DENVER ¨C Gifts of sex toys, glitter and nail polish are not what the armed protesters who seized a U.S. wildlife refuge in Oregon were expecting when they put out a public call for supplies to help get them through the winter.
The occupiers, who took over buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2 in the latest conflict over the U.S. government¡¯s control of land in the West, had been hoping for snacks, fuel and warm clothes when they provided sympathizers with a local mailing address.
Instead, as they angrily showed online, they received sex-related toys and food that would be of little use as they braced for a long standoff with federal law enforcement agents who have kept watch from a distance.
¡°It was really mind-blowing to me that people would actually spend their money ... on all this hateful stuff to send out to us,¡± one of the occupiers, Jon Ritzheimer, said in a Facebook video this week in which he displayed items including a large sex toy and a bag of penis-shaped candies.
¡°It¡¯s really ridiculous,¡± he said, before sweeping the pile of packages off a table and onto the floor. ¡°We¡¯re going to continue to do work and do good for our country. We¡¯re not going to be deterred.¡±
The occupation has drawn ridicule from critics on social media who have assigned the group nicknames including #YallQaeda and #VanillaISIS in a play on militant labels.
Some online opponents delighted in the potential to send the protesters an array of packages stuffed with glitter, nail polish, pedicure socks, and perfume.
A Chicago-based designer posted an online order he made on Wednesday for a 55-gallon drum of ¡°passion¡± lubricant costing more than $1,000 and addressed: ¡°ATTN. OREGON MILITIA.¡±
¡°I hope nobody shoots me with a gun,¡± the designer, Max Temkin, tweeted afterward.
The Malheur occupation has also drawn anger from bird-watchers and wildlife photographers who would normally be able to enjoy viewing the species on show at the refuge.
In an open letter last week, one bird-watcher warned the protesters their every move was being watched.
¡°You will never see us, but we and our cameras will always see you,¡± wrote the author, who went by the username Norwegian Chef. ¡°We will #takebackmalheur from you terrorists, and will not rest until every one of you thugs and poachers is behind bars where they belong.¡±
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