James Feldkamp on environmental terrorism

1
Domestic Terrorism (DT): “ The unlawful use, or threatened use, of force
or violence by a group or individual based and operating entirely with in the
United States or its territories without foreign direction committed against
persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian
population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social
objectives.”
Environmental
Terrorism
Two Elk Lodge on top of Vail Mountain burns to the ground Oct. 19, 1998.
A shadowy group called the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) claimed responsibility

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Environmental Terrorism
Implementing “Justice” through Terror and Destruction:
Eco-terror’s Violent Agenda to
“Save” Nature
Radical Activists- aim to “save nature” by force
 Earth Liberation Front & Animal Liberation Front (aka ELF & ALF)
o $100 million in property damage in over a thousand acts.
 ELF-highly decentralized:
o Parent organization EARTH FIRST! (advocate of “direct action”)
 Core Goal(s):
 Cause maximum economic damage to targets perceived to be profiting
from destruction of the environment for selfish greed and profit, and
instill fear in targets and other like entities.
 Educate public about the atrocities committed against environment
and to take all necessary precaution to avoid harming life.

4
ELF describes itself as:
 “An international underground organization that uses
Direct Action in the form of economic sabotage to stop the exploitation
and destruction of the natural environment.”
 “Westernized way of life” is in “complete violation of natural law.”
 Government and legal system failed to protect the environment and
that the state is in collusion with anti-environmental interests
 Followers are acting out in “self-defense” to protect themselves and
all life on the planet
 FBI: ELF is a special-interest terrorist group that:
 “Forcibly seeks to resolve the specific issue of perceived environmental
harm rather than effect widespread political change.”
Implementing “Justice”…

5
 Tolerance for “Direct Action”
 Add legitimacy to criminal activity so more individuals
will consider economic sabotage as a viable option
 Provide cover or sympathy for individuals who engage in direct action
 Most ELF members are:
o Educated teenagers or young adults from the middle class
o Nearly all have a known history of environmental activism
 First action 1996: Burning a U.S. Forest Service truck in Oregon’s
Willamette National Forest
 Arson: Primary mode of attack!
 400,000 SF, five story condo in San Diego, ($50 million in damages)
 Anti-Globalization issues also trigger illegal direct action against
multination companies such a Nike

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Animal Liberation Front (ALF)
 Requires members to be at least vegetarian, although
Veganism is preferred
 To be part of ALF, one must carry out illegal direct actions consistent
with the ALF’s stated guidelines
 Liberate animals from places of abuse (e.g. laboratories, factory farms,
fur farms, etc.,)
FBI: ALF a special-interest terrorist group that forcibly seek to resolve
perceived animal abuse rather than effect widespread political change
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC)
 Targeting people:
o Whole –heartedly supports liberation of animals and
destruction of any property connected to animal cruelty

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“It makes no sense to fight for the lives of wildlife without also
fighting for their homes (and ours) – the natural environment.”
~David Barbarash
ELF vis-à-vis ALF:
 Inflict economic damage to those who profit from misery and
exploitation of animals.
 Reveal the horror and atrocities committed against animals and;
 Take all necessary precautions against harming any animal, human,
and non-human?
ALF cells’ usually consist of two to five members
 Global expansion of ALF is attributable to publicity, and support from
international mainstream animal rights groups, media coverage of
crimes, and the dissemination of propaganda via the internet

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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
 Plays public intermediary for the domestic terror outfit
 PETA’s media conduit for ALF : Rationalized on grounds that PETA
organization shares the same goal of ending animal abuse
Animal Rights Militia (ARM)
 Founders broke away from ALF because: It did not “go far enough”
with regards to “Direct Action.”

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 Mr. Steven Best:
 Accused as a mouth-piece for terrorists who attack university
laboratories, factory farms, and pharmaceutical companies.
 Best: Co-founded the North American Animal Liberation Press Office
 Since 1990 have committed more than 1,200 attacks, causing million of
dollars in damages
 After an attack, Mr. Best and three other press officials post
information on their web-site and answer reporters’ questions
 Sees himself as a “philosopher in action” a scholar who has the courage
to put his theories into practice
Speaking for the Animals,
or the Terrorists?

10
“If a university professor were out there saying that abortion-clinic bombers
had a good plan going” he says “the university would sever the guy’s tenure in
a New York minutes.”
~David Martosko
 Took 88 mice and 313 rats; destroyed computers and poured acid on paper
And equipment, causing about $450,000 worth of damage
 400 unsolicited magazine subscription after their home address were
posted by ALF activists.
Speaking for the Animals,
or the Terrorists?

11
 Eugene, Oregon:
 Guilty pleas in a string of environmentally motivated
arson crimes that the Federal government describes as
the most egregious environmental terrorism in history
o Plea bargains:
• Kevin Tubbs, 37
• Kendall Tankersley, 29
• Stanislas Meyerhoof, 29
Guidelines issued under CT laws when considering how much time to serve
 Took place in 5 western states between 1996-2001
o 17 attacks, all but one of them arson or attempted arson
• Sport utility vehicles were burned at a Eugene car
dealership (Romania Chevrolet)
• Meat packing plant in Redmond Oregon
• Federal facilities in Wyoming, California and Oregon
Green Rage

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 Earth Liberation Front (ELF): Off shoot of Earth First!
 Sister group the Animal Liberation Front
o “Book club” meeting criminal actions “camping trips”
o FBI Operation Backfire
 Protect Americans from all crime and all terrorism including acts of
domestic terrorism on behalf of animal rights or the environment
 Moral equivalence btwn burning an SUV and flying a plane into the WTC?
 Register Guard used word eco-terrorism to describe the investigation.
A reader took an exceptions and wrote it “appears to confuse arson
occurring within the context of a nonviolent campaign with
terrorism” - paper opted for eco- sabotage thereafter. (Situational
Ethics)
Green Rage

13
 Eugene connection:
 Eugene’s liberal, affluent south side all six of those
entered guilty please had close ties to Eugene
o Gerlach, Meyerhoff alumni's of South Eugene High
 Chelsea Dawn Gerlach, 29
o Western culture was having a ruinous effect on global environment
o “Compelled” to do something….
o Passion & frustration drove her over the boundary of her
countries laws (country …not gods’ law)
• Playing by the rules was doing no damn good!
 ELF took the action on “behalf of the lynx.”
 “For your safety and convenience, we strongly advise skiers to choose
other destinations until Vale cancels its inexcusable plans for
expansion”
o Insurance covered
o 3 fled the country
Green Rage

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 Gerlach admitted complicity in 7 of the 9 attacks
1. Meat packing plant in Eugene
2. Eugene Police Department substation
3. Oregon tree farm
4. Topple an electrical transmission tower
5. Boise Cascade office in Monmouth, Oregon
 Tyree Oil - (planned attack was a dud)
 “Let it’s be a lesson to all greedy multinational corporations who don’t
respect ecosystems. The elves are watching!”
 “Their acts were motivated by a deep sense of despair and anger at the
deteriorating state of the global environment and the escalating
inequities within society.”
Green Rage

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 Eugene hotbed of liberal activism:
 Fault lines of politics, values and culture
o Disheveled activists who have no patience for compromises by
mainstream liberals
 FUCK Bush sign, tattooed flesh, bra-less woman, pierced tongue,
eyebrow, nose, belly button or neck
 WTO conference in Seattle…Eugene anarchists were a cause célèbre
 “Green Anarchy” Concerned with effects of civilization on global
environment
 Central precept: Civilization need not be reconstructed, but rather that
it needs to be overthrown in its entirety and never replaced
 Things started to go wrong when humans first domesticated plants
and animals
Green Rage

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John Zerzan, Stanford and San Francisco State University alum
 Marxist and Maoist and Vietnam protester
 Confidant of Theodore Kaczynski during the Unabomber trial
 60 minutes (press = visibility)
o Hopes that the anti- civilization movement will prevail without
great bloodshed although he quickly adds “my anarchist friends
mainly laugh at me for being too hopeful”
o “You can’t make the revolution happen by promising people less”
Jeffrey Luers, 23 years for burning up SUVs (unrepentant martyr)
 Government crackdown on so-called environmental terrorists
 Green Scare, seeing it as an all-out effort to discourage environmental
activism and dissent
Misha Dunlap – Civil Liberties Defense Center, nonprofit assistance to Luers
 “What you are doing is wrong and I plan on seeing you brought to
justice.”
Green Rage

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 Life Sciences Research, Inc: Huntingdon Life Science (HLS)
 Uses animal testing to develop cures for cancer and AIDS
 Animal rights activists: Intimidation, physical violence, vandalism and
identity theft (in response to the NYSE listing).
o SHAC and Win Animal Rights (WAR) shifted to stock exchange
to campaign until the listing was reconsidered
o Activist pressure the stock exchange removes the listing
o The NYSE was yielding to what were essentially terrorist threats
 ALF allegedly vandalized property of financial advisor of a targeted
company by spray-painting messages on his home and vehicle
 Posted personal information of employees as well as instructions for
bypassing security at targeted firms.
 Water to flood house was 2nd choice after activist’s ruled out arson
When Activists Attack: Companies
Square Off Against Animal Rights Groups

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 Flooding: new tactic of the animal rights movement
 Arson remains a preferred method of direct actions when looking to
cause property damage
2006: Washington enacted Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) to
strengthen protection for animal researchers.
 AETA to expand offenses that do not “physically disrupt” animal
enterprises but instead elicit fear among employees
 Previous attempts to curtail such activities have provoked activists
o 2 members of SHAC sentenced - anonymous group of animal
rights extremists carried out retaliatory attack for “unfair convictions”
o Activists state -AETA would only provoke other underground
activity

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 Police are limited due to constitutional right to demonstrate
 A neighbor threw objects at activists became subject of a police report
filed by the protesters
 North American Animal Liberation following attack on UCLA scientist
 Jerry Vlasak - due to harassment of activists by campus police during
regular protests more militant members had come forward to escalate
operations
2006: Animal rights activist sent anonymous letter to shareholders of a
targeted company, threatening that if they did not sell their shares,
their personal details would be published on than activist website.
* Schumacher’s in Portland, Oregon

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 Walter Bond:
 Charged with April 30 arson that destroyed a Glendale Colorado
business, the Sheepskin Factory.
 Nom de guerre, “ALF Lone Wolf” and boasted to C.I. that he torched
the Sheepskin Factory and started the fire at a leather factory in SLC
and at restaurant in Sandy, Utah (foie gras)
“The arson at the Sheepskin Factory in Denver was “done in defense and
retaliation for all the innocent animals that have died cruelly at the hands of
human oppressors.”
Escalating Violence from the
Animal Liberation Front

Louis Beam
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 Leaderless resistance model
 First tier: Adhere to laws of the land and serve as above ground
propaganda service
o (i.e. Sinn Fein, or Craig Rosebraugh, public faces of the movement)
 Second tier: Composed of anonymous individual and small group of
activists responsible for conducting attacks – “direct action.”
“There are a lot of examples of cases where these actions have been taken
and we’ve gotten results as opposed to lobbying our congressmen and writing
letters to the editors….this has actually shown to be one of the most effective
ways to get things to change.”
“Violence is justified to protect animals, who cannot protect themselves”
~ Dr. Jerry Vlasak and Pamelyn Ferdin

22
 ELF/ALF are:
 Intentionally nebulous and promote leaderless resistance
 Transient and nomadic
 Tend to be young Caucasians, who are not viewed as a potential threat,
even if they are spotted conducting surveillance
 Attacks cause property damage.
 Ergo: Law enforcement Officers have not placed same priority on
catching ELF/ALF activists as it has other actors such as Jihadists
 Animal rights blogs and websites have already begun dissecting Bond
case to prove lessons learned to current activists
 ALF has threatened informants and created a website devoted to
identifying “informants, infiltrators, snitches and agents.”
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/ALFront/Activist%20Tips/Snitches.htm

23
“The Earth Liberation Front:
A Social Movement Analysis
 ELF: Transnational network that utilize illegal methods of
protest by sabotaging and vandalizing property
 Global movement with cells active in more than twenty countries
o Covert cell level
o Public support level
1972: Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess develops “Deep ecology”
 Deep ecology (aka biocentrism): Human and non-human, have equal
worth and value and an inherent right to exist and prosper
1976: ALF created;
 Movement factionalization into smaller, more violent-prone splinter
cells and experienced deterritorialization (40 countries)

24
“The Earth Liberation Front: …”
 ALF & ELF have led to the formation of at least 300 similarly
styled groups
 Political –Philosophical Ideology
 ELF’s anti-civilization tendencies often termed Green Anarchism,
anarcho-primitivism or simply primitivism
 Teachings: Oppression is inherently incompatible with human society
and must be replaced with non-hierarchical, non-coercive methods of
organization and collective responsibility
 ELF’s Anti-capitalist bent
 Western led individualism is predicated on exploitation of resources
 Act as the “voice of the voiceless” and the “defender of the defenseless”
 ideology tinged with accusations of unjustified attack by LEO’s.

25
“The Earth Liberation Front: …”
 ELF’s name, similarity to ALF, as new movement hoped to
borrow ALF structure, guidelines and tactics
 Illegal means of political protest to damage entities established as enemies
 Incendiaries reflects desire to damage property, avoid causalities
 Target perceived ills through attacking intermediary or 2nd targets
o Targets: Construction, industrial equipment, model homes and
homes under construction, business properties, and automobiles
 Functions as a networked not as an organization
o Attacks are self funded from cell members
o Additional tasks are self managed (i.e. recon, training and weapons)
• Unable to prevent cells from committing lethal actions
in movement’s name
• Mexico: Individuals reportedly killed, injured targets in the
“Techno-Industrial System”

26
“The Earth Liberation Front:…”
 Individuals: Well educated, technical competent, under 25
 Middle to UMC from industrialized western nation
 Supportive of environmentalism and animal rights
 Disenfranchised with mainstream environmental protests
 Identify with anti-authoritarian leftist politics
 Be involved in public, above ground social change movements
 ELF receives “great deal of moral and perhaps even financial support
from politically liberal urban….and academic settings”
1998: Rosebraugh, and arsonists Jonathan Paul at National Animal Rights
Conference at U of O urging unity between ELF and ALF
 Above ground: Arissa Media Group, Bite Back, and No Compromise magazin
 < 8 periodicals document and promote ELF
What started in mid 90’s in Oregon now claims attacks in Australia, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Russia, Sweden and UK.

27
Lived, Worked or have Close Ties
to
Eugene, Oregon

NCLC 475/WMST 600:
Animal Rights as Ecofeminism
Paul C. Gorski (pgorski1@gmu.edu)
Enterprise Hall, Rm. 431
703-993-9365 (w) Office Hours: By appointment
Over the past 30 years, much of the most influential scholarship and activism regarding animal exploitation and
animal rights has been produced by people also deeply engaged in feminist, and particularly Black feminist and
eco-feminist, scholarship and activism.
Drawing on The history of people working at this nexus, this class is designed to integratively and intersectionally
apply the eco-feminist lens to an exploration of various forms of animal exploitation and abuse, including the use
of animals for mass food production, mass clothing production, pharmaceutical and medical testing, cosmetics
testing, and entertainment and sport. Similarly explored through the eco-feminist lens will be the methods and
strategies used by organizations and movements in order to eliminate animal exploitation.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students who take this course will: 1. deepen their practical understandings of intersectionality by applying an
intersectional lens feminism and animal rights, as well as racial justice, queer rights, economic justice, and other
movements for social justice;
2. Develop a deep and complex understanding of contemporary issues in animal rights through feminist theory,
eco-feminist theory, and other critical theories;
3. apply this understanding to imagine strategies for disrupting systems of animal exploitation and abuse; and
4. participate in community education activities regarding animal rights.
Required Texts
Gaardner, E. (2011). Women and the animal rights movement. Rutgers University Press.
Gruen,L.(2011). Ethics and animals: An introduction. Cambridge University Press.
Harper, B. (2010). Sistah Vegan: Food, identity, health, and society: Black female vegans speak. Lantern Books.
Additional articles as assigned below.

Nathan Block aka "Exile" Age: 25
Bio: Worked as a carpenter and lived with defendant Zacher outside Olympia, Wash. Arrested in
February 2006; detectives allegedly seized 44 pounds of pot from his and Zacher's rented house.
Legal status: Pleaded guilty to two 2001 arsons on Nov. 9, 2006. Recommended sentence: eight years
Lacey Phillabaum Age: 31
Bio: Grew up in Spokane, Wash.; high school debater. Came to Eugene to study art history at the UO around
1993. Worked at campus Survival Center and radical student newspaper
The Insurgent. Supported the Warner Creek blockade; co-editor of Earth First! Journal from 1996-1999.
Spoke at spring 2001 environmental law conference panel: "Does Property Damage Have a Place in Mass Protest?
Appeared in Tim Lewis films Pickaxe, Breaking the Spell and others. Dated subpoenaed activist Jeff Hogg from abo
and defendant Meyerhoff from about 2001 until recently. Beginning around 2001, worked as editor of In Good Tilth
freelanced for Bend altweekly The Source. In 2005 moved to Charlottesville, Va., to take reporting position at C-Vil
Turned herself in to federal agents sometime around early 2006.
Legal status: Pleaded guilty to one 2001 arson on Oct. 4, 2006. Recommended sentence: three to five years
Daniel McGowan aka "Sorrell" Age: 32
Bio: Grew up in Queens, NY; earned degree in business administration and Asian studies from University of Buffalo
in 1996. Participated in 1999 WTO protests in Seattle. Lived in Eugene from March 2000-January 2002;
was short-term editor for Earth First! Journal, contributor to Green Anarchy magazine, volunteer for
Shamrock House Infoshop and campaigner to support Jeff "Free" Luers. Briefly dated defendant Savoie; washed
dishes at Morning Glory restaurant. Returned to New York in 2002, studied acupuncture, organized protests
against the Republican National Convention and worked for WomensLaw.org. Arrested in New York City in
December 2005; married in May 2006.
Joyanna Zacher aka "Sheba" Age: 28
Bio: Involved in 1999 protests against the WTO in Seattle. Worked as a nanny and lived with
defendant Block outside Olympia, Wash. Arrested in February 2006.

Jennifer Kolar aka "Diver" Age: 33
Bio: Grew up in Spokane, Wash.; raced sailboats. Dated defendant Jonathan Paul, and later fugitive
Joseph Dibee. Pursued doctorate degree at the University of Colorado. Turned self in to federal agents in
Washington sometime around early 2006.
Legal status: Pleaded guilty to a 1998 arson and a 2001 arson on Oct. 4, 2006. Recommended
sentence: five to seven years
Rebecca Rubin Age: 33
Bio: Canadian scientist; studied cranes. Indicted in January 2006 for alleged participation
in six actions, 1997-2001.
Legal status: Fugitive
Josephine Sunshine Overaker aka "Maria" Age: Uncertain; likely 32-35
Bio: May have lived in Eugene in mid-1990s. Dated informant Ferguson around fall 1996. Reportedly
participated in a number of forest defense actions. Indicted in January 2006 for alleged participation in
nine actions, 1996-1999.
Justin Solondz Age: 27
Bio: Born in New Jersey; part-time carpentry worker. Indicted in spring 2006
for alleged participation in two 2001 arsons.
William Rodgers aka "Avalon" Age: 40 at death
Bio: Arizona-based eco-activist. In 1996, briefly joined the Warner Creek blockade.
Allegedly co-authored a 2001 paper with Meyerhoff on how to build time-delayed incendiary devices.
Before his arrest in December 2005, was living in Prescott, Ariz., with his then-girlfriend and running an
activist bookstore, The Catalyst Infoshop. A member of the Arizona Indymedia collective, he apparently
committed suicide by pulling a plastic bag over his head in a Flagstaff, Ariz., jail cell on Dec. 22, 2005,
while awaiting extradition to Washington state.
Legal status: Deceased; never indicted

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