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On May 18, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment &
Public Works held a hearing titled “Oversight on Eco-terrorism
specifically examining the Earth Liberation Front (“ELF”)
and the Animal Liberation Front (“ALF”).”
The result of the hearing was a wide proclamation that the
A.L.F. and E.L.F. are the number-one domestic terror threats
in the United States.
Hosted by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), widely regarded as
one of the dumbest members of the senate, the hearing offered
up little in the way of experts on the subject. Instead, the
panel was made up of people like the Center for Consumer Freedom’s
David Martosko. Absent from the list of speakers was Rep.
Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House
Committee on Homeland Security, who was denied the opportunity
to speak by Inhofe. Inhofe's refusal to allow Thompson to
speak is the only time a member of Congress has been denied
permission to testify before a Senate committee when he has
formally requested to do so.
While the issue was widely covered in the media with headlines
such as “Bunny Huggers #1 Domestic Terror Threat,”
the hearing and its contents were widely dismissed by many
in Congress, the media, and activist circles as an exaggeration
and a distraction from the real threats to domestic security.
The results of the hearing—if any—remain to be
seen.
Spotlight: A Closer look at Senator
Jim Inhofe
Just who is the senator from Oklahoma that hosted the so-called
eco-terrorism hearing? He’s Jim Inhofe, a die-hard Republican
and a congressman considered by many to lack the intellect
of his peers. Here, we take a glance at Senator Inhofe’s
track record:
- He was elected in 1994 after running on a platform he
described as “God, gays, and guns.”
- In 1997, he blocked the nomination of James Hormel, the
first openly-gay ambassadorial nominee.
- He maintains that global warming and climate change are
not caused by humans and that, in fact, natural variability,
rather than human influence, is the "overwhelming factor
influencing climate."
- In 1972, as an Oklahoma state senator, he recommended
that Jane Fonda and George McGovern be hanged for treason.
- Inhofe sponsored the Religious Freedom Amendment, which
would have required accommodation of religion on all public
property, specifically in schools. When queried about how
he'd feel when schools would have to let Muslim students
pray to Allah five times per day, or to provide vegetarian
meals for Buddhists, or to allow Wiccans or Druids to conduct
their ceremonies on school property and proselytize other
students, Inhofe said that, basically, anything other than
Judaism or Christianity isn't a "real" religion
and wouldn't be constitutionally protected.
In Their Own Words—Excerpts
from the Senate Hearing on Eco-Terrorism
On the Absurdity of labeling animal rights/environmental
activists the number one domestic terrorist threat…
“While I appreciate the Chairman’s interest
in these fringe groups, I urge the Committee to focus its
attention on larger environmental threats, such as the dangerously
high blood lead levels in hundreds of thousands of children.
With all due respect, Mr. Chairman, I believe the Committee’s
time would be better spent learning why EPA has not promulgated
regulations to deal with lead paint in remodeled homes.”
- Senator Barack Obama
“To date, not a single incident of so-called environmental
terrorism has killed anyone.” - Senator Frank Lautenberg
Putting the “Threat” in Perspective…
“We need to keep things in perspective. As I mentioned,
the Oklahoma City bombing killed 168 people. The attacks of
9/11 killed 3,000.” - Senator Frank Lautenberg
“I do not want people to think that the threat from
these organizations is equivalent to other crimes faced by
Americans every day. According to the FBI, there were over
7,400 hate crimes committed in 2003 – half of which
racially motivated. More directly relevant to this committee,
the FBI reports 450 pending environmental crimes cases involving
worker endangerment or threats to public health or the environment.”
- Senator Barack Obama
“ELF and ALF may threaten dozens of people each
year, but an incident at a chemical, nuclear or wastewater
facility would threaten tens of thousands.” - Senator
James M. Jeffords
“35 homes under construction in the Maryland subdivision
of Hunters Brooke were partially or entirely destroyed by
arson in December, 2004. The perpetrators torched the entire
subdivision because they believed many of the families who
would move in were African American. This arson attack was
characterized as 'the worst arson in Maryland history,' and
this one incident caused approximately $10 million in damage
-- almost 1/10th the damage alleged to have been caused by
ALF and ELF -- and all other environmental extremist groups
-- in the last 14 years.” - Senator Bennie G. Thompson
On the Accomplishments of the A.L.F…
“On August 1, 2003 ELF torched an apartment building
that Garden Communities was building in San Diego, totally
destroying the building and causing millions of dollars of
damage.” - Mr. Monty McIntyre, Esq., Garden Communities
“ALF vandals spray-painted slogans over several
walls and cabinets, destroyed several pieces of expensive
laboratory equipment, and generally trashed the entire laboratory
causing an estimated $250,000 worth of damage to the property.
Research in the laboratory was suspended for about a year
as repairs were made . . . [a] second attack resulted in an
estimated $30,000 worth of damage to the property. Again,
the faculty and staff suffered psychological harm from the
fear of their safety due to this incident.” - Senator
David Vitter
“From January 1990 to June 2004, animal and environmental
rights extremists have claimed credit for more than 1,200
criminal incidents, resulting in millions of dollars in damage
and monetary loss.” - John Lewis, Deputy Assistant
Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation
“…the total direct costs for the incident
are approximately $450,000. The cost for the chemical cleanup,
both by our own Health Protection Office and outside contractors,
is estimated at $150,000. The cost to our Department of Public
Safety, including increased contract-based security on campus,
is approximately $25,000, and replacement estimates for equipment
and supplies are over $250,000. With this incident prompting
a review of all of our security measures, the eventual cost
for additional research facility protection will be much more.
What cannot be measured in monetary terms is the loss of progress
in research.” - David Skorton, University of Iowa
President on A.L.F. raid at University
On Avoiding Identification…
“ELF and ALF activists wear gloves during their
illegal activity to avoid leaving behind fingerprints, and
wear non-descript clothing to include hoods and hats to hide
their identity. They are knowledgeable of the implications
of DNA evidence. Also, in the event bolt cutters are used
during an attack, they are instructed to sharpen the bolt
cutters afterwards in order to thwart law enforcement tool
mark analysis.” - Carson Carroll, Deputy Assistant
Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
“Preventing such criminal activity has become increasingly
difficult, in large part because extremists in these movements
are very knowledgeable about the letter of the law and the
limits of law enforcement. Moreover, they are highly autonomous…Extremists
of these movements adhere to strict security measures in both
their communications and their operations.” - John
Lewis, Deputy Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation
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