January 2, 2016, Burns, Oregon goes up in a firestorm from the national news, after 30 armed protestors take over a government building (bird sanctuary). Following, the peaceful protest against the arrest of father and son duo; Dwight and Steven Hammond. The takeover is led by no other than Ammon Bundy, son of the infamous anti-government rancher Calvin Bundy of Nevada. These armed and ornery men, have been called a multitude of things, such as, "armed protestors, self-proclaimed militia, patriots, and domestic terrorists". All of which the news is so focused on finding the correct phrase as to not cause any hostile tensions. However, after reading the accounts of the local news station in Burns and other first-hand accounts, the intimidation motives these men have been using against the community, makes them domestic terrorists. These men have conspired to over throw the federal wildlife refuge in Burns, Oregon, as well as following, and stalking community leaders including police officers, when they arrived home, igniting fear into them and their families, also leading to local schools to be shut down out of fear of the worse to come. 

I do understand where they are making their claims from as the nephew of a wheat farmer, I have seen where the government subsidizes land to preserve, do harbor the heavy burden of a lost profiti. However, this does prevent the farmers from making an even greater profit. In farming you buy the equipment, pay for whatever items you may need including your own home and shelter, and food, as well as whatever employees you my hire. All of these items come before the farmer makes a sale on his produce. However, these farmers are not the ones breaking the law. The cattle ranchers of Nevada and Oregon are the ones who are. They are the ones who could not control their stock, by simply building the fence onto which lands the cattle were not to cross into. Nonetheless, these men had the money to stage protests, and to drive hundreds of miles to take over a federal building in Burns, Oregon. These protestors, are protesting against the lawful re-arrest of the father and son duo for setting a control burn, that did get out of hand and burned 120 acres of federal land, and according to eye witness account destroying evidence of their poaching habits. These me are not innocent, they have admitted to the crime, and have been proven without a doubt that they committed federal arson. They should serve more time in jail than they originally did due to the federal standards on felony charges. Which amounts to five years, minimum, and they only served one year. According to Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, "{since the protestors have arrived}, there has been an increase in vandalism, harassment, and intimidation reports."1 Defense attorneys believe that, "their clients engaged in civil disobedience and are being punished for political speech." Colleagues, in high school government class we learn some examples of what civil disobedience are, and this is not one of them. Civil disobedience is the nonviolent act of disobeying certain laws and demands of the government. Not taking over a federal bird sanctuary building in the name of "freedom". 

These men are not just simple armed protestors or rancher civil rights activists. These men are heavily armed, and are urging others from around the United States to come and join into their cause, " ... and claiming somehow that, while peaceful, they will "defend" themselves whatever it takes, are  -- by any definition -- domestic terrorists." (Juliette Kayyem CNN) These men do not value the land in which God has placed them on, other than just for progress of their family. Which is not entirely wrong, however, we should preserve these lands for future generations to come, and so that they too may have fresh air to breathe, and beautiful sights to see without sky-scrapers, smog and light pollution to destroy their clear eye sight. Maybe these protestors are trying to get a valid point (to their reasoning) across but no politician is willing to listen. Regardless of who or who is not listening, these men now have the attention of Americans everywhere, for breaking the law, for occupying a federal building, which can be believed to be, a part of a conspiracy to overthrow the government, otherwise known as treason. These men have struck fear into the citizens of Burns, Oregon, and have committed intimidation tactics to keep the people in fear for as long as the possibly could. These men are domestic terrorists who should be charged as such. While there is a fear of them being made martyrs for future causes, the law is the law, and the law should not bend no matter who the person is, and what they are trying to get across. 
