Ammon Bundy, one of the leaders of the standoff in Oregon, speaks to the media on Wednesday. (Getty Images)
Re: “Q&A: Federal land ownership in the West,” Jan. 5 news story.
The occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon by armed “activists” who demand that the government “return” the land to “the people” raises a number of issues. But as usual, one of the most basic issues of justice is being ignored in the coverage of this event.
The Q&A about the situation presented by The Post, for example, states that the federal government took control of “unclaimed land” to create the refuge. That euphemism disguises the fact that the land in question, like all the land that constitutes the United States, was stolen from the indigenous peoples who lived on it, in this case the Northern Paiute.
When people like the Bundys talk about their “rights” to the land, and the “tyranny” of the government, we need to remember that history and whose rights have really been violated.
Mark Cohen, Denver
When we speak of federal land rights and federal land ownership, we must keep in mind that federal land belongs to you and me. Federal land is our land.
How much land does the federal government own? We are the federal government. All BLM land is public land. All citizens have a right to be on BLM land — not just ranchers, farmers and miners for their own private use.
Let us refer to the Bureau of Land Managementap mission, from the BLM website: to “ensure that the nation’s public lands are managed and conserved for future generations of Americans to use and enjoy.”
These lands are not just for the private use of these gun-toting extremists.
Len Vohs, the ex-mayor of Burns, Ore., who was quoted in your article, put it in perfect perspective: “Itap anarchy. What we have here is old-style thinking, that might is right.”
Louis Pappageorge, Denver
This letter was published in the Jan. 8 edition.
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