Am I the only one who does not understand why none of these idiots are being arrested?

[branford]

184. Occupy was the same, and arguably legally worse.

Just because you (or I) like or agree with the message of occupy does not exempt them from the same laws as everyone else.

I live in Manhattan. As an attorney, I was frequently near Zuccotti Park because it's near the courts downtown and some of my clients. It was a filthy madhouse, prevented many thousands of people from using or enjoying the park, terribly disrupted both government services and commercial enterprises in some of the densest parts of downtown Manhattan's financial district, cost the the city and state untold sums in policing, sanitation and other costs, and there was ample evidence of regular criminal conduct, some serious, ranging from drug use, harassment, and numerous health and hygiene violations to sexual assault, all beside the obvious criminal trespass and blatant misuse of both public and private property. Even the general very liberal Manhattan residents wanted wanted the occupiers to leave. They were not well received by vast majority of people who actually lived and/or worked here. The NYC occupation occurred for longer than the current matter in Oregon, occupiers came and went even more freely than the militia, and the percentage of ultimate arrests, no less actual prosecutions, was minimal to effectively non-existent. The only aggravating factor in Oregon is that the militia is armed. However, despite the shock and dismay of people here, the open carry of weapons is not illegal in Oregon, particularly in heavily rural areas, and while certainly a logistical complication for potential law enforcement if they need to move on the militia, it's not nearly as big an actual legal problem as some want or believe.

The militiamen in Oregon are terrible people with worse ideas, but they are not stupid or politically ignorant. They know full well that because of responses to the national occupy movements and fears of repeats of government fiascoes like Waco and Ruby Ridge, particularly during a presidential election year, that law enforcement must be extremely cautions lest they make the militia martyrs, generate sympathy for their cause, and politically damage the current Democratic administration of the president and in Oregon.

The best thing right now is that there's simply no need to rush anything in Oregon. The militia have received no major political support, including from any of the Republican candidates who want them to leave peacefully, no one is directly threatened, the building was otherwise closed for the season, and everything is happening in the middle of nowhere during a cold winter. Waiting is a prudent law enforcement strategy that ensures the safety of officers, bystanders, and militia, all without providing the militia with the political victories that any government instigated raids or similar proactive actions would surely provide.