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OSINT Analysis of Militia Communications, Equipment and Frequencies (wordpress.com)
An anonymous reader writes: On January 2, 2016, the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, United States, were occupied by armed members of rump militias in one of the longest-running law enforcement standoff in American history. The Radiomasterreport blog, using publicly available information, wrote an OSINT Analysis of Militia Communications, Radio Equipment and Frequencies. The research results has astonishing conclusions: far-right patriot militas openly carrying +3000$ AR15 rifles and US military body armour also use cheap 30$ unsecure chinese Baofeng walkie talkie radios with no encryption whatsoever. Any simple ham radio operator , police scanner owner, or even some folks with a Software Defined Radio can receive those militia communications.
Encryption is prohibited for amateur radio communications.
Have gnu, will travel.
This is what the FBI has to say about the definition of domestic terrorism which you will note does not include the need for casualties:
"Domestic terrorism" means activities with the following three characteristics:
18 U.S.C. Â 2332b defines the term "federal crime of terrorism" as an offense that:
Link for reference
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
So the takeover of an abadoned building in the middle of nowhere
Not really abandoned. Most likely it was just shut down for the season. The refuge contains a large breeding area for birds and is a major migration stop, with over 320 different species of birds. So it's busiest seasons are most likely spring, summer, and fall. At most they might see a few hikers in winter, so there's really no need to fully staff the park then.
But generally when an armed group takes over a building that is owned by the government it is generally called terrorism, yes. Some definitions of terrorism (important clauses bolded):
UN General Assembly: Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them.
U.S. Code Title 22 Chapter 38, Section 2656f(d): Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.
I'd say the bill fits, they need to wear it.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
If you look at what the Hammonds have done over the last twenty years or so, what the "militia" up there has done, etc; These clowns got off easy.
Because they quote "scripture" and wear cowboy boots, they have gotten the soft approach from law enforcement, and everyone knows it.
Just imagine if something similar had taken place, except the "militia" was composed of African Americans, say, in Oakland or Memphis? It would have been a blood bath from the get go.
Also, why do these militia/patriot types think its their prerogative to use lethal force or violence to get what they want? WTF?!? That is what criminals do. Isn't this obvious enough?
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
The other thing that people seem to miss regarding these YeeHawdis is that they are idiots.
This is the problem with most conservatives. They're conservative because they're stupid.
Yes, they have committed multiple felonies, but I don't see being terrorists in that list myself..
They committed a violent action (and yes, occupying a building with firearms is a violent action) with a political purpose to coerce the government to free prisoners. That's pretty much the definition of terrorism.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
>the occupation was a protest to violation of double jeopardy and persecution of a man for an accidental brush fire
No, there was no 'double jeopardy'. They were not convicted twice of the same crime. The sentencing judge failed to follow the legal sentencing guidelines, so the State appealed the verdict, and the appellate court imposed the legally mandated sentence. There was no 'double-jeopardy' happening here - that's just dishonest rhetoric perpetrated by morons who don't understand the law.
No, nobody got persecuted for 'accidentally' setting a brush fire. The criminal conviction was for INTENTIONALLY starting a fire on PUBLIC land for the purpose of hiding the evidence of illegal poaching of game animals from that public land.
Again, there is nothing to that 'accidental' story but more dishonest rhetoric perpetrated by morons with a political agenda of violent revolution and anarchy.
And REGARDLESS of the intention behind the illegal acts committed by these anarchists, if you point your weapon at, or charge at or in some other way threaten the police, bad things are gonna happen. Simple as that. It doesn't matter WHAT they thought they were protesting. When you threaten a policeman, you die. I'll bet you're ok with Mike Brown getting killed, and Eric Garner getting killed. Is that because they were black, and black lives do NOT matter to you?
Note carefully how the PEACEFUL and UNARMED protesters of the 'occupy' movement were beaten, maced, and otherwise abused by the police. Were you objecting to that? Or is that different because you didn't happen to agree with their 'cause'? Do you think if some group other than Bundy's Yall-Queida group had done the same thing that the FBI and police would have been so forbearing? If those 'protesters' were black, they'd be called 'armed criminals', and would have been removed from the federal property within 24 hours, probably in body bags. If those 'protesters' were Muslims, they'd be called 'terrorists', and also would have been gone long before now. If they were Native Americans or environmentalists, they'd have been labeled 'armed radicals', and also would have been killed or jailed weeks ago. But no, they're white good ol boys, so they get treated with kid gloves, and are called 'protesters' in the press, rather than the TERRORISTS that they are. There's your 'leftist' media. Not.
This is a classic example of 'white privilege'. For a cop to shoot a white person, the person has to be charging AT the cop. While black people are shot while running AWAY from the cop.
N_J
I think you mean Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2: The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
True. But the radios the US military uses don't have to obey any rules of any nation. They sure as shit don't listen to the FCC. Look up the specs on those fancy Harris encrypting radios they have everywhere. (I could go to jail for just holding one of those things. :-))
First, those chinese radios are, to the letter of the law, illegal in the US -- they violate MANY rules for GMRS and FRS radios; plus, if they're like the ones I have, they arrive with FM transmit enabled. Encryption is absolutely illegal; and the cost and complexity keeps it out of the market.
(as with all things, the loophole is encrypting things before it gets to the radio. i.e. WEP/WPA/SSL over WiFi, VOIP + TLS, etc. In short, the radio didn't encrypt it.)