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  Obama Administration Targets Environmental and Animal Rights Activists as Eco-Terrorists
What began under George Bush continues under Barack Obama - targeting dedicated activists with "one of today's most serious domestic terrorism threats," according former FBI Deputy Assistant Director of Counterterrorism John Lewis before a Senate panel in May 2005. Called "eco-terrorism," it grew out of the 2001 USA Patriot Act that created the federal crime of "domestic terrorism" and applied it to US citizens as well as aliens. In his February 2002 testimony before the House Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, the FBI's Domestic Terrorism Section Chief, Counterterrorism Division, James Jarboe defined eco-terrorism as: "the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against innocent victims or property by an environmentally-oriented, subnational group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature." On February 19 and 20, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Joseph Buddenberg, Maryam Khajavi, Nathan Pope, and Adriana Stumpo and charged them with conduct relating to protesting, chalking the sidewalk, chanting, and leafleting - constitutionally protected rights under the First Amendment, but no matter. In a February 20 press release, the FBI called the four "animal rights extremists suspected of terrorizing University of California researchers (and said they) used force, violence, or threats to interfere with the operation of the (U of C) in violation of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act." More on that below. The FBI cited specific "threatening incidents" beginning in October 2007: -- on October 21, 2007, demonstrating outside a U of C professor's residence in El Cerrito, CA; wearing bandanas to hide their faces; trespassing on his front yard; chanting slogans; and accusing him "of being a murderer because of his use of animals in research;"
-- on January 2008, demonstrating outside the private residences of several U of C researchers; dressed in black and wearing bandanas to hide their faces; marched, chanted, and chalked "defamatory" comments on sidewalks outside their residences;
-- on February 24, 2008, "attempted to forcibly enter the private home of a Santa Cruz U of C researcher; when her husband opened the door, a struggle ensued and he was hit by an object;" one of the individuals charged then yelled, "We're gonna get you;" and
-- on July 29, 2008, "a stack of flyers titled 'Murderers and torturers alive & well in Santa Cruz July 2008 edition' was found at the Cafe Pergolesi in Santa Cruz;" they contained names, addresses, and telephone numbers of several U of C researchers and said "animal abusers everywhere beware we know where you live we know where you work we will never back down until you end your abuse;" the defendants were charged with producing and distributing the fliers after which "two firebomb attacks outside researchers' Santa Cruz homes (occurred), both of which are still under investigation by the FBI." That was true under George Bush and a Republican Congress and is no different under Barack Obama and a Democrat one. Enough police state laws were enacted to convict the most saintly if authorities wish to do so. And it's happening with greater frequency by manufacturing terror threats. The dominant media trumpet them. Both parties use them for political advantage and try to silence dissent. They also make false claims to convince the public that dangerous "terrorists" are being arrested, charged, tried and convicted. Nearly always, those affected are innocent victims of police state injustice at a time we're all as vulnerable as the AETA 4. Indictment of AETA 4 - United States of America v. Buddenberg et al - Filed March 12, 2009 in US District Court for the Northern District of California (San Jose) Count One - Conspiracy From about October 2007 - July 2008, "the defendants conspired to use and caused to be used a facility of interstate commerce for the purpose of damaging and interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise (and) did intentionally place a person in reasonable fear of death of, and serious bodily injury to that person, a member of the immediate family of that person, and a spouse and intimate partner of that person by a course of conduct involving threats, acts of vandalism, property damage, criminal trespass, harassment, and intimidation...." ....defendants used and caused to be used a facility of interstate commerce, for the purpose of damaging and interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise, and in connection with that purpose did intentionally" commit the same acts described above. On May 22, 2009, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) joined with defense counsel from the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) in a motion to dismiss the indictment and asked the Court to strike down the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) as unconstitutional on grounds of "overbreadth (and) vagueness." CCR stated: "These are doctrines that allow individuals to challenge laws that chill speech and advocacy and require people to guess at a statute's meaning and scope." "To characterize protest and speech as terrorist activities is ludicrous. And it is not just animal rights activists who are in danger here. The AETA is so broad and unclear it could be used to suppress lawful protests and boycotts by any activists across the spectrum, no matter what the issue. The law must be struck down." CCR said the AETA 4 "actions are clearly and traditionally protected by the First Amendment (yet) The Department of Justice brazenly calls these young activists 'terrorists....' "
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