Why are US militiamen allowed to occupy a federal wildlife facility?

The Bundy Bunch are at it again, essentially telling the federal government that it is not going to abide quietly by its decisions nor do what it says.  This time, they have taken a Federally owned wildlife refuge center.  Some of them are calling it a "peaceful occupation of the facility" but some in their ranks are on record saying they are ready to shoot it out with the feds if anyone comes to evict them.

They have their reasons for doing this.  Apparently two people who the militia doesn't even have contact with got short prison sentences (3 months and 1 year respectively) for torching some brush on federal land, land which these people have been using freely for a long time now (even before it was claimed by the feds in some cases).  They lit the fires not to cause damage but as part of a controlled burn - the same kind that ranchers take part in all time time across the US and in fact the same kind that the government forestry service regularly does.  Of course when you put a fancy name to something then I guess it somehow legitimizes it.  Government calls these "prescribed fires".

Well government does not want people doing whatever they want on land claimed by government and so an example was made of the "arson citizens".  Both have served their original sentences and then were released but now a judge has ordered them both back to prison for another 4 years because the time served didn't meet minimum sentencing laws.

These militia guys don't really care about the prison sentences and in fact the sentenced prisoners have disavowed the militia. But the militia does care about the obvious increase in government control of society.  So they would use any excuse they could to take up arms and assert themselves as someone who will not be pushed any further.  This is not my brand of resistance.  Mine is more of the mouse trap variety.  If you leave the mouse trap alone it will just sit there bothering nobody but if you push its trigger it will come unglued without warning.  Still, I find it entertaining and enlightening to watch the Bundy resistance action anyhow. 

Personally I don't care about the arsonists, the burned brush or any other the other details of this story.  What interests me is how the government is going to deal with the militia in this matter.  If a bunch of helpless unarmed protesters had taken over the federal installation you can bet your ass it would be swarming with SWAT-armed wannabe cops from federal agencies.  Yeah, they would be hitting peaceful protesters with clubs, spraying them in the eyes with mace and shooting them with rubber bullets all day long.  That's because liberals are bullies and bullies only attack the weak.  They do not go head to head with someone who is a real threat.

So where are the SWAT teams?  Where are all the police?  Where is the FBI?  This is a stated indefinite take over of federal property.  What happened to zero tolerance?  Oh, that's right.  Zero tolerance only applies to the docile and un-armed!!  Yep, once again we see that might makes right.

The feds are now in a tough spot politically.  During the original Bundy conflict all they had to do was puss out and run away, problem solved (which is exactly what they did).  But that option was open to them only because they were pissing in someone else's backyard.  This time the emboldened Bundy gang is occupying a federal facility and essentially telling the government that it has been repossessed by the people.  You gotta love the picture that AP provided for the story (below) because it says the area is closed to the public but those are militia in the background.  They just don't care what government says anymore. 

 

So here's the thing.  Government better do something about this and quick because a big part of herding existence has to do with precedent.  If someone else is getting away with thus and such then why not me?  That is herd think 101.  Some buildings like this could look pretty nice to people who have been having a hard time finding steady work or who just lost their home and would otherwise be homeless or simply do not want to fit into the modern lifestyle.  There are a LOT of these kinds of buildings across the US.  What happens if the militia gets to stay here, rent free, rule free, care free?  How many others will get the idea that all they have to do is to get a gang together with rifles and just move in?

What makes this such a tough issue is that enough of the occupiers are armed and committed to their mission that government either has to fight it out with them with many casualties on each side or it has to find some other way of making them want to go home (starve them out maybe)?  It's hard to see how this ends without either a gun fight or the government losing face.  If government loses face here then don't expect this to remain an isolated incident for long.