When I was a newspaper reporter in 1975, I joined a fleet of other journalists who spent about a month covering a fairly spectacular event in northern Wisconsin, one that gained so much national press that it ended with the calming appearance of actor and native American rights advocate Marlon Brando, along with Fr. James Groppi, the noted Milwaukee civil rights activist (see them together in the Wisconsin Historical Society photo accompanying this diary).
Now read the following excerpt from a Wikipedia entry on the event, and ask yourself what would happen if the governor of Oregon similarly called out the National Guard to contain the current "militia" incident in that state. Ask yourself if the event would look similar to what happened in the incident below, and whether the aftermath would be as peaceful. And consider whether it would be reported as calmly. Finally, note how different groups of activists approach punishment for their civil disobedience:
> ... On January 1, 1975, an armed group of Menominee Indians, called the Menominee Warrior Society, seized the property [an abandoned Alexian Brothers novitiate] and took the caretaker and his family hostage. They demanded that the Novitiate and property be turned over to the Menominee Reservation, using claims from an old treaty that allowed them to take unused land. The National Guard moved into the area and sealed if off behind several checkpoints. Tensions ran high as shots were occasionally exchanged and negotiations largely stalled. Negotiations went nowhere in January, as the Brothers refused to hand over the deed except for a reasonable price and the Menominee Warrior Society demanded it be turned over free, as they felt it already belonged to them. Complicating this further, some people in Menominee [County], [the Village of] Gresham and the nearby city of Shawano sympathized with the Society and others didn't wish for the National Guard to be there. Vigilante activity was also common, making security a difficult task.
> On February 2, 1975, the standoff ended with a deal between the Brothers and the Society. Fearing that the incident would end like similar situations at Kent State and Attica Prison, the Brothers instead chose to sell the property to the Menominee Reservation for one dollar. The standoff ended and the 39 members of the Menominee Warrior Society were arrested. en.wikipedia.org/...
