Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
So Who Are the Real Ecoterrorists?
"The term ecological terrorists, or ecoterrorists, refers to those individuals who independently and/or in concert with others engage in acts of violence and employ tactics commonly associated with terrorism to further their sociopolitical agenda aimed at animal and/or environmental protection."
That is the opening sentence of a DHS Universal Adversary Dynamic Threat Assessment dated May 7, 2008 titled Ecoterrorism: Environmental and Animal -Rights Militants in the United States. According to this document, anyone who physically intervenes to prevent another from harming an animal and/or the environment is essentially a terrorist. Are the soldiers who defeated the Nazis and freed the Jews from Auschwitz and other concentration camps terrorists? Are the police officers who arrested Josef Fritzl, who repeatedly raped his own daughter while she was imprisoned in his basement for 24 years? You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would say that they were. So why then is someone who destroys lab equipment used to conduct needles and torturous tests on innocent animals, or kidnaps an oil company executive responsible for a leaking pipeline poisoning the entire food chain any different?
They are different because while the capitalists make billions of dollars each year destroying the planet, they have not yet figured out how to profit from protecting it. It is a well known fact that money equals influence, and as such the powers that be are obligated to protect the interests of the wealth profiteers benefiting from torture and cruelty. What's the most effective way to do this in post-9/11 America? Label anyone who actively opposes them a terrorist, instantly stripping away their constitutional rights.
By this reasoning, it is clear that as long as big corporations continue to profit from torture and destruction, the situation will only get worse. So what can the average person do? Talk is cheap, but raiding labs and sabotaging factories is not for everyone, as many of us have families and careers of our own to consider. However, we can all support our brothers and sisters on the front lines by taking some very simple actions such as not supporting companies that test on animals and urging our elected officials at all levels to pass stronger environmental regulations. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for such a large scale problem as this, but we can all do our part and spread the word to put the true ecoterrorists out of business.
The original DHS document can be viewed here via WikiLeaks
That is the opening sentence of a DHS Universal Adversary Dynamic Threat Assessment dated May 7, 2008 titled Ecoterrorism: Environmental and Animal -Rights Militants in the United States. According to this document, anyone who physically intervenes to prevent another from harming an animal and/or the environment is essentially a terrorist. Are the soldiers who defeated the Nazis and freed the Jews from Auschwitz and other concentration camps terrorists? Are the police officers who arrested Josef Fritzl, who repeatedly raped his own daughter while she was imprisoned in his basement for 24 years? You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would say that they were. So why then is someone who destroys lab equipment used to conduct needles and torturous tests on innocent animals, or kidnaps an oil company executive responsible for a leaking pipeline poisoning the entire food chain any different?
They are different because while the capitalists make billions of dollars each year destroying the planet, they have not yet figured out how to profit from protecting it. It is a well known fact that money equals influence, and as such the powers that be are obligated to protect the interests of the wealth profiteers benefiting from torture and cruelty. What's the most effective way to do this in post-9/11 America? Label anyone who actively opposes them a terrorist, instantly stripping away their constitutional rights.
By this reasoning, it is clear that as long as big corporations continue to profit from torture and destruction, the situation will only get worse. So what can the average person do? Talk is cheap, but raiding labs and sabotaging factories is not for everyone, as many of us have families and careers of our own to consider. However, we can all support our brothers and sisters on the front lines by taking some very simple actions such as not supporting companies that test on animals and urging our elected officials at all levels to pass stronger environmental regulations. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for such a large scale problem as this, but we can all do our part and spread the word to put the true ecoterrorists out of business.
The original DHS document can be viewed here via WikiLeaks
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Failed By the System, Again
Two weeks ago, I was cited for driving on a suspended license, and as I go to court tomorrow morning for the citation I figured I should call the DMV and find out why my license was suspended. Yes, I had to call them myself because I was never notified that my license was suspended. And this is not the first time this has happened to me. As a matter of fact, it is the third time that my driver's license has been suspended without my being notified. Even better is the reason that it is suspended.
Previosly, I had been cited for driving without valid proof of insurance. I had insurance at the time but did not have my ID card in the vehicle, so the officer told me just to bring it with me to court and show it to the judge and it would be dropped. Well, I did, and it wasn't. The judge said that it wasn't specific enough, that I needed to show something from the insurance company stating that I was insured at the specific time and date that I was cited. I have since brought at least half a dozen printouts and letters from my insurance company stating that I was, in fact, insured at the time and date in question and none of them have been "specific enough" for this judge. This is still an ongoing and open case, and as such should not appear on my driving record, but alas, this is why my license has been suspended.
Yes, according to the gentleman I spoke with at the DMV this afternoon, my driver's license has been suspended for "operating a motor vehicle without valid insurance." In essence, I am being punished for a crime for which I have not yet even been convicted. To top it all off, it will cost me $95 to get my license reinstated regardless of the outcome of the insurance case. If this is not a prime example of a capitalist corporate government at work then I don't know what is.
Previosly, I had been cited for driving without valid proof of insurance. I had insurance at the time but did not have my ID card in the vehicle, so the officer told me just to bring it with me to court and show it to the judge and it would be dropped. Well, I did, and it wasn't. The judge said that it wasn't specific enough, that I needed to show something from the insurance company stating that I was insured at the specific time and date that I was cited. I have since brought at least half a dozen printouts and letters from my insurance company stating that I was, in fact, insured at the time and date in question and none of them have been "specific enough" for this judge. This is still an ongoing and open case, and as such should not appear on my driving record, but alas, this is why my license has been suspended.
Yes, according to the gentleman I spoke with at the DMV this afternoon, my driver's license has been suspended for "operating a motor vehicle without valid insurance." In essence, I am being punished for a crime for which I have not yet even been convicted. To top it all off, it will cost me $95 to get my license reinstated regardless of the outcome of the insurance case. If this is not a prime example of a capitalist corporate government at work then I don't know what is.
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