Oregon militia standoff more of a tantrum

“Rural Californians sympathize with protesters’ goals in Oregon standoff” (Jan. 14) is an unfortunate headline to a fairly balanced story about protesters squatting in a wildlife refuge office.

The large headline and its accompanying map are guaranteed to draw the eye of even those just looking to line the birdcage. Problem is, it is a distortion of the story within, and the facts.

We are led to believe that a significant number of Californians are on the side of a small, radical band of heavily armed, misguided lawbreakers. But in fact, only a few actually share their ends, and none approve of their means.

Ironic that the loudest complaints are from the few who profit off the charity of taxpayers. And now they get a big fat headline legitimizing their “goals.” Their goal, as far as I can tell, being free exploitation for personal profit of land they haven’t purchased.

So my tax dollars not only subsidize someone’s cattle enterprise, but now I’m also paying their rent, too, as long as they continue their little tantrum. That’s what I take from this story.

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Oregon militia standoff more of a tantrum."