Posted in Legal, Operation Backfire on Jul 30th, 2007
This is an update on Daniel McGowan, one of the Operation Backfire defendants who recently reported to prison after being sentenced as a “terrorist.” It’s from Family and Friends of Daniel McGowan:
July 26, 2007
I’m pretty convinced at this point, nearly 20 months after my arrest, that I am incredibly lucky to have the best [...]
Posted in Legal, Operation Backfire on Jul 28th, 2007
Darren Thurston’s support committee has posted an open letter responding to what seems to be widespread condemnation by other activists that Thurston and others “snitched,” or cooperated with the government (as opposed to the non-cooperating defendants), in hopes of receiving reduced sentences in the Operation Backfire cases. Here’s an excerpt, or also take a look [...]
Posted in Activists' Response, Federal, Legal, Legislation, Operation Backfire, SHAC 7 on Jul 27th, 2007
A few folks asked that I post this, so here goes. It’s the audio and text from the plenary speech I gave at the national animal rights conference in Los Angeles, about how people choose respond to the fear created by the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, “terrorism enhancements” and the Green Scare more broadly. [...]
Posted in Activists' Response, Legal, Operation Backfire on Jul 7th, 2007
I just received a copy of The Secret World of Terijian, a children’s book that some folks have put out to raise money for individuals labeled “eco-terrorists” and hit with terrorism enhancement penalties for property destruction in the name of the environment.
It’s a cute little book about two kids, Connor and Moriko, who find [...]
Posted in Legal, Operation Backfire on Jun 27th, 2007
A Bush administration prosecutor recently called the labeling of environmental activists as terrorists “political” and “overreaching.” From The Eugene Weekly’s Alan Pittman, former U.S. attorney David C. Iglesias said:
“It seems to me what happened here should not fit my traditional definition of what terrorism is,” he said. Charging the environmental saboteurs in Eugene with terrorism [...]
Posted in Federal, Legal, Legislation, Operation Backfire, Terrorism Rhetoric on May 24th, 2007
Nature has an editorial in the latest issue against “terrorism enhancement” in the cases out West, and also more broadly against the “eco-terrorism” rhetoric we’ve been seeing in legislation like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. This is big breakthrough, especially considering the source.
An excerpt:
But ‘terrorist’ is a word so debased and loaded by political use [...]
Posted in Legal, Operation Backfire, Uncategorized on May 24th, 2007
A federal judge labeled property destruction in the name of the environment “terrorism” yesterday and sentenced the first of the Operation Backfire defendants to 13 years in prison. Activists around the country– and particularly the remaining nine defendants– had been watching the sentencing very carefully, because the judge’s tenor may foreshadow the remaining court dates. [...]
Posted in Legal, Operation Backfire on May 24th, 2007
Check out this oped in The L.A. Times by Caroline Paul, whose brother Jonathan is one of the defendants who faces “terrorism enhancement” penalties for environmentally-motivated property crimes: in this case, an arson against a horse slaughtering plant. An interesting sidenote is that Caroline was a San Francisco firefighter for 13 years.
Here’s an excerpt:
How [...]
Posted in Legal, Operation Backfire on May 22nd, 2007
“Terrorism enhancement” penalties may apply to a group of activists charged with property crimes in the name of protecting the environment and animal rights, a U.S. District Court judge ruled Monday. But the burden will be heavily on the government to “present clear and convincing evidence” during sentencing in order for the T-word to apply. [...]
Posted in Legal, Operation Backfire, Terrorism Rhetoric on May 21st, 2007
A U.S. District Judge in Oregon just ruled that “terrorism enhancement” penalties may apply to environmental and animal rights activists in the “Operation Backfire” cases.
I’m sifting through all this now and hope to post more tonight. Stay tuned.
The War on Terrorism has come home. Corporations and politicians are labeling activists "eco-terrorists" and national security threats. Think red-baiting, with a green twist. Here you'll find original reporting and analysis of the Green Scare, and history repeating itself.