spectr17
10-10-2001, 08:28 PM
ELF isn't Santa's helper.
Rocky Mtn News Editorial.
It seems like a quixotic, almost irrelevant campaign in the wake of the New York and Washington attacks. But Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo., is continuing his pursuit of another violent group: Earth Liberation Front. We hope he gets somewhere.
ELF is the shadowy, allegedly headless and deliberately splintered group that claimed responsibility for the $12 million Vail arson of October 1998 and numerous other acts of "eco-sabotage" during the past decade.
ELF (it calls its operatives "elves") was identified by former FBI director Louis Freeh in February as one of the nation's prime domestic terrorist organizations. But now it seems decidedly minor league compared to Osama bin Laden's boys. That's because ELF hasn't killed or injured anyone -- so far -- during its sabotage efforts, and it claims on its Web page it doesn't want to.
But it has stepped up its destruction of property this year, having so far torched the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture, a fleet of trucks owned by a timber company and the Oregon offices of Superior Lumber Co. Total damage was estimated at $4 million.
And it's probably only a matter of time before some blameless worker or researcher is injured or killed in one of these incidents.
If ELF has its own Osama bin Laden, he's never been named. About the only individual who's ever been identified with ELF is Craig Rosebraugh, who for four years assumed the role of its spokesman. He said he quit that job a month ago.
Rosebraugh admits to supporting the sabotage but claims he has played no role in any of it. He simply relays anonymous messages to the media.
Authorities have searched his home this year and he's been called before a couple of grand juries, apparently to no avail.
Now McInnis has convinced the House subcommittee on forests, which he chairs, to subpoena him to testify. Rosebraugh immediately said that wouldn't be necessary; he'll appear voluntarily. He also maintained "They're not going to get any information out of me, because I have none to offer."
It's quite likely that Rosebraugh will be no more forthcoming with Congress than he was with the grand juries. But it's still worth a try. Even if he identifies no leaders, or even members, perhaps he can at least give more public details on how the organization works and what coordination there is, if any, among the various cells.
It would also be interesting to ask him what he thought of the World Trade Center attacks, since they did much more to harm capitalism than anything ELF has done. Like bin Laden's outfit, ELF has a visceral hate for human achievement and the Western system that most encourages it. The ELF Web site, whose home page offers a fleeting glimpse of a structure consumed in flames, says, "The ELF realizes the profit motive caused and reinforced by the capitalist society is destroying all life on the planet. The only way, at this point in time, to stop the continued destruction of life is to by any means necessary take the profit motive out of killing.
"Yes, the use of fire as a tool is dangerous but when used properly it can tremendously aid in the destruction of property associated with the killing of life."
These are arrogant, dangerous words -- the words, in fact, of fanatics. McInnis is right to have Congress find out what it can.
October 10, 2001
Rocky Mtn News Editorial.
It seems like a quixotic, almost irrelevant campaign in the wake of the New York and Washington attacks. But Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo., is continuing his pursuit of another violent group: Earth Liberation Front. We hope he gets somewhere.
ELF is the shadowy, allegedly headless and deliberately splintered group that claimed responsibility for the $12 million Vail arson of October 1998 and numerous other acts of "eco-sabotage" during the past decade.
ELF (it calls its operatives "elves") was identified by former FBI director Louis Freeh in February as one of the nation's prime domestic terrorist organizations. But now it seems decidedly minor league compared to Osama bin Laden's boys. That's because ELF hasn't killed or injured anyone -- so far -- during its sabotage efforts, and it claims on its Web page it doesn't want to.
But it has stepped up its destruction of property this year, having so far torched the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture, a fleet of trucks owned by a timber company and the Oregon offices of Superior Lumber Co. Total damage was estimated at $4 million.
And it's probably only a matter of time before some blameless worker or researcher is injured or killed in one of these incidents.
If ELF has its own Osama bin Laden, he's never been named. About the only individual who's ever been identified with ELF is Craig Rosebraugh, who for four years assumed the role of its spokesman. He said he quit that job a month ago.
Rosebraugh admits to supporting the sabotage but claims he has played no role in any of it. He simply relays anonymous messages to the media.
Authorities have searched his home this year and he's been called before a couple of grand juries, apparently to no avail.
Now McInnis has convinced the House subcommittee on forests, which he chairs, to subpoena him to testify. Rosebraugh immediately said that wouldn't be necessary; he'll appear voluntarily. He also maintained "They're not going to get any information out of me, because I have none to offer."
It's quite likely that Rosebraugh will be no more forthcoming with Congress than he was with the grand juries. But it's still worth a try. Even if he identifies no leaders, or even members, perhaps he can at least give more public details on how the organization works and what coordination there is, if any, among the various cells.
It would also be interesting to ask him what he thought of the World Trade Center attacks, since they did much more to harm capitalism than anything ELF has done. Like bin Laden's outfit, ELF has a visceral hate for human achievement and the Western system that most encourages it. The ELF Web site, whose home page offers a fleeting glimpse of a structure consumed in flames, says, "The ELF realizes the profit motive caused and reinforced by the capitalist society is destroying all life on the planet. The only way, at this point in time, to stop the continued destruction of life is to by any means necessary take the profit motive out of killing.
"Yes, the use of fire as a tool is dangerous but when used properly it can tremendously aid in the destruction of property associated with the killing of life."
These are arrogant, dangerous words -- the words, in fact, of fanatics. McInnis is right to have Congress find out what it can.
October 10, 2001