Eco-Rights & The Green Scare

The Bush administration has stepped up their domestic terrorism program against environmentalists following their post-WTO Seattle debacle. We are witnessing a large scale witch hunt to put an end to environmental actions that demonstrate socially unconscionable actions on the part of the private sectors. This neo-red scare is seen mainly in the Western states and has materialized in the form of Federal terrorist charges against those fighting to preserve our natural resources and wildlife.

The University of Washington Horticulture Center sustained $7 million in an act of arson. The center was responsible for producing genetically modified trees, a threat to the genetic diversity of our National Forests. One defendant was holding a radio at the time of the arson and is now facing life in prison + 1115 years. While I concede that arson shouldn’t be taken likely it should be pointed out that nobody was hurt as a result of the act. Compare this with one of the bombers in Oklahoma City who was responsible for the death of more than 200 men, women, and children. That person was out in less than 10 years.

Unfortunately, the President and his earth raping cohorts have not applied the same laws across the board. Those responsible for blowing up abortion clinics rarely see jail time. The new wave of repression against environmentalists can be likened to the McCarthyism of old. First they targeted the communists, then the anti-war hippies. The slippery slope used by the current administration funded by private developers and builders has to be stopped before all of our first amendment rights allowing us to stand up for the environment are stripped.