Can you come up with a snarkier name for the militants in Oregon than Y'all Qaeda and Vanilla ISIS?

The headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, now occupied by anti-government militia

(Image credit: CC by: Mathew Foster, Flickr)

last updated 4 January 2016

If social media is any barometer then the militia faction that has occupied the headquarters of the federal Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in rural Eastern Oregon is earning more mockery for its standoff than converts to the cause. First, Twitter users rallied around the hashtag #YallQaeda, then patted themselves on the back for linking the gang of occupiers — led by Ammon Bundy and other figures from the 2014 armed confrontation at the Nevada ranch of tax scofflaw Cliven Bundy — to Al Qaeda.

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#VanillaISIS waging #YeeHawd is a pretty strong show of contempt, especially toward Malheur occupier Jon Ritzheimer, one of the organizers of last year's Muslim-baiting "Draw Prophet Muhammad" cartoon contests. But surely the internet can come up with something more apt for a group of armed men that so hate the idea of public land that they are willing to occupy the remote office of U.S. Fish and Wildlife workers and thwart bird watchers nationwide for up to a year. Anyone?

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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