How the West Wasn’t Won

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine. Imagine that the 20-odd armed self-proclaimed patriots now occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Oregon were more media-savvy. Imagine that these disgruntled, 10-gallon-hatted desperadoes were able to top the blustery, convoluted riffs they’ve thus far brought to cable news and make a cogent case for economic injustice on the Western range. What if they could evoke history with eloquence and marshal piercing statistics as they rally for the release of two Oregon ranchers—Dwight and Steve Hammond, father and son—recently imprisoned for setting a fire that spread to public land? Could they make the case that if their demands were met, they’d actually improve the lives of hardworking farmers, loggers, and ranchers?

The Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, as the patriots are calling themselves, have a leader: hulking, bearded, 40-year-old Ammon Bundy. And he’s said that his posse won’t leave until the Hammonds are free and freedom reigns. No more penalties for pesky infractions like arson, Bundy insists: “The people will need to be able to use the land and resources without fear as free men and women.” In the Citizens’ founding document, the “Call to Action!” which Bundy posted to Facebook on Dec. 30, he added, “The federal government has adversely stolen the lands and resources from the people, destroyed thousands of jobs and the economy of an entire county.” How has it done this? As Bundy sees it, by taking possession of vast swaths of land.