With the Bundys and the Malheur National Wildlife occupation, America witnessed its first armed occupation in the kinetic, 140-character social-media age.
The world was quite literally watching. And tweeting.
The nation's first Facebook faceoff involving anti-government protestors reached its zenith on Wednesday night, when 70,000 people tuned into a very raw, audio-only livestream from inside the Malheur bunker.
Forget about whatever was on TV or Netflix, the occupation near Burns -- with Sean and Sandy Anderson sounding like they had watched way too many Chuck Norris movies – was the nation's prime-time entertainment.
"I don't want to go to jail," Sandy said as they watched FBI agents surround them.
"What if they drop the charges?" Sean asked.
"They won't," Sandy said. "They won't."
"Then let's just die here," Sean said. "I'm not gonna stay here and freeze my ass off all night."
Throughout the night, they repeatedly screamed for the approaching federal agents to "stand down!"
Someone recited Psalm 92. "Braveheart" was invoked. The four occupiers repeatedly tried to sell their notions of freedom and liberty to anyone willing to listen.
The showdown forced Burns, a small town of 2,800 people, to come to terms with the new Wild West of digital hyper-sharing. The future of "dialogic transmission systems" had arrived in rural Oregon.
At an early town hall meeting with the Bundy boys, more than one person urged neighbors to just stay off Facebook.
Amazingly, before the wildlife refuge siege, the Harney County Sheriff's Office didn't even have a Twitter account. That changed quickly. In the end, the agency was sending out notices like an old pro:
We'll post links to live newsstreams of the press conference in this feed. #HereForHarney https://t.co/L9kJMI14N6 — Harney Cty. Sheriff (@HarneyCoSheriff) February 11, 2016
Certainly, the 41-day standoff had its wild moments, all shared on ... wait for it, social media.
Doughnut Artist: @cowboydevil_ #voodoodoughnut #themagicisinthehole #goodthingscomeinpinkboxes #voodoodoughnuts #doughnuts A photo posted by Voodoo Doughnut (@voodoodoughnut) on Jan 27, 2016 at 2:44pm PST
But the livestream was a a three-ring circus, with sympathizers, critics and the media hanging out on Twitter to share their thoughts – snarky and serious -- on the dialogue as it was broadcast via one of the occupier's iPhones.
And they are back ... #Oregonstandoff — Lauren Dake (@LaurenDake) February 11, 2016
Hey @gavinseim, you gave your phone number (509-754-5255) out silly, not the @FBI or @FBIPortland. #OregonStandoff pic.twitter.com/tkK2ee8hwt — Portland Beer ⭐️ (@Portland_Beer) February 11, 2016
Weren't we promised a song from Victoria? Who's running this wildlife refuge anyway? #OregonStandoff pic.twitter.com/enxWpjkUAa — Wendy Berner⭐ (@gwenzaxxon) February 11, 2016
Um, 60,000 people are mocking you, not supporting you. #idiots #Oregonstandoff — CH (@PhotogPhool) February 11, 2016
My prayers are with @FBI tonight as they try to finally bring #Oregonstandoff to end & militants to justice. #OregonUnderAttack — Rev.Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) February 11, 2016
Statement from @FBIPortland on unfolding situation at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. #OregonStandoff pic.twitter.com/AX3AbLX9Na — Lincoln Graves (@LincolnGraves) February 11, 2016
Certainly, the government was recording the online transmission to the world.
Prosecutors have already used the occupiers' own words on Twitter and Facebook against them in federal charging papers.
Finally, Michele Fiore, a Republican Nevada assemblywoman best known for posting her armed-to-the-stockings "2nd Amendment" Christmas card on social media, joined the call as a mediator.
It's up to Americans to protect America. We're just your ordinary American family.-With love & liberty, Michele Posted by Michele Fiore on Monday, November 30, 2015
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207129128203381&set=a.4109113002961.167353.1137164592&type=3
Fiore had just landed in Portland and was her way to Burns, five hours to the east.
The tweets continued:
Why didn't Michelle Fiore fly to Boise? I guess maps are hard. #Oregonstandoff — Tony Jordan (@twjpdx23) February 11, 2016
Another clip of @VoteFiore as she left @flypdx with @cmichaelarnold, Ammon Bundy's attorney. #OregonStandoff pic.twitter.com/codWweLbUy — Lincoln Graves (@LincolnGraves) February 11, 2016
All hell will break loose when #YallQaeda Sean finds out @VoteFiore only brought 'em a bag of cold fries and Filet O' Fish. #OregonStandOff — Wolf Linderman (@beerguypdx) February 11, 2016
On Thursday morning, as the occupation reached its nadir, thousands of YouTubers continued to listen to the livestream.
David Fry, a 27-year-old Ohio resident who posted "#Pray4ISIS" to his Google+ page, was refusing to leave the compound. He demanded a pizza. Then he said he was pointing a gun at his head.
At that point, hundreds of people listening in on what could be the standoff's last hours signed off. They'd had enough.
Still, many remained logged on, tweeting as the scene unraveled.
By then, there was no calling off the party. An ugly moment in one man's life, the shame of a bewildering lost cause, had become a social event.
Has America ever been more surreal?
©2016 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
