On Saturday, January 2, Ammon Bundy led a group of protesters in occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge Building outside of Burns, Oregon. An outgrowth of a demonstration in support of two ranchers, Dwight and Steven Hammond, who were convicted of allowing a controlled fire to engulf federal lands, the act of dissent was aimed to symbolize a much broader protest: the allegedly unconstitutional extension of the federal government and the revocation of local rancher freedom. The Malheur Refuge symbolized, they believe, the infringement of private land rights, and so they took possession of it in an armed occupation and vowed not to relinquish the property until their demands were met.
Ammon is the son of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who has previously led a standoff with the American government; like his father, Ammon defends his actions through religious belief and justification. Most importantly, as a Mormon, Bundy mixes LDS symbolism with a libertarian language of disgust for the federal government. He claims he prayed and received inspiration that guided his activities: â??The Lord was not pleased with what has happening with the Hammonds,â? he said. His protest against federal overreach, he believes, is an extension of his Mormon faith. In another interview, Bundy explained: â??I have no idea what God wants done, but he did inspire me to have the sheriffs across the United States take away these weapons, disarm these bureaucracies, and he also gave me a little inspiration on what would happen if they didnâ??t do that.â? This is as much a religious mission as it is a political action. If Ammon followed the example of his father from several years before, then prior to their quest, he would have fasted and prayed for the â??spirit of their forefathers to be with them.â?
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