JOSHUA FRANK: Tre Arrow And ELF -- Radical Environmentalism On Death Row

[Tace]

By Joshua Frank -- World News Trust

The government drops bombs on kids in the Middle East, while a hand full of activists torch some yuppie ski resort in Colorado: Bush gets reelected and the radical environmentalists are issued warrants.

Where the hell is the justice?

On Friday January 20, eleven environmentalists accused of acting on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), were named in a 65-count Federal indictment that included numerous charges of arson and destruction of an energy facility. The events described in the indictments took place in Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, California and Colorado. The FBI had infiltrated them.

"The indictment tells a story of four-and-a-half years of arson, vandalism, violence and destruction claimed to have been executed on behalf of the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front -- extremist movements known to support acts of domestic terrorism," Attorney General Alberto said in a news conference.

There you have it: Environmentalists willing to embrace such direct action tactics to combat the destruction of the wild are now labeled domestic terrorists by the US government, even though no humans were targeted or injured in any of the aforementioned arsons. There were only economic casualties covered in ash, ranging upwards of $100 million according to the Justice Department.

http://worldnewstrust.org/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=2245

[gratuitous]

1. Well, according to some people

Including a few around here, if you burn an SUV, the fire could spread and people could be endangered. Whereas if you drop bombs indiscriminately on populated and unpopulated areas, it's all right because you just might kill a terrorist. Sucks if you're not a terrorist of course, but that's a risk the corrupt Bush administration is willing to take.

[StClone]

2. ELF scare the hell out of the Elites

Why? Because as the Elites consolidate power by an ever-widening gap over the have-nots attacks on them is feared. To secure themselves the Elites go ape shit on ELF to both show what will happen if you act out against them and to control those that do. Accept your lot or succeed into the American dream, but don't you even think the system is unfair and the abuses are just that abusive. ENRON, Iraq invasion, Katrina, Wire-tapping, your sons to die for our wars, war profiteering...unfair? You bet!

[blindpig]

3. I think not.

As our environmental situation continues to deteriorate we will see more and more so-called "eco-terrorism". Desperate people do desperate things. And we ain't seen desperate yet.

"Stop killing me!"(Slogan of fictional "eco-terrorists" in John Brunner's The Sheep Look Up.)

[Zynx]

4. US action in the middle east has nothing to do with domestic crime

People commit arson, they go to prison. End of story. Trying to tie everything into some broader corrupt US government struggle is retarded.

[kahleefornia]

6. Yes, but they're not going to prison for "arson"

They're going for "Terrorism". so it's not the end of the story, and it's also not the point.

[Peanutcat]

8. WTF?!

Now you know damn good and well that ELF does these things to frighten people into changing their ways. THAT IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF "TERRORISM".

[kahleefornia]

16. I think they do these things

to get rid of housing developments (or suvs) where they don't want them to be. Not so much to frighten people, as to "punish" them. For example - it wouldn't scare me if you slashed my tires - it would just make me really mad. But it would scare me if you came after me with the knife. People should have fear for their personal safety, not fear for personal belongings.

[Peanutcat]

18. Afraid?

So you're not afraid of one of their fires getting out of control and killing people? You're not afraid that they might think they aren't getting their message across and do more than "mere" vandalism?

[kahleefornia]

19. No, I'm not

Not to the point that I feel "terrorized" by it. The stories I've heard seem to show that their attacks are very carefully planned, specifically so that no people are harmed. Again, i'm not saying that this makes vandalism, arson, or any other kind of destruction OK. And yes, putting out these fires is certainly a risk to the firefighters who have to deal with it - they could get injured or killed. But I'm not any more afraid of that than I am of my own house catching fire from an electrical problem, or some random bullet from a street shooting coming through my window.

ELF's objective is and always has been to specifically *not* harm people. Besides, I don't think we should be punishing people for things we think they might do. Punish them for arson, vandalism, destruction of private property. I don't know - for some reason I just can't equate what they do with my idea of terrorism. Like, when I hear a story about some people spray painting suvs at a dealership, the general reaction seems to be "Oh, those crazy tree hugger a**holes are at it again. I really wish they wouldn't do that." But when someone hijacks a plane full of people, at gunpoint, saying they have a bomb on board - that's a big deal.

I think the risk of some individuals deciding to do "more than vandalism" is a possibility - but not any more than the risk of some random crazy person, who is not affiliated with a particular group or ideology, deciding to do something awful.

Now - when I think about it, how about the tree sitters? They have caused probably as much financial damage to logging companies as ELF has caused developers. But Julia Butterfly Hill is not a "terrorist". Or is she? Tree sitters are also using fear for their own agenda - loggers can't do their jobs, out of fear of harming these people, who after all are trespassing illegally on their property. Loggers fear for their families - what other job can they do? How are they going to earn money to feed their families? And tree sitters therefore do have a damaging effect on innocent people. so what is the line between terrorism and "activism"? What is your line - how do you consider these actions?

[hang a left]

10. It is terrorism, is it not?

ter·ror·ism Listen:
n.

The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.



What would you call it if a group targeted Moveon.org.

[kahleefornia]

15. so then a person who holds up a post office is a terrorist?

I understand you using this definition. Actually, in the arson cases, ELFwasn't trying to coerce society or government. They were attacking private businesses.

I'm NOT saying that what they did was OK, legal, right, awesome, whatever. I'm saying that we can't all of a sudden (post 9/11) paint every crime with the brush of "terrorism" because the penalties for true terrorism have to be the harshest of all. so i don't think that someone who burns down a housing development with no people inside deserves to go to a military prison, like a person who crashed a jet into a building and killed thousands would.

It would be easy to walk into the courtroom with your one sentence definition of terrorism, but I don't think everyone there would just say "OK, well, no reason to discuss any details! It was terrorism. Off to GTMO with them!!"

Man, how easy would that make jury duty, though?

Moveon.org is a political activism group. "Condos R Us" is not.

[Peanutcat]

7. Arrrrrgh!

:banghead: Look, I have to deal with this all the time on another message board I frequent: I KEEP GETTING BEAT TO THE PUNCH!!!!! Oh well, like I always say, great minds think alike! :toast:

[GrumpyGreg]

11. Well said, and "Ditto!". n/t

[Peanutcat]

5. So?

I'm all for the environment, but ELF goes way too fucking far. Burning places and things because they don't agree with what they stand for? That scares me. That's vandalism; that's arson; it's against the law. Just because we don't like what our govenment is doing is no reason to let these people get away with this shit. And with these tacics, how long do you think it will be before someone gets killed? Will it be serious enough for you then?

[T Wolf]

9. In a war, people die.

And if you do not recognize that we are in war with the Bushistas over every goddamn aspect of American life, then you have not been paying attention.

Continuing to "play by the rules" when the game is rigged against you is just mental masturbation - it makes you feel good but accomplishes nothing.

[bush_is_wacko]

12. I happen to LIVE here! I am NOT a member of the ELITE...

But I am a NATIVE of this state who knows just how dangerous a freaking fire in the EXTREMELY dry and EXTREMELY windy mountain areas is! If ELF and ALF were truly concerned about the environment they would NOT risk the lives of thousands of humans AND animals living in those mountain areas.

I've dealt with the effects of these fires many times. I can't go outside. I've had to buy in home filters to try and avoid the breathing problems they exacerbate. I've EVEN been evacuated.

I don't even give a shit about my property. It would be insured and rebuilt. But I do care about the health effects these fires have on EVERYTHING and EVERYONE that is exposed to them. One of my dogs is seriously ill now because of a fire that occurred this past summer here. I wasn't here to get her out and they wouldn't let me back in to get her. She now has SEVERE breathing problems that will likely KILL her shortly because of her age! If my dog has been effected how many OTHER wild animals have been effected? Are our deer dying as a result. How many of our multiple species of wild birds are dying off?

THEY COMMITTED A CRIME. That crime effected EVERYTHING it it's general vicinity. That crime is JUST as heinous as what our president and his elitist, oil greedy, money hungry, war mongering friends are doing.

[Zynx]

14. The radical environmentalists don't believe in private property.

They don't care if people's property gets destroyed wholesale. In fact, they would probably like it. The fact of the matter is that private property is protected by many laws in this country and I think that is a good thing. When you destroy private property, you break the law. When you break the law, you go to jail. End of story.

[Peanutcat]

13. Like I said before

When ELF finally gets someone killed, will that be serious enough for you? I don't know why you think becasue you don't like Bushco, that it's alright to let others get away with vandalism and arson.

[kahleefornia]

17. not saying let them get away with it

just saying punish the actual crime with appropriate punishment. Dont' just call it terrorism so people will get more inflamed about it.