patrick.net

Ammon Bundy and his band of weeping, self-pitying, gun-toting, wannabe-terrorist metrosexuals are America's most ridiculous people

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-dumb-and-the-restless-20160107?page=2

This is not to say it's not OK for men to cry. Of course it's OK for men to cry. What's not OK is to be so completely in love with yourself and up your own ass that you don't even realize you're committing acts of terrorism.

The Bundy militiamen are like a Black September version of an Iron John forest retreat: a bunch of weepy middle-aged guys who dressed up in crisply pressed outdoorswear and took over a bird sanctuary so they could play outlaw for a few days while they "worked on themselves."

They gathered around a bonfire (there really was a bonfire) and presumably engaged in Robert Bly-style mythopoetic healing, getting back to their manly roots by stroking their rifles, wearing camo undies, and complaining about all the wrongs done to them by women/the federal government/wild birds/whoever.

About the camo: yes, the following actually happened. One of the militiamen, Melvin Lee, posted a video on Facebook (these guys are on social media more than most teenagers) where he complained about the popular misconceptions of the movement. "There's nobody in camouflage," said Lee, who was wearing a camouflage jacket. "Well, except for my jacket."

And yes, it did happen that Ritzheimer, who did remember to bring his paperback copy of the Constitution, actually sent out a tweet asking for care packages for things his compadres forgot to pack for their armed dude-seminar. They asked for socks, snacks, energy drinks (!), equipment for cold weather, snow camo, and "gear."

This was after Bundy had told reporters that the group was prepared to stay for "years" and had enough supplies to see them through. "We have food planned and prepared," he said.

The group's decision to start begging for snacks almost immediately after boasting of their preparedness inspired still more hilarity on the Internet. This clever person re-imagined the classic "Don't Tread on Me" flag to read, "Please Send Snacks." A Reddit group then heatedly discussed what snacks to send, concluding that "they should have brought the big-sized party mix chips" and suggesting donations of things like sugar-free gummy bears, diapers, Funyuns, cheese omelet MREs, and glitter.

#landgrab
#oregon
#bundy