon Bundy testifies how Bunkerville shaped his views in Harney County
By Maxine Bernstein | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on October 05, 2016 at 1:09 PM

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/10/ammon_bundy_testifies_about_ho.html

“He testified that his experience at Bunkerville, as well as his religious faith and Mormon teachings, prompted him to do what he could to try to assist the Hammonds who he believed faced incomprehensible abuses by the federal government.

Flipping through The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints' on the witness stand, Bundy explained to jurors that among his church teaching is this:​

"It is our duty to go to the judge. It is our duty to go to the representative. It is our duty to go to the president and plead with them to stand up for what is wrong,'' he said. Further, it's a duty to give each of these officials the opportunity to do what is right.

"We are not to act until that has been done,'' he said.​

U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown, more than once, warned Bundy not to read to jurors from the Scriptures, after Bundy's lawyer asked him to turn to a particular passage.

Prosecutor Ethan Knight quickly stood, and told the judge, "I'm objecting because I'm perplexed. This is not relevant.''

The judge agreed. "The witness is not going to read from Scripture,'' Brown said.​

And

“Bundy also told jurors how he recommended Harney County residents set up a Committee for Safety at a community meeting on Dec. 15. Such a committee, he testified, was established by the country's founding fathers who were ignored by the British government.

After being ignored by Harney County and state officials, Bundy testified that he received divine intervention about what avenue to pursue next.

"I did exactly what the Lord asked me to do. I did the best I could with the direction that he gave me,'' Bundy was heard on a Jan. 1 video he made called, "My Dear Friends'' video.

"I was to call all these people together and unite together and we were to create a defense for the people of Harney County so they could begin to use their lands and their resources again,'' Bundy said on the video played in court.

Mumford asked what Bundy had in mind at that point.

"I had in mind we would go to Burns and we could make a hard stand then,'' he testified.

Asked if he had planned then to take over the refuge, Bundy said, "No, I had not made a decision.''

Once Bundy stepped down from the stand for the lunch break, co-defendant Neil Wampler stood at his defense table, and started to applaud, saying out loud, "We all love you Ammon. Thank you for everything you've done.''

Bundy's wife, Lisa Bundy, and other supporters in the public gallery joined Wampler in his applause.”​

There is so much in this article, and this just from this morning. The colors reflect my being overcome with patriotic spirit. Apologies.

 

You just don't take 18,000 rounds of ammo to a supposedly harmless, peaceful takeover of a wildlife sanctuary that lasted over a month . You just don't and try to defend those actions. It's terroristic. No one wants some group they don't even know to walk into their town telling them what they "don't know". Lock them up and hopefully, prison might teach them about the real world. Some of their minds are corrupted currently and maybe permanently. jmo


Too much to copy. Blow by blow today.


Heated exchanges, with some lighter moments, during the federal conspiracy case Wednesday

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/10/heated_exchanges_with_some_lig.html#incart_2box

 

Maxine has posted two stories about today's testimony.

The morning session:

Ammon Bundy describes arrest: 'Men in the trees and everywhere else'

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/10/ammon_bundy_describes_arrest_m.html


The afternoon session:

Ammon Bundy: Guns allowed Oregon refuge occupiers to express First Amendment rights

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-st...rs_brief_cross-examin.html#incart_river_index

“After Ammon Bundy spent three days testifying about why he occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a prosecutor Thursday afternoon fired rapid questions at him during a cross-examination that lasted just under 15 minutes.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight started out, "You are the leader'' of the occupation, right?

"No,'' Bundy said.”​

 

Bill Fry telling the court that the situation offered his son David the opportunity he’d been seeking for years:
“He wanted to go somewhere where the world was listening.”


Why Was a 26-Year-Old Computer Whiz from Ohio the Last Man Standing at Malheur?
Outside Magazine
By: Leah Sottile Oct 6, 2016

http://www.outsideonline.com/2122591/david-fry-malheur-holdout

 

A broad range of testimony today.

This interested me:

Defense resumes with testimony on FBI informant, David Fry's mental eval and 'ugly guns'
By Maxine Bernstein
October 11, 2016

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/10/defense_resumes_with_testimony.html

“The defense case in the Oregon standoff trial continued Tuesday with testimony from a San Diego woman who was paid $3,000 by the FBI to serve as an informant.

Terri Linnell said she received a call from an FBI agent in San Diego asking if she'd be willing to go to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to report her observations and keep an eye out for any illegal activity occurring there.

"They asked me to just be myself,'' Linnell testified.

She described herself as a longtime protester who had gotten to know an FBI agent in San Diego about six months earlier on an unrelated case.

Linnell said she was asked to report back on six people: Ammon Bundy of Emmett, Idaho, Ryan Bundy of Cedar City, Utah, Ryan Payne of Anaconda, Montana, Blaine Cooper of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, Jon Ritzheimer of Peoria, Arizona, and Joseph O'Shaughnessy of Cottonwood, Arizona.

*

Linnell testified that she cooked and cleaned during her stay from Jan. 12 through Jan. 23 at the refuge. She said she didn't see defendants Neil Wampler, Shawna Cox or David Fry carrying guns and described Cox as serving in an "administrative assistant'' role, not as a leader of the occupation. She said there were no drugs or alcohol there.

Yet Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Barrow pointed out during cross-examination that Linnell had reported to the FBI on Jan. 14 that she heard talk among people at the refuge about "taking over another federal facility in Burns.''

"What?'' Linnell asked. "What report are you looking at?''​

 

Recap & audio news cast published by OPB. Listening now and sounds like a good recap so far and a little more info about DF.

Update: Online Radicalization, Mental Illness and David Fry

http://www.opb.org/news/series/burn...eur-occupation/?t=928083#.V_2zCz3jxf4.twitter

 

Oh, that's a really interesting broadcast! I waited until this morning to listen so I could give it my full attention. The interview with the woman who wrote the Outside article was very interesting. A much fuller look at David (and his parents).

I learned a little more about Terri Linnel, the FBI informant. I knew she had run for congress a few years ago but not much more. She seems to be a professional weasel, imo. (I have been interested lately in spies and informants. The odds of them working out seem to run at about 1 out of 10 actually helping the FBI, CIA, etc.)

Anyhow,the broadcast gave me lots of food for thought. Definitely worth the time to listen.

The courtroom is dark today.

 

Haven't caught up yet with Thursday and Friday events but David Fry testified Friday and I saw this tweet which I find is both illuminating and tremendously sad:

Maxine Bernstein
Maxine Bernstein – Verified account ‏@maxoregonian

Fry:'I sometimes like to believe what I hear is an angel- don't want to think of it as a disease .' #Oregonstandoff
10:52 AM - 14 Oct 2016​

 

Tuesday October 18, 2016

Maxine Bernstein ‏@maxoregonian
Judge just spent about 30 mins reading jury instructions #Oregonstandoff

 

I really hope someone makes a documentary about this.

 

It's sad, but hopeful too - maybe this will lead to him getting some help.

 

Eileen ParkVerified account ‏@EileenParkTV 11h11 hours ago
BREAKING NEWS:

The refuge takeover trial has officially gone to the jury.

They begin deliberations tomorrow morning.

Maxine BernsteinVerified account ‏@maxoregonian 11h11 hours ago
Gabriel:'The FBI was trying to avoid another Bunkerville.' #Oregonstandoff

Maxine BernsteinVerified account ‏@maxoregonian 8h8 hours ago
#oregonstandoff Def. Shawna Cox filed motion today to disqualify Judge Brown for 'good cause'



[video=twitter;788953506732355584]https://twitter.com/maxoregonian/status/788953506732355584[/video]

Conspiracy charge 'stretches reality,' David Fry's lawyer argues in Oregon standoff closing

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/10/conspiracy_charge_stretches_re.html

 

The jurors will be deliberating this morning. Anticipating an early verdict. Tweets/fb posts from the militia backers are as expected this morning.

 

Thanks for keeping up with this

 

Maxine Bernstein
Maxine Bernstein – Verified account ‏@maxoregonian

Just learned #Oregonstandoff jurors sent home for the day; deliberations continue Mon morning #Oregonstandoff
3:38 PM - 20 Oct 2016

PDT