Environmental and animal rights activists who have turned to arson and explosives are the nation's top domestic terrorism threat, an FBI official told a U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday.

Groups such as the Animal Liberation Front, the Earth Liberation Front and Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty are “way out in front” in terms of damage and number of crimes, said John Lewis, the FBI's deputy assistant director for counterterrorism.

“There is nothing else going on in this country over the last several years that is racking up the high number of violent crimes and terrorist actions,” Mr. Lewis said.


Full story...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050518.weco0518/BNStory/International/

:(

Just another sign the so called 'War on Terror' isn't really what it appears to be...

*scratches head*

"violent crimes and terrorist actions"

I think the fact that by "violent crimes" they mean property damage, and that by "terrorist actions" they mean property damage...means that the average person is not too concerned with this, as compared to, say, Al Qaida. However, targetted businesses might be concerned - which is government protecting the interests of big business and obscuring the real issues to the public.

White supremacists and anti-abortionists are actually a bigger threat to the public and to human life, but that doesn't register with this administration.

Oh please.

Boy, I certainly feel safe if that's the FBI's stance. No wonder 9/11 was allowed to happen. Evidently most of their attention is on ALF and ELF.

This just confirms my suspicion that FBI is partly used as a propaganda tool of certain politicians bought and paid for by industries profiting from animal abuse to discredit ARAs and environmentalists.

When Rep. Scott McInnis from Colorado, whose major campaign contributors include the Nat’l Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Perdue Farms, and Dairy Farmers of America, invites Rick Berman of the Center for Consumer Freedom to testify against aboveground animal protection groups at a Congressional hearing without inviting the defendants to give their side of the story, you know there is some very serious political bullsh*t going on behind closed doors.

If the ALF and ELF are terrorizing America so much, why don’t we hear of the specific events in the news? Probably because the top brass at the FBI is being told by politicians to hype up what little is going on, both to protect the FBI’s federal funding and to “shoot the messenger” of the message that our major campaign-donor industries cause unnecessary cruelty to animals and unnecessary environmental pollution.

If ALF and ELF are America’s biggest terrorist threats, that’s great, because then we can kick back and not worry about much of anything. *yawn*

A little side note to avoid knots in shorts around here: I already made it clear before that I don’t support burning and bombing and that still stands. To the extent the ALF and ELF do that, I think their actions are wrong. To the extent that those actions are effective, the wrongness of them is mitigated, but I’m not sure how effective burning and bombing are at this point when the media can turn it around so much into activists as evil and abusers as victims. The above post is just calling the FBI hype for what it is: indirect propaganda of the animal and environment abusing industries.

What exactly is the tangible evidence that hurting individuals is now in the 'plan'?:

He said most animal rights and eco-extremists so far have refrained from violence targeting human life.

“The FBI has observed troubling signs that this is changing. We have seen an escalation in violent rhetoric and tactics,” he told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Attacks are also growing in frequency and size.”

There's a good article for The Onion in here; I can smell it! :lol:

"ALF and ELF Used by al Qaeda as Terrorist Decoy in Next Major US Attack!"

"FBI Busyness With America's Terrifying ALF and ELF Cause a Major Oversight as America Gets Blindsided Again by al Qaeda" :eek:

Yea, I feel like we're on the verge of overturning vehicles and killing people when we're out there with our cardboard signs and flyers, better watch out! I guess they feel that they can win the war on terror against peaceful unarmed protesters, as opposed to angry Iraqis willing to die for their cause. Just a few well connected and very wealthy people in the animal-torture and kill-for burgers industry.

Yes, resources should definately be used elsewhere.

Yea, I feel like we're on the verge of overturning vehicles and killing people when we're out there with our cardboard signs and flyers, better watch out!

Yeah. Someone with a strong arm and some Why Vegans could really do some damage...and they might litter too! :eek:

If only we had enough protein, then maybe we could make a difference, but not with these clear arteries and colons....

If only we had enough protein, then maybe we could make a difference, but not with these clear arteries and colons....


LOL.

If AR groups are our biggest threat, I guess I'll be sleeping pretty good tonight.

:up:

The Rev

I don't see AR groups being a threat to the U.S., unless U.S. somehow went from meaning the United States to standing for "undeserving sons-of-bitches."

I can see how a small percentage of people (mostly people making money at someone or something else's expense) would find AR groups threatening. I don't see how the average human American, much less all the animals within our boundaries, could feel at all threatened by these groups, though.

Well, if my trustworthy goverment says so, then...

*hopping off AR bandwagon*

I wouldn't expect anything else in the era of the Bush administration.

The ALF and ELF are pretty shoddy terrorists considering not one person has died because of them.
Maybe the govt. should focus on homeland security-like checking the cargo holds of planes or protecting highly at risk power plants.
Oh wait, that could actually save some lives.

I can't believe they'd say this after all the school shootings, McVeigh, The Unibomber, etc. :p

Looks like somebody's sleeping on the job.

Next step : all veg*ns to be arrested and locked up in "rehabilitation" facilities to be served meatballs and fried strips of bacon every day...?

Actually down in Europe, ALF has burned down a McDonalds or 2 (after hours though) and people do get paranoid about that. It's a place they like to take their kids to & all. But to call this terrorism... ? Does the FBI really have nothing better to do ?

I agree with The Rev. it's tiring, making lists of all the things they could be using that money for, but we can sit back and laugh.

and then get all uber paranoid that they are stalking us, reading our emails, our VB posts, the like.

Yeah, never thought of that, I suppose there could be a bloke at the FBI who has the specific task of reading VB and a couple of other forums all day... of course, we are planning all our terrorist actions right here online for everyone to see... LOL !... *yawn*...

I work in public service and was working a few years ago on a big report with an exhaustive list of organizations which were considered SECTS and were under surveilance and you wouldn't believe the stuff they put on that list. The list was made public and there was a big outcry. There were plenty of bona fide non-religious organizations on there ! (and as far as I know, a big part of them still are). Now no one except extreme right-wing politicians take that list seriously anymore... probably the same ones who consider veg*ns a threat to orderly society... LOL ! I guess secret services and their appendage are the same all over the world...

oh great. I guess I won't be ordering veggie General's chikin anymore for delivery.. they'll be pulling up to my house in a black Mercedes, ring the doorbell and pull a gun and credentials outta the chinese food bag. And now, instead of the Anarchist Cookbook, I'll be put on the black list at Barnes & Noble for buying a Christina Pirello cookbook...

but wait, shouldn't I really just be scared of myself? I might hurt someone.. since I am a threat to society and all. Better watch out... me and my dangerous naps and reading and watching reruns of the Golden Girls...

I'm more afraid of falling planes personally - and that ain't so likely.