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Follow up questions to Craig Rosebraugh from McInnis
These are the follow up questions sent to Craig Rosebraugh from the February 12, 2002 Congressional Subcommittee hearing on Ecoterrorism.
[ more info: http://www.protectcivilliberties.com/ ]
The questions sent by Rep. Scott McInnis (CO) were received by counsel for Rosebraugh on March 1, 2002. McInnis is demanding the responses to the questions no later than March 15, 2002.
1) Do you view violence against individuals, organizations and other enterprises that work and play on the national forests as a legitimate means of seeking public policy change, specifically with respect to management of the nation's forests?
2) Do you believe that destroying Forest Service property is a legitimate means of pursuing public policy change?
3) You claim to have never had any role in an ELF related attack, and yet you loudly proclaim the virtues of "direct action" against government and industry. If you believe so deeply in ELF's cause, so much that you encourage and recruit others to partake in that cause, why aren't you willing to engage in the acts of environmentally motivated aggression yourself?
4) There is a widely held belief that, if ELF's attacks continue to increase in frequency and magnitude as they have in recent years on the national forests and other places, it is very likely only a matter of time before human life is lost. The FBI has said this, as have many others. Do you share in the view that it's just a matter of time before someone is badly hurt or killed by the ELF?
5) Do you still agree with this statement attributed to you in The Bear Deluxe Magazine? "If you are talking about fires, and the use of incendiary devices, there is the danger of people being near or inside that building, or the fire could spread to another building. There are always dangers."
6) In late October 1996, a Forest Service truck was firebombed, and an incendiary device that failed to detonate was found planted atop the roof of the Willamette National Forest Building. Fortunately, the device was located and removed and no one was injured. Are you familiar with this attack on the Willamette National Forest? You claim that ELF seeks to protect all life on earth, yet if this device had detonated, it is possible - indeed probable - that someone could have been seriously injured or killed. How can ELF reasonably claim to defend all life, and yet so routinely and recklessly endanger it?
7) Do you find it disconcerting that, when ELF firebombed forestry research labs at the Universities of Washington and Minnesota in 2001 and 2002 respectively, the fire quickly spread to other areas on both campuses, potentially endangering lives in buildings not targeted by ELF? In the case of the University of Washington, the fire spread to an adjacent library. And in the case of the University of Minnesota, the man-made fire spread to a soils testing center in the near vicinity.
8) Are you personally concerned that one day an ELF or ALF perpetrated attack will wind up killing or wounding someone?
9) Do the Earth Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front's North American Press Office have a tax status? Are they non-profits?
10) Do the Earth Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front North American Press Office receive outside donations that fund operations, income for ELF press office employs, travel expenses, legal expenses or other incidental costs? IF so, what are the sources of these donations?
11) Has the North American Earth Liberation Front ever received direct financial support from any animal rights or environmental groups to support program activities?
12) Has the Earth Liberation Front Press Office ever received contributions from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals? Did you ever sign, endorse, cash or deposit a check from PETA on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front Press Office?
13) To the best of your knowledge, has the Earth Liberation Front or the Earth Liberation Front North American Press Office ever filed income tax returns with the IRS?
14) Did you have any prior knowledge whatsoever that the Earth Liberation Front intended to destroy the Vail lodge with fire?
15) Subsequent to the attacks, have you had any conversations, received any written or electronic communications, or acquired any first or second hand information through any means identifying the perpetrators of the Vail arson?
16) Hypothetically, if you would have had prior knowledge or after the fact knowledge about the Vail arson, or any other ELF attack, would you report it to the authorities?
17) Do you know who Michael Conn is?
18) Were you ever arrested for trespassing on the Oregon Regional Primate Center where Mr. Conn works?
19) Why was there an index card with Mr. Conn's name and home address in your residence? Was either ELF or ALF planning to take "direct action" against Mr. Conn or his property? IF not, why was Mr. Conn's name and address in your possession?
20) Leslie James Pickering is the new spokesperson for the Earth Liberation Front. To the best of your knowledge, has Mr. Pickering ever been involved in, had prior knowledge about, aided, abetted or in any way assisted in the commission of an ELF or ALF attack?
21) David Barbarash is the spokesperson for ELF's sister organization, the Animal Liberation Front. To the best of your knowledge, has Mr. Barbarash ever been involved in, had prior knowledge about, aided, abetted or in any way assisted in the commission of an ELF or ALF attack?
22) Rodney Adam Coronado was convicted for his role in a 1992 arson at Michigan State University. To the best of your knowledge, has Mr. Coronado been involved in, had prior knowledge about, aided, abetted or in any way assisted in the commission of an ELF or ALF attack since 1992?
23) In a September 7, 2001 AP story you said of the February 12 hearing: "These people are trying to stop the work of the Earth Liberation Front. I'm not going to participate in any effort that is going to incarcerate any of the people involved in the ELF or stop their work." Do you have specific information that might lead to the incarceration of members of the Earth Liberation Front? If not, why are you afraid of saying something that might lead to the incarceration of ELF members? Is this the reason you chose to repeatedly plead the 5th Amendment in response to questions offered by Members of Congress during the February 12th hearing?
24) As you know, several members of this Committee wrote a number of national environmental groups, urging them to public condemn eco-terrorism, ELF, and, by extension, you. As you also know, all of the organizations did? Des this lack of support among national environmental groups frustrate you? What would you say in response to their condemnations of ELF and ALF?
25) In your press statement about the Vail lodge firebombing, you said that the area slated for ski-area expansion was some of the last, best lynx habitat in North America. Do you know how long it has been since anyone - environmentalists, biologists, wildlife enthusiasts - has seen a lynx in the area that you called some of the last, best habitat for the lynx in North America?
26) What role if any did you play in creating, writing and speaking in the Earth Liberation Front training video "Igniting the Revolution?" Who paid the production costs? What was the underlying purpose of this video?
27) In that video, and in a number of interviews and other written accounts, you talk about how ELF prefers arson to all other forms of "direct action" because it inflicts maximum economic and symbolic damage on the target. Please elaborate on this.
28) In the ELF's recruitment video and in other public documents, you also talk about the need to attack symbols of corporate capitalism that promote the spread of what you call "the destructive American Dream." Is this correct?
29) When you were still serving as the Earth Liberation Front's Spokesperson, a Q & A page appeared on ELF's website called "Frequently Asked Questions About the ELF." Is this document familiar to you? Did you write this? If not, do you know who did?
30) In the "Frequently Asked Questions" piece the authors listed Mt. Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty and Wall Street on a short list of "forms and symbols of capitalism [that] can be targeted successfully to greatly influence the impact the capitalist state has on life." Remember, in your video and in other places you have frequently said that firebombing is the best tactic to use in a direct action. Taken together, aren't you encouraging ELF's cronies to go out and firebomb the Statue of Liberty? Since ELF has shown no signs of slowing down since 9-11, do you still think that, on an abstract level, it would be a good or desirable thing for the ELF to attack other symbols of capitalism in New York City, like Wall Street offices?
31) Ted Kazcinski, the Unabomber, admitted in Court that he located his last two murder victims on published Earth First! hit lists. Kazcinski is now listed on an Earth Liberation Front related Website (http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk/ elf.htm) as a "Prisoner of War." Do you consider Kazcinski a "Prisoner of War" and a comrade-in-arms in the struggle against corporate capitalism?
32) In your opinion, is Kazcinski a member of the Earth Liberation Front?
33) How do you explain this quote taken directly from an ELF-related website (http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk/elf.htm)? "Donations of support (for Kazcinsky) are needed and sincerely appreciated. If you'd like to send support funds, please write Dr. Kazcinski (if you'd like to include a few blank sheets of lines writing paper, NO stamps, it would help him avoid other bureaucratic hassles as well). Thereafter please send donations as a postal money order, blank cheque, etc. (including his name and ID number), DIRECTLY to the address listed below."
34) How long has ELF asked its membership to write and make donations to Kazcinski? How does this support for the Unabomber square with ELF's purported adherence to non-violence toward humans?
35) The Oregonian reported recently that you are attending school at Goddard College and that your master's thesis is "Rethinking Nonviolence: Arguing for the Legitimacy of Armed Struggle." With regard to your thesis, what do you mean by "armed struggle?" "Armed" in what way? In your thesis, will you argue that the time has come for armed resistance against the U.S. government?
36) Jeffrey Luers was sentenced last year to 23 years in prison on ecoterrorism-related charges. Have you ever met or had any direct or indirect contact with Mr. Luers? What advice would you give this young man as he wastes away in prison for the next 2-plus decades? Are you at all concerned that your fate may be the same as Mr. Luers?
37) When Luers was asked how he first became involved in eco-terrorism in a recent interview conducted by EarthFirst! Journal, he responded: "I was radicalized by anti-authoritarian, anarchist beliefs as well as animal rights. I got involved first in 1997 working for CalPIRG and canvassing for the Sierra Club… Power cedes nothing without demand. The only way to bring about change is to fight for it... Using fire does two things. It destroys 'the targets,' which not only stops the destructive practice they are engaged in, but also causes severe economic damage to those responsible. It also receives media attention. Nothing is more effective at drawing attention to an issue than violence… The mainstream media has been all over it, and sympathetic. I've been given a forum to radicalize other people." Do you share these sentiments?
38) On January 29, 2002, ELF took credit for firebombing the University of Minnesota's Microbial and Plant Genomics Research Center, which at the time was under construction. According to the Dean of the University's College of Biological Sciences, the building was being built to house genomics research focused on "finding ways to reduce use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture, find renewable alternatives to fossil fuels, identify new strategies for cleaning the environment, and preserve ecosystems." In what way is reducing reliance on pesticides and looking for clean energy alternatives bad for the environment?
39) What gives the ELF the right to impose its incredibly narrow view of environmentalism on researchers at the University of Minnesota who have literally spent their lives searching for ways to keep our environment safe, clean and healthy? What's more, what gives ELF's henchman the right to firebomb another person's property based on differences of opinion about what constitutes "true environmentalism?"
40) The Southern Poverty Law Center, a renowned organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil rights, had this to say about the Earth Liberation Front in its Summer 2001 Intelligence Report: "…ELF's use of underground violence strongly resembles ex-Klansman Louis Beam's concept of 'leaderless resistance.' The ELF is compiosed of autonomous and secretive 'cells' that initiate terrorist acts independently, and do not communicate with or even know one another… like most groups on the radical right today, the ELF sees global capitalism as the enemy… There is an obvious ideological gulf separating the radical right, with its racist and fascist appeals, from the left-wing, environmentalist Earth Liberation Front, which advocates 'equality, social justice and… compassion for all life.' But when it comes to the current economic and political system, the two groups increasingly find themselves on the same side." How do you feel about ELF being compared to the Klu Klux Klan? IS this an accurate comparison? Do you feel a kinship of cause with "racists and fascists," as the Southern Poverty Law Center contends?
41) Please define "direct action."
42) Do acts of eco-terrorism typically follow after a call for "direct action?"
43) When the ELF called for "direct action" to protest this hearing, and included the photos, names, and addresses of Members of Congress on the same website (http://www.protectcivilliberties.com), what was its purpose? Were they seeking to intimidate the Members of this Subcommittee and the witnesses?
44) Did you play any role in the construction of the aforementioned website calling for "direct action" in conjunction with this hearing? Did you ever have a conversation with anyone regarding the construction of http://www.protectcivilliberties.com?
45) You claim that our environment has gotten progressively dirtier over the years. But the facts don't support that. The facts tell us that air quality has improved by 64% from 1970-2000, toxins released have declined by 45% between 1988 and 1998, and erosion was reduced 32% between 1982 and 1997. Presently, few trees are harvested off the National Forests than has been the case in a very, very long time. Isn't it true that ELF's rationale for firebombing homes and schools and government buildings is grounded in lies and self-serving propaganda rather than in facts?
46) In an ABC News interview last year, you said that "every single social movement that has actually gained success has used a variety of tactics." In your mind, then, is ELF's relationship with mainstream environmental groups akin to a one-two punch? If so, what is your response to the countless environmental organizations who condemned ELF, and by extension you, prior to the February 12 hearing? Do you feel any disdain for mainstream environmentalists based on their unwillingness to take direct action to protect the environment?
47) An Indiana based Internet news-service (Nuvo.net) ran a story on ELF following an April 30, 1999 ELF attack on construction and logging equipment associated with a highway expansion project near Bloomington, Indiana. The story featured the comments of an individual associated with an environmental group called Valley Watch. With regard to ELF's attack on the construction site, he said" "As a non-violent environmental activist, I can tell you that's not my style. But we're all upping our pressure these days, and I can certainly understand the frustration that leads someone to take these kinds of actions… I'm not going to condone ELF, but I'm not going to condemn them either. After all, violence against property is not violence against people." Publicly, the vast majority of mainstream environmental groups have condemned ELF, and you personally for that matter. Do you think a lot of mainstream above ground environmental groups share the sentiments of this individual from Valley Watch, public condemnations notwithstanding?
48) On April 30, 2000 ELF, through you Mr. Rosebraugh, took credit for sabotaging construction and logging equipment used for a highway expansion project 45 miles from Indianapolis, Indiana. Do you remember issuing a statement of credit for ELF in conjunction with the Indiana attack?
49) In an interview with an Indiana Internet news provider (http://www.nuvo.net) following the aforementioned attack, you went beyond merely admitting that ELF was responsible for the April 30 siege. You told the news outlet this: "I wouldn't be surprised to see more ELF direct action in the future over there." Those comments are interesting because exactly two months later, on June 30, ELF took part in a large-scale tree spiking in the same great State of Indiana, just as you had forecasted. Your prediction of additional attacks on April 30 was one of three things: (1) an incredibly good guess; (2) a prescient moment on your part; or (3) the product of direct knowledge that ELF would attack again in the area. Which one was it: a good guess, a prescient moment or direct knowledge?
50) Who first contacted you about serving as the spokesperson for the Earth Liberation Front? How did he/she contact you?
51) During the time you served as spokesperson for the Earth Liberation Front, how did you support yourself?
52) During your time with the Earth Liberation Front Press Office, how large was the staff? If there were other staff, were they volunteers or working on a paid basis?
53) Why did you resign as a spokesperson for the Earth Liberation Front?
54) Do you still communicate with the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front Press Offices? If so, how often?
The questions sent by Rep. Scott McInnis (CO) were received by counsel for Rosebraugh on March 1, 2002. McInnis is demanding the responses to the questions no later than March 15, 2002.
1) Do you view violence against individuals, organizations and other enterprises that work and play on the national forests as a legitimate means of seeking public policy change, specifically with respect to management of the nation's forests?
2) Do you believe that destroying Forest Service property is a legitimate means of pursuing public policy change?
3) You claim to have never had any role in an ELF related attack, and yet you loudly proclaim the virtues of "direct action" against government and industry. If you believe so deeply in ELF's cause, so much that you encourage and recruit others to partake in that cause, why aren't you willing to engage in the acts of environmentally motivated aggression yourself?
4) There is a widely held belief that, if ELF's attacks continue to increase in frequency and magnitude as they have in recent years on the national forests and other places, it is very likely only a matter of time before human life is lost. The FBI has said this, as have many others. Do you share in the view that it's just a matter of time before someone is badly hurt or killed by the ELF?
5) Do you still agree with this statement attributed to you in The Bear Deluxe Magazine? "If you are talking about fires, and the use of incendiary devices, there is the danger of people being near or inside that building, or the fire could spread to another building. There are always dangers."
6) In late October 1996, a Forest Service truck was firebombed, and an incendiary device that failed to detonate was found planted atop the roof of the Willamette National Forest Building. Fortunately, the device was located and removed and no one was injured. Are you familiar with this attack on the Willamette National Forest? You claim that ELF seeks to protect all life on earth, yet if this device had detonated, it is possible - indeed probable - that someone could have been seriously injured or killed. How can ELF reasonably claim to defend all life, and yet so routinely and recklessly endanger it?
7) Do you find it disconcerting that, when ELF firebombed forestry research labs at the Universities of Washington and Minnesota in 2001 and 2002 respectively, the fire quickly spread to other areas on both campuses, potentially endangering lives in buildings not targeted by ELF? In the case of the University of Washington, the fire spread to an adjacent library. And in the case of the University of Minnesota, the man-made fire spread to a soils testing center in the near vicinity.
8) Are you personally concerned that one day an ELF or ALF perpetrated attack will wind up killing or wounding someone?
9) Do the Earth Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front's North American Press Office have a tax status? Are they non-profits?
10) Do the Earth Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front North American Press Office receive outside donations that fund operations, income for ELF press office employs, travel expenses, legal expenses or other incidental costs? IF so, what are the sources of these donations?
11) Has the North American Earth Liberation Front ever received direct financial support from any animal rights or environmental groups to support program activities?
12) Has the Earth Liberation Front Press Office ever received contributions from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals? Did you ever sign, endorse, cash or deposit a check from PETA on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front Press Office?
13) To the best of your knowledge, has the Earth Liberation Front or the Earth Liberation Front North American Press Office ever filed income tax returns with the IRS?
14) Did you have any prior knowledge whatsoever that the Earth Liberation Front intended to destroy the Vail lodge with fire?
15) Subsequent to the attacks, have you had any conversations, received any written or electronic communications, or acquired any first or second hand information through any means identifying the perpetrators of the Vail arson?
16) Hypothetically, if you would have had prior knowledge or after the fact knowledge about the Vail arson, or any other ELF attack, would you report it to the authorities?
17) Do you know who Michael Conn is?
18) Were you ever arrested for trespassing on the Oregon Regional Primate Center where Mr. Conn works?
19) Why was there an index card with Mr. Conn's name and home address in your residence? Was either ELF or ALF planning to take "direct action" against Mr. Conn or his property? IF not, why was Mr. Conn's name and address in your possession?
20) Leslie James Pickering is the new spokesperson for the Earth Liberation Front. To the best of your knowledge, has Mr. Pickering ever been involved in, had prior knowledge about, aided, abetted or in any way assisted in the commission of an ELF or ALF attack?
21) David Barbarash is the spokesperson for ELF's sister organization, the Animal Liberation Front. To the best of your knowledge, has Mr. Barbarash ever been involved in, had prior knowledge about, aided, abetted or in any way assisted in the commission of an ELF or ALF attack?
22) Rodney Adam Coronado was convicted for his role in a 1992 arson at Michigan State University. To the best of your knowledge, has Mr. Coronado been involved in, had prior knowledge about, aided, abetted or in any way assisted in the commission of an ELF or ALF attack since 1992?
23) In a September 7, 2001 AP story you said of the February 12 hearing: "These people are trying to stop the work of the Earth Liberation Front. I'm not going to participate in any effort that is going to incarcerate any of the people involved in the ELF or stop their work." Do you have specific information that might lead to the incarceration of members of the Earth Liberation Front? If not, why are you afraid of saying something that might lead to the incarceration of ELF members? Is this the reason you chose to repeatedly plead the 5th Amendment in response to questions offered by Members of Congress during the February 12th hearing?
24) As you know, several members of this Committee wrote a number of national environmental groups, urging them to public condemn eco-terrorism, ELF, and, by extension, you. As you also know, all of the organizations did? Des this lack of support among national environmental groups frustrate you? What would you say in response to their condemnations of ELF and ALF?
25) In your press statement about the Vail lodge firebombing, you said that the area slated for ski-area expansion was some of the last, best lynx habitat in North America. Do you know how long it has been since anyone - environmentalists, biologists, wildlife enthusiasts - has seen a lynx in the area that you called some of the last, best habitat for the lynx in North America?
26) What role if any did you play in creating, writing and speaking in the Earth Liberation Front training video "Igniting the Revolution?" Who paid the production costs? What was the underlying purpose of this video?
27) In that video, and in a number of interviews and other written accounts, you talk about how ELF prefers arson to all other forms of "direct action" because it inflicts maximum economic and symbolic damage on the target. Please elaborate on this.
28) In the ELF's recruitment video and in other public documents, you also talk about the need to attack symbols of corporate capitalism that promote the spread of what you call "the destructive American Dream." Is this correct?
29) When you were still serving as the Earth Liberation Front's Spokesperson, a Q & A page appeared on ELF's website called "Frequently Asked Questions About the ELF." Is this document familiar to you? Did you write this? If not, do you know who did?
30) In the "Frequently Asked Questions" piece the authors listed Mt. Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty and Wall Street on a short list of "forms and symbols of capitalism [that] can be targeted successfully to greatly influence the impact the capitalist state has on life." Remember, in your video and in other places you have frequently said that firebombing is the best tactic to use in a direct action. Taken together, aren't you encouraging ELF's cronies to go out and firebomb the Statue of Liberty? Since ELF has shown no signs of slowing down since 9-11, do you still think that, on an abstract level, it would be a good or desirable thing for the ELF to attack other symbols of capitalism in New York City, like Wall Street offices?
31) Ted Kazcinski, the Unabomber, admitted in Court that he located his last two murder victims on published Earth First! hit lists. Kazcinski is now listed on an Earth Liberation Front related Website (http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk/ elf.htm) as a "Prisoner of War." Do you consider Kazcinski a "Prisoner of War" and a comrade-in-arms in the struggle against corporate capitalism?
32) In your opinion, is Kazcinski a member of the Earth Liberation Front?
33) How do you explain this quote taken directly from an ELF-related website (http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk/elf.htm)? "Donations of support (for Kazcinsky) are needed and sincerely appreciated. If you'd like to send support funds, please write Dr. Kazcinski (if you'd like to include a few blank sheets of lines writing paper, NO stamps, it would help him avoid other bureaucratic hassles as well). Thereafter please send donations as a postal money order, blank cheque, etc. (including his name and ID number), DIRECTLY to the address listed below."
34) How long has ELF asked its membership to write and make donations to Kazcinski? How does this support for the Unabomber square with ELF's purported adherence to non-violence toward humans?
35) The Oregonian reported recently that you are attending school at Goddard College and that your master's thesis is "Rethinking Nonviolence: Arguing for the Legitimacy of Armed Struggle." With regard to your thesis, what do you mean by "armed struggle?" "Armed" in what way? In your thesis, will you argue that the time has come for armed resistance against the U.S. government?
36) Jeffrey Luers was sentenced last year to 23 years in prison on ecoterrorism-related charges. Have you ever met or had any direct or indirect contact with Mr. Luers? What advice would you give this young man as he wastes away in prison for the next 2-plus decades? Are you at all concerned that your fate may be the same as Mr. Luers?
37) When Luers was asked how he first became involved in eco-terrorism in a recent interview conducted by EarthFirst! Journal, he responded: "I was radicalized by anti-authoritarian, anarchist beliefs as well as animal rights. I got involved first in 1997 working for CalPIRG and canvassing for the Sierra Club… Power cedes nothing without demand. The only way to bring about change is to fight for it... Using fire does two things. It destroys 'the targets,' which not only stops the destructive practice they are engaged in, but also causes severe economic damage to those responsible. It also receives media attention. Nothing is more effective at drawing attention to an issue than violence… The mainstream media has been all over it, and sympathetic. I've been given a forum to radicalize other people." Do you share these sentiments?
38) On January 29, 2002, ELF took credit for firebombing the University of Minnesota's Microbial and Plant Genomics Research Center, which at the time was under construction. According to the Dean of the University's College of Biological Sciences, the building was being built to house genomics research focused on "finding ways to reduce use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture, find renewable alternatives to fossil fuels, identify new strategies for cleaning the environment, and preserve ecosystems." In what way is reducing reliance on pesticides and looking for clean energy alternatives bad for the environment?
39) What gives the ELF the right to impose its incredibly narrow view of environmentalism on researchers at the University of Minnesota who have literally spent their lives searching for ways to keep our environment safe, clean and healthy? What's more, what gives ELF's henchman the right to firebomb another person's property based on differences of opinion about what constitutes "true environmentalism?"
40) The Southern Poverty Law Center, a renowned organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil rights, had this to say about the Earth Liberation Front in its Summer 2001 Intelligence Report: "…ELF's use of underground violence strongly resembles ex-Klansman Louis Beam's concept of 'leaderless resistance.' The ELF is compiosed of autonomous and secretive 'cells' that initiate terrorist acts independently, and do not communicate with or even know one another… like most groups on the radical right today, the ELF sees global capitalism as the enemy… There is an obvious ideological gulf separating the radical right, with its racist and fascist appeals, from the left-wing, environmentalist Earth Liberation Front, which advocates 'equality, social justice and… compassion for all life.' But when it comes to the current economic and political system, the two groups increasingly find themselves on the same side." How do you feel about ELF being compared to the Klu Klux Klan? IS this an accurate comparison? Do you feel a kinship of cause with "racists and fascists," as the Southern Poverty Law Center contends?
41) Please define "direct action."
42) Do acts of eco-terrorism typically follow after a call for "direct action?"
43) When the ELF called for "direct action" to protest this hearing, and included the photos, names, and addresses of Members of Congress on the same website (http://www.protectcivilliberties.com), what was its purpose? Were they seeking to intimidate the Members of this Subcommittee and the witnesses?
44) Did you play any role in the construction of the aforementioned website calling for "direct action" in conjunction with this hearing? Did you ever have a conversation with anyone regarding the construction of http://www.protectcivilliberties.com?
45) You claim that our environment has gotten progressively dirtier over the years. But the facts don't support that. The facts tell us that air quality has improved by 64% from 1970-2000, toxins released have declined by 45% between 1988 and 1998, and erosion was reduced 32% between 1982 and 1997. Presently, few trees are harvested off the National Forests than has been the case in a very, very long time. Isn't it true that ELF's rationale for firebombing homes and schools and government buildings is grounded in lies and self-serving propaganda rather than in facts?
46) In an ABC News interview last year, you said that "every single social movement that has actually gained success has used a variety of tactics." In your mind, then, is ELF's relationship with mainstream environmental groups akin to a one-two punch? If so, what is your response to the countless environmental organizations who condemned ELF, and by extension you, prior to the February 12 hearing? Do you feel any disdain for mainstream environmentalists based on their unwillingness to take direct action to protect the environment?
47) An Indiana based Internet news-service (Nuvo.net) ran a story on ELF following an April 30, 1999 ELF attack on construction and logging equipment associated with a highway expansion project near Bloomington, Indiana. The story featured the comments of an individual associated with an environmental group called Valley Watch. With regard to ELF's attack on the construction site, he said" "As a non-violent environmental activist, I can tell you that's not my style. But we're all upping our pressure these days, and I can certainly understand the frustration that leads someone to take these kinds of actions… I'm not going to condone ELF, but I'm not going to condemn them either. After all, violence against property is not violence against people." Publicly, the vast majority of mainstream environmental groups have condemned ELF, and you personally for that matter. Do you think a lot of mainstream above ground environmental groups share the sentiments of this individual from Valley Watch, public condemnations notwithstanding?
48) On April 30, 2000 ELF, through you Mr. Rosebraugh, took credit for sabotaging construction and logging equipment used for a highway expansion project 45 miles from Indianapolis, Indiana. Do you remember issuing a statement of credit for ELF in conjunction with the Indiana attack?
49) In an interview with an Indiana Internet news provider (http://www.nuvo.net) following the aforementioned attack, you went beyond merely admitting that ELF was responsible for the April 30 siege. You told the news outlet this: "I wouldn't be surprised to see more ELF direct action in the future over there." Those comments are interesting because exactly two months later, on June 30, ELF took part in a large-scale tree spiking in the same great State of Indiana, just as you had forecasted. Your prediction of additional attacks on April 30 was one of three things: (1) an incredibly good guess; (2) a prescient moment on your part; or (3) the product of direct knowledge that ELF would attack again in the area. Which one was it: a good guess, a prescient moment or direct knowledge?
50) Who first contacted you about serving as the spokesperson for the Earth Liberation Front? How did he/she contact you?
51) During the time you served as spokesperson for the Earth Liberation Front, how did you support yourself?
52) During your time with the Earth Liberation Front Press Office, how large was the staff? If there were other staff, were they volunteers or working on a paid basis?
53) Why did you resign as a spokesperson for the Earth Liberation Front?
54) Do you still communicate with the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front Press Offices? If so, how often?
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This list of questions really demonstrates how effective a decentralized, illegible resistance movement can be. Pay special attention to the questions about ELF's "nonprofit status" and where the spokesoffice got its money from. The state cannot stomach resistance that it can't understand or control. For all the good that NGOs, nonprofits, and unions do, they play the state's game and are thus not seen as threats. The radical union movement of the early 20th century was a threat to capitalism as long as it was decentralized and illegible to the state. As soon as the AFL and CIO came along, the state then had a tool to crush and disrupt dissent. That's why it is important for revolutionaries to be "illegible" to the state. If the authorities know your address, the FBI can knock on your door. If you don't have an address, or a name, then the state convenes grand juries to fish for information.