An update from the ranch, be sure to read the last paragraph:
A letter from the Oath Keepers
Updating With Stewart Rhodes
NOTE: First, at the moment things are quiet here. 99% of the rumors on the internet are either blatantly false or wildly inaccurate. No strong presence of federal agents has been seen. Remnants of BLM's recent sojourn here are still present, such as the lights they had put up at their "field-headquarters" and no doubt we are under surveillance of all kinds, but there is no overt, visible massing of federal law enforcement.
We are, however concerned that the domestic enemies of the Constitution that infest the federal government might try to take advantage of folks going home, and attempt to make a move on the Bundy family. We feel certain that they will want to try again at some point, perhaps in a different way, even perhaps by executing a dynamic entry raid to attempt to arrest the Bundys. And we have heard that this is being discussed, though I have not been able to directly confirm it. But it is a real risk.
Therefore, to prevent such a raid, or to at least throw a monkey wrench into any such plans and make it more difficult for them, we're doing the following:
1: We are calling on all Oath Keepers who can possibly get here to come to the Bundy Ranch to serve as volunteers on an ongoing, rotating watch.
That is not because there is any great emergency, but is a preventative measure - sort of like doing a rotation on the DMZ.
I am urging each and every Oath Keepers member who can, to get here and spend a bit of time to ensure that the Bundys are not alone. We need boots on the ground. We want you here, standing watch, which is appropriate for us Oath Keepers since our motto is "Not on Our Watch."
We have six Oath Keepers here from New Hampshire (one of whom - Jerry DeLemus - is now the head of security for the ranch). We have one woman, Lori Storm, who drove down by herself from Nebraska, and one of our Board members from Nebraska, Steve Homan, is also here. We've got people here from Montana, Utah, Arizona, California, and Washington State. People are here from all over the country.
But people, however dedicated, will get burnt out and we need others to rotate in. We need you to step up and serve your turn on watch.
We are raising money to help with gasoline - just be sure to save all receipts for reimbursement.
(EA here: That may only be available on first-come first-served basis. Of the money we've raised thus far, we've given $12,000.00 dollars to the Bundy family, and we purchased a $1,000.00 generator, but we are now raising more money to help some folks traveling from afar.)
I will not ask you to do anything I am not willing to do myself. So, even though I have been away from my home and family since April 10, I am still here, and I will remain here through April 19, standing watch with the others. I was supposed to be speaking at a rally in Idaho on that day, but I canceled that because I need to be here to lead by example by also pulling a watch stint.
And I can think of no better place to be on April 19 than on ground where modern patriots followed the example of the Founders and stood firm in defense of liberty. Like their forefathers before them who stood at Lexington and Concord, they refused to bend the knee to tyranny, and they stood their ground. And that spot of ground may go down in history as the birthplace of the next American Revolution, where the tide was turned, and the people stood up.
-Bundy Ranch: We Came Risking Never Coming Home
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OATH RENEWAL CEREMONY, SATURDAY, APRIL 19
On Saturday, April 19, we w ill have speakers (such as Mike Vanderboegh of the Three Percenters) and then we will follow in the foosteps of the Founding generation by renewing our oaths at approximately 6pm. What better place to do that than where brave Americans just kept their oaths and continue to keep their oaths in such a profound and moving way.
I invite you to join us there, both to do your duty, and to honor our forefathers and every American who has fought for this nation, from Lexington Green to today, as we celebrate our liberty that has been won for us and preserved for us, at such great cost.
NOTE: There is also a cowboy barbeque being thrown Friday night, April 18, by the Bundy family down by the river near their ranch. The Bundy's will provide the food and live music, with the first band going on at 6pm. All you need to do is show up. Ammon Bundy told me that you are welcome to bring your families, and are welcome to camp there. So, this is not just about standing watch. This is also about fellowship, family, and enjoying the land the Bundy family has been caring for for generations.
All of us who are here consider it a great honor to stand with this patriot family, and I can tell you that we Oath Keepers also consider it a great honor to be in the company of this fine bunch of Americans who have traveled from all over our country to support and stand with the Bundy family.
The Bundys are open and very grateful for people coming to be there for them, and thus far the caliber and quality of the people who've been here has been outstanding. From all over America people of good character and brave spirit have come to help and have done honor to our American traditions. We want those types of people. We do not want hot-heads who are looking for a fight. We want "cool, calm, and collected" - the "quiet professional." Thank you for understanding. Yes, by all means, bring your rifles, handguns, and whatever other gear you think you will need to stand watch, and yes, that includes any cammo you think will work best.
2: A rotating vigil of state legislators and current serving sheriffs at the ranch. This second part of our plan is a continuation of what we've already been doing. Oath Keepers helped facilitate a number of legislators from several Western States traveling to the Bundy Ranch this past week. Sheriff Mack's Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA.org) helped ensure that some real-deal constitutional Sheriffs were also present on the side of the Bundy family.
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We will be continuing this effort and we need proactive Oath Keepers to help arrange a steady stream of State and County officials to rotate presence there so that the idiot government will have to admit it's ready to kill sitting elected public servants to assert its authority, or leave the Bundy family - and their cows - alone. Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, on Monday night, served the first vigil in the Bundy Ranch House (if only the Nevada Governor, Brian Sandoval, had a fraction of her integrity and courage. We wouldn't need to be here).
And to support that "official" stream of State and County officials, as well as others with names of gravity, Oath Keepers' general membership will also rotate into service there.
There is also some serious perimeter security and Oath Keepers CPTers who volunteer to help with the out-lying security in the desert will find this to be a great training exercise. Bring your gear. Consider this your Minute Man FTX. But however you come, do come. Oath Keepers will not be alone in this. Many other Americans are mobilizing now, millions of Americans are learning about it and are wanting to be helpful. Be part of it.
For the Republic!
Stewart Rhodes
Founder and President of Oath Keepers
PS - I want to personally thank Nebraska Oath Keepers President and member of our national BOD, Steve Homan, a Marine's Marine, who fought in Vietnam, who is here with me. Though Steve has five stints in his heart, and still carries around a bullet in his stomach courtesy of the NVA, he is here, and he will be standing watch with me till Saturday evening. I also want to thank four fine patriots and Oath Keepers - Rick, Ben, George, and John - who also attend Pastor Chuck Baldwin's Liberty Fellowship church in Montana. They drove down here together last week and though George had to fly home, Rick, Ben, and John have agreed to stay here with me until Saturday night, and then drive all night to get us home for Easter Service at Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell (I promised my wife and kids I would be home for Easter and that is a promise I need to keep if at all possible).
