The FBI says “The No. 1 domestic terrorism threat is the eco-terrorism, animal-rights movement.” And when the Feds rounded up environmental advocates as part of “Operation Backfire,” Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez said, “In all, their trail of destruction across the Pacific Northwest and beyond resulted in millions of dollars of property damage. Today’s indictment is a significant step in bringing these terrorists to justice,” and the work of prosecutors on the case will “protect Americans from the threat of terrorism.”
Time and again, politicians, corporations and prosecutors talk about the threat of so-called “eco-terrorism,” and how they need more power, more money, more resources to crack down on this “number one domestic terrorism threat.”
It’s interesting, then, that this number one threat didn’t even make it into the top 20 news stories of 2007 for the Register Guard. That’s the local paper in Eugene, Ore., where almost all of the Operation Backfire defendants were indicted and hit with “terrorism enhancement penalties.” The Register Guard is one of the few media outlets in the country that closely covered the arrests.
Reporters and editors at the paper deemed it the top story of the year. Readers put it at 21. It seems people living in the hotbed of “eco-terrorism” are more concerned about track and field (#4) and collegiate athletics (#9).
I’m not sure why the story ranked so low. I mean, as one local activist jokingly told me when I was in Eugene for sentencing, “The story has everything: sex, drugs and arson.” And the labeling of environmental advocates as “terrorists” also has grave legal implications.
Regardless, it shows that this “number one domestic terrorism threat” is a threat that has been created by people who want to push a political agenda. Everyday people don’t go about their day worrying about SUV vandalism, even if they live in the Northwest where many Earth Liberation Front actions have occurred. Politicians and corporations are trying desperately to create a threat, because by creating a threat they can create fear, and, as we’ve seen time and again, fear can be exploited for political gains.