Come December 7, it will have been three years since the “Operation Backfire” arrests of Earth Liberation Front members, for a string of arsons and property crimes in the Northwest that caused upwards of $48 million in damages. Those defendants were hit with “terrorism enhancement” penalties for their crimes, which never harmed anyone, and are now in federal prisons as “terrorists.”

Four of the suspects are nowhere to be found, though. And a few days ago the FBI held a press conference and told the press and public, “We need your help.” They’re offering a reward of up to $50,000.

This was the top story on the FBI web page. Take a look at this screen shot (and my stellar photoshopping skills), and check out poor, neglected Osama bin Laden in the bottom right corner. I just wrote a few paragraphs of smart-ass commentary about the FBI’s priorities, but had to delete it. I think the image just speaks for itself. The government has made hunting down “eco-terrorists” the “number one domestic terrorism threat,” while those responsible for the single greatest act of terrorism against the United States have become footnotes of history.

To put this in perspective, the Operation Backfire crimes were 10 years ago, destroyed corporate and government property, and didn’t harm a single human being. The September 11th attacks were 9 years ago, targeted civilian and government offices, and murdered thousands of people. Oh, and Al Qaeda, unlike “The Family” of ELF defendants, is alive and kicking… and put out a new video this month.

Even if you believe that economic sabotage in the name of the environment is “terrorism,” rewards like this simply aren’t effective. The reason–the ONLY reason–the FBI was able to secure the convictions of the Operation Backfire defendants was because the lead arsonist, Jacob Ferguson, agreed to wear a wire and entrap his friends. Ferguson has a history of drug abuse and plenty of personal problems… and as part of the deal he was not only paid by the FBI, but he received probation. That’s right, the #1 domestic terrorist threat… on probation.

If FBI agents are looking to catch more “eco-terrorists,” a better strategy would clearly be to put out a call for drug addict firebugs who’ll do anything to save their own skins.

It has been nearly three years since these ELF arrests and you’d think that the FBI would be easing up, moving on. So why the obsessive focus on a handful of saboteurs? If you believe the rhetoric of the FBI, it’s simple: “These individuals are terrorists,” said Michael B. Ward, deputy Assistant Director of our Counterterrorism Division. “Regardless of their political or social message, their actions were criminal and violated federal laws.”

That’s a boldface lie. The political and social message does matter.

Consider this: Obama’s election has “unleashed a wave of hate crimes” that aren’t the subject of FBI media blitzes. From the Times UK:

Cross burnings, black figures hung from nooses, and schoolchildren chanting “Assassinate Obama” are just some of the incidents that have been documented by police from California to Maine…

Mr Obama has received more threats than any other president-elect, authorities say.

Remember those meth-addict white supremacists who had high-powered rifles and made threats of assassination? Well, that wasn’t a “true threat,” according to the FBI.

And remember the other group of nutjobs who had a plot to decapitate people if Obama won? If this isn’t “political,” as the FBI says, how do we explain, in sharp contrast to the Operation Backfire PR campaign, that the news release about a plot to assassinate the president-elect didn’t even use the word “terrorism”?

Earth Liberation Front arson at Vail ski resort.

There’s no question that Barack Obama is drastically different than Emperor Palpatine and his wingnut accomplice. But I’m concerned that so many people seem to view his election as the end of a struggle, rather than a beginning. At best, I think Obama should be used as a vehicle for change, as a more receptive audience for the voices of mass movements. He should be viewed with the same criticism and skepticism as any president, as anyone in any position of power.

Standing out in the freezing cold, I really wanted to suspend my own doubts and just enjoy this victory, this step in the right direction. Then a large group of young people began chanting “USA! USA!” and I quickly snapped back into reality and wondered: Is this how we are going to respond?

It’s clear that the mainstream environmental and animal protection movements have a substantially different political landscape for their legislative and legal efforts. They will respond to this new Congress and new administration by ramping up their efforts, and are expecting a friendly response.

And the radical environmental movement? After all, Obama has been critical of “eco-terrorist” scare-mongering and legislation. How will underground groups respond to his presidency? It looks like they’re ramping up their efforts as well.

The Earth Liberation Front Press Office has reopened after a hiatus of several years. The press office is the legal, above-ground organization that speaks out on behalf of the tactics of illegal activists. Press officers use their First Amendment rights to defend activists who, because of their conduct, can’t speak for themselves.

The office first opened in 2000. Taking such an open, public stance on illegal tactics quickly made Craig Rosebraugh and Leslie James Pickering targets of the FBI… who hadn’t been able to catch anyone actually committing crimes, so they went after people simply using their First Amendment rights. The FBI tried relentlessly to tie Rosebraugh and Pickering to illegal activity, to no avail. [Check out Rosebraugh’s Congressional testimony here]. For a variety of reasons the press office closed in 2002 (for a more detailed account, check out “Earth Liberation Front: 1997-2002″ and “Burning Rage of a Dying Planet”).

There’ll be much more here on the ELF Press Office in coming months, but first up I wanted to highlight their press release on the presidential election, “Earth Liberation Front Press Office to New Obama Administration: Protect the environment or the ELF will.”

“The incoming Obama Administration’s plan for the environment, or lack thereof, may very well influence the activities of the Earth Liberation Front throughout the next four years,” stated Lisa Nesbitt, one of four new press officers for the NAELFPO. “The $150 million in damages caused by the ELF in the last decade to environmentally destructive corporations was, in part, a direct response to the refusal of the U.S. Government to take necessary measures to stop environmental destruction…

“The U.S. Government has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, refused to permanently protect the Artic [sic] National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), refused to stop the logging of national forests, and refused to heighten the Energy Act standards for light cars, trucks and commercial vehicles – the greatest contributor to global warming,” Nesbitt continued. “We have one message for the incoming Obama Administration: act to protect the environment or the ELF will.”

What do you all think about the decision to reopen the ELF Press Office? And what do you think it reflects about this larger “Green Scare”?

Tom Toles has a great cartoon in today’s Washington Post, with a newspaper article that says: “Barack Obama doesn’t hide his enjoyment of peas and beans, fueling Internet rumors that he’s a jihadist vegetarian who will take the oath of office with his hand on a slab of damp tofu.”

Editor and Publisher explains that Toles is criticizing a recent story in the post about right-wing Obama rumors. But I like that it ties into yesterday’s post, about the chef calling vegetarians “terrorist scum,” and Obama’s comments on so-called “eco-terrorism.”

I was going through some of the old hearings on “eco-terrorism” in the Senate, and found this brief statement from Senator Barack Obama to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. The committee was holding a hearing on “Oversight on Eco-terrorism” on May 18, 2005.

Obama, who as you all know is one of the front-runners among Democrats for the presidential bid, raised some good questions about the government’s priorities. Here’s an excerpt from his statement:

However, in our quest to apprehend these criminals, I hope we are not headed down the path of infringing on the ability of legitimate advocacy organizations to express their opinions and to raise funds in order to do so. I do not want Americans to equate groups that advocate violence with mainstream environmental organizations.

We also need to put these violent acts into context. The FBI has indicated a downward trend in the number of crimes committed by these groups – approximately 60 in 2004. While I want these crimes stopped, 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.

So, 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. Such an oversight hearing could have a significant impact on improving the lives of children all over the country.