🚀 go-pugleaf

On Wed, 26 Jul 2006 22:37:03 GMT, "gatt"
<LiveFromTheClocktower@gfy.com> wrote:

>
>"ef_hutterite" <efhutterite@montanan.org> wrote in message 
>news:c8ofc2hpidbq7pk90ha1lu94ha0ufe6e1k@4ax.com...
>
>>>I said environmentalist, not hypocrite.
>>
>> Sorry but they all claim to be in the "movement".
>
>The more press "the movement" gets, the more those type of people will show 
>up before whisking away to their mansions when it starts getting really 
>weird. When you get down to the nitty gritty of an actual timber blockade, 
>for example, it definately gets weird.

No doubt, but they will be the front money.

>> If you're an investor or owner, you're hurt, afraid, terrorized.
>
>(subj:  arson = terrorism)   That's possible, but, it's still not terrorism 
>any more than breaking into somebody's store and stealing stuff is.

Yes it is, mere theft is not done with intent to coerce a behavior, is
it?


> I had 
>an opportunity to tour a local timber trucking company owner's own, private 
>B-25 bomber.  I was honored, but caught myself thinking Gee, the timber 
>industry must really be hurting if log truck operators can own and fly 
>fully-restored multimilliondollar World War II aircraft at $1000+ an hour to 
>operate.  Now, if somebody -threatened- to torch his B-25 if he didn't stop 
>logging, terrorism might apply.  I just don't credit the arsonists with that 
>much intelligence.

I could post page upon page of their similar acts for you.

>> So you favor a lesser penalty phase for carefully premeditated arson not 
>> intended to kill?
>> Right...spin that one elsewhere.
>
>That ain't gonna fly.  YOU put words in MY mouth and then accuse me of spin? 
>Nope.   If they committed arson, they should be convicted of arson.   ANY 
>arson puts firefighters at risk.  We do not charge arsonists with terrorism, 
>we charge them with arson.

And the sentencing takes into account????

>> You should read about them, from their suicided out leader and the rick 
>> shop meeting in Sedona to the Vail job - all classic haters.
>
>Agreed.  Even the Earth First!ers I met in Oregon, the direct-action 
>treesitter types, have told me (since I tend to ask tough questions) that, 
>if they knew who committed the arson that happened in Oregon in the late 
>'90s, they'd turn them in.  If you want the public to gain your trust, and 
>you want the timber industry to work with you, you can't tolerate criminal 
>behavior regardless of the excuse.

Fact.

>>>An educated, experienced and damned clever one.  (Although I've never 
>>>vandalized anything.  My specialty was gathering intelligence about 
>>> >>illegal operation, identifying infiltrators, and for my own purposes 
>>>watching to see where the educated environmentalism ended and the 
>>>post->>hippie rhetoric began.)
>
>>http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/terrorism : the systematic use of terror 
>>especially as a means of coercion
>
>By that definition, I'm a victim of terrorism.  At Warner Creek pro-logging 
>types dumped thousands of roofing nails on the road when Time Magazine was 
>coming up to do a press tour.  I had over 20 nails in each of my tires, and 
>a photo somewhere of the typical Eugenus Treehuggerus helping an off-duty 
>deputy who hit them.  When I reported it in Oakridge, the State Trooper who 
>met me at the A&W said "Well, I can't go up there.  The BLM has ordered the 
>Oregon State Police not to go up there under any circumstances.  There's 
>nothing I can do. It must have been those environmentalists..."

You were the object of a coercive act, regardless of the side in
question.

>> Be careful what you fess to in this medium.
>
>The FBI already knows.  When I had my timber-rant site up, I'd check the 
>logs and see hits from government IPs almost daily for about a year.
>If you go to a timber protest as an activist, a logger, a journalist, or a 
>politician, you'll see fratboy types walking along taking photographs of all 
>the license plates.  You'd be amazed...we had a full-blown cold war going in 
>the woods.  It was both thrilling and unbelievable to watch it play out. 
>When the police raided Warner Creek, a Eugene R-G photographer who was 
>outside the closure area had his camera confiscated. When the court ordered 
>the police to give it back, they discovered that the film had been 
>deliberately exposed and destroyed:
>http://www.nsc.org/ehc/ew/issues/ew96sep.htm#forest  (note:  the 'women 
>screaming' thing is likely true, but, to be fair, any time there were 
>arrests or civil disobedience, women screamed.  It's annoying, and at least 
>half the time they weren't being treated badly at all, making it impossible 
>to know without being there.)

I've seen that happen enough to know you're spot on, women use what
they have, and not at all fairly, as if that's news...

>> You wouldn't be a little terrorized if you knew it was done due to some 
>> political agenda and could happen again? Why don't I believe
>> that.
>
>You can believe it because it happened to me.  Similarly, they fired 
>shotguns over the heads of activists, stole the clothes of two teenage girls 
>who were swimming in a stream and then threw rocks at them to get them to 
>come out of the water, etc.

Regardless of what you claim, that was coercion and thus terrorism.

As a journalist you have to side with the dictionary definition.

As a citizen we must agree on the federal definition:

http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/jarboe021202.htm
The FBI divides the terrorist threat facing the United States into two
broad categories, international and domestic. International terrorism
involves violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a
violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any state, or
that would be a criminal violation if committed within the
jurisdiction of the United States or any state. Acts of international
terrorism are intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population,
influence the policy of a government, or affect the conduct of a
government. These acts transcend national boundaries in terms of the
means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended
to intimidate, or the locale in which perpetrators operate.

Domestic terrorism is the unlawful use, or threatened use, of violence
by a group or individual based and operating entirely within the
United States (or its territories) without foreign direction,
committed against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a
government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in
furtherance of political or social objectives.

During the past decade we have witnessed dramatic changes in the
nature of the terrorist threat. In the 1990s, right-wing extremism
overtook left-wing terrorism as the most dangerous domestic terrorist
threat to the country. During the past several years, special interest
extremism, as characterized by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and
the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), has emerged as a serious terrorist
threat. Generally, extremist groups engage in much activity that is
protected by constitutional guarantees of free speech and assembly.
Law enforcement becomes involved when the volatile talk of these
groups transgresses into unlawful action. The FBI estimates that the
ALF/ELF have committed more than 600 criminal acts in the United
States since 1996, resulting in damages in excess of 43 million
dollars.

Special interest terrorism differs from traditional right-wing and
left-wing terrorism in that extremist special interest groups seek to
resolve specific issues, rather than effect widespread political
change. Special interest extremists continue to conduct acts of
politically motivated violence to force segments of society, including
the general public, to change attitudes about issues considered
important to their causes. These groups occupy the extreme fringes of
animal rights, pro-life, environmental, anti-nuclear, and other
movements. Some special interest extremists -- most notably within the
animal rights and environmental movements -- have turned increasingly
toward vandalism and terrorist activity in attempts to further their
causes.

Since 1977, when disaffected members of the ecological preservation
group Greenpeace formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and
attacked commercial fishing operations by cutting drift nets, acts of
"eco-terrorism" have occurred around the globe. The FBI defines
eco-terrorism as the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal
nature against innocent victims or property by an
environmentally-oriented, subnational group for
environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the
target, often of a symbolic nature.

In recent years, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) has become one of
the most active extremist elements in the United States. Despite the
destructive aspects of ALF's operations, its operational philosophy
discourages acts that harm "any animal, human and nonhuman." Animal
rights groups in the United States, including the ALF, have generally
adhered to this mandate. The ALF, established in Great Britain in the
mid-1970s, is a loosely organized movement committed to ending the
abuse and exploitation of animals. The American branch of the ALF
began its operations in the late 1970s. Individuals become members of
the ALF not by filing paperwork or paying dues, but simply by engaging
in "direct action" against companies or individuals who utilize
animals for research or economic gain. "Direct action" generally
occurs in the form of criminal activity to cause economic loss or to
destroy the victims' company operations. The ALF activists have
engaged in a steadily growing campaign of illegal activity against fur
companies, mink farms, restaurants, and animal research laboratories.

Estimates of damage and destruction in the United States claimed by
the ALF during the past ten years, as compiled by national
organizations such as the Fur Commission and the National Association
for Biomedical Research (NABR), put the fur industry and medical
research losses at more than 45 million dollars. The ALF is considered
a terrorist group, whose purpose is to bring about social and
political change through the use of force and violence.

Disaffected environmentalists, in 1980, formed a radical group called
"Earth First!" and engaged in a series of protests and civil
disobedience events. In 1984, however, members introduced "tree
spiking" (insertion of metal or ceramic spikes in trees in an effort
to damage saws) as a tactic to thwart logging. In 1992, the ELF was
founded in Brighton, England, by Earth First! members who refused to
abandon criminal acts as a tactic when others wished to mainstream
Earth First!. In 1993, the ELF was listed for the first time along
with the ALF in a communique declaring solidarity in actions between
the two groups. This unity continues today with a crossover of
leadership and membership. It is not uncommon for the ALF and the ELF
to post joint declarations of responsibility for criminal actions on
their web-sites. In 1994, founders of the San Francisco branch of
Earth First! published in The Earth First! Journal a recommendation
that Earth First! mainstream itself in the United States, leaving
criminal acts other than unlawful protests to the ELF.

The ELF advocates "monkeywrenching," a euphemism for acts of sabotage
and property destruction against industries and other entities
perceived to be damaging to the natural environment. "Monkeywrenching"
includes tree spiking, arson, sabotage of logging or construction
equipment, and other types of property destruction. Speeches given by
Jonathan Paul and Craig Rosebraugh at the 1998 National Animal Rights
Conference held at the University of Oregon, promoted the unity of
both the ELF and the ALF movements. The ELF posted information on the
ALF website until it began its own website in January 2001, and is
listed in the same underground activist publications as the ALF.

The most destructive practice of the ALF/ELF is arson. The ALF/ELF
members consistently use improvised incendiary devices equipped with
crude but effective timing mechanisms. These incendiary devices are
often constructed based upon instructions found on the ALF/ELF
websites. The ALF/ELF criminal incidents often involve pre-activity
surveillance and well-planned operations. Members are believed to
engage in significant intelligence gathering against potential
targets, including the review of industry/trade publications,
photographic/video surveillance of potential targets, and posting
details about potential targets on the internet.

The ALF and the ELF have jointly claimed credit for several raids
including a November 1997 attack of the Bureau of Land Management wild
horse corrals near Burns, Oregon, where arson destroyed the entire
complex resulting in damages in excess of four hundred and fifty
thousand dollars and the June 1998 arson attack of a U.S. Department
of Agriculture Animal Damage Control Building near Olympia,
Washington, in which damages exceeded two million dollars. The ELF
claimed sole credit for the October 1998, arson of a Vail, Colorado,
ski facility in which four ski lifts, a restaurant, a picnic facility
and a utility building were destroyed. Damage exceeded $12 million. On
12/27/1998, the ELF claimed responsibility for the arson at the U.S.
Forest Industries Office in Medford, Oregon, where damages exceeded
five hundred thousand dollars. Other arsons in Oregon, New York,
Washington, Michigan, and Indiana have been claimed by the ELF.
Recently, the ELF has also claimed attacks on genetically engineered
crops and trees. The ELF claims these attacks have totaled close to
$40 million in damages.

The name of a group called the Coalition to Save the Preserves (CSP),
surfaced in relation to a series of arsons that occurred in the
Phoenix, Arizona, area. These arsons targeted several new homes under
construction near the North Phoenix Mountain Preserves. No direct
connection was established between the CSP and ALF/ELF. However, the
stated goal of CSP to stop development of previously undeveloped
lands, is similar to that of the ELF. The property damage associated
with the arsons has been estimated to be in excess of $5 million.

The FBI has developed a strong response to the threats posed by
domestic and international terrorism. Between fiscal years 1993 and
2003, the number of Special Agents dedicated to the FBI's
counterterrorism programs grew by approximately 224 percent to 1,669
-- nearly 16 percent of all FBI Special Agents. In recent years, the
FBI has strengthened its counterterrorism program to enhance its
abilities to carry out these objectives.

Cooperation among law enforcement agencies at all levels represents an
important component of a comprehensive response to terrorism. This
cooperation assumes its most tangible operational form in the Joint
Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) that are established in 44 cities across
the nation. These task forces are particularly well-suited to
responding to terrorism because they combine the national and
international investigative resources of the FBI with the street-level
expertise of local law enforcement agencies. Given the success of the
JTTF concept, the FBI has established 15 new JTTFs since the end of
1999. By the end of 2003 the FBI plans to have established JTTFs in
each of its 56 field offices. By integrating the investigative
abilities of the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, these task
forces represent an effective response to the threats posed to U.S.
communities by domestic and international terrorists.

The FBI and our law enforcement partners have made a number of arrests
of individuals alleged to have perpetrated acts of eco-terrorism.
Several of these individuals have been successfully prosecuted.
Following the investigation of the Phoenix, Arizona, arsons noted
earlier, Mark Warren Sands was indicted and arrested on 6/14/2001. On
11/07/2001, Sands pleaded guilty to ten counts of extortion and using
fire in the commission of a federal felony.

In February 2001, teenagers Jared McIntyre, Matthew Rammelkamp, and
George Mashkow all pleaded guilty, as adults, to title 18 U.S.C.
844(i), Arson, and 844(n), Arson Conspiracy. These charges pertain to
a series of arsons and attempted arsons of new home construction sites
in Long Island, New York. An adult, Connor Cash, was also arrested on
February 15, 2001, and charged under the same federal statutes. Jared
McIntrye stated that these acts were committed in sympathy of the ELF
movement. The New York Joint Terrorism Task Force played a significant
role in the arrest and prosecution of these individuals.

On 1/23/2001, Frank Ambrose was arrested by officers of the Department
of Natural Resources with assistance from the Indianapolis JTTF, on a
local warrant out of Monroe County Circuit Court, Bloomington,
Indiana, charging Ambrose with timber spiking. Ambrose is suspected of
involvement in the spiking of approximately 150 trees in Indiana state
forests. The ELF claimed responsibility for these incidents.

On September 16, 1998, a federal grand jury in the Western District of
Wisconsin indicted Peter Young and Justin Samuel for Hobbs Act
violations as well as for animal enterprise terrorism. Samuel was
apprehended in Belgium, and was subsequently extradited to the United
States. On August 30, 2000, Samuel pleaded guilty to two counts of
animal enterprise terrorism and was sentenced on November 3, 2000, to
two years in prison, two years probation, and ordered to pay $364,106
in restitution. Samuel's prosecution arose out of his involvement in
mink releases in Wisconsin in 1997. This incident was claimed by the
ALF. The investigation and arrest of Justin Samuel were the result of
a joint effort by federal, state, and local agencies.

On April 20, 1997, Douglas Joshua Ellerman turned himself in and
admitted on videotape to purchasing, constructing, and transporting
five pipe bombs to the scene of the March 11, 1997, arson at the Fur
Breeders Agricultural co-op in Sandy, Utah. Ellerman also admitted
setting fire to the facility. Ellerman was indicted on June 19, 1997
on 16 counts, and eventually pleaded guilty to three. He was sentenced
to seven years in prison and restitution of approximately $750,000.
Though this incident was not officially claimed by ALF, Ellerman
indicated during an interview subsequent to his arrest that he was a
member of ALF. This incident was investigated jointly by the FBI and
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

Rodney Adam Coronado was convicted for his role in the February 2,
1992, arson at an animal research laboratory on the campus of Michigan
State University. Damage estimates, according to public sources,
approached $200,000 and included the destruction of research records.
On July 3, 1995, Coronado pled guilty for his role in the arson and
was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, three years probation,
and restitution of more than $2 million. This incident was claimed by
ALF. The FBI, ATF, and the Michigan State University police played a
significant role in the investigation, arrest, and prosecution.

Marc Leslie Davis, Margaret Katherine Millet, Marc Andre Baker, and
Ilse Washington Asplund were all members of the self-proclaimed "Evan
Mecham Eco-Terrorist International Conspiracy" (EMETIC). EMETIC was
formed to engage in eco-terrorism against nuclear power plants and ski
resorts in the southwestern United States. In November 1987, the group
claimed responsibility for damage to a chairlift at the Fairfield Snow
Bowl Ski Resort near Flagstaff, Arizona. Davis, Millet, and Baker were
arrested in May 1989 on charges relating to the Fairfield Snow Bowl
incident and planned incidents at the Central Arizona Project and Palo
Verde nuclear generating stations in Arizona; the Diablo Canyon
Nuclear Facility in California; and the Rocky Flats Nuclear Facility
in Colorado. All pleaded guilty and were sentenced in September 1991.
Davis was sentenced to six years in federal prison, and restitution to
the Fairfield Snow Bowl Ski Resort in the amount of $19,821. Millet
was sentenced to three years in federal prison, and restitution to
Fairfield in the amount of $19,821. Baker was sentenced to one year in
federal prison, five months probation, a $5,000 fine, and 100 hours of
community service. Asplund was also charged and was sentenced to one
year in federal prison, five years probation, a $2,000 fine, and 100
hours of community service.

Currently, more than 26 FBI field offices have pending investigations
associated with ALF/ELF activities. Despite all of our efforts
(increased resources allocated, JTTFs, successful arrests and
prosecutions), law enforcement has a long way to go to adequately
address the problem of eco-terrorism. Groups such as the ALF and the
ELF present unique challenges. There is little if any hierarchal
structure to such entities. Eco-terrorists are unlike traditional
criminal enterprises which are often structured and organized.

The difficulty investigating such groups is demonstrated by the fact
that law enforcement has thus far been unable to effect the arrests of
anyone for some recent criminal activity directed at federal land
managers or their offices. However, there are several ongoing
investigations regarding such acts. Current investigations include the
10/14/2001 arson at the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro
Corral in Litchfield, California, the 7/20/2000 destruction of trees
and damage to vehicles at the U.S. Forestry Science Laboratory in
Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and the 11/29/1997 arson at the Bureau of Land
Management Corral in Burns, Oregon.

Before closing, I would like to acknowledge the cooperation and
assistance rendered by the U.S. Forest Service in investigating
incidents of eco-terrorism. Specifically, I would like to recognize
the assistance that the Forest Service is providing with regard to the
ongoing investigation of the 7/20/2000 incident of vandalism and
destruction that occurred at the U.S. Forestry Science Laboratory in
Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

The FBI and all of our federal, state, and local law enforcement
partners will continue to strive to address the difficult and unique
challenges posed by eco-terrorists. Despite the recent focus on
international terrorism, we remain fully cognizant of the full range
of threats that confront the United States.



>> Yes...the "hurt" part was just the terroristic COERCION!
>
>We can agree to disagree but, my overall thought on the matter is that by 
>and large, the type that commit these crimes aren't trying to coerce 
>anybody.  

Huh?

They want SUVs gone - that's why they fire bombed a LR dealer in Santa
Fe, NM  and spray painted their mordant eco-sloganeering.

>The real work involves self-sacrifice, research and brains.  Most 
>of these "ecoterrorists" are suburban brats who just want to lash out at the 
>world and if you tell them as an environmentalist that they're wrong, they 
>consider you part of the Man.  I don't extend them the respect of being 
>farsighted enough to think in terms of coercion.
>
>-c 

I recommend you read up on some of the stuff Foreman's bunch did in
the Lake Powell/ 4 Corners area, not quite Monkey Wrench Gang damnsite
detonation bad, but sugnificant structural damage to power lines
transmission towers and such.