[Imc] Proposed Feature on Feb. 12 Congressional Hearing on Eco-terrorism

Mon Feb 4 21:00:07 UTC 2002

Hello Urbana-Champaign IMC:

Below is the html for a proposed feature on the upcoming Congressional 
Subcommitte on Eco-terrorism taking place in Washington, D.C. on February 
12th, 2002. We believe Scott McInnis called for this hearing to pander to 
big money industries and further his bid to chair the House Resources 
Committee. What is a power grab for him may mean yet another profound 
erosion of liberty for us.

I hope you give serious consideration to displaying this (modified or as 
is) as a center feature on your local IMC.

To view, click on this link to the current newswire item on Portland 
Indymedia: 
http://portland.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=7094&group=webcast

In resistance and solidarity,
Josie
Portland IMC

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<title>FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT
SUBPOENAED</title>
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<img border="0" 
src="http://www.protectcivilliberties.com/ecoterrorismpanel.jpg" 
align="right" width="432" height="288">FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT 
(ELF)
SUBPOENAED TO APPEAR BEFORE A U.S. CONGRESSIONAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON
ECO-TERRORISM

This isn't just about direct action. It's about 
political access and constitutionally protected rights.
What happens on February 12th will affect us 
all.

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Succumbing to pressure from industries affected by the Earth
Liberation Front, Animal Liberation Front and similar groups, the
Congressional Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health agreed to
hold a special oversight hearing on Eco-terrorism and Lawlessness
in the National Forests on February 12, 2002 in Washington, DC.



Spearheaded by
<a title="Rep. Scott McInnis" target="_blank" 
href="http://www.protectcivilliberties.com/McInnis.html">
Rep. Scott McInnis</a> (Colorado), the meeting is aimed at
discussing the efforts to stop the threat to industry posed by
organizations that are committed to protecting the natural
environment and all life on earth. 



According to Mr. McInnis, "It is the primary purpose of this
hearing to probe this systematic and rapidly escalating campaign
of violence on the National Forests. The Subcommittee will hear
testimony from Members of Congress whose constituents have been
victimized by environmentally motivated terrorists, from federal
law enforcement officials now investigating these crimes, from
ELF's former spokesperson, and, finally, from two of the many
victims of eco-terrorism."


While Mr. McInnis may claim to be investigating the campaign of
violence on the National Forests, the Subcommittee clearly is not
interested in protecting these natural areas from the real
violence caused by industries that engage in massive destruction
purely for the sake of profit. In fact, other than Craig
Rosebraugh, ELF's former spokesperson, no other environmental
advocate was either given the opportunity or forced to testify at
this hearing.


The testimony will be divided into four separate panels:


The first panel consists of Members of Congress, including
<a title="Rep. Darlene Hooley" target="_blank" 
href="http://www.protectcivilliberties.com/hooley.html">Rep.
Darlene Hooley</a> (Oregon),
<a title="Rep. George R. Nethercutt" target="_blank" 
href="http://www.protectcivilliberties.com/nethercutt.html">Rep. George R. 
Nethercutt</a> (Washington),
and
<a title="Rep. Greg Walden" target="_blank" 
href="http://www.protectcivilliberties.com/walden.html">Rep. Greg 
Walden</a>
(Oregon). By stressing losses
allegedly suffered by constituents, the testimony of this panel appears
aimed to encourage new legislation to further criminalize property
destruction intended to preserve
life. This panel's testimony can be expected to unabashedly and 
systematically ignore
the destruction wrought for the purpose of profit.


Within the last year,
statewide "ecoterrorism" legislation has been proposed in a 
number
of different areas and at the federal level. These proposals have
not only intended to affect groups like the
<a title="Earth Liberation Front" target="_blank" 
href="http://www.earthliberationfront.com/">ELF</a> and
<a title="Animal Liberation Front" target="_blank" 
href="http://www.animalliberation.net/index.shtml">ALF</a>, but also
above ground organizations working within the environmental and
animal advocacy movements. The Congressional testimony to be given
on February 12 will no doubt seek to support this kind of
legislation and encourage new proposals simultaneously.


The second panel of the hearing will consist of law enforcement currently
investigating ecoterrorist crimes. This will likely include the
FBI, BATF, U.S. Forest Service and perhaps other statewide
policing agencies. There is ample reason to suspect this
panel will be explaining the lack of success law enforcement have
had in stopping ecoterrorism. (To date, only five people in the
United States have been charged with any crime relating to the
Earth Liberation Front. In one of the cases the charges were
completely dropped.) There is no doubt they will ask for an increase in 
allocation of funding to law enforcement specifically to fight
ecoterrorism. (Already as of 1999 when the FBI officially
declared the ELF a terrorist organization, more resources and law
enforcement personnel have been assigned to fight ecoterrorism.
The increased efforts still have not proved successful.)


On the third panel will sit "victims of ecoterrorism" and other
anti-government activity. What the House Resource Committee is
referring to as other antigovernment activity has not been
disclosed, nor have the identities of those testifying. 



The fourth panel consists of Craig Rosebraugh by himself.
Rosebraugh, originally asked to voluntarily take part in the
hearing, refused publicly, calling Congress and the US government
some of the worst terrorists in history. He was then subpoenaed on
October 31, 2001 to testify. Read more about Rosebraugh and the
National Day of Action Against State Repression 

<a target="_blank" title="National Day of Action Against State Repression" 
href="http://www.protectcivilliberties.com/action.html">
here</a>.

The outcome of this hearing can only mean an increase 
in the
penalties facing those who work to stop the destruction of life
and the natural world. By placing profits ahead of life, the
United States government is attempting to reduce and remove any
threat to the business as usual corporate policies of mass
destruction in the name of commerce. This while national and
private coffers, as well as natural resources, are raided by Bush
and his Enron cronies.
This hearing will be open to the public.
Please make every attempt to come and take a stand against the continued 
exploitation and destruction of the natural environment by corporate and 
government interests.


February 12, 2002 - 3:00pm

1334 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 


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<ul style="color: #FD5A48; text-align: left; margin-left: 10; margin-top: 
6; margin-bottom: 6" type="square">
  <li><font face="Verdana" size="2" color="#333333">"Those who would 
give up essential liberties for a measure of security, deserve neither 
liberty nor security." <br>
  <i>--Ben Franklin</i></font></li>
  <li>
  <p style="margin-top: 10"><font face="Verdana" size="2" color="#333333">
  "The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe
  if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point
  where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. </font>
  <b><font face="Verdana" size="2" color="#E11E09">That, in
  essence, is fascism</font></b><font face="Verdana" size="2" 
color="#333333">
  - ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by
  any other controlling power. Among us today a concentration of
  private power without equal in history is growing." <i>
  --President Franklin Delano Roosevelt</i></font></li>
  <li>
  <p style="margin-top: 10"><font face="Verdana" size="2" color="#333333">
  "Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism because
  it is a merger of state and corporate power.<i>"<br>
  --Mussolini</i></font></li>
  <li>
  <p style="margin-top: 10"><font face="Verdana" size="2" color="#333333">
  When the people fear the government
you have tyranny.  When the government fears the people you
  have liberty." <br>
  <i>--Thomas Jefferson</i></font></li>
  <li>
  <p style="margin-top: 10"><font face="Verdana" size="2" color="#333333">
  "Why of course the people don't want war ... But after all it is
  the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is
  always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a
  democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a
  communist dictatorship ...Voice or no voice, the people can
  always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy.
  All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and
  denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the
  country to danger."<i><br>
  --Hermann Goering, Nazi leader, at the Nuremberg Trials after
  World War II</i></font></li>
</ul>
<tr><td bgcolor="#DA513D" width="100%" colspan="2"><font FACE="Verdana" 
SIZE="2">
<p><font color="#CAFFFF"><b>A little information on congressional committee 
hearings:</b></font></p>
  <ul style="color: #00FF00" type="square">
    <li>
<p style="margin-right: 100; margin-top: 6; margin-bottom: 6">
<font color="#CAFFFF">A witness subpoenaed to a congressional committee is 
exposed to
many of the same risks as someone called before a grand jury.</font></p>
    </li>
    <li>
<p style="margin-right: 100; margin-top: 6; margin-bottom: 6">
<font color="#CAFFFF">One
does not have the right to remain silent and cannot take the Fifth
Amendment unchallenged. If the witness refuses to answer any
question, no matter how objectionable, they can potentially be
sentenced to prison for an indefinite length of time.</font></p>
    </li>
    <li>
<p style="margin-right: 100; margin-top: 6; margin-bottom: 6">
<font color="#CAFFFF">Unlike the
grand jury process when a judge ultimately decides if the witness
is to be held in contempt of court, Congressional members
themselves make the decision in Congressional committees and
subcommittees.</font></p>
    </li>
    <li>
<p style="margin-right: 100; margin-top: 6; margin-bottom: 6">
<font color="#CAFFFF">Since there is no judge or third party involved in
the process, members of Congress can decide to hold Craig for not
talking or for simply not answering in a way they find 
acceptable.</font></p>
    </li>
  </ul>
<p><font color="#CAFFFF">Whatever the outcome, having done nothing
but exercise his constitutional right of free speech, Craig will
be forced to appear in D.C. and incur thousands of dollars in legal fees
just to be represented at the hearing. </font> </p>
<p><font color="#CAFFFF">For those who would like to help but can't become 
actively
involved, please consider donating to Craig Rosebraugh's legal
defense. Make all checks and money orders out to <b>"RESISTANCE" 
and
send to P.O. BOX 40091, PORTLAND, OREGON 97240.</b></font></p>
</font>

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<tr><td bgcolor="#333333" width="100%" colspan="2">

<p align="center">
  <font color="#FFCC00" FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2">Take part in the 
<b>NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST STATE
REPRESSION</b>.</font></p>
<p align="center">

A national protest will be held in Washington, D.C. 
on
February 12, 2002. For those who can't make it, please consider
organizing a local support protest in front of the U.S. federal
building in your city! 

 
 


(For information on 
solidarity protests in other cities:
 
<a title="Solidarity Protests" target="_blank" 
href="http://www.protectcivilliberties.com/othercities.html">
http://www.protectcivilliberties.com/othercities.html</f 
ont></a>)</td>
</tr>

<tr><td bgcolor="#585858" width="100%" colspan="2">
  <font color="#C7DECD" FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2"><b>For more information 
contact:</b></font><font FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000ff"><p 
style="margin-top: 1; margin-bottom: 1">
  <font color="#C7DECD"><b>FEBRUARY 12th - NATIONAL
DAY OF ACTION AGAINST STATE REPRESSION</b></font></p>
</font>
  <font FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#C7DECD">
  <blockquote>
<p style="margin-top: 1; margin-bottom: 1">P.O. Box 40091</p>
<p style="margin-top: 1; margin-bottom: 1">Portland, Oregon 97240</p>
<p style="margin-top: 1; margin-bottom: 1">503.972.6764
</font>
<a HREF="mailto:skisp at tao.ca">
<font FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" color="#C7DECD">
skisp at tao.ca</font></a><font FACE="Verdana" size="2" color="#C7DECD"> 
<i>(pgp messages
preferred - public key below)</i></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 1; margin-bottom: 1">
<font size="2">
<a title="http://www.protectcivilliberties.com" target="_blank" 
href="http://www.protectcivilliberties.com">
<font color="#C7DECD" face="Verdana">http://www.protectcivilliberties.co  
m</font></a></p>
  </blockquote>
</font>

<font FACE="Verdana" size="2">
<p align="left"><b><font color="#C7DECD">PGP public key below for </font>
<a href="mailto:skisp at tao.ca"><font 
color="#C7DECD">skisp at tao.ca</font></a></b></p>
</font>

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