Domestic Terrorism = Animal Liberation Front

April 19, 2005 marked two momentous events in the United States - one was the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and the other was the sentencing of a 24-year-old man to 8-years in prison for a spree of arson and vandalism of sport utility vehicles.

Why do I group the two?

Because both stem from domestic terrorism and both may serve as wake up calls to more Americans.

Although everyone recognized the horror of Oklahoma City, it has taken a decade for our criminal justice system to begin targeting the domestic terrorists of the Environmental Liberation Front (ELF) and Animal Liberation Front (ALF).

The 24-year-old man sentenced to prison was typical of the ALF/ELF mentality - whining that he was only trying to protect the earth. So what if $3.5Million of damages were incurred by the small businesses and individuals he attacked. Ironically, it is only the dollar value of his damaged property that made the sentence as long as it was. (Keep reading ...)

The need for vigilance remains.

Even as the Department of Homeland Security added ALF and ELF to its list of threats, left-wing Democrats won't acknowledge how dangerous these two groups are.

The San Jose Mercury News quoted Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss and other Democrats as complaining about the recognition of ALF and ELF as terrorist groups. They want federal law enforcement to concentrate on far right-wing and white-supremacist groups.

How dangerous are ELF and ALF?

A visit to either of their websites evidences how crazed both organizations are. Example - ELF explains how to set fires with electrical timers.

Since the mid-1990s, these sibling organizations have been blamed (or taken credit) for $43M worth damages to property and hundreds of terrorist attacks on individuals. Their first concentrated terrorist attacks were against loggers and logging companies in the Northwest. Remember the rash of "tree spiking" intended to maim or kill loggers?

In May 2005, the FBI charged seven people with terrorism to stop the use of animals for product-testing. The members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty seek to shut down Huntingdon Life Sciences, a New Jersey product-testing company.

The FBI alleges that the terrorists set fire to Huntingdon employees' cars, vandalized shareholders' homes and threatened their families.

What's the penalty for this domestic terrorism? Thanks to the lenient charges by prosecutors these terrorists face no more than a mere 3-years in prison if convicted.

Outcome of terrorist acts against Huntingdon

News articles (search via Google) show instances whereby these group of ALF-like nuts have threatened judges (and their mothers!); the Huntingdon auditor (Deloitte and Touche) sufficiently for them to resign; and their bank and insurance companies to the point where in England the government had to become their insurer.

As disturbing as these instances of violence are for the victims, it is even worst that companies cave in to these terrorists. This reign of terrorism reminds me of the Klu Klux Klan's years of success in maintaining segregation in the South.

Integration happened because of the active intervention by the federal government both in prosecuting the KKK's terrorist acts and in protecting those brave individuals who defied the KKK. When will our government wake up and start protecting Huntingdon employees and its business partners?

Why is criminal justice system so lax?

Comments from Rep. Thompson above are good examples of the attitudes among some government officials.

Law enforcement agents have been unwilling to make massive arrests for trespassing, vandalism and malicious mischief. Many of the terrorists are young students and many bureaucrats and politicians sympathize with the anti-business, save-the-animal/earth rhetoric of the terrorists.

On the other hand, when terrorist rhetoric is centered on death threats to government personnel, they're taken seriously.

As reprehensible as Rep. Thompson as his ilk are, even worse are the non-profit organizations who support and fund the terrorists.

Even the IRS is useless

PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - is a perfect example. PETA has made donations to ELF and several defense funds for accused ALF members.

PETA claims that its donations to ELF are for legitimate activities, not acts of terrorism. However, since a dollar is a dollar and since the underground ELF has no accountability, there is nothing other than the supposition of a Hollywood airhead to believe that the money was used for lawful purposes.

Despite numerous instances of PETA's financial support of these domestic terrorist groups, the IRS still allows PETA to remain a tax-exempt organization.

There is no lack of laws in America to deal with these domestic terrorists. There is only a lack of will on the part of left-wing politicians and law enforcement to enforce the laws that exist.

Summary

If any other minority group had been targeted, threatened and terrorized to the degree loggers or employees of Huntington Life Sciences had been, every left-wing Democrat in Congress would join the rest of the Democratic party and Republicans in demanding a strong law enforcement response.

Thanks to the cleverness of the terrorists to use left-wing save-the-earth/save-the-animals rhetoric, however, they're often given a free pass. The reality is a bomber is a bomber. He craves the thrill and has no empathy for others or individual morality to curb his behavior. If all the animal-testing in the world stopped on Thursday, by Friday the bomber would have a new target and new rhetoric.

Please - remind your Congressional representatives that you expect full enforcement of laws against ALL domestic terrorists and the revocation by the IRS of PETA's tax-exempt status.

Let's wake up before we're commemorating another group of 168 killed by a domestic terrorist's bomb - even if that group isn't government employees.