To the Honorable President Trump,

In rural counties in Oregon the federal agencies have taken control and turned much of Harney County into a Swamp. 

This picture is of my friend Susie Hammond. Her family's story is a typical story of Federal Government agencies overreach and abuse.
This is a link to a timeline of the Hammond family abuse:

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2016/01/03/full-story-on-whats-going-on-in-oregon-militia-take-over-malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-in-protest-to-hammond-family-persecution/

From the article: 

"By the 1990’s the Hammonds were one of the very few ranchers who still owned private property adjacent to the refuge. Susie Hammond in an effort to make sense of what was going on began compiling facts about the refuge. In a hidden public record she found a study done by the FWS in 1975. The study showed the “no use” policies of the FWS on the refuge were causing the wildlife to leave the refuge and move to private property. The study showed the private property adjacent to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge produced four times more ducks and geese than the refuge.  The study also showed the migrating birds were 13 times more likely to land on private property than on the refuge. When Susie brought this to the attention of the FWS and refuge personnel, her and her family became the subjects of a long train of abuses and corruptions."

Many of the ranches were flooded out by the BLM/Malheur Wildlife Refuge and didn't have the heart and strength to fight big government.

Susie and family educated themselves to KNOW their rights, and then had the courage to stand up and declare their rights. For this---the federal agencies decided they must be punished.

 

This story is only the tip of the iceberg (corner of the swamp). In all of the Western counties, the ranchers and farmers are being driven out of business by unconstitutional federal regulations.

 Susie's husband Dwight, and son Steven are currently incarcerated, serving a 5 year sentence for "Terrorism" for burning grass on their allotment to control invasive weeds. 

Please pardon these men so they can go back to their ranch and their families.

Sir, I am pleased to see you making inroads in draining the swamp as you promised to do. Do not forget this corner of the swamp, the corner that raises good livestock to turn into beef steak. Our rural counties in Oregon need your help.

Sincerely,

Elaine Smith

Retired rancher in Grant County Oregon