I’d Rather Firebomb An SUV Than Own One!

I’d Rather Firebomb An SUV Than Own One!
By Kirsten Anderberg (http://www.kirstenanderberg.com)

I understand why people are driven to firebomb new SUV’s on sales lots, I
am not clear why people are driven to buy and drive them though. The pure
gluttony of the American lifestyle is assaulting to people who care about
the earth and its living things. Driving around, one driver, one car, in
gas-guzzling, class-insulated, oblivion, is not innocuous, or even
innocent, at this point in the game. And firebombing SUV’s is not innocent
behavior either. I am sure when people do things like firebomb SUV’s, they
do it with some understanding of the risk involved and realize if caught,
they will be punished. I think all that is a given. So when I see a story
like Jeff “Free” Luers’ (http://www.freefreenow.org), it saddens me that our
government is so lagging behind in so many areas, and they all culminate
at the epicenter of Jeff’s sentencing. Yes, he admits he firebombed three
SUV’s on a sales lot in Eugene, Or., when he was 22 years old. The
estimated damages were $40,000. And yes, he admits he did it for political
reasons. So that leaves us at the part that is the reconciliation with
society for that political statement, and property damage, and that is
where everything fell apart in Jeff’s case, in my opinion.

This is not like the case of activist/musician Darryl Cherney, where the
FBI and Oakland Police accused him and Judy Bari of car-bombing themselves
in some bizarre anti-environmentalist scheme the FBI dreamed up (in the
end, Darryl’s case was awarded $4.4 million in damages). Jeff’s case is
instead one of an admitted action, for a stated environmental reason, “to
bring attention to global warming and the environmental crisis facing the
world,” which is a coherent political statement, which is why he chose
SUV’s as a logical target. An under-funded, poorly-run “justice” system, a
McCarthyistic hysteria over “anarchism” in Eugene, Or. (of all places!),
a new precedent of preemptive strike sentencing, fumbling “intelligence”
agencies, and courts with outright political prejudice, have all taken a
huge chunk of a politically-conscious, intelligent, kind soul’s life. Jeff
“Free” was sentenced to 22 years in an Oregon prison, in June 2001, for
firebombing three SUV’s, arson, amidst a slew of other charges revolving
around that incident. The issue is not whether he should be punished, the
issue is what is a reasonable punishment, and what is an excessive
punishment? The sentencing of Jeff “Free” Luers can only be seen as
Draconian.

The logic in sentencing Jeff “Free” to this outrageously long sentence, as
compared to the sentencing standards for similar and like crimes, is to
set an example, to discourage other potential SUV firebombers in Oregon, I
suppose. So he is being sentenced for all the POTENTIAL firebombers now? I
know this country is PREEMPTIVE-STRIKE-HAPPY, but where does this stop?
(Really, I think the sentencing is meant to try to discourage all
anarchists, but that is part of why this type of sentencing is so
egregious, it is so generalized that it is stupid and hysterical).The
paranoia of the American government has seriously run amuck, placing even
greater burdens, unnecessarily, upon the already crumbling “justice”
system. Since Jeff “Free” took precautions to not endanger humans in the
action, the risks that Jeff “Free” were taking when he torched the SUV’s
should have been getting burned himself, or getting caught. Not some crap
shoot of a justice system. And I commend him for not bending to their
bullying plea bargain system. That takes A LOT of guts in his situation.
Just like Bush says he will not negotiate with terrorists, it is usually
wise not to negotiate with the people prosecuting you, is my opinion. If
Jeff “Free” had signed the plea bargain saying he was guilty, and reducing
the charges a bit, he would have also signed away his right to appeal.
Every day people sign plea bargains under duress in the American “justice”
system, and do not realize until months later that part of that “bargain”
was you signed away all rights to ANY appeal of the case ever. That is a
major reason plea bargains suck. Jeff “Free” could have signed that plea
bargain, and the prosecutor and the public defender could have both
recommended 5 years in jail, and that judge could have STILL sentenced him
to 22 years if he wanted to. And then, he would have no right to appeal!
So it is good he did not do the plea bargain dance in the beginning of all
this, and that is a lesson all of us can learn from Jeff “Free.”

But I want to get back to the judge’s lesson for us all in this. This is
obviously not about keeping one guy, who committed an arson that caused
property damage, but no injury to life, to make a political statement,
away from the public for public safety reasons. As serial rapists, child
molesters, and worse, have lighter sentences than Jeff “Free.” And let me
tell you, I would rather live next door to an SUV torcher than a serial
rapist or child molester! Additionally, the threat to the world from Jeff
“Free” and all SUV firebombers collectively, is still really minimal,
compared to the threat to the world from SUV drivers’ collectively, as far
as residual effects go. And the threat of a few SUV firebombers on empty
sales lots, which really is only property damage, pales next to the sight
of a politically askew and corrupt “justice” system. So this excessive
sentencing does not seem to involve public safety, as much as “political
safety.” Now, if the judge’s sentencing IS politically motivated, which
appears to be the case since similar cases do not match the patterns of
sentencing in this case for these crimes, then that opens up a whole new
can of worms. Now instead of one crime being committed, two are being
committed. The courts are supposed to be impartial. Yet I have noticed
that anarchists, protesters and activists are being targeted with stiffer
and stiffer sentences, as an example, to try to deter such arrogant
dissidence. But as I have said often, that kind of behavior from my
government only makes me ANGRY, not AFRAID. I think that through excessive
sentencing such as in Jeff “Free’s” case, not only are the courts
degrading their reputation as fair and unbiased venues for conflict
resolutions, but they are also radicalizing more and more people.

I bet if a group of protesters went to an SUV dealership and threw foam
bricks at the windows of the store while also yelling things and waving
signs on the sidewalk, police would be called. And for some reason, even
though there would be NO property damage, NO injuries, and NO THREAT OF
EITHER, I have the feeling THAT action alone could even trigger RIOT
POLICE in Eugene. Eugene Police LOVE their riot gear. I bet the foam brick
throwing brigade would be charged with very trumped up charges, far beyond
the minor event they would have caused. I could even see them doing jail
time. For what? WHO KNOWS? That is the problem with political sentencing,
you are punishing the political belief, and the statement of that belief,
not the action, really. You are attacking what the action MEANT, rather
than the action itself! Thus there is an erratic pattern, at best, where
sentences can now be followed by politics, rather than charges. Now you
can see instead of Jeff “Free’s” sentencing corresponding with other arson
cases, we see his sentencing falling into synch with activists’ and
anarchists’ patterns of sentencing. It is a dangerous thing when political
precedent, rather than legal precedent, is applied randomly in courtrooms.
By sentencing Jeff “Free” to what appears to be double the time of the
standard sentences for those crimes, what we are also seeing is the Oregon
courts setting an example of bad behavior and behavior that will make the
average citizen feel they cannot trust the courts. And to reiterate, as
one editorial comment in the Eugene Weekly said, “While Free has been
labeled an “eco-terrorist,” (a term originating in timber industry p.r
agencies) and sentenced to more years than he has been alive, what court
will dare hold Bush accountable for self-serving acts of extreme violence
to the planet and the people on it? Is the law not supposed to protect
public safety?” Good point.

In Jan. 2002, Jeff “Free” filed a 50 page appeal with the Oregon Courts.
Oral statements in the appeal process will begin in late July 2004. You
can help this appeal in several ways. June 12, 2004, is an International
Day of Solidarity for Jeff “Free” Luers. Support events will take place in
many countries, and past support for Jeff “Free” has come from Belgium,
Spain, Portugal, Italy, US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Russia, and Holland.
You can sign onto Jeff “Free’s” letter of support for his appeal process,
at http://www.freefreenow.org/signon.html. Organizations and individuals
who have signed the support letter so far include: Mumia Abu-Jamal, Jello
Biafra, Carter Camp (Founder OK chapter of the American Indian Movement
(AIM), former National Chairman of AIM, and Board Member, Leonard Peltier
Defense Committee), journalists and authors, such as Howard Zinn,
physicians, peace activists, professors from Univ. of Colorado, Evergreen
State College (Wa.), Univ. of Oregon (Eugene), Syracuse Univ. (NY), UCLA,
as well as scientists, labor union organizers, prisoner support groups,
vets, film makers, musicians, attorneys, law students, former political
prisoners, street medics and more.

Other things you could do on June 12 to show solidarity with Jeff “Free”
include writing the Governor on his behalf, (Governor of Oregon Ted
Kulongoski, 160 State Capitol, 900 Court Street, Salem, Oregon 97301-4047,
Fax: 503.378.6827), as well as writing to the media in Salem, Oregon, and
surrounding areas, such as Eugene, and asking they cover his appeals trial
closely. Let the papers know you are interested in seeing his story
covered in depth. You can join an email list with alerts about Jeff
“Free’s” case to help you keep the media alerted, at
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/freejeffluers. You can help with his
legal defense fund, or deposit money into his commissary account for pens,
stamps, envelopes, phone calls, etc. by going to
http://www.freefreenow.org/howtohelp.html and donating online, or using
the snailmail addresses on that site. You can send letters of support to:
“Jeffery Luers #13797671,OSP, 2605 State Street,Salem, OR 97310.” You
could make a website page devoted to spreading the word about Jeff
“Free’s” case. You could link to http://www.freefreenow.org on your website. You
can put a blurb about Jeff and the http://www.freefreenow.org link in your
signature on your email all day June 12. You could join a prison or
environmental support group, such as The Prison Book Project
(http://www.prisonbookprogram.org), Education Not Incarceration
(http://www.may8.org), Cascadia Forest Defenders
(http://www.forestdefenders.org), or the Earth Liberation Prisoners Support
Network (http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk).

Many events have been scheduled for cities all over America on June 12, as
well as in other countries, to support Jeff “Free” either through public
education or fundraisers, or both (http://www.freefreenow.org/j12.html).
But you can also do environmental actions on your own that day to show the
world that Judge Lyle Velure’s lesson that environmental activism is
somehow EXTRA punishable, and thus we should fear the long arm of the law
for participating in that form of free speech, is not working. Such thinly
veiled threats to our freedom are not deterrents to our need to protest
the continuation of the REAL eco-terrorism, which is in the form of
pollution and corporate greed. You can print up two different types of SUV
tickets at http://www.baaction.org/SUVticket/ and http://earthonempty.com/
and go ticket SUV’s in your neighborhood just like a Meter Maid. You can
download a free NO SUV logo to make signs to hang in your neighborhood at
http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/antisuvbumperstickers. You can make a long
banner that says “SUVs KILL THE ENVIRONMENT” and have one person stand at
one end of the crosswalk and unfurl it as a second person walks to the
other end of the crosswalk, just USE the crosswalk for the duration of the
light, then cross with the light to the next crosswalk, and do the same
thing. There are many actions you can take today, that are legal, to get
these points across to people. But whatever you do, remember they already
have this guy as a political prisoner, do not make it harder, or worse,
for him by going out and breaking laws foolishly in his name! On this day
of solidarity, remember he is stuck inside a dehumanizing hole with little
power, and the authorities would love to make life harder for him, to
teach all of US more of a lesson. Let us not endanger our brother in jail
with our actions. But let us show the authorities that we are watching, we
are aware of what is going on, and that we stand firm in our support of
Jeff “Free” Luers’ appeal for a reasonable, and hefty, reduction in his
previously excessive 22 year sentencing.