The Bundy militiamen are like a Black September version of an Iron John forest retreat: a bunch of weepy middle-aged guys who dressed up in crisply pressed outdoorswear and took over a bird sanctuary so they could play outlaw for a few days while they "worked on themselves."I've mostly been ignoring these buffoons, figuring that the sooner they disappear from the news the sooner they will disperse, allowing the FBI to arrest the leaders without violence. But Taibbi cracks me up.
They gathered around a bonfire (there really was a bonfire) and presumably engaged in Robert Bly-style mythopoetic healing, getting back to their manly roots by stroking their rifles, wearing camo undies, and complaining about all the wrongs done to them by women/the federal government/wild birds/whoever. . . .
There's no doubt that these people are dangerous, but their ridiculousness is a huge part of who they are. Incidentally, this is true of groups like the actual al-Qaeda, too, led as they are by men in beards and Rick-Perry-style "smart glasses" who play at being religious scholars and intellectuals when in fact they are the kind of people who are afraid of cartoons and lie awake at night wondering if it's permissible to play chess with a menstruating woman. Just because a person is dangerous does not mean he's not also absurd.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
The Weeping Rebels of Malheur
Matt Taibbi:
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I would have thought you might be following the situation a bit more closely, as they're actively endangering native american artifacts and have already destroyed archeological sites, but I understand how easy it is to dismiss these idiots.
From what I've heard they've finally gotten cold and bored enough, and they're now in direct talks with the FBI. Sadly I suspect they're going to be given a lenient "deal" and get slapped on the wrist for all this insanity.
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