OREGON CHOICE: RAJNEESHEES OR BUNDY OCCUPATION

 

Do guns play the biggest part in this Oregon Choice?

There’s a big difference between an event that draws horny dreamers and an event that attracts an armed militia.

Which one attracts you?

Would you rather hang out in loose fitting orange and red clothes waving to a holy man passing by in a Rolls Royce you helped buy, or join a boots and hats and guns posse?

Luxury cars or pickup trucks?

Then you need to choose between a co-ed camp out or a manly gathering of hygienically challenged gunslingers.

Of course there’s always more to it that you see.

This Oregon Choice truth? Neither group is fit for your company.

But if you had to choose, which would it be?

Let’s look at the outcomes and see if either would apply to your life, if either would be a story you’d want to tell a judge.

From the mix of myth and memory, all you need do to join Rashneesh was hand over all your worldly possessions and be free of that trail of hoarding debris that’s been following you for decades.

Let it go, brother.

No matter what you need, no one needs five crock pots.

If you have a problem liquidating everything you own, consider the spiritual aspect.

Joining Rajneesh included bliss, or a map to bliss. It was more than just selling everything and handing over the money, but less than you’d put in a church collection plate.

If it sounds good so far, it takes a turn.

Eventually the good vibes needed armed security, then an act of civic terrorism.

That’s what it’s called when you try and swing an important vote by poisoning the local population on ballot day.

Do that and you get the U.S. Marshall Service on your tail, then deported.

Oregon Choice Time

 

If you choose the Bundy path you also choose the FBI.

One of their leaders died at a roadblock.

The masterminds are still in federal custody awaiting their fair trial.

I saw both of these events unfold, one more close-up than the other.

Working downtown Portland in the 80’s you saw lots of orange and red clothing on some pretty snappy dressers.

These people knew how to party and stand their ground, both admirable traits in general.

On the other hand, the Bundy Gang seemed bound by the rules of their pocket constitution reading.

They knew what they wanted and seemed intent to try and achieve their goals. Did they mind the cold of an Eastern Oregon winter?

If they did they tried not to show it. They let the strength of their convictions warm them.

While they avoided poisoning the nearest town for their own gain, Bundy and all seemed almost normal, like rustic knights of old on a quest of freedom.

Except they ended up in jail.

The lesson? Go with more experience.

I would not join either group, which isn’t a condemnation of either, just an aversion to joining splinter groups with guns out.

I did join a group with guns once. It’s called the U.S. Army. I was a medic, but still fired guns in training.

If you’re a millennial and get approached by a recruiter to learn about a spiritually questing band of campers, or a land grabbing gang of occupiers, stay clear.

There’s always more to those stories, goals they work towards that don’t align with your.

Instead, trust your instincts, trust your elders like the baby boomers around you, like your mom and dad.

People with your best interests in mind don’t want all of your money and time devoted to just them.

They don’t want you prowling around nationally designated outdoor areas in the dark.

People with your best interests up front want you to learn to make your own decisions.

That’s what an Oregon Choice works toward.