As a student of the literature of the
American West and a Texan, I’ve been watching events at the national sanctuary in
Oregon with interest—can come to absolutely no conclusion. Lots of people on
Facebook seem to think the protestors should be shot immediately—for treason or
some other heinous crime. That seems a bit extreme. Yes, they’ve broken Federal
law by occupying the land. Open carry is legal in Oregon so they can’t be
punished for being armed. If, as I read tonight, the takeover is to protest the
increased jail sentences of a father and son for setting fires to rid property
of parasitic growth and prevent fires on their land, it’s a quixotic and futile
gesture. Not sure if those fires were on private or Federal land.
I can sort of see the ranchers’ point
of view—Federal lands are hemming them in, and small ranches have little
chance. But that was true in the late 19th century—read Elmer Kelton’s
The Day the Cowboys Quit. It may be
because I’m a progressive liberal, but I always thought government ownership of
large portions of the American West was a good thing because it protected land
from development. That theory came crashing down this past year when Congress
voted to sell land sacred to the Native Americans to a foreign investor. I
definitely think that’s wrong, but I don’t like much this Congress has done…or
left undone. And the land in Oregon now occupied by protestors is part of a
parcel granted the Paiute by Teddy Roosevelt, which further complicates
matters.
This is apparently a matter for the
FBI, which is strangely silent in spite of calls for
immediate action, preferably gunfire (what is wrong with this country with its
mania for guns?). I think whatever Federal authorities are in charge are
playing it smart. Today one of the Bundy brothers said they don’t want it to
come to bloodshed, but I’m not sure. A corner of my mind thinks they want
confrontation—some are even willing to die as martyrs. A direct assault would
play into their hands. Others would undoubtedly join the protest or stage
separate protests—in this world today, we don’t need another civil war.
But that’s sort of the way I feel when
people argue that President Obama is weak because he hasn’t sent us back to war
in the Middle East. He has a far more decisive program there than critics give
him credit for, but he’s not going to send our young men and women into another
Iraq or Afghanistan.
I haven’t decided who I’m voting for
in the presidential election, but I like the idea of a woman. Less combative,
less testosterone. Lord, give us peace.
