From the very liberal Vox.com...... While some liberals revel in the situation as some sort of political statement, others take a deeper look into the situation. Maybe the ladder will catch on?
http://www.vox.com/2016/1/4/10708848/oregon-militia-mandatory-minimum
What led a militia to take over a federal building in Oregon? Behind the tense standoff is a legitimate protest over a troubling law — specifically, a very harsh mandatory minimum sentence.
The building takeover began after armed men broke off from a peaceful march over prison sentences given to two local ranchers, Dwight and Steven Hammond. The dad and son have been sentenced to five years in prison for starting fires on their land in 2001 and 2006 — supposedly to kill invasive species and protect their ranch — that spread to public land. No one was hurt as a result of the fires, but federal law required a judge to give the ranchers at least a five-year sentence anyway.
If the mandatory minimum seems harsh to you, you're not alone. The judge in the case argued that it's too much. And whatever one thinks about the merits of taking over a federal building with the threat of gun violence, the sentence is leading to yet another look at the problem with mandatory minimums.
http://www.vox.com/2016/1/4/10708848/oregon-militia-mandatory-minimum
What led a militia to take over a federal building in Oregon? Behind the tense standoff is a legitimate protest over a troubling law — specifically, a very harsh mandatory minimum sentence.
The building takeover began after armed men broke off from a peaceful march over prison sentences given to two local ranchers, Dwight and Steven Hammond. The dad and son have been sentenced to five years in prison for starting fires on their land in 2001 and 2006 — supposedly to kill invasive species and protect their ranch — that spread to public land. No one was hurt as a result of the fires, but federal law required a judge to give the ranchers at least a five-year sentence anyway.
If the mandatory minimum seems harsh to you, you're not alone. The judge in the case argued that it's too much. And whatever one thinks about the merits of taking over a federal building with the threat of gun violence, the sentence is leading to yet another look at the problem with mandatory minimums.
