OREGON STANDOFF:  POLITICS STANDS OUT MORE THAN PRINCIPLE IN PARDON PROCESS FOR HAMMONDS

While President Trump seems to have it right in his consideration of  pardons for Dwight and Steven Hammond, treated unjustly with five year mandatory sentences for lighting a backfire to protect their land, the political machine seems to be grinding out credit for itself for any pardons that may be coming.

In this mid-term election year Oregon's leading Republican politician Congressman Greg Walden broke his silence last week to call for a pardon of the Hammonds.

Its an issue that he remained silent about for years, never saying a word about it.

He followed that up with a personal meeting with the Hammond family this week, having his picture taken with them for publication.

Dwight and Steven Hammond should have been first on Congressman Walden's list way back in 2016 when they were being forced back to prison for a second time to serve out the mandatory terrorism sentences.

But it took the courage and commitment of others not that much unlike those we remembered this week, the signers of the Declaration of Independence, to put the Hammond's first on their list.

People like Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, LaVoy Finicum, Shawna Cox, David Fry, Ryan Payne and others put their faith in a power greater than themselves and by their actions pledged their "fortune" and "sacred honor" and in LaVoy's case "their lives" to freedom for the Hammonds.

Their actions brought the case of the Hammonds to the world stage, forcing political forces to act to offer relief in the end.

But notice how long it took the political forces.   Here we are 17 months into Republican control of Washington (White House and Congress) with this waiting until four months before an election and the political forces hint a pardon is on the way shamelessly drawing attention to themselves to get votes in November.

Lobbying groups connected to politicians started leaking out the notion of a pardon right before before the Memorial Day weekend in May, letting people know the request was inside the White House.

Then Walden made his speech on the floor of the House days ago and last Saturday got his call from President Trump, doing his job, reviewing the pardon request and saying he was giving "serious consideration".

Again Walden exploited the call with publicity.

Its worth noting that the political machine produced the anti-terrorism law in 1995 that put the Hammonds behind bars in the first place.   That federal law came in the year of the deadly Oklahoma City bombing at a federal building driven by emotions and fear, passed by a Republican controlled Congress.

One thing I've learned from watching the Oregon and Bunkerville Standoff cases playing out, is that with the Bundy's and their supporters you have God, the Constitution and a commitment to sacrifice for the sake of others.

That's something that's sorely lacking in the forces of the Uniparty political machine in general and the Republican Party in particular.

Its refreshing to see Ryan Bundy in the political arena as an independent candidate for governor in Nevada this fall.

He stands for the principles that the Democrats and Republicans left behind a long time ago as was evidenced in Nevada at Bunkerville and in Oregon with the Hammonds.

One more thing.    Ryan Bundy still carries shrapnel in his shoulder he took to support freedom for the Hammonds.  It came from a bullet apparently fired by FBI Agent W. Joseph Astarita January 26, 2016 moments before bullets took the life of  LaVoy Finicum.

Republican politicians like Congressman Walden, who failed to stand for freedom for the Hammonds back in 2016 and Adam Laxalt running for Governor in Nevada this year who failed to defend the Bundy's from the federal snipers and cattle rustlers in 2014 pale in comparison to a man like Ryan Bundy.

(EDITED AND EXPANDED SATURDAY JULY 7TH PM)

l building, passed by the Republicans who controlled Congress at the time.