White privilege is the dominant reality in the United States; no better current event illustrates this sad fact than the infuriating conflict between the Bundy clan and the federal government in Oregon. The winding down of #YallQaeda has resulted in an annoyed Oregon sheriff, one dead militiaman, and hopefully, a clear look at the hypocrisy of the Bundys' quest for land rights. How did this start?

If you weren't following this particular story, here's a quick recap - Nevadan ranchers have always have a somewhat unsteady relationship with the feds, including one Cliven Bundy. The rancher claimed ownership legally at first by getting a permit for his cattle to graze from the Bureau of Land Management. One year, April of 2014, Bundy disputed federal control to his particular lands by not renewing his permit, gathering an armed militia. I won't regale you with all the details of the states' rights debate, but since that land was originally occupied by First Nations folks, I'm not inclined to give a sh** about what some old white cowboy thinks.

His sons, led by their brother Ammon thought they'd stage a similar standoff in Oregon by occupying a Wildlife Refuge to protest the perhaps unfortunate sentencing of Dwight Hammond, who was convicted of arson (which is its own article entirely) on federal land. They saw a further opportunity to challenge the sovereignty of the federal government.

After a shootout that killed one "LaVoy" Finicum, the Bundy brothers have been arrested and asked the remaining militiamen to stand down, and it's only a matter of time until they do. Of course, you might ask, if you're even slightly woke, why the hell did the police wait this long to take the offensive?

No black protest (peaceful or not) in the history of the United States was ever treated so gingerly. We do not afford the right to protest equally to all Americans. It is a harsh and unjust reality that uppity white supremacists are treated with more dignity than those who campaign for basic human rights. What would it look like, if tomorrow, a black woman armed herself and others, posted a video calling on her fellow militants to join her in arms against the federal government? They would be crushed immediately, if not met with swift action by the local militarized police. If you don't believe me, look into the history of the Black Panther Party, who used their legal possession of firearms to protect black communities and black protests of civil rights violations.

Let's be clear -- I am a socialist, I don't exactly have a trusting relationship with the state in general, and I don't wish death and destruction on anyone via the federal government under capitalism. I don't agree with the Bundys' ideology, methods, or their association with racism and entitlement; this must be highlighted. But we should be careful in our critique of these privileged militiamen -- though their treatment is an indicator of how whiteness is prized and systematically supported, for those that might call for their militia to be obliterated by the state misses the point. Americans have the right to assemble, the right to protest, and (a heavily disputed) right to bear arms.

At least in theory, we do. The Bundy standoff shows us that those rights were largely intended for white males (even if the "inalienable" language has universalist implications), like the Founders who first envisioned them. That needs to change; let's work together to find a way forward out of this horrible reality. And in the midst of all this, we should all be cognizant of whose land we live on -- the native peoples of all the various First Nations.