The good folks at Powell’s Books, Inc. have invited me to guest-blog all week. (Which is a bit daunting, considering Erik Larson was blogging for them last week. As an aside, Devil in the White City had a huge influence on how I thought about approaching my own book.)

Here’s an excerpt of my first post:

The FBI has grayed out Osama bin Laden on its Most Wanted Terrorists List. Nearly 10 years after September 11, his death is clearly a historic point in the War on Terrorism and one that some have even applauded as a victory for America, for freedom. However, another legacy of September 11 endures. Next to bin Laden’s photo on this list of the FBI’s top terrorism threats, sandwiched between people who have murdered countless civilians, is a listing for a very different type of “terrorist”: an animal rights activist.

Read more over on the Powell’s blog.

An animal rights activist, Daniel Andreas San Diego, is the first “domestic terrorist” to be added to the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists. The FBI says: “At the time of his flight Mr. San Diego was a committed vegan. If he has maintained this discipline, people around him may notice that he avoids consuming or wearing anything made with animal products.” (Of course, none of the others have their dietary preferences noted. As one reader said in an email, “Word on the street is bin Laden really likes falafel.”)

Mainstream news outlets and blogs on both the left and right have been going nuts about the FBI’s announcement. Yet they’ve overwhelmingly missed the point: this was an overtly, shamelessly political move by the government to deflect attention away from another “terrorism” controversy.

First, some background:

• The FBI has long labeled animal rights activists and environmentalists as the “number one domestic terrorism threat.”
• The FBI made it clear long ago that “eco-terrorists” are a bigger threat than Osama bin Laden, hate crimes, and even attempts to assassinate Obama.
• Daniel Andreas San Diego is the individual who has been added to the “Most Wanted” list because of his alleged involvement in two bombings of biotech facilities that did business with Huntingdon Life Sciences. The FBI put out a warning in Costa Rica media about San Diego traveling down that way in 2008.

Sounds like a lot of old news, right? It is. So why did the FBI hold a press conference announcing the new addition to the list?

It was an overtly political move to neutralize the growing chorus of opposition to the recent DHS memo warning of right-wing extremism. When the memo came out, right wing groups sprang into action (much more so than environmental or animal groups have) and have already filed a lawsuit. Meanwhile, some environmentalists mistakenly saw it as reason to believe the Green Scare is over.

Enter Daniel Andreas San Diego. He hasn’t harmed anyone, and his alleged crimes are nothing compared to Osama bin Laden and others on the list (and nothing compared to right wing groups who have admittedly created weapons of mass destruction). But he’s an easy way to create the false impression that this “War on Terrorism” is somehow bipartisan, that both the left and right are being targeted equally.

Chuck Norris recently showed us that’s a load of garbage. This political maneuvering my placate the right (and the DHS memo may placate some environmentalists). And then it’s back to business as usual.

The press, activists and right-wingers should all know better than to fall for it. Americans shouldn’t settle for anything less than a complete overhaul of “terrorism” priorities, beginning with the removal of political activists who have never harmed anyone from the top of all “terrorism” lists.

When’s the last time you heard anything about Osama bin Laden? Yeah, same here. Bin Laden, the face of international terrorism, hasn’t been in the news much lately, and I can’t remember the last time I heard anything about the U.S. government making any headway on his capture. Meanwhile, U.S. law enforcement agencies are going on an international manhunt for… an animal rights activist?

The FBI put out a warning to Costa Rican media that Daniel Andreas San Diego could be living in their country.

“He has links with animal rights groups in the U.S., and he could be linked with similar organizations in Costa Rica,” the FBI said. A $250,000 reward is offered for information leading to his arrest.

San Diego is a suspect in the bombing of the Chiron building in northern California, from 2003. The company had ties to Huntingdon Life Sciences, the notorious animal testing lab. It was a very serious, very dangerous crime, to be sure–the device including metal debris that could have harmed people, not just the building– but it was still a crime that only caused minor property damage and did not harm anyone. It seems a little outrageous for federal law enforcement to go on an international hunt for a domestic crime that caused little damage. And is almost five years old.

San Diego has also made it on America’s Most Wanted. Dear John Walsh: I know the “eco-terror” buzz is sexy and all, and helps break up the monotony of murderers, rapists and child abusers that typically make up your show… but seriously?