FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion
— Guest Opinion —
Attending
the meeting
that never
happened
By Jake Brown of Halfway
Special to The Baker County Press
A group from Baker County at-
tended a large public meeting at the
fairgrounds pavilion in John Day last
Saturday on the anniversary of the
political assassination of Robert “La-
Voy” Finicum.
Finicum was ambushed and shot
three times in the back by state and
federal law enforcement at an illegal
roadblock on a remote section of state
highway 395 on January 26, 2016. He
was on his way to John Day from Har-
ney County to meet the Grant County
Sheriff and to educate a waiting crowd
about the strict limits imposed on the
federal government by the Constitu-
tion. After crashing into a snowbank
in an effort to avoid colliding with the
“deadmans” road block set up on a
blind curve, he exited his vehicle and
tried to divert bullets and attention
away from the women in his truck that
had already come under fire. Ryan
Bundy was also shot in the arm with
what has been presumably identified
as a .308 caliber bullet. The FBI is
still being investigated for their role
using excessive force and the subse-
quent cover up of these events.
Finicum’s widow, Jeanette, has
gallantly stepped into LaVoy’s empty
boots as a big part of the growing
movement to educate the public of the
overreach of the federal government
and its violations of the public trust
and assault on traditional freedoms
and property.
In a re-creation of “The Meeting
That Never Happened,” Saturday’s
gathering lasted nearly six hours.
With over 700 tickets sold, the
packed house of emotionally charged
supporters were educated with inspir-
ing lectures on the importance of the
Constitutional Sheriff, Property and
States Rights, media propaganda and
“fake news.” The line-up consisted
of speakers from three different states
and included three attorneys, a prop-
erty rights expert, and a radio person-
ality.
There was also testimony from some
of the acquitted “occupiers” involved
in last years’ Malheur Refuge events
in Harney County. Defendants Jeff
— Guest Opinion —
Banta, Shawna Cox, Kenneth Meden-
bach and Neil Wampler were all pres-
ent. Also discussed was the upcoming
trial for the other patriots charged in
that refuge incident and what could be
expected.
Attorney Morgan Philpott reported
on the nature of the corrupt justice
system, and the conspiracy of the
highest Oregon officials to “stop the
virus [liberty education] from spread-
ing.” Also discussed was the pending
federal court case to be filed in the
wrongful death of Mr. Finicum.
Around 15 members of the Finicum
family were introduced to the sup-
portive and highly vocal crowd, along
with several members of the Bundy
and Hammond families. Jeanette Fini-
cum spoke about LaVoy’s exemplary
character and deeply-held beliefs and
his high moral and ethical standards.
She spoke of her commitment to carry
on his legacy and to educate others.
See https://www.onecowboystandfor-
freedom.com.
Dinner, drinks, and snacks were
sold and items were raffled as a fund
raiser for the seventh and eighth grade
class in John Day to visit President
Trump in Washington DC.
The high note of this visit will be to
personally deliver a request to Presi-
dent Trump to champion the people’s
rights to their state land as well as
freeing Dwight and Stephen Ham-
mond from wrongful incarceration.
The meeting was streamed live to a
national audience by OregonLive, but
was terminated when fiery constitu-
tional attorney KrisAnne Hall took the
stage for over an hour.
She gave her inspirational presen-
tation on State Sovereignty and the
meaning of the text in the supreme
Law of the land, the Constitution.
She delivered a strong and impres-
sive closing with, “Your state will not
stand against the federal government
until you stand individually.”
The federal government’s morphing
over the past two weeks is a breath
of fresh air compared to what we’ve
experienced over the past eight years.
And for the first time in a while, it
feels like Salem is actually more cor-
rupt and more morally bankrupt than
Washington DC.
But by individually caring and
learning, we can insist that our local
leaders are grounded on our founding
principles; principles espoused by Jef-
ferson, Madison, Henry, Adams, and
Washington.
We can take Oregon back, county
by county,by ensuring that our state
protects our traditional and God-given
rights and values.
Direction on
treating
addiction
needs changed
By Steve Culley of Baker City
Special to The Baker County Press
There is a revolution waiting to hap-
pen. For too long the real victims of
the drug epidemic have essentially
been a prey base for the state. The
real front line of the so-called war on
drugs has been the parents and ex-
tended families of the drug addict. Our
numbers are legion. We have been
called upon to fund the rehabilita-
tion of kids who have gotten hooked
on drugs as teenagers and take care
of their children. We are a nation of
grandparent parents. I just read a in
“Prison Legal News,” there is a report
out that charges criminal justice fees
perpetuate mass incarceration. The
United States has 5% of the world’s
population and has 25% of the world’s
prisoners. Prison is the third largest
spending category in most states after
education and health care. 11 states
spent more money on corrections than
higher education. Oregon is among
those states. It’s expensive.
To try and pay for this system law-
makers have sought other sources of
revenue. By forcing felons to pay for
such things as for probation, defense,
transportation, electronic monitor-
ing, drug tests, and even pay to stay.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? The trouble
is that felons have no jobs, no pros-
pects, no money, a dim future. To get
them started again it falls upon the
families to finance it.
If the families don’t pick up the
costs of fines and fees the felon might
incur more fines when they can’t pay.
I get different opinions of how it is
now but at one time Oregon, and my
own Baker County would turn over
unpaid fees to private collection agen-
cies. This takes it out of the hands
of the courts. Really dumb stuff like
having driver’s licenses revoked if
not paid only makes it assured that
the felon trying to get back on their
feet can’t find a job. Drive without a
license or uninsured and you might be
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right back in jail.
Families affected by the drug
epidemic can attest to this. The prison
industry can screw you with high tele-
phone rates, fees for sending money.
It cost me and my ex-wife $200 for a
one-day class on how to direct traffic:
a potential job when my daughter got
out. My half, $100, cost me $110.25.
I asked what the extra was for. “A
courtesy fee,” they said. I have only
scratched the surface of abuses of the
families by the state.
It is my considered opinion that
those in the legislature lack any will
to change things. Maintaining the
status quo is the vision they have. I
have written legislators, the governor
and talked with many in law enforce-
ment and am left with the reality that
unless you can threaten a job or the
wallet you are going to get blown off.
In reading through this publication
my idea that lawsuits are in order are
confirmed. Class action and personal
suits seem to get some action. Back
in the fall I asked people who want a
change to come into the library and
see if we could start doing things
differently. Six people showed up.
Apathy runs rampant. Those who are
getting screwed by the prison indus-
try need to rise and decide you are
not going to take it anymore. In the
meantime, I will continue to look for
legal help. Fair warning if you show
no interest in helping to change things
don’t whine if I get into your bank ac-
count. I have already discovered that
this kind of talk will get me and few
questions rather than a quick nod, now
go away.
The HBO movie, “American Gang-
ster” had a quote from the central
figure whose job it was to hunt down
the major supplier of heroin into the
United States during the Viet Nam
war. Drugs were coming in concealed
in caskets that were supposed to have
the bodies of fallen soldiers. During
one discouraging phase of the movie
he said, “I don’t think they want to
stop this, a hundred thousand jobs
would be lost.” That was in the sixties.
Now that the system coexists with the
drug industry and associated prison
industry I would guess those numbers
have risen dramatically.
The war on drugs isn’t being won.
Time to fire the generals and take a
new direction.
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Submitted Photos.
Jake Brown, a resident of Halfway, took these photos showing part of the crowd
at the meeting in addition to speaker Bill Norton from the Center for Self-Gover-
nance, speaking on property rights.
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