Oregon Ranchers Pardoned Pt 1

Oregon Ranchers Pardoned Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. Eastern Oregon ranchers Steven and Dwight Hammond arrived home to a hero's welcome last week a day after receiving a Presidential pardon for setting a fire that scorched more than 100 acres of federal lands in an attempt to protect their own land from a wildfire.

Washington Representative Dan Newhouse says he applauds the President's move after the father-son duo were sent to prison for the wrong reasons ...

NEWHOUSE ... "They were convicted under this anti-terrorism law for, their ranch was being threatened a wildfire. So, it's common practice by firefighters, and federal government included, they lit a backfire so that they could control the fire around their property."

But, Newhouse says the fire did what fires tend to do and the Hammond's never meant it as any kind of protest ...

NEWHOUSE ... "Inadvertently, the fire got out of hand and burned, I think, just over a hundred acres that was not intended to burn, but there was no connection to any kind of terrorism or any kind activity to undermine or retaliate against the federal government or anything like that. This was purely an example of someone protecting their property using proven techniques."

Newhouse says there are few incidences that occur in our nation that better depict just how out of touch and unresponsive our federal government is to our citizens than the sentencing of the Hammonds.

Listen tomorrow for further details on this controversial decision.

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