America under attack.

Imagine, if you will, armed Black Lives Matter protesters taking over a federal building in [choose your city and state ] America. The folks in the majority population would be livid and foaming at the mouth for action. "How dare they? This is America ,damn it. They cannot just circumvent our rules. We are a country of laws."

Anyway, like so many other things in America, not all protesters were created equal.

Up in the great Northwest (where my dear sister now resides), there are a bunch of armed militia folks taking on the federal government, and they have taken over a federal building and dared Uncle Sam and his minions to come and get them. (Is that a drone I am hearing in my dreams?)   

Among the group of armed lawbreakers is the son of  Cliven Bundy (Remember Him?), Ammon Bundy.  Ammon and his pals have settled in for the long haul, and they told CNN this morning that they will stay as long as they have to, and if the government tries to take them, they will do what is necessary to defend themselves. I wonder what exactly "what is necessary means". I can only guess.

Now these "patriots" are up in Burns, Oregon defending an arsonist who is wanted by the federal government for allegedly torching federal land. I personally think that five years is a little harsh for the old guy and his son, but hey, laws are laws. I have spent a great deal of my life in courtrooms both upholding the law and defending people who have been charged with breaking them. That said, this family in Oregon is not new to the rodeo. There are hundreds of thousands Americans cooling their heels in prison because of harsh prison sentences. 

"Ammon Bundy, an Idaho militia leader, said that while the occupiers were not looking to hurt anyone, they would not rule out violence if police tried to remove them, the Oregonian reported.

Bundy's brother Ryan Bundy, who is also an occupier, told the Oregonian that they're 'willing to kill and be killed' if necessary, adding that the federal officials' actions have been 'in violation of the constitution'. "

Oh yes, the Constitution, that important document that some people conveniently use for their benefit when necessary.

Here is hoping that these so called "patriots" will be hauled off to jail one by one and charged with breaking the law. If you are going to practice "civil disobedience" you must be civil. Just ask Martin Luther King, and Mahatma Gandhi. I didn't see any guns with the folks joining those two when they were protesting the wrongs of society. 

Do these lawbreakers pose a physical "threat" to America? Maybe not yet, but with every passing day that they are allowed to disregard the law, they become just as big a threat as those terrorists who shot up that regional center in San Bernardino, California this past December.   

*Pic courtesy of AP.