Contact
Aug 17th, 2006 by Will Potter
*Speaking Engagements
Will frequently speaks in public forums on the Green Scare, “eco-terrorism” legislation like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, and the response of activists to this new “War on Terror.”
Prior speaking engagements include the New York City Bar Association, Yale Law School and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, among many others.
He is available to speak a range of topics dealing with social movements, “terrorism,” and civil liberties. Prior talks have included:
- “The Green Scare: How Corporations Created the ‘Eco-terrorist’ Menace”
- “The War on Terrorism and the First Amendment”
- “State Repression: Past and Present, From the Green Scare to the Continued War on the Black Liberation Movement”
To book a speaking engagement, please email:
speaking [at] GreenIsTheNewRed [dot] com.
*Media Interviews
Will regularly speaks with reporters, for attribution and on background, on issues like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, the Green Scare and the growth of the radical environmental and animal rights movements. He has interviewed with reporters at The Seattle Times, United Press International, Air America and SF Weekly, among others.
To schedule an interview, please email:
media [at] GreenIsTheNewRed [dot] com
*Your Experiences and Ideas
Have you, or someone you know, experienced harassment because of your political beliefs (or your perceived political beliefs)? Have you come across an interesting document, news article or topic that you think should be covered on this website?
To submit a story idea, please email:
submissions [at] GreenIsTheNewRed [dot] com
PGP key available upon request.
****THANKS FOR THE INFO…”STRANGE”DAYS ARE BACK I SEE>>>> LOOKS LIKE THIS OLD “HIPPY” MAY END UP AT ODDS WITH “THE ESTABLISHMENT” ONCE AGAIN…WILL FOLLOW INFO AND PASS ON TO FRIENDS…SEE THE “STOP SLAUGHTER OF BABY SEALS”PETITION AND MY POST ON THE TV SHOW LATE THURS…….***GODDESS BLESS & KEEP US ALL**** KERRY MCCARTHY
Is there no recourse on the way the AETA bill vote was
(mis)handled today? IE, move up the vote by 3 hours,
only a handful of reps present. The whole scenario
smacks of ’same old’ sneaky, corrupt politics. We,
the little ones in the trenches with the animals, flooded
the reps with emails, phone calls, faxes, possilby to
some (positive) avail—then ‘they’ change the vote time!
I’m glad I finnally found this site, I’ve been looking to see if anyone was organizing around this issue since I found out about it. Didn’t find out about the Dec 7th protest in time, but I offer my support for action in the future. Not enough people know about this, and the people that do, even people who are otherwise politcally active, seem not to be as bothered by it as they should be.
Will,
You may have already caught this article in the New York times on the booming fur trade. There’s a brief mention of AETA on page 1…
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/business/yourmoney/24fur.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
To punch back at the attack on free speech, our activist group just named itself:
Feminist Eco-Terrorists – People for a Peaceful Planet. We’re in Seattle. All feminist vegans welcome. satyasteele at yahoo.com
I am getting tired of this regime.
Hi Will, here is a group pict from the HLS’s president demo on the upper west side, no great shakes but here it is.
http://thinman.com/images/HLS_demo_feb_26_07_sml.jpg
I am taking an indirect route to the environment through the study of empathy. I am now hoping to make it my profession:
http://thinman.com/empathy
john
ps, i just looked at it in full size for the first time.. nice contrast between the winter day and the vividness of the demo signs..
Great site name, & really interesting website.
I was thinking how much I’d love to have a shirt with your logo on it. Get people talking.
Keep up the good work Will.
Scary stuff- there has to be a way to do something- we all need to do some deep digging- this just isn’t right or fair or just. Glad you came to Milwaukee and informed us- thanks so much. Oh, and by the way- how were the wings???
we did a show on the Catalyst bust/greenscare
a year ago.
http://sourcecode.freespeech.org/sc302Ecotage
feel free to link to it
Title: EcoDissent not Terrorism
Description: In George Bush’s America, if you’re an
environmentalist, you’re a terrorist. SourceCode examines civil disobedience under the Patriot Act. Come to Prescott, Arizona, where a recent sting resulted in the death of one person accused under the new definition of terrorism. Hear from a former Earthfirst!er on why she took direct action against a power company. ACLU and Center for Constitutional Rights tell you what risks you face in defending the environment. Ruckus Society makes a case for nonviolent civil disobedience. And a video of the first monkeywrenching action with Edward Abbey at the Glen Canyon Dam.
Great blog!
If the economics don’t work, recycling efforts won’t either.
As our little contribution to make this economics of recycling more appealing, http://LivePaths.com blogs about people and companies that make money selling recycled or reused items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources.
PS How can I get a link back to your blog?
Luis
Over on the Amazon blog, there’s a report on a forthcoming book called Green is the new Red, White, and Blue. I added a comment with a link to here correcting the inaccuracy.
Good afternoon,
I just wanted to take a second and point out an exciting conference that is coming up in October, the 2007 Environmental Performance Summit. This summit is devoted to improving environmental stewardship by equipping federal, state and local government managers at environmental and natural resource agencies with the tools to run their organizations with efficiency, transparency and accountability. The summit has a website: http://www.environmentalperformance.org. If you could post the link it would really help generate buzz for this great event! Thank you!
Don’t know if you’ve seen this yet: http://news.aol.com/story/_a/4-luxury-model-homes-go-up-in-flames/20080303111009990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
The Japanese Coast Guard has shot Paul Watson in the chest ( he was wearing a kevlar vest, or he would be dead ) and threw grenades at this ship
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/03/393156.html
Let’s start working together to empower the people. Let your supporters get your message out!
contact me if you’d like to learn more. It cost you nothing, seriously.
http://www.saysme.tv
Just recently discovered your site. Disturbing reading, but it at proves that there at least a few awake and aware people in the world, hopefully enough to eventually make a difference.
I thought you might be interested in this link http://www.peta-sucks.com/araquotes.htm as you can gather it the usual hatchet job, but ake a look at the bottom of the page, the last quote under the category ‘terrorism’, its many things, but terrorism???
Glad you found the site, Stephen. And thanks for posting that link–quite an odd bunch of quotes, many of which seem dubious, at best. Hatchet job seems right.
I’d like details or a website about the Vermont Law Review Symposium : The threat of Unpopular Ideas.
i didnt see where i could email you, so ill just post this news story i just read here. i feel like it may be useful to you in the future, or just an interesting read for now. actually, not interesting, more like terrifying!
Mammals Facing Extintion Threat
Will, didn’t know if you’d seen this article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/07/AR2008100703245.html?sid=ST2008100703347&s_pos=
They’re correcting the mistake, or so they say. Of course the state has no say in who is on the watch list, and we as citizens have no way of confirming whether we were on the list, or have been removed from it…
Still, as far as the mindset of the general public goes, it seems like a hopeful article.
Hello Will,
I have added your blog site to my twitter account as a way to promote your cause.
Eddie ( remove “not_” from email)
http://twitter.com/Regietto
Thanks, Eddie!
Waterkeeper Alliance is sponsoring a national CAFO conference in North Carolina in January to construct a national strategy against the continuing environmental abuses of the CAFO industry. If you are interested, I would be happy to put you on our conference email list. Hannah
Will,
I was wondering if you knew anything about the military brigade deployed in the U.S. for the elections. I heard, I think Amy Goodman reported on it, that we are currently a police state. Do you know anything about this?
Thanks,
Yet another PETA video investigating turkey abuses. When will these abhorrent abuses ever end! The only good thing about the release of this video is that hopefully it will save the life of a few turkey’s before Thanksgiving!
See video here: http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/turkey_investigation
Animal rights group’s undercover video captures abuse of turkeys at .Va. farms
By Associated Press
11:02 AM EST, November 19, 2008
LEWISBURG, W.Va. (AP) _ A video released by an animal rights group on Tuesday claims to show horrific abuse of turkeys at West Virginia farms operated by major global poultry grower Aviagen Inc.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the video, which includes workers stomping on turkeys’ heads and twisting their necks to kill them, was shot by an undercover investigator who worked on the companies’ farms for more than two months.
The undercover worker, who was not identified, described stifling, dusty barns where the animals were kept and caught video of several workers killing turkeys, slamming them into metal cages and bragging about previous abuse of the animals.
A company official told The New York Times that they “condemn the abuse of any of the animals in our care and will take swift action to address these issues.” They said they would investigate the allegations, which could lead to firing employees who were involved.
A call Wednesday morning to the Alabama headquarters of Aviagen North America was not immediately returned. A call to subsidiary Aviagen Turkeys Inc., in Lewisburg, W.Va., also was not immediately returned.
PETA filed a criminal complaint on Tuesday alleging animal cruelty, according to the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department.
In West Virginia, felony animal cruelty can be punished by one to three years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.
Norfolk, Va.-based PETA campaigns most years against the practices of turkey growers before Thanksgiving and encourages Americans to find vegetarian substitutes for the bird, such as tofu. The video showing the turkey abuse was posted on PETA’s Web site.
In 2004, PETA carried out a similar undercover video sting in West Virginia against Texas-based Pilgrim’s Pride at the company’s Moorefield plant.
The company fired 11 employees and provided animal cruelty training throughout its North American operations after that, but a Hardy County grand jury in 2005 refused to indict any of the workers involved.
From a press release received today:
Embargoed until December 11, 2008 at 7:00am EST
New York Times Ad Condemns Humane Society of the United States for Terror Fundraising
Consumer Group: HSUS vice president will keynote benefit for animal-rights terrorism group
Washington — A full-page ad from the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom will appear in the front section of the December 11 New York Times, accusing the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) of helping an animal-rights terrorism group raise money.
On December 13, HSUS Senior Vice President Heidi Prescott is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at The Humane League of Philadelphia’s holiday fundraising party. The Humane League of Philadelphia was founded in July 2002 as the Philadelphia chapter of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), an organization convicted in 2006 — along with six of its national leaders — on federal domestic terrorism charges.
The Humane League of Philadelphia’s own president, Nick Cooney, was convicted in 2006 of making terroristic threats against the children of a pharmaceutical company employee.
The Center for Consumer Freedom’s ad includes a timeline showing the evolution of The Humane League of Philadelphia, and reads in part:
The Humane Society of the United States claims to be a mainstream, peaceful
advocate for animals. Why is it helping a terrorist group raise money?
There’s a lot you don’t know about the Humane Society of the United States. Learn more at http://www.HumaneWatch.org
Speaking about the Times ad, Center for Consumer Freedom Director of Research David Martosko said: “It’s shocking but true. The Humane Society of the United States is not the mainstream animal-protection group it pretends to be. Consorting with the violent underbelly of the animal rights movement is a clear sign that this group has lost its way. America’s dog and cat shelters could benefit from a genuine national Humane Society. But HSUS is just a PETA knock-off with more money and the same warped agenda.”
Martosko continued: “The Humane League of Philadelphia and SHAC Philly are one and the same. SHAC is a convicted terrorist group that has targeted its victims and their families for many years. It’s remarkable that the Humane Society of the United States thought it could get away with lending support to these people.”
The New York Times ad is available at http://humanewatch.org/HSUSad_NYT.pdf
Thanks Mark! I actually already have that up this morning. Here’s a link.
Here’s a little on a story of potential interest:
Some here: http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2008/12/03/news/mj309059.txt
here: http://www.peacechicken.com/2008/12/05/action-item-swat-raids-co-op-in-rural-ohio/
and here: http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/swat-team.htm
On Monday, December 1, a SWAT team with semi-automatic rifles entered the private home of the Stowers family in LaGrange, Ohio, herded the family onto the couches in the living room, and kept guns trained on parents, children, infants and toddlers, from approximately 11 AM to 8 PM. The team was aggressive and belligerent. The children were quite traumatized. At some point, the “bad cop” SWAT team was relieved by another team, a “good cop” team that tried to befriend the family. The Stowers family has run a very large, well-known food cooperative called Manna Storehouse on the western side of the greater Cleveland area for many years.
[...]
Presumably Manna Storehouse might eventually be charged with running a retail establishment without a license. Why then the Gestapo-type interrogation for a 3rd degree misdemeanor charge? This incident has raised the ominous specter of a restrictive new era in State regulation and enforcement over the nation’s private food supply.
Building Unity, R U ?
So what is up with your MySpace account blocking
both of my profiles ? “If” that profile has a problem
a “problem” with me (as it seems to), it could have
sent an e-mail saying so and what about. I figure
that I had probably sent it too much information.
Seems to me that the feds do not need to deem
activists as eco-terrorists. If they just let us be, we
could probably shoot each other in the foot often
enough to be ineffective, anyway.
The Toxic Reverend
http://www.myspace.com/toxicreverend
aka
Justice Is Homeless
http://www.myspace.com/justiceishomeless
“Toxic Reverend”:
Yes, it looks like those accounts were blocked because of a very high volume of emails and comments. Please keep in mind that the Green Scare MySpace account has over 4,000 friends, and can be quite time consuming to manage. Blocking those emails wasn’t a personal attack. I hope you understand. Best, Will
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_10080054
This showed up in a search I did so I thought I’d pass it on.
The following first paragraph is really the only entertaining part. After that, he blends deep ecologists, ecologists, NASA, the guv’mint, and Henry Thoreau into one jumbled up big bad commie plot.
“For a long time I have felt that the Ecology movement was the new religion for secularists. The Internet even has a web page for “The Church Of Deep Ecology”, but lately I have begun to feel that many, not all, Ecology leaders and fellow travelers are members of the resurgent American Communist Party!”
http://rotenochsen.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/is-ecology-a-religion-or-the-new-home-of-the-commies/
Im sorry but, no one truly fears, “Eco Terrorists”, If all the activists in the world came together no one would care other than the oil company they stood in front of.
If you haven’t already seen it:
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20090302104022599
Figured I would just post it here rather than email.
To speak out could cost……I should know. I have been called terrorist!!!!
Just thought I would share this.
“In an earlier interview with the Weekly, Spring labeled her opponents–including 68-year-old Torske–as “terrorists.” (See “No More No Kill,” Currents, Dec. 18, 2008.) Some observers say that rhetoric is quite calculated, as part of a possible Hermitage strategy to lump Torske, LaRue and Heck together under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. Passed in 2006, the law was aimed at prosecuting radical animal-rights groups such as the Animal Liberation Front. ”
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:122804
I attended your presentation at Drake today and just wanted to thank you so much for coming.
It was a real eye-opener and I thought you did a great job speaking objectively about a topic you’re obviously passionate about (a sign of a quality journalist). It was just a great speech overall.
Best wishes!
Thank you for coming to the presentation, and for the kind note, Mary!
Will,
any thoughts on why the anti-defamation league is interested in “eco-terrorists”? i don’t see how this fits into their mission. http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/Ecoterrorism.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=4&item=eco
im sure you heard about this today, will…http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090421/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_domestic_terrorist
i didnt even have to scroll lower than the headlines and knew it was going to be an a.r. activist they were referring to.
will, have you seen this new crap?
how is it news to do work for the fbi?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/21/fbi.domestic.terror.suspect/index.html
Hello. I saw above that people should comment if they’ve been harassed in regard to their political view and animal rights activism. Well, I have not been harassed, but I have of sorts harassed someone because of their defending of violent actions in the name of animals. Now, i’ve looked over your website, and it seems nearly useless. I see the word “terrorist” all over this website, and it got my attention because I label some animal rights or earth activism terrorism. Not all of it. I’m all in favor of peaceful protests, boycotting, those kinds of things to get your point across. But once you start destroying property, your cause goes right out the window. Now you are viewed as violent, bad people. Even if don’t think you are, that’s how you are going to be viewed. Plus, I don’t support violence in any case unless violence is used against you and your family. I just felt someone with my viewpoint needed to post on here and perhaps set a record straight
@Fixxxer:
Thank you for commenting. However, I should note that nothing in this website is about defending illegal actions or discussing tactics. It’s about whether First Amendment activity and, at the very worst, property destruction, should be labeled as “terrorism.” Regardless of how you feel about animal rights activists or environmentalists, it’s a waste of law enforcement resources and it makes us all less safe.
I agree that more police makes everything less safer, i’m not a fan of the police state this country is becoming. I’m not a fan of the government either, i’d identify most closely with libertarian ideals. Now I agree that everyone’s First Amendment rights should be protect, and that includes any speech. I would not call using that right terrorism. Because it is not, but property destruction is. My favorite method is peaceful persuasion. That’s the only way to go about it. The Free State Project is a great example of that concept. All I’m saying is that property destruction, no matter what political agenda you are trying to push, should not be supported, it should be viewed as reckless and violent behavior with the sole purpose of instilling fear, because that’s what it is. While I don’t necessarily agree with your movement, I agree with the idea of bringing people together to support a cause that you feel is important. Just be careful how you advertise it.
Hey Will,
Watched you on Democracy Now! recently. Great job. Amy Goodman was in Silver City for a presentation right after that, what a great speaker! She had an impressive turnout at Western NM Univ. Keep up the good work. Ron
Thanks, Ron!
Hi!
I think it is great that you are blogging about how Greens are really persecuted in the US. I think the next step is to encourage your readers to action.
If enough people contact their elected politicians over and over and over again, maybe we can change the law.
Hi!
Would you please publicize this petition on your website? We need to get the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) amended or overturned.
http://www.change.org/farm_animal_rights_movement/actions
Thanks,
Kaye
Hi Will, I know you are very busy, but regarding laws of leafletting in general in the US, is there a good website or book that gives this information, general guidelines, such as stapling leaflets to a telephone post or leaving leaflets on car windows.
maybe if this email is being monitored, the monitor will read this encrypted message:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Good Luck!
hey will have you seen the nonsense over at greenisthenewred.ORG?