press releases

From the FBI today:

"We're using our growing intelligence abilities to combat the threat posed by eco-terrorists and animal rights extremists."

I was curious of course, since I write about "eco-terrorists" (eco-saboteurs here at the EW, thanks), to find out about the "growing intelligence" of the FBI.

So I followed their exciting link to their web page.

The press release, in its entirety, is below (italics and bold courtesy of the Feds).

I love the headline:

PUTTING INTEL TO WORK
Against ELF and ALF Terrorists

It creates a little confusion about the chip manufacturer but hell, I'm sure all the cool FBI kids say "intel" when they mean "spying."

I'm trying to figure out what spurred this press release: recent developments in the Seattle "Street of Dreams" fire from this spring or our own recent Homeland Security induced Tasering?

In early 2006, eco-terrorist Eric McDavid and two associates met in a secluded cabin in Dutch Flat, California to discuss making improvised explosive devices and to choose targets to bomb. Soon after, they began casing the targeted facilities and buying supplies to make bombs. But before they started mixing the ingredients, we swooped in and arrested them.
How did we know what McDavid was up to? How were we able to prevent attacks that could have caused thousands or millions of dollars in property damage and possibly harmed people?
In a word, intelligence.

Our intelligence—which included the use of an FBI source who was actually with McDavid and his associates inside that California cabin—allowed us to piece together the entire plot ahead of time.
Since 9/11, we have greatly strengthened our ability to identify, collect, analyze, and share intelligence across all of our national security and criminal priorities. And that has carried over into our investigations of violence and terror committed in the name of the environment—as well as of animal rights.
Together, eco-terrorists and animal rights extremists are one of the most serious domestic terrorism threats in the U.S. today…for several good reasons:

• The sheer volume of their crimes (over 2,000 since 1979);
• The huge economic impact (losses of more than $110 million since 1979);
• The wide range of victims (from international corporations to lumber companies to animal testing facilities to genetic research firms); and
• Their increasingly violent rhetoric and tactics (one recent communiqué sent to a California product testing company said: “You might be able to protect your buildings, but can you protect the homes of every employee?”).

ELF and ALF are probably the names you’re most familiar with. The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) are loosely-organized movements whose adherents engage in crimes like arson, fire bombings, vandalism, intimidation, assaults, stalking, etc. No membership dues are necessary—the only way to become a “member” is to engage in “direct action”…criminal activity designed to cause economic loss or destroy the victim company’s operations.
So what are we doing to counter the threat? For one, we’ve mapped our environmental and animal rights extremism cases in order to give our investigators around the country and our executive management a big-picture look at what’s happening and where. We’re also analyzing information from financial records, phone records, and mail…and working to increase our human source reporting. And we’re sharing intelligence with our partners through our Joint Terrorism Task Forces and other investigative endeavors. Sharing info with our partners, particularly at the local level, is crucial because many times they’re the first ones at the crime scene.
We’re also taking advantage of the 2006 revision to the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which toughened penalties, created additional protections for people (the original law only covered property damage), and included secondary targets (often times companies that do business with primary targets are themselves targeted).
Our efforts have paid off—since 2005, our investigations have resulted in indictments against 30 individuals.
Of course, fully cognizant of the right to free speech, we investigate all animal rights and environmental extremism cases in strict accordance with the law and our guidelines.
So whatever happened to Eric McDavid? In May, he was sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison.

Read up on more cases:
- Operation Backfire
- Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty convictions
Headline Archives home

[A smattering of press releases that go without saying.]

From Rumbanana Salsa Group in Corvallis:
WE NEED MEN! Our January classes start this week, and we have a major crisis. Our LEVEL ONE class has 5 guys signed up and 23 girls. We're calling all guys to help us out and take the Level One class this month. Ladies - got a brother, boyfriend, husband, co-worker, neighbor that might want to learn an amazing fun dance and meet a few fun people? Ask him to take the class. Level One starts this Tuesday (January 8), 6 - 8 p.m. at the Platinum Club (126 SW 4th Street, Corvallis). Guys - if you email me and sign up for the class between now and tomorrow, I'll get you a coupon for $15 off the cost of the class (you need present the coupon to get the discount - so email me as soon as you can). For more information on our classes - go to www.rumbanana.org.

MORE PR FROM Portland Art Museum, DIVA, Literary Arts, Junction City Library, etc., CLICK HERE.