UPDATE: Friday, May 24, 2024 · 3:08:43 PM +00:00
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CathyM
Not related to this event, but coincidentally placed: the family whose malnourished child started the conflict between Bundy and St. Luke’s Hospital in Idaho, that resulted in him being arrested for various contemtuous actions, has just filed a $10Mil suit against the hospital this week:
www.thenewstribune.com/…
The parents of the baby at the center of a child welfare case that prompted protests at hospitals led by far-right activist Ammon Bundy have filed a lawsuit naming St. Luke’s Health System, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the city of Meridian and several individuals.
This story really should have been unearthed BEFORE our primary elections; not sure what we can do about it now… but The Guardian reports that Ammon Bundy’s “People’s Rights Network” are trying to mole their way into central and eastern Oregon politics. My sense is they are trying to set up for votes to move that area into Idaho, but in any case, this needs watching:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/24/people-rights-network-oregon-elections
At least 66 members of far-right group in rural Oregon standing for office
At least 66 members of an anti-government group founded by far-right militia figure Ammon Bundy have attempted to win local positions of influence in the Republican party in Oregon, the Guardian can reveal.
The candidates stood for Republican precinct committee person (PCP) slots in three central Oregon counties in this week’s elections, with some facing no opponent and thus winning their positions by default. The role of PCPs includes electing the executive of the county-level GOP apparatus.
The move is part of what appears to be a coordinated attempt to capture the local Republican party infrastructure, following a far-right strategy of “entryism”into more mainstream political bodies. The electoral fate of all 66 candidates is not yet clear….
...In precinct 2 of Jefferson county, for example, where 17PCP slots are available, at least 12 of 18 candidates are identified as PRO5members; in precinct 11, the only candidate is Paul W May, a People’s Rights member; and in precinct 21, all four candidates for four available slots are members.
With only 49 candidates running for positions in Jefferson county, and PRO5 guaranteed at least 21 committee seats, they will likely constitute a powerful voting bloc for central committee positions when votes are tallied.
It’s a long article, but well worth reading. I love the fact that a ham operator was able to overhear and record their plans, and made that info available to media. And now that they’ve been exposed, their easy meeting strategy will have to shift to something more encoded.
On the one hand, there is a Democrat majority in our state legislature, enough to be sure they can’t pass their nonsense. On the other hand, Repubs have already cause huge disruption in the legislature with their walk outs and refusals to do their jobs. My worry is that there aren’t enough people in eastern Oregon counties who worry enough about Bundy’s gang worming their way in and making it even more toxic. I really hope I’m wrong.
I’ll go searching and will update this as I find more.