Environment & Society Portal Suggested citation: Donny, Friede Rica, Josh, and Wednesday, eds., Earth First! 28, no. 2 (1 January 2008). Republished by the Environment & Society Portal, Multimedia Library. http://www.environmentandsociety.org/node/7248 All rights reserved. The user may download, preserve and print this material only for private, research or nonprofit educational purposes. The user may not alter, transform, or build upon this material. The Rachel Carson Center's Environment & Society Portal makes archival materials openly accessible for purposes of research and education. Views expressed in these materials do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Rachel Carson Center or its partners. $4.50 US 6 Canada Brigid January-February 2008 TakiK It to the Trees in Santa Cruz Crossing a traverse line by LRDP Resistance In the early hours of November 7, people be- gan hoisting climb lines and wooden platforms into three clusters of redwood trees at the Uni- versity of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC). The trees and an adjoining parking lot are slated to become the site of UCSC's new Biomedical Sci- ences Facility — the first project of the 2005 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), which would replace 120 acres of forested land with student housing, recreational facilities, roads and a re- search lab. By 11 a.m., one person had been arrested, and three people were in redwood trees surrounded by the UCSC police, who had blocked off the entire area and confiscated anything left in the parking lot. The treesitters had been with- out food and water all night. One sitter, whose platform had been confiscated before it could be raised, sat in a redwood tree in only his climb- ing harness. Meanwhile, elsewhere on campus, a planned rally in opposition to the LRDP was well under way. Hundreds of students listened to speakers elucidating the numerous prob- lems with UCSC's expansion plans. In a burst of energy, the rally morphed into a march to deliver supplies to the treesitters. Hundreds of supporters ar- rived at the treesit on Science Hill, armed with food and water. The first group of people to break police lines were tack- led to the ground and arrested, but the crowd was not deterred. As they faced the police, they were met with pepper spray and batons. Regardless, they continued to move closer to the trees, reaching over the police to put food and water on the line dropped by a treesitter, while still under police attack. In a burst of success, the crowd pushed the police line back and sur- rounded one of the clusters of trees. Cheers went out as food and water were lifted into the trees. continued on page 18 A treesitter in Santa Cruz Ns »■ O S' Q State Repression in Aotearoa/New Zealand by Asher In a wave of massive state re- pression, more than 300 paramili- tary police carried out dawn raids on houses across Aotearoa/New Zealand and made 16 arrests on October 15. Search warrants were carried out in Auckland, Whaka- tane, Ruatoki, Hamilton, Palm- erston North, Wellington and other centers on the North Island, and in Christchurch on the South Island. The war- rants stated that the police were searching for evidence for charges under the Arms Act and the Terrorism Suppression 'Act (TSA), making this the first time that the TSA has been in- voked in a search warrant. All of those arrested initially received multiple charges un- der the Arms Act. Police said they would consider filing fur- ther charges, including some under the TSA, for which per- mission was needed from the Solicitor-General. In the days following the initial arrests, many people around the country were questioned by police, and more properties were searched. The ar- restees have been active in the Tino Rangatiratanga (loosely translates as "Maori Self-Determination"), anarchist, peace, and environmen- tal movements. The raids were the culmination of 18 months of surveillance, in- cluding the bugging of telephone lines, cell phones and vehicles. The police alleged that the 16 had been involved in "terrorist training camps" in the mountainous Ure- wera region in the northeast of the North Island — in the area known as Tuhoe country, named after the Maori iwi (tribe) that lives there. The police have suggested that some or all of the arrestees were planning a bombing campaign and other attacks designed to ad- vance the cause of independence for Tuhoe country from the New Zealand government. Prominent Tuhoe activist Tame Iti was the first arrested, at his home at 4 a.m. At 6 a.m., raids were carried out at A Space Inside, an anarchist so- cial center in Auckland, and the 128 Community House in Wellington. In Tuhoe country, the towns of Rua- toki and Taneatua were blockaded by armed police for several hours. All cars leaving and entering were searched and their occupants photographed. In addition, many houses and people were searched and questioned. In the first month, all 16 arrestees were steadily moved from prisons around the country to two Auck- land prisons, to make prosecutions more convenient for the police. This meant moving them away from their whanau (families), friends and sup- port networks. Four prisoners were granted bail in the two weeks follow- ing the raids. On November 1-2, all 16 arrestees were to be heard in one court for the first time, in Auckland. Just prior to the hearings, the police announced they would apply to the Solicitor-General to file terrorism charges against 12 of the 16 arrestees. During the two days of hearings, two more prisoners were granted bail, leaving just 10 of the 16 in prison (two women and eight men). On November 8, Solicitor-General David Collins announced he would not permit the TSA charges, due to insufficient evidence. The next day, six arrestees were granted bail due to the change in circumstances. Three days later, the last of the arrest- ees were released. Following the Solicitor-General’s decision, the police leaked cherry-picked sup- ^ pressed evidence from their sur- I veillance to the corporate media, | in an attempt to influence pub- | lie opinion against the arrestees I and further inhibit any chance | of them receiving unbiased ju- | rors when the Arms Act charges | eventually go to trial, q While all 16 are now out on | bail, they still face multiple | charges and potential prison 0 sentences under the Arms Act. 1 Their trials could still be years away, with tens of thousands of pages of evidence to be exam- ined. In the meantime, many have non-association orders pre- venting them from interacting in any way with some of their clos- est friends, while others have strict curfews and have to report to the police multiple times each week. Some of the prisoners had virtually everything they own confiscated during the raids, some lost their homes, .and the emotional and fi- nancial impacts on their families have been immense. continued on page 8 Protesters in Aotearoa/New Zealand The Radical Environmental Journal Brigid Jantiary-February 2008 Trannies Are Taking the Blame Earth First! Brigid January 1, 2008 Vol. 28, No. 2 "Trannies" have killed Earth First!, awareness as it pertains to effective Haven't you heard? EF! organizing. According to Michael Donnelly's These are relatively simple goals, article, "Green Sabotage as 'Terror- and they were all stated in "Trannies ism,"' which appeared in Counter- Are Taking Over" (see EF !J January- Punch in May, Earth First! "has for February 2007). That article — which all practical purposes been finished comprised a mere four percent of the off." And what, Dr. Donnelly, was issue in question — is what so many the cause of death? Why, it was the people are complaining about. And fact that the Journal "is now more yet, I've gotten the distinct sense that concerned with the issues of trans- few of its critics got past its plainly sexuals [sic] than any eco-issue." ironic title. The point of that article Donnelly is not alone in making was simply this: EF! has a long way to this false claim. SFBs, comments on the Journal's website, bluster at gath- erings and whispered asides have made it clear that a good number of current and former EF!ers think that transgender folks — and more generally, feminists, their allies and anyone concerned with issues of oppression — -are killing the move- ment. I strongly disagree. There is nothing wrong with tak- ing practical steps to acknowledge the fact that trans individuals are present within Earth First!; to en- sure that they have the space they need to learn, teach, participate and take action with safety and dignity; and to establish the Jour- nal as a place for promoting trans What some EF’ers — and so many people in mainstream society — simply don't seem to grasp is that women, people of color, trans peo- ple, members of other marginalized groups and their allies don't want to spend all their time challenging op- pressive behavior. Trans EFIers want to be working on EF! campaigns and projects— -just like the rest of us. If there's a significant focus dn trans- gender issues, it's not because trans folks are trying to hijack the move- ment and turn it into Gender First!. It's because the lack of transgender awareness, the persistence of patri- archy and heterosexism, the inap- propriate questions and the creepy stares make participating in EF! and taking direct action for the Earth so much harder for trans activists than it should be. In short, as soon as those with straight, white and/or male privi- lege (including myself) start really behaving like allies — or at least ex- press an honest commitment to work on our oppressive behavior — go before trans EF!ers will feel totally then we can all get back to work comfortable, understood, accepted saving the planet, and (most importantly) safe working Sound good? and organizing in EF! circles. —Josh Earth First! is published by an edito- rial collective from within the Earth First! movement. Entire contents are copyrighted 2008. Please contact us for permission to reprint articles. Art, photographs and poetry are copy- righted by individual artists, and per- mission for use must be received from them directly. Earth First! is a forum for the no- compromise environmental move- ment. Responsibility rests with the individual authors and correspon- dents. The contents do not neces- sarily represent the viewpoint of this magazine, the Earth First! movement, local Earth First! groups or individual Earth First!ers. We welcome submissions of ar- ticles, letters, poetry and art that put the Earth first, aid in healthy debate shaping the growth of the movement and advance the creation of a world free of speciesism, classism, racism, sexism, violence, exploitation and oppression. Submission deadlines are the tenth of every odd-numbered month in the calendar year. Articles should be typed or clearly printed. We encour- age submissions via email. Art or photographs are desirable to illustrate articles and essays. Send a SASE if you would like submissions returned. 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PO Box 3023, Tucson, A Z 85702 (520) 620-6900 collective@earthfirstjournal.org www.earthfirstjoumal.org FEATURES Takin' It to the Trees in Santa Cruz Defending Redwoods in Central Caufornia State Repression in Aoiearoa/New Zealand One- Year Milestone for Treesit in Berkeley Oaks Keeping the Heat on Wall Street Days of Action Against Coal's Financial Backers Students Lock Uown at Duke Energy No War No Warming Polar Bears Take Action on Capitol Hill 8 Greenpeace Regains Its Teeth 9 Crash the Conventions A Call for Action Against the DNC and RNC 10 Resistance to Oil and Gas in Colorado's San Luis Valley 11 Evolving EF! II What's Next for the Radical Environmental Movement? 12 Resistance Against the Wall A Report From the No Borders Camp 13 No Borders! Earth First! Throws Down! 15 Anti-Mount aintop Removal Activist in Danger 15 Bulgarian Forest Defenders Threatened 16 Everglades Uprising 2008 Earth First! Organizers' Conference & Winter Rendezvous 17 Fossil Fuel or Nuclear? Neither! An Expression of Intent From Everglades Earth First! 18 Resistance to Barrick Gold Grows 19 Doing It Different Down Under A Report From Earth First Australia 21 Where Have All the Rednecks Gone? 22 If You Liked NAFTA, You'll Love Deep Integration The US Plan for Hemispheric Domination 24 An Interview With Daniel McGowan, Part Two 26 A Closer Look at the Green Scare 27 SHAC Rolls Onward Average Folks Wage a Not-So-Average Campaign 27 Appeals Filed in SHAC 7 Case 29 In Memory of Monica Stokely Die-in outside Citi office in Washington, DC SECTIONS Editorial Dear SFB: Letters to the Editors Bare Bones Frontlines Armed With Visions Environmental News of the Weird Updates Prisoners in the Struggle Announcements EF! Directory Editorial Collective: Donny, Friede Rica, Josh, Wednesday Poetry Editor: Dennis Fritzinger Volunteers: Bill, Buttercup, Chris, Havoc House, Lenny, Magpie, Michael, Nell, 0skar, Read Between the Bars, Rebecca, temple?, trouble! Front Cover: Graham Boyle Back Cover: Eskararriba Earth First ! (ISSN 1055-8411) January-February 2008, Volume 28, Issue 2, is published bimonthly by Daily Planet Publishing, 3280 E Hemisphere Lp, Ste 180, Tucson, A Z 85706. US Subscriptions are $25. Outside the US, subscriptions are $40 to Mexico and Canada, and $50 everywhere else. Send subscriptions to PO Box 3023, Tucson, A Z 85702. Periodicals Postage Paid at Tucson, Arizona. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Earth First!, PO Box 3023, Tucson, A Z 85702-3023. Page 2 Earth First! Brigid 2008 A student activist walks past others from the Free Speech Free Trees Student Coalition as they climb the fence into the oak grove. BY KP Who would have thought? A multitree treesit in one of the big- gest urban areas in the country — the Berkeley-Oakland-San Francisco megalopolis — just celebrated its one- year anniversary! It. was hard to see this far ahead when Native American activist Zachary Running Wolf, University of California-Berkeley (UCB) student Aaron Diek and new forest activist Jess Walsh hoisted themselves, in the dark of night, up into the branches of gnarly oak trees in a grove that includes nearly 40 old specimens of coast live oak ( Quercus agrifolia), a towering redwood and cedars (see EF!J March-April 2007). They aimed to protect the trees from UCB, which plans to level the grove — which stu- dents, faculty and the public have used for decades as a respite from the urban chaos below — for a high-tech sports facility. The three activists climbed to their perches to make the point that, beyond inappropriate- ness, it is actually illegal to cut ma- ture coast live oaks in Berkeley and, further, that people care enough about these trees to take direct ac- tion. But who thought we would find the support to maintain the ac- tion for a year and counting? What began as a passioriate act of daring has morphed into a na- tionally covered campaign, encom- passing a conglomeration of issues, widely supported in the community, punctuated by more than 150 ar- rests and citations, and generating enough legal action to keep a couple dozen attorneys busy. The ecologi- cal underpinnings remain a primary' rallying point and strong argument. The grove is a crucial link in the ur- ban/wildlands interface, providing a wildlife corridor that connects pieces of the vast regional parkland in the Berkeley-Oakland hills above the UCB campus. The arboreal platforms also caused many curious visitors — dog walkers, football fans, baby-carriage pushers, classes of third graders, inter- national tourists — to look upward as they entered the grove. This is a per- spective not native to city-dwelling, appointment-hopping, fast-moving Homo sapiens. But oh, what a perspec- tive it can be, as the abundant birds cruise in for a landing and squirrels lob acorns at heads below. Breathe deeply. ... There's a whole other world up there. Additionally, this campaign has brought both treesitters and observ- ers alike to an understanding of sa- cred space and its meaning in our lives and evolution. Thanks primarily to Running Wolf, the indigenous ar- chaeological aspects of the campaign have been aggressively pursued. Early on, someone from the UBC Depart- ment of Archaeology covertly deliv- ered a 1925 document to Running Wolf, verifying that bones had been discovered during construction of the adjacent football stadium. Back then, we didn't have the National Environ- mental Protection Act and the Cali- fornia Environmental Quality Act, which require Environmental Impact Reports to take native burial sites into consideration during any new con- struction. But besides the nuts and bolts of getting the university to ad- dress these issues, there has evolved a mindset — among the sitters, the multiethnic student body, the main- stream Sierra Club types and every- one else involved — that sacred sites are essential to our well-being and must be protected with a reverence and ferociousness that has given this campaign tremen- dous strength. This is how we evolve as human beings. During the many months that it took three lawsuits (one was even filed by the city of Berkeley!) challenging the uni- versity's • planning documents to come to court, many cre- ative actions kept the campaign vi- brant, growing and strong. The - law- suits finally came to court in Septem- ber, culminating in a three-week trial during which the judge visited the grove. However, as we honor the treesitters and intrepid ground sup- port on this one-year milestone, we are still waiting for the decision from Judge Barbara Miller as to whether UCB will be sent back to the draw- ing board. Here are some highlights from the past year of what is probably the longest-running and most ac- cessible urban treesit ever: •In January 2007, legendary conservationist and Save the Bay founder Sylvia McLaughlin (age 90), City Councilwoman Betty Olds (age 86) and former Mayor Shirley Dean (age 71) ascended to a special platform to hold a press conference calling on the university to look at other sites for its project. •In February 2007, more than 80 lo- cal residents — including grandmoth- ers, a family of four, students and tenured professors — participated in a "24-hour community treesit," trying out hourlong stints on a platform in the oak branches. •On February 20, 2007, Native American leaders from around the area joined Running Wolf in a cer- emony and press conference, calling attention to the fact that UCB's plans would desecrate a native burial site. •On a chilly March morning, 78 people removed their clothes and lay on the ground for a photo shoot by famed photographer Jack Ges- cheit. He did another photo shoot the following November, as naked hands and toes gripped the newly erected chain-link fence. •UCB police harassment of the treesit escalated in the Spring, with many early morning raids; confisca- tions of support gear, literature and personal belongings; and citations and arrests. This lasted until the end of August, when crews moved in to construct a perimeter chain- link fence that was meant to cripple all resupplies of the sitters' provisions. After an arrest for a food and water de- livery, and a rash of negative publicity for the university, supply runs were resumed. •In September, unable to suppress the treesit through arrests, harassment and supply block- ades, UCB filed a civil lawsuit (es- sentially a SLAPP suit) against the treesitters and sup- porters, claiming it had the power to arrest even someone standing on the sidewalk hooting a warning of approaching police. •Immediately after the filing of this lawsuit, around 40 UCB stu- dents in yellow T-shirts emblazoned with "Free Speech/Free Trees" joined with leaders of the 1964 Free Speech Movement to protest the fencing-in of the protest site. Students scaled the fence en masse, delivering food and water to the treesitters, result- ing in 21 arrests. This also took the wind out of UCB's argument that it is outsiders, rather than students, in the grove. •In early November, as students be- gan a treesit protest in the redwoods of UC-Santa Cruz, work crews in Berkeley arrived with heavy equip- ment to construct a bigger, taller, meaner fence around a much larger perimeter, topped with three strands of barbed wire. Nighttime harassment was stepped up, with bright stadium lights powered by noisy generators. Security guards also began filming the grove around the clock. •As police selectively but broadly enforced the injunction against those "acting in concert" with the sitters — arresting people providing water, food and blankets to protest- ers — community voices were raised. In mid-November, about 45 treesit supporters — including many from the Native American community — turned out for a nighttime prayer vigil. Riot police moved in with ba- tons, violently arresting four people while someone surreptitiously cut the fence in several places. This police action was quickly followed by more arrests of people walking away from the grove, students leav- ing blankets on a table and people supposedly caught on videotape talking to treesitters. •As a response to the increased police action and the need for food and water, a Thanksgiving ac- tion by Berkeley Grandmothers for the Oaks delivered pies and other supplies to fenced-in treesitters. A tight circle of bodies prevented singling out as a treesitter, perched on a branch above the sidewalk, dropped a rope into the center of the circle and hoisted up supplies. Arrests were threatened but did not materialize. •A similar food and water delivery was made at the one-year birthday celebration on December 2, with an even larger circle hiding those clipping the food bags to the sitter's carabiner. Earlier in the day, six at- torneys from the National Lawyers Guild — including famed attorneys Tony Serra and Dennis Cunning- ham — held a press conference in front of trie grove, lambasting the university for trampling on protest- ers' civir rights, as arrests and cita- tions topped the 150 mark. Wherever we go from here, it is clear that the campaign has brought together a diverse group of people who might not have other- wise collided on the political front. It has radicalized students, and it has opened people's eyes and hearts to the concept of sacred sites and the sanctity of the lives of our fel- low species. Even visiting football teams and their fans have been intrigued and perhaps inspired as they trooped past the arboreal vil- lage on their way to the UCB Bears' stadium up the hill, realizing that we don't have to make choices be- tween sports facilities and trees, be- cause, as the giant banner hung for the "big game" crowd proclaimed, "Bears Love Trees." For more information, contact info@saveoaks.com; www.saveoaks. com. kp is an unapologetic treehugger who walks around with bark on her face. A banner in the Berkeley oaks January -February 2008 Earth Flrstl Page 3 photos courtesy Mr. Mattht Dear SFB, I thoroughly enjoyed the Mabon issue of the EF! Journal (see EF!J September-October 2007). My favorite article was "Fun With Cats," by Hayduke. It was good to see that Earth First! has not lost touch with its warrior roots. I also very much enjoyed reading "What Goes Around Comes Around: Day of Action Against 1-69 After the 2007 EF! Rendezvous." Although I can appreciate a day of action based on a marching protest and disruption of section of- fices, I hope to soon read an article about "A Night of Ac- tion Against 1-69,” utilizing Hayduke's methods. After enough of these, 1-69 should be no more (hopefully, before it ever really was). Yours always, — Tumbleweed Dear EF!, I've been a member of EF! for the past 20-odd years and was in Rainbow Summer 1990-1991. 1 love EF! I'm concerned, however, about the recent trend to- ward feminist editors, etc. I believe that EF! should focus on biodiversity, not feminism. Exclude men (which you'll do), and you lose strength and eventually lose out on great opportunities to help biodiversity. A shame. Change your mind, and I'll send more money. Until then, I'll give it to other na- ture groups. — Anonymous Dear Shit fer Brains, Although I am a prisoner, I paid $20 for a subscription 13 months ago.... I love our Earth Mother. I am biocentric. I.am even a dedicated primi- tivist. Yet sadly, I don't enjoy 90 percent of your zine. I'm far from hateful (I'm an ex-Anti-Racist Action [ARA] member), but if I wanted social activist topics of gay-, trans- and race-based oppres- sion, I'd have remained ARA, support Anarchist Black Cross or subscribe to the liberal, mindless zines.... You could take some les- sons from Green Anarchy or Species Traitor editors. Remove my name from your mailing list. For the grandchildren's Earth, —Steven "Envtro" Andrews Dear Sir, I have just reread your pa- per, Earth First! No Compromise in Defense of Mother Earth, sec- ond line "Human Activities," sixth paragraph "Earth must come first." Why don’t you advocate a human reduction? Maybe six billion to two billion? Thanks, — Angus Ashdown Dear Folks at EF!J, I thought I would write you and tell you why I am not go- ing to renew my subscription after all these years. I wrote you a while ago and told you that your new large tabloid newspaper for- mat was poor, as it made ar- chiving EF!J very hard and made it 'hard to pass EF!J on to others, as opposed to the magazine format. OK, you did not write me back. Your record with me for responses over the many times I have written is zero. National Geographic did not reply to me either when I wrote them and complained at their shift from recycled paper to environ- mentally harmful clear plastic mailing envelopes. It is your newspaper, and you can publish it in any format you want, but what really got my hackles up was when you found it necessary to print testimonials to your new format in your renewal notices. That, my friends, was pure arrogance, and it was just too much for me. I shall save some trees and landfill space and not sub- scribe anymore, and give the money to a local wildlife re- habilitation center. The Internet will furnish me with the same informa- tion until the global corpo- rations and neofascists take it over. Then maybe, I will subscribe again if the EF!J is still around. Peace, — Ellen Dear SFB, Alaska just passed a law that says, "Beginning in the year 2010, no emissions test will be necessary for a motor vehicle." I think that Maine passed this law also. What happened to the Kyoto Pro- tocol? This sparked off a few thoughts for me. First of all, what are the au- tomakers going to do? Now, they are released from their emissions restrictions. They will probably save money by designing less restrictive ex- haust systems. After all, even a small piece of platinum (cat- alytic converter) is an expen- sive item. On the other hand, since fuel is more costly, fewer people will be able to oper- ate vehicles, so the emissions thing might even out.... Did you know they are coming out with a new cell phone that has a shaver in it (RAZR)? My company has a great product. It's called the "Porta-Snitch." Uses the lat- est cell phone technology! The Porta-Snitch is for you! Sneak behind the nearest ob- stacle and call the Big Guy! Report all eco-activity so they can stamp it out.... "Before It's Too Late!" Also, there is the following theory: For example, mycelia are the fungi that live under- ground a few inches. When they are covered up by cow pies or Autumn leaves, they send up mushrooms to prop- agate the species with spores. So, the theory is: When a spe- cies is threatened with extinc- tion, the first thing it does is reproduce. This seems not to make complete sense at first. After all, some species might just think, "Ah, hell, we don't want to live here any lon- ger anyway, so goodbye." But think about movies and about war. What happens when the soldier or movie star has a narrow escape? The first thing they want is sex! And now, think about the piston engine, the engine that has started the whole global warming thing.... Do you see a connection between the fear of death and a piston? There it is! Henry Ford in his garage creating a piston that moves up and down and explodes at the top! So why are the automakers touting their body designs as "sexy"? And why, "the more pistons the better"? So fear is a potent weapon. And, it induces the desire to reproduce. This is why some people use fear to get what they want, which is some perverse jolly pleasure that I don't understand. Yes, I am afraid of the police, not be- cause of pain or of imprison- ment, but because they upset my balance and take away my freedom. And let us not think that they are some pure saints! They do the same thing we do, but they spend all their time practicing subtlety so they don't "get caught." Me, I prefer my indepen- dence in spades — to be ob- vious, right up front about it. Today, I will ride my bi- cycle in the snow instead of taking the bus. Yes, motors are handy and necessary for some tasks, but they are causing massive problems. And why? Because probably 90 percent of humanity sees them as something "magic," or a weapon, or a means to make others’ lives miserable, or as an artificial sex toy. But, we might as well burn up all the fuel and use up all the motors, because then we will have learned to do with- out them. In 20 years, maybe they will have a course in igloo-building taught at the university, because Home De- pot won’t be able to deliver lumber anymore! Love, — -Johnny Anchorage, Alaska Dear Shit fer Brains, 1 can’t tell you how appre- ciative I am that Daniel Mc- Gowan is writing an article about Bill Rodgers (Avalon) (see EF!J November-December 2007). Thank you for helping him put the piece together. I have been struggling with the way both the corporate media and activists have been portraying Bill. I have never had someone so close to me pass over, so this whole ex- perience has been confusing and challenging. To add to the confusion is the fact that I only knew Bill the last three years of his life. I can't tes- tify to Bill's character in his younger years. I didn't know him then. My respect and honor for Bill as I knew him, though, will never change, no matter what authorities claim of him. We are all human. We are changing, and perhaps we would make different choices if we could do it all over again. So, here we are, Autumn 2007. Can you think back to 10-12 years ago? What were you do- ing then? Are you ashamed of any choices you made? Were others ever justly or unjustly ashamed of you? Would you put yourself on trial today for any of those things? I hope you wouldn't. I hope you would honor who you are now, and all the beautiful things you have done to leam and grow as a human being. As part of this radical com- munity, I think most of us agree that the justice sys- tem sucks. The last thing I want is to have some judge or FBI prosecutor deeming me a criminal for my beliefs. Whenever we can, we try to solve our issues without po- lice involvement. When a tragedy like the Green Scare takes place, should we not continue to stick to these practices? In Bill Rodgers' case, some folks have chosen to bring up issues in court that they never would have involved the police in before, issues that occurred many years ago. What concerns me even more is that the claims of Chelsea Gerlach and others of Bill's character are only one side of the coin, only one perspective, yet many who knew Bill well see it differ- ently. 1 find it very disheart- ening that such talk is merely being used by defendants to reduce their own jail time. This, at the sake of ruining a "friend's” legacy. Bill Rodgers is not here to speak for himself. He cannot dispute claims; he can't ex- plain the world through his eyes. He lives on in our mem- ories the way we choose to remember. If you knew him, I ask you to remember what Bill gave to you, and to hold that gift and live it! We must be aware of how we speak of the dead. We have to be especially careful as radical activists, because the govern- ment and corporate media want to over-exaggerate any of our fallacies and humiliate and belittle our movement. Criminalizing Bill's character through the courts only acts to feed the Goliath. Thank you for hearing these thoughts. Bill was one of the most inspiring people I have known — may his spirit be wild and free! — Katie Nelson Dear Shit fer Brains, Can someone please ex- plain why, at this point, when it is well-known who cooperated in the Operation Backfire case in Oregon, resist. ca still hosts Darren Thurston's support site and mutualaid.org hosts Chel- sea Gerlach's? What kind of message does this send to the people who didn't co- operate, to the families and communities of those peo- ple and to our movement? These two defendants don't even bother denying their snitching anymore, and co- pious court reports and legal documents have been made available making the issue clear as day. ResiSt.ca and mutualaid.org are quick to point out how strapped they are for funds and how shoestring their budgets and networks are. Why would they spend these limited resources on people whose cooperation sealed the fate of their former allies? If you think this is as disgust- ing as I do, let them know. If their response is denial or si- lence (that's been the case so . far), pull your website, cancel your email and stop using tech collectives that support this behavior. Sincerely, — A. Noid Dear SFB, I feel the need to chime in on the prison debate, as my experience has been fairly different from Peter's and Jeff's — but I think that's the point (see EF!J May-June and July-August 2007). A lot of factors will determine how your incarceration plays out: classification and security level, region of the country, state or federal, and simply the kind of person you are. I agree with Peter— there is a world of difference be- tween a maximum-security state yard and a low, medium or even a US Penitentiary in the federal prison system. But despite that Peter and I were both in mediums in the same complex, a stone's throw away, our experiences sound drastically different. There's a lot more than a "long walk to the salad bar." (In fact, it's a walk here not worth taking — brown iceberg lettuce with the occasional shredded car- rot.) In the past 11 months, we've had two race-fueled riots, multiple stabbings and Page 4 Earth First! Brigid 2008 u oU Ve.&\ie f\5.». 3n<>lker of our cor\p4rto r s has ^ ofte a qfeei\» l '4 Ut+ef We 3i\ en\/iron^enial " im3ge conso |{3r\|- L3jgr»«o So, Kc. Oily, i-T 3 joufn3li 5^- 3^5 1\ 0 va/ you feel gbouf global w2rmih< \ @@^!L e®. Look. Kere., fA f. Oily, \ kaW ike enviro^nV- ciliSTS 3s wuck 3s He , ftex-i guy. &ui \t'$ nor like you b3ue V« cka»i^e ukal yoJre cjlotrt^, aV afl. Vou ^usb k3ve bo cka/ige vo Uab yo>/ jjl K 3 do^'- ^3k| So we lose 3 ut+| & of our keafvig Ol 1 revenue. oar e s? Klo, no, no .. . \ r 1 1 (green's fa] ;g0al me. V / V* ^ V. cuttings, and almost weekly fights and beatings. There's racial and gang politics, racial segregation and worst of all, eggs in the veggie burgers. But after figuring out how to properly navigate it all, it's completely doable. Most of us, as activists, exist in a "liberal" world with integra- tion, understanding, sensi- tivity and liberated language. That world rarely exists here. There's not much you can do to prepare yourself for that, but what 1 do suggest is writing political prisoners and asking questions. They might not all be able to be answered, but writing prison- ers such as Peter was a huge help for me. The bottom line is: Prison sucks. But if you have the courage, smarts and strength to take action on the streets, those same qualities will carry you safely through your time, with no problems. We're all going to have different expe- riences arid do different time, but a life of inactivity based on fear isn't life at all. — Jake Conroy Dear SFB, I'm writing in response to the article "There Are No Safe Spaces on a Dead Planet'' (see EF!] Novem- ber-December 2007). I was reading it, agreeing with some things, disagreeing with others, feeling it was a mostly worthwhile article, when I saw the rant against "transient urban anarcho- punks." Too often in Earth First! circles, I've heard (typically older) people lament about how crushes are ruining ev- erything. Sometimes, it's be- cause this International Crust Conspiracy is said to commit the sin of skipping workshops at the Round River Rendez- vous (RRR). Sometimes, crust- ies are condemned for (gasp!) drinking alcohol. At each RRR I've been to, most people focus on net- working, having a good time with old friends, meeting new ones and honing skills for use in EF! campaigns (usually, in that order). In this respect, I feel that the behavior of these older EF!ers that evidently refuse to go to future gath- erings and the younger crust- ies is not that different; the main differences seem to be based around the cultural di- vide between younger punks and older, hippie-leaning activists. EF! will never com- pletely unite the d-beat and deadhead crowds. With that in mind, it helps for all of us to have open minds when working or playing with one another. Also, I think the senti- ment that new faces need to conform to some sort of EF! norm is not helpful. Of course, EF! is based around biodiversity, direct action and an absence of hierar- chy, but the autonomy of EF! groups and people is some- thing to be cherished! A large number of those actually in the forests, bar- ricades and treesits since the mid-'90s have been "anarcho-hobos." At the 2007 RRR, attendees were mostly neither crushes nor older folks. EF! evolves. It is who shows up and does actions at least as much as who came before. Many campaigns have been en- ergized and maintained by punks, and as long as punks travel places activists are needed, many campaigns will continue to be carried by punks. Let's start valuing all peo- ple who throw down for the Earth first! Up da punx! — Donny Dear Chimp Shit for Brains, In his letter last issue, Lynn Jacobs claims that chimpan- zees, gorillas, orangutans and gibbons, "our four clos- est animal relatives," are "all vegan or nearly so" (see EF!J November-December 2007). This is not entirely accurate. Jacobs is correct that go- rillas, orangutans, bonobos and gibbons are overwhelm- ingly herbivorous. (They will occasionally eat inverte- brates.) However, this char- acterization does not extend to the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), our closest relative. Since the 1960s, it has been known that chim- panzees — once idealized as peaceful vegetarians — regu- larly consume the meat of small antelopes, wild pigs and especially red colobus monkeys. In fact, chimpan- zees are capable hunters, with individual group members taking on specialized roles in order to ambush their prey. Although meat comprises no more than three percent of the chimpanzee diet, this level of consumption is high enough to make them true omnivores. Moreover, their hunting and sharing of meat serves an important, although not fully under- stood, social role. Some pri- matologists speculate that the hunt strengthens group bonds, while others theorize that the division of meat re- inforces their social hierar- chy. In short, hunting and meat-eating seem to serve the same purposes in chim- panzee societies as they do in human ones. But none of this has any bearing on the "correct" hu- man diet. The argument that humans should eat whatever is "natural" has been wielded by omnivores and vegetarians alike, with little success by ei- ther side. What matters is not how we're like other animals, but how we're different. No other animal's craw ng for meat has resulted in the extinction or decimation of countless species, the pollution of the planet's atmosphere and wa- terways, the domestication and abuse of livestock, and the industrial and fundamen- tally cruel slaughter of billions of animals every year. That's the best reason to be vegan. — Nehar Hudson • Dear SFB, Oops, Lynn, I think you misunderstood my "conclu- sion" (see EF!f November- December 2007). Somebody had said, "Aren't we all agreed about [not consum- ing animals)?" and I was pointing out that no, we were not — that some of us believed along the lines I described. I presented one of the "different" beliefs as evidence that general agree- ment did not exist. It isn’t relevant whether you feel that those are wrong be- liefs — no need for you to present your argument why you feel that they are wrong. That doesn't change the re- ality with which we must deal, the reality that some of us do hold such beliefs and presumably hold them just as firmly as you hold yours. The problem is: How do we as an activist commu- nity cope with this reality? How do we manage to work together on the issues where we agree without letting the fact that we are very much in disagreement on other is- sues interfere? If you imagine that there can be a solution based upon your being right, that- you simply have to convince the wrongminded and then this problem will no longer ex- ist, then you really do not understand the nature of the problem. Proceed under the assumption that you are right in your beliefs, but for what- ever perverse reason, the oth- ers who will not accept your truth will persist in the error of their ways. If I were making an analogy, [this sounds] just like the proselytizers [who] know "the truth" but are un- able to convince the person upon whose door they knock that he or she is worship- ing the wrong deity. Do you understand now? 1 have no interest in arguing with you about which of us holds cor- rect beliefs, have no interest in trying to convert you — a waste of time. I do have an interest in discussion of the ways and means of our work- ing cooperatively most of the time in spite of the reality that we will never come into agreement on some things. If you disagree with my "conclusion” that the overall environmental community is not in agreement and that we will be unable to achieve agreement, speak to that. Do you think that positions along the lines I described aren't held by some of us? That those people aren't just as convinced about the right- ness of their thinking as you are about yours? That this doesn't represent a problem for us and that we have to come up with "ground rules" and "conventions" to pre- vent disruption of our com- mon efforts? For the Earth, — Michael Novack Please Keep Yr Letters to January-Februdry 2008 Earth First! Page 5 by Matt Leonard The movement to confront climate change is gaining momentum. It's coming from all sectors of the globe and across all types of communities. Every single presidential can- didate has made climate and energy policy a main platform of his or her campaign. Grow- ing mobilizations like Step It Up and No War No Warming are encouraging people to get out from behind the checkbook and do more than buy energy-conserving light bulbs, hybrid cars and Green Lattes. International networks like Rising Tide are growing by leaps and bounds, creatively confronting the root causes of the climate crisis. And, on November 2-5, I (and probably more than a handful of people reading this article) attended Pow- er Shift, the largest youth gathering confronting cli- mate change in US history. Held in Washington, DC, Power Shift was impressive in many ways — not least of which was that 6,000 young activists came to- gether to strategize on how to confront the bleak future that our current political and corporate leaders are creating for us. While a lot of the energy at Power Shift was focused on very liberal and legislative responses to climate change, it is impor- tant to remember that, his- torically, some of the most radical social movements have come from youth- and student-led movements. Often, the beginnings of these movements aren't all that radical. Some of us may have exited the womb with a mohawk and one-finger salute, but for most people, radicalization is a process. From my experience, radicalization comes from first attempting to "play by the rules" to effect change in the world. Then, we start to realize that, more often than not, the rules are designed to ensure that people, communities and the en- vironment don't meaningfully get in the way of profits and power. Sometimes, it takes people a few tries to realize that the "rules" are funda- mentally structured to stymie our efforts. After a weekend of hundreds of workshops,, panels and speakers, Power Shift culminated with a mass "Lobby Day" on Capitol Hill. Thousands of students rallied on the Capitol Lawn and spent the day meeting with congressional representa- tives (or their aides) and raising concerns about carbon emissions, coal mining, renewable energy, green jobs and international climate treaties. But many people in the movement are already a bit jaded about lobbying, having recognized that pol- iticians haven't saved us yet from environmental and social destmction, and that their kowtowing to corporate profits is what got us into this mess in the first place. Hoping that a 2008 Congress or president will miraculously prioritize people and the planet over their corporate donors isn't a gamble we are willing to take. It's telling that the recent Democratic presidential debates were sponsored by Americans for Balanced Energy Choices — a coal-industry front group. Following the big rally, while many people continued to lobby "their" politicians, hundreds of students and members of coal-impacted com- munities decided to make an end-run around Capitol Hill and take their demands straight to the doorsteps of the corporations profiting from climate chaos. Recognizing that the private bank- ing industry is the backbone of an unjust and unsustainable economy, as well as the provider of billions of dollars in capital to the dirty coal industry, Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Coal River Mountain Watch, the Student Environmen- tal Action Coalition (SEAC), Mountain Justice Summer (MJS) and friends headed to a branch of Citi. With billions of dollars in assets, Citi is a top funder of some of the most destructive practices around the world and holds the dubious title of being the largest financier of the coal industry. As several residents of communities decimated by mountaintop removal in West Virginia and Ken- tucky entered the bank to voice their objections to Residents of West Virginia’s coal fields protest Citi. Citi's mining investments, hundreds of students gathered in a park across the street. Once the bank asked these community leaders to leave, the rally took to the streets, joined by about a dozen people wearing white Tyvek hazardous materials suits and dust masks, carrying shovels and pushing wheel- barrows full of coal. The Tyvek-clad folks dumped nearly half of a ton of coal on the doorsteps of the bank, as the crowd packed onto the sidewalk surrounding the bank. Suddenly, an uproar of coughing and hack- ing arose from the crowd as several intrepid activ- ists circled the bank and sidewalk with "Global Warming Crime Scene" tape. Within moments, nearly 400 people had shut down the bank with a massive "die-in," blocking the bank entrance and sidewalk. As the bank scrambled to lock its doors, bank managers rushed to throw out an- other youth delegation that had entered the bank and had been informing customers of what Citi is using their bank accounts to fund. This action exemplified what our movement needs to be doing: supporting impacted com- munities, recognizing that direct action must be a part of a broader campaign, escalating our demands and tactics, and making sure our ac- tions are inspiring and resonating with others so that our movementxan keep growing. Many people in the crowd had never participated in direct action before. The enthusiasm and ex- citement from people exploring a whole new approach to activism and social change was incredible. Seeing the teary eyes of 50-year-old coal-field residents inspired by 18-year-old col- lege students really shook me. That is solidarity. 1 watched two young women informing the po- lice captain that they weren't going to let even the ATM machine remain operating. The police, amazingly, gave in to their demands, telling the bank to close the machines! Two weeks before this action in Washington, DC, members of RAN, Rising Tide North Ameri- ca (RTNA) and Earth First! scaled a construction crane across from Bank of America’s headquar- ters in Charlotte, North Carolina. We made sure the employees and executives at Bank of Amer- ica could not hide from their destructive invest- ments by dropping a 2,000-square-foot banner that read, "Bank of America: Funding Coal, Kill- ing Communities." That same day, activists in New York City shut down more than a dozen ATMs with "Global Warming Crime Scepe" tape and posted "Closed: Due to Dirty Investments" signs across the screens. A month earlier, Rising Tide UK held a series of major actions targeting the Royal Bank of Scotland for its dirty investments. As I write this article, we are receiving report-backs from the National Day of Action against Coal Finance. On November 16-17, Bank of America arid Citi offices in more than 60 cit- ies were targeted for their role in investing in and profiting from climate and community destruction. Here in San Fran- cisco, a roving band of climate activists closed more than 70 ATM machines, as well as sev- eral bank branches and offices. In St. Petersburg, Florida, mem- bers of Earth First! and RTNA left a banner floating on the ceiling of a Bank of America lobby, held aloft with helium balloons. Back in New York City> Citi sponsored "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" — giving some theatrical activists plenty of opportunities for culture jam- ming. The Day of Action was endorsed by RAN, SEAC, RTNA, MJS, Coal River Mountain Watch, Energy Justice Network and others. If we take this message to Wall Street, we can identify and target two of the largest root causes of climate change. The first is coal, which is re- sponsible for nearly 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and which requires an extraction process that causes the destruction of ecosystems and communities across the world. The second is an economic system that focuses only on an abstraction called "profit" while de- stroying our planet's ability to sustain life. We are building a campaign that will produce tangi- ble results for people and the planet in the short term by taking down the coal industry, while building a vision and movement that seeks to transform our entire economy into one based on principles of ecology and justice. It's time for radicals, biocentrists, deep ecolo- gists, social ecologists and those not willing to compromise our future to really tackle the issues of climate change. We can’t let this movement be led by corporate front groups or by people who encourage us to buy our way out of this mess.' We have to confront climate change at its root causes: fossil fuels and an economy that demands infinite growth in the face of finite resources. To learn more about the Dirty Money cam- paign challenging Wall Street to end investments in dirty energy, visit www.dirtymoney.org. Matt works at Rainforest Action Network, work- ing to reconcile "economy" with "ecology. " His spare time is spent with the Bay Rising affinity group, climbing rocks and listening to obscure punk bands. He can be reached at matt@ran.org. Page 6 Earth First! Brigid 2008 Santa and his helpers protest Duke Energy. by Asheville Rising Tide In what appears to be a recur- ring phenomenon in North Caro- lina, angry polar bears have once again descended on a notorious climate criminal to disrupt its business. On November 15, local college students and members of Asheville Rising Tide converged at Duke Energy headquarters in Charlotte. Bearing signs reading, "Got Mercury?" and "Coal Fuels Climate Change," the protesters demanded that Duke Energy can- cel plans for an 800-megawatt ad- dition to its Cliffside coal plant. Despite police and security guards already on the scene, two students dressed as polar bears used a bike lock to secure the headquarters' main entrance. Un- fortunately, a police officer man- aged to intervene before the pair were able to lock themselves to the door. Once the cop managed to wrestle the locks from the po- lar bears, the two launched Plan B and commenced a sit-in in front of the doors. Eventually more police arrived, and the students were arrested. The lock, however, remained, blocking the return of hundreds of Duke employees from their lunch break. "North Carolina's youth will be living with the impact of dirty en- ergy and climate change far into the future. We need community-based alternatives to the fossil fuel empire," said Nina Otter, a Warren Wilson College student, who was arrested. "Coal has got to go if we want to solve the climate crisis." At a time when we need to be making massive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the expanded Cliffside coal power plant would emit 312 million tons of carbon dioxide over its 50-year lifespan. Increasing dependence on coal plants in the face of our climate crisis is tantamount to suicide. In addition to escalating climate change, the addi- tional construction at the Cliffside plant would more than double the amount of mercury released by the plant to 405 pounds per year. Water is also a major issue. The entire Southeast is in the grip of one of the worst droughts ever recorded, with North Carolina hit particu- larly hard. All indications point to climate change as a major culprit. If expanded, the Cliffside plant would evaporate 21 million gal- lons of river water every day, while major cities like Atlanta teeter on the brink of running dry. We also seek to expose Duke En- ergy CEO Jim Rogers for the gre- enwashing liar that he is. Rogers currently enjoys a certain amount of prestige as a "green CEO" for his recent push for regulations of greenhouse gas emissions through the US Climate Action Partner- ship (USCAP). When taken at face value, this seems like an extraor- dinary thing for the CEO of a ma- jor polluter to do. However, it has become apparent that the main role of USCAP is to push for ex- tremely weak climate legislation in order to pre-empt any meaning- ful changes that might be made to fight climate change. This, of course, becomes increasingly ap- parent when Rogers is pushing for toothless legislation at the same time as he seeks to build a fleet of new coal-powered plants, includ- ing Cliffside. Asheville Rising Tide is joining peo- ple across North Carolina who are ded- icated to stopping the Cliffside plant dead in its tracks with public outreach and hard-hitting actions. This is just the beginning.... NO WAR NO WARMING by Ted Glick My spirit was on fire on October 22. It was such a great day! After months of planning, we pulled off something the likes of which I've never been a part of before. For a couple of hours, with action after action, we disrupted business as usual on Capitol Hill. We sent out a message nationally (and inter- nationally) that people are outraged that the US Congress has done nothing to end the war, pass strong global warming legislation, or address the myriad of justice and survival issues that are wors- ening because of the war and the climate crisis. The protest began with the 10-person polar bear contingent arriving like clockwork right at 8 a.m., at the intersection of New Jersey and Inde- pendence avenues. The mass media promptly ar- rived with lots of TV cameras and reporters. The polar bears moved to one of the main entrances of the federal Cannon House Office Building and blockaded it. When forced to move by the police, they continued their demonstration, accompa- nied by thematic music amplified by a portable sound system. Polar bears block the entrance to the Cannon House-Office Building. a second wave of activists blocked the street. This group consisted of six young people and me. We were all arrested. I later heard that five more people were arrested, including three po- lar bears, ,as the police overreacted to the second wave of action and began pushing people away from the intersection. The five arrested were in the process of moving away — apparently not fast enough for the police. None of the five had been given any verbal warnings, as the law requires, to move or face arrest. Those of us arrested were taken to the Capi- tol garage. There, we began to discuss actions to challenge these illegal arrests. This time in the Capitol garage was memorable. For hours, we talked with one another; we interacted with the dozens of cops watching over us; we sang song after song; we started discussions about what to do next; and, over time our righteous and joyous — if tired — spirits began transform- ing the faces, body language and actions of ome of the police. No time for resting now. No War No Warming on the move! Students for a Democratic Society shut down Independence Avenue. Within minutes, an Iraq War veterans group arrived to take the place of the polar bears, block- ading the same entrance. They refused to leave; after 10-15 minutes, arrests began. While these actions were taking place, 25 people took part in a "Separate Oil and State" action on the opposite side of the Cannon building. They blocked another main entrance and were arrested. Soon after the Iraq vets were hauled away, up came the Students for a Democratic Society con- tingent in their yellow Campus Climate Chal- lenge T-shirts. They immediately moved into the middle of Independence Avenue, a major thoroughfare on Capitol Hill, completely block- ing traffic for 45 minutes. The 25 young people chanted, "Resistance is Forming! No War! No Warming!" As the police moved in to start mak- ing arrests, a very sizeable crowd — which had by then clustered along both sides of the street — began to chant, "Arrest Bush, not the kids!" "The kids" were moved off of Independence, and were slowly processed and loaded onto a waiting bus. But as traffic began to move again, January -February 2008 Earth First! Page 7 Greenpeace Regains its Teeth by Felicia Fox The well-known, international environmental organization Greenpeace, which is often criti- cized in Earth First! circles for being too "corpo- rate" and not "radical" enough, seems to have returned to its direct action roots a bit in recent months. Here at the Journal, we have been inun- dated with emails outlining some of the actions Greenpeace has taken: On October 12, Greenpeace activists in Ter- neuzen, the Netherlands, stopped a ship from off-loading thousands of tons of newsprint from Canadian logging company Abitibi-Consoli- dated. Activists painted "No Newspapers from Ancient Forests" in Dutch on the hull of the 560-foot-long ship and are calling on the Dutch government to make sure that paper imports are not coming from old-growth forests. Abitibi newsprint is made mainly of virgin fibers from Canada's boreal forest, one of the largest intact •■w first-growth forests in the world. Dutch news- paper publishers PCM, Wegener and Telegraaf Media Groep purchase more than 28,000 tons of paper annually from Abitibi. In Sumatra, Indonesia, local forest com- munities are fighting alongside Greenpeace activists to stop illegal, commercial palm-oil plantations by building dams. Yes, you heard that right: by building dams! On October 29, the activists began building five dams across 10-foot-deep canals that were dug by the palm oil company PT Duta Palma'. The canals drain water out of Indonesia's swamp forests so that palm-oil seedlings can be planted there. PT Duta Palma and other palm oil companies are acting against regulations for Indonesian for- est protection and a presidential decree. Ac- tivists hope the dams will hold water in the swamps, thereby halting construction of the il- legal plantation. They have also set up a forest defenders camp nearby to keep watch and pre- vent more illegal dredg- ing from occurring. Along with building dams, Greenpeace has PALM OIL KILLS forests & CLIMATE Greenpeace activists drop a banner in Indonesia. taken action at sea against the destructiveness of the palm oil industry. On November 10, Green- peace's ship, the Rainbow Warrior, dropped an- chor next to a tanker carrying more than 33,000 tons of Indonesian palm oil. Greenpeace blocked the tanker from exiting the Indonesian port of Dumai, until being forced out of the way by three tug boats on the morning of November 18. On November 15, Greenpeace activists occu- pied and shut down the Munmorah coal-fired power plant by locking themselves onto a con- veyor belt to prevent coal from feeding into the plant in New South Wales, Australia. Activists also dropped a banner reading "Climate Change Starts Here" and painted "Coal Kills" on the roof of the building. The Munmorah plant is the old- est coal plant in Australia, lying about 100 miles north of Sydney. It has been exciting to read about all that Greenpeace has been doing, and we hope that they will keep it up — nice and strong in defense of the Earth! Felicia Fox is a woodsy hermit wannale from the North, who is very much enjoying the Tucson "Win- ter" yet still dreaming of snow. mu Locked down at Munmorah coal-fired power plant STATE REPRESSION IN NEW ZEALAND continued from page 1 The Context "I weep for what has just happened at Maunga- pohatu in Tuhoe. The police raid seems to be about punishing Kenana for questioning the crown and will only take us back to the mists of fear and doubt.... I wonder if we will ever stop worrying when it might happen again." — Karaitiana Rarere, Ngati Kahungunu, 1916 For the Maori, the indigenous people of Aote- aroa/New Zealand, and for the Tuhoe in particu- lar, repression and brutality, at the hands of the colonial state are nothing new. The Tuhoe, the tribe at the center of many of the police allega- tions, never signed the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, with which the New Zealand government at- tempts to legitimize its rule over Aotearoa/New Zealand. It is in Tuhoe country that you will find the highest rate of Te Reo Maori as a first language, with English relegated to second. The Tuhoe have always remained staunchly indepen- dent and, as such, have always been considered a threat by the state. In 1867, the government confiscated vast trr ;ts of land from the Tuhoe, including all access to the coastline, under the pretext of punishing them for alleged involvement in the murder of a missionary. This confiscation left the Tuhoe landlocked and without a source of kaimoana (seafood). Almost all of the Tuhoe's fertile crop- growing land was also taken. By 1916, many Tuhoe had flocked to the vil- lage of Maungapohatu, where a man named Rua Kenana preached a new way of life and opposi- tion to World War I and the conscription laws. This was too much for the state to handle, and so it attacked, killing two, wounding others and taking Kenana prisoner. Kenana would spend al- most two years in prison, despite being found not guilty of sedition, and the peaceful community he helped establish would never be the same. The Tuhoe remained ever-resilient, however. In recent years, they have begun negotiations with the Waitangi Tribunal, in an attempt to retain their land and receive compensation for what the state has taken from them. It was dur- ing a tribunal hearing in Tuhoe country in 2005, that Tame Iti, one of those arrested in recent raids, was charged with a firearms offense, after shooting a New Zealand flag during a "welcom- ing" ceremony for state officials. That event was part of a wider welcome intended to make the officials see and feel a taste of what the Tuhoe had experienced at the hands of the New Zea- land government since colonization began. "We wanted them to feel the heat and smoke and the Tuhoe outrage and disgust at the way we have been treated for 200 years. [Colonizers] de- stroyed people's homes and burned their crops, and we wanted them to feel that. We wanted to demonstrate to them what it feels like being powerless," said Iti. Support has come from radical groups and in- dividuals, Maori people, unionists and unions (al- though some seem too afraid to anger the mling Labor Party), civil libertarians and others. While the political lines have differed from group to group, cooperation has generally been effective in most An activist yells at police. centers. Some groups have taken on the responsi- bility of prisoner and whanau support. Others have focused on demonstrations and public events, with still others working on fundraising, writing articles for newspapers, education and outreach. Solidarity with the arrestees has also been pres- ent overseas. Demonstrations have been held at New Zealand embassies and consulates from the UK to Australia. Messages of support have been received from Mexico (including at least one from the sister of a Oaxacan political prisoner), Greece, Canada and other places.'Since their release, many of the arrestees have expressed their gratitude and thanks to their supporters all over the world. "The history of the Tuhoe shows that the Tuhoe did not concede, did not cede, did not give up, did not even rent out their sense of sov- ereignty.... Their view is [that of] an independent people who want interdependence as a lifestyle," said Tamati Kruger, a Tuhoe activist. For more information on the raids and solidar- ity events, visit www.octoberl5thsolidarity.info. Asher is an Aotearoa anarchist who has been re- porting on the raids and solidarity actions for Aote- aroa Indymedia at www.indymedia.org.nz. Protesters in Aotearoa/New Zealand Solidarity Is Strength! The raids provoked an immediate display of solidarity and support all across Aotearoa/New I Zealand and, indeed, the world. One hundred | people gathered at the Wellington District Court | during the first appearance of the four arrestees | on the afternoon of October 15. One thousand = people marched to the court appearance of Iti in | Rotorua, and 1,000 more marched to Auckland | Central Remand Prison, where many of those ar- rested were held. On December 1, 2,000 people gathered in Wellington for an all-day festival to demand the repeal of the TSA. Page 8 Earth First! Brigid 2008 BY UNCONVENTIONAL ACTION The upcoming Democratic and Re- publican national conventions pres- ent tremendous opportunities for anarchists and other opponents of ecological destruction and oppression to demonstrate our resistance in the national lens. As the increasingly dra- matic effects of global warming bring ecological collapse ever closer, and as new nuclear and coal plants spring up across the country at alarming rates, it is becoming easier to argue that neither docile demonstrations nor electoral campaigns are capable of significantly changing the US's attitude toward energy consump- tion. With the coming election year and the inevitable attempt to divert grassroots energy into politics, radical environmentalists must also make it clear that the Democratic opposition is neither capable of nor interested in providing more than green consum- er choices and spurious legislation for polluting industry — let alone solving all of the additional problems capital- ism poses. Unconventional Action is an emerg- ing network looking to complement the work of organizers in Denver, Colorado, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, with regional organizing throughout the rest of the country. Our goal is to build a horizontal, in- clusive framework for protests that will disrupt the upcoming Democratic and Republican national conventions. We aim to organize militant direct action that manifests opposition to both the Democratic and Republi- can parties. As anti-authoritarians, we oppose representational politics itself. Yet even those who still believe in it must understand that we can only have leverage over our rulers by showing our own power — that we must back up our demands by dem- onstrating that we can interfere with their agendas as effectively as they interfere with our lives. If we success- fully disrupt the party conventions, this will inaugurate a new era of op- positional activity — and just in time, as federal repression intensifies and rumors of the next Middle East inva- sion and occupation swell. Why does protesting the con- ventions count as ecological de- fense? It is essential to bring a radical environmental critique to the wide range of interests that will inevitably be represented at these mobilizations. Working in coor- dination with other critics of the two-party system, environmental- ists have a chance to draw atten- tion to the impending collapse of life as we know it. Not unlike other organizing efforts, this will be an enormous undertaking, requiring the collaboration and efforts of both those wizened by experience and those wide-eyed with enthu- siasm. We are fortunate to have many months ahead of us to orga- nize for these protests, but we must get started. Right now, we have to buildup networks and infrastruc- ture. We must go into these pro- tests with a strategy that is widely known, instantly comprehensible, and integrates a diversity of tactics and approaches. One of the fundamental shortcom- ings of the demonstrations at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in New York City in 2004, was that there was no general strategy for anarchists, anti-authoritarians and anti-capitalists. As a result, though tens of thousands came to the city, many had a difficult time coordi- nating their efforts or even figuring out what to do besides join marches organized by hierarchical groups. A good strategy provides a simple goal that individual protesters can com- bine to achieve. The strategy of the Direct Action Network (DAN) at the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, was a good ex- ample of this. By announcing early that its intention was to shut down the summit, DAN gave all the par- ticipants in the protests a common end to strive for. A strategy is not the same as a unified plan of action; it is simply a framework within which different plans and approaches can complement one another. Even explicitly autonomous actions are more effective in the context of broadly coordinated activity. A good strategy works whether or not the authorities are aware of it; it enables individual groups to retain their privacy in planning how to play their parts, and it takes into ac- count the responses that can be ex- pected from the police. Experience has shown that avoiding strategy, simply so the police will not catch wind of our plans, is not effective. Organizers in the Twin Cities already hosted a pReNC consulta exactly one year in advance of the RNC in St. Paul. At the pReNC, more than 100 anarchists got to- gether to discuss logistics, resources and strategy ideas. Participants at the consulta reached consensus on the following three-tiered strategy to disrupt the RNC: Tier One: Establish 15 to 20 block- ades, utilizing a diversity of tactics, creating an inner and outer ring around St. Paul's Excel Center, where the RNC is to take place. Tier Two: Immobilize the del- egates' transportation infrastruc- ture, including the buses that are to convey them. Tier Three: Block the five western bridges connecting the Twin Cities. These tiers are organized in order of priority according to the number of participants who show up. If only a small number of participants were to create plans of action, the first tier will be focused on. Broader partici- pation will result in the implementa- tion of tier two and, eventually, tier three. The RNC Welcoming Com- mittee has offered to help affinity groups plan specific blockades by providing geographical details, rang- ing from intersection measurements to photographs; please contact them at mc08@riseup.net with ques- tions. It is important for a strategy like this to be publicly endorsed by groups that hope to see it succeed. This gives the strategy visibility and shows how many people are invest- ed in it, which in turn enables others to invest themselves in its success. To endorse this strategy, email centralnc@unconventionalaction.org; all endorsements will be listed on our website. Organizers against the Demo- cratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver, have also hosted one to finalize a strategy consulta, with a follow-up consulta planned for Jan- uary 18-21. There have been some discussions about designating the first day of the DNC as a day of ac- tion for the environment. The next step is for on-the-ground organizers and activists across the country to communicate and hash out a plan. To participate in this discussion, visit unconventional-action.pbwiki. com or email Denver organizers at unconventionaldenver@riseup.net. We urge everyone to begin dis- cussing these strategy ideas and organizing direct action trainings locally and regionally so that affin- ity groups and individuals can be- gin to develop their plans for the conventions. At this time, when demonstrations are few and far between, it is crucial that activists with experience at mass mobiliza- tions connect with others to share the knowledge and skills acquired over the years. In early Spring, the Welcoming Committee and Un- conventional Action collectives will be touring the country, bringing strategy information and updates, as well as direct action trainings ranging from street tactics to legal and medic trainings. If you would like to host a stop or help fund the tours, please contact roadshow@ unconventionalaction.org. Finally, it is important that we do not approach these protests in a vacuum. We can expect to act ef- fectively at the conventions only if there are actions leading up to them at which we can gain experi- ence and momentum. Think about how actions and campaigns you are working on could contribute to this build-up. Likewise, we would do well to aim beyond the protests, us- ing them as an opportunity to de- velop national networks capable of powerful, horizontal, decentralized organizing for a long time to come. We invite others who share our goals to organize under the name Unconventional Action, as well. Unconventional Action enjoys long moonlit walks along the Mississippi River and likes hot chocolate with a hint of cayenne pepper. For more information, go to www.unconventionalaction.org. Hushmail Open to Feds with Court Order On November 8, US law en- forcement agencies investigating dmg trafficking obtained access to clear-text copies of encrypted emails sent through Hushmail. The access was granted after a court order was served to Hush Communications through a Ca- nadian court. Although Hushmail claims that not even its own staff can ac- cess encrypted emails, the com- pany does have access through a server-side encryption option. This means that a copy of a user's passphrase can be obtained. "Hushmail is useful for avoiding general Carnivore- type government surveillance and protecting your data from hackers, but definitely not suit- able for protecting your data if you are engaging in illegal ac- tivity that could result in a Ca- nadian court order," said Brian Smith, chief technology officer for Hushmail. UK Activist Hit With Email Decryption Order A British animal rights activ- ist was ordered to hand over her PGP encryption keys to authorities on November 14. The Regulation of Investiga- tory Powers Act (RIPA), which became law in October, allows police to demand encryption keys or a clear transcript of en- crypted text. Failure to comply can result in up to five years of imprisonment. Passed by Parliament as a tool to fight terrorism, this statute is first being used on an ani- mal rights activist whose com- puter was seized by the feds in May. The woman denies using encryption technology and said that even if she had, she wouldn't pass over the keys. "Would 1 really want them to see... private communica- tions... medical records, embar- rassing poetry, soppy love letters or, indeed, personal financial transactions?" she asked. Kansas Cans Coal On October 18, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation's application to build two new 700-megawatt coal-fired gen- erators near Holcomb, Kansas, was rejected by the state's top regulator, whose decision cited the 11 million tons of carbon dioxide that the plants would produce annually. "I believe it would be irre- sponsible to ignore emerging information about the contri- bution of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to cli- mate change and the potential harm to our environment and health,” said Rod Bremby, Kan- sas Secretary of Health and En- vironment. January-February 2008 Earth First! Page 9 by Winter The exploitation of public lands by the fossil fuel industry has become a serious issue since 2001, when President Bush signed an execu- tive order to fast-track energy exploration in the Rocky Mountains. At the same time, funding was cut for federal land management agencies. Now, even our most sacred and supposedly "pro- tected" sites are not immune to the onslaught of corporate greed. This is the story of one small community's fight to protect its surroundings. The Place The San Luis Valley lies between the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges at the Col- orado-New Mexico border. The agricultural San Luis is the largest subalpine desert valley in the world. Some of the most pristine waters in the US flow out of its mountains. The valley contains two aquifers that feed a vast complex of wetlands and a diverse array of rare plants and animals — as well as crops and residences. The headwaters Of the Rio Grande River are there. Water is the valley's most precious asset. (Sunlight could be its second. With one of the highest concentrations of solar energy in North America, alternative energy companies are setting up parabolic reflectors in the San Luis Valley to tap the sun.) The valley is also the location of the US's new- est national park, Great Sand Dunes. Created in 2004, the park brought more than 175,000 acres under federal protection. Along with the park, the 92,000-acre Baca National Wildlife Refuge was established. The transformation from na- tional monument to national park was brokered by the Nature Conservancy, which managed to purchase ranch land from would-be water baron Gary Boyce. Environmentalists and farmers had fought for more than a decade to keep the aqui- fer out of the hands of those who would sell it off, so the creation of the park and refuge was a relief. However, the park was created quickly — in a mere 18 months — and in the negotiations, the purchase of subsurface mineral rights was over- looked. After all, exploratory drilling in the past had suggested little fossil fuel in the Mesozoic sediments of the San Luis Basin. The time and money needed to procure the mineral rights would have delayed the desperate battle to pro- tect the water and the dunes. The Problem So, although the US government paid $33 mil- lion to hold the Baca National Wildlife Refuge in perpetuity for the public, the mineral rights remained in the possession of a Canadian com- pany, Lexam Explorations, Inc., which had pur- chased them in 1987, while the land was still owned by Boyce. Today, these subsurface rights include the entire Baca National Wildlife Ref- uge, the adjacent Baca Grande subdivision, and parts of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Rio Grande National Forest Mountain Tract. In addition, multinational petrochemical com- pany Conoco Phillips holds a 25-percent inter- est. Should Lexam find significant oil and gas reserves in the area, the potential impact on the environment and on human communities would be widespread. In August 2006, Lexam announced its plans to test-drill. Public concerns are many. The small community infrastructure — including roads, emergency services, and communication and septic systems— will be burdened. Contamina- tion in this area, which includes sensitive riparian corridors and wetlands, could mean the loss of high-quality surface waters for generations. Toxic chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process could leak into wells, and the emission of ground- level ozone can find its way into human and ani- mal lungs. The test wells would extend almost three miles down through both aquifers in loca- tions very near the Sangre de Cristo fault. These would be the deepest wells ever drilled along the fault line. Cluster earthquakes have been induced by stress changes and water injection at depths far less than this. Community Values Recently included in US News and World Reports special issue on the world's most sacred sites, the Crestone area is unusual. At the southern end of the Sangres stands the guardian massif Mount Blanca, known as Sisnaajini to the Dine. This massif is one of the Dine's four sacred peaks and the site of human emergence for the Tewa and Hopi. Since prehistoric times, the valley has been one of the great spiritual centers of the continent. Indigenous nations have long gathered here for ceremonial purposes. There are numerous un- studied anthropological sites. The Crestone/Baca community is home to many international spiri- tual and retreat centers founded as a refuge "for the wisdom traditions in the end times." These spiritual centers are the backbone of the economy in an out-of-the-way place. Visitors.and pilgrims are drawn to the extraordinary natural beauty, solitude and silence below Crestone peak. In fact, the quiet is so important to meditators and spiritual practitioners that the community suc- cessfully stopped low-altitude fly-overs by the Air Force. Known as the "straw-bale-bifilding capital of the nation," the Crestone/Baca area is a model for green building and sustainability. Fossil fuel development and the considerable noise, air and water pollution associated with it are in direct op- position to the values of the community. Last year, tobacco prayer ties and Buddhist prayer flags started showing up on the barbed- wire fences that circle the wildlife refuge. Co- operating with requests from the Baca Land Trust and the refuge manager, Lexam rolled its seismic trucks onto the land when it is least vulnerable — in the dead of Winter. In response, prayer vigils were held. The desire for a more traditional protest to greet the trucks was bub- bling through the community, but Lexam kept its schedule secret. The "stampers" found their way to the center of the refuge in the middle of the January night. Nearly a year has passed, and residents are gearing up now for the actual assault of the drilling. Resistance! Residents began their resistance to Lexam by educating themselves, visiting the gas fields in the Roan Plateau and Rifle area. The experience was terrifying. Most of the party were ill for days from ozone exposure and brought back hor- ror stories from activists and residents of those communities. One of Rifle's activists brought to Crestone a DVD of the film Land Out of Time, a documentary about the fossil fuel industry's attack on public lands. The film has begun to circulate around the valley; two educational fo- rums have been held, and valley-wide outreach has begun. Petitions have been circulated and handed in person to Governor Ritter and other politicians. In addition, alliances and coalitions are being formed. Rising Tide North America ac- tivists visited, offered advice and took with them a copy of Land Out of Time to share on their Rocky Mountain tour. This New Age community is devoted to peace and prayer, so direct action — and the images of violence it conjures — comes as a last resort. As Summer 2007 came to the high valley, indige- nous spiritual leaders planned two large Medi- cine Wheel ceremonies as a form of protest — a direct action appropriate for the values of the community. Respecting the law, a location bor- -dering the drill sites was offered by the Manitou Foundation for construction of the wheel. Spiri- tual leaders of many traditions attended. The media was invited, and a dramatic photo found its way into Denver's Rocky Mountain News. Water is required for the drilling process — about 30 acre-feet per well. Lexam approached the Baca Water and Sanitation board with an of- fer to buy the water needed. Despite threats of water trucks rumbling over the roads to the ref- uge if it didn't give in to the "offer," the board refused to sell. It was another small victory for community values. A "scoping" meeting hosted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and some actual Lexam execs was a community high point. The Canadians were told face to face that they are unwelcome and need to get their moral priori- ties straight when it comes to developing energy for the future! With the help of the San Luis Val- ley Ecosystem Council, money was raised to hire lawyers to file a suit against USFWS. The suit asks for public input through the National Environ- mental Protection Act process — during which concerns, such as the lack of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), a biological inventory management plan for the wildlife refuge and an independent observer to monitor the drilling, could be addressed. The people won this first suit and no roads to well sites will be built ofi the refuge before an assessment is done. Now on to demand an EIS! In a town of spiritual transients, communi- cation and commitment is a struggle in itself. Hopefully the fears, fights and small victories will prove unnecessary because, in the end, the wildcat wells may yield nothing for the high- risk investors lured by Lexam's "politically safe" assurances. Still, that the threats of the gas in- dustry have reached this tiny outpost — known as the "Shangri-La of the Rockies" or the "Crown Chakra of the Earth" — is an eye-opener to resi- dents who fled "the real world" to seek inner enlightenment. The good of all of this is that we are now reaching out to each other, the val- ley, the country and the rest of the globe in the fight against big oil and global warming. Winter is an artist and action medic. She has been an anti-coal activist with Mountain Justice Summer in Appalachia (she was one of the Marsh Fork 13) and with Dooda Desert Rock in New Mexico. As far as she knows, she is the only member of Rising Tide. North America in southern Colorado — and certainly the only one who sits zazen. Page 10 Earth First! Brigid 2008 artwork by Felicia Fox Evolving EFI II WHAT'S -NEXT FOR THE 'RADICAL “ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT? BY ALLAPATTAH A little more than a year ago, an article was published in the EF! Journal, entitled "Evolving Earth First!" and based on a discussion that occurred at the 2006 Round River Rendezvous in Katuah (see EF!J September-October 2006). Its intent was to "evolve" the move- ment by clearly and simply articu- lating some of the perspectives that have become increasingly prevalent in EF! circles over the past decade and by offering them up for debate and dialogue. The article asked for response but received none. While those thoughts are certainly still open to feedback and debate, it is also important to simultaneously continue the evolution process. Be- low is a follow-up to that article, in- tended to initiate dialogue around strategic priorities in the radical en- vironmental movement. Defending and Restoring Wilderness Corridors Throughout the 1980s and into the '90s, EF! made radically vi- sionary strides by promoting the ideal of a rewilded continent. The movement researched, published and spoke publicly on the sub- ject, and it organized actions that helped push that vision and strat- egy towards a wider acceptance. Restoring wilderness corridors has become a recognized, legitimate goal in the global effort to avert species extinction. In 2003, realizing that the ante had been upped by corporate glo- balization, EF! activists in the UK utilized a body of research on global biodiversity and laid out a similar strategic vision of how to defend specific biological "hot- spots" around the world, in order to preserve the banks of biodiver- sity and to ensure the sur- vival and proliferation of wild cultures after the in- evitable collapse of indus- trial civilizat'ion.- In the past five years, those ambitious goals and brilliant strategies have be- come deflated by the reality of climate change and the trajectory of globalization. A hard truth is barreling toward us like a high-speed train: Our efforts to defend and restore the wild will be in vain if we can't derail this entire system, fast. Obstructing and Destroying Industrial Corridors While many biologists, ecologists, rural people, indigenous communi- ties and environmental activists have been trying to understand the damage we've done and to learn how to restore ecosystems, industry has plowed ahead at an exponential rate. Where standards have been set, corporations have relocated to evade them; where resistance has been met, big business has spon- sored repression. Defending land but not destroying industry is a dead end. The industrial system we live under must expand to contin- ue; it is incompatible with the con- cept of sustainability. However, if we stop this expansion, the system immediately begins to crumble. This simple assessment of our situation is no surprise to any EF!er reading this Journal ; most of us know countless, detailed stories brutally illustrating the situation. Certainly, many of us would say that we understand with a painful clarity what is happening to the planet around us, but our actions and campaigns often don't reflect that understanding. It's time to reassess our priori- ties and strategies. Our visions and goals have generally remained in- tact and relevant, but the playing field has been shifting around us. Rather than acting piecemeal in defense of the last remaining wild places or spending time and energy on random symbolic actions, we should identify and assess strate- gic campaigns that are capable of blocking the expansion of global- ized infrastructure. The concrete and steel of corporate globalization — ports, power plants, highways, etc.— point to where we can often combine our efforts with local communities of resistance and maximize impact at a systemic level. This may not always be as romantic and immediately gratifying as life 150 feet up an old-growth tree, and it might involve some less thrilling "paper-wrenching." (Sometimes, well-placed letters and permit peti- tions can cost companies a lot more than all of the roadblocks we can muster and all of the sugar we can fit in the gas tanks, combined.) But the joy of a full-spectrum strategic resistance can often offer inspira- tion and create opportunities for actions that expose beauty in un- expected places. For example, who would have thought that the small pockets of forests tucked between miles of monocultured, genetically modified corn farms in southern In- diana would be so enchanting? Navigating Some Pitfalls The momentum of concern around climate change has opened up some strong opportunities for an anti-in- frastructure analysis, especially when challenging roads and energy proj- ects. But it also comes with the risk of reducing the critique of industry's empire to a critique of carbon. Obvi- ously, we are not against carbon itself; but we also need to clarify that we are not against climate change, either. We are against the system that created anthropogenic climate change, and we certainly can't trust the corpora- tions who run that system with any other energy supply (not hydrogen, nuclear, biofuels, tidal, geothermal, wind or solar). These psychopaths can't be trusted. Period. Another obstacle to an anti-infra- structure strategy is the negativity that comes with defining and iden- tifying ourselves by what we oppose. Localized efforts can often navigate around this by presenting alterna- tives and offering positive messaging. But, at its core, this is about facing the fact that destruction is outpac- ing restoration. This is about reject- ing the delusion that so many people operate under every day. For now, the clarity of opposing industrial expan- sion may be more important than giving the strategy a positive, feel- good spin. At first glance and as a larger movement strategy, fighting infra- structure may feel limiting for some people and places. But there is more to the strategy than fighting roads and power plants. Take, for exam- ple, the new border wall construc- tion on the US-Mexico border. This is not necessarily a real demand of the industrial empire; it is a sym- bolic manifestation of it. It has very real impacts on the ecosystems and communities it is slicing. In this way, it offers amazing opportuni- ties to connect with other diverse groups fighting border policy, glo- balization and the forced migration of land-based campesino communi- ties — many of whom are facing (or fleeing) the most severe aspects of industrial expansion. Over the long haul, building these relationships is a strong step in obstructing the system's trajectory. Perhaps the most treacherous pitfall to avoid is the tendency toward vanguardist, elitist or pu- ritanical attitudes. This has been pointed out in recent instances, where activist rhetoric claims to have the only path to total libera- tion. Thinking strategically can be confusing and overwhelming, and is inclined to elicit some legitimate critiques. Our best choice is to work through any critiques by listening to and supporting each other, and by looking to the Earth for guidance. Moving Toward Action We are already begin- ning to see examples of ■§. anti-infrastructure projects I popping up in EF! circles. | Rising Tide, Root Force, | Roadblock EF!, EFiers in | Vermont fighting that truck stop and EF!ers in Florida fighting power plants have all included anti-infra- structure analysis in their efforts. By pushing the message of stopping in- dustrial expansion through bold and inspiring actions, we can move en- vironmentalists, farmers and neigh- borhood groups to begin opposing roads, dams and power plants. We are onto something, but we have to continue to articulate and evolve our visions and aspirations. Most importantly, we have to com- municate them through action. We're not just looking to defend, restore and rewild natural areas; we are aiming to undermine industrial- ism entirely, while we heal and re- connect ourselves in the process. Allapattah, according to Florida cracker fiction writer Patrick Smith, is a Seminole word meaning "the end of all things." It is also the Seminole word for the alligators of the south- ern Everglades. SHAC UK Returns to HLS On the morning of Novem- ber 10, 700 people gathered in Huntingdon, England, to pro- test the ongoing animal abuse and murder committed daily by vivisection laboratory Hunt- ingdon Life Sciences (HLS). The gathering marked the recent defeat of an injunction that, for four years, had prevented Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty UK from holding a large protest at the lab. The demonstrators, celebrat- ing their dedication to shut- ting down HLS, were greeted by local folks who cheered, clapped and raised their fists in support, as the march wove through town and proceeded to the gates of the HLS laboratory. The rally began with a series of speeches urging people to keep up the fight. By dusk, the air was filled with the sounds of megaphones, sirens, voices, whistles and drums as people vented their grief and anger at the atrocities committed within the walls before them. Wachovia Bank and Friends Drop HLS Recent months have seen an increase in direct action against Wachovia Bank and other shareholders of HLS. In Brea, California, on November 13, a message reading "Cut your ties with HLS" was paint- ed in red on the front of a Wa- chovia branch. In Los Angeles, on November 19, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) jammed superglue into the card access slot at the entry gate of a Wachovia satellite of- fice and attached a small sign that read, "Wachovia tortures animals. Drop HLS, assholes." On November 20, Wachovia Bank, the insurance company AXA and the investment firm Rathbone Brothers announced that they had sold all of their shares of HLS. Wachovia and AXA were HLS's second- and third-largest shareholders re- spectively. Since May, Wachovia, AXA, Rathbone Brothers, Dresd- ner Bank, Deutsche Bank, La Grange Capital, Robeco Invest- ment Management and Fairfield Greenwich Associates have all joined the growing list of those who have chopped HLS! Largest Environmental Settlement Ever in US Ohio-based American Elec- tric Power (AEP) agreed on October 9, to pay $4.6 billion to cut chemical emissions from its power plants and to pay a $15-million civil fine. In 1999, the Justice Depart- ment sued AEP and six other companies for violating the Clean Air Act. AEP was ac- cused of spreading smog and acid rain across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. This is the largest environmental settle- ment in US federal history. January -February 2008 Earth First! Page 1 1 BY NON SERVIUM On November 7-11, more than 500 people gathered at the US- Mexico border between Calexico, California and Mexicali, Baja Cali- fornia, for the first ever No Borders Camp on Turtle Island. The camp was meant to be a temporary auton- omous zone, networking forum and manifestation of resistance against the border regime and its concur- rent violence against people and the planet. The idea for the camp came from efforts to develop a No Borders net- work in North America. Workshops, meetings and encuentros (consultas) took place throughout 2006 and 2007, in various locations (includ- ing San Diego, Tucson, Mazatlan, the Zapatista Intergalaktica in Chi- apas, the US Social Forum in Atlanta and the Earth First! Rendezvous in Indiana) in order to plan the camp and catalyze this network. Similar No Borders camps have been tak- ing place across Europe, Africa and Oceania since the late 1990s. Building and defending the camp began on November 7, with a march on both sides of the bor- der to the campsite about three miles east of downtown Calexico/ Mexicali. Along the way, roads were blocked on the Calexico side by the US Border Patrol (la migra). There were also unmarked ve- hicles tailing us and surveillance cameras on top of nearby build- ings. Despite this intimidation, energy was high as we shouted chants from one side of the wall to the other. Periodically, a black flag would surface over the border wall in Mexicali, to rousing cheers from the Calexico march. We were welcomed at the camp- site by dozens of migra, including numerous agents clad in riot gear, holding pepper-ball guns and what appeared to be sonic weapons. After about a half-hour, it became clear that they were most concerned with keeping our compai\er@s from Mexi- cali from joining us. A perimeter was built using fallen branches and debris, and we proceeded to set up camp. Within hours, the Calexico side had a community kitchen, wa- ter, latrines, communal shade struc- tures, an independent media center with wireless Internet and a pirate radio station. The campsite that we'd chosen was right at the space where the wall ends and the All-American Canal begins, with a short vehicle barrier between the two. The area south of the canal, on the east side of the boundary wall, was technically US territory, thus cre- ating a constant threat that either side could be attacked by la migra at any time. At first, la migra concentrated at the vehicle barrier, preventing ac- cess between the east (Mexicali) and west (Calexico) sides of the camp. La migra would allow people to go from the west to the east side, but would not allow people to come back. On the morning of November 9, we decided to occupy the vehicle barrier by moving en masse around it and serving breakfast across the border. A group of kids with a break- fast table locked down to block la migra's vehicle access, while dozens of people moved to fill in the space between. La migra responded by deploying dozens of agents in riot gear— about 15 of whom crossed in formation into the east side of the camp, where folks kept their distance and remained tranquil. Finally, after a tense standoff and negotiation with la migra, we were able to unify the two sides of the camp, as well as limit la migra's ac- cess to our companer@s. Later that day, about 200 people marched to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deten- tion Center in El Centro, California. This is one of the largest detention centers in the country. Hundreds of children, women and men are in- terned there awaiting immigration hearings and deportation. Although there were scores of law enforcement amassed in the area, they kept their distance as protesters redecorated the signs in front, took over all six lanes of traffic nearby, removed the visual barriers from the surround- ing chain-link fence and made a humongous ruckus to let the folks on lockdown inside know we were out there to support them. On November 10, a march and memorial traveled to the Holtville Cemetery, where more than 600 migrants who've died in the nearby desert are buried. The groundskee- pers have instructions to remove anything memorializing those bur- ied within (flowers, crosses, etc.) and to pile these in an adjacent ditch. It was here that we saw the human toll of border militarization in its stark reality, with rows upon rows of gravesites with nothing to mark those within except a small brick with the word " desconocido" ("unknown"). There were lots of other events all week long on both sides of the camp. The border wall was thoroughly redecorated, with gorgeous murals and profane statements against the organized violence that the wall represents. Among the workshops were a presentation by the Beehive Col- lective, a forum about 1-69, a hands-on audio/radio training, a street medic training, a discus- sion about consent and dealing with sexual violence in radical communities, resistance in Oax- aca, and at least three different workshops and discussions about the environmental impacts of militarization and neoliberal de- velopment in the borderlands. There were also a number of cul- tural events, including videos and slideshows projected against the wall and from one side to the other, a transnational "freedom of movement" dance party, a florescent exercise bloc, musical performances, puppets, samba and more. All of the logistics of the camp were self-organized in teams (comisiones), including translation, security, sani- tation, health and wellness, indepen- dent media and legal support. One criticism of the camp was about the impact of so many people gathering in the middle of a fragile desert land- scape. Not to shame the US side of the camp, but the environmental im- pact of the camp on the Mexican side was far lower, owing to a more thor- ough clean-up and a large, combined humanure/food-waste compost. Still, any impact from the camp was miti- gated by the fact that the land we were on is run with drag lines (for tracking) every day by la migra, not to mention all of the other environ- mental impacts of ongoing border militarization. The Mexicali side of the camp had a slightly more mellow tone than the Calexico side, due partially to small- er numbers. A lot of human energy went into sustaining and maintain- ing the camp. There were folks from a handful of different countries and indigenous communities, as well as one person who rode a bike 1,500 ihiles to be there. At times, the pro- cess was challenging, as people ad- justed to changes in circumstances (dust storms or la migra posturing) or changes in numbers as campers from the Calexico side came over. There were a number of bilingual trainings and workshops, but fewer large, orga- nized actions occurred specifically on the Mexicali side of the camp. Still, some of the most inspiring moments occurred when actions were happening simultaneously on both sides of the wall. It would be difficult not to be moved by cross- border call-and-response chants like, “Queremos Un Mundo" ("We Want One World") on one side, followed by, “Sin Fronteras!" ("Without Bor- ders!") on the other. Communica- tion was maintained in spite of the wall — either over it by people atop ladders or face to face at the vehi- cle gate. The resources shared and friendships forged were testaments to the camp's overall success. This is not to say that we thoroughly and finally dismantled the internal, ab- stract borders that separate us, but that the spirit of camaraderie and solidarity was undeniable from the Mexicali side. The construction of the border wall has had a tremendous impact on ecosystems and ecological cor- ridors in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. Numerous spe- cies that have historically migrated across what is today the interna- tional boundary have been cut off from their habitat, separating pop- ulations from one another and de- pleting genetic diversity. Lands that once were set aside for conserva- tion have become a war zone, with thousands of federal agents, motor- ized vehicles, heavy equipment and enforcement infrastructure tearing apart desert, mountain and riparian ecosystems. The wall has already been par- tially constructed through the San Pedro River Valley and the Bue- nos Aires National Wildlife Ref- uge. The Secure Fence Act of 2006 mandated that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) build up to 700 miles of physical barri- ers along the international bound- ary. In November, DHS released an Environmental Impact Statement for the construction of 70 miles of border wall in south Texas, without having completed any engineering or biological surveys. Page 12 Earth First! Brigid 2008 photos courtesy Radio Zapatista Only two public meetings have been planned before the project is railroaded forward. In 2007, more than 70 miles of border wall were constructed in California and Arizona. DHS has announced plans to complete more than 330 miles of wall by the end of 2008, through areas including Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Monument, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park and World Birding Center, and Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary. Groups that are organizing against the wall include the Texas No Border Wall Coalition and Tohono O'odham Voices Against the Wall. The violence that is inflicted on the Earth by the border is a mirror of the violence inflicted on people. One of the focal points of resis- tance against the wall construction has been the Tohono O'odham Na- tion, whose traditional lands have been bisected by the international boundary and who endure constant harassment by Border Patrol agents occupying their land and communi- ties. O'odham organizers hosted the second Indigenous Border Summit of the Americas at the same time as the No Borders Camp, including representatives from 19 different in- digenous nations from across Turtle Island who are affected by borders and the militarization they bring. A major force driving migration from Mexico, Central America and elsewhere into the US and Canada has been the impact of neoliberal globalization on indigenous com- munities and subsistence farmers, who've had their livelihoods and communities destroyed and have gone north searching for work. This economic violence is concentrated in the borderlands, where maquila- doras assembling consumer goods bound for the US market employ workers for $6 a day, while dump- ing industrial chemicals in nearby waterways. The result is some of the highest rates of cancer, lupus and other diseases in the world. A member of the Cucupa Nation who attended the camp in Mexicali gave a talk about how they are no longer able to fish in their traditional wa- terways due to industrial pollution from Mexicali. Free trade and environmental contamination, piled onto prob- lems of organized crime, a lack of social infrastructure, and a culture of impunity related to public of- ficials and law enforcement create a chaotic environment along the border, rife with social and environ- mental injustice and the systematic violation of people's human and political rights. The femicides in Ciudad Juarez and the complicity of the US border agents in the drug trade are examples of this. Over the past 10 years, more than 4,000 people have died while at- tempting to cross through the bor- derlands. In Fiscal Year 2006 alone, more than 195,000 people across the US were kidnapped by ICE, torn from their families and communi- ties, detained and deported. This modern-day ethnic cleansing is le- gitimized in the name of the Home- land Security state. It is part of the ongoing repression and militariza- tion of daily life, as reflected in the Green Scare and the criminalization of dissent. On the last day of the camp, this. violence was inflicted directly upon us. To end the camp, we or- ganized a binational march back from the campsite to downtown Calexico/Mexicali. By this time, many people had started head- ing home, leaving much lower numbers than days before. Think- ing that things would be mellow, a lot of people on the west side of the camp crossed over to the east side. The march retained a festive spirit; when we arrived at the downtown port of entry, folks began playing volleyball back and forth over the wall and con- tinued drumming and chanting. People in Mexicali began a "die- in," blocking traffic through the port for brief periods of time, as others walked around to talk to passersby about the demonstra- tion, the camp and the reasons why we were there. A few people tried to start a binational kissing booth through a hole in the bor- der wall. After about 30 minutes, la migra began to move into the area. Soon we were flanked on all sides. Without warning and without an order to disperse, about 100 migra attacked the crowd of about 40 demonstrators, randomly injur- ing people with pepper-ball guns and batons, tackling, isolating and beating individuals. When small groups of demonstrators at- tempted to leave the area, they were followed, surrounded and assaulted again. In all, about 30 people were detained and then allowed to leave, five at a time. Three people were arrested, one of whom, Juan Ruiz, is currently facing charges of assault on a fed- eral officer. All three people who were ar- rested were severely beaten and in need of medical atten- tion — including medication for pre-existing conditions. While in detention, they were denied medical treatment despite re- peated attempts to obtain it by doctors, attorneys and the de- tainees themselves. This experi- ence is shared on a daily basis by thousands of detainees in the borderlands who, after as long as six or seven days in the des- ert, are denied medical care de- spite suffering from severe heat exhaustion, dehydration, and other injuries and illnesses. Ruiz, a Colombian citizen who faces deportation if convicted of his charges, is a classic example: He has been charged with assault af- ter being brutalized at the hands of the Border Patrol. Despite the violent repression on the last day of the camp, as well as other mistakes made through- out the week, we succeeded in re- claiming and holding a space that has too long been one of violence and death. We built relationships and resistance across borders, tak- ing a leap forward in our struggle to tear down the walls that sur- round us. Together, we created an autonomous space— an experiment in what it would be like to live in a world without borders, capitalism and the arbitrary separations within and between us. Prior to the attack by la migra at the closing march, I walked around downtown Calexico, speaking with passersby about the demonstration and our rea- sons for being there. People talked about their families divided by the wall, working in the fields and fac- tories of the US, being arbitrarily stopped and searched by la migra. I responded, "This is why we are here: to speak out against these borders, these walls, to struggle on both sides together. Es decir que, algun dia, el muro va a caer. (It is to say that, one day, these walls will come down.)" Invariably, when- ever I said this, whomever I said it to would grin, and a glint would shine in their eyes. To find out more about the camp and ways to support Juan Ruiz, visit www.noborderscamp.org. A scene from the November 1 1 march against the border No Borders! Earth First! Throws Down! by NB1EF! In the early morning hours of November 1 1, No Borders! Earth First! sent a clear message to the El Centro, California, office of Granite Construc- tion Company: The continued construction of the US-Mexico border wall will not be tolerated. The activists hung one banner reading "Save the San Pedro!" on Granite Construction's entrance gate, and another banner that read "Stop Building a Wall of Death" was unfurled from the building's roof. Activists also wheat-pasted a message to the company on its front door, demanding that it halt construction on seven miles of the border wall, which will cut through the San Pedro Na- tional Conservation Area in the Southern Arizona desert. Locks on the front door and entrance gate were jammed with glue, and the gate was immo- bilized with epoxy. Activists also "replanted" discarded memori- als from Holtville Cemetery in front of Granite's office. Holtville Cemetery houses hundreds of unidentified migrant graves for those who have died trying to cross the US-Mexico border. Flow- ers, crosses, wreaths and other memorials are re- moved regularly by officials. Activists reclaimed a discarded headstone and attached it securely to the office's front step. The San Pedro is one of the most important riparian areas in the US. It is home to 84 species of mammals (including the federally endangered jaguar), 14 species of fish, 41 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 100 species of breeding birds. It also provides invaluable habitat for 250 species of migrant and wintering birds, and contains archaeological sites representing the remains of human occupation from as early as 11,200 years ago. In October, Homeland Security Chief Mi- chael Chertoff, using powers given to him by the 2005 Real ID Act, suspended 19 Arizona laws that protected the San Pedro region from border construction. The Sierra Club and De- fenders of Wildlife have filed lawsuits to stop the project, but Granite Construction, with its multimillion-dollar, publicly-funded contract, has not halted. The wall through San Pedfo would extend nearly 30 miles of existing border barriers near Douglas, Arizona, in what has become the na- tion's busiest corridor for undocumented bor- der crossings. As a result, tens of thousands of migrants would be pushed into longer, more dangerous desert crossings in an area where death is already a major risk. A recent study re- leased by the University of Arizona found that the post- 1994 policy of "prevention through deterrence," including building border walls, increased migrant deaths by 2,000 percent be- tween 1994 and 2005. No Borders! Earth First! has promised not to let Granite Construction Company forget or overlook the people and the ecosystem it is killing. January -February 2008 Earth First! Page 13 photo courtesy Panda Grenade Attack on Mexican Consulate Early in the morning of October 29, an un- known bicyclist threw an improvised hand grenade at the Mexican consulate in New York City, shattering the building's windows and waking neighbors. No one was injured. New York police detectives reported that sur- veillance footage shows what appears to be a man in his early 20s biking away from the crime scene at around 3:30 a.m. The consul- ate was shut down for the week for a com- plete investigation. The "bombing" took place close to the one- year anniversary of the murder of Brad Will, an American journalist and longtime EF!er, who was reporting on the popular uprising in Oaxaca, Mexico (see EF!J January-February 2007). Will's murderers have been identified as members of local security forces. Police re- fused to comment on whether they consid- ered the attack to be related. * • Mine Site Sabotaged in Virginia Workers at a mountaintop removal coal mine in Wise County, Virginia, were sur- prised when they arrived at work on Sep- tember 24, and found that a drilling rig would not start. Soon, the miners noticed that their "Terex" earth mover was also sig- nificantly damaged and called the sheriff's department. Investigators said that the sabo- teurs had focused on the engine, hydraulics and electrical system of the Terex, which sustained $100,000 in damage. The Committee to Defend the Land and People claimed the action in a communique: "In celebration of the Fall Equinox... we sabotaged one drill rig, two D11R Caterpillar bulldozers and a goliath Terex earth mover. We have watched the oldest mountains on Earth be destroyed by greedy coal companies. This is an assault on the people of Appalachia and the land we depend on for life. The coal companies have raped and pillaged the land and people of these mountains for more than 100 years. To destroy these beautiful moun- tains for the sake of coal is a crime. This dev- astation must come to an end." Israeli Cell-Phone Tower Vandalized Riots broke out on October 30, in the Is- raeli Arab community of Pekiin, when police tried to arrest a person suspected of vandal- izing a local cell-phone tower. Residents were able to successfully drive the police out with rocks, but not before one villager was reportedly shot. Community leaders in Pekiin have said that there are more than 100 cases of cancer that they attribute to the tower, and the own- er had been repeatedly asked to take it down to no avail. The proliferation of cell-phone towers in Israel has many people concerned about the link between such towers and cancer. One Thousand SUVs Deflated This Fall has seen a rise in vandalism against SUVs in Sweden, with more than 1,000 of these gas-guzzlers already targeted. A. decentralized group has claimed that it has let out the air from the SUVs' tires in order to discourage motorists from driving vehicles that impact the environ- ment so heavily. Originally, the attacks were cen- tered in Stockholm, but the fun has caught on all over the country. In addition to deflating the tires, the assailants have also left notes on the SUVs, warning the drivers against continuing their wasteful ways. Up the Ducks! Nighttime gardeners visited the Warringah Golf Club in Sydney, Australia, on the night of November 22, digging holes and wreaking ex- tensive damage to seven putting greens. The vandalism was an act of revenge against the golf club, which had hired marksmen to shoot the native wood ducks who like to land on the course. The ducks make small holes in the turf to forage for food and are considered pests by the golfers. Many of the club's neighbors ex- pressed sympathy with the note left by the noc- turnal gardeners, which stated, "Warning! You bastards kill one bird, and we will destroy all your greens at our leisure. We will be watching and waiting." The Great Puerto Rican Kayak Escape Since July, Puerto Rican activists have been camped out at a beach in San Juan, in an attempt to stop a hotel development by Paseo Caribe. The development would block public access to the beach. One of the activists, known as Tito Kayak, scaled a construction crane on November 6, to halt work on the development. The action soon developed into a weeklong "crane-sit," with dozens of supporters coming out daily. Finally, police tried to apprehend Kayak on the night of November 13, but they were bitterly disap- pointed. While a large number of Puerto Rican Special Forces police watched from the land, sea and air, Tito Kayak repelled down from his perch. Fellow activists assisted him into a kayak, and he quickly paddled away. Police on jet skis and in two helicopters were in hot pursuit, but the activists outsmarted them. In a well-choreographed plan, Kayak switched places with a look-alike under a bridge and es- caped while police chased, detained and unhap- pily released the fake Tito Kayak. BP Executive Pied A biofuels conference, held in the UK and sponsored by energy company BP (formerly Brit- ish Petroleum), was disrupted by pie-wielding protesters on October 17. BP's biofuels director, Oliver Mace, was confronted by a crowd of activ- ists who swarmed the stage, with one tossing a cream pie at the director. At the same time as the pie attack, another demonstrator locked down to the podium and told the audience, "We need to reduce our consumption now; technological fixes are not the answer!” Someone then set off a fire alarm, causing the conference to come to total halt. Later, an activist group called Eastside Climate Action held a press conference, criticizing BP and other multinationals for corporate greenwashing of climate change: "Biofuels are not part of the solution; they are part of the problem.” ALF Targets UCLA Vivisector Edythe London, a primate researcher at the University of Califomia-Los Angeles, was paid a visit by unexpected guests on the night of Octo- ber 10. Animal Liberation Front (ALF) activists flooded the scientist's Beverley Hills home by breaking a few front windows and turning on a garden hose they had placed inside the house. The group issued a communique, which states that London had been targeted for her leader- ship in research that injects lambs with cocaine, and addicts primates to methamphetamines and nicotine. The communique also mentions that the ac- tivists had originally wanted to employ arson but were worried about unintentionally starting a wildfire — a very real concern in southern Cali- fornia this time of year. Anti-War Activists Blockade Olympia Port For two weeks in early November, hundreds of activists blockaded the port of Olympia, Washing- ton, to stop a shipment of military vehicles from being unloaded. The vehicles are intended for use in the Iraq War but are being refurbished at a mili- tary installation near Olympia. The Port Milita- rization Resistance (PMR), a network of activists dedicated to fighting the growing militarization' of Olympia's ports, helped organize the actions. The activities started on November 7, with more than 100 people blocking the streets nearest to the port to prevent the unloading of vehicles. Police cleared the streets with force, ar- resting and beating a number of people. The next big day of action was November 9, when different groups employed a diversity of tactics to block the port. At one exit, about 60 people stopped a truck by lying in front of it. The other exit was sealed by a blockade. Activ- ists successfully stopped all military equipment from leaving or entering the port for more than 1 7 hours, until police eventually pushed people off the lines. A similar system of soft and hard blockades was employed on November 13, shutting down the military transports for half of the day. A rally. of about 200 supporters came to show solidarity with those physically resisting the transports. In the middle of this rally, a soldier actually walked out of the port, saying he was against the war and refused to transport war equipment. After 10 days of resistance, it looks like the mil- itary will not use the port of Olympia again for military shipments — at least while the Iraq War is under way. Page 14 Earth First! Brigid 2008 Gunnoe testifies about the impacts of coal at the United Nations in 2006. by Maria Gunnoe On September 19, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) members had a meeting on the proposed valley fill that a local coal company wants to put in Dry Branch Hollow in Bim, West Virginia. This meeting was meant to engage local people in the legal battle to stop the fill. The meeting was held near my home, in a community building in Whar- ton, that I had rented for the evening in OVEC's name. The meeting was due to start at 6 p.m. About half an hour prior, disgruntled workers from the coal company started gathering in the parking lot. Within 15 minutes, the workers had filled the park- ing lot, blocking all parking areas so that commu- nity members coming to the meeting had no choice but to pass by. I went to the parking lot to ask these men to allow people to park, and things started getting ugly. The workers literally surrounded Jim Foster, an OVEC member and retired deep miner, and screamed at him, calling him stu- pid and instigating anger in a 79-year-old man with heart problems. The workers were very intimidating and made verbal threats against me and other OVEC mem- bers. Some of the workers were drunk, and all were out of control. At 6 p.m., when the meeting was due to start, the mass of workers came crash- ing into the building. My co-worker and 1 were literally pushed out of the doorway. My 13-year-old daughter also attended this meeting and became upset enough to start cry- ing. One of the workers had the audacity to wink at her. Eventually, the invading workers took ev- ery seat in the building and shut down the meet- ing. We decided to continue the meeting at the end of a nearby road. 1 Since then, there have been many threats on the safety of my family in our home. There was a young coal com- pany employee who said to a friend, "It's odd sometimes how houses just catch on fire and people die in them." The workers have organized at a local convenience store to help garner support for their jobs. They have started peti- tions and posted a four-by- eight-foot letter on the front of the building that blames me for the loss of their jobs and refers to people who don't want this valley fill as idiots who think rocks and trees are more important than jobs. The problem is that this store is also my chil- dren's bus stop and where our post office is. So, it is not a place that I can avoid. There's a man who rides an ATV past my home in the wee hours of the morning. One time, he was followed after passing by the last time and drove straight to the mine office. Another time, in the middle of the night, there were about 15 workers who walked on a railroad track that runs by my house. After the threats that they made, I was very unsure of what would develop from this organized walk by my home. In response to these threats, I have people helping to guard my property around the clock. They watch over my home while I am working and sleeping. 1 am also in the process of getting video cameras set up around my house. This has become a very real threat to my family. My son looked at me the other night and said, "Mom, I am afraid to go lie down. I am afraid they will burn us up in our home while we sleep." I am very concerned for our safety at this point. A judge recently ruled in our favor. Now, these men are likely to get laid off. This is where it will start getting really serious. The workers are brainwashed by the company to believe that their jobs are more important than our lives. I was asked, "Why don't you just leave?" This is what they want. They want me out of here for many reasons, but the main reason they want me out is because I am successful in organizing the community members here to fight their activi- ties. I live on the property my family has owned for ages. I refuse to give up the only memories I have of my family. The company wants me out at all costs. I refuse to go — dead or alive. Maria Gunnoe is currently raising money to pay for security at her house. For more information or to make a donation, contact POB 46, Bob White, WV 25028. Bulgarian Forest Defenders Threatened A forest in Bulgaria by Katherine Chandler On October 27, an awareness- raising action at Rila National Park that was conducted by Za Zemiata, an organization for the protection of the Bulgarian environment, was stopped by a group of thugs. Armed with guns and knives, the hoodlums arrived en masse at the Panichishte visitor information center, where Za Zemiata members and concerned citizens were giving information to passing cars about an illegal ski de- velopment occurring in and around park boundaries. Za Zemiata also tried to halt a shipment of construc- tion equipment to the area, but the small group of environmentalists wasn't able to stop the bulldozers and machinery. "We'll kill you," shouted one of the assailants, brandishing his weapon and threatening the group. Fortunately, the threat was hollow, and the action's participants were merely forced to a nearby parking lot. When police arrived on the scene, nothing was said to the at- tackers. Instead, environmentalists were warned that, "Next time, [the police] might show up too late." The threat was clear. The police helped the thugs force the activ- ists back into their vehicles, and in the process, one activist received a concussion. When I arrived in Bulgaria, just four days prior, local environmen- tal activists had warned me that the situation was critical. How- ever, I was not prepared for what happened at the Panichishte visi- tor center. The leafleting was organized to protest the Ministry of the Environ- ment's decision to exclude the Rila Buffer Zone from the international biodiversity network NATURA 2000. Despite ample scientific evidence for its inclusion, the area did not appear on the final list. Instead, members of the Environmental Ministry main- tained that developers' interests were of "national priority," apparently taking precedence over European laws to prevent biodiversity loss. This decision follows a long list of environmental oversights in the Rila Mountain area. In September, construction of a new ski area began without a permit. The park's chalets and lodges, allegedly acquired un- der coercion from a nearby tourist cooperative, are being transformed into hotels and condominiums. Paths that are marked as trails on the national park map are now roads. Trucks speed down from the mountaintops, hauling away timber cut to make way for ski slopes. The construction project is an initiative of Rila Sport, an af- filiate of the offshore firm Real Stone Trading Business Corpora- tion. Tihomir Trendafilov, head of the company, refuses to name the consortium of investors that he says will spend $150 million developing Rila. Local support for the project comes from Sasho Iva- nov, the mayor of the nearby mu- nicipality. His government sold 50 acres of land to Rila Sport in 2006, for a supposed $2 million. In a shady move, the land was only of- fered to Rila Sport and not at pub- lic auction. Additionally, the areas bordering the National Park were never environmentally assessed, and the terms of the sale were never made public. Rila National Park is a certified Protected Area Network park. It achieved this internationally rec- ognized, independent standard in 2005. The national park accom- plished this under the directorship of Vasil Petrov, who was fired from his post in early 2007. Many specu- late that his removal was caused by his opposition to the ski area de- velopment. Rila National Park personnel expressed uncertainty about fu- ture plans. "It's a big problem," said a local ranger. "Before, there was hiking. Now, Jeeps!" There are projects around the area that are planned in regions formerly pro- tected for biodiversity. Potential foreign buyers are largely unaware that these developments are in protected areas. This past Fall, the Bulgarian Min- istry of the Environment fined the local government more than $7,000 for illegal road construction. Katerina Rakovska, protected areas officer for the World Wildlife Fund in Bulgaria, called this the weakest possible sanction. "All of the proj- ects are going forward without nec- essary permission," she said. "All that we ask for is compliance with the Bulgarian environmental laws and inclusion of the Rila Buffer zone in the NATURA 2000 network of protected territories. Authori- ties have taken no action against the illegal logging or the ongoing construction of roads and chair lifts near Panichishte," explained Tsveta Hristova of Za Zemiata. For more information and to sign a petition, visit, www.forthenature.org. January -February 2008 Earth First! Page 15 photo courtesy Antrim Caskey EARTH FIRST! ORGANIZERS' CONFERENCE AND WINTER RENDEZVOUS FEBRUARY 14-18 * PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA by Everglades EF! It's been almost 500 years since Florida's coast was "discovered" by conquistadors and coloniz- ers. It took another 300 years before Empire was able to penetrate and subjugate most of the vast, wild swampland and the communities in resis- tance who sought refuge there. Today, the fight for land and freedom — and for the survival of the Earth itself — is in our hands. It's time for a new wave of rebellion in the Everglades. You're Invited! In 2006, the radical environmental movement met in Palm Beach County for the annual Earth First! Organizers' Conference (OC) and Winter Rendezvous. The gathering was not only a mem- orable moment in the history of the movement, but it also became part of an amazing story of victory over a sprawling corporate biotech night- mare — the 2000-acre Scripps Research Park — that was planned for the former orange grove next door to our campsite (see EF!f July-August 2006). Now, another industrial monster is lurk- ing around the corner...: Since the 2006 OC, EF!'s presence has grown in the Everglades, taking on other development issues, restoration politics and energy infrastruc- ture projects. Our actions have centered around the local battle against Florida Power and Light's West County Energy Center, a 3,800-megawatt gas-fired power plant in the Everglades Agricultur- al Area. This would be the third-largest fossil fuel power plant in the US, pumping out more than 12 million tons of greenhouse gases. It would sit in the middle of a giant, scandal-ridden rock mine, on the edge of an "Everglades restoration" reservoir, 1,000 feet from the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. If com- pleted, the plant would store 12.6 million gallons of diesel on site to be burned as "back-up" fuel. It would also require a deep-well injection system that would dump more then seven billion gallons of wastewater underground every year and a new high-pressure gas pipeline that would ran 34 miles through wildlife areas. Both of these components of the plant have yet to receive permits. Still, this plant is currently under construction — despite the growing public outrage, pending lawsuits and the lack of essential permits. Location/Directions For those who like the comfort of familiarity and were here in 2006, you'll be pleased to know that our gathering will be back at the JW Corbett Wildlife Management Area, Campsite P. Direc- tions are easy: Take 1-95 to northern Palm Beach County, exit at Northlake Boulevard and go west. Turn north on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and go until you can't anymore (about a mile down a dirt road). The Corbett "south check" station will be on your left. Deposit $6 for a day pass, grab a map, and we'll see you at camp! For those who may want to see another part of the bioregion, there is a high likelihood that field trips can be arranged to other locations, such as the Loxahatchee River, the Everglades National Park, the Fakahatchee Strand, Big Cypress Pre- serve, and other natural areas in our swamps and coastal scrubland. About the OC/Rendezvous In previous years, the Winter Rendezvous has often been thought of as the "lesser" of the two annual get-togethers. There is typically a smaller crowd with a more focused agenda. While we don't intend to fully disrupt that tradition, we feel the shrinking pool of longtime EF! organizers showing up at gatherings necessitates a broader invitation to be put forth in the hopes of roping in more folks, both newbies and old-timers, into the loose network of radical organizers. Plus, while you all might be hibernating in your caves up north, we are in our active season here in subtropical South Florida. We'd love for all of you outta-towners to come see it for your- self. If you will need travel assistance to 'get a representative from your bioregion or campaign here, let us know. Also, we could use extra funds to offer travel assistance to those who need it. This is an im- portant part of bringing older EF!ers, interna- tional people and musicians down. Please help if you can! What to Bring Bring whatever you need for five days of camp- ing, hiking and swimming in mild weather; food and water to contribute to a community kitchen; literature and information from campaigns and projects in your bioregion; ideas for workshops and discussions; music, poems and rants; enthu- siasm and props for post-camp actions (and extra time, if you can spare it); and money (for a sug- gested $25-$50 donation) to contribute to camp planning for this year and next. We are planning to have medics, a mediation team and childcare available. If you intend to utilize these, are able to contribute to. them or have any other needs we should know about, please contact us. Some Guidelines Don't bring drugs, alcohol or weapons. The camping area prohibits these things, and we ex- pect plenty of surveillance. In addition, no abuse or assault will be tolerated. If you or someone you know has a history of violence or violation, or are in a current conflict that puts the gather- ing's safety at risk, please let the mediation team know ASAP. Also, please don't bring your dogs. The Night to Howl: Wednesday, February 13 This will be a special gift for y'all who show up early! In the afternoon and evening, we will hold a local Night to Howl in town, near a beach, featuring some amazing musicians from around the country and beyond, such as: Sobreviven- cia (Guatemala), Blackbird Raum (Santa Cruz, California), Here's to the Longhaul (Appalachia), Lars Din (Gainesville, Florida), Son Del Centro (Los Angeles), South Florida United Queers and Trannies (SoFUQT) and others. The Organizers' Conference: Thursday and Friday, February 14-15 The OC will begin early Thursday morning with a welcoming ceremony and introduction to the bioregion. This will be followed by a meet- ing to set times to discuss topics like the state of the movement, the EF! Journal, prisoner support, the Green Scare/government repression, internal anti-oppression work, and strategies, tools and tactics for EF! campaigns. There are two concrete, movement-oriented tasks to bring input on. The first is helping to shape a new EF! primer. The last one is out of print. With this new primer, what improve- ments, updates and general revised changes do we want to see? The EF! Direct Action Man- ual also needs to be reprinted. This publica- tion has been out of circulation for far too long and sorely needs to be available again. What updates or changes need to be made? Are there new tactics to add? (For example, could anyone please explain that crazy new use for super glue that the Brits have pioneered?) Another propos- al for the OC is to have a ^ focused discussion on /Nd / vision and strategy in — ' / regard to the larger w ' m movement, specifically « asking how we will renew and reinspire our di- rect action culture. The Winter Rendezvous: Saturday and Sunday, February 16-17 Technically, these days are known as the Win- ter Rendezvous. The camp's numbers typically swell and include lots more local folks. There will also be a broader range of workshops, skillshares and discussion groups. On Saturday night, there will be an EF! rally with lots of music, poems and ranting. Sunday will have time dedicated to preparations for the week's actions. The list of possible workshops includes: Cli- mate Change and Rising Tide; Everglades (Radi- cal) Restoration; Fighting Plum Creek in Maine; Stopping the Border Wall between the US and Mexico; Mountaintop Removal; Taking Back the Land; Wild/Edible Plant Walks; Ecofeminism; Crafting With Wild Materials; Art and Conserva- tion; Making Consent Sexy; Coastal and Marine Ecology; Challenging Oppression; Middle Eastern Environmental Issues; Direct Action and Your Le- gal Rights; Homonormality and the Gay-stream; Return of the Nuclear Nightmare; Root Force and Anti-Infrastructure Analysis; and more! Action(s)!: Monday, February 18 On February 18, there will be a call for a coor- dinated civil disobedience action, the locations and specifics of which will be announced later. (He he. Wouldn't you like to know?) While we do not seek a return to any "good ol' days" of mass actions, we recognize that pulling off openly planned group actions involving everyone at a gathering can be empowering and inspiring for people — integrating local folks with travelers and broadening our movement's direct action skill- base. There has been a clear lack of these types of actions at recent EF! gatherings. Perhaps, this will be a healthy way to respond to the fear and distrust that has been manufactured by the gov- ernment's ongoing Green Scare repression. Our thought is that a more participatory direct ac- tion could nurture a broader culture of resistance which has been sparse lately. There has also been a local call for an all womyn's action. In addition, we encourage autonomous affin- ity group actions for those who come organized and prepared to take the initiative. We can offer materials and information to groups that respect our basic guidelines and will reflect the message ' of our call to action. For more information, contact Everglades Earth First!, (561) 588-9666; evergladesearthfirst @gmail.com; www.earthfirst2008oc.info. Page 16 Earth First! Brigid 2008 we abb CtXX. TO RCTIONf Shut Down Florida Power and Light a be a day of civil , " v>> disobedience for res- » toration and sustain- ability in the Everglades. No more fossil fuel or nuclear energy! No more rock mining in the Everglades, and no more sprawl and corruption! In the spirit of past movements for justice, ac- tivists from around the country will be in South Florida to put their bodies on the line to stop the illegal construction of a giant gas-burning power plant across from the Loxahatchee National Wild- life Refuge. Residents have petitioned, met with elected officials, protested and filed lawsuits. Still, the construction continues. Corporate pay-offs to M environmental groups have con ' cV tinually attempted to ^ stifle all conventional, legal means of opposition. We are taking it to the next level! The climate crisis facing the planet demands that humanity stop all greenhouse gas emissions and begin restoring damaged ecosystems immediately. Here in Palm Beach County, local activists are join- ing a global movement to take drastic actions to avert the worst disasters of human-caused climate change and begin repairing what we have done to the Earth — for our own survival and for the future of life on this planet. We invite you to join us! Update on Scripps Biotech Research * <3* -i; ^ ‘xM xzi' At I Although a massive battle has been won, the fight against Scripps continues. The Biotech Insti- tute has settled in, with much smaller facilities, at Florida Atlantic University's (FAU) North Campus. But Scripps and Palm Beach County still have their eyes on the 600-acre Briger Tract across from the campus. It is one of the few remaining substantial pine-flatwood and wetland habitats east of Interstate 95 in South Florida. It hosts rare and threatened species, such as the gopher tortoise and the Florida pawpaw. The FAU laboratories are known to conduct animal testing, and their primary contracts are through pharmaceutical giants and the Depart- ment of Defense. Expanding these labs onto the Briger land must not go unchallenged! BvBB&l-APES BARTH FIRST.' Earth First! is not an organization. There is no membership, no payment of dues and no board of directors. It is an idea — simple and self- explanatory. We see EF! as a loose, amorphous global network — a movement of individuals and collectives taking action in the defense of plan- etary life-support systems and communities that depend on them. We feel that it is not about put- ting concern for the environment over care for people. It is about recognizing that the way we treat the Earth reflects the way we treat one an- other, that all life is connected and that defend- ing the Earth is a form of self-defense. The idea of puttirtg the Earth first has been planted in this subtropical corner of the US em- pire. The seeds sent up green shoots amid rubber bullets and riot cops during the Miami Free Trade Area of the Americas summit in 2003. It spreads its roots in the compost of urban community gardens. It nurtures its spirit in the sacred fire ceremonies of indigenous Mayan immigrants. It basks in the fury of our many hurricanes, cele- brating power outages and wandering unnoticed after curfew. It showed its first blossoms in the battle against coastal development, urban sprawl and corporate biotechnology. Now, it's begin- ning to bloom in the fight against the empire's energy infrastructure, which is encroaching into the Everglades bioregion. Everglades Earth First! is based in the place now known as southeast Florida. This area was inhabited by the Jobe, Ais, Jeaga, Tekesta and Calusa communities before colonization and conquest destroyed their coastal homes. Semi- noles and escaped slaves later inhabited the re- gion and fought for the land and their way of life. We find inspiration in the indigenous an- cestors of all lands and work in solidarity with native activists. is Earth Et wmmmmm by Hope Freid The main focus of Everglades Earth First! (EEF!) has been stopping the construction of a natural gas plant that Florida Power and Light (FPL) has proposed building less than a quarter mile away from the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatachee National Wildlife Refuge in our cor- ner of South Florida (see EF!f May- June 2007). At maximum capacity, the plant would emit 12 million tons of car- Charlie Crist aren't likely to ad- mit. By fighting greenhouse gases, politicians get to look like they care about the environment — at a time when such a thing is considered chic. By switching from one form of toxic energy to another, industry giants such as FPL still get to make their money. Nuclear power is start- ing to be seen as a cure-all — a way to have our massively consumptive cake and microwave it, too. But, there is a problem: Nuclear power plants cause cancer. linked to brain and central nervous system cancer in children. The study found that "in each state analyzed [one of which was Florida], the av- erage strontium-90 concentration is highest in counties situated closest to nuclear reactors." Between 1981 and 1996, health investigators found 28 cases of brain and central nervous system cancer in children in the St. Lucie area. The region was referred to as a "cancer cluster," and FPL faced litigation from two families who claimed that catastrophe — one that might not be as immediately evident. Our tactics in battling FPL have included a blockade of the driveway to FPL's Juno Beach offices, banner drops, flyering, postering, tabling, petitions and biweekly protests al- ternating between the Juno' Beach offices and various FPL plants. In addition, we have begun holding forums on the topic of toxic energy and renewable resources so we can more effectively reach out to the community — or at least find other bon dioxide and suck up 8.5 billion gallons of wa- ter per year — dirty water that would not be cleaned and recycled back into the ecosystem, but deep-well- injected into the ground, below the aquifer, as waste- water. During the course of EEF!'s battle against the Loxahatchee plant, how- ever, FPL announced plans to expand its nuclear facili- ties in Miami-Dade and St. Lucie counties. We came to realize that people interested in the matter. With these forums, we hope to create a move- able model that we can bring to other communi- ties dealing with power plants, thereby helping foster a larger movement. We hope that all anti- fossil-fuel activists will give this topic the attention it deserves and join us in our efforts to broaden the battle. We're not asking anybody to give up the fight against fossil fuels — we're still erm by focusing solely on carbon dioxide and fossil fuels, we were leaving the door wide open for nuclear power to creep in as a viable alternative. This is a deadly mistake — one that A1 Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Florida's very own Governor In 2003, the Radiation and Public Health Project released a study con- cerning the levels of strontium-90 found in the baby teeth of children living near nuclear reactors. Stron- tium-90 is a cancerous byproduct of nuclear fallout that has been directly their children were affected by the emissions. To date, the issues have not been fully resolved. By allowing the industry to re- place oil, coal and natural gas with nuclear energy, we are paving the way for an entirely different sort of broiled against the West County En- ergy Center, after all — but by being as all-encompassing as possible, we stand a far better chance of moving forward in defense of Mother Earth. For more information, visit www, riverofgas.info. January -February 2008 Earth First! Page 17 Resistance to Barrick Bold Blows by Sakura Saunders On October 27, more than 1,000 people poured into the streets of Santiago, Chile, with costumes, music and dancing to protest the proposed Pas- cua Lama gold project — a multibillion-dollar mining operation that Barrick Gold has been pro- moting since the late '90s — which threatens the fertile Huasco Valley (see EF!J September-October 2006). Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, almost the same number of strikers at Barrick's Bulyanhulu mine in Tanzania refused to work af- ter negotiations with management broke down over salaries, working conditions, medical care and other contentious issues. Within four days, Barrick fired every striking worker. While Barrick tries to project an image free from political controversy, these latest flares of organized resistance clearly represent an ongo- ing struggle of discontent and anger aimed at this mining giant. In Chile, opposing Pascua Lama was once po- litically mainstream. Last year, anti-gold-mining sentiments aimed at protecting the environment dominated the election platforms of both President Michelle Bachelet and her erstwhile opponent, Se- bastian Pinera. Both candidates assured their con- stituents that the glaciers, which currently cover the proposed site of the Pascua Lama mine and are situated right in the middle of a UNESCO biosphere reserve, would not be touched. Then, in a move that mine opponents be- lieve was planned from the start, Barrick abandoned its proposal to relocate the glaciers, and the project was approved. The mine's opponents, including the Diaguita Huascoaltinos in- digenous group and Alto del Carmen Councilperson Luis Faura Cortes, remain undeterred by what they see as paper assurances and politicking. What's more, Barrick's exploration activi- ties have since been pub- licly revealed to be linked to a 56-percent to 70-percent depletion in the glaciers near the mine site, contradicting assurances in its environmental assessment reports. The protest on October 27 was just the latest in a series of demonstrations against this mining project. It proves that the resistance is still alive and that Chileans are not deceived by Barrick's political maneuverings. In Tanzania, it has been almost 10 years since as many as 400,000 small-scale miners were forced off the company's Bulyanhulu site to make way for corporate mining. But the recent decision to fire 1,000 striking miners at the site will no doubt rekindle this historic resentment. The deal to take this mining concession away from those small-scale miners was brokered by Sutton Resources CEO James Sinclair, who was a friend of the then-president of Tanzania and several senior ministers. Accusations of high-level cronyism have since plagued the Bulyanhulu operation, with alle- gations of millions in tax evasion surfacing last year. Additionally, just this July, the Tanzanian government was criticized for signing a mining agreement with Barrick prematurely and selling its 15-percent stake in the Bulyanhulu mine for too little money. With the political veneer now stripped off, Barrick may be forced to respond to growing movements of discontent in Chile, Argentina, Tanzania, Australia and the US, or face the consequences. For more information, visit protestbarrick.net. Protesters march through Santiago, Chile, against the Pascua Lama mining project. continued from page 1 The police seemed powerless in the face of the determined crowd and eventually left, much to the sur- prise of the people gatherd. And so began the organized on- campus resistance to UCSC's 15- year expansion plan. The LRDP maps out a rapid expan- sion of campus facilities over the next 13 years to accommodate up to 4,500 new full-time students. The plans include new buildings and roads on currently forested land in Santa Cruz, a community that is already com- pletely "built out" and experiencing traffic congestion, water shortages and unaffordable housing. UCSC is not your typical UC campus. Unlike UC Berkeley or UCLA, which are outgrowths of suburban sprawl surrounded by university-themed shopping cen- ters, UCSC occupies a space made of meadows, chaparral, and mixed- evergreen and redwood forests on a mountain above the city. Only about one third of the campus land is built upon. The north part of campus is undeveloped, with an impressive array of forest ecosys- tems crisscrossed by hiking trails and dirt roads. More than 500 dis- tinct plant species and an equal number of mushroom species have been identified within campus boundaries. Furthermore, UCSC is surrounded by protected state and city park lands. Upper cam- pus is an important wildlife corri- dor between the parks; it contains the headwaters of three important watersheds that pass through wild- life preserves before draining into Monterey Bay. All of these things are under threat from UCSC's ambitious ex- pansion plans. The academic con- sequences of the trajectory set by the LRDP will be far-reaching. UCSC is under pressure to give up its countercultural, liberal arts repu- tation and become an impersonal research institution with tall, glassy laboratories that can attract private funding and prestigious faculty. The university is becoming less of a place for intellectual growth and more of a place where one receives job training. The ecosystems that have always been so vital to both the campus and the surrounding community are now appreciated only for the "green aesthetic" that they lend to UCSC's public image. Opposition to the expansion has been fomenting from all quarters of Santa Cruz since the university began the planning process three years ago. The comment section of the LRDP's Environmental Im- pact. Report (EIR) is flooded with criticisms and concerns citing the inaccuracy of impact analysis and the inadequacy of proposed mitiga- tions. The city of Santa Cruz, as well as county and community organiza- tions, have filed dozens of lawsuits after having their concerns ignored by UCSC, which holds the author- ity of a state agency, but behaves as a private corporation. In August, a judge ruled that the university's EIR did not adequately account for housing, traffic and water impacts. This lawsuit is currently stalled in attempts at out-of-court negotia- tions. The final outcome of these court cases is anyone's guess, and UCSC is showing no intention of altering its plans. Before giving its final approval to the LRDP, in spite of the criticisms and exhortations of city officials and local residents, the only comment from the Board of Regents was to ask why the plans accommodate only 4,500 students and not more. Students have heard little about the LRDP and had only the illusion of input in the process. Concerned students were told to submit com- ments or attend public comment hearings. On campus, little had been said about the LRDP since its final approval in 2006. But since November 7, all of campus has been buzzing with talk of the LRDP. It is now an issue that can't be ignored. Forums and discussions are being held to further educate students and generate ideas that weren't touched upon during the original planning process. Professors discuss the issues in their classes, anti-LRDP graffiti abounds, and the administration has devoted considerable resources to trying to repair its image after the police violence on November 7. By the time the treesit had been up for three weeks, the parking lot below the trees had been fully transformed into an autonomous community space, with people camping out to hold it. The oc- cupied space is a hub of activity, with people from many different perspectives united by their vic- tory over the police. The occupied space hosts concerts, discussions, art classes, workshops, potlucks, movies and celebrations. Hundreds (if not thousands) of students and community members have passed through the site to attend events or just to check things out. Forest walks depart every Saturday, with guides discussing plants, animals and local history, while introduc- ing people to the remarkable places that are threatened by the LRDP. At UC Berkeley, treesitters are cel- ebrating a year spent in the trees (see page 3). In light of UCSC's re- luctance to respond to criticism, the UCSC treesitters are prepared for a long-term campaign that may take on many different forms before the expansion plans are called off. The forest at UCSC is worth the effort and energy that will be required. The treesitters see their struggle in the larger context of defending the few remaining wild areas that ex- ist and opposing the profit-driven agenda that the LRDP represents. For more information, visit www. lrdpresistance.org. A Santa Cruz treesitter receiving supplies Page 18 Earth First! Brigid 2008 by Peter Maclean The beauty of the Earth First! movement is that there is a wide- spread acceptance that each of us, each group or community, needs to make change in our own way. Ideally, we all keep in mind the "no compromise" philosophy that is supposed to separate us from other single-issue or mainstream protest organizations. How attain- able this goal is depends on our personal view of what constitutes compromise. Many years ago, Earth First Austra- lia (EF Oz) split from the Friends of the Earth (FoE) movement, as we felt that true consensus was an essential ingredient for change — something that FoE couldn't or wouldn't em- brace. We were also concerned that city-based protests were becoming an end in themselves and that we needed to make changes toward sustainability in our own lives be- fore we began preaching to others. So we started an organic farm proj- ect on unwanted, cheap land in the middle of nowhere and invited oth- ers to participate. A lot of work has been done on consensus worldwide. The general agreement by those of us who try to practice true consensus is that we need clear principles and guidelines for all to see and understand, that these must be open to question and debate, and that groups working by consensus are by nature very con- servative. This doesn't suit those who are used to "democracy," the basis of which is that any six people can shove their own views down the throats of any four others at the drop of a hat. Cult of personality also plays as much a part in democratic process as philosophy or fact. Under con- sensus, however, a lot more work is needed to understand the objections and to address the concerns of those opposed to an issue. Over time, we have found that we needed a pro- cess to cover any one individual blocking consensus on an otherwise unanimous decision for reasons that seemed selfish rather than philo- sophical. The practical solution was that the individual who refused to budge probably didn't represent or Tespect our group or its ideals, and that the rest of the group could kick out that individual by full consen- sus. This might seem harsh, but re- member that it only takes one other person to support ah individual’s right to block consensus for this rule not to apply. Fortunately, we have never actually needed to en- force this process. Compromise is another concept that we have struggled with. Last year, we had some very interesting correspondence with the organizers of the EF! Winter Gathering in the US. We asked if organic produce from lo- cal farms was being used to feed the mob and were surprised to learn that bin raiding was more the go. This started a debate here on the wisdom of our approach to food — that it must be fully organic or we go with- out. I could no more eat food from a hamburger chain dumpster than I could fly to the moon. But the point made by the US organizers — that it is better to consume waste than to purchase food in a commercial sys- tem — was and is still valid. We have decided that in the longer term, we need to be altering agriculture glob- ally toward sustainability. At present the corrupt, flawed certified organic model is our best hope. Mind you, as Parmalat, Kellogg's and Cadbury Schweppes buy their way into the organic market, this approach has to be considered carefully. The real future of food lies in communities producing their own clean, ecologically sensitive food via cooperative efforts. We have "compromised" on supporting an economically and ecologically un- sustainable organic industry until we can help bring about sustainable, community-based models — but we keep this compromise in mind at all times. My wife, who orders the produce for our co-op, has ques- tioned our support of multinational food companies via the produce we stock. I also question supporting rich landowners who are cashing in on the organic food movement. How- ever, our shelves would be empty if we didn't do these things. Our current take on the matter is that Gaia really doesn't care who's rich and who's poor; the job at hand is to reduce the pesticide load on the broader en- vironment. So, we operate the co-op as best we can, while working to bring about economic and social change. One of the ways we are trying to bring about these changes is by ap- proaching the Aboriginal people of Australia to work together on setting up sustainable community gardens and co-ops. We are at the very beginning of this process, but, hopefully, the next article we write will have some positive news on this front. Another of the apparent com- promises we were forced to make is that we had to set up an incorporat- ed body in order to legally run the co-op or take on any other worth- while commercial projects. We did this by setting up Earth First Con- servation Projects, Inc., a nonprofit community-based association. We have been very clear to members, though, that EF Oz is a group of in- dividuals with a common purpose, whereas the association exists to operate in a commercially regu- lated sphere. As EF Oz, we protest and agitate; as an association, we remain focused on the commercial tasks. This has allowed us to broaden our association membership to more than 400 people, many of whom would normally have nothing to do with such a "radical," "fanatical" movement as EF!. This brings us to our name, which doesn't have the "!" in it anymore. About 10 years ago, we were bloody livid that EF!, via the Journal, was selling genetically modified (GM) cotton T-shirts with the EF! logos on them. We felt that this was hy- pocrisy of the worst sort — particu- larly as we were heavily protesting the expanding Australian cotton in- dustry and GM cotton in particular. In fact, it was the encroachment of GM cotton farmers and their crop- dusters full of toxic chemicals that finally forced us to wind up our first farm project. We dropped the "!" from EF Oz in disgust and sailed on by ourselves for many years. Time heals much and brings greater wis- dom though, and we decided that only by participating in the broader EF! movement can we be part of the global changes all Earth First!ers want to see. Our activism is aimed at chang- ing the broader society, rather than at single issues. I can well-appreciate that, in the UK, it is worth fighting the felling of the last remaining forests and the construction of motorways. Similarly, in the US and Canada, the indiscriminate logging of old-growth forests is still a big ecological issue, as it has been here for many people. Of greater concern to us though, and un- seen by most city folk, is the burning of tens of millions of acres of native bush each year, just so a handful of beef cattle can eat a bit of green grass after the rains. Tens of billions of life forms are sacrificed needlessly in this manner, not to mention the effect this has on global warming. So, to change these practices, we are working to set up alternative economies and farming models, which aren't all that glamor- ous and might not have broad benefits until our grandchildren's generation. Hanging out with hippies is great fun, but as we became more dedicated to the cause, we found it harder to participate in the "pro- test" movement. It's really disap- pointing to attend forest rallies where everyone chants "Save the Planet" as they dig in to their Heinz Wattie's baked beans, smoke their Douwe Egberts tobacco and end up at the pub drinking their Lion Na- than beer — all without a qualm or pang of conscience. We welcome comments, points of view and constructive debate on the issues we have raised, and our mem- bership is open to all. The greater needs are probably served best by making these comments publicly via the Journal, though we always endeavor to reply to individuals who take the time to contact us directly. All the best to everyone. Peace on Earth and goodwill to all. For more information, contact Earth First Australia, c/o Earth First Conservation Projects, Inc., POB 1270, Albany, Western Australia 6330, Australia; efoz@earthfirst. org,au; www.earthfirst.org.au. Rules of Earth First Australia These rules were developed by negotia- tion with the consensus of the group over time. They are subject to constant review and discussion, and apply mostly to our housing and farm projects. No Dogs or Cats: This rule is for the benefit of the native animals and to encourage the native animals into community spaces. There are sev- eral small omnivorous marsupials that might be suitable as house pets to deter vermin and provide com- panionship. No Drugs: What people do in their own home or space is their own business. What they do in community spaces affects others. All EF Oz projects are smoke- and alcohol-free, with no exceptions. Projects that allow for private dwellings or living spaces as part of the project are included in this rule, but the rule does not apply to those who live in private dwell- ings or living spaces. No Raising of Animals to Kill for Food: There is a corollary to this. No dead animal products are to be cooked or consumed in com- munity spaces or sold in shops in community spaces. There is a possibility that the consensus will change over time toward a vegan lifestyle. However, at this stage, we will have dairy cattle, egg-laying „ fowl and grazing animals to pro- vide wool. Consensus: There has been a re- cent tendency to define consensus as a majority of more than 50 per- cent, but this is not how we regard consensus. We define consensus as the total approval of all involved in a decision. There is no voting. Those empowered to make a deci- sion have the power to block con- sensus. This effectively stalls any further actions by the group on this issue until a conflict or disagree- ment is resolved. At present, we have a model that involves a functional hierar- chy. We have trustees who have the power of full consensus on all issues. Basically, these people are the founders of EF Oz. New trust- ees are appointed with the full consensus of existing trustees, and any trustee can be dismissed with the full consensus of all other trustees. (This rider exists to fore- stall the possibility of any one in- dividual misusing the trust placed in them by the group.) All processes are transparent and open, and members may at- tend any meeting on any topic or view any records of the group. It is the task of existing trustees to train and assist members wishing to become trustees. In practice, trustees should obtain group consensus on any issue before proceeding. A natural bridge near Albany, Western Australia January -February 2008 Earth First! Page 19 No Holier Book 5/24/07 About Canoeing and Camping in the Border Waters of Minnesota From Haiku Aviary frigid morning: geese squat together without any heads honking loudly, a lone goose waddles in circles— spring snow In the morning I hear a riot of crows & pull back the curta in to see an orange cat crouching low on my neighbor's driveway while above it sitting on power lines eleven crows declare their strong opposition to such objectionable company Once the orange cat goes the crows can resume dropping walnuts on the pavement to crack their shells open Later walking above the ocean we spot (wo crows sitting on a log & another much larger bird standing nearby with a head that looks too small for its body As it spreads its wings & takes the air we recognize it as a turkey vulture 'The two crows make not a move to flee as we pass noticing that the log is really a dead sea lion There's no holier book than nature itself because nature is so alive no death can finish its work & because it’s closer to the original source of creation than anything described by language & because it starts all over with every new life —Steve Toth Miniscule pines Reach finger-like branches toward a canopy That seems forever away Few will reach the distant canopy And even fewer will reach the heights of their predecessors Those that do Will be the majestic pine forest of tomorrow I dream in rhythm with this experience My body rocks in dreamless sleep To the tune of ubiquitous chickadees I am wild here I grow like the pines— with the pines Feral and free —Cali Searles John Calvin’s Ghost Oil and gas companies from the US, Canada, Russia and Denmark are circling the Arctic like scavengers circling a wounded animal anticipating its death, exposing petroleum riches hitherto buried beneath Arctic ice. Mother Earth isn't dying at once, but as a diabetic, a part at a time. The Arctic is the first to go, thus the vultures. Mother is dying from the greed of her children. Scientists predict inundation of Pacific Islands, Bangladesh and half of Florida. Killer droughts in Africa. Drying rivers in India, China and Vietnam due to disappearing glaciers in the Himalayas. All a boon for disaster capitalists. This all happens to the preterite, not the chosen, in the Calvinistic corporate view. The chosen will be raptured to a gated community guarded by Blackwater Security. The Valhalla for corporate warriors. spring freshet— a mallard coaxes Reincarnation her ducklings An old black vulture landed in a tree courting again. . . overlooking Chickamauga Creek; a flicker hammers ga ve me a sidelong glance, an oak’s dead limbs I thought of Edward Abbey outspoken critic of government agencies, professor and park ranger. April morning spring in the robin’s hop Abbey, buried in an illegal grave a cairn of stones to cover his mortal remains. bluebird trickling down the dry mountain stream bed His friends saw to his last request wrote on one stone “ Edward Abbey, no comment." a song for every direction mockingbird atop the weathervane The nemesis of Glen Canyon Dam didn't want a memorial and got one anyway. lazy afternoon— a chickadee answers the calls on my bird tape He always said he'd come back as a vulture next time just seemed fitting. cool August morning swallows along the telephone line change places I looked up into the oak said “Hey there Ed, looks like a good day for flying" rising mist... repeatedly a killdeer’s cry scissors the silence Abbey didn't say a word just gave me that sidelong glance, the old buzzard. the red tailed hawk's glide- quiet growing among the snowy pines — Mockingbird ■Wally Swist artwork courtesy prole. info The chosen will live on with the approval of the strange God they believe in, and think he believes in them, while immigrants from the South clamor at the gate for work Price evicted from their land by low priced com produced by agribusiness. The revenant of John Calvin lives on in every corporate stmcture. It is the driving force of the rapacious corporate faith and philosophy. It is the real ghost in the machine. —Sid Bridges send poems to: Warrior Poets Society PO Box 14501 Berkeley, CA 9471 2 Page 20 Earth First! Bright 2008 nere lave All. £§ Gone ? by Chris Irwin I have been reading in the Earth First! Journal of the efforts to make sure that members of the transsexual community feel comfortable and safe while organizing in Earth First! circles and at events (see EF!J September-October 2007). Al- most every issue of the Journal has something about transsexuals and their oppression. This is a laudable goal; everyone should feel safe and wel- come at our events. But I am struck that while one marginal social group is singled out for pro- tection and space in the Journal, another larger group has been mostly driven out of our move- ment. Yes, I'm talking about rednecks. "Rednecks for wilderness" was one of the first Earth First! slogans I heard when I got involved and began attending Earth First! meetings in the late 1980s. (I still attend them once a week.) This was the period when EF! was a threat to the sys- tem. Earth First! was on 60 Minutes, and we really looked like a mass movement about to burst from the confines of control to create social change. There are a lot more rednecks than transsexuals in America. They are a larger demographic, and this was reflected by their numbers in our move- ment back then. The Journal during that period had 10 times the number of subscribers that it has today. It was in the late '80s and '90s that I saw the systematic driving away of rednecks from EF! circles by largely young, white, middle-class "anarchists." 1 remember at one Round Riv- er Rendezvous in Colorado, this good oT boy stood up and thanked everyone for coming to the great state of Colorado, expressing pride in his home state. Immediately, he was publicly at- tacked by the black-clads for expressing pride in any state. I watched him sit down and real- ized that he would never come back. As a young white person who subscribed to many anarchist ideals, I couldn't help noticing the irony of this trend. Classical anarchists embraced the work- ing class; the neo-anarchists in our movement drove them out. How they were driven out is as instructive as why: lack of acceptance. Apparently, to .be an EF!er now (in some circles), you have to be white, middle-class, wear black, be angry all the time, shoplift, bathe irregularly, be in your 20s, have no sense of humor and, in general, walk so lockstep with the new groupthink that you lack any real diversity or individuality. To be different is to be treated with suspicion and criticism. And this homogenization of our movement along almost purely class lines has had devastating effects. Our numbers have dwindled and our diver- sity has narrowed. As a result, we are in danger of becoming little more than a historical footnote. I find it curious that now that EF! has become largely white and middle-class, many efforts are being made to protect and nurture a tiny sub- group of society while completely ignoring that a much larger demographic has been driven out. Basically, the white middle class drove out the poor, country, working class from our move- ment. We have fractured along class lines with devastating results. Who is more likely to know how to take apart a CAT dozer? A good oT boy who can field-strip a 1970 Ford engine in his sleep? Or an alienated, suburban product of the white middle class? And now we appear to be ap- pealing to an even smaller subset of society while ignoring the larger class that originally made EF! so dangerous. Our society is racist, sexist, and homopho- bic — all the isms and schisms. EF! cannot grow as a movement through litmus tests of being "radical" enough. Pretending to reach any level of ideological purity while ignoring the rejection of the larger demographic based on class pushes our movement into narrower and narrower con- fines, which I believe accounts for the steady diminution of our numbers. This is not a condemnation of transsexuals but a reality check. If the definition and acceptance of what it takes to be in Earth First! continues to narrow, so will our movement. We need red- necks, transsexuals, older people, white men, women — anyone who will join our struggle. Lack of true acceptance, not just acceptance for popu- lar subsets, is strangling our movement. We have lost a lot more rednecks than transsexuals due to lack of acceptance. If one is to be addressed, the other should not be ignored. To survive and thrive as a movement, we must combat this narrow ideological dead end that EF! seems to have drifted into. Our doors need to be open wider, not shut, to all members of society. Otherwise, we are just a social club with dwin- dling numbers. (M(EWS ©FUME W0W Who Needs Coal? We'll Burn Salt Water! John Kanzius, an inventor from Erie, Pennsylvania, accidentally discovered a way to burn salt water while trying to desalinate it using a radio frequency generator that he had developed to treat cancer. The radio frequencies weaken the bonds between the elements that make up salt water, releasing hydrogen. Once ignited by the heat energy that is also released by this reaction, the hydrogen will burn for as long as it is exposed to the radio frequencies. Scientists are excited by the possi- bilities of using the most abundant resource on Earth to power cars or heavy machinery. "[This is] the most remarkable [discovery] in wa- ter science in 100 years," said Rus- tum Roy, a. chemist at Pennsylvania State University. It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Bagonaut to the Rescue! If you had been in a certain Sam's Club parking lot in San Angelo, Texas, on September 8, you might have been witness to the very first action of the very first bagonaut, Egan Sanders. To raise awareness on how plastic shopping bags are ruining the environment, Sand- ers enclosed himself in the world's largest, reusable canvas shopping bag, christened BIGBAG1, for 24 hours. While Sanders was sealed in BIGBAG1, people who donated food received their very own regular-sized canvas shopping bag in return. Bagonaut's main goal is to em- power people to do at least one lit- tle thing to try and conserve some of our dwindling resources. In a shocking move made after Sanders' stunt, Sam's Club announced plans to cease all use of plastic bags in its stores. Just.kidding. Salmon Spawn Baby Trout In an effort to preserve endangered fish, Japanese researchers have engi- neered one species to give birth to an- other. The method, called "surrogate broodstocking," is accomplished by engineering salmon to be sterile, then injecting the newly hatched salmon with male, rainbow-trout stem cells destined to grow into sperm. Ten of the 29 male salmon who recieved the injections went on to produce trout sperm. Goro Yoshizaki, the leading re- searcher, then injected female salmon with the male cells. Five of the test subjects produced trout eggs. US conservationists are also tak- ing up the experiment in an effort to expand populations of endan- gered fish species, such as sockeye salmon, sturgeon and paddlefish. The Japanese researchers' ultimate goal is to boost populations of the commercially much-desired bluefin tuna using the smaller and less tasty mackerel as surrogate parents. As of press time, there were no plans to artificially increase the equally pop- ular Filet-O-Fish population. g. Germans and Californians ! Reinvent the Sailboat 0 | Marine shipping is responsible | for higher carbon dioxide emis- | sions than planes and releases more | sulfur than all the world's vehicles 1 combined. That’s why Hamburg, Germany-based SkySails and the Californian firm Kiteship have re- invented the sailboat or, perhaps more accurately put, the kite-ship. Both companies use a combina- tion of conventional engines and giant, computer-maneuvered kites to power ships. The kites range from 480 square feet to 15,000 square feet, and can save between 10 percent and 35 percent of the fuel costs. Industry analysts expect the two companies to announce that their next reinvention will be the wheel. Humungous Fungus Among Us In Oregon's Blue Mountains, there's a new tree-killin' villain in town — and it ain't the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Ser- vice or a timber company. It's Armil- laria ostoyae, the oldest and largest living being in the world! At a whop- ping 2,200 acres in size and 8,000 years of age, this root rot infestation grows by sending out tentacles that wrap around tree roots, eventually killing trees in dense canopy for- ests. Next time you find yourself in the Blue Mountains, you had better watch out, or the humongous fun- gus might get you, too! Webotage in Bangladesh Wielding a pair of scissors, an unknown person successfully shut down Bangladesh's entire Internet link and international phone net- work for most of November 13. This is not the first attempt at we- botage in Bangladesh. A similar at- tack occurred in October 2006. The assailants in that case claimed that someone had given them money to cut the cables, but investigators are baffled as to whom. Authorities are encouraging resi- dents to be on the lookout for "a man with scissors." January -February 2008 Earth First! Page 21 BY ATLATL Admit it, you've thought about it: What are you going to do when the shit really hits the fan here in the good ol' USA? I'm sure Canada has crossed your mind, right? There's socialized health care, vast tracts of wilderness, widespread firearm- ownership? Hell, there's even a book on how to wage guerilla war against the US from Canada! Or, maybe you live farther south and have de- cided that equally vast wilderness, a number of well-publicized people's uprisings and a police force with a reputation for easy bribery make Mexico a more attractive option. Well, put those plans on the shelf, my friends, because deep integra- tion is coming. It's NAFTA... Plus Simply put, the concept behind deep integration is to make Canada, Mexico and the US function as a single coun- try, controlled from Washington, DC. This means more fully integrating all aspects of law and commerce between the three countries, so that resources can be extracted and moved, borders and infrastructure can be defended, and "internal disturbances" can be crushed with minimum hassle and maximum benefit for the corporate leaders of a unified "North America.'' Keep in mind that what we're talk- ing about here is a concept — there is no one treaty to point to, no one summit to protest. Deep integration is an overarching conceptual frame- work that is currently guiding a number of seemingly disparate (and radical) policy changes in Canada, Mexico and the US. This is another important point: Deep integration is already happening. The concept of deep integra- tion first emerged in the early '90s, while the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was being negotiated. A former member of the US National Secu- rity Council, Robert Pastor, began to publicly critique NAFTA for its exclusive emphasis on trade. In 2001, he published a book, Toward a North American Community, in which he proposed a North Ameri- can Union — similar in principle to the European Union but with cer- tain key differences. In particular, Pastor urged discarding elements that could be traced to certain European values that he consid- ered "inappropriate" in North America — namely, the regulation of market forces in areas such as food, health, housing and other public goods. Pastor's ideas gained popular- ity in influential Mexican and Canadian circles in the years that followed NAFTA's 1994 imple- mentation. In Mexico, it quickly became clear, even to corporate elites, which country had gotten the short end of that stick. Be- cause NAFTA guaranteed the free flow of goods but not of people, Mexico was left unable to exercise its primary "market advantage": a vast, cheap labor pool. In Can- ada, corporate-political leaders became upset that the US contin- ued to favor its own industries to the detriment of certain Canadian businesses. These problems came to a head after September 11, 2001. A para- noid, xenophobic Washington immediately sealed its borders, throwing the Canadian and Mexi- can economies into turmoil. Ca- nadian industry suffered millions of dollars in losses each hour that the border was closed, forcing 11 factories to shut down. Mexican President Vicente Fox saw his dreams of greater northward mi- gration collapse. In order to avert another such economic catastrophe and gain the favors they wanted, Canadian and Mexican leaders independently ap- proached Washington with similarly bold proposals. Basically, Mexico and Canada promised to make it just as hard for "terrorists" to gain entry into their countries as it would be to enter the US, thereby allowing the US to dissolve its southern and northern borders. To sweeten the pot, they also offered the US essentially unlimited access to the natural resources of their countries and greater freedom to op- erate militarily in their territories. This Is What Security Looks Like So what does this mean on the ground? To understand deep integration, it's important to realize that the deal-breaker is the issue of "secu- rity." The US simply won't play if that concern is not addressed, and it's the starting and ending point for all negotiations. In one sense, this means the ob- vious: Canada and Mexico need to harmonize their policing and border-defense procedures with US priorities. This is what led to a December 2002 agreement al- lowing US and Canadian troops to freely operate on either side of the border in response to a threat to either country. It led to Plan Sur in 2001, whereby Mexico militarized its southern borders and began aggressively hunting down and deporting undocumented Cen- tral American migrants to prevent them from reaching the US. It is part of why the US defines its de- fense perimeter, the "North Ameri- can Command," as extending from the Arctic Circle to Mexico's south- ern borders. US Customs and Border Protec- tion agents have been given ex- panded access to Canadian and Mexican territory, even in the interi- ors of those countries. Negotiations are underway to harmonize the three countries' no-fly lists and to implement biometric identification systems that would be required for anyone entering or exiting "North America." Canada's more rigorous civil liberties laws are being rewrit- ten to line up with US demands. Security also includes energy secu- rity. In light of increasing obstacles to US control of Middle Eastern oil, the offer of free- access to Canada and Mexico's resources is intensely appealing to the US. Canada has the third largest petroleum reserves in the world, if its tar sands are counted (see EF!J September-October 2006). And they are being counted: In deep integration negotiations currently underway, a fivefold increase of tar sands output is already written in. Canada exports 70 percent of its overall oil and nearly 100 per- cent x>f its tar sands petroleum to the US, while importing 60 per- cent of the petroleum it uses. But NAFTA bars Canada from cutting oil sales to the US without cut- ting domestic sales as well, and current negotiations are working to make any restriction at all im- possible. This means that Wash- ington will be able to directly mandat^ Canada's fossil fuel ex- traction, the Kyoto Protocol or Canadian law be damned. Mean- while, discussions are underway regarding the privatization of Mexico's vast natural gas oil re- serves, which may last for as long as a decade. According to statements by US President George W. Bush, Cana- dian water is also part of US energy security. A leaked document from the North American Future 2025 Project — a series of closed-door, roundtable sessions to enable business leaders to assist in the process of deep integration — re- veals that heads of state are dis- cussing bulk water exports from Canada and Mexico, as both countries have vast reserves that are not currently "being used." (In other words, this water is sustaining healthy ecologies, in- stead of corporate economies.) Once water exportation begins, NAFTA would prohibit, any re- striction of it. As with all aspects of empire, the glue holding together a North Amer- ican Union would be infrastructure. Plans are underway for massive pipe- lines to carry water and fossil fuels to the US, along with ports and roads to move everything else. Under the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), a series of trilateral talks working toward actu- alizing deep integration, the major- ity of funding in Mexico is going into infrastructure projects like Plan Puebla Panama (PPP) (see EF!J Sep- | tember-October 2006). Leaked SPP I documents mention "the establish- ment of a grant fund... with US and Canadian resources to finance the development of physical infrastruc- ture in Mexico." Just in case you thought it was only a few crazy radicals talking about how infrastruc- ture is a weak point of global empire, here it is, straight from that leaked North American Fu- ture 2025 document: “Whatever North American security archi- tecture is ultimately... agreed upon, it is clear that the protec- tion of critical infrastructure will continue to be of foremost im- portance from the standpoint of protecting human life and ensur- ing national and North Ameri- can economic stability." Critical infrastructure is defined as "agri- culture, water, health and emer- gency services, energy (electrical, nuclear, hydro, natural gas and oil), transportation systems (air, roads, rail, ports and waterways), information and telecommunica- tions networks, and banking and financial systems." A More Perfect Union? This would be no European- style union between powers roughly equal in size, power and disposition. As Mexican analyst Miguel Pickard puts it, "Mexico and Canada are rapidly inte- grating with a country that is in practice opposed to negotiating fundamental differences, par- ticularly with weaker countries." Inevitably, Mexico and Canada Anti-North American Union protesters Page 22 Earth First! Brigid 2008 Court Reverses $600-Million Peabody Decision The US Court of Appeals has reversed a federal claims court decision and found that the Interior Department breached its trust responsibility by not disclosing critical information to the Navajo Nation regarding royalty negotiations with Pea- body Coal in 1987. The September 13 reversal found that the Na- vajo Nation has a "money mandating claim" against the federal government for $600 million in damages. The case will now go back to the US Court of Federal Claims for reconsideration. The appeals court upheld the Navajo Nation's assertion that there is a substantial network of laws and regulations to establish specific trust re- sponsibilities. It said these regulations can be in- terpreted to require compensation for damages resulting from a breach of those duties. The Navajo Nation began leasing land - on Black Mesa to Peabody Coal and its predecessor in 1964, with approval from the US Department of the Interior. The lease established royalty pay- ments at 37.5 cents per ton, with a provision for a "reasonable adjustment" by the federal govern- ment in 20 years. In 1984, that rate was deemed an "inequitable deal" and "substantially lower” than the 12.5 percent minimum royalty set by Congress in 1977, for coal mined on federal land. At that time, the Navajo Nation asked Interior Secretary William Clark to adjust the royalty pay- ment. Approximately three months later, Navajo Area Director Donald Dodge adjusted the rate to 20 percent. However, in July 1985, Peabody Coal requested Interior Secretary Donald Model, who succeeded Clark, to postpone the decision on the 20 percent or rule against it. Peabody also retained Stanley Hulett, a former Interior execu- tive aide and friend of Hodel, to represent the company. The court found that Hulett met with Hodel without the Navajo Nation being pres- ent, and that, shortly afterward, Hodel signed a memorandum prepared by Peabody Coal that urged the company and the Navajo Nation to re- turn to the bargaining table. In August 1987, the Navajo Tribal Council ap- proved a package of lease amendments that were approved by Hodel the previous December, rais- ing the royalty rate to only 12.5 percent. It also added 90 million tons of coal to the 200 million tons originally leased. In 1993, the Navajo Na- tion sued the federal government, seeking $600 million in damages, asserting that the federal government violated its statutory and fiduciary trust duties to the Navajo Nation by approving the lease in December 1987, when the Navajo Nation had no knowledge of the Peabody memo- randum issued by Hodel. They asserted that this led to an economic loss to the Navajo Nation, a diminution of the value of the trust responsibil- ity and harm to their sovereignty. Forest Defense Heats Up in Tasmania Gunns Ltd., the woodchipping giant, has been given approval to increase logging rates in the for- ests of Tasmania, Australia. The proposed project will be the Southern Hemisphere's largest pulp mill, contributing at least two percent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions and, alone, will consume almost half a million *acres of native forest. A wild and special island, Tasmania will see its ancient forests continue to be exported as wood- chips and pulp. The combined appetites of the export woodchip mills with this pulp mill will double the current rate of woodchipping in Tas- mania. In southern Tasmania, forest activists have kept the pressure on the government-sanctioned destruction in wilderness valleys that continues to destroy wildlife habitat and contribute to cli- mate chaos. Controversially, forest activists are now being targeted to pay the costs of their direct actions. One activist, Alana — known from a stunning photograph of her efforts as the Weld Angel (see EF!) May-June 2007) — has been the first activist to be singled out in this approach. Alana was part of a Weld Valley action in early 2007, where three separate entrances to threatened, World Heritage-valued forests were blockaded. After intense pressure by the Tasmanian Green Parliamentarians and the public, the case against Alana was subsequently dropped. However, For- estry Tasmania, the government's logging arm, continues to sue for about $2,000. The case is not expected to be resolved until next year. A crisis report regarding the logging of Tasma- nia's southern forests, was sent by the Huon Val- ley Environment Center to the World Heritage Committee in Paris. At the committee's most recent meeting in July, in Christchurch, New Zealand, representatives of 21 countries voted to express their concern about these logging threats and determined to send a delegation to Tasma- nia in the next six months. Despite the international attention, logging continues unabated, and the Weld Valley is on the chopping block for Summer 2007-2008. There are plans to build a road and bridge over the Weld River, which would open up almost half a million acres of untouched ancient forest for logging. This is the largest piece of rainforest in southern Tasmania. North of the Weld Valley, blockaders have also established themselves in the Upper Florentine Valley. With treesits and passion, activists are commit- ted to fighting the proposed logging operations that would destroy these tall, ancient forests and wild rivers. La Parota Dam Put on Hold In early September, a Mexican federal judge or- dered a provisional halt of the controversial La Parota Dam, proposed to be constructed in the state of Guerrero (see EF!f September-October 2007). The judge's order cites that the dam proj- ect violates the right of the local community to a healthy environment. Activists expect the gov- ernment to appeal the decision, which would take about seven months to reach conclusion. Despite the court order, the developers are still working in the project area. In turn, vil- lagers have stated that they will not stop dis- rupting the building of the dam until it is completely canceled. Apart US Imperial Sfra+effij, continued. would become subservient to the US, creating not so much a North American union as a US empire. This means that Canadian public health, safety and environmental standards would be immediately dismantled — and the entire social safety net would eventually be eliminated. According to another leaked document (from the October 2004 meeting of the Independent Task Force on the Future of North America), "No item — not Canadian water, not Mexican oil, not Ameri- can anti-dumping laws — is 'off the table'; rather, contentious or intrac- table issues will simply require more time to ripen politically." More fundamentally, deep integra- tion would accelerate the dissolution of Canadian and Mexican culture and identity, strengthening the on- rush of a homogenous consumer culture. As Pickard says, "Fox's gov- ernment formalized the idea of cre- ating an exclusive- 'North America space,' to which Mexico would gain entry, in essence, by turning its back on Latin America...." But the US won't stop there. If deep integration works between the US, Canada and Mexico, it will prove that the integration of a su- perpower with a Third World coun- try is possible. This would pave the way for slowly and inexorably ex- panding the North American space southward, working toward the ultimate realization of the dream articulated by the currently stalled Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA): total hemispheric domina- tion by the US. Resistance By and large, deep integration is being implemented piecemeal — a law changed here, a regulation loosened there — with the summits and treaties mainly providing op- portunities for leaders to bounce ideas off one another in person. Having learned from opposition to NAFTA and the PPP, the people who are killing the planet have re- turned to the strategy that has al- ways been their strength: death by a thousand cuts. So what do we do about this hei- nous plan to enshrine US power and domination throughout North America? I would submit that this is the wrong question. Deep integration — like Atlantica, the PPP or the FTAA — is merely one part of a concerted US imperial strategy. This strategy is designed to guarantee the continued wealth and power of a small group of people by ensuring that their ability to devour the world's biological diversity goes unrestrained. You and I know that this death-worshipping strategy will only end when all life on this planet has been destroyed — unless we stop it first. Deep integration is not the prob- lem any more than deforestation or unequal voting access is. The prob- lem is a global economic system of which deep integration is only one support structure. Understanding deep integration is important, then, because it pro- vides us with an insight into how the enemy views the future. What are the resources that the system needs to sustain itself? What are the weak points, and where is the en- emy gathering its strength? What does our enemy fear? People used to say that the system was nearly invisible — you could talk about it, but you couldn’t really see it. Well, now you can see it. You can see the gears turning. Got your monkeywrench? January -February 2008 Earth First! Page 23 by the Earth First! Journal Collective Daniel McGowan was recently sentenced to seven years in prison for actions committed in defense of the Earth. He was rounded up as part of the FBI's "Operation Backfire," which sought to prosecute people for unsolved Earth Liberation Front (ELF) ac- tions. This is the second segment of a two-part inter- view conducted by the Earth First! Journal. For part one, see EF!J November-December 2007. Earth First! Journal: There seems to be a pretty massive divide between the radical environmental movement's anti-snitch rhetoric (e.g., "snitches get stitches") and the movement's actual response to snitches. What do you make of this divide, and what are its implications for the movement's chances of discouraging snitching? Daniel McGowan: I have little tolerance for the whole pro-violence against snitches thing. Not only is it phony — let's be real, no snitches in our movement "get stitches" — but I find it coun- ter to what we believe in. We are not the Irish Republican Army. We are not Marxist-Leninist rigid cadre organizations that punish weakness with personal violence. Some of the comments on Portland Indymedia were so useful to the prosecution that they must have been posted by law enforcement of some kind — especially af- ter the agents moaned to my lawyers that I was spearheading this campaign against the snitches. Again, I want to be crystal-clear: I don't support violence against informants in my case. I do support their complete and total ostra- cization from the movement, as I think they are dangerous people. They have shown themselves to be so self-centered in their outlook as to sell people out when they swore up and down they never would. (Here's a funny aside: The biggest informants were the ones who were the most tough and militant at the time of the actions. What does that say?) No welcome back should be given to these people. When you think of their actions and feel that, at one point, they were honorable people trying to do their best to make the world better, that is fair. But keep in mind, the people who sold me out are not the same people anymore. As far as the movement's chances of discourag- ing snitching, I do think the movement has a responsibility to educate new people who get in- volved, so that they can know their own history. My understanding of my case and my views are greatly informed by the past: the Justin Samuel debacle and how Darren Thurston was sold out by someone involved in his 1992 Animal Libera- tion Front action. Knowledge is power, and you can begin to see how things were done in the past and how they could be done in the future. I'm concerned with the historical legacy of my case and am hoping that people learn les- sons from it. One thing I hope people can see is that you do not have to sell your friends out. Also, arson is a very serious thing* and the con- sequences are lifelong. You will be connected to people for the rest of your life if you choose to do any direct actions. I think that the movement can show principled, strong and long-term sup- port for defendants, and this can serve as a dis- couraging factor in informing. Support from the movement helped me solidify my positions and made it a lot easier. If we can show one another that we will be there for one another, then the prospects of snitching will be less. Overall, I think that the movement needs to have an honest and frank discussion about these tactics, who seems to choose them and what that means for the prospects of prison. EF!J: What led you to decide that sabotage was not an appropriate tactic — or at least not an appropriate tactic for you? DM: I decided that arson and sabotage were not the right tactics for me shortly after the Jef- ferson Poplar action. Part of it was my experience dousing SUVs and trucks with gasoline and be- ing profoundly affected by that. It just didn't feel right. I started to realize that all that was in my future was more destruction, and that destroying things doesn't make a movement. In our situa- tion, I felt that we were too far removed from the broader environmental movement to even be complementing their efforts. There was also this sort of ticking clock I thought about — regard- ing whether we were getting closer to someone getting hurt. Some of my co-defendants started exhibiting behavior that was scary to me, and it dawned on me that our goals were very different. To me, arson and sabotage are means to an end. I really did not take pleasure in destruction like some of my old friends did. I decided to take some time off to clear my head after a particularly disappointing meeting— what the prosecutors call "the last book club meet- ing" — where we discussed our goals and why we did what we did. Although I risked my life with these people, it was surprising, to say the least, to find out how divergent our ideas were. I was dismayed by growing factions that felt that what we were doing was not enough, at a time when I felt we should be pulling back, engaging only in sabotage actions that could bolster bridges be- tween us and aboveground campaigns. My time in Canada was full of new possibili- ties. I saw how indigenous people were resisting forest destroyers in their territory. I saw above- ground but militant and creative forest defense campaigns being fought in the Elaho wilder- ness, and I met inner-city harm-reduction activ- ists working to decriminalize heroin users and work for safe injection sites. Inspired by their public and yet unapologetic militant stance, I came back to the US and made my break with the ELF final. * EF!J: On Democracy Now, you told Amy Good- man that the solidarity action with Jeffrey "Free" Luers — the Romania action, which he believes was partly responsible for his original 22-year, eight- month sentence — made you "start to look at [your] actions as being very dangerous and having reper- cussions beyond [your] control." Can you explain in more detail what you meant by this? To what extent should radical activists be required to anticipate or even feel responsible for the government repression that arises in response to their actions? DM: I want to be very frank about the Roma- nia action. It ruined Free's chance of a jury trial. Now, of course, a jury trial may have sent him to prison for a long time as well, but we will never know. Romania was serious and dangerous be- cause it was horribly timed and showed a very poor logic — that somehow going back to the site of the original arson would have some positive effect on Jeff. This strategy was really poor, and the action was perceived by many as rather ado- lescent and taunting. Did the people who took part in this action mean to harm Jeff? No, of course not. The thing is, our actions do have unintended consequences, and I feared that this group would continue to be interested in engaging in similar actions. I felt personally responsible for Jeff's outcome — not because I was involved, but because I was out of town and couldn't stop the action. Shown the communique afterward, I pleaded to have Free's name removed from it and was rebuffed. I think radical activists really need to consider their impacts on prisoners. Personally, I think "solidarity actions" are sort of creepy and cen- tered way too much on us and not on the issue at hand. A prosecutor's wet dream is for a solidar- ity action to happen in the midst of a legal case. Any action dedicated to someone on trial or in a legal case will be fodder for the prosecution. That is just a fact, based on seeing it happen in many cases. Some people may like these actions — to them I say: to each their own. . EF!J: Your support group was one of the first to form following the December 2005 arrests, and it appears to be one of the most visible and effective prisoner support groups currently operating. Do you have any insight into why this is? Do you have any advice for folks doing prisoner support work? DM: My support group is a bunch of badasses led by my wife, Jenny — who, despite all claims that she is not an activist, is one of the best or- ganizers I have ever met! The shock of my being tipped out of our city was a major factor in the fast response to my arrest: I was arrested at 4:12 p.m. on December 7, 2005, and the courtroom was packed the next day. My friends were able to mobilize a lot of the people 1 had worked with during the past five years in New York City. My family, employer, co-workers, fellow students and friends were out in full force, aided by the simple fact that my family got everyone this in- formation really fast. I remember being in jail in Eugene, Oregon, and not only finding out that I had a lawyer ready to be interviewed and hired, but that I had a website and listserv, and letters were already being generated for a bail hearing that I didn't even know was planned! My friends chose to fight like hell for me, and I think that made all the difference. Living in New York, a huge and rich city, they hosted more than 50 benefits for me in the last two years and contrib- uted massive amounts to my legal defense fund, as well as those of many of the other Green Scare defendants. Is this something you can learn? I think good prisoner and defendant support grows out of deep relationships with people and a lot of mutual aid. I had put eight years into prisoner support, and I had met and w r orked with a large number of people in NYC against the Republi- can National Convention. I feel like the support I gave out was reciprocated. I would also like to see people who are not well-known receive a lot of support. That would be a good goal: Can we support those we do not know but who nonetheless deserve our support? Page 24 Earth First! Brigid 2008 My best advice is to let the defendant/prisoner guide the work in some way, and to be flexible and work with their family and legal team. It's challenging but worth it in the end. EF!J: What's the best way that people can show their support for you? DM: I have received such insane support that I could never give anything but praise for those who have helped me out. I suppose the best way people can show their support is to engage in activism of some kind — the kind that is long-term and promotes ecological sanity in our society. Yup, it's a cliched answer for sure, and I feel silly writing it, but it's the truth. I get lots of mail, books and magazines. Really, another great thing is for people to get others to take a look at the Green Scare cases, and help those defendants and prisoners out. I also have a special place in my heart for Joyanna "Sadie" Zacher, Nathan "Exile" Block and Jonathan Paul, so keep an eye out for them and ask them what they need. For more information, check out www.greenscare.org. Finally, I want to ask that people consider the partners, wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends and families of those indicted and imprisoned. \Ve are not in this alone, and our families and partners bear an awful burden. EF!f: This Summer, you were accepted into Antioch University McGregor's distance learning masters pro- gram. Can you tell us more about this ? Do you have any other goals or plans for your time in prison? DM: I was accepted into an environmental sociology program at Antioch University that is self-directed and attended a residency in April. I am responsible for recruiting my own instructors and creating syllabi, as well as keeping up with the workload like any student. I am on a leave of absence right now, due to my time in transit. I will be starting the program again in the Winter. The Antioch staff has been really open to work- ing with me and has not hesitated at all, despite the many obstacles that this program represents for me as an incarcerated student. With luck and hard work, it will take me a little more than two years. I am also lucky to have a crew of graduate students on the outside who have helped me tre- mendously with my writing and preparation for a graduate-level program. As for other plans, I am consistently exercising a lot these days and trying to take advantage of the track and many machines they have here. So far, I prefer rowing and a stationary bike, but I in- tend to add weights into the mix soon, too. The Bureau of Prisons makes you work, so I will be starting a job as an orderly tomorrow. Hopefully, that won't stop me from studying too much. I also intend to catch up on a huge reading list ■IS * Mm and correspond with a lot of people that I have not been able to for some time now, due to my sort of frantic schedule on the outside. EF!J: What concerns you? What inspires you? DM: A major concern I have is that the cases that comprise the Green Scare will spread fear and paralyze people from action and organizing. Like Will Potter ("Green Is the New Red") has pointed out, legislation like the Animal Enter- prise Terrorism Act and the federal crime of ter- rorism (which I and most of my co-defendants received) have the potential to create a severe chilling effect on activism. It's difficult, because it's necessary to speak of what happened, but we have to balance that with the paralysis that can set in from too much analysis or worrying. I think that groups like my support crew learned during this ordeal that action is indeed the antidote to despair — that moving, struggling and advocat- ing for our friends' futures and the movement is what we need to do to combat this fear factor. I'm concerned that my case seems too com- plex, and, thus, people will get confused by things like the names of who cooperated or didn't, the names of the charges and will "check out." This does not bode well for a movement that needs to combat amnesia and stop history from repeating itself. Of course, so much of what is happening in our movement and society con- cerns me — ongoing and endless war, seemingly impending war in Iran, the day-to-day ecologi- cal destruction that is seen as normal, activists in our movement facing serious time in prison, the fallacy of white people wanting to build a 700- mile fence on our so-called border, and hearing the word "faggot" and other slurs more times in the last three months than in the last 15 years and that being seen as okay. Lately, I've been inspired by beautiful writ- ing about resistance and emotions. Something about this ordeal has really affected my sensi- bilities, and I find myself crying when I think of solidarity and the support I have received and things like sibling relationships, friends who have passed on this past year or so, and our pros- pects. I'm inspired by brave people — the quiet kind who seek no accolades and who keep at it, day after day, with no end in sight and with no victory assured. I'm inspired by the selflessness of my co-defendant Jonathan — who could have gone to trial and fought his charges further, not having the 30-year mandatory minimum count, but took the plea bargain to save us from spend- ing the rest of our lives in prison. Finally, I am inspired by my wife and partner, Jenny, whose dedication and support I am so appreciative of. EF!J: Is there anything else you want to say to Journal readers and the EF! community? DM: First off, I want to thank anyone who has picked up a pen to write to me or my co- defendants, has donated any money to help us pay for our lawyers, has sent supportive emails and letters, or has hosted benefits. Your support does mean something to me, and 1 will never forget it. I want to say that my co-defendants and I are human — just like you. We make mistakes; indeed, I have made many mistakes, like speaking to an old friend on a wiretap, allowing myself to grow overly cautious in my legal defense and not appreci- ating my wonderful life until so much of my freedom was ripped away. I did what I did — not cooperating — because I honor my word to my allies. There is nothing inherently different in me that influenced that decision. You too are capable of acting with integrity, and I implore people to truly think through the consequences of your actions and work on building deep relationships that are able to withstand the pressures of legal battles that may happen 20 years from now. I erred in allow- ing myself to get desperate and lash out at enti- ties that caused me great frustration. There are other ways of effecting change, although they may not give you the instant gratification that some actions will, nor will your actions be con- sidered the most militant. We need to have serious conversations about whether militantancy is truly effective in all situations. Certainly, direct action is a wonder- ful tool, but from my experience, it may not be the most effective one at all times or in all situa- tions. This opinion will land me in disregard by both the militants (many of whom are hyper- theoretical and, thus, their opinions exist in a sort of vacuum) and my enemies (who accuse me of playing both sides of the story). The truth is that things are more complex than that. In some instances, direct action is the most effective tac- tic. For instance, in 1999, I was involved in an action that destroyed a tremendous amofint of genetically modified (GM) grass and equipment belonging to the company testing it. The risks of the GM grass were verified, and groups even sued to stop it — claiming that the GM grass would inevitably spread to the forests and grass- lands, polluting them with herbicide-resistant or faster-growing GM grass. The action happened in 1999, but it took six years for the courts to rule in the plaintiff's favor, imposing a morato- rium on the growing of GM grass. Actions that are understood by the public and seen as logical can have a positive impact on pre-existing cam- paigns and struggles. On the other hand, I have to admit that I have been involved in some hare-brained actions that I am not proud of, that were fueled by an intense need to "just do something." We need to balance our need to do something about what we see happening with strategy and a healthy under- standing of the risks inherent in these actions. By "actions," I am not just speaking of sabotage but any action on any campaign. These discussions are the sort of articles that need to appear in the pages of the Journal. De- spite the fact that my particular case is over, it's imperative that we discuss tactics and strate- gies in a way that people can actually hear and listen to what each other are saying. Someone once told me that many activists are not into criticizing actions that have been taken by the ELF because they want to support the defendants and that any criticism of the actions may be per- ceived as a diss on the people. I appreciate the sentiment and the consideration, but I think, now that much of the case is over, we should soon start to have these dialogues. I, for one, can take any criticism levied on me regarding actions that I have been involved in. In that way, we can move the conversation forward on how to resist ecological destruction in a serious and principled way, without losing so many of our friends to prison, burnout and despair. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my views with everyone. Feel free to contact me at Daniel McGowan, #63794-053, Unit I, FCI Sandstone, POB 1000, Sandstone, MN 55072. For more information, contact Family and Friends of Daniel McGowan, POB 106, New York, NY 10156; friendsofdanielmcg@yahoo. com; www.supportdaniel.org. January-February 2008 Earth First! Page 25 by Daniel McGowan There has been some discussion in radical circles — especially in the pages of the Earth First! Journal — about whether it is appropriate or accurate to use the term "Green Scare." The argument, as I remem- ber it, is that this backlash against radical environmentalists and ani- mal liberationists is too small or targets a population too narrow to constitute a "Green Scare" (see EF!J January-February 2007). Fur- ther, some argue that by using this term, we alienate potential support- ers and activists from other move- ments (see £F//May-June 2007). I've reflected on this for the last couple of months and also have had the opportunity to discuss the original letter with its author. Ironically, I appear to have been one of the first people to use the term — in a 2000-2001 edition of a newsletter I worked on called "Spirit of Freedom." It's immaterial whether I coined it or not — many people in different places at different times coin phrases or come up with ideas. I used the term to describe what I saw in the Northwest at the time: an in- creasing federal interest in incidents claimed by the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), greater demonization of activ- ists who would not condemn ELF actions or would speak in support of them, many new bills being pro- posed to increase fines and sentences related to ELF and anti-genetic engi- neering actions, and a growth in the wise-use industry with the creation of Stop Eco-Violence — an "astro-turf" organization run by a former public relations hack for Louisiana Pacific logging. Since then, I have only seen more events living up to the term "Green Scare." Arguing against the term, detrac- tors point to the limited number of people who have been arrested or caught up in various legal cases, such as the SHAC 7, Operation Back- fire and the Sacramento ELF pros- ecutions. While we are technically, looking at a number that is clearly not huge, we lose something when we start reducing lives to numbers. Consider that each defendant has a family, friends and is part of a community. The repercussions of these prosecutions extend way be- yond the number of defendants. I have seen this myself, as my family struggles with ways to explain my absence to my three-year-old niece. My case has four individuals whom the FBI considers "fugitives from justice," going so far as to place "Most Wanted" posters for them on the "domestic terrorism" page of its website. How many people are af- fected by their absence and the ha- rassment of the federal government in their attempts to arrest them? The impact of the Green Scare can- not be reduced to numbers. The federal government has strange priorities and is incredibly concerned with the growth of the radical environmental and animal liberation movements. As things get worse in our society and as our demands for ecological sanity and compassion for animals get ignored, many people inevitably lose faith in polite ways of effecting change and choose more radical methods. Knowing this, the government has used high-profile prosecutions like mine and the SHAC 7 case to spread fear, creating a serious chilling ef- fect on our movements. Let's look at some aspects of my case (Operation Backfire) that illus- trate my point: The initial arrests were conducted as part of a multistate operation that arrested seven people, sub- poenaed activists and made a huge media splash about the apprehen- sion of "domestic terrorists." The numbers would eventually grow to 14 arrests, four fugitives and one unindicted tibersnitch named Jacob Ferguson. The case was "cracked" with the creation of a Joint Terrorism Task Force based out of Portland, Oregon, with participants from many agen- cies — including the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Eugene and Portland lo- cal police, and Oregon state police; the US Forest Service and more. An estimated 40 agents have been cited as working on this case. Grand juries investigating this case cast a wide net, essentially serving as a fishing expedition for suspects. No one knows exactly how many people cooperated with them, only that one person — Jeff Hogg — did not and served six months in a crappy county jail for refusing to testify. The prosecution overcharged all of the defendants, not only with absurd numbers of arson counts (such as one count for each vehicle, not each incident) but also with the dreaded 924(c) count: "use of a destructive device." This count has a mandatory 30-year sentence for one count and a mandatory life sentence for two. Who would want to gamble their life on that with a jury? We called this charge the "snitch maker." The cop who ar- rested me said, "924(c)? Yeah, that's what Chris McIntosh was charged with and look, he pleaded to eight years." The implication was that 1 should be smart, cut my losses and start cooperating. The prosecution and media called us "ecoterrorists," "domestic terror- ists" and, when they could get away with it, just plain old "terrorists.” For example, immediately after my arrest, federal agents raiding my New York City apartment told my neighbors that they were investi- gating a "domestic terrorism" situa- tion. In a national press conference about the case in 2006, then-Attor- ney General Alberto Gonzalez said, "Terrorism is terrorism, no matter what the cause." The government argued for a "fed- eral crime of terrorism" enhance- ment for eight of 10 defendants in my case. The legal definition of the enhancement was broad; if the judge thought our behavior was de- signed to coerce government behav- ior, we got it. I received it because one sentence in the communique for an action I was involved in refer- enced the Oregon and Washington legislatures. Many of us got this enhancement even for actions in which private businesses, not gov- ernment agencies, were targeted. Despite not being charged with domestic terrorism, we nonethe- less are now considered terrorists. The linkage of sabotage with ter- rorism in this case is a stunning legal and public relations victory for the government. Wiretaps, suicide, snitches — is this starting to sound like a Green Scare to you? The true effects of the Green Scare may not be felt for some time, but the fear is palpable in the Northwest. There seems to be very little resistance to ecological de- struction in a region that was full of grassroots campaigns against old-growth logging for the past 30 years. On many occasions, I have heard how these cases have freaked people out. "Will I be prosecuted under the Animal Enterprise Ter- rorism Act?" "I've dug up a log- ging road. Will the government paint me as a terrorist?" When people are scared, they get para- lyzed. They wring their hands and theorize about horrible outcomes to their activism. So, we need to look at these prosecutions as more than the government's line of "just catching people who break the law." If we let them scare us into inactivity, then this Green Scare will be successful for the corpora- tions that continue to destroy the planet with impunity. In writing about this topic, I have inevitably focused on Operation Backfire, as it's what I know the most about. To get the full grasp of the Green Scare, you have to look at the other cases: Eric McDavid, who is facing years in prison on a con- spiracy charge orchestrated by a paid agent provocateur; Rod Coronado, who, after serving an eight-month sentence for a hunt sabotage (an unprecedented amount of time), is now fighting a 20-year "destructive device" charge for speaking about an incident he already served time for; the SHAC 7; and Tre Arrow, who is fighting extradition from Canada after having been charged with two ELF actions and who also faces the dreaded 924(c) charges, yet he as- serts his innocence! When discussing the appropriate- ness of the term "Green Scare," maybe we need to really take a step back and have a frank look at the effects of these new laws and prosecutions. While it doesn't compare in scope to the red scares of the 20th century, does that make it any less relevant to us now? If people find the term to be an ex- aggeration, talk to them about the lives affected by the prosecutions, the campaigns disrupted and opportuni- ties lost when we are organizing only around legal defense and not for pro- active campaigns — to end old-growth logging, for instance. If there is a bright spot to all of this, it's that, in its quest to destroy this movement, the government has succeeded in bringing a lot of peo- ple together. For that, I'm grateful. When it comes down to it, whether we use the term "Green Scare" isn't the point — it's that we acknowledge the impact these actions by the government and corporations have had on us and work for solutions to overcome them. Daniel McGowan is serving seven years for his role in ELF arsons at a lumber company and a hybrid poplar farm. For his address, see page 28. Page 26 Earth First! Brigid 2008 SHAC Rolls Onward Average Folks \Nage a Not-So- Average Campaign by Darius Fullmer As I sit down to write this article, news comes that Huntingdon Life Science's (HLS) three larg- est shareholders have all abandoned that noto- rious animal-abusing laboratory (see page 11). That would make them, by my count, the 269th through 271st companies to do so since the be- ginning of the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign. Contemplating these latest in a very long string of victories, I realize that I do not know who is running this campaign any- more. The folks who organized SHAC-USA sit in various federal prisons around the country, while across the Atlantic, their British counterparts sit in theirs. Yet the campaign is still moving forward. The amount of support my co-defendants and I have received from around the wor*d has been truly astounding. But, as we said from the beginning, the most important form of support anyone can give us is to do whatever is in their power to fight for animal liberation. So, 1 am thankful for this latest news — not only for the animals im- prisoned inside HLS who are now one step closer to freedom, but for my co-defendants, knowing that the day that the news of these latest victories finds its way to them will pass that much easier. The SHAC 7 case had nothing to do with crime and punishment. My co-defendants and I were prosecuted as a means to an end — that end being to put a stop to the campaign against HLS. The plan was to prosecute a few of the more public faces of the movement and scare the rest of them into silence — or so they were hoping. It is now becoming clear that the worst fears of the pharmaceutical industry and the govern- ment agencies that do their dirty work are coming true. Could it be that activists have seen through their fear-mongering for the hollow threat that it is? The fact that both aboveground and under- ground actions against HLS and their financial supporters continue tells us this is true. This fact has not been lost on the animal abus- ers. In order to show cause for a recent temporary restraining order filed against activists, they claim: "In May 2004, a federal grand jury indicted SHAC-USA and six of its individual members with 'animal enterprise terrorism,' stalking and conspiracy. On March 2, 2006, after a trial before a jury, these defendants were convicted on all counts. They were sentenced on September 13, 2006, to an aggregate 24 years in prison. However, their incarceration did nothing to prevent other organizations and individuals... from stepping into their shoes and continuing their campaign of harassment and intimidation." What is it that they are so afraid of? Why have the governments of the US and the UK beea so concerned about this particular campaign? Consider this: HLS is currently more than $100 million in debt. When it finally does go under, this will be the first time in history that a social justice movement has brought down a multina- tional corporation. Take a look at the people involved in this cam- paign. We are not the rich, the famous, the privileged or the holders of political power. We are students. We are blue-collar workers. We are average in every way. This terrifies the powers that be. People like us are not supposed to hold sway over corporate decision-making. People like us are not supposed to have a say. Yet, a read through the list of companies that have cut ties with HLS tells us otherwise: Citi (the world's largest financial institution), HSBC (the world's second-largest bank), Marsh (the world's largest insurance broker) and UBS Global Capital (the world's largest private bank). The notion that people like you and I can hold influence over such companies is their fear. . . and our victory. That victory is as real today as it was in May 2004, when federal agents came knocking on my door. The government wasted millions of dollars and countless re- sources to prosecute a handful of public spokespeople for this campaign. We are only six out of many thousands. The struggle has continued and will continue until HLS is closed forever. Darius, one of the SHAC 7, was released from prison on September 29, after serving one year for his role in the SHAC-USA campaign. Folks committed to shutting down Huntingdon Life Sciences THE SHAC ( Uflore a Appealing Ulan SverJ The Fab Four have nothing on the SHAC 7! by Andrea The SHAC 7 — Jacob Conroy, Dar- ius Fullmer, Lauren Gazzola, Joshua Harper, Kevin Kjonaas, Andy Stepa- nian and Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty-USA (SHAC-USA) — were in- dicted on a broad range of federal felonies on March 26, 2004. They were charged with conspiring to violate the Animal Enterprise Pro- tection Act (AEPA), conspiring to commit interstate stalking and con- spiring to use a telecommunications device to harass others. With the odds stacked against them from the beginning — the judge installed an anonymous jury, admitted nearly every piece of evi- dence the prosecution offered, and required only the defendants, their attorneys and supporters to go through a second metal detector placed at the courtroom doors — the SHAC 7 were found guilty of all counts on March 2, 2006. Later, they were given prison sentences ranging from one to six years (see EF!J November-December 2006). They started their sentences in No- vember 2006. Luckily, the story does not end there. Appeals are in the works, and the opening briefs were finally filed this past October. Trying to summarize the arguments in the appellate briefs would consume en- tirely too much space and put the average person to sleep. Suffice it to say the briefs, when combined, exceeded 700 pages and attempted to address the myriad errors the judge made in her rulings, the ex- traneous evidence that should have never come in, the inapplicability of the laws as applied and a full challenge to the constitutionality of the AEPA — not only as applied to these defendants but in general terms as well. The Center for Constitutional Rights, the National Lawyers Guild and the First Amendment Law- yers Association have thrown their weight behind the appeal by fil- ing an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief, arguing why the con- victions should be overturned and addressing the potential ripple effect the SUAC 7 convictions could have on other social justice movements: "The focus of this case is words — primarily, words posted to a website — used in the context of an emotionally charged politi- cal struggle. Appellants now sit in federal penitentiaries for using those words. "If appellants' convictions stand, virtually all Internet-based social justice campaigns are at risk of prosecution. Any social justice cam- paign that identifies an individual or organization as a target of a boy- cott or demonstration will be at risk of criminal sanction if a third per- son takes illegal action against that target. Anti-war website operators could be aiding and abetting a va- riety of crimes by reporting on an anti-war sit-in in a senator's office." Although the appeals are mov- ing forward, the fight is far from over. From here, we await a reply from the government, followed by a reply by the defense. Then, the appeals court will take the case un- der submission and will likely take months to render a decision. This is a big case — it involves thousands of pages of briefs, thousands of ex- hibits (pieces of paper introduced as evidence at trial) and the fact that this is the first time the AEPA has been challenged. All of this means a decision will likely be some time in the making. So, when will we know some- thing? Optimistic bets are Fall 2008. Keep your fingers crossed! January -February 2008 Earth First! Page 27 original photo by Gunter Zint Prisoners in the Struggle Support Them! The following list is a small sample of the total number of political prisoners and prisoner support groups worldwide. Regulations for mail sent to prisoners vary according to individual prisons. Before sending monetary donations, stamps, books or packages, ask prisoners what the regulations are. Assume that the au- thorities read everything you write to a prisoner. When prisoners are awaiting trial or sentencing, it is best not to discuss their cases dr related topics with them. Although some prisoners are listed together, they must be written to separately. The EF! Journal offers discounted subscriptions for prisoners. Please contact us for more information. Prisoner and Legal Updates •Gregg Avery, TA7450, HMP Win- chester, Romney Rd, Winchester, S022 5DF, UK. Awaiting trial for al- leged conspiracy to blackmail people linked to Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). He has been moved to the above address. •Mel Broughton, TN9138, HMP Woodhill, Tattenhoe St, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK4 4DA, UK. In December, Broughton was charged with conspiracy to blackmail and possession of explosives in con- nection with the campaign against Oxford University's primate lab. •Rod Coronado pleaded guilty in December, to telling people how to construct an incendiary device. For more information, visit www. supportrod.org. •Donald Currie, A3660AA, HMP Parkhurst, Clissold Rd, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX, UK. Serving an "indefinite sentence" of at least six years — with no fixed release date or upper limit — for arson against targets linked to the vivisection industry. He has been moved to the above address. •Julia Didrikson, of the UK, was sentenced to five months in Septem- ber, for sending threatening emails to companies linked to HLS. Her address was not available at press time. •Jeffrey "Free" Luers, #1306729, Lane County Adult Corrections, 101 W 5th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401, USA. Awaiting resentencing for an arson at a car dealership and the attempted ar- son of an oil truck. He has been moved to the above address. For more infor- mation, visit www.freefreenow.org. •Josephine Mayo and Suzanne Taylor, who are in prison for actions against the British vivisection indus- try, have asked to be removed from prisoner listings, so they can focus on their studies. •Eric McDavid, X-2972521 4E231A, Sacramento County Main Jail, 651 "I" St, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA. In November, McDavid undertook a two-week hunger strike to protest the jail’s ongoing refusal to provide ad- equate vegan food and medical treat- ment. His sentencing, for conspiracy to destroy the US Forest Service's In- stitute of Forest Genetics, a cell-phone tower and power plants, is scheduled for January 24. For more information, visit www.supporteric.org. •Chris "Dirt" McIntosh, #30512- 013, USP Hazelton, POB 2000, Bruce- ton Mills, WV 26525, USA. McIntosh, who previously requested removal from this list, has asked to be rein- stated. He is serving eight years for a joint Animal Liberation Front (ALF)/ Earth Liberation Front (ELF) arson of a McDonald's. For more information, visit www.supportchris.net. •Deborah Morrison, of the UK, was sentenced to eight months in Novem- ber, for sending threatening letters Page 28 Earth First! Brigid 2008 and emails to companies linked to the vivisection industry. Her address was not available at press time. •Jonathan Paul, #07167-085, FCI Phoenix, 37910 N 45th Ave, Phoenix, A Z 85086, USA. Serving 4.25 years for the ALF/ELF arson of a horse slaugh- terhouse and meat-packing plant. He has been moved to the above address., •Joshua Rosenberg was charged in September, with vandalizing a Texas restaurant that serves foie gras. He is currently free on bail. •Martin Shaw, of the UK, is awaiting trial for attempting to destroy a test crop of genetically modified potatoes in July. He is currently free on bail. •Mark Taylor, who is serving four years for demonstrating outside the offices of companies linked to HLS, has asked to be removed from pris- oner listings. Awaiting Trial or Sentencing •Mumia Abu-Jamal, #AM8335, SCI Greene, 175 Progress Dr, Waynes- burg, PA 15370, USA. Awaiting the results of his May appeals hearing. Abu-Jamal, a politically active jour- nalist, was framed for the murder of a cop in 1981. For more information, visit www.freemumia.org. •Natasha Avery, NR8987, and Heather Nicholson, VM4859, HMP Bronzefield, Woodthorpe Rd, Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 3JZ, UK. Awaiting trial for alleged conspiracy to blackmail people linked to HLS. Avery is also serv- ing 16 months for using abusive words and behavior toward a fox hunter. •Tre Arrow, CS#05850722, Van- couver Island Regional Correction Center, 4216 Wilkinson Rd, Victoria, BC, V8Z 5B2, Canada. Appealing ex- tradition to the US to stand trial for alleged involvement in the arsons of logging trucks and vehicles owned by a sand and gravel company. For more information, visit www.trearrow.org. •Sacramento Delfino Cano Hernan- dez and Oscar Santa Maria Caro, CERESO, Miahuatlan de Porfirio Diaz, Hall B, Cell 5, Oaxaca, Mexico. Await- ing trial on unknown charges stemming from the popular resistance in Oaxaca. Santa Maria is a known member of Re- sistance Against Animal Torture. •Briana Waters' trial for alleged involvement in an ELF arson at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture is scheduled for February 4. For more information, visit www.supportbriana.org. Animal Liberation •Jon Ablewhite, TB4885, John Smith, TB4887, and Kerry Whitburn, TB4886, HMP Lowdham Grange, Lowdham, Nottingham, NG14 7DA, UK. Serving 12 years for conspiracy to blackmail a supplier of guinea pigs for vivisection. •Jacob Conroy, #93501-011, FCI Victorville Medium L POB 5300, Adelanto, CA 92301, USA. Serving four years for conspiracy charges stemming from his work with Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC). For more information, visit www. supportjake.org. •Lauren Gazzola, #93497-011, FCI Danbury, Rte 37, Danbury, CT 06811, USA. Serving 4.5 years for conspiracy charges stemming from her work with SHAC. For more information, visit www.supportlauren.com. •Sarah Gisborne, LT5393, HMP Downview, Sutton Ln, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5PD, UK. Serving 5.5 years for conspiracy to damage vehicles owned by people linked to HLS. •Joshua Harper, #29429-086, FCI Sheridan, POB 5000, Sheridan, OR 97378, USA. Serving three years for conspiracy charges stemming from his work with SHAC! For more infor- mation, visit www.joshharper.org. •Kevin Kjonaas, #93502-011, Unit I, FCI Sandstone, POB 1000, Sandstone, MN 55072, USA. Serving six years for conspiracy charges stemming from his work with SHAC. For more informa- tion, visit www.supportkevin.com. •Andrew Stepanian, #26399-050, FCI Butner Medium II, POB 1500, Butner, NC 27509, USA. Serving three years for conspiracy charges stemming from his work with SHAC. For more information, visit www. andystepanian.com. Ecodefense •Grant Barnes, #137563, San Carlos Correctional Facility, POB 3, Pueblo, CO 81002, USA. Serving 12 years for the ELF arson of SUVs. •Nathan "Exile" Block, #36359-086, FCI Lompoc, 3600 Guard Rd, Lom- poc, CA 93436, USA. Serving nearly eight years for ELF arsons at an SUV dealership and a hybrid poplar farm. •Marco Camenisch, Postfach 3143, CH-8105 Regensdorf, Switzerland. Serving 18 years for using explo- sives to target nuclear facility power lines and for the alleged murder of a Swiss border guard. Camenisch reads French, German, Spanish and Italian fluently, as well as some English. •Ibai Ederra and Julio Villanueva, Carcel de Pamplona, C/San Roque Apdo 250, 31080 Irunez, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. Serving nearly five years for sabotaging machinery at the Itoiz Dam construction site in 1996. •Daniel McGowan, #63794-053, Unit I, FCI Sandstone, POB 1000, Sandstone, MN 55072, USA. Serv- ing seven years for ELF arsons at a lumber company and a hybrid pop- lar farm. For more information, visit www.supportdaniel.org. •Helen Woodson, #03231-045, FMC Carswell, Admin Max Unit, POB 27137, Ft. Worth, TX 76127, USA. Serving nearly nine years for violating her parole by dumping a cup of red paint over the security apparatus of a federal court and making warnings ("threats") of weapons of mass destruction. In 2004, Woodson completed 20 years for disarming a Minuteman II mis- sile silo with a jackhammer, mailing warning letters with bullets inside to officials, and robbing a bank and burning the money. •Joyanna "Sadie" Zacher, #36360- 086, FCI Dublin, Camp Parks, Unit E, 5701 8th St, Dublin, CA 94568, USA. Serving nearly eight years for ELF arsons at an SUV dealership and a hybrid poplar farm. II Silvestre II Silvestre is an Italian eco-anarchist group whose members have been framed for a variety of direct actions. In May, Alessio Perondi and William Frediani were found guilty of terrorist conspiracy and participating in direct action. They are under house arrest pending their ap- peal. Ragusa and five others who are free on bail are awaiting trial for allegedly us- ing explosives to damage power lines. •Costantino Ragusa, Casa Cir- condariale, Via Prati Nuovi 7, 27058 Voghera (PV), Italy. Serving more than two years for an arson at a corporate office and organizing an anti-genetic- engineering protest. Indigenous Resistance •Byron Shane of Chubbuck© Clan, #07909-051, USP Beaumont, POB 26030, Beaumont, Texas, North America. Serving 80 years for aggra- vated assault of federal agenfs, escape and bank robbery. Chubbuck fun- neled money that he stole from banks to the Zapatista National Liberation Army in Mexico. •Leonard Peltier, #89637-132, USP Lewisburg, POB 1000, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA. Peltier, an American In- dian Movement activist, is serving life in prison after being framed for the deaths of two FBI agents killed during the 1975 Pine Ridge siege. For more information, visit www. freepeltier.org. MOVE The MOVE 9, members of an eco- revolutionary group, were framed for the murder of a cop and sentenced to 30 years to 100 years each. For more infor- mation, visit www.onamove.com. •Debbie Sims Africa, #006307, Ja- net Holloway Africa, #006308, and Janine Phillips Africa, #006309, SCI Cambridge Springs, 451 Fullerton Ave, Cambridge Springs, PA 16403, USA. •Michael Davis Africa, #AM4973, and Charles Sims Africa, #AM4975, SCI Graterford, POB 244, Graterford, PA 19426, USA. •Edward Goodman Africa, #AM49 7 4, SCI Mahanoy, 301 Morea Rd, Frack- ville, PA 17931, USA. •William Phillips Africa, #AM4984, and Delbert Orr Africa, #AM4985, SCI Dallas, Follies Rd, Drawer K, Dallas, PA 18612, USA. Political Prisoners •Fran Thompson, #1090915 HU 1C, WERDCC, POB 300, 1101 E Hwy 54, Vandalia, MO 63382-0300, USA. Before receiving a life sentence in the early 1990s for shooting a stalker in self-defense, Thompson was active in animal rights and environmental campaigns. Prisoner Support Groups •Earth Liberation Prisoners Sup- port Network, elp4321@hotmail.com; www. spiritof freedom . org. uk. •National Jericho Movement, POB 1272, New York, NY IOC! 3, USA; www.thejerichomovemgnt.com. •North American Earth Libera- tion Prisoners Support Network, naelpsn@mutualaid.org; www. ecoprisoners.org. .A ^ni i iGi'l *‘,'1*1 cy »,i.n ..i\ announcements rhe RNC Welcoming Committee Wants to Visit You! Winter/Spring 2008 The Republican National Convention RNC) Welcoming Committee is delighted o announce an early-2008 tour of these sto- en lands we call the United States. Between he end of January and the (as-yet-unnamed, )ReNC-like) event we're planning for May Day veekend, we'd like to cover the entire country, egion by region, spreading anti-RNC fervor ind gathering feedback, information and re- ources for next September's anti-RNC protests n St. Paul, Minnesota. The more networking ind exchange we have now, the stronger we'll )e come convention-crashing time! Understanding that most people can't make t out to Minnesota before the convention, we ;ee this tour as an opportunity to bring the Wel- :oming Committee to your hometown, and to rring your thoughts, ideas and voices back to Minnesota. We’re prepared to do everything, tom a basic "What the RNC Will Look Like" presentation, to strategizing and infoswapping sessions, to one-on-one discussions with folks organizing for the protests. Additionally, we'd ove to see the tour stops incorporate workshops ind skillshares — street medic, direct action, con- sensus, you name it— that address the needs and nterests of people in your community. While ve don't expect funds (or lack thereof) at any one stop to be a deal-breaker, we would appre- :iate any help in paying for this thing and in saving up for anticipated costs at the RNC. And, pf course, we'd like somewhere to rest our heads pccasionally along the way! If you'd like us to stop in your city, town- ship or Hooverville, or if you just have ques- tions or concerns, email us at tour@riseup. net. Join our announcements list by emailing rnc08-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. If you just want to stay informed, visit www.nornc.org/ the-tour. Help Defend Our Wild Friends in Indiana! February 1-3 • Southern Indiana Southern Indiana is home to one of the larg- est predator hunts in the country. The Indiana Predator Hunters Association will be sponsoring a three-day coyote and fox hunt on February 1-3. Come to Indiana this Winter and let these sense- less murderers know what you think of them! Residents of Southern Indiana will be fighting to stop the slaughter of hundreds of our furry friends. Join the fight! For more information email hoosierhuntsab@ yahoo.com. 11th Annual National Conference on Organized Resistance March 7-9 • Washington, DC The National Conference of Organized Re- sistance (NCOR) is an annual event that brings together people from all backgrounds for a week- end of learning and discussion of local and inter- national social justice issues through workshops, panel discussions and skillshares. NCOR is held on the main campus of American University, in northwest Washington, DC. For more information, or to request a table or to set up a workshop, email ncor@mutualaid.org. 13th Annual Bay Area Anarchist Bookfair March 22-23 • San Francisco Bound Together Books is hosting the annual Anarchist Bookfair in San Francisco, on March 22-23. It will be held in Golden Gate Park, at the San Francisco County Fair Building (at the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Way). The weekend will feature more than 50 anar- chist publishers and vendors, and will include a spoken- word program. There will be a free bike valet service, a kids/family space, a cafe and no cover charge. A six-foot table for both days costs $ 100. For more information, contact the Anarchist Bookfair Com- mittee, c/o Bound Together Books, 1369 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117; (415) 431-8355. Fossil Fools Day: Worldwide Day of Resistance to the Fossil Fuel Empire April 1 For more than a century, the fossil fuel industry has been fooling with our lives. From extraction to combustion, it has poisoned our air, polluted our water and altered the Earth's climate to the detriment of all life. It is time that we turn the tables and unmask the real fools. There is no doubt that fossil fuels are the primary source of climate change. If there is to be any hope of averting a complete climate meltdown, we must immediately stop burning fossil fuels. Despite melting ice caps, unprec- edented species extinction, droughts and ex- treme weather, it is clear that the governments and corporations of the world will not do this voluntarily. Instead, we must join together in collective action to create a better world. On April 1, join thousands around the world in shutting down the fossil fuel empire. From your local gas pump to international coal ports, communities will be taking direct action to show that we aren't fooling around. Plan an action in your town! ■ Formoreinfo,contactcleancars@globalexchange. org; www.fossilfoolsday.org. S/n , (Jefno/*y of\_ (/o/n'ca < Vfo/ie/y f/ptf/SOO/’J BY THE STOKELY FAMILY We are very sad to note that Earth Firstler Monica Stokely, of Jackson- ville, Florida, died on October 25, in Ferndale, Washington. She was 26. Monica's life followed an extraordi- nary path of passionate service to the environment and those less for- tunate than her. She will be greatly missed by her friends and family. Monica demonstrated her love of animals and the environment in many ways. As early as elemen- tary school, Monica organized the family's recycling program. When she was in middle school, Monica volunteered at a local hu- mane society on weekends. In her adult life, Monica volunteered at Paynes Prairie State Park, the Sara- sota Aquarium and Florida Wildlife Care, rescuing and rehabilitating animals of all types — from turtles to owls to opossums. In Spring 2006, Monica did land- based support with Dine grand- mothers resisting relocation on Black Mesa in northern Arizona. Later that year, Monica attended the Earth First! Round River Ren- dezvous in Virginia, with her dog, Barney. Monica shared her Poi fire dancing one night with the group, with the flames from her poi making exciting forms in the dark. Monica's commitment to re- cycling was demonstrated during this event as well, as she organized much of the camp's recyclable trash. The week ended with a pro- test of one of the large coal plants in the area, of which Monica was an integral part. Monica spent December 2006, in New Orleans, where she helped gut some of the homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. She also shared sewing craft projects with some of the kids there. Monica loved being in the natu- ral world and traveled throughout wilderness areas in North America. She hiked both the Appalachian and Pacific Coast trails, and enjoyed camping in many of our beautiful state parks. Monica's family has set up a memo- rial website at www.monicastokely. com, with pictures and links to some of the causes that Monica was most passionate about. In memory of Monica, contribu- tions may be made to the Univer- sity of Florida Foundation, Inc., with a memo that they be used for the Monica Stokely Memorial Schol- arship, and mailed to the Florida Fund, Attention: Melissa Tyrone, POB 14425, Gainesville, FL 32604. Monica Stokely January-February 2008 Earth First! Page 29 01 the Dele" 4 * Uisit www.eapfhfirstjournal.Qrg«(3ior.aer.’' I Email printing t a n eco-friendly screen printing company O (jjj Organic Cotton Tees Organic Cotton Girly Shirts (53 Organic Cotton Tote Bags (53 Organic Gotten Baby Apparel www.evi 1 twinjrrinting.com (971) 645-7814 7 spent a year in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at an outdoor school. It was not a survival school, because I died. I died to my old way of thinking. I died to being egocentric. I died to the pursuit oj the civilized lifeway. "I became alive to many other things— became alive to the Circle, I became alive to the native lifeway. / became alive to the connectedness oj all things. I became alive to trusting, ■ being and the now. “My heart is fill. I have much to share, more than words can say. ” -Coyote Three Feathers a.k.a. John Herron (Wilderness Guide Program 2004-2005) Could a year in the wilderness do this for you too? www. teach ingdrum.org 715 - 546-2944 FLAMING ARROWS writings by Rod Cornonado <*r 1 1# all money goes to Rod j tiaminganows.mountaimebeS.net \ donate a subscription to ■a-nr.isoner.!. Many of our most dedicated readers make only 35C 53. e I ^3: 3 fc ■§ -3 *° *38 >- ^ 3 -*> *3 3 ”3 3S § £ £.§ s'* 3 U "3 ■*- £* 3 3 e S3. v-j v> 3 ^ i s ^ aJ -C c o _o 3 3 £ The Radical Environmental Journal Jl Reintroducing... the Earth First! Primer! / :r In the Summer of 1999, 1 encoun- tered my first piece of Earth First! propaganda. I was already commit- ted to doing my part to halt the de- struction of this Earth, but I didn't know how to go about that or where to plug in. I'd gone door to door with Clean Water Action and helped out in other campaigns spearheaded by nonprof- its, but none of that felt right. None of that felt like enough. Then, I stumbled across this Earth First! propaganda. I knew immediately that Earth First! was what I'd been searching for. It wasn't that somebody new came along and turned me on to this; I was simply exposed to these new, inspiring words. These words en- couraged me to find my local Earth First! group and become involved with it. If there wasn't a group in my area, it was suggested that I start one. Well, I did! That first group didn't last more than a month or so, but when I re- turned to my home city in the Fall, I tried again. This one took off. The DC Area Earth First! Collective was active for a good while. I'm really proud of what we accomplished, and I'm still friends with many of the people I threw down with back then. Since I've been working at the Earth First! Journal, I've found that first is- sue of the Journal that I remember reading. I was surprised to discover that it didn't include any language encouraging me to find or start an EF! group. I'd always assumed that it was the Journal that was that first piece of propaganda I had found. Now, I was left wondering where that stark encouragement had come from. It wasn't until we started reworking the primer that I discovered that that was what had gotten it all going for me. Someone must have given me a copy of the 1998 primer. It was essentially a lodestone, showing me the way to enact what I hadn't quite developed words for. This is more or less the purpose of the primer in the first place.; The primer — possibly more than the Journal — is the essential tabling item. It explains to newcomers what Earth First! is, what we do, and why and how we do it. It spells out how to take those jiim- bled sentiments and urges, and craft them into finely honed tools to defend the Earth (and have fun while doing it!). For this printing of the primer, we've assembled what we feel are the most powerful elements of primers that have been printed in the past, and we brought our ideas before other EF!ers at the Organizers' Conference. Hopefully, this will allow each of us to get the most out of this crucially important organizing tool. The primer clearly illustrates the urgency of the Earth's situa- tion and what we can do about it. Forming an Earth First! group, do- ing direct actions and connecting with others who are doing similar work are all accessibly addressed. For this latest primer, we've also put in a section about the respon- sibility each of us has in challeng- ing oppression in our groups and our movement. So, check out the new primer in the center of this issue. We have thousands more available at the Journal. They will also be available in Spanish. We encourage you to table with them, give them out at actions or gatherings, and spread them far and wide. Let us know how many you want, and we will be super happy to send you lots of bundles. We only ask that you cover the postage costs. I hope this new Earth First! primer inspires you to get out there and take action in defense of the Earth! — Donny TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES 1 Lakota Freedom Delegation Declares Withdrawal From All US Treaties 1 Stlmptown EF! Brings Christmas Cheer to NW Natural 3 War on the Coast Resistance to Development in British Columbia 6 San Pedro Wild Public Disrupts Meeting on I- 10 Bypass 7 US Gives Up on the Jaguar 7 EF! Anti-Coal Carolers Disrupt Charlottesville Bank of America 8 The System Is Still a House of Cards A Revised Strategy From Root Force 9 The Place Is Called Wahallich A Mountain Is Not a Mine 10 Radically Safe Sexual Safety Within Our Movements 12 April 1st Guide to Fossil Fooleries 12 No War, No Warming: Round Two 15 Earth First! Primer 19 Buffalo Field Campaign Connections to Global Injustice 20 Rotting Plywood and Clandestine Blockades Why We Do What We Must 21 Annoying Banks and HLS The Case of Dylan Barr 25 Mike Edge Remembered 25 Making Nature Poetry "Cool" Again Earth Shattering: Ecopoems Review 26 Hymns for a Caged Friend Free Jeff Luers, Free the World Review 26 Marx, Murder and Madness Making a Killing Review 27 Symbols of Rage Flying Close to the Sun Review 28 A Look at Mountaintop Removal Coal River Review A jaguar prowls the San Pedro River Valley. SECTIONS 2 Editorial * 4 Dear SFB: Letters to the Editors 1 1 Bare Bones 14 Frontlines 23 Wolves & Poodles 24 Armed With Visions 28 Announcements 29 Prisoners in the Struggle 30 EF! Directory Earth First! Eostar March 1, 2008 Vol. 28, No. 3 Earth First! is published by an edito- rial collective from within the Earth First! movement. Entire contents are copyrighted 2008. Please contact us for permission to reprint articles. Art, photographs and poetry are copy- righted by individual artists, and per- mission for use must be received from them directly. Earth First! is a forum for the no- compromise environmental move- ment. Responsibility rests with the individual authors and correspon- dents. The contents do not neces- sarily represent the viewpoint of this magazine, the Earth First! movement, local Earth First! groups or individual Earth First!ers. We welcome submissions of ar- ticles, letters, poetry and art that put the Earth first, aid in healthy debate shaping the growth of the movement and advance the creation of a world free of speciesism, classism, racism, sexism, violence, exploitation and oppression. Submission deadlines are the tenth of every odd-numbered month in the calendar year. Articles should be typed or clearly printed. We encour- age submissions via email. Art or photographs are desirable to illustrate articles and essays. Send a SASE if you would like submissions returned. If you want confirmation of receipt of a submission, please request it. All submissions are edited for length and clarity. If an article is significantly edited, we will make a reasonable ef- fort to contact the author prior to publication. Note that the Canadian cover price has changed to reflect currency fluctuations. ISSN 1055-8411 Earth First! is in- dexed in the Alternative Press Index. Earth Firsi! is recorded on microfilm by ProQuest, Inc. Please direct all correspondence to: Earth First! PO Box 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702 (520) 620-6900 collective@earthfirstjournal.org www.earthfirstjoumal.org Editorial Collective: Donny, Joanna, Josh, Sophia, xTIM COMPOSTx Poetry Editor Dennis Fritzinger Volunteers: Andrew, Burdock, Buttercup, Gabe, Lenny, Magpie, Micah, Nell, Ol' Two Eye, Oskar, Rachella, Read Between the Bars, Rebecca, trouble! Front Cover Vaughn Barker Back Cover Alberto Cesar Araujo Earth First! (ISSN 1055-8411) March-April 2008, Volume 28, Issue 3, Is published bimonthly by Daily Planet Publishing, 3280 E Hemisphere Lp, Ste 180, TUcson, AZ 85706. US Subscriptions are $25. Outside the US, subscriptions are $40 to Mexico and Canada, and $50 everywhere else. Send subscriptions to PO Box 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702. Periodicals Postage Paid at Tucson, Arizona. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Earth First!, PO Box 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702-3023. 4$ Page 2 Earth First I Eostar 2008 Resistance to Development in British Columbia by The Three Banditos Spaet Mountain is located 12 miles north of Victoria on Vancouver Is- land, British Columbia, Canada, in traditional Lekwungen (Songhees/ Esquimalt) indigenous territory. Long before Victoria existed, Coast Salish people (of which the Lekwun- gen are considered a part) regarded Spaet Mountain and other sites in the area as sacred. In 2001, the Bear Mountain Corporation bought title to the land from the Tsartlip Band Council (the "official" government of one of the many Coast Salish bands in the area). The Bear Mountain region is a part of the current development boom happening all around British Columbia that is associated with a thriving economy and the upcom- ing Olympics in 2010 (see EF!J July- August 2007). The whole area seems to be following the typical white settler mentality of "Earth first, and we will pave .the rest later." Bear Mountain Resorts has already be- gun building its massive complex, which includes a golf course, spa, restaurants, businesses, condos and mansions for the super rich. In 2005, Bear Mountain Resort pre- sold $140 million worth of condos in one day and expects to sell $1.8 billion in real estate in the next 10 years. The chief investors are a mix of current and former professional hockey players — a truly Canadian situation. * In November 2006, Songhees ac- tivist Cheryl Bryce discovered the partial destruction of Spaet Cave on Bear Mountain. In order to protect the site, meetings were held with developers, and the option of gov- ernment protection was explored. Unsurprisingly, these talks led nowhere. The government stood firmly behind the Bear Mountain Corporation. Len Barrie — the pri- mary investor in and CEO of the Bear Mountain Corporation, as well as former hockey player and uber-rich asshole — stated in a press conference that: first, no cave ex- ists; second, if the cave did exist, it would be turned into a tourist attraction and the water pumped out for the golf course; and third, on his property, he will blow up or bulldoze whatever he likes. In order to stop developers from further destroying the cave, Song- hees and Tsartlip members organized a predawn blockade on November 16, 2006, stopping work around the cave for several days. The next day, the Bear Mountain Corpora- tion served $1 -million lawsuits to Songhees and Tsartlip members. It then initiated injunctions to autho- rize the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to arrest protesters and to ban Cheryl Bryce from set- ting foot on the mountain. Eventually, negotiations began between representatives of the local band councils, the Canadian govern- ment and the developers. However, many in the indigenous communi- ties did not even know they were taking place. By December 1, it was clear that the band council chiefs had sold out. In exchange for ap- proximately $8 million toward infrastructure, involvement in a potential casino and a "sacred site display" in the residential area of the development, they agreed to forego all future claims and aban- don Spaet Cave. As a final act of disrespect, the Bear Mountain Cor- poration pumped the water out of the sacred cave and filled it with old tires and tree stumps from the now- destroyed surroundings. Cultural Importance As well as being on Lekwun- gen territory, the proposed Spen- cer Road interchange — the current site of a treesit — directly affects the watershed used by the Tsartlip Nation. Near the path of the inter- change is a large, vibrant Garry oak ecosystem, with a bountiful supply of common and great camas. The highly poisonous death camas has been systematically removed by the Lekwungen to avoid accidental poi- soning. On Vancouver Island, camas is limited to the southern tip. It is the symbol for a land that was once strong but is now a suburban waste- land of yuppie condos — a land that will die if hockey players and devel- opers have their way. Down the hill from the Garry oaks is a land of cedars, and it is easy enough to spot many culturally modified trees (trees that have either had planks or bark strips removed from them in traditional Coast Salish fashion). With the death of the ce- dars comes the death of traditional clothing, canoe making, basketry, housing and much more. Another issue that has been brought to the forefront in this struggle is Langford Lake Cave. Sev- eral Lekwungen elders have stepped forward and stated that this cave was traditionally used by their fami- lies, only to be ignored. But it is not only cultural significance that this cave contains. It is part of a large karst (limestone) system that cleans and drains water into the Gold- stream River watershed, now one of the few salmon runs in the Victo- ria area. Without clean, cool water flowing into the Goldstream River, salmon die, indigenous spirit dies and forests die of starvation from not receiving the salmon carcasses that once fed them. Recent Situation and Struggle The first platform of the Spencer Road treesit was set up in April 2007, which was well before work on the interchange was slated to begin. Citing safety concerns, workers from the city of Langford attempted to seal off access to the cave on May 31. Camp members successfully stopped the work crew from enter- ing the forest, and shortly thereaf- ter, a tripod was erected above the entrance to the cave. Over the Summer, the number of campers and visitors fluctuated anywhere from three to 25 people. The Summer and early Fall were very quiet at the sit. There were semiregular visits by the Langford Municipal Bylaw officers, who were coming by to make their presence known and to collect information for the RCMR In November, the city of Langford announced that construction would commence on the interchange on December 7, but the date was later changed to December 1. Then, camp members hoisted three new plat- forms into the trees. Near the en- trance of the woods, a large tipi was erected to provide shelter to ground crew and visitors. Everything was well-prepared for December 1: All platforms were stocked and occu- pied, and someone was prepared to enter the cave and lock down. Noth- ing happened that day, but things started picking up by mid-December, with daily unfriendly visits from law officers and the RCMP, who were at- tempting to collect information for a court injunction. Over the holiday season, the sit saw a lot of action, including two public rallies held in Lang- ford. There were several occasions where campers forced surveyor teams to leave. Most of the stakes and ribbons that surveyors placed have since been removed from the forest. Due to the increase in unfriendly visits and constant ha- rassment by law enforcement, a barricade was constructed at the entrance to the forest. Logs and stones were removed from the forest and placed at the entrance, and a trench the width of the road was dug. Shortly after the barri- cade was erected, the RCMP came and almost drove into the trench. Campers started heading back into the forest with the police pursuing them. A spotlight was turned on and temporarily blinded the po- lice, who eventually gave up due to the "dangerous" terrain and their inability to see. One ground- crew member was detained, but no one was arrested. On December 15, the Bear Moun- tain Corporation office in Lang- ford was "festively decorated" by unknown people. A communique stated that the vandalism was in solidarity with the treesitters, but "even more so, [it was] in solidarity with all those resisting ecological destruction [and] resisting the con- tinued colonization of Coast Sal- ish territories and all the indigenous territories across Turtle Island." In the new year, things have slowed down a bit, but we are expecting them to pick up again relatively soon. We are still in need of help and support. We especially -s need people to commit to stay for longer periods of time, and we can al- ways use more rope, cable and climbing equipment. Solidarity actions are en- couraged; these kinds of developments are hap- pening everywhere. Those living under the colonial oppression of the Canadian and British Columbian governments are finding more and more that the genocidal, ecocidal tendencies of these entities are leading to golf courses, ski resorts and weekend getaways for the rich. In Sutikalh, the St'at'imc are fighting the Sun Peaks Corporation. So, too, are the Secwepemc in Skwelkwek'welt. Warriors of many nations are fight- ing the 2010 Olympics. In Jordan River, in the Comox Valley, the Earth is under attack. There is a war on the coast, and it is only just beginning. For more information, visit www. firstnations.de; www.treesit.blogspot. com; www.spencerspond.ca. The Three Banditos are locals who have been involved with the treesit since its early days. Bear Mountain treesit site March-April 2008 Earth First! Page 3 Dean Skit lex %kcUH&... Dear People, A few months ago, you ran a piece about how it was that Morris Dees and the South- ern Poverty Law Center had become a center-right ap- pendage of the government, even enthusiastically labeling and chasing "ecoterrorists" along with the worst money- grubbing Nazis out there (see EF'.J July-August 2007). (Huh?!?) I was over this. A while ago, Dees was working intensively on domestic ter- rorism — specifically against blacks. They made some fed- eral friends doing the same things. He wanted to grow and have more influence; they wanted more legitimacy with those liberals out there, rapidly swinging right right right off the edge of the world and into the abyss. This is how Dees got the money. He applies for the grant. They say, "Hey Morris, could you spread some lies about Waco, Texas, for us?" "Sure," says Dees and gets his $30 million. Other greedy, mealy- mouthed liberals have done the same thing, too. Alex Jones, yuppie hero that he is, was jest bitchin' and a-railin' about how those durned an- archists occupied a building and lived in it (the honor)! Be- fore the World Trade Organi- zation protests, you shoulda heard the yuppie pigs, the Democrats and the unions whining about that one (oh, the horror!). Our poor, seam- what it is like to be raised and to live as a woman in this soci- ety, and honestly, it is not my responsibility to "help" you understand. I suggest read- ing Egalia's Daughters: A Sat- ire on the Sexes. Petronius's experience, although it may seem ridiculous as you read it, is very much what it is like. And secondly, the correla- tion with how women and the environment are treated within mainstream indus- trial society are one and the same. The Earth is seen as something that provides for us, to be "used," "tamed," "controlled" and "raped," as are women. We will not win the fight to save species and environments without de- feating the system that op- presses women, indigenous communities, people of color and, yes, you too. Anonymous, I am sorry that you feel so threatened by feminism and women's de- sire to have equal power, live without fear and be powerful agents of change within the Earth First! movement. I wish you well with that. Keep lovin', keep fightin’. Your ecofeminist editor of last issue, — Felicia Fox Dear Shit fer Brains, Hi ya "wild earth".org oxymoron toxic waste bag techno-fascist liars!! Take me off your mailing list, if I'm on it. Sincerely, In the article, I suggest a political tactic — a necessary one, if we're to progress to any large-scale effectiveness. If you come upon a bulldozer bear- ing down on an old-growth forest, would not the most effective tactic be to take over the driver's seat ? Then, to turn the machine around and drive it over the cliff? Isn't that wh'at multination- al corporations have done with the people’s government? The repressive terrorist law can be changed. We can pro- mote ecological sanity. I urge EFiers to jump onto your lo- cal political system and mon- keywrench it with green ideas and fresh, wild activists! Again from Daniel: "In this way, we can move the con- versation forward on how to resist ecological destruction in a serious way without los- ing our friends to prison." — Harry Helmet III To Whom It May Concern, Should mountain climbing be banned, not only because of the danger to human life cooe.m o o O ° 1 0 o o O in exploring how to take it down, asks how we can find and exploit bottlenecks and fulcrums (leverage points). For me, the answers to these questions are neither obvious nor easy to come up with. Nonetheless, it is essen- tial that we find the answers, for therein lies our way out of the malignancy in which we're embedded. It doesn't necessarily take huge numbers of people — occasionally one or a few can hit a sweet spot in effec- tiveness and trigger a major change or a mass movement. Very nourishing, all of it. Thank you for putting it out there! — Arden Buck Dear Shit fer Brains, While I value the origins of Greenpeace and the inten- tions of many of its founders, I found the article in the Brig- id edition for the Journal hard the petty squabbles put aside to benefit the whales, for instance? The problem is, in my opinion, that Sea Shepherd had the potential to disrupt Greenpeace's media spectacle of painting the side of whal- ing boats with slogans and such. (Of course, these photos of the whales, whaling boats and Greenpeace's zodiacs are all so integral to Greenpeace's fundraising, which seems to be the main unspoken reason for noncooperation.) Second, Greenpeace has either remained silent or made horrible comments to the media regarding Op- eration Backfire indictments. Executive Director John Pascantando, in particular, made it clear that our actions were abhorred by his group. (The quotes are in a 2005 CounterPunch article by Mi- chael Donnelly — eas- ily searchable online.) 1 can understand if Greenpeace has tacti- cal differences of opin- ion — that's fine. But to add fuel to the fire by admonish- ing our choice of tactics and attempting to pretend that most of my co-defendants and I [don't] have long his- tories in the abovegTound environmental movement is offensive. Greenpeace should be silent or spin the ques- tions back on the issues if it can’t express solidarity with other activists. That said, I hope peo- ple lend their support to Sea Shepherd's campaigns. Greenpeace crew members: You can always leak the coor- dinates of the Japanese whal- ing fleet this year! — Daniel McGowan Ona MOVE! My revolutionary best to all at Earth First! and to all who struggle for freedom and jus- tice everywhere and for all life\ In solidarity, and on all levels, we must see to what we can less, perfect, fascist, yuppie delusion of perfection has been shattered, and reality threatens once again. Fuck Morris Dees, fuck lib- erals, fuck Democrats and fuck yuppies. I am a-gonna get old and wear out, but I will always be an anarcho- socialist, because the alterna- tive is always so much worse. — David G. Pearson Dear SFB, If the movement is to gain real traction, we must stop bickering and do things that experienced activists like Allapattah and Daniel Mc- Gowan tell us. I think of old-' timers as tribal elders. From Daniel’s article, I (especially during the Winter months), but also because of the fact that the mountain is being defaced? Sincerely, — Robert Dawson Hello Good People, I found lots of food for thought in your Brigid issue, especially the articles by Al- to believe (see EF!J January- February 2008). The author seems to call into question the criticism of Greenpeace as corporate and not radical by the liberal use of "scare quotes." That criticism is well-founded and deserved, from Greenpeace’s direct mail campaigns to its reputation of playing poorly with any do to bring about the com- plete elimination of this rotten reform world system for the good of all life ! To all engaged in the work for life/freedom/ justice, thank you! Now all take care and stay strong! En- joy life! Ona MOVE! In solidarity, — Phil Africa Fuck them. — Lyle Courtsal Amerikkka: fascist authori- tarian culture masquerading as democracy. (Something's missing: freedom.) Dear SFB, This is in response to the letter by "anonymous" in your most recent issue where- in he (and yes, 1 am assum- ing you are a "he" by your expressed views) wrote, "I'm concerned... about the re- cent trend toward feminist editors.... Exclude men and you'll lose strength" (see EF!J January-February 2008). First off , if you had done your research into feminist theory, you would be well-aware that feminism isn't about exclud- ing men. It's about sharing equal power with men. As a person socialized as a man with ingrained male privilege, you most likely have no idea quote, "We must think of long-term actions that pro- mote ecological sanity in soci- ety." And from Allapattah: "It may involve some less thrill- ing 'paper wrenching"' (see EF!J January-February 2008). It seems as though Daniel and Allapattah had the same dream. A famous person once said, "You will never achieve your goal until you actually see it." Allapattah visualized many important goals for the movement, such as: rewild the continent, avert species ex- tinction, defend the wild and oppose industrial expansion. A few months ago, I submit- ted an article for publication in the EF!J suggesting the use of politics! For many EFiers, get- ting involved in "the system" makes them cringe, but again I quote Daniel: "There are other ways of effecting change, al- though they may not give you the instant gratification." lapattah and Atlatl. In each case, we were given a cogent analysis of our situation, fol- lowed by thoughts as to how we might respond and what kind of actions need to be tak- en. Their conclusions follow closely those of Derrick Jen- sen's in Endgame: that working on symptomatic manifesta- tions of the problem, an issue at a time, won't cut it. We also need to get at the root cause of the pathology that is destroy- ing our Earth. For Allapattah, it involves blocking the expansion of globalized infrastructure, and he offers some unusual thoughts on this (e.g., paper- wrenching). Atlatl identifies the developing global eco- nomic system as the root cause, and the question he poses can lead to insight as to how to disable it. Jensen identifies the problem more grandly as "civilization" and, grassroots organization to its recent media stunts in the Antarctic. I don't doubt the Journal receives lots of emails about Greenpeace's media stunts — I just don't see how these four rewritten press re- leases represent a "return to its direct-action roots." In particular, there are two specific situations I find trou- bling about Greenpeace these past couple of years. First is its refusal to coordinate any as- pects of the campaign to shut down Japanese whaling in the arctic with Sea Shepherd. While Greenpeace dined on whale meat last year (not a joke!) and responded to the Nisshin Maru’s distress call, it wouldn't, however, share the coordinates of the Japanese whaling fleet. I understand the relationship between Captain Paul and Greenpeace is long, bitter and compli- cated, but at what point are Dear Shit fer Brains, I think somebody needs to call the wahmbulance for Daniel McGowan, griping about the hardships of his newfound status as a "po- litical prisoner." He ought to start by taking a good look around at the other prison- ers who surround him "1,200 miles away from home," just to see how damned lucky he is to have the kind of sup- port that many people would dream of — some inmates get no mail, have no visits. In fact, some are continents away from home. More importantly, take a moment to look back at his- tory: Only 25-30 years ago, radicals were being sentenced to life (or so many decades that it was essentially so) for actions not that far off from what we've done. Now, look back 100 or 1,000 years and Page 4 Earth First! Eostar 2008 consider the price our fore- bears paid for their resistance, and you'll see they paid with their lives — either by execution or death on the battlefield. Seven years? Yeah, it's a drag to go to prison, but that is the price some will have to pay as a result of the weakness and treachery of others. I, for one, only have to remember what my situation was six or eight months ago: locked down 22 hours every day, only an hour outside each week where I couldn't even see the sky without a cage above me, in order to count my blessings to be in a place that is somewhat tolerable. I have coffee and chamomile tea, for fucksake. My ancestors would've been chained to the wall at New- gate Prison with rats crawling all over them! The loss of freedom is in- deed a small price to pay for the liberation and utter joy I've experienced in my life — most will never live a frac- tion of it. Eighteen months ago, the enemy told me that I'd be spending my life in prison — 35 to life, or life plus 1,000 years. I want to remind folks of that fact in light of the seven years, eight months I am now' serving. 'Tis a far better life to pay with a few extra (eight or 33) months in captivity than to sacrifice one's honor — something that may never be regained. No apologies in defense of Mother Earth. — Sadie Dear SFB, Please cancel ray tree pris- oner subscription to the EF! Journal, as I have been find- ing it to be cruel and unusual punishment lately. Whatever happened to biooentrism? Not only do I not give a shit about feminism, fags or tran- nies, but I'm fed up with seeing Daniel McGowan's self- aggrandizing liberal diatribes in every issue. Last I checked, your support page for prison- ers had 41 of us listed — yet besides the occasional letter or article by a few of the other high-profile men, Daniel is disproportionately represent- ed in your pages. I have no further desire to contribute beyond this last letter, after the Journal wanted to edit the joint statement written by my husband [Nathan "Exile" Block] and I — and when it was published, it was littered with mistakes (see EF!f September 1 October 2007). In county jail, I was glad to read the Journal again, after not seeing it for a while — mostly invigorated by. the international news and action reports? But lately, every time I've received it, it has only served to ruin the rest of my day — and I really have a lot better things to read and think about rather than stewing over how my actions are represented in your pages. I am not an "ac- tivist." I don't think I ever was. Arsonist, yes — even ter- rorist. I can embrace those terms, though I prefer the proper spelling of "terra-ist." I took these actions, putting my life and freedom at risk, but that is a measly sacrifice compared to the lives of all the nonhuman beings who are being destroyed at at least the same rate as they were in 2001. There seems to be far too much emphasis on the A1 Gore-level hype on "glob- al climate change" and not enough on biocentrism and direct action: the belief that any authority that mediates or controls your life counter to your will is an illegitimate authority, and the best way to deal with that is to oppose, re- sist and actively fight against that authority. Arson did not cease to be a viable tactic after the last one I participated in — or af- ter I was arrested and impris- oned, for that matter. More shit should burn, and there are enough targets out there, with more being built every day. Arson is not "wrong." The arsons I was involved in were not wrong or based on "faulty research" or ideol- ogy, and those who condemn such actions align themselves on the side counter to libera- tion, ultimately champion- ing "reason" as a remedy. One note on Romania, the most oft-dissed action relat- ed to "Operations Backfire": I have no one to answer to for that besides Free and my own conscience. Period. In particular, people (former comrades included) can blab all the day long about what is "right" and "wrong" for the "movement" — but there is no movement, only flame. It is deeply disappointing to see my co-defendants speaking from a position of weakness, now that they are living in a cage. I find it just as pathetic to see my co-defendant dis- avowing arson, whining and apologizing, as it was to see others lying about sex abuse to get lighter sentences and sym- pathy from feminists within the- environmental commu- nity. Each and every day is a battle to overcome the con- straints that society and civili- zation try to bind us with, and of course, in prison, the struc- tures are only more acute. There seems to also be a prevailing attitude that de- fendants should do whatever they can to get a lighter sen- tence — whether that means informing on others, apolo- gizing or crying to the judge, with the Santa Cruz 2 often quoted as predecessors (used as examples by both Mc- Gowan and Darren Thurston, ironically.) Look more closely at this now, and it reeks of a materialist outlook — the idea that it's OK to fuck over any and all, as long as you come out on top or, in this case, with the least amount of time. Whatever happened to integrity? To meaning what you say or do, and standing by it — no matter how many years have passed, no matter what the consequences may be? I could never have foreseen that all those I had known (or thought I had known) as badasses, would turn out to be weaklings and traitors — all the more absurd in light of how transparent the enemy truly is. Yes, county jail and prison suck, but those of us who were forced to remain in captivity were not tortured or deprived of much beyond vegetarian meals — a far cry from the tales of hot lights, starvation and waterboarding that abound these days. I am where I am today, in- deed who I am today, because of what I ’believe in. I carry on the torch of my forebears who fought for millennia against tyranny and civiliza- tion. The enemy may cage my body for a few years, but my spirit and resolve to battle the very essence of all that destroys the Earth and its living beings will live on eternally. Like the little match girl of Hans Christian An- dersen's fable, only in the flames was I able to glimpse the visage of my ances- tors beckoning to me — the green fire tangible as the hated symbols exploded in destructive rapture, trans- formed finally into some- thing beautiful to behold. No apologies in defense of the wild! — Sadie (alias Joyanna Zacher) Dear SFB, No Josh, it does not "sound good" at all (see £F7/ January - February 2008). Earth First! is an environmental group, not a support group. We come together to focus on threats to wilderness, biodiversity, roadless areas, forests, deserts, oceans, global climate, etc., not gender issues. Yes, gender issues are important, and I’m glad people fight gender dis- crimination. However, that is not why we are involved with Earth First!. We are here to put the Earth first, not our gender, not ourselves, but the Earth... first. The planet needs our help now, however we choose to identify ourselves. So, wel- come to EF!, gender benders! Now, let's get to work! — Jim Flynn Dear SFB, Yes, thank you, Josh; well- written editorial last issue. I was enraged when I read Mi- chael Donnelly's assessment of EF!. Why do people think that an effort to deepen and widen our understanding of liberation and oppression suddenly means that we're "more concerned" about one fucked-up aspect of our soci- ety (gender oppression) over another (Earth oppression). To me, the more we under- stand the faces of oppression, the better equipped we are at liberating our Earth. It's a false division that the needs of the Earth are different and more important than the needs of people. Biocentrism actually means that our view of how the Earth should be treated parallels how humans should be treated, because humans are not separate from nature. Keeping us feeling safe and dignified is just as important as the "natural world" or eco- defense, as Donnelly calls it. He's hardly embraced the depth of biocentrism or un- derstood that we're fighting for a balanced ecosystem, not one that is dominated by hu- mans — or particular kinds of humans (in this case, gender- conforming;. There is an im- portant connection between the way society treats mar- ginalized people and the way it treats the Earth. The more Earth First! ex- plores that and understands how that connection works the stronger we'll be. Our movement will not be revolu- tionary if we refuse to look at ourselves and root out the in- ternalized racism, sexism and homophobia that we have all been exposed to. Not looking at how people-on-people op- pression affects our behavior and organizing keeps us from broadening our movement, our impact, our sustainability and our credibility. Fighting against oppression against people is biocentrism; it's just looking at another piece of the interconnected and beautiful whole that is .our Earth. As Judi Bari said, "It's about time for the ecol- ogy movement (and I'm not just talking about Earth First! here) to stop considering it- self as separate from the social justice movement. The same power that manifests itself as resource extraction in the countryside manifests itself as racism, classism and hu- man exploitation in the city. The ecology movement must recognize that we are just one front in a long, proud, his- tory of resistance." Let's con- tinue the work that Judi Bari started, and keep fighting! — ROCKDOVE tettena to* t6e ecUtow: 300 cwuU, | e choice 4es4 ia some ni«iVv4 W\are* [®* dovOA eti^ire. Pi>res+. i f _ 1 -1 ■ — Jr- <««- \ »“• oC e, “ Wal !>** 3 v/ert every 1 yoWics. aJveeNCe b »» K T W* \ \ "HiC+ure : We co 4 down &oy. oP fWe. fofesj- +vrn +V»e f«s4 in +o +ra. Is 9or *rr- foad VeV\ic.\e$. [(g); We cv 4 down +Ue enlife P®res+ 3nd vie 4We proceeds + o buy hvmMers. / So, wks4 are you vjf, 4e in? \ & Sure. Do you Know/ • s ii a felony j? orjvs-t 3 misdemeanor? / March-April 2008 Earth First! Page S San Pedro WSHoQg public disrupts A lion attends the 1-10 meeting to say, "No!" by Elegant Trogon S outhern Arizona is a land of transitions- just past the westernmost edge of the great American prairie, the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains and the northern edge of the Sierra Madre. Here in the subtropics, species from both temperate and tropical regions mingle. South and east of Tucson, the desert peters out into the wetter Sonoran-Chihuahan grasslands. Above it all rise the Sky Islands, oases of water and forest amid a sea of desert and grass. Through this region, the San Pedro River runs: the last wild, undammed river in the desert Southwest. From its headwaters in the Mexican state of Sonora, it flows north across an artificial, politically contentious line 140 miles to the Gila River, then west to the Colorado. This combination of climate and habitat re- gions — plus a concentration of precious, life- giving water — has served to make the San Pedro watershed one of Earth's most diverse ecosystems. More than half of all birds in the US — 400 spe- cies — either live in or migrate through the river basin. The watershed has the second-highest di- versity of land mammals on the planet. Clearly, what this area needs is another inter- state highway, right? Nope, we locals don't think so, either! Which is why San Pedro Wild joined more than 100 other angry area residents to pack the room and disrupt a meeting of the Arizona State Transpor- tation Board on December 21. Qaa Mn Wild tend iu nwpeue to tin ♦^Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) insane and ongoing construction of a border wall across the San Pedro Riparian National Con- servation Area, and the Arizona Department of Transportation's (ADOT) equally mad plan to route an Interstate 10 bypass highway through the river valley. Our mission is to protect the biological and cultural diversity of the San Pedro Valley and its surroundings. The bypass plan is still in its earliest stages, and ADOT claims that it hasn't yet decided whether to build the road or not. The proposal entails building hundreds of miles of new highway in an arc that misses not only the cities of Tucson and Phoenix, but everything in between — making it useless to anyone living in or wanting to visit the two largest population clusters in southern Ari- zona. This bypass would serve only to devastate the sensitive ecologies of the region and destroy the rural communities along its route. Opposition to the plan has been fierce from the start, spearheaded primarily by rural residents and environmental nonprofits. But grassroots urban opposition, particularly of the protest variety, had been lacking. So when we learned that ADOT would be presenting the findings of its "preliminary feasibility study" to the State Transportation Board on December 21, we knew we had to be there. Because ADOT's plans are still in an early stage, and since we didn't have a lot of advance notice, meeting on 1-10 bypass we decided not to get too ambitious with our in- augural protest. A few people with signs, we fig- ured, would be enough to send the message that a new element of opposition had entered the fight. Since media coverage would be great, too — espe- cially if we could get some more radical sound bites out to the general public — we issued a press release and made follow-up calls to reporters. To make sure that our physical presence would be imposing, even if only a couple of people showed up, we secured several large puppets. When 13 of us arrived at the meeting early on a Friday morning, we were thrilled to see more than 100 other anti-road folks waiting outside. Amusingly enough, because the mainstream newspaper story about the morning's events didn't bother to clearly distinguish between the protesters holding signs and everyone else who had come to oppose the road, it made it sound like there were 130 protesters gathered outside! When was the last time the corporate media in- flated our numbers by 10 times? The moment our puppets arrived, the cops rode over on their motorcycles and insisted on searching them for bombs. This absurd situation became even more comical when it turned out that their bomb-sniffing dog had already been sent home for the day, and the cops had to pat at the puppets by hand. After this token repres- sion was completed — doubtless just to remind us who was in charge — we were allowed to get on with our protest. As the doors to the meeting opened, people filed by us and cheered our signs, including "1-10 Bypass = Death" (in the arms of a giant Death figure) and a banner reading "Roads and Walls No! Wild Rivers Yes!" But the real drama of the day took place inside the meeting, not out in the welcome but frus- trating Winter drizzle. The meeting opened with ADOT's presenta- tion of the study's findings. Even the agency's own officials and consulting firm acknowledged that a bypass wouldn't offer much traffic relief and would traverse sensitive lands, and that "opposition" or "strong opposition" had been "And you need to hear it!" Lane said that his decision was final, pointing to the back door "for those who don't like it." "Why don't you go out it then, and leave us to have our own meeting?" The yelling escalated, and 100 people joined in with rhythmic clapping. For several min- utes, we kept the meeting in a state of disorder, then shouted a few last warnings as we filed out the door. "See you next time!" we said, and, "You're not going to build this road!" o matter where an I- 10 bypass is placed, the harm it causes would go far beyond its immediate damage to local communities and ecologies. One of ADOT's stated motivations for the by- pass is to "serve the expected rapid... land de- velopment" in southeast Arizona, but it's far more likely that the road is intended to enable development. By punching through and degrad- ing currently protected areas and increasing the accessibility of relatively remote regions, the by- pass would open vast tracts of land to develop- ers. It's no coincidence that the board member who proposed the bypass, Si Schorr, is a powerful local real estate lawyer. ADOT's major aim, however, is probably to al- low the ever-increasing volume of truck freight to skip the severe traffic in the Tucson and Phoenix metro areas-. As ADOT presenter Dale Buskirk noted several times, 1-10 is a "major [national] trade corridor." At a public meeting in November, Buskirk said that having 1-10 as the only route across Arizona puts the econo- my "in jeopardy," as a single accident, downed bridge or other traffic blockage can shut down trade for days. This explanation makes far more sense than any of ADOT's lines about reducing traffic for residents. The US Department of Transportation recently named 1-10 one of its six "Corridors of the Future," highways earmarked for a surge in federal funding to increase their capacity to deal expressed to all four proposed routes. While the with heavy truck traffic. three routes through "The trade and tourism corridors the San Pedro Valley have garnered the most controversy, ADOT not- ed that even the fourth route would have to pass through either the Tohono O'odham Nation reservation or land earmarked for conservation. After the presenta- tion, Board Chairman are becoming so congested that they are having an effect on our economy," US Transportation Secretary Mary Pe- ters said in Tlicson, in September. We certainly don't want to enable the government to move more trade produced by exploiting the people and land of Latin America, Asia and elsewhere! When officials speak of trade in Arizona, they're talking mostly about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — Joe Lane opened the meeting for public comment, stating that only one person from each group would be allowed to speak. This contradicted a promise he had made earlier to members of the Cascabell Work- ing Group, who had driven for nearly two hours which continues to wreak havoc on neighboring Mexico, pushing more desperate migrants north every year. With DHS walling off more and more areas like the San Pedro riparian corridor, these migrants are increasingly forced into deadlier parts of the desert, and the death from their homes in the San Pedro Valley to at- tend the meeting. After hearing fewer than 10 comments, Lane announced that the 1-10 bypass agenda item was finished, even though he still had more than 50 public comment request cards in his hand. Voices from the back of the room began shout- ing their disapproval, saying that Lane had promised to hear one representative from each group and pointing out that this was not the first promise he had broken that morning. More voices soon joined them, with the outraged pub- lic demanding that everyone, not just those af- filiated with organizations, have a chance to get their say. "But you're all saying the same thing," Lane responded petulantly. toll continues to mount. Last but not least, we know that strengthen- ing the globalized economy won't benefit the people of Arizona, who would be better served by a greater reliance on local and sustainable resources — especially as oil and water continue to run out in the next few years. Down with the globalized economy! Up with bioregionalism! For all of these reasons and more, we are not going to sit around and wait for ADOT to "of- ficially" decide to build this road before we keep upping the pressure. A handful of signs and 100 angry people is simply a prelude. The battle for the San Pedro has only just begun. Elegant Trogon is a refugee from the tropics now living in the North American West. Or is it the other way around? Page 6 Earth First! Eostar 2008 a major showdown over the beau- tiful and much-admired predators. By abandoning the jaguar recovery plan, the USFWS is attempting to avoid a public relations nightmare that could threaten the Real ID act itself. Until the agency is held ac- countable, fragmentation of jaguar habitat by the border wall, housing developments and other threats is likely to continue, while conserva- tion planning will be crippled. Kevin has lived in the Sonoran Des- ert for more than a quarter century and loves all its plants and animals, except buffel grass and that one plant whose seedpods stick to your socks and crumble into itchy bits when you try to take them off. Laurel's home range is the Siskiyous, where the rivers flow year-round. Photo courtesy Emil McCain, Bor- derlands Jaguar Detection Project/Jag- uar Conservation Team. by Laurel and Kevin For the first time in the history of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has officially decided against the recovery of an endangered species. A de- I cision signed in January by USFWS Director Dale Hall ends the development of a recovery plan for the jaguar, North America's largest cat and an elu- sive feline resident of the southwestern deserts. The decision demolishes any effort to aid the recovery of the jaguar in all of its "This is a jaguar death sentence,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biologi- cal Diversity. To justify this death sentence, the USFWS claims that the jaguar's historic and current range lies en- tirely outside of the US. However, this claim is widely accepted to be false. Verified reports indicate a historic breeding population far north of the border. A female jag- uar with kittens was killed near the Grand Canyon at the turn of the last century, and the last confirmed female jaguar in the US was shot in the White Mountains of Arizona in 1963. Reports of sightings and shootings dropped off sharply in the 1970s, as landowners began to fear consequences from the newly passed ESA. IWnSlnmjft* Cuui iDllBIl'ttUWU Kii »mt* MtstwmaAji s Stumptown EFI's banner drop across front NW Natural continued from page 1 Shortly before the arrests were made, the police were overheard consulting with the representative from NW Natural, asking what the company wanted done with us. The police are the lackeys of the corporations; there is no objective "law" that they adhere to, only the interests of the wealthy. Once again, this is no surprise. The Palomar pipeline, the Oregon LNG pipeline and the Pacific Connector, which total more than 600 miles of pipe, will cross thousands of rivers and wetlands and will require wide clearcut construction corridors through public lands, including roadless ar- eas and old-growth forests. The Palomar pipeline project is proposed to connect NorthemStar's Bradwood Land- ing terminal, near the mouth of the Colum- bia River, to the Transcanada pipeline, which begins in earnest in Alberta. In addition, it is positioned to snake through Mount Hood National Forest, cutting across late succes- sional reserves, and would border proposed wilderness areas. The Pacific Connector, attached to the Jordan Cove proposal in Coos County, de- mands a 95 -foot clearcut construction cor- ridor through Rogue River National Forest, ’amath National Forest and Umpqua Na- ;nal Forest. We did this action to let NW Nasty know what they're in for if they continue to invest in LNG. The Christmas trees may have been chipped within a few hours of our departure, but we'll be back. We cannot allow these corporations to dredge the rivers, level the forests or promote the false hope that an im- ported fossil fuel could ever be sustainable. For more information, contact Stumptown EFi, stumptownef@riseup.net. Earth First! Anti-Coal Carolers DISRUPT CHARLOTTESVILLE BANK OF AMERICA America branch in downtown Charlottesville, rx Virginia, to tell bank management to "Divest ||| | i ers sang coal-themed versions of Christmas ( classics, such as "I'm Having Nightmares of a * jflHuyMMr Coal Christmas" to the tune of "I’m Dreaming ; of a White Christmas," Santa delivered a sack < of coal to the bank, checking off the naughti- M est corporation on his list. Santa later disclosed, "It's Bank of America's bad habit of funding climate change and de- BREF! carols outside the Charlottesville Bank of America. structive coal mining that earned it its lump of accused of attempting to sink productive nego- coal today." tiations. Meanwhile, after a threatened Repub- BREF! encouraged citizens to close their accounts lican filibuster, the US Senate recently stripped in protest until Bank of America stops investing bil- a congressional bill of clean energy investments lions of dollars in companies such as Massey Ener- funded by the elimination of tax breaks for fossil gy, Arch Coal and Alpha Natural Resources, which fuels. Here in Virginia, criticism mounts regard- practice mountaintop removal. This form of coal ing Dominion's proposed coal-fired plant, which mining demolishes mountains for their coal and received a hearing before the State Corporation then dumps the refuse in streambeds, polluting Commission on January 8. BREF! distributed the water. Additionally, coal-fired electric plants — information at the protest, asking the public to despite claims of "clean" coal — emit greenhouse attend this hearing and support resolutions op- gasses that contribute to climate change. Bank of posing the plant in the Virginia General Assem- America has made headlines for hollow pledges to bly. One such local resolution is currently before support environmentally sustainable businesses the Charlottesville City Council, with Blacks- and address global climate change. burg having already passed its own resolution on After the bank management asked them to December 11, and others pending in Arlington leave, the carolers reassembled in front of the County and Alexandria. main entrance to continue caroling while other Earth First! 's holiday festivities are part of a cam- Earth First! volunteers distributed fliers to pass- paign organized nationally by Rainforest Action ersby. About 30 minutes later, "Global Warming Network, Mountain Justice Summer and a coali- Crime Scene" tape was wrapped around the en- tion of grassroots organizations. This caroling fol- trance, and the protesters dispersed. lowed a similar event at another Bank of America BREF!'s Charlottesville street theater came on December 15, a November 30 University of on the heels of international climate talks in Virginia student die-in at the bank's University Bali, Indonesia, where the US government was A v ^nue location and an August 31 banner drop March-April 2008 Earth First! Page 7 800 C tail tihul A by the Root Force Collective "[Traffic] congestion is one of the single largest threats to Amer- ica's economic prosperity and way of life." — US Department of Transpor- tation, "Corridors of the Future Program" "Rather than acting piecemeal in defense of the last remaining wild places or spending time and energy on random symbolic actions, we should identify and assess strate- gic campaigns that are capable of blocking the expansion of global- ized infrastructure." — Allapattah, "Evolving EF! II" (£F7/ January- February 2008) If you've seen a presentation or read an article by Root Force or Roadblock EF!, you've heard the ar- gument: The US economy depends upon imports from Latin America to keep functioning, and those im- ports simply can't happen without infrastructure. Without electricity, transportation and telecommunica- tions, there is no globalized trade. Even more exciting is the fact that existing infrastructure is simply in- sufficient to maintain the US econ- omy at its current rate of increasing consumption. "We're going to run out of [high- way] capacity pretty quick, and that is going to put a grinding halt on productivity, profitability and our way of life," said Janet Kavi- noky, director of transportation in- frastructure at the US Chamber of Commerce, in August. Unless the infrastructure of trade can be expanded, the US will very soon find itself hit by a resource shortage. And, if we can be so bold as to quote ourselves, "without a con- stant influx of cheap labor and raw materials from around the world, the lights would go out, the facto- ries would shut down and the sys- tem would collapse." That's always been the goal of Root Force. Sounds great, right? But the devil is in the details. So, after a year and a half of targeting two specific Latin American infra- structure projects and a long pro- cess of discussion, reflection and consultation, we have decided to shift the focus of the Root Force campaign. Part of this change en- tails creating a broader place within Root Force for autonomous anti- infrastructure organizing in the US, while maintaining the empha- sis on Latin American solidarity. This meshes well with the call put out by Allapattah in "Evolving EF! IT," and we invite EF!ers to become a part of a wider anti-infrastructure movement that Root Force, along with many others ' is in the process of creating. A Strategic Reassessment For those who aren't familiar with Root Force, our initial strategy in- volved encouraging people to take direct action against the companies involved in two specific infrastruc- ture projects — La Parota Dam in Mexico, and the Anillo Periferico Highway in El Salvador — with the goal of driving companies away from those projects and forcing their cancellation. In October, after a year of road shows, presentations and other ef- forts at encouraging this strategy, we decided to conduct an in-depth analysis of the campaign. What had we accomplished in one year? What were the strengths and weaknesses of our campaign strategy to date? The clearest positive change to come from Root Force and allied efforts (like the fight against 1-69) has been a sharp upswing in anti- infrastructure analysis and rhetoric over the past year and a half, par- ticularly in radical environmental circles. In addition, we have repeat- edly heard that Root Force's articu- lation of a strategy designed to take down the system is both inspiring and empowering. But the effectiveness of the cam- paign has been hampered by two serious shortcomings. First, in spite of our efforts to disseminate contact information for the companies in- volved in La Parota and the Anillo Periferico, not much action against those targets has taken place. With- out a lot more action, there is no way to generate enough pressure to have an effect on these companies, let alone on the projects themselves. The second problem has been the difficulty of getting up-to-date in- formation from our allies in Mexico and El Salvador. This makes it hard to know what is happening with the projects on the ground and if the companies involved are changing. So, based on feedback from sup- porters and our own internal dis- cussions, we have come up with the following plan to refocus and restructure Root Force. The New Root Force The core of Root Force is an em- phasis on strategic direct action against the expansion of global trade infrastructure. For a variety of logistical reasons, we have found it difficult to focus direct action against projects not happening in the US. Therefore, we are broaden- ing our emphasis from La Parota and the Anillo Periferico to global trade infrastructure in general. We will no longer disseminate contact information about the companies involved in these two projects, based on the ineffectiveness of this strategy to date. We are not giving up on the struggles against La Parota and the Anillo Periferico, and information about these projects will remain on our website, along with contact information for the government agencies involved in spearheading them. We are still in communica- tion with the communities resisting these projects, and we will continue to pass on any specific requests they may have for active solidarity from people in the US. Root Force will now focus on four main areas: 1 . Promote anti-infrastructure anal- ysis and action, based on the recog- nition that infrastructure expansion is a weak point of the system. 2. Provide resources to anyone fighting infrastructure. We aim to make our literature more accessible and useful to anyone opposing in- frastructure expansion. In addition, we will make our presentation easy to adapt and will provide the re- sources so that anyone can feel em- powered to use it. 3. Make it easy for people to plug into anti-infrastructure organizing, even if there is no current anti- infrastructure campaign near where they live. We hope to provide an ex- tensive directory of anti-infrastruc- ture groups and campaigns on our website. We will provide resources and suggestions for incorporating an anti-infrastructure analysis into any campaign or struggle. 4. Facilitate connections and in- formation-sharing between groups and campaigns that are working against infrastructure. Toward this goal, we will have a regularly up- dated section on the front page of our website that people can read for action reports, news stories, analy- sis and campaign updates relatedjo the struggle against infrastructure expansion. To keep the concept of "infra- structure" from becoming too ab- stract, we will continue to use La Parota and the Anillo Periferico as examples of infrastructure projects in Latin America. Within the US, we will focus on the six interstate high- ways that the Department of Trans- portation (DOT) has designated as "Corridors of the Future." One of them is 1-69, and the others are 1-5, 1-10, 1-15, 1-70 and 1-95. The DOT has identified congestion on these roads as a major threat to trade and "the American way of life," so it's pouring tons of federal resources into expanding them. This includes not only widening existing roads, but also building entirely new roads and bridges. Get Involved Of course, the best way to get in- volved is still to take direct action! If you don't already know of an evil highway or power plant planned for your back yard, contact us, and we'll see if we can hook you up with a campaign near you. If you are already working on such a cam- paign, contact us to be placed in our directory. Are you interested in getting more resources to help you orga- nize your own anti-infrastructure campaign? Are you interested in giving a presentation about how infrastructure is a weak point of the system? Want to combine the two by forming a Root Force affili- ate group? Get in touch! We are always looking for musi- cians and artists who want to put awesome anti-infrastructure propa- ganda into the public domain (and on our website); researchers; trans- lators; and, of course, monetary donars. You can make checks out to "Root Force" or donate on our website via Paypal. Everything we have said abbut the system is still true. It is destroying everything that we love and killing the very planet we depend upon for life. Defending ourselves against it is. not enough — we must identify the weak points and attack. It is still a house of cards. A strong enough push in the right places 'can bring the whole thing crashing down. Let's push! For more information, contact Root Force, FOB 1302, Tucson, AZ 85702; rootforce@riseup.net; \vw\y. rodtforee.org. Page 8 Earth First! Eostar 2008 BY MlKEROBE Karl Marx once said, "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce." There is little farce and a numberless repetition of tragedies in the his- tory of the engagement between Euro-American colonizers and the indigenous people of Turtle Island. The dramatis personae of these tragedies vary little: government and corporations bent on the expansion of territory, technological cul- ture and profit; indigenous people subject to the policy of "divide and conquer"; and relatively poor and powerless whites on the border of In- dian land with all manner of motives, interests and sympathies. The latest and nearest performance of this tragedy here in California's Great Central Val- ley is at Jesse Morrow Mountain, a beautiful and powerful foothill mountain about 15 miles east of Fresno. Nearly a decade ago, Readymix Corporation (RMC) Pacific, a subsidiary of the UK's RMC Group, purchased a part of Jesse Mor- row Mountain and proposed to mine it. Three years ago, Cemex Corporation, headquartered in Mexico City, completed its $5.8-billion acquisi- tion of RMC. Thus, Cemex became the world's largest provider of cement, ready-mix concrete and other materials, operating in more than 50 countries and producing 97 million tons of ce- ment annually. Cemex is now petitioning Fresno County to grant it a 100-year conditional-use permit to mine the mountain, removing two million tons of aggregate per year and reducing the height of the mountain by 400 feet. The proj- ect, which would include blasting and aggregate processing, would operate 24 hours, 315 days a year and would require approximately 900 daily truck trips. It would also consume 150,000 gal- lons of water every day. On site, Cemex wants to construct 70-foot-high storage silos and storage capacity for 61,000 gallons of oil, gasoline and diesel fuel. , Jesse Morrow Mountain stands at the heart of the traditional lands of the Choinumni, a band of the foothill Yokuts people, who have lived in the area for millennia. The real name of Jesse Morrow Mountain is Wahallich, which trans- lates from the Choinumni language as "Crying Mountain." Traditional Choinumni elder An- gie Osborne explains that this name refers to a spring on the southwest side of the mountain. The Choinumni would camp near the spring to gather deer grass and white root for baskets. Late at night, they would sometimes hear what sounded like the desperate wailing of infants from somewhere near the spring. Anyone who entered the spring, lured by these cries, would become ill. Others say that Wahallich refers to the rivulets that run down the sides of the mountain during very rainy years. One thing is certain: Wahallich continues to be held as a powerfully sacred landform by the Choinumni. The Choinumni people, like other first na- tions in the Central Valley, lived sustainably in one of the most ecologically diverse, beautiful and verdant places anywhere on Mother Earth. After just a century and a half of "civilization," the rivers are gone and, with them, the salmon. The grasslands are also gone, and with them, the pronghorn antelope, the tule elk and the wolves. The wetlands are gone, and with them, the mi- gratory birds and waterfowl that were once so numerous that they darkened the skies upon tak- ing flight. Even the most powerful of all the local animal relations, the grizzly bear — the symbol of California's flag — was driven out of the valley, foothills and mountains, long ago. As the great Lakota healer Lame Deer once said concerning the near extinction of the bald eagle, "A people are in a bad way once they start killing off their own symbols." As neighbors of the Choinumni people and as citizens of this valley, we need to decide what this valley and these foothills and mountains mean to us. What is Wahallich? Is it a mountain? Is it the center of a people’s world? Is it a ceremonial center? Is it a habitat of kit foxes, coyotes, hawks and eagles? Is it a stunningly beautiful landscape of wildflowers? Is it one of our largest, longest and most notable foothill mountains? Or, is it a "resource"? Is it a mine? Is it a pit from which to haul aggregate? Is it a necessary con- cession to this curious blindness we suffer from called "progress"? Will it continue to give life and sacred power, or will it become a cipher in the noise, pollution and blight of sprawl? (For those lacking faith, a few years back an RMC of- ficial went to Wahallich to check on "company land" and was bitten by a wild pig. Take that!) During a public scoping meeting for a pro- posed project at Sanger High School, more than 150 people from all walks of life stood together in opposition to Cemex/RMC. Representatives from Greystone, a consulting firm hired by the county but paid by Cemex/RMC, presented the elements of the project and an overview of matters to be taken up in the draft Environmental Impact Re- port (EIR). The response was an emphatic "No": no to RMC, no to the project, and no to tearing up a mountain and a community for the profit of a multinational corporation. It was one of the most extraordinary political unions I have ever witnessed: ranchers and Earth Firstlers to con- servative Republicans and immigration-rights activists. A winemaker/bed and breakfast owner promoting agri-tourism stood with a lady who grows hay; suburbanites stood with traditional indigenous people. When Fresno RANCOR and Sierra Nevada Earth First! activists disrupted Greystone's pre- sentation by carrying onto the auditorium stage a giant black and green banner reading, "A Mountain, Not a Mine," the whole crowd erupt- ed in sustained applause. It's true that the most hardcore, conservative, free-market Republicans Fresno RANCOR and Sierra Nevada EF! at Greystone's meeting will become instant environmentalists when the methodical destruction of the Earth comes to his backyard. However, what's happening with Wahallich is more than a not-in-my-backyard phenomenon. Fr isno is beginning to wake up to what it means to be the colonized rather than the colonizer. The story of "First World" governments and corporations moving in to monopolize the "nat- ural resources" of "Third World" countries is as old as capitalism. Many people naively wonder why "we" continue to extend loans to countries that can never pay those loans back, but that is precisely the point. Mired in debt, these coun- tries fuel global capitalism by providing a steady supply of cheap resources and cheap labor. By this capitalist logic, Fresno has what power- ful multinationals and corporate builders need: cheap land and cheap "resources." From the per- spective of multinationals, Fresno looks much the same as rainforest tracts on the islands of Sulawesi and Maluku, Anapu Para in Brazil, or Chiapas, Mexico. By the same logic, Fresnans are forced to stand in resistance for their land in much the same way as the people in Indonesia, the Amazon and the Lacandon jungle. The only real hope is that all of these movements will co- alesce into a struggle against corporate capital- ism, for the restoration of land, rivers, ancf the plant and animal nations and for a rejuvena- tion of life. Cemex/RMC proudly boasts that it will pro- vide the necessary "aggregate" for the next 100 years of growth in this area, but the Friends of Jesse Morrow Mountain — both "conservative" and "liberal" — are beginning to wonder whether 100 more years of unchecked suburban sprawl is really what this valley needs. Except for a few isolated islands scattered here and there in our valley — in places like Wahallich, for instance — the last 100 years has seen one of the most vi- brant, fertile, magical natural places on Earth converted into a vast agribusiness suburban wasteland. What would 100 more years of global capitalist expropriation bring? Friends of the mountain are saying the same thing as the Zapatistas: ya basta\ According to an email from RMC Pacific Presi- dent Eric Woodhouse, Greystone hired two Cali- fornia State University (CSU) anthropologists to begin the cultural studies portion of the EIR. However, Osborne reported that no contact was made with the traditional Choinumni regarding studies of sacred and cultural sites on Wahallich. This is in violation of the practices and proce- dures recommended by the California Native Heritage Commission. The problem was com- pounded when the CSU anthropologists failed to carry out the appropriate cultural studies to determine whether Wahallich constitutes a sa- cred indigenous site. After complaints lodged by the Choinumni and further public meetings, Greystone was removed as the consultant for the project, and the entire cultural studies por- tion of the report was thrown out. In the next few months, the fate of Wahallich will be decided. The new Cemex/RMC consul- tant will present the EIR sometime this Spring. ^ Public comments will be followed by a vote of | the Fresno County Planning Commission and, if that passes, the Fresno County Board of Su- | pervisors. At each stage, we must aggressively | resist the machinations of Cemex. Please join in | a decisive last stand against the destruction of I Wahallich. The history of European-indigenous relations has been tragic, and the future remains unwritten. Many groups and individuals are working to stop this project. If you live in the area and if you can help us, please do! For more information, contact Friends of Jesse Morrow Mountain, (559) 494-3319; info@jessemorrowmountain. org; wwwjessemorrowmountain.org. We are in. regular contact with the Choinumni and they ask everyone to join together to stop this desecration. Contact Sierra Nevada Earth First! at www.sierranevadaearthfirst.org; Col- lective for Arts, Freedom, and Ecology at www. cafefresno.org. Healthy MikeRobes are multiplying to fight off the cancer! March-April 2008 Earth First! Page 9 Sexual Safety Within Our Movement by Joanna As I roll out my sleeping bag in yet another unfamiliar place, I'm happy and excited to start work- ing on the campaign. Aside from my commitment to putting the Earth first, I don't know much about the campaign I'll be work- ing on yet. But I look forward to immersing myself in the issue, learning from my new bunk/tent/ platform mates, and sharing home and work responsibilities. So much of Earth First! work is done in this kind of commu- nity space, where activists create a shared unity of committed vol- unteers, some old and some new to both the specific issue and the movement. Getting involved in a campaign where you live and work together is one of the most radical- izing experiences for many, myself included. It brings my vague sense that something is going horribly wrong with the world into a con- structive and supportive home of like-minded role models and friends. I want to live and breathe my understanding of the Earth, and that's hard to do when you're all alone. So, to all the campaigns out there that leave some beds open and have a revolving set of volunteers, I thank you. You have inspired many lifelong activists to defend the Earth. Yet these spaces are not exempt from societal problems, and so many of them tend to develop a nasty history of periodic instances of sexual violence. In every shared campaign space I've worked in, a fellow activist has related to me an incident of sexual violence. This is Page 10 Earth First! Eostar 2008 not just a few campaigns where a rapist decided to volunteer for a week to take advantage of our open hearts and minds. Sexual violence can't easily be checked at the door. It is a powerful societal reality that needs to be accounted for in any self-defined space. This isn't a warning or a call to suspect all volunteers who come to do good work — this is true. Sexual violence happens just like physi- cal violence, and a prepared cam- paign space has the right first-aid kit to deal with the shit our society poisons us with. For many, a cam- paign space is a safe haven from the toxic world outside — from the food we eat, to the songs we sing, to the fact that we don't have to look at a television. We can't waste the potential for it to be a safe haven from sexual violence as well, just because we don't think it happens, don't want to admit it or think we've all washed ourselves of the violent, racist patriarchy. Why are we so prone to creating a sexually unsafe space, if the cam- paign issues we are working on are about a safer Earth? It is because our current model of sexual interac- tion is vague, sexist and overall un- safe. To start out, let's think about gender stereotypes. People may be committing sexual assault by doing exactly what they think they are "supposed" to be doing. For men, this can mean being a slick, silent, strong seducer; for women, it can mean acting affirming and flexible. While many of us have rejected gender roles, we shouldn’t need to do this in order to feel safe. It is very possible to read body lan- guage in such a way that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that invites us to hear and see only what we want. I can think of social interac- tions where I read the situation dif- ferently than other participants. So, when it comes to sexual interaction, misunderstandings are bound to occur unless we use clear, respectful language, and unless there are ongo- ing teach-ins and discussions about how to communicate effectively. Another dangerous and widely held belief that we learn growing up in this society is that it is a per- son's responsibility to set someone else's limits, that rape occurs when someone does not succeed in say- ing, "No." This is because "rape" is defined as sex without consent, al- though we don't define murder as "assisted suicide without consent" or stealing as "gift-giving without consent." It is every- one's personal and collective respon- sibility to practice good and active consent and to make sure . everything is OK for every- one involved at every point in the process. The claim of "mixed messages" is an excuse, an after- the-fact justification for one's failure to step up and be responsible for clarifying the situation. Making such a big and impor- tant change in the way we communi- cate is not simple. Even when asked, actually saying "no" when you want to is very difficult. Good consent practices require us to actively pay attention to whether or not good communication is happening and keep learning about the subtle ways that we may unconsciously be doing things that make others feel uncomfortable. Campaigns have people from all kinds of back- grounds wanting to live and work with them, so clear communication is vital. Good consent practices are an excellent tool for everyone who wants to be sure to never sexually as- sault someone, and they help us take control of our choices as individuals. The idea of verbal consent is a pretty radical idea for fixing our broken model of sexual interaction, and a lot of folks are not familiar with it. Since we are not taught good consent practices artwork by the Icarus Project from society — just like we're not taught how to eat vegan, harvest herbs, and respect and fight for the Earth — this is an exciting opportu- nity for campaigns to start revers- ing the negative lessons we have learned about sexual interaction. So how can we constructively address sexual violence in our shared activist spaces? There are two equally vital sides to creating a culture of consent: policy and practice. Every group should have a clear, available, sexual-violence- prevention policy that fits the pa- rameters of its members and space. This requires honesty and some dedicated work, because most of the spaces I'm talking about have a transient set of people and aren't affiliated with an institution (like a college or business) that can hold someone accountable. These fac- tors are not an excuse to not have a sexual violence prevention pol- icy! If anything, it's more im- portant for us to address these issues because we have the op- portunity to think of creative, innovative solutions and dump the old sexual-harassment-law- suit response that seems to be society's brilliant solution. Policy Here is one activist's de- scription of their space's sex- ual violence policy measures and process: "Our bottom- line policy was zero tolerance for any kind of sexual assault, meaning that if you feel like you have been assaulted, you have been — no ques- tions asked. No one else can reinterpret that ex- perience for you; no one else can have the last word on how you should feel. (There is a fine line between what is harass- ment and what is assault, that is something we struggled with a lot.) "We had a contract with our pol- icy clearly stated that all volunteers signed when arriving so we would have something in writing, as well as the opportunity to explain our policy to all incoming folks. "If an incident occurs, the survi- vor can repoft the incident to the designated sexual violence aware- ness advocate, and the perpetrator will be asked to leave the site im- mediately. There is then a 72-hour holding period when the perpe- trator has the option of contact- ing the sexual violence awareness advocate for an offsite meeting to discuss the incident and have their side of the story heard. We talked a lot about having a 'hear- ing board' of long-term volun- teers. They would hear the case if the perpetrator really felt like they were being wronged, but we never put that together. "In supporting the survivor, it's important to do whatever they want to see happen. Support- ing survivors is about restoring their power of choice and their voice. For example, don't call in the police/press charges unless the survivor wants it; don't go to the hospital unless the survivor wants it. We had also set up an offsite safe space for survivors so if being in a certain space was triggering, there would be somewhere for them to stay for a few days." These are just some ideas that are being used in one activist commu- nal space. Every campaign has dif- ferent resources and needs. If your group has a contract or orientation already,- it wouldn't be difficult to include a section about sexual vio- lence. If you are going to say "con- sent," make sure to really talk about what that means, so everyone can learn more about it. You could also have a section on your website with definitions and information about sexual violence, relevent links and a copy of your contract. Practice Sadly, a document is a just a doc- ument and won't work when it's too late and a survivor is looking for that one line on the campaign's website that says, "We don't tol- erate sexual assault or pets." The most powerful part of consent is when the community decides together that they will hold one another account- able and make sure that everyone is feeling safe and receiving space to say "yes" and space to say "no." "Deciding together" is an ongoing process, because every time a new volunteer comes in, the communi- ty changes. We all know that new community members might forget where to put things away or how the space flows, so the language of and commitment to sexual safety needs to be brought up periodically. For example, a fellow activist I was talking with said that while she hadn't had a violent sexual experi- ence at the campaign, when sexual safety was brought up collectively, it triggered a previous experience. She was relieved to know that she was in a safe space. In fact, she was able to address that previous experi- ence, mourn and begin to heal just because her current campaign space began to talk about sexual violence. Another idea for putting sexual safety into practice is to create a pamphlet, teach-in or short pre- sentation about sexual violence for incoming volunteers so everyone is on the same page. This has the added bonus of giving volunteers materials that they can take to their own communities. Groups have also hosted men's, women's and trans' working group spaces, where people can break out and discuss the nuances of sexual violence and how it affects us all dif- ferently and seriously. Having sepa- rate working groups is not to say that men don't experience sexual violence or that this is a "women's issue." Gender caucusing is just recognizing that the stereotypes of "woman" and "man" are out there for us all to respond to. We were probably socialized into one or the other for a period of our lives, and that means we might approach this topic differently. Since this is stereotyped as a "women's issue," it is extra meaningful for all the male-bodied people out there to verbally bring up good consent policies.' If you are a. leader or a senior person in your organization, you have an even greater responsibil- ity to bring these issues up, voice that they are important to you and practice good consent lan- guage with others. It can be very comforting for a new volunteer to see as much communication as there is physical contact, and to hear good questions like, "How do you feel?" or "Would you like a hug/piggyback ride/massage?" So, what is consent, exactly? Consent is affirmative verbal re- sponses in the absence of intimi- dation, pressure, coercion and threats. It is an ongoing discussion where all parties are autonomous and can change their minds at any time. This means that each new level of sexual activity re- quires consent. Consent is the pres- ence of "yes," not the absence of "no." Someone who is mentally incapaci- tated, physically help- less, drunk or drugged cannot give consent. Con- sent is not implied merely because you are already in a relationship. Consent means that you are fully prepared to hear "no." While think- ing about rejection might make us all a little queasy, hear- ing "no" is very good news. It means that you made enough safe space for the other person to say what they really felt. They were able to express themselves, which is empowering. Let that person feel proud, as you should, too. Congratulations. We can't protect ourselves TOO percent of the time from the de- structive messages and practices of our society. We shouldn't live in fear. I have gone to campaign spaces knowing that an incident of sexual violence has occurred or that it's rampant, and still had a restorative and wonderful expe- rience. But I wish I wasn't in the position of weighing whether I'll be in a safer space while working on a campaign or in whatever community I'm leaving behind. Instead, let's ensure that activ- ists have the opportunity to say, "The organization/community/ collective/social movement that I'm a part of is one that I can trust. Whatever happens, there is an overarching structure to support my needs, keep me safe and help me strengthen my voice about issues that are silenced in other spaces. Building a culture of safety and respect, where every- body works to make sure nobody is assaulted, is a fundamental part of the work of the organiza- tion/community/collective/social movement. Therefore, I know I can give my full heart and mind to defending the Earth, with no reservations. Taking care of each other and staying strong will keep me in this movement until we liberate the Earth!" Joanna loves learning more about radical safety, and hopes y'all do too! 6on£-s Belize Recognizes Mayan Land Rights On October 18, the Supreme Court of Belize ruled in favor of Maya peoples' land rights, setting a new precedent in that country and perhaps internationally. The Maya went to court to protest oil explora- tion in the fragile wetland ecosystem of southern Belize. This ruling came on the heels of, and perhaps because of, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which finally passed last Fall after 20 years of ne- gotiation. The declaration includes a clear statement of indigenous peoples' right to their traditional lands, and requires governments to obtain "free, prior and informed consent" for legislation that would affect them — including corporate ventures. The US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia were the only countries to vote against the declaration. This is the first time the declara- tion has been cited in any court de- cision and the first time the Belize government has given these land rights to indigenous communities. Penan Anti-Logging Leader Found Dead Kelesau Naan, head of the com- munity of Long Kerong in Borneo, Malaysia, and a leader in the strug- gle for Penan land rights, was found dead on December 17, about two- hours' walk from the village. Sam- ling Corporation, a forestry and tree plantation company, is suspected to be behind Naan's death. Naan had been one of the plain- tiffs in a land rights claim in the village of Long Data Bila, which is struggling against the corporation. Reportedly, a Samling official re- cently threatened the Penan, "If you people try to stop our plans, we will kill you." Villagers announced that loggers should stay away from Long Kerong, because some residents may be seeking revenge for Naan's death. The Penan people of Borneo have been using peaceful road blockades for more than 20 years to prevent logging in the forests. Two Sea Shepherd Activists Taken Hostage by Whalers On January 15, two crewmem- bers of the Sea Shepherd ship the Steve Irwin were taken hostage after boarding the Japanese whaling ves- sel Yushin Maru 2 to inform them of their illegal whaling activities. The two hostages, Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane, were grabbed and tied to the radar mast, but reported that they were treated well for the rest of their four days as hostages. On January 18, Potts and Lane were delivered to an Australian customs vessel and then back safely to the Steve Irwin. The Steve Irwin had been pursu- ing a fleet of whaling ships and had prevented the hunt for four days before Potts and Lane boarded the Yushin Maru 2. The hunt was held up while the activists were held hos- tage. The whalers did not resume the hunt until February 6, after the Sea Shepherd vessel had to aban- don the area to refuel. The Japanese whaling campaign, which started last Autumn, has a quota of nearly 1,000 whales. Due to international pressure, it dropped its quota of 50 endangered humpback whales. March-AprU 2008 Earth First! Page 11 flPRiL 1ST giiiDE To by Rising Tide North America April 1 is Fossil Fools Day! Rising Tide North America has called this day of action to make the fools who are causing climate change realize the impact that they are having on the planet, and that we aren't going to stand for it! Anywhere you live, fossil fools are going to be engaging in destruc- tion, the poisoning of communities and other filthy, climate-changing business. Most of us live (some- times ignorantly) in the shadow of toxic combustion or extraction ac- tivities. Even if you don't live near these points of destruction, unless you're living off the grid, your util- ity company gets most of its energy from fossil fuels — and that's despite any photos of wind turbines or so- lar panels on its website or "green" options that it is more than happy to charge you extra for. The first step to taking action against the fossil fools in your community is finding them! Some ideas include: new or existing coal plants, liquefied natural gas import terminals) oil and natural gas pipe- lines, oil refineries, local electricity providers and mountaintop removal coal mining sites. A Few Ideas for Fossil Foolery on April 1 One: Stop the Pumps Gas stations are the main public face of the oil industry — and they are everywhere. They are also great places to highlight the connection between car culture, climate change and environmental justice. Aside from oil being one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases, there is not an oil company on this planet that hasn't been complicit in hu- man rights atrocities. Whether it is Shell killing environmental activ- ists in Nigeria or Chevron dumping toxic waste on indigenous lands in the Amazon, there are plenty of ex- amples of the connection between the destruction of the. Earth and these companies' assaults on hu- man rights. Consider such tactics as block- ading the entrance to a gas sta- tion, locking down to gas pumps or having a die-in in front of a gas station. It is quite easy to gain ac- cess to a roof for a banner drop with the use of an extension lad- der. It should also be noted that all gas stations have safety shut-off buttons that will disable their gas pumps in case of an emergency. They are generally located on the outside of the station. If a global climate meltdown isn't an emer- gency, we don't know what is! NO WAR, NO WARMING: ROUND TWO by Ted Glick Early on the morning of October 22, several hundred people quietly arrived on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC (see £F//January-February 2008). Many of us were organized into affinity groups. There was the anti-capitalist bike bloc. There were the Iraq Veterans Against the War. There was the group of people dressed in polar bear costumes, agitating through a portable sound system. There were the young people from Students for a Dem- ocratic Society in their yellow Campus Climate Challenge T-shirts. There was the Separate Oil and State group. And there were Code Pinkers, some wearing giant bobble-heads of Cheney, Bush and Rice. Some of us blocked entrances to congressio- nal office buildings. Some of us sat down in busy street intersections. Some rode their bikes in such a way as to slow and stop traffic, moving from location to location. We were united behind the short but clear slo- gan: No War, No Warming! Our goals were to end the war for oil in Iraq and to prevent all future wars for oil and natural gas; end the addiction to oil, coal and natural gas that is driving climate disruption and leading to more wars as our eco- systems and economies are devastated; shift gov- ernment resources — our tax money — away from supporting fossil fuels and toward supporting a deep- and wide-ranging, jobs-creating, clean en- ergy revolution; rebuild communities like New Orleans that have been damaged by racism and corporate greed; centralize environmental jus- tice; and support alternative economic models to address poverty and create millions of green jobs in a clean energy economy. By the middle of the morning, after an hour and a half of tying up rush-hour traffic and dis- rupting business as usual, 68 of us had been arrested. The media, both corporate and inde- pendent, was there in force to record the actions and the arrests, and the word got out nationally that something new was developing. It is new that a growing number of peace, jus- tice and climate organizations are clearly rec- ognizing the obvious connections between oil and resource wars, our fossil fuel addiction and global climate disruption. More importantly, it is new that we are acting to dramatize these con- nections and doing so using nonviolent direct action. We are acting to underline the urgent need for a drastic change, for a great turning, for a revolutionary transformation to a very differ- ent way of interacting with the Earth and with one another. Three months later, No War, No Warming is planning round two of what must be a sustained, growing, developing campaign to end the Iraq War and save our deeply wounded ecosys- tems. Working with a broader range of organizations, we'll be taking action again on March 19, again in Washington, DC, as well as in other parts of the country. This time, the major DC actions will be at locations like the American Petroleum In- stitute and the Department of En- ergy. Other groups — primarily peace groups — will be engaging in nonvio- lent civil disobedience at other locations. March 19 is the fifth anniversary of the ground invasion of Iraq — the beginning of the sixth year of a war that, if our fulers have their way, may go on for decades. There are likely to be many thousands of people taking part in these upcoming actions. We should look back on March 19, 2008, as the day that the people's movement for peace, jus- tice and clean energy emerged strong, clear and forthright; the day that the country realized that a powerful grassroots movement had emerged to stand up to the pro-war, imperialistic, corporate interests that dominate government decision- making in Washington, DC. There are some within the progressive move- ment who believe that, in a presidential elec- tion year, we need to cool it with the strong demands and strong actions, that our role is solely to get involved with election campaigns and support the best candidates. Some even ar- gue that we should just support the Democratic Party candidates, regardless of their stands on issues or connection to people in struggle. In their view, any rocking of the political boat is too risky and could jeopardize the prospects of Democratic victories. There is an aspect of this argument that needs to be taken into account. It is important how we engage in our direct actions. It's important, in particular, that our actions be nonviolent. An in- dividual doesn’t need to be a pacifist — which I am not — to appreciate that within the US, at this moment in history, creative and militant but nonviolent direct action is the best way for us to up the ante and do so in a way that prevents us from being marginalized and rendered politi- cally ineffective. I believe deeply that now, right now, this year and next, is a time when nonviolent civil disobe- dience and direct action have to be central tactics used by our movements — not the Only tactics, but the central ones. Such tactics, done well, mo- tivate others to speak up, get involved or take ac- tion. They let the powers-that-be know that we're a factor, that we have to be taken into account. They build a fighting spirit into our movement and counter the "compromising" mentality that infects too many of us too often. With the beginnings of an economic down- tum/recession/depression,' right now is the per- fect time for dramatic actions that link peace, justice and clean energy. Our action and the messaging for it must make central the needed shift to a demilitarizing, green, clean energy economy. This is the way that, in the short-term and longer-term, we can turn around the econ- omy. We can stimulate job creation, put money into people’s pockets and advance locally-based economic development as we shift from war and fossil fuels to peace and clean energy. It's time to send a loud-and-clear message: No War, No Warming! No business as usual! Let the will of the people be felt! For more information on March 19 events and related actions, visit www.nowarnowarming.org; www. 5yearstoomany.org. Ted Click is the coordinator of the US Climate Emergency Council (www.climateemergency.org) and has been active with No War, No Warming since its formation a year ago. Page 12 Earth First! Eostar 2008 Compromise With Timber Interests May Collapse The Northwest Forest Plan — which protects 24 million acres of forest in the Pacific Northwest, including old- growth forest — is in danger of col- lapsing because the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wishes to pull out of the agreement. The plan was agreed to in the 1990s, in an effort to end the struggle between environ- mentalists and the timber industry. Although it leaves many ecologically critical areas still open to roads and logging, the plan protects forests es- sential to the survival of the threat- ened northern spotted owl. The BLM is currently protecting a chunk of land in western Oregon that represents 10 percent of the Northwest Forest Plan. It wishes to pull out and allow logging on up to 2.2 million acres of this land, increasing the amount of logging in the area threefold. According to University of Washington Profes- sor Jerry Franklin, without this 10 percent, the minimum old-growth necessary for the well-being of the spotted owl will not be met, and the plan's purpose of protecting them will be rendered obsolete. roOLERiES Two: Kick Corporate Research Off that short-haul flights for the rich Seven: Home Is Where the Heart Your (or Anybody's) Campus have got to go. Travel agencies are of the Fossil Fool Is Universities, in collaboration a great, easy place to do an action. If you're more of an evening with corporations, are develop- Activists in the UK regularly U- person (or just want to make your ing new technologies using fossil lock closed or otherwise blockade encounter with your chosen fos- fuel extraction and burning. Many the doors of travel agencies. Due sil fool a little more personal), a schools in coal states have research to the danger to both airplane pas- home visit may be in order. It can facilities dedicated to the perpetua- sengers and yourself, we discour- be tricky finding out where they tion of this dirty fuel, while schools age doing anything to interfere live, but if you're lucky, a "reverse in oil states like Texas focus on pe- with airport runways. name search" might work. (Try troleum. Chances are that any ma- While this is largely uncharted www.anywho.com.) A surprisingly jor university will be involved in territory in the US, activists in Eu- useful place for researching people some aspect of perpetuating our ad- rope have been at it for years. Let's is the Federal Election Commission diction to fossil fuels. Capitalizing bring that trend over here! search (www.fec.gov/finance/dis- on the need for alternative energy Five: Resist Road Expansion closure/norindsea.shtml). Often- sources,. many universities are rak- More roads mean more cars, times, when people make major ing in big bucks setting up agrofu- plain and simple. Instead of reduc- donations to candidates (which by els research centers. Not only will ing our dependency on automo- law must be reported), they include agrofuels not create meaningful re- biles, the government focuses on their home address on their filings, ductions in greenhouse gasses, they building a never-ending web of You can use county tax records to create a host of new environmen- roads. New roads devastate natu- find out where a person lives, too. tal and social problems. BP's $500- ral ecosystems, disrupt animal Many counties have an online million proposed facility for the migration, open up previously un- search database, and all of them University of Califomia-Berkeley is touched areas to new development have the information on file at the already meeting strong resistance. and encourage more cars to hit the courthouse. Three: Deflate or Die road. Many communities are al- Often, organizing a big rally at a People in Sweden and France have ready resisting new road projects, fossil fool bigwig's house is action developed a creative from Arizona to Washington, enough to get a lot of media atten- means of protest against DC. In Indiana, activists have tion (not to mention their neigh- gas-guzzling SUVs. They mounted fierce opposition to bors' attention), especially if you simply let the air out Interstate 69, otherwise known bring a great party, songs and games, of the SUVs' tires, ren- as the NAFTA superhighway A banner hang on someone's roof dering them immobile. HIT -. ’ .... — L_J (see EF!J November-December makes things a bit more interesting, Thousands of tires have Resu sma y var Y- 2007). They have disrupted though we caution against doing been deflated, immobilizing hun- public meetings, held street demos anything that could be construed dreds of vehicles, which has gen- and even evicted the planning of- as destroying personal property, erated lots of media attention and fices for the highway by Wanted posters in awareness of global warming. throwing their contents the neighborhood The act is pretty simple and does on the curb! that warn neigh- not involve property damage. All Six: Direct Action at i Hkfe. bors of a dangerous one does is take off the valve cap, the Point of Destruction , 0 climate criminal place a small pebble on top of the We strongly recom- :f> , living nearby can valve and screw the cap back on. If mend taking actions * jUilfh I help get the word the pebble is placed correctly, it will directly at the point of , I out as well, press down on the air valve when destruction. There are Need informa- you screw down the cap, thus re- few actions more em- g tion on how to pull leasing the air. To our knowledge, powering and attention- I off any of these there is no law against releasing air grabbing than blocking tv? **• actions? Want us from car tires, though we aren't go- access to a coal- or oil- ferr y ?• to help you get ing to guarantee .that it's without fired plant, coal mine, ® '§ media attention risk. However, in Belgium (one of pipeline construction ^ for your action? many countries where this tactic is site or liquefied natural H|L v , • We can provide catching on), the Justice Minister gas terminal. Having a hel P and train ' recently had to admit that there is lot of people is useful v ings for any and nothing illegal about it! Make sure for an action like this, but most im- all nonviolent direct actions de- you leave a note on the car explain- portant is selecting a site with one scribed above that target the fossil ing your action. entryway that can be blockaded us- fools in your community. For more Four: Fry the Friendly Skies ing civil disobedience and/or a more information, contact fossilfools@ Air travel is one of the fastest sophisticated blockade. In Summer hushmail.com! For more ideas, visit growing sectors of greenhouse gas 2006, Rising Tide and Earth First! www.risingtidenorthamerica.org. emissions, as well as one of the most blocked the single access bridge to a extravagant -uses of fossil fuels. We Virginia coal-fired power plant, with need to combat air travel. Protests someone U-locking themselves to a can be organized at airline offices, coal truck while another person took as well as airports. Many of the US's up a perch in a platform suspended largest airports are considering ma- by a rope blocking the bridge (see ‘ i jor expansions, which would lead EF!J September-October 2006). The to even more airplanes polluting action shut down access to the coal I 'WW I the air. While tight security at air- plant for the better part of a day, • '( j» ports creates a number of logisti- got a ton of media attention, and cal problems, it also contains some no one was arrested when the advantages — such as a tendency to protesters agreed to leave k overreact to any situation out of the after media arrived. Of . norm, with a resulting disruption course, a big, fun, row- IS jljiBif/ of airport business. Private airports, dy protest at a site like MSr catering to the extremely wealthy, this is great, too! 3 ''It--- *• Mapuche Land Occupation Ends in Police Violence On January 3, university student Matias Catrileo Quezada was shot in the back and killed when Chil- ean police opened fire on a crowd of indigenous Mapuche protesters, in- cluding children and elderly people. The nonviolent protest was part of a land occupation to reclaim stolen Mapuche land in southern Chile. The following day, protesters re- sponded by blockading roads and setting about 30 fires at Chilean forestry giant Mininco's tree planta- tions. Mininco deforests indigenous land against the will of the people, and turns it into pine and eucalyp- tus plantations. Also, Mapuche supporter and Chilean political prisoner Patricia Troncoso ended her 111-day hunger strike on January 28. Troncoso, who allegedly set fire to a Mininco pine plantation, was tried and sentenced in 2005 to 10 years. During her hun- ger strike, she made several demands, including the release of Mapuche political prisoners. The Chilean gov- ernment drugged and force-fed her after she was proclaimed near death. She finally ended the strike when the Chilean government promised better prison conditions for her and two other political prisoners. Some Charges Against the San Francisco 8 Dropped During a January 10 hearing, pros- ecutors dropped conspiracy charges against five of the eight former Black Panthers charged with the alleged 1971 killing of a police officer. Con- spiracy charges against three of the San Francisco 8 remain. Richard O'Neal, who was charged only with conspiracy, faces no further’ legal prosecution, though he has been subpoenaed to testify at the April 21 preliminary hearing. In 1975, one of the San Francisco 8 and two others were arrested for the same murder, but the case was dropped when the judge found that confessions had been obtained through torture, including asphyxi- ation, electrocution, beatings and sensory deprivation. March-April 2008 Earth First! Page 13 Oaxacans Blockade Major Highway in Mexico Upset by attempts to reopen a long-vacated gold mine near Capulalpam, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, residents blockaded the main high- way out of Oaxaca City with 50 pickup trucks for five hours on October 16. Demanding permanent closure of the Nativi- dad mine, the community — even the mayor and ex-miners — collectively took action against Van- couver, Canada-based Continuum Resources. The mine was closed in 1993, and locals intend to make sure it stays that way. "For 230 years, gold- and silver-mining companies have been exploiting tunnels in the mountains," said Francisco Garcia Lopez, a member of Capufelpam's Commission of Communal Goods. "The quantity and quality of our water supplies have been negatively af- fected by mining activity." According to him, 13 streams have disappeared completely in the past few years because of Continuum's explo- ration activities. Primate Vivisector Targeted by ALF December 6 is customarily St. Nicholas Day in many parts of the world. St. Nicholas travels to people's homes, leaving a gift in their shoe if they are good— and a lump of coal if they are bad. Oregon Health and Sci- ence University researcher Miles Novy awoke that morning to a different present altogether. In the dark morning fog, mem- bers of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) paid him a visit. In response to the research Novy conducts on primates, they cov- ered his cars in graffiti and paint stripper. "This blatant disregard for the Earth, fits] animals and its resources shall not go unseen by the ever-watching eyes of the ALF," a communique declared. "The only reason why people like Miles Novy sleep at night is because we let them." One can imagine Novy will be keep- ing an eye out for more than St. Nicho- las next December 6. Faucet Butt for the Fur Industry A fur-selling boutique in Brooklyn, New York, got a noxious punch in the nose on Christmas Eve. Just in time for the peak shopping hours, the ALF sprayed "liberal" amounts of Liquid Ass, a product that has the overpowering stench of rot- ting shit. The carpets, clothing and, especially, the fur and fur-trimmed items in the store were doused with Liquid Ass. According to a communique, within minutes, the store "smelled like the inside of an ass- hole." Before the ALF activist left the store, potential customers were witnessed visibly gagging and leav- ing quickly. The communique also contained a warning for anyone who sells fur in Brooklyn: "Next time, you might find your locks glued, your windows broken or worse.... Happy holidays." Pro- Whaling Consulate Gets Bloody William Shakespeare once wrote, "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hands?" In the case of the Japanese government's whaling practices, Australian activists have shouted an em- phatic, "No!" On December 27, ten protesters rushed into the Japanese consul- ate in Melbourne, Australia, to call attention to Japan's hunting of endangered whales. The mem- bers of Animal Liberation Victo- ria splashed fake blood around the consulate, as the Japanese whaling fleet headed to feeding grounds where it planned to mur- der up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales. Security eventually removed the protesters from the building but decided to not press charges. Once again, the Japanese gov- ernment repeated the lies that this hunt is for scientific pur- poses, ignoring the fact that the whale meat inevitably ends up under the butcher's knife back in Japan. Genetically Modified Trees Not Tolerated in New Zealand A patch of genetically engineered pine trees was hacked down outside of Rotorua, New Zea- ind, on January 14. Saboteurs burrowed under an electric perimeter fence to reach the experimental Norway spruces, be- fore chopping them down in an ap- parent protest. As a warning, they left behind a spade bearing a "GE Free New Zealand" sticker. The Soil and Health Association, a lobbying group, had been calling for the trees to be cut down. "Con- sidering overwhelming opposition to genetic engineering in New Zealand, field trials should be treated as a privilege," said Steffen Browning, a Soil and Health Associa- tion spokesperson. Los Angeles Mayor's Chief of Staff Visited by ALF The ALF visited the home of Robin Kram- er, the mayor of Los Angeles' chief of staff, according to a communique released on January 17. Two luxury cars in Kramer's driveway were doused with paint stripper in an attempt to awaken him to the situation at Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS). Since 2003, activists in LA have been expos- ing mismanagement and corruption at LAAS. Among other concerns, the mayor's office re- fuses to implement policies that would save the lives of the thousands of healthy animals who are killed each year in LA area shelters. Ed Boks, the current head of LAAS, was pre- viously asked to resign as director of Arizona's An artist's recreation of the scene left behind by FLAM shelter system and was fired from the New York City shelter system. LA animal activists want to see the same thing happen to him in their city. "It's too bad it takes illegal direct action... to get the media to take notice of the senseless kill- ing going on inside the six animal death camps in LA," said Pamelyn Ferdin of the Animal De- fense League-LA. "Robin Kramei, your job as chief to the mayor affords you the ability to push for LAAS to catch up with the times and transition to 'no kill,'" part of the ALF communique reads. "Why are you not pushing?" Mexican KFC Rendered Extra Crispy On January 20, the Animal Liberation Front Mexico (FLAM) targeted a KFC fast food restaurant, placing an incendiary device in the chain store. Ac- cording to the communique, the action was taken because KFC "continues the killing of our animal brothers and sisters on its farms of tenor for filthy money at the cost of the suffering of others.” Since late December, FLAM has conducted a flurry of attacks on animal exploiters in Mexico. Among other actions, it has vandalized or raided circuses, pet stores, other KFC locations, funiers, at least one farm and a restaurant. The January 20 KFC visit, however, seems to be FLAM's first foray into the use of a firestorm to purify the bane that society drowns in. Canadian Bank Attacked to Protest 2010 Olympics Resistance has been strong against the 2010 Winter Olympics, which are scheduled to be held in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada (see EF!f July-August 2007). The struggle continued on January 27. "Bricks found their way through the windows of the Elgin Street Royal Bank of Klanada in Ot- tawa," a communique wryly noted. The attack was committed in protest of the evils scheduled to occur in Canada in 2010: the ratification of the Security and Prosperity Partnership, the 2010 Group of Eight (G8) summit and the Win- ter Olympics. The Royal Bank of Canada is one of the primary sponsors of the 2010 Olympics. According to the communique, the bank's at- tackers also declared war on all that 2010 rep- resents and all who sponsor the events of that year. "These actions are in solidarity with in- digenous peoples, the poor and all those who are made to suffer in the name of 'Security and Prosperity,' the G8 and the Olympics on stolen land." The group concluded by encouraging people to "Riot 2010!" Page 14 Earth First! Eostar 2008 artwork courtesy www.kerttuckyfhcdcruelty.com Only you can prevent the destruction of all that is wild. >J *•„. "• G; r;t ii;j> ■; ^ \ THE PROBLEM Today is the most critical moment in the habitat destruction and poaching — say that the merely protecting outdoor recreation opportu- three-and-a-half-billion-year history of life on Earth could lose one-quarter to one-third of all nities; nor is it a matter of elitist aesthetics, nor Earth. Never before — since the end of the Cre- species within a very few years. "wise management and use" of natural resources, taceous period, 65 million years ago — has there Not only is this onslaught against the natural It is a battle for life itself, for the continuous flow been a period of extinction as intense as the one world destroying ecosystems and their associated of evolution. we are now witnessing. species, but our activities are now beginning to We — this generation — are at humanity's most Over the last several hundred years, industrial have fundamental, systemic effects upon the en- important juncture since we came out of the civilization has declared war on nature, leading tire life-support system of the planet — upsetting trees six million years ago. It is our decision, ours to a drastic reduction in the biological diversity of the world's climate, poisoning the oceans, de- today, whether to hold renegade corporations this planet. Some respected ecologists assert that stroying the ozone layer and spreading acid rain, and lawless governments accountable for the de- the only large mammals to survive the near future radioactive fallout, pesticides and industrial con- struction of the natural world or turn our backs will be those we humans choose to allow to live. tamination throughout the biosphere. on Mother Earth and her defenseless life forms. . Others — aghast at the wholesale devastation Indeed, some biologists have warned that ver- Will we allow the Earth to continue to be a mar- of tropical rainforests and temperate old-growth tebrate evolution may be at an end due to the velously living, diverse oasis in the blackness of forests, rapidly accelerating desertification, and activities of industrialization. space, or will the charismatic megafauna of the the eradication of countless life forms due to Clearly, the conservation battle is not one of future consist of Norway rats and cockroaches? OUR SOLUTION Earth First! exists to defend the Earth in a world soil, as well as the modification of life's genetic groups. We do not adopt a human-centered world- of compromising, mealy-mouthed environmen- code. It is not enough to oppose the construe- view. Instead, we believe that industrial civilization tal groups. Earth First! is effective. Our frontline, tion of new dams and developments. It is time to and its philosophy are anti-Earth, anti-woman and direct action approach to protecting wildlands free our shackled rivers and restore the land. anti-liberty. gets results. We have succeeded in cases where Earth First! was founded in 1979, in response While there is broad diversity within Earth other environmental groups had given up, and to a lethargic, compromising and increasingly First! — from animal rights vegans to wilder- we have drawn public attention to the crises fac- corporate environmental community. Earth ness hunting guides, from stealthy monkey- ing the natural world. First! takes a decidedly different tack toward en- wrenchers to civil-disobedience acrobats, from It's not enough to ask politicians and corpo- vironmental issues. We believe in using all the whiskey-drinking backwoods riffraff to thought- rations to destroy less wilderness. We need to tools in the toolbox, ranging from grassroots or- ful philosophers, from bitter misanthropes to preserve it all, to recreate lost habitats and re- ganizing and involvement in the legal process to true humanitarians — there is agreement on one introduce extirpated predators. We need to stop civil disobedience and monkeywrenching. thing: the need for action, and reverse the poisoning of our air, water and Earth First! is different from other environmental To put it simply, the Earth must come first! No Compromise in Defense of Mother Earth! DIRECT ACTION GETS THE GOODS A soft blockade, a lockdown to a coal truck and a pod-hang over a bridge simultaneously block the only road to a Virginia coal plant in 2006. Earth First! is dynamic. In order to be an environmental movement, you've got to move! Direct action means personal, spiritual and strategic efforts to defend the Earth. Earth First! is defined by ac- tion, the purpose of which is to: Halt the Destruction: Force governments and corporations to stop their exploitive extraction of natural resources. Even the most "symbolic" action can help to stop the machine. Raise the Stakes: Send a clear message to the despoilers: "No more business as usual." Attract Media: You can't hope to change people's minds or put pressure on politi- cians without calling attention to the damage. Demonstrations "demonstrate" to the world that when all of our letters are ignored, our arguments mitigated and our legal appeals denied, we still refuse to accept the accelerating destruction of the Earth. Civil disobedience can expose an issue through print, television, radio and the Internet. Strengthen Resolve: Direct action is the most empowering event imaginable, a rite of passage that fills the participant with a feeling of effectiveness. We learn to work in concert with others who put the Earth first. Civil disobedience is a deliberate, thought-out act of conscience, even when undertaken spontaneously. Whenever you show up to a demonstration, you risk arrest and physical attack by the police or opponents. Be prepared with creative tactics, media spokesper- sons and jail support. Demonstrations Demonstrations include marches, costumes and street theater that present our position to reporters and make demands of corporate raid- ers and government pawns. Some Earth First! actions have included 200-pound stumps depos- ited on rangers' desks, manure from cattle grazed on public lands stacked against air conditioning vents, protests held outside the homes of timber executives, helium balloons hoisting placards inside convention centers, and 100-foot banners strung above highways, down smokestacks and across the facades of buildings. To be the most effective, a demonstration should be: Dynamic and Uncompromising: Have clear in- tent, tactics and specific targets. Identify the per- petrators by name and target them. Colorful and Creative: Create unique and sur- prising actions that challenge and amuse. Re- member, the media tends to fixate on whatever element is the most visually stimulating. Plan for that and make sure your message gets across, no matter what captions they place with the pic- tures from your action. Informative: Get across the clear goals of your campaign with factsheets and handouts, news releases, songs, skits and chants. Flexible: Be ready on a moment's notice to re- vise plans as the situation changes, taking ad- vantage of unforeseen opportunities — as in the sudden appearance of an offending executive or an unwanted piece of heavy equipment. Come up with a quick alternative when the governor is not in, when the building is sealed off, when the cops are out in force or when the meeting has moved to another location. Occupations and Sit-Ins Take over the boardrooms, offices and even the homes of unresponsive decision-makers and bu- reaucrats. Among other things, EF!ers have put up tents in land managers' of- fices, locked ourselves to their furniture, invaded the homes of industry CEOs and put cardboard on the air conditioning intakes of a district ranger’s office, forc- ing them to shut down their computers in the more-than- 100-degree heat. Blockades The proper place for an Earth Firstler is often directly in the path of the machin- ery that is destroying the wilderness or your community. This may be a symbol- ic gesture of defiance; it may also stop them in their tracks. Either way, it is a sure-fire way to take the focus out of the boardrooms and hearing chambers and to put it back where it belongs — in the wilderness at the scene of the crime. Targets can include logging equipment, radio- active waste shipments, livestock trucks, dam sites and mines. Methods include sitting in the road or chaining yourself to cattle guards, gates, doors or equipment. Other actions may call for locking yourself to concrete-filled barrels or rais- ing and sitting in tripods. The longer a blockade lasts, the more effective it is — though even brief, symbolic blockades have proven very effective in building public support. Treesitting Treesitting has been used successfully to shut down logging of ancient forests for months, even years, at a time. Earth Firstlers have rigged cables to surround- ing trees to prevent them from being cut and to cross over to different parts of the canopy. For this, you will need ex- perienced help and safety precautions, which various Earth First! groups can provide. Trainings are often held at EF! gatherings. Responsible Direct Action Direct action requires a code of integ- rity. Everyone involved must agree to a common set of principles or the media and police may focus on the conduct of a few participants rather than the original intent of the action. Be careful who you work with and get everyone to agree to a set of guidelines, whatever your tactics. At no time should anyone contribute to escalating violence from the police, work- ers, management or general public at an Earth First! action. If you are committed not to move — even if it means your arrest— stand your ground. To break and run might defeat the purpose of your action and endanger others. Don't put yourself in a dangerous position unless you are willing to face danger without moving. Otherwise, choose a less risky method of protest. No drugs, alcohol or weapons should be car- ried at the site of any Earth First! action. Identify potential arrestees ahead of time and have a list of their names and addresses. Pair each of them up with a support person who can be responsible for their keys and iden- tification. Monitor and record their arrest us- ing a camera or video if possible, and follow them through the legal process until they are released. Plan your actions well. Prepare street theater, songs, chants, costumes, signs and handouts in advance. Issue a press release to all of the radio, television and newspaper outlets in your area. Stick to a few short paragraphs describing the de- struction you plan to stop or the wilderness you propose for protection, making clear the desired result of your actions. It is a good idea to put in a few quotes attributed to one or more of your spokespersons. A good press release should be no more than two pages, although one page is pre- ferred. It is better for the media to call for more information than it is to issue a long, rambling press release. Send out press releases a few days before your event. Withhold sensitive information until the action occurs. Follow up with phone calls to the media the day before the action. Never assume they've read your release. Get the name of the reporter and ask them if they plan to come. You might hint at the more radical (photo op- portunity!) aspects of your action, but don't tip them off to anything that the cops shouldn't know ahead of time. Don't promise a more radi- cal scenario than you can really come up with or the press may not cover your future events. Look for the reporters who promised to show up and make sure that they have someone in your group to talk to who is knowledgeable, well-spoken and presentable. Meet before the action to circle up and focus on the emotional, ecological and spiritual moti- vations for your urgent work. Circle up again af- terward to make sure that everyone is accounted for, discuss what did or didn't work, and plan a time to meet to do it again! Activists at the No Borders Camp 2008 defied the border that aits through both sensitive ecologies and people’s lives. * With a turn of the wrench and a twist of the screw. What was once put together, we can easily undo. — Dana Lyons , "Turn of the Wrench" MONKEYWRENCHING Monkeywrenching: Sabotage, ecodefense, billboard should be avoided, as they may either be a wing- banditry, desurveying, road reclamation, tree spiking, nut or an agent provocateur, property destruction.... Monkeywrenching is not mindless; targets are All of these terms describe the unlawful sabo- carefully picked for their strategic value. There is tage of industrial extraction and development a time and a place for everything. Knowing when equipment as a means of striking at the Earth's not to engage in sabotage is equally of value. For destroyers where they commit their crimes and instance, monkeywrenching during public civil hitting them where they feel it *nost — in their disobedience jeopardizes all who are present, profit margins. Although some individual Earth Firstlers may Monkeywrenching is a step beyond civil dis- be active monkeywrenchers, the Earth First! obedience. It is nonviolent, aimed only at in- movement officially neither condones nor con- animate objects. It is one of the last steps in demns monkeywrenching. defense of the wild, a deliberate action taken by Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching an Earth defender when almost all other mea- (available from the Earth First! Journal) contains sures have failed. detailed information on monkeywrenching Although Earth First! is often associated with techniques as well as discussions of security, the practice and mystique of monkeywrench- safety, strategy and justification. Any potential ing, the organized elements of the Earth First! monkeywrencher would do well to study it care- movement do not engage in monkeywrenching. fully before embarking on the clearly illegal and Any person openly spouting off about sabotage potentially dangerous path of ecotage Vermonters lock down to an immovable barrel at the construction site for a truck stop. DEEP ECOLOGY "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integ- rity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." — Aldo Leopold The central insight of John Muir and of the science of ecology helped us remember that all things are connected and related; that human beings are merely one of the millions of species that have been shaped by the process of evolu- tion for 3.5 billion years. With that understand- ing, we can better answer the question, "Why wilderness?" Is it because wilderness makes pretty picture postcards? Because it protects watersheds for the downstream uses of agriculture, industry and homes? Because it cleans the cobwebs out of our heads after a long week at work or in front of a computer monitor? Because it preserves resource extraction opportunities for future generations of humans? Because some unknown plant living in the wilds may hold a cure for cancer? No. It is because wilderness is. Because it is the real world, the flow of life, the process of evolu- tion, the repository of that 3.5 billion years of shared travel. All natural things have intrinsic value, inherent worth. Their value is not determined by what they will ring up on the cash register, nor by whether or not they are good. They are. They exist. For their own sake. Without consideration for any real or imagined value to human civilization. Even more important than the individual wild "You cannot seriously address the destruction of and exploitation of the Earth. Failing to ad- creature is the wild interconnected community — wilderness without addressing the society that is dress oppressive behavior not only weakens the wilderness, the stream of life unimpeded by destroying it." — Judi Bari our movement by alienating and further vie- industrial interference or human manipulation. All forms of oppression are inherently timizing our friends and allies, it also calls These twin themes of interconnectedness and linked. Earth First! recognizes that the institu- into question our commitment to a bet- intrinsic value form the core of ideas of such eco- tional, economic, political, social and cultural ter world and our qualification as a radical logical thinkers as Edward Abbey, Judi Bari, Bill dynamics of hierarchy, power and privilege movement. Devall, Aldo Leopold, Arne Naess, George Ses- that define mainstream society also permeate Some things we can do to challenge this op- sions and Vandana Shiva, and are the basis for the radical environmental movement. These pression include participating with your EF! action by Earth Firstiers. This biocentric world dynamics are expressed in various interlock- group in an anti-oppression training and hav- view, as opposed to the anthropocentric para- ing systems of oppression (e.g., racism, sex- ing an accessible anti-oppression policy for digm of civilization (and the reformist position ism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism, your group. Strengthening our communities of mainstream environmental groups), has been speciesism, etc.), which prevent equal access to and our movement through acknowledging developed into the philosophy of deep ecology, resources and safety, disrupt healthy commu- and challenging oppression is critical. Earth First!, in short, does not operate from a nities and movement building, and severely Basically, while we're locking down or basis of political pragmatism or what is perceived — sometimes irreparably — harm our allies, our harnessing up, let's make sure we're all in to be "possible." Wilderness is not something friends, our loved ones and ourselves. this together and that none of us are getting that can be compromised in the political arena. Challenging these forms of oppression is pushed aside by otherwise well-intentioned We are unapologetic advocates for the natural implicit in our desire to stop the domination ecowarriors. world, for the Earth. CHALLENGING ALL FORMS OF OPPRESSION GET IT TOGETHER FORMING AN EARTH FIRST! GROUP Earth First! is a global movement composed of small, bioregionally based groups. Earth Firstlers become intimately familiar with the ecol- ogy of the area they inhabit and de- fend. They apply "direct pressure" to stop the bleeding, with a potent combination of education, organiz- ing and creative action. Nothing is more empowering than standing defiant against the destruction of our Mother Earth with other like- hearted people. Earth First! is a priority, not an or- ganization. There are no "members" of Earth First!, only Earth Firstlers. There is no highly-paid "professional staff." The only "leaders" are those temporarily working the hardest in defense of our last wilderness. Earth First! is, by nature, non-hierarchical. Each Earth Firstler's voice should be weighed equally. Earth Firstlers are bound together by a belief in biocen- trism — a belief that the Earth comes first — and a practice of putting our beliefs into action. To start an Earth First! group in your area, consider the following: Campaigns: Earth First! campaigns target human actions that adversely impact biological diversity. This can include ancient forest defense, endangered species protection, op- position to urban sprawl, resistance to borders and their impacts, and the preservation of sustainable in- digenous cultures. To protect a bio- region, Earth Firstlers connect with it through our hearts and souls. To become acquainted what we fight for, we spend time exploring our watersheds, mountains and can- yons, just feeling the wildness of these places. Contact: Your group needs a con- tact person with a mailing address, phone number and email who will respond to inquiries and share them with the group. This information is also listed in the EF! Journal. It's also helpful to develop a mailing list and phone tree for announcing meetings and events to prospective activists in your area. In addition, it may be useful to create a website to keep people updated about what's going on with your group. Security: The importance of re- sponsible security with personal information and associations must not be underestimated. Be smart, be aware and get to know the people in your group. Read Agents of Re- pression by Ward Churchill and J.J. Vanderwall, which chronicles the effects of state repression on other resistance struggles. Other articles on security culture are easily search- able on the Internet. Money: Some of the most com- mon funding needs are for print- ing, postage, logistics of actions and demonstrations, legal fees and court fines. You may want to set up a spe- cial bank .account for your group, with at least two people allowed to sign checks. Fundraising: Some ideas include benefit concerts; slideshows and tabling; public requests for funding support via radio shows; newslet- ters and the Internet; auctions of donated goods and services; bicycle pledge rides; foundation grants; school money from campus clubs for EF! presentations; EF! work par- ties; sale of EF! merchandise and EF! Journal sales. Meetings: Gather for potlucks, hikes, music, swims, etc. Meet to strategize, plan and carry out your actions! Camping and hiking trips to wild places in your area can do a lot for group bonding, as well. Tactics: Awareness can be pre- sented through handouts, news releases, articles, public presenta- tions, participating in public meet- ings, etc. Grassroots organizing helps by building coalitions with like-minded groups and generating public participation and input. It's also worthwhile to look into utiliz- ing the laws that exist to protect that which is threatened. Demonstrations and Civil Disobedi- ence: These are what won women the vote, emancipated slaves and retracted the US military-industrial machine from Vietnam. The quick- est and surest way to get a new EF! group going is to do a fun, nervy action! Bold, creative, confronta- tional actions generate media cov- erage and announce your presence to friends and foes. The Earth First! Journal: The Earth First! Journal is the voice for the many diverse opinions of our ! : ■ • A' movement. All are encouraged to submit articles and art on cam- paigns, philosophy, biological di- versity, resistance, investigative reports, humor, conspiracy, con- troversies and tactics based on un- compromising wilderness defense and love for the inherent balance of the natural world. Use the EF! Journal to update the movement on your campaigns. Announce oppor- tunities to attend your gatherings. If you do an action, write about it and send it in. Feel free to get in touch with the EF! Journal for tips on writing articles. Free copies of the EF! Journal are traditionally mailed out to contacts to be sold at full cover price as a fundraiser for local groups (the EF! Journal only requests postage reim- bursements). Contact the EF! Journal office to arrange to have a bundle mailed to your group each issue. In- dividual EF!ers are expected to sub- scribe, since the EF! Journal depends on subscriptions to survive. A regional newsletter can aug- ment the EF! Journal and can focus in greater detail on local issues, lists of local events and demonstrations, and provide more leeway to include other items. These newsletters can be statewide, bioregional or specific to your community. Production, writing and mailing should be done as a group to get the maximum number of voices represented and to keep all of the work from falling on just a few people. The EF! Round River Rendezvous and Organizers' Conference The Round River Rendezvous is the annual tribal gathering of Earth First!. Each Summer, this weeklong campout attracts several hun- dred Earth Firstlers from around the world. The gathering is coordinated by a volunteer committee and includes workshops, campaign discussions, campfire music, a rally with per- formers and speakers, and a post-gathering ac- tion. Perhaps, the most important part of the Round River Rendezvous is the informal net- working that takes place. EF! activists in North America also get together in the Winter for the EF! Organizers' Conference. This allows EFlers to converge and strategize about upcoming campaigns, actions and events. In addition, other global, national and biore- gional rendezvous are held throughout the year. Announced in the Earth First! Journal, these gath- erings are particularly important for developing a cohesive activist network and planning actions on a local level. The Earth First! Journal The Earth First! Journal is the voice of the radi- cal environmental movement. Published six times a year, it contains reports on direct ac- tion; articles on the preservation of wilderness and biological diversity; news and announce- ments about EF! and other radical environmen- tal groups; investigative articles; critiques of the entire environmental movement; book and mu- sic reviews; essays exploring ecological theory; and an always-lively letters to the editor section. The Earth First! Journal is an essential forum for discussion within the Earth First! movement. It is meant to be bold, controversial, anjusing and diverse in content and in style. You won't find hard-hitting news like this anywhere else. The Earth First! Journal also markets t-shirts, stickers and books advancing the Earth First! mes- sage. All merchandise is available by mail order. For more information, contact (520) 620- 6900; collective@earthfirstjournal.org; www. earthfirstjournal.org. Subscribe to the Earth First! Journal ...the radical environmental journal Name Address . City, State, Zip+4 Tel. .Country . O $500 Lifetime Subscription O $40 Air Mail, Canada or Mexico O $25 Regular Rate ($22 low income) O $50 Air Mail, International O $40 First Class (US $, no foreign checks) O $40 Anonymous Envelope O $75 Corporate or Law Enforcement Rate $ DONATION Email. Mail: Earth First! Journal-subscriptions POB 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702 Online: www.carthfirstjournal.org Credit Card Orders # circle one: Visa / MC Exp. date Este folleto es accessible en espanol. Para obtener algunas, con- tacte el Earth First! Journal. This Earth First! primer is also available in Spanish. Contact the Earth First! Journal to request a bundle. If you haven't met an Earth First! group in your area, con- tact the Earth First! Journal. Since Earth First! has no central office, the Journal serves as an information switchboard. You can get sample is- sues, the names of regional contacts or projects, and information on a current campaign. See contact in- formation on this page. by Miriam Wasser There are times and places, many times and places, where cruelty exists. There are times and places where lives are disrupted, where babies are murdered and mothers taken. Times and places where the unparalleled beauty of the natu- ral world stands in stark contrast to the human activity in the same area. But I do not need to tell you this. You have seen it in the news- papers, heard it in stories and read it in history. Political corruption, government ineptitude, malig- nant alliances and plundering of the natural world are all rampant. Families who are driven from their homes and rendered into vulner- able refugees are subject to harass- ment and a deplorable lifestyle that will be ignored by most. They become homeless refugees forced to wander across their homeland. "Management" is used as a guise for power, control and the unfet- tered ability to accumulate. This could be the beginning of an article about a whole myriad of issues: worker's rights in China, the Zimbabwean economy, our forests, the Amazon, the polar ice caps — the list could go on. But this time, it is about the plight of the American buffalo. This issue em- bodies and exemplifies many larger themes of injustice. The deeper one delves into the politics of the buf- falo, the more elucidated its con- nections to other global social, political, environmental and eco- nomic issues become. Millions of buffalo were slaugh- tered throughout the 19th century as part of the US government's calcu- lated plan to "manage" the western US and its indigenous peoples. This systematic killing continued until only 23 of the original tens of mil- lions of buffalo remained, and the people who depended on them were no longer able to live freely. Only af- ter the population had dipped td 23 were plans instated to save the only genetically pure herd of wild buf- falo — much to the ire of the livestock industry. Still, buffalo harassment and slaughter has continued. After the particularly bloody Win- ter of 1996-1997, when more than a thousand buffalo were killed by the Montana Department of Livestock, Buffalo Nations — now the Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) — was formed. BFC, co-founded by Mike Mease and Lakota activist Rosalie Little Thunder, has, with the help of more than 3,000 volunteers, spent the past 11 years fighting for greater tolerance and ex- panded habitat for the buffalo. As usual, this year's forecast for the Yellowstone buffalo is grim. In order to find food in the Winter, buffalo migrate outside of the in- visible boundaries of Yellowstone National Park and into lower ele- vations — mainly West Yellowstone and Gardiner, Montana. Once out- side of the park, buffalo are no lon- ger considered "wildlife" and are instead classified as a "species in need of disease control," because politics trumps science. Cattle ranchers fear the transmission of brucellosis and the loss of Mon- tana's brucellosis-free meat status. Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that affects wildlife and livestock, often causing a miscarriage in an animal's first pregnancy. It was first trans- mitted to American wildlife by Eu- ropean livestock in the early 20th century. Though there has never been a documented case of a wild buffalo transmitting the disease to livestock, this inflated potential "threat" frames them as pariahs. The buffalo's status as a threat, as well as the protocol for handling them as such, is detailed in the In- teragency Bison Management Plan (IBMP). The plan was drafted in 1999, by the Montana Department of Livestock, the National Park Ser- vice, the United States Forest Service, the Animal and Plant Health Inspec- tion Service, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for the long-term "management" of Yellowstone buf- falo. This piece of legislature helps the livestock industry at the expense of buffalo and all people and crea- tures who coexisted and depended on these amazing animals. There is, however, a brief win- dow of time when buffalo are con- sidered wildlife. For the past three years, from November 15 through February 15, state and tribal hunt- ing tags have been issued. In the 2006-2007 hunt, 67 buffalo were killed, and as of early February 2008, more than 100 have been killed this season. Conveniently, once the hunt is over, buffalo are no longer wildlife in the eyes and policies of the Montana govern- ment — and more severe forms of management resume. Winter is rough on buffalo, but Spring usually proves to be worse. They are hazed, harassed, captured, quarantined and/or sent to slaugh- ter to prevent their presence on their traditional calving lands and historic range. Hazing is when federal and state agents play modem cowboys, using horses, motorized vehicles and even helicopters to force the buffalo back into the park. At times, hazes starkly resemble news footage from other government-sponsored wars and genocidal campaigns across the globe. The IBMP allows for repeated and continuous hazing, even at times of the year when there are no cattle in the vicinity. Brucellosis can only live outside of the body for 24 horns in direct sunlight, a fact that further illuminates how ridiculous it is to haze buffalo months before cattle re- turn to the area. Hazing operations exhaust buffalo — forcing them to run for hours without breaks — and have killed newborn calves. Hazing is a barbarous and inhumane — not to mention wasteful, largely unsuc- cessful and inept — way to "manage" the last free-roaming and wild Amer- ican buffalo. In this issue, like in so many oth- ers, taxpayer dollars are funding an asinine policy and aiding in the destruction of the natural world. Buffalo hazing in 2007 Meanwhile, Montana cattle ranch- ers, like agribusinesses across the country and throughout the world, receive huge subsidies. History provides numerous ex- amples of indigenous peoples being exploited by settlers and cor- porations. Those whose lives were once so interconnected with the buffalo are no exception. They are also at the heart of this issue. Plans to slaughter buffalo were concomi- tantly designed to destroy native populations. Just as the buffalo are confined to the national park. reservations have been delineated and assimilation policies legislated for people. A historic connection was severed so that money could be made across a tamed and man- aged country. Today, many native people are trying to re-establish their ancient relationship with the buffalo and introduce them onto their reservations. In this light, the National Park Service's announced plans to capture and slaughter up- wards of 1,700 buffalo this Spring is even further enraging. The National Park Service, dur- ing its Summer fly-over, counted about 4,700 buffalo — a population size the IBMP deems too large for reasons that are entirely political. Buffalo advocates view this number as a step forward in buffalo resto- ration, noting that pressure from the livestock industry, not science, is behind the IBMP. Almost 5,000 buffalo should easily be able to survive in this area — as this ecosys- tem once provided for many, many more. Buffalo could roam, feed and live throughout the greater Yellow- stone ecosystem — ideally, all the way to Appalachia. But that will not be the case this year, according to the previously mentioned plan for a Spring slaughter. BFC is not just a small wildlife ad- vocacy group. It is a group fighting against injustice in both this and so many other causes. The buffalo is- sue is a microcosm of inequality and injustice on the global level. It is, at its heart, the same battle that Dar- fur activists fight, and it affects its s victims the same way government 8 neglect and other acts of violence | do. The campaign's actions foment | change on a local and macro scale, f I am often asked, "Why buffalo? | Why the Buffalo Field Campaign?" £ These are questions to which I 4 might respond with a discussion of ? how incredible the buffalo are, or how management of them disgusts me. It seems to me that, truthfully, I am fighting the same battle against global injustice as any other activ- ist. This is the same battle against corporate or government greed, the same battle against environmental destruction and the same battle for the rights of the less powerful. This is the same fight for what so many of us believe is right and good. BFC will certainly be busy this season, and the campaign will need all of the help it can get. If you have ever wanted to volunteer for BFC, now is the time! For more information, visit www. buffalofieldcampaign.org. March-April 2008 Earth First l Page 19 by Gedden Cascadia I have climbed hundreds of trees. As a kid, it was a game: Who could carve their initials the highest in the old maple outside the library? Of- tentimes, it was me; other times, I would climb up to check on my mark only to see someone else had beaten me by an inch. Creeping out on ever diminishing branches, I'd stretch my arm as far as I could to try to set the new height. That old maple, as large as it seems in my memories, still could not prepare me for the awe inspired by a truly ancient forest. These trees had sprung from a seed placed not by a landscaper a mere hundred years ago, but by a gust of wind some 500 years previously, guided to its final location at the site now occupied by the tree I am star- ing at in silent disbelief. The forests are following a cycle that was ancient when the first humans were still grunting over the mystery of fire. I remember the first time I ever went up into the canopy of an ancient Douglas fir tree. It was about 140 feet up a rope to a treesit named "Guardian." By the time I got to the top, my hands were covered in blisters, but I didn't care. The blisters were soon forgotten as I sat down on the old pieces of plywood that hung in si- lent defiance so far above the forest floor that one had to yell as loudly as possible just to be heard by those land-locked mortals still stuck to the ground. If the wind blew, sending ripples of movement through the canopy, I could for- get about communicating with the ground, as my words were swallowed by the gentle swish- ing of the branches. Standing among the moss- covered ancients of a Cascadian forest, I knew that a stage of my life was over. I fell in love. Not with that one tree or that one grove or even with that one forest. I fell in love with the very essence of forests and wild spaces everywhere. Not surprisingly, I didn't even think about carv- ing my initials into that ancient Douglas fir. I have spent a good portion of my life trying to protect those places. No longer would the con- cept of deforestation be a mere slogan devised to inspire people to recycle. I had made a con- nection with a place. Walking the aisles of a gro- cery store, I began seeing the insidious side of the teddy bear selling the comfortable, soft toilet paper. Into my mind sprang visions of an army of cuddly stuffed animals wielding chainsaws. They were cutting down acre after acre of forest, leaving a swath of destruction behind them just to meet the ever-increasing demand for rolls of tissue with the texture of a pillow for some per- son to wipe their ass with. Many years have passed since that pivotal moment in my life. I have traveled around the world and seen forests on all the continents, but I will always call Cascadia my home. The sad fact is that the few intact portions of ancient, untouched forests here reside only in areas that were too remote and too hard to get equipment into. Thankfully, people didn't have helicopters to extract trees during the first major waves of logging that hit Cascadia some 150 years ago. We are now fighting for these last scraps left over from a time when people considered the forests to be an infinite resource, and the only controls in place to mitigate the damage was the limiting factor of how much timber the train could haul. Imagine seeing this land before humans had such a devastating impact. Imagine traveling through the low-elevation groves of 16-foot- wide Douglas firs and western red cedars. These groves are now nothing more than a memory and a few old photos of loggers sitting inside the gaping wounds they had just inflicted upon the soon-to-topple-and-die, 500-year-old giants. I can only guess as to the beauty and magnitude of the Cascadian forests back before they were riddled with roads and logging projects. It is an unfortunate reality that, where some may see beauty and essential habitat for the other residents of this planet, others only see dollar signs and profit margins. It boggles my mind that anyone could walk among some of the oldest living organisms on this rock called Planet Earth and, instead of being touched on some profound level, their reaction is to begin calculating the board-feet available and the money represented in the "timber.” 1 defend the forest for the animals that need that "timber" to survive. I defend the forest because there is so little wild space left on this planet, and every inch must be protected. I defend the forest for the future generations of the beautiful and amazing wildlife that resides inside the groves of hemlocks and fir trees. I defend the forest because I am unwilling to sit back and watch yet another bit of nature get trampled and crushed under humanity's ever- increasing footprint. I do not defend the forest so that it may be cut at a more "sustainable" rate. I do not defend the forest so that the next generation of humans can experience the majesty of the wild. I sure as hell don’t defend the forest so that a recreation source is saved for off-roaders, hunters or casual campers. These are all reasons given to try to per- suade the general populace to give a damn about the destruction taking place. Our entire reality is so saturated with the anthropocentric diatribe that many have lost the ability to see the value of nature for nature's sake. Even how we talk about this planet reflects our need to humanize what is important to us. The web of life is not a breeding female, as the term "Mother Nature" seems to imply. However, if such an anthropomorphic analogy is to be used, then allow me to take it one step further. Our "mother" has the boot of humanity placed firmly upon her neck, slowly crushing the life out of her. As our collective footprint increases, so does the weight of that boot. It won't be much longer until we are awakened one night by a catastrophic snap echo- ing across the land, marking the murder of our mother as her neck breaks under the weight of her child's boot. The Earth is not my mother. The Earth is not my anything. The Earth is not mine. I am merely a trespasser who is trying to do as little damage as possible while mitigating the dam- age that is so casually inflicted by the countless other trespassers like me. Slogans like "We must protect our forests" ring hollow in my ears. If someone needs to feel possession of a place to be inspired to protect it, then it is just one more reflection of the shallow and materialistic world that would accept such devastation in the first place. We must protect the forests because to do otherwise is unacceptable on any moral level. We must protect the forests at any cost. I shed no tears for the out-of-work lumberjack, for who put that person out of work to begin with? The environmentalists who stood up and yelled, "No, we will not allow the obliteration of the last remnants of ancient forest," or the loggers themselves who have cut and cut and cut until there were only scraps left? The people who depend on the destruction of the forest for a paycheck are destroying their own source of income. The important question then becomes: Once they are out of work, will there be any unspoiled wild places left? I know dozens of scientific justifications for why the forests and other wild spaces should be protected for the benefit of humans. There are hundreds of little factoids one could recite in an attempt to inspire the populace at large to care, but I don't give a damn about any of that. If I have to grin and play the part of the anthropo- centric jester to get a little more support for the single-most important issue on this planet, then I will. (All other concerns disappear if the Earth turns into a moonscape and all life — including ours — is eradicated.) I will do the dance and sing the tune to get a few more dollars or one more signature. I'll force down the sickness growing inside my gut. I will smile and nod and pretend I care about the future of the offspring of the person I am addressing. I have the utmost respect for individuals who can engage in the struggle on that level on a day- to-day basis, but I find the words flat, and my ability to recite them with any amount of con- viction is diminishing with age and anger. I also have nothing Trut respect and admiration for those elves who light up the night with fires and take militant action on the behalf of the Earth, but my place is not among either of these groups of people. My place is among the ranks of the Earth Firstlers who occupy and blockade sections of the Earth to try and hold off the chainsaws for one more week, one more day, one more hour or even one more minute. There have been so many sleepless nights spent trying to get the blockade finished before the first rays of dawn's light expose the work of nature's defenders. There is always one more rope to tie, one more boulder or log to place, or perhaps there is still one more piece of Earth-destroying equipment to lock down to while the horizon Page 20 Earth First! Eostar 2008 is already beginning to turn colorful, from the comforting embrace of black to the betraying tones of yellow and orange. There have been so many moments out in the forest listening to the sounds of distant chainsaws, knowing the next place marked for destruction was the very spot where I stood. There have been so many "timber sales" that I have been a part of trying to stop that sometimes stories get confused and arguments happen about what happened where, when and with whom. The exceptions are those few stories about when we have triumphed and held off the forces arrayed against us. These stories are well-remembered and cherished because there are' so few of them. Most often, the story ends in tragedy with the large corporate interests winning the day and the ded- icated forest defenders locked in some cold jail cell far away from the forest. It is hard to watch a forest that you have put so much time and energy into protecting get leveled in just a few quick moments of madness and a few sweeps of a gore-covered chainsaw. Being that last line of defense can be cold, wet and hard work. At times, it seems like 80 percent of forest defense is carrying heavy shit up a hill. What we do is dangerous, and people have been seriously hurt; a few have died. There are crazy loggers to deal with, along with overly macho cops who need to prove their prowess by chas- ing activists through the forest, then throwing them to the ground in a pain compliance hold. Visitors range from grandmas bearing gifts of cookies to rednecks bearing guns. For these and many other reasons, not many people stick around for long in the forest defense game. Peo- ple get jaded quickly, or perhaps the novelty of it wears off. With every victory being only temporary and every defeat being permanent, it is understandable why many people take the easy road of apathy, but there will always be those of us who continue to stand up for the .planet. There are those of us who aren't willing to sit back and watch the destruc- tion of the Earth. The battle is hard, and there is a very real possibility we won't win. Humanity seems intent on ripping apart the very fabric of life, but we will do what we can when we can. Because of us and other dedicated individuals, the forests have a chance for survival. We may be on an irreversible course to the annihilation of most life on this planet, but I will never stop fighting for what life remains. I will never give up and accept the razing of every wild place on this planet and the con- tinued disappearance of species after species. I have no choice in this. That first tree that I climbed is still standing. Af- ter all these years. I can still go back and sit under it and remember the blisters and how scared I was. I can be reminded of the moment I fell in love, and that love is what has sustained me along with the anger that is invoked by the sound of every chain- saw being wielded by greed. The Earth is being destroyed, and every one of us is responsible. The only choice left is what we are going to do about that: accept the destruction or act out against it. The Earth is dying but more than that, it is being murdered. 1 want to be remembered as a person who stood up, pushed aside the apathy inherent in the comfort we enjoy as a society, and took action to defend the wild and to put the Earth first! Geddeti Cascadia has lost sleep at forest cam- paigns all over the world and encourages others to remember, "You can sleep when you're dead!" / Can Emails They Can Lead to Second-Degree Felony Extortion? If They’re Annoying to Banks and HLS by Sophia In October 2005, the Seattle Po- lice Department showed up at the Seattle Central Community Col- lege Library computer lab just 45 minutes after Dylan Barr had fin- ished sending out another flood of emails to Washington Mutual Bank to discourage its involve- ment in Huntingdon Life Sci- ences (HLS), one of the world's largest animal testing companies. The plainclothes cops peered over the shoulders of various computer users until, eventually, they arrested Barr on the grounds that he was looking at an animal rights website and was therefore the person most likely to have sent emails. Barr had carried out a "denial of service" attack. Over the course of his two-week campaign, he sent more than 5,000 emails to employees of Washington Mutual. Most of the emails contained phrases such as "Dump HLS," repeated for hun- dreds of pages. A few of the emails stated, "This is what happens to companies that invest in HLS," with a link to the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) website or the Bite Back website. Other emails directed Washington Mutual em- ployees to the investment manager responsible for the bank's invest- ment in HLS stock. Barr sent so many large documents to the em- ployees that their inboxes became full and refused emails from actual bank patrons. Barr had succeeded in his immediate goal. The Seattle district attorney eventually pre- sented these emails as evidence of harassment and threats. Of course, Barr also made progress on some larger goals: inspiring people to take action despite the Green Scare, showing solidarity with the SHAC 7 (see EF!f November-December 2006) and other political prisoners, and, of course, shutting down HLS. Washing- ton Mutual ceased its investment in HLS three days after Barr was arrested. After Barr was released from jail on $15,000 bail, there were no im- mediate charges filed against him. Still, his apartment was searched and ransacked, and he and his girl- friend were questioned by the FBI (though, of course, they would not speak to the feds). Finally, in March 2007, more than a year later and after Barr had moved back to his hometown of New Orleans, he re- ceived a letter from the Seattle dis- trict attorney's office. It stated that he could either accept a plea deal or be taken to federal court on two felony charges, which carried a po- tential sentence of up to two years in prison. After negotiations, he took a non- snitching deal and pleaded guilty to second-degree felony extortion on October 29. The prosecution had argued that Barr was responsi- ble not just for the $5,000 of direct losses to Washington Mutual while its email systems were clogged, but also for the $ 1-million stock loss from the bank's sale of HLS stock. The DA claimed that this was extor- tion, regardless of the fact that Barr extorted nothing for himself. Until the very end, the DA was convinced that Barr had been in- volved in other SHAC demonstra- tions and was part of a mysterious animal rights "network," although Barr had been acting alone and was not even aware that there had been any Seattle SHAC demonstrations. Barr was sentenced to 29 days of community service and $25,000 of restitution payments, complete with a 12-percent interest rate. As Barr explained in a recent ar- ticle in Bite Back magazine, there are lessons to be learned from his experience. First, the cops can de- termine the location from which an email is sent, but they won't know it was you if you are using publicly accessible computers and get out of the place fast. (Obvi- ously, it's also wise to avoid leav- ing fingerprints or being caught on camera.) Although the government wanted to make an example of him by pros- ecuting his case, the real lesson Ban- hopes we take from his experience is that "this movement is not in decline. You are not isolated. There are millions of us, and no court will ever be able to stop the spread of worthy ideas and the actions that arise from them." Barr urges everyone to continue taking action to shut down corpo- rations like HLS and to demonstrate support for imprisoned victims of the Green Scare. He also needs help with his restitution expenses. If you want to donate to his restitution payments or hold a fundraiser for him, contact supportdylan@gmail.com or donate online at www.supportdylan.org. Dylan Barr March-April 2008 Earth First! Page 21 LAKOTA FREEDOM DELEGATION Declares Withdrawal From All US Treaties i Press conference at which the Lakota Freedom Delegation announced withdrawal continued from page 1 bit more of the declaration's back- ground and each of their visions. When I interviewed Russell Means, one of the founders of the American Indian Movement, he ref- ered to the Lakota land as the "Re- public of Lakotah." His vision includes constructing a provisional Lakota government to be replaced eventually by a governing structure based on the elder women, as is traditional in Lakota society. He also explained a lot of the legal measures the Republic of Lakotah has been taking and will continue to take to reclaim land stolen by the US government, and concrete steps to ensure an economically strong and independent state. This is in contrast to what Canupa Gluha Mani spoke to me about. Also known as Duane Martin, Sr., Canu- pa Gluha Mani is a member of the Strong Heart Civil Rights Movement. While he acknowledged the work that Means is focused on as im- portant, he explained more about the psychic shift the Lakota people need to make toward a place of love and communication. He refered to the Lakota Oyate (People) rather than the Republic of Lakotah. Although the two of them both signed the declaration, they have differences at this point. By includ- ing both of them in this article, I mean to explore a wider range of the meaning of this declaration. A History of Struggle The decision to withdraw is one that has deep roots. Looking to atrocities of the past, the reasons behind this move are clear. The La- kota have survived massacres like the one by US troops at Wounded Knee in 1890, the infamous reser- vation boarding schools, a lack of basic civil rights, unyielding gov- ernment repression and infiltration, and institutionalized racism. Yet from the Battle of Little Big- horn (Custer's defeat) in 1876 to the 1973 standoff at Wounded Knee to a history of activism in the battle against corporate takeover of their land, the Lakota have always fought back. Still, the insidious repression con- tinues. Means explained this situation to the Journal. "When you are... an Indian on an Indian reservation, you have no protections by the US Con- stitution," he said. "No protections against police, against the courts, against government of any kind — even tribal government. You have no protections against corporations or individual crimes by non-Indians; we have no protections! None!" The Lakota were forced off their land, the "Dakota Territory," and onto reservations in the 19th cen- tury. The area they were allotted continued to shrink after that. Con- ditions on most Lakota reservations are terrible: The life expectancy for men is only 44 years (and not much higher for women). Diseases that are mostly unknown elsewhere in the US are rampant on reservations. The La- kota suicide rate is 800 times the US average, and the infant mortality rate is 200 times the US average. The Lakota Pine Ridge Reserva- tion, located in one of the poor- est areas in the country, is a case in point. "Come down to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and see what's going on. That will make enough tears fall out of your face, and you will understand why," Canupa Gluha Mani told the Jour- nal. He was arrested last Summer for blockading a road from Nebraska to keep alcohol from entering the dry reservation. "The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is the death trap of America, with all these colonial practices going on to this god-forsaken day — and nobody in the gov- ernment system wants to do anything about it. That's an insult to us!" Things are getting worse in the rest of the US, too. Ac- cording to Means, "That's what scares us the most: In- dian policy is now on your heads. Your health system, what there is of it, was bred and born on an Indian res- ervation. Your entire public educational system: bred and bom on an Indian reserva- tion. Your land policy: Get rid of the family farmer and give the land to a corporation, be- cause the family farmer is in the way of progress. So your land policy has been bred and bom on an Indian reser- vation. These major factors of your life, along with the deprivation and the continual degradation of your constitutional rights by the imple- mentation of fear: that's bred and born on a reservation. When we see America becoming a big Indian res- ervation, we don't want any part of it. We have to maintain our integrity and our identity as a distinct people. We have our own value system. We have our own societal structures that are becoming extinct." Land and People There is a reason that land is the focal point of this declaration. Land is often tied to community, to spiri- tual well-being and to livelihood. In the case of the Lakota, their land was outright stolen, the rivers were dammed, their sacred mountains were mined for gold, and the buf- falo that were so important to their way of life were slaughtered. Now, more than a century later, they must continue to fend off corporate attempts to use their land for min- ing, nuclear energy facilities, hog farms and other industrial uses. Speaking about the current state of the Earth in the hands of the corporations, Canupa Gluha Mani said, "Our trees are getting stripped right off of her like her pubic hairs! Those are hers; they're her hairs from her mountain. The clouds are polluted with all these chemicals from these... corporate industry plants that are sending this toxic waste into the air." "There's an old saying among the Lakota people," Canupa Gluha Mani continued, outlining the re- sponsibility of the Lakota to de- fend the Earth. "When you keep The Lakota name for the Black Hills is Paha Sapa, which translates to “ the heart of everything that is." These sacred mountains have been invaded, mined for gold and twisted into the faces of dead presidents. bothering Mother Earth, the Great Spirit continues to look upon you with dismay, and eventually, the two of them are going to conspire together, which they always do, and they're going to brew up something serious... that's not going to affect the white man hardly. It's going to affect the people who are supposed to be doing the rightful thing by standing up to [the corporations] and stopping them from destroying our land, our water, our resources, that are a part of Mother Earth. "People need to start realizing that if we don't really protect our resources, our Mother Earth and the Great Spirit, they can kiss human- ity goodbye in the next 33 years. Why do you think global warming is happening? Why do you think the rights of humanity are being stripped away? It's because we are stubborn enough to allow it to happen. We don't know how to say 'no' anymore!" Promises and Lies "The government officials always stated, 'As long as the grass grows and the rivers flow, this laijd and these rivers will be yours.' Well, that's all a lie," related Canupa Gluha Mani emphatically. The Lakota are pulling out of trea- ties with the US because, although Article Six of the Constitution states that "all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the author- ity of the US, shall be the supreme law of the land," it seems that the US never intended to honor any of them. Treaties of "peace and friend- ship" were signed in the early years of the 19th century, shortly after the Louisiana Purchase, and were routinely violated as colo- nial "settlers" pushed west. The first treaty of Fort Lara- mie was signed in 1851 and specifically recognized a sovereign and independent Lakota nation. This too was broken, leading to more conflict unfavorable to the US. So it called for another treaty meeting at Fort Lara- mie in 1868. This stated that the US would close the ma- jor road through the Lakota territory and the military forts along it, as well as keep US troops and settlers out of the area. This time, the US broke the treaty right away, allow- ing railroad and mining ven- tures into the area. In the 1870s, General George Custer charged into the sacred Black Hills, beginning the rush for gold mining in the region. Ever since, the rights of the Lakota to self-determination and sovereignty have been violated and violently repressed so that the US economy could grow. 1974 to 2007 The predecessor of the 2007 dec- laration came in 1974, with the Declaration of Continuing Inde- pendence. It was written by the first International Indian Treaty Council, which was attended by more than 5,000 people represent- ing 97 tribes. Means, who was in attendance, recalls, "Among the Lakota, we had most of our elders there, a few dozen men and wom- en in their 70s, 80s and 90s at the time. They had been born in the 1800s, had never gone to school and had been raised by people who were born free. They had a Page 22 Earth First I Eostar 2008 A pleasantly surprising, I-guess-you- A backstabbing, sleeping-with-the- have-one-good-deed-in-you wolf to several enemy, you' ve gonc-bananas lickspittle phone companies, who cut off FBI wiretaps poodle to Rainforest Alliance, which is con- used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals this veniently profiting from rainforest destruction. January. More than half of the FBI's 990 phone Rainforest Alliance receives 30 percent of its bills were not paid on time, so the phone com- funding by certifying industrial logging through panies pulled the plug, resulting in lost its Smartwood program. It is the largest such A s£P) evidence. As Michael German, a former certifier in the world. Smartwood certification FBI agent and current American Civil follows Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) gulde- n' Liberties Union national security policy lines, which Rainforest Alliance claims will en- . ’ counsel, put it, "It sounds as though the tele- sure sustainable forestry. Alcorns believe it when the FBI says the warrant is In truth, FSC guidelines allow first-time log- in the mail, but not when it says the check is in ging of pristine ancient forests. In addition to en- the mail." abling legal, unsustainable logging, Smartwood If anyone should know how to break the law at has issued FSC certificates to various companies this point, it's the FBI. Don't they know by now involved in illegal logging. Also, Rainforest Alli- that you have to obey the little laws if you're go- ance has issued "ethical certificates" to Chiquita, ing to break the big ones? a banana corporation involved in illegal deals with paramilitary operations in rural areas of Co- A no-compromising, unshakably defend- lombia in order to "protect" its certified banana ing, eminent-domain-this! wolf to Apache plantations, landowners on the Rio Grande, who, in a na- tional media conference call on January 7, told Homeland Security to halt the seizure of their lands for the US-Mexico border wall. "The wall in South Texas is militarization," said JMbI Enrique Madrid, a Jumano Apache com- munity member. "[The Border Patrol iKta rMR, and US soldiers] will be armed and Kg«| shoot to kill." The wall also goes against a 2007 Environmental Impact Statement P""\ released for the area and would pose So, if you can stand the narration feet change if those with power uphold and pro- documents the result of such a strategy. By not of a burned-out activist, vitally important ques- mote a violent system? Wilkerson quotes Mao proactively creating a safe forum to explore tions can be explored in this book. Anyone tak- Tse-tung in noting that "power grows out of the problems like sexism and racism in your organi- ing active steps to make the world a safe place barrel of a gun," which describes the philosophies zation, you silence important and critical voices for all its inhabitants should keep searching for of both the US government and the Weathermen, and limit your revolutionary vision and impact, answers that will sustain us through the impor- Our whole world is surrounded by violence: vio- In the case of the Weathermen, Wilkerson feels tant work, keeping us strong and inspired, but lence against women, violence against the poor, they were "doomed to crash and burn." also mindful of lessons from the past, police brutality, the military-industrial complex, Finally, a problem that Wilkerson only hints Joanna wishes she hadn't fallen for the "maybe racism, and the US's violent and racist occupa- at — but which was at the forefront of my mind — this book will be written by a feminist" trick and tions of other countries. Our possessions, food, was how the Weathermen seemed to rely on the just read Bill Ayers' Weathermen memoir, Fugitive clothing, appliances and shelter are the results idea that struggle served as a symbol, that clear Days, instead. of a complex and intricate system of violence symbolism in and of itself would collec- against the Earth and all her inhabitants. While tively change the minds and hearts of today is a very different time in history than US citizens and spark a revolution. Earth when Wilkerson was organizing in the 1960s First! appears to be having this problem, and 1970s, those violent systems are still strong too; symbolic struggle and meaningful and present in all of our lives — perhaps even change seem to suggest different roads to i[| stronger, since our dissenting voice has weak- freedom. 1 took from Wilkerson's reflec- J § r Mf |BBfc ened since Wilkerson's time. tions that this phenomenon might be a HSK^BpS Jy| J j§HpP ; fjH 1 1 £ What stood out for me were a few organizing symptom of whiteness. Symbolic protest ^ * »■ H -A roadblocks that our movement should be wary played a key role in SDS and the Weather- jj/J IHAf A JBP i t JB m of, educated about and committed to avoiding as men, while the Black Panther Party (BPP) Ij Mm jjnjf tmmm A we march forward in our own revolution. had both symbols to demonstrate its po- L JB One big problem that Wilkerson thinks litical framework and practical local solu- r "doomed" the Weathermen was their blind ac- tions, such as free breakfast for children. ^1^1^ yL ceptance of the "existing paradigm in which The Weathermen leaders believed these manhood and power were ultimately determined efforts took away from the more press- *41 IS by physical force and aggression." It seems the ing goals of sustained confrontations W Weathermen made the mistake of assuming that with police and citizens, which the BPP taking a political stance of total opposition to ev- found to be dangerous and negative. It is ery aspect of American life would automatically important to speak freely about these is- £jg| 1 rid the movement of sexism, racism and other sues in any organization, to think about societal vices. Unless you took militant action, who has the freedom to do what and how there was no "proof" that you were anti-racist, much our perspective has to do with our anti-war and anti-sexist, because the status quo skin color. Without a diverse set of ideas was inherently complicit. coming from people different than your- While the act of physically fighting back self, the scope of radical change can only seemed exciting and cathartic for many, Wilk- reach so far. erson finds this strategy’ to be more reactionary Wilkerson says very clearly that the than revolutionary. Many men at that time were Weathermen were sexist in their struc- 1 a|8B||BjH||^W||jE t B trying to find ways to express their masculinity, ture and organizing, but a critique of since war supporters called their refusal to fight the Weathermen's whiteness is hardly in Vietnam cowardly. The sexism within the vocalized at all. I don't really know if it Weathermen leadership and strategy silenced crossed her mind. Wilkerson's (and supposedly many others') criti- This book is brutally personal, pains- ~ - - - 'Vj MtmwtAti mom - wo# W posmss mm m tbAmamovi msimmmi CATHi.rH PIATT WlMCiRSON fc»»*****t*w*<*x'** £***#' waammm * 8 * % wfl in k Uki r-v^ ■: *tmt W mi ws£' $£((***$ ***%» ><$»:<(;■#: - CAUffOH *< mwm mhwtp* Wilkerson at a women's demonstration during the Days of Rage March-April 2008 Earth First! Page 27 by Erin and Colleen Elizabeth Coal River, by Michael Shnayersoti, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. Exploded mountains, buried val- leys and streams, obliterated habitats and forcibly depopulated communi- ties should be enough to determine that mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR) is an abomination. Common sense should be all one needs to conclude that the practice is irreversibly destructive and must be stopped immediately. But the reality is that the power structure supporting MTR is deeply entrenched. Corruption permeates the whole system. Yet, many of the efforts to stop MTR are focused on attempted legislation. As Michael Shnayerson shows in Coal River, com- mon sense does not have as much in- fluence in the courts as industry does. Retracing the past 10 years, Shnay- erson uses narratives to portray the painful roller coaster of political and legal battles around surface mining in the southern Appalachian Moun- tains. Readers encounter tenacious lawyer Joe Lovett, an assortment of courageous coalfield residents fight- ing to save their homes, ruthless Massey Energy baron Don Blanken- ship, and others in battles over indi- vidual mines and over the legality of MTR mining as a whole. This look at the legal circus sur- rounding MTR is a useful tool for anyone who supports the moun- tains and people of Appalachia. As we fight to tear down the larger neocolonial system, we need to ed- ucate ourselves about its tricks and trades while it still exists. This book outlines King Coal's strongholds in Appalachia, Wall Street and Wash- ington, DC, in a clear, engaging way. Only toward the end do the numer- ous lawsuits and appeals begin to blur together. Reading Coal River gave us a better understanding of the courts and regulatory agencies, such as the West Virginia Department of "Environmental Protection" and the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as an unsettling reminder of the politi- cal power wielded by corporate ac- tors and their money. Shnayerson's primary credentials came from his role as a contribut- ing editor of Vanity Fair, so it's wise to approach this book with the un- derstanding that it is crafted in a similar style. We had been hoping for a book that balances biocen- trism and social impacts, which, sadly, this is not. The people's sto- ries are powerful and need to be heard, and Coal River does a good job of telling them, but Shnayer- son addresses ecology only as it is most directly relevant to human communities. His use of personal narratives to poignantly describe the recent history of mining in Ap- palachia highlights the strengths of individuals in the struggle. In his description of the people who have come out to support coalfield residents (Mountain Jus- tice Summer participants and Earth Firstlers, for example), Shnayerson perpetuates detrimental stereotypes based on appearance, and he shows a lack of understanding of the ef- forts at cultural sensitivity that these activists strive for. While the author gives well-deserved credit to the inspiring local organizers he follows in the book, readers are left with the impression that Moun- tain Justice Summer folks came to the coalfields for one Summer of marching and then went back from whence they came. Many have stuck by their commitment to the mountains and the people of Appa- lachia by remaining in the coalfields as allies or by working in their own communities to bring awareness to the issue and to hold the corporate scumbags accountable. Shnayerson recounts the rich his- tory of many longtime coalfield residents, but he glaringly omits the even further-reaching roots of the in- digenous people in this region. The one mention of native peoples is an offensive comparison of a protest march with a Native American fu- neral procession. Shnayerson does get some things right. In his portrayal of Don Blan- kenship, he couldn't have created a nastier, more ruthless character if he'd been writing fiction! The stories of bribery, union busting, negligence, buying elections, in- timidation, exploitation and un- abashed greed show the danger of a capitalist system in which one man with enough money can wield power without limit. We would hope that a book that illuminates how pointless it is to assume legal victories can bring about lasting change would end with the seemingly obvious con- clusion that systemic change is necessary. Shnayerson demon- strates how these systems oper- ate, but never challenges their existence overall. In fact, he tries to leave readers with the hope that change is possible if the next presidential administration would simply uphold the laws. However, MTR can't be solved as an isolated problem. It is a representation of this whole society, and as long as this society is based on runaway consumption, no technological replacements or amount of min- ing reform will save us. O{9{2(0 c u oigzyfcE 9(^6 Rights Action Speaking Tour March-April 2008 Canada and Western US Rights Action is a multifaceted community development, environmental and human rights organization based in Guatemala and Canada. Subjects for the Rights Action Speaking Tour include: Investigating in Conflict: North Ameri- can Mining Companies; Trickle-Down "De- velopment" and Environmental Destruction; Guatemala and Honduras: A Global Miner's and Investor's "Oasis"; and GoldCorp in Cen- tral America. Rights Action will ask interested organizations to raise funds and contribute to the overall cost of the tour. All profits from the tour will go to the work of campesino and indigenous organiza- tions in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico that are resisting the global mining industry. For more information, visit www.rightsaction. org. To host an event, contact Grahame Russell, (860) 352-2448; info@rightsaction.org. No! G8 Action Info-Tour March 6-24 • US In July, heads of the states that monopolize two-thirds of the Earth's wealth will gather at Lake Toya in Hokkaido, Japan. The so-called Group of Eight (G8) is the embodiment of the global governance that has consistently driven neoliberal reform while spreading poverty, vio- lence, hatred, segregation and environmental destruction across the globe. We can no longer let this continue. The info-tour presentation deals with issues facing Japan and East Asia, such as militarization, neoliberal reform, free trade, societal control, environmental de- struction, and^the rights of minorities such as foreign workers and the indigenous Ainu people of Japan. The tentative US tour schedule is: March 6- 10 in Washington, DC (National Conference on Organized Resistance); March 11-13 in Chi- cago, Philadelphia and/or Baltimore; March 14-16 in New York (Left Forum); March 17-20 in Seattle or Portland; and March 21-24 in San Francisco (Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair and other locations). For more information or for international tour dates, contact Kaori and Go at 81-3-5366-4797; ka-os@riseup.net; go-hi@riseup.net. Spring Regional Rendezvous in Western-Central Appalachia March 20-23 • Southeastern Ohio Join Hock-Hocking Earth First! for a resur- rectionary weekend camp-out for planning, meeting, having fun and bringing EF! back to the forefront of the western-central Appala- chian region. For more info, contact hockhockingef@gmail. com. Call for Workshops for 2008 Round River Rendezvous June 30-July 6 • Southeastern Ohio Organizers of this year's Earth First! Summer Rendezvous are accepting applications for work- shops and skillshares at the gathering. Possible workshops include facilitation training, bridging community gaps, consent, mental health, post- issue organizing, EF! response to the Republican and Democratic national conventions, bringing EF! into the Space Age, and any other awesome ideas and knowledge you'd like to share with the EF! community. We are also in need of funds for this year's rendezvous and are asking that other EF! groups host a benefit event and split the profits with us. Any funds would be much appreciated. If you have workshop submissions or dona- tions, contact rondy2008@gmail.com. Please put the appropriate topic in the subject line. Live-In Internships at Farm Sanctuary Ongoing • Acton, CA One hour north of downtown Los Angeles, Farm Sanctuary provides a home to more than 150 rescued farm animals. It is dedicated to pub- lic education, outreach and investigative cam- paigns to prevent cruelty to farmed animals. One-month internships include 32 hours per week of assigned tasks (cleaning bams, shelter maintenance, administrative jobs and conduct- ing tours) and eight hours per week of training in a special project (investigations, animal health care, fundraising and more). There is dormitory- style housing on sanctuary premises. For more information, contact (661)-269-0986; www. farmsanctuary.org. Page 28 Earth First! Eostar 2008 Prisoners in the Struggle Support Them! The following list is a small sample of the total number of political prisoners and prisoner support groups worldwide. Regulations for mail sent to prisoners vary ac- cording to individual prisons. Before sending monetary donations, stamps, books or packages, ask prisoners what the regulations are. Assume that the authorities read everything you write to a prisoner. When prisoners are awaiting trial or sentencing, it is best not to discuss their cases or related topics with them. Although some pris- oners are listed together, they must be written to separately. Prisoners can obtain a discounted subscription to the EF! Journal by sending a book of 10 41 e stamps to POB 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702. Individuals who want to sponsor a prisoner's subscription should send $20 to the same address. SHAC. For more information, visit www.andystepanian.com. Ecodefense •Grant Barnes, #137563, San Car- los Correctional Facility, POB 3, Pueblo, CO 81002, USA. Serving 12 years for the ELF arson of SUVs. •Nathan "Exile" Block, #36359-086, FCI Lompoc, 3600 Guard Rd, Lompoc, CA 93436, USA. Serving nearly eight years for ELF arsons at an SUV dealer- ship and a hybrid poplar farm. •Marco Camenisch, Postfach 3143, CH-8105 Regensdorf, Switzerland. Serving 18 years for using explo- sives to target nuclear facility power lines and for the alleged murder of a Swiss border guard. Camenisch reads French, German, Spanish and Italian fluently, as well as some English. •Ibai Ederra and Julio Villanueva, Carcel de Pamplona, C/San Roque Apdo 250, 31080 Irunez, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. Serving nearly five years for sabotaging machinery at the Itoiz Dam construction site in 1996. •Costantino Ragusa, Casa Cir- condariale, Via Prati Nuovi 7, 27058 Voghera (PV), Italy. Serving more than two years for an arson at a corporate office and organizing an anti-genetic-engineering protest. Indigenous Resistance •Byron Shane of Chubbuck© Clan, #07909-051, USP Beaumont, POB 26030, Beaumont, Texas, North America. Serving 80 years for aggra- vated assault of federal agents, escape and bank robbery. “Oso Blanco" tun- neled money that he stole from banks to the Zapatista National Liberation Army in Mexico. •Leonard Peltier, #89637-132, USP Lewisburg, POB 1000, Lewis- burg, PA 17837, USA. Peltier, an American Indian Movement activ- ist, is serving life in prison after be- ing framed for the deaths of two FBI agents killed during the 1975 Pine Ridge siege. For more information, visit www.freepeltier.org. MOVE The MOVE 9, members of an eco- revolutionary group, were framed for the murder of a cop and sentenced to 30 years to 1 00 years each. For more information, visit www.onamove.com. •Debbie Sims Africa, #006307, Ja- net Holloway Africa, #006308, and Janine Phillips Africa, #006309, SCI Cambridge Springs, 451 Fullerton Ave, Cambridge Springs, PA 16403, USA. •Michael Davis Africa, #AM4973, and Charles Sims Africa, #AM4975, SCI Graterford, POB 244, Graterford, PA 19426, USA. •Edward Goodman Africa, #AM4974, SCI Mahanoy, 301 Morea Rd, Frackville, PA 17931, USA. • William Phillips Africa, #AM4984, and Delbert Orr Africa, #AM4985, SCI Dallas, Follies Rd, Drawer K, Dallas, PA 18612, USA. Prisoner and Legal Updates •Rod Coronado entered a guilty plea to one count of distribution of information related to the assem- bly of explosives and weapons of mass destruction. The government has agreed to ask for a year prison sentence, and drop charges from other cases in Tucson, Arizona, and Washington, DC. For more infor- mation, visit www.supportrod.org. •Chris McIntosh, who is serving eight years for the joint Animal Lib- eration Front (ALF)/Earth Liberation Front (ELF) arson of a McDonald's, has made a number of statements justifying rape and racist violence. For this reason, the foumal is with- drawing its support for McIntosh and removing him from this listing. Awaiting Trial or Sentencing •Mumia Abu-Jamal, #AM8335, SCI Greene, 175 Progress Dr, Waynes- burg, PA 15370, USA. Awaiting the results of his May appeals hearing. Abu-Jamal, a politically active jour- nalist, was framed for the murder of a cop in 1981. For more information, visit www.freemumia.org. •Tre Arrow, CS#05850722, Van- couver Island Regional Correction Center, 4216 Wilkinson Rd, Victoria, BC, V8Z 5B2, Canada. Appealing ex- tradition to the US to stand trial for alleged involvement in the arsons of logging trucks and vehicles owned by a sand and gravel company. For more information, visit www.treanow.org. •Natasha Avery, NR8987, and Heather Nicholson, VM4859, HMP Bronzefield, Woodthorpe Rd, Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 3JZ, UK. Awaiting trial for alleged conspiracy to black- mail people linked to Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). Avery is also serving 16 months for using abusive words and behavior toward a fox hunter. •Mel Broughton, TN9138, HMP Woodhill, Tattenhoe St, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK4 4DA, UK. Awaiting trial for conspiracy to blackmail and possession of explo- sives in connection with the cam- paign against Oxford University's primate lab. •Sacramento Delfino Cano Hernandez and Oscar Santa Maria Caro, CERESO, Miahuatlan de Por- firio Diaz, Hall B, Cell 5, Oaxaca, Mexico. Awaiting trial on unknown charges stemming from the popular resistance in Oaxaca. Santa Maria is a known member of Resistance Against Animal Torture. •Jeffrey "Free" Luers, #1306729, Lane County Adult Corrections, 101 W 5th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401, USA. Luers' resentencing for an arson at a car dealership and the attempted arson of an oil truck is scheduled for February 28. For more information, visit www.freefreenow.org. •Eric McDavid, X-2972521 4E231A, Sacramento County Main Jail, 651 "I" St, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA. Awaiting a March 6 sentencing for conspiracy to destroy the US Forest Service's Institute of Forest Genetics, a cell-phone tower and power plants. For more infor- mation, visit www.supporteric.org. •Briana Waters' trial for alleged involvement in an ELF arson at the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture began on February 11 and was ongoing at press time. For more information, visit www.supportbriana.org. Animal Liberation •Jon Ablewhite, TB4885, John Smith, TB4887, and Kerry Whitburn, TB4886, HMP Lowdham Grange, Lowdham, Nottingham, NG14 7DA, UK. Serving 12 years for conspiracy to blackmail a supplier of guinea pigs for vivisection. •Gregg Avery, TA7450, HMP Win- chester, Romney Rd, Winchester, S022 5DF, UK. Awaiting trial for al- leged conspiracy to blackmail peo- ple linked to HLS. •Jacob Conroy, #93501-011, FCI Victorville Medium I, POB 5300, Adelanto, CA 92301, USA. Serving four years for conspiracy charges stemming from his work with Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC). For more information, visit www. support jake .org. •Donald Currie, A3660AA, HMP Parkhurst, Clissold Rd, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX, UK. Serving an "indefinite sentence" of at least six years — with no fixed release date or upper limit — for arson against targets linked to the vivisection industry. •Lauren Gazzola, #93497-011, FCI Danbury, Rte 37, Danbury, CT 06811, USA. Serving 4.5 years for conspiracy charges stemming from her work with SHAC. For more information, visit www.supportlauren.com. •Sarah Gisborne, LT5393, HMP Downview, Sutton Ln, Sutton, Sur- rey, SM2 5PD, UK. Serving 5.5 years for conspiracy to damage vehicles owned by people linked to HLS. •Joshua Harper, #29429-086, FCI Sheridan, POB 5000, Sheridan, OR 97378, USA. Serving three years for conspiracy charges stemming from his work with SHAC. For more infor- mation, visit www.joshharper.org. •Kevin Kjonaas, #93502-011, Unit I, FCI Sandstone, POB 1000, Sandstone, MN 55072, USA. Serv- ing six years for conspiracy charg- es stemming from his work with SHAC. For more information, visit www.supportkevin.com. •Andrew Stepanian, #26399-050, FCI Butner Medium II, POB 1500, Butner, NC 27509, USA. Serving three years for conspiracy charges stemming from his work with •Daniel McGowan, #63794-053, Unit I, FCI Sandstone, POB 1000, Sandstone, MN 55072, USA. Serv- ing seven years for ELF arsons at a lumber company and a hybrid poplar farm. For more information, visit www.supportdaniel.org. •Jonathan Paul, #07167-085, FCI Phoenix, 37910 N 45th Ave, Phoe- nix, AZ 85086, USA. Serving 4.25 years for the ALF/ELF arson of a horse slaughterhouse and meat-packing plant. For more information, visit www.supportjonathan.org. •Joyanna "Sadie" Zacher, #36360- 086, FCI Dublin, Camp Parks, Unit E, 5701 8th St, Dublin, CA 94568, USA. Serving nearly eight years for ELF arsons at an SUV dealership and a hybrid poplar farm. II Silvestre II Silvestre is an Italian eco-an- archist group whose members have been framed for a variety of direct actions. In May, Alessio Perondi and William Frediani were found guilty of terrorist conspiracy and participating in direct action. They are under house arrest pending their appeal. Ragusa and five others who are free on bail are awaiting trial for allegedly using explosives to-damage power lines. Other Political Prisoners •Fran Thompson, #1090915 HU 1C, WERDCC, POB 300, 1101 E Hwy 54, Vandalia, MO 63382-0300, USA. Before receiving a life sentence in the early 1990s for shooting a stalker in self-defense, Thompson was active in animal rights and en- vironmental campaigns. •Helen Woodson, #03231-045, FMC Carswell, Admin Max Unit, POB 27137, Ft. Worth, TX 76127, USA. Serving nearly nine years for violating her pa- role by dumping a cup of red paint over the security apparatus of a federal court and making warnings ("threats") of weapons of mass destruction. In 2004, Woodson completed 20 years for dis- arming a Minuteman II missile silo with a jackhammer, mailing warning letters with bullets inside to officials, and rob- bing a bank and burning the money. Prisoner Support Groups •Earth Liberation Prisoners Sup- port Network, elp4321@hotmail. com; www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk. •National Jericho Movement, POB 1272, New York, NY 10013, USA; www.thejerichomovement.com. •North American Earth Libera- tion Prisoners Support Network, naelpsn@mutualaid.org; www. ecoprisoners.org. March-April 2008 Earth First! Page 29 Some of the benefits of being listed in the EF! directory include: exposure for local and regional campaigns; free advertising space in the Journal, merchandise discounts; and bulk copies of the Journal for the price of postage. For more information, contact the EF! Journal, POB 3023, Tucson, A Z 85702; (520) 620-6900; collective@earthfirstjoumal.org. AUSTRALIA EF! Australia POB 1270, Albany, WA, 6330, Australia efoz@earthfirst.org.au EF! OZ-Jervis Bay POB 295, Nowra, NSW, 2541, Australia BELGIU M EF! Belgium Support Group belgium2005@groenfront.be GroenFront! Belgium 2007@groenfront.be; www.groenfront.be CA N A DA Elaho EF! earth_first@resist.ca Ottawa EF! ottawaearthfirst@resist.ca CZECH REPUBLIC Car Busters Kratka 26, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic 420-274-810-849; info@carbusters.org EIRE An Talamh Glas (Green Earth) atgblue@yahoo.com E NG LA ND EF! Action Update 12 London Rd, Brighton, BN1 4JA, UK mail@actionupdate.org.uk Leeds EF! c/o CRC 16 Sholebroke Ave, Leeds, LS7 3HB, UK 0113-262-9365; leedsef@ukf.net London EF! 84B Whitechapel High St, London, El 0, UK eflondon@ziplip.com London Rising Tide 62 Fieldgate St, London, El 1ES, UK 0770-879-4665; london@risingtide.org.uk Manchester EF! 22A Beswick St, Manchester, M4 7HS, UK mancef@nematode.freeserve.co.uk Road Block POB 164, Totnes, TQ9 5WX, UK 020-7729-6973; office@roadblock.org.uk GERMANY EF! Germany green.rage@web.de ICELAND Saving Iceland savingiceland@riseup.net; - . ' .•* r - •' www.savingiceland.org NETHERLANDS ASEED Europe Plantage Doklaan 12A, 1018 CM, Amsterdam, Netherlands 31-20-668-2236; info@aseed.net GroenFront! Netherlands POB 85069, 3508 AB Utrecht, Netherlands 2007@groenfront.nl; www.groenfront.nl NIGERIA Environmental Rescue International 20 Dawson Rd, by Forestry Junction, Benin City, Nigeria environmentalrescue@yahoo.co.uk RUSSIA Ecodefense! POB 1477, Kaliningrad, 236000, Russia 0112-44-84-43 SOUTH KOREA Green Korea United 1 10-740 #605 Korean Ecumenical Bldg 136-56 Younji-Dong, Jongro-Gu Seoul, South Korea 82-2-747-8500; greenkorea@greenkorea.org INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS Find the EF! group nearest you. If you don t see one, start one! Catalyst Infoshop 109 N McCormick St, Prescott, AZ 86301 (928) 443-8525; info@catalystinfoshop.org Chuk'shon EF! sabthebastayds@hotmail.com Flagstaff Activist Network POB 911, Flagstaff, AZ 86002 (928) 213-9507; info@flagstaffactivist.org ARKANSAS Arkansas EF! arkansasearthfirst@gmail . com ACT UP! San Francisco 1884 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 864-6686; actupsf@hotmail.com Free Mind Media 546 Pacific Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 info@freemindmedia.org Healeth EF! POB 720327, Redding, CA 96099 (530) 241-1007 Long Haul Infoshop 3124 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705 (510) 540-0751; slingshot@tao.ca North Coast EF! POB 28, Areata, CA 95518 (707) 822-1513 Santa Cruz EF! cruzef@cruzio.com Sierra Nevada EF! 935 F St, Fresno, CA 93706 collective@sierranevadaearthfirst . org smartMeme Strategy & Training Project 2940 16th St #216, San Francisco, CA 94103 info@smartmeme.com Wilderness Study Group University of Colorado, Campus Box 207, Boulder, CO 80309 wsg@colorado.edu Environmental Library Fund 25 Newtown Tpke, Weston, CT 06883 (203) 227-2065; remyc@prodigy.net FLORIDA Central Florida EF! centralfloridaearthfirst@gmail.com Everglades EF! 822 N C St, Lake Worth, FL 33460 (561) 588-9666; evergladesearthfirst@gmail.com ILLINOIS Chicago EF! 1740 W Greenleaf Ave, Chicago, IL 60626 (773) 465-7774 INDIANA Boxcar Books & Community Center 310A S Washington St, Bloomington, IN 47401 (812) 339-8710; boxcar@boxcarbooks.org Roadblock EF! roadblockef@yahoo.com KANSAS Solidarity! Radical Library 1 109 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS 66044 (785) 865-1374 MAINE Maine EF! POB 8064, Portland, ME 04104 maineef@y ahoo . com People's Free Space POB 4875, Portland, ME 04112 info@peoplesfreespace.org MARYLAND Potomac EF! c/o Peace Resource Center, 4 East Church St, Frederick, MD 21701 potomacearthfirst@gmail.com MASSACHUSETTS Mass Direct Action POB 484, Somerset, MA 02726 massdirectaction@riseup.net Rising Tide Boston boston@risingtidenorthamerica.6rg MINNESOTA Church of Deep Ecology POB 16075, St Paul, MN 55116 (800) 862-7031; contact@churchofdeepecology.org Forest Ecosystems Action Group 2441 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55405 paarise@mtn.org MISSOURI Confluence/Community Arts & Media Project POB 63232, Saint Louis, MO 63163 (314) 776-1721; confluence@lists.indymedia.c MONTANA Buffalo Field Campaign POB 957, West Yellowstone, MT 59758 (406) 646-0070; buffalo@wildrockies.org Wild Rockies EF! (406) 961-0171; odinswyrd@yahoo.com NEBRASKA Environmental Resource Center (308) 432-3458; buffalobmce@panhandle.net NEW YORK Central New York EF! POB 35463, Syracuse, NY 13235 (585) 802-8330; cnyearthfirst@riseup.net Wetlands Activism Collective POB 344, New York, NY 10108 (201) 928-2831; activism@wetlands-preserve.org NORTH CAROLINA Croatan EF! 2419 Mayview St, Raliegh, NC 27607 croatanearthfirst@gmail.com Katuah EF! POB 1485, Asheville, NC 28802 Rising Tide Asheville risingtide@mountainrebel.net OHIO Hock-Hocking EF! (740) 592-2581; info@eastemforestdefense.org The Wire: A Community Resource Center 21 Kem St, Athens, OH 45701 (740) 589-5111; thewire@riseup.net OREGON Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project 27803 Williams Ln, Fossil, OR 97830 Cascadia EF! POB 10384, Eugene, OR 97440 ef@cascadiarising.org Green Anarchy S li e i' 1 ™ ! POB 11331, Eugene, OR 97440 collective@greenanarchy.org Rising Tide Cascadia cascadia@risingtidenorthamerica.org Stumptown EF! stumptownef@riseup.net EF! Philly earthfirstphilly@riseup.net Species Traitor/Black and Green POB 835, Greensburg, PA 15601 primalwar@hotmail.com RHODE ISLAND Ocean State EF! oceanstate_ef@riseup.net Three Rivers EF! POB 16309, Knoxville, TN 37996 (865) 633-8483; annebonnylives@yahoo.com TEXAS Lone Star EF! lonestaref@gmail.com; www.huntsab.org/lonestaref.htm UTAH Wild Wasatch EF! 8790 W 2580b N, Portage, UT 84331 (435) 866-2137 VERMONT Save the Corporations From Themselves 169 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301 (802) 254-4847; corpsave@sover.net VIRGINIA Blue Ridge Earth First! blueridgeef@yahoo.com WASHINGTON The Evergreen State College Environmental Resource Center 2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW, Cab 320, Olympia, WA 98505 (360) 867-6784; erc@riseup.net The Last Wizards james@lastwizards.com WISCONSIN Madison EF!/Infoshop 1019 Williamson St #B, Madison, WI 53703 (608) 262-9036 WYOMING Teewinot EF! POB 1329, Jackson, WY 83001 (307) 690-6961; teewindtef@wildrockies.org , . PROJECTS 6 CAMPAIGNS Challenging Oppression Within earthfirstcow@yahoo.com EF! Direct Action Fund POB 210, Canyon, CA 94516 (925) 376-7329 Rising Tide North America POB 11664, Portland, OR 97211 (202) 657-6772 * s Root Force POB 1302, Tucson, AZ 85 702 info@rootforce.org Warrior Poets Society POB 14501, Berkeley, CA 94712 Earth First! DIRECTORY Page 30 Earth First! Eostar 2008 HAVE A GLOBAL WARMING DAY! Who’s You Farmer? ECLUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL SPECTFS JURE BATS IAST iiii VEGETARIANS TASTE BfITEfi —Small Groups The Process e « of Change 8 1 a collective] organizing - Stickers. Buttons. T-shirts and More: peacesupplies *7 spent a year in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at an outdoor school It was not a survival school, because I died. I died to my old way of thinking. I died to being egocentric. / died to the pursuit of the civilized lifeway. “I became alive to many other things — became alive to the Circle, I became alive to the native lifeway. I became alive to the connectedness of all things. I became alive to trusting, being and the now. "My heart is full. / have much to share, more than words can say. ” Coyote Three Feathers a.k.a. John Herron (Wilderness Guide Program 2004-2005) Could a year in the wilderness do this for you too? www. leac h i ngdrum . org 715 - 546-2944 A variety of sizes and styles of Available from the Earth First! Journal Visit www.earthfirstjournal.org or Call (520) 620-6900 for more information Subscribe to the Earth First! Journal ...the radical environmental journal Name Address City, State, Zip+4 .Country. O $500 Lifetime Subscription O $40 Air Mail, Canada or Mexico O $25 Regular Rate ($22 low income) O $50 Air Mail, International O $40 First Class (US $, no foreign checks) O $40 Anonymous Envelope O $75 Corporate or Law Enforcement Rate $ DONATION MiiI: I Credit Card Orders circle one: V isa / MC POB 3023, Tucson. AZ 85702 Online: www.earthfirstjournal.org X ^' 3te The Earth First! Journal currently has an opening for a new member of our editorial staff. It could be you! Being a part of the Journal is full of rewards — working on a consensus basis with a tight collective to create a publication essential to the radical environmental movement. Our new long-term editor ideally will have publishing experience, be personally compatible with existing staff, have excellent editing skills, be computer literate, have a sense of humor and be able to commit to at least a year and a half. As a collective, all of the work is shared, so a motivated, hard-working Individual is required! We also welcome people with a variety of talents and activist experience to come and work for one issue of the Journal as a “short-term" editor. This adds to the diversity of voices and energy in the Journal. The waiting list can be long, but it also depends on how flexible your schedule is and when you will be available. To apply, send your resume with a letter of interest to the Earth First! Journal, POB 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702. Please forward a writing sample, activist history and the names of some activists who can vouch for you. For more information, contact (520) 620- 6900; collective@earthfirstjournal.org. March-April 2008 Earth Firstl Page 31 Lakota Declare Autonomy • Guide to Fossil Fool’s Day • New EF! Primer A red check mark means your subscription has expired. Time to renew. Environment & Society Portal Suggested citation: Aren, Donny, Joanna, Josh, and Sophia, eds., Earth First! 28, no. 4 (1 May 2008). Republished by the Environment & Society Portal, Multimedia Library, http://www.enviromnentandsociety.org/node/7250 All rights reserved. The user may download, preserve and print this material only for private, research or nonprofit educational purposes. The user may not alter, transform, or build upon this material. The Rachel Carson Center's Environment & Society Portal makes archival materials openly accessible for purposes of research and education. Views expressed in these materials do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Rachel Carson Center or its partners. / Beltane May-June 2008 $4.50 US 6 Canada Arrested in Defense of the Everglades by Hope Freid (John Smith 16) For fanes and fohns everywhere. On the bus, for a brief, brief mo- ment, everything becomes still. Mem- ories seep in like the urine staining the diapers of your comrades. You think about how long this is going to take, how tightly the zip ties are cinched around your wrists, all the times you've been arrested before. You think about that special someone, no one, everyone. For a brief, brief moment, you wonder why you're here, why you even bother to care at all. Without new daydreams, even our imaginations become commonplace. Number 20 makes a joke, and every- one laughs. A smile crosses your face. It's OK. Everything's going to be OK.... The march began at 8 a.m. on February 18, heading north from South Florida's Loxahatchee Na- tional Wildlife Refuge to the con- struction site of the largest natural gas plant in the country. Invita- tions and press releases had been going out since before the Earth First! Organizers' Conference (OC), so the police knew it was going to be big. How big, nobody was sure. Along the driveway of the site, cars dropped off a team of soft blockaders, who stretched out ban- ners that read, "Revoke the West County Energy Center," and, "No Compromise in Defense of Mother Earth." Three more cars pulled up alongside the road and let out the Red Team, who rushed up behind the blockade and locked down in orchestrated splendor. It all happened so fast. In less than 20 seconds, all 10 Red Teamers had locked themselves together in an almost immovable circle. Thanks to the soft block- ade, the cops didn't even realize people had locked down for a solid 15 minutes. continued on page 13 Lock down protesting development in the Everglades l ne Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRC/ invades a grocery store in Bristol, Englam Proclaiming April 1 "Fossil Fools' Day," climate change activists with the international Rising Tide network and its allies across the globe targeted companies responsible for run- away carbon dioxide emissions. The Fossil Fools' Day of Action was called for by Rising Tide and was joined by Earth First!, Rainforest Action Network (RAN), the Energy Action Coalition, the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, the Australian Student Environment Network and many others. Although we have listed many actions here, we couldn't fit them all. For the full scoop, visit www. fossilfoolsday.org. Building on the momentum of Fossil Fools' Day actions, Rising Tide is again planning international Camps for Climate Action this Summer, in a half-dozen countries. The camps will focus on mobilizing the grassroots movement for climate justice and will culminate in direct actions against local climate criminals. In the. US, camps are planned in New York, Virginia and Oregon. Boston, Massachusetts At 9 a.m., in conjunction with a downtown rally, four activists locked themselves to the front entrance of a Bank of America branch in Boston's Copley Square. They were protesting the bank's funding of coal and energy companies, which are among the worst contributors to climate change and are directly responsible for innumerable human rights abuses in communities where coal is extracted and burned. The demonstrators demanded that Bank of America stop providing funding for coal companies engaged in all forms of surface mining and cancel all loans to new fossil-fuel-burning power plants. "Without the financial support of large banks like Bank of America, the fossil fuels industry could not continue destroying the Earth and our communities," said Elise Ansel, who locked her arms to other activists in order to prevent the bank from doing business as usual. For more info, contact Boston's fossil fools, bostonfossilfools@gmail.com. Olympia, Washington Activists with the Environmental Resource Center, Olympia Rising Tide, the Cascade Climate Network and Washington State Public Interest Re- search Group targeted a Bank of America at Ever- green State College in Olympia. The students built and attacked a pinata in the shape of a Bank of continued on page 6 kP The Radical Environmental Journal Beltane May-June 2008 Finding Roots in Resistance Earth First! Beltane May 1, 2008 Vol. 28, No. A It's Spring, a time for looking brief moments when I feel a sliver anger and disappointment.... It all forward to new growth and new of connectedness with the Earth disappears in an instant when my adventures. Somehow, when the and the living things in it. But, I al- hands are submerged in cool, deep time for change is approaching, I ways find a way. soil, when I see little green sprouts can't help looking back and reflect- While living in Tucson for the past come up from the Earth in a place ing upon my life. I need to know seven months, I have become close that was once abused and declared what comes next, and the only way with a lot of people — some of them property, or worse — useless. I try to I know to figure this out is by criti- are just passing through, and others apply this lesson to all that I experi- cizing myself. When was I not lis- form permanent neighborhoods, ence in life: when interacting with tening to myself, my community or On March 30, a gaggle of these strangers in my town or on the road, the Earth around me? What can I people 1 love, some new friends and when holding the hand of a dear do better? How can I work harder to 1 joined together to create a new friend in need of a little support, make changes and feel great about neighborhood community space when taking care of myself. It isn't them in times to come? I have ex- in a part of town called Dunbar/ enough just to stop further trauma, perimented with a diversity of tac- Spring. Our garden lies on a practi- We need to repair the trauma that is tics, believing that we need this cally abandoned and trashed plot of suffocating the entire world around diversity within our communities land directly in the proposed path us and within ourselves, and trying to find my place within of the Downtown Links highway. It's that non -compromise some- a movement. Few actions have ever Ultimately, this highway would where between militantly pulling left me feeling fulfilled or useful. direct heavy traffic through our out a gun or dropping out of soci- Every day, I see the disconnected- neighborhood. Taking the form of ety altogether to live in a redwood ness in the eyes of everyone around a guerilla garden, we conceived the tree. We can grow gardens and for- me. My dear friend Kim recently Ramona-Magon Memorial Garden ests, not just in our own backyards, told me, "We are distant from each and Autonomous Community Park but on the lawns of our schools, on other, because we are distant from (named after Comandante Ramona trashed pieces of urban land and everything that provides life. We and Ricardo Flores Magon). in the path of a proposed highway are disconnected, and our roots are Replenishing life beneath me — bypass. We can lock down to our broken. How do we fix that?" It's all taking a piece of traumatized earth new garden, our forest, our mother, I can do to even try to form roots and breathing life back into it— is and never let anyone take away our that I won't break apart five months the greatest resolve I have ever roots again. down the line, or to hang on to the felt. All the fighting, the war. the f ’* — Aren Earth First! is published by an edito- rial collective from within the Earth First! movement. Entire contents are copyrighted 2008. Please contact us for permission to reprint articles. Art, photographs and poetry are copy- righted by individual artists, and per- mission for use must be received from them directly. Earth First! is a forum for the no- compromise environmental move- ment. Responsibility rests with the individual authors and correspon- dents. The contents do not neces- sarily represent the viewpoint of this magazine, the Earth First! movement, local Earth First! groups or individual Earth Firstlers. ft: • We welcome submissions of ar- ticles, letters, poetry and art that put the Earth first, aid in healthy debate shaping the growth of the move- ment, and advance the creation of a world free of speciesism, classism, racism, sexism, violence, exploitation and oppression. Submission deadlines are the tenth of every odd-numbered month in the calendar year. Articles should be typed or clearly printed. We encour- age submissions via email. Art or photographs are desirable to illustrate articles and essays. Send a SASE if you would like submissions returned. If you want confirmation of receipt of a submission, please request it. All submissions are edited for length and clarity. If an article is significantly edited, we will make a reasonable ef- fort to contact the author prior to publication. ISSN 1055-8411 Earth First! is in- dexed in the Alternative Press Index. Earth First! is recorded on microfilm by ProQuest, Inc. Please direct all correspondence to: Earth First! PO Box 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702 (520) 620-6900 collective@earthfirstjournal.org www.earthfirstjournal.org No, it’s the other kind of guenrilli snt to help witht . the Guerrilla I/On, are you , \ garden? J\ growing gorillas?! Oh, are you growing gunsl? i r.V -'"Jr fi artwork by switch@riseup.net TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES 1 In Defense of the Everglades Report From the Organizers' Conference Action I Happy Fossil Fools' Day! Roundups From Across the Globe 4 The Green Scare, Round Two Four Arrested for Midwest ELF Actions 5 The Sham Trial of Briana Waters 8 House Raid in Santa Cruz And Community Standoff With the Cops 8 Buffalo Field Campaign Inside the Bison Trap 9 The Longest Walk 2008 Indigenous People Walk From San Francisco to DC 10 The Games Have Already Begun Update on Resistance to the 2010 Olympics I I We See Color and It Fucking Matters A Reportback From the Organizers' Conference People of Color Caucus 12 Swamp-Savvy Organizers' Conference Reportback 14 Come to Indiana, Fight 1-69 Now! 15 HockHocking EF! Invites You to Ohio The Summer 2008 EF! Round River Rendezvous 20 That Giant Sucking Sound... Could It Be You? How Oppression Eats Our Movement 22 A Few Too Many On Getting Snipped 26 Meeting the Eyes of the Enemy Jeffrey "Free" Luers Resentenced 29 You Have the Right to Remain Controlled Review of Policing Dissent: Social Control and the Anti-Globalization Movement 29 From the Forest to the Feedlot Review of Western Turf Wars: The Politics of Public Lands Ranching Editorial Collective: Aren, Donny, Joanna, Josh, Sophia Poetry Editor: Dennis Fritzinger Volunteers: Alanna, Aiec, Andrew, Burdock, Elise, Erik, Gabe, Jezzabell, Joleen, Kyle, Lazer, Lori, Magpie, Maya Face, Micah, Nell, Prabjit, Rachella, Read Between the Bars, Rebecca, Robin, Star, xRYANx, xTIM COMPOSTx Front Cover: Abigail Back Cover: www.thecoalhole.org A soft blockade distracts while others lock down to protect the Everglades. SECTIONS Editorial Dear SFB: Letters to the Editors Bare Bones Frontlines Blast From the Past Environmental News of the Weird Armed With Visions Updates Prisoners in the Struggle Announcements EF! Directory Earth First! (ISSN 1055-8411) May-June 2008, Volume 28, Issue 4, is published bimonthly by Daily Planet Publishing, 3280 E Hemisphere Lp, Ste 180, Tucson, AZ 85706. US Subscriptions are $25. Outside the US, subscriptions are $40 to Mexico and Canada, and $50 everywhere else. Send subscriptions to PO Box 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702. Periodicals Postage Paid at Tucson, Arizona. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Earth First!, PO Box 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702-3023. Page 2 Earth First! Beltane 2008 Dear SFB, Fuck every one of you socialist, liberal, commie, wacko, environmental nut jobs. We Americans will fight you back forever. You will all go to hell where you belong. So fuck/off. — Ralph Deckard Dear EF!f, You are the apple of my pie. You manifest awareness of our wildest realities. You build the contextual playground on which we can discuss and create the world we actually need and refuse the bottled- water version of sustenance. I am immensely grateful to you for providing your awe- some publication, and I loved hanging here. Thanks for the food, support and kindness. Much love, — Maya Face Pants Monkey Poop Dear SFB, „ I don't want to start a de- bate, but I do want to respond to a couple of letters (see EF!f January-February 2008) that responded to my previous letter. Nehar Hudson’s let- ter agrees with everything I wrote about human's closest animal relatives all being veg- an or nearly vegan. Except, s/he points out that a chim- panzee diet is up to three percent meat. Well, I won- der, what's the purpose of this information? Yes, that's why I wrote "nearly vegan.” If Nehar wants to label a 97- percent-plant-eating, three- percent-meat-eating animal a "true omnivore," then what- ever. Still, physiologically, chimpanzees, gorillas, orang- utans, gibbons and humans are far more vegan than om- nivores, which is my point. As for the argument that it really doesn't matter because people will eat whatever they want anyway: Aren't people more likely to lessen their meat intake if they come to realize that their own bod- ies are designed primarily for plant eating and, therefore, that eating lots of meat is un- natural and unhealthful? Sure, the environmental argument against meat-eating is power- ful, but many folks don't care enough about that either. Michael Novack's let- ter (if I read it right) says that many activists will never stop believing that humans are omnivorous, so the question is irrelevant, and we should get on with the activism instead. Michael likens me to a "proselytizer" who self-absorbedly goes around trying to convince people of "the truth" — my truth — at the expense of co- operative action. I agree it's impossible to prove whose "god" is most real, especially since they all disagree with one another and can't be shown to actually exist any- way. However, there's over- whelming physical scientific evidence that our bodies are indeed primarily vegan. If this doesn't even matter to Michael, that's up to him. But to insist that we shouldn't even try to communicate to one another about why what we eat is important is, I think, unwise. It’s not about being "right," Michael, but what's best for the planet. I'd like to think some people (me as well) would change their diet if presented with enough evi- dence that it would help the environment. Yes, of course, some never would, but why think these activists would some- how be alienated? Those who would, well, what kind of activism is that? Ac- tivism is both with- in and without. We all do things that despoil na- ture, and, for various reasons, many of these things we’ll never stop doing. But let's at least be honest, open and in- trospective enough to allow for the possibility of change. This shouldn’t "disrupt" "ac- tivists' common efforts” too much, right? — Lynn Jacobs Dear Editors, I feel it is my responsibility, as an active Earth First!er, to express my deepest concerns about our "Mother Earth”: global warming conditions. We all need to make some real changes today, so we can all have a better tomorrow. It is our responsibility to take action today. We can make a differ- ence if we start making changes for the better, today! I have been an Earth Firstler for more than a decade. 1 have always lived an environmen- tally friendly lifestyle. I have protested against loggers when I was tree- sitting in the red- wood forest along with Julia Butterfly! I know we have made a dif- ference in the past by the way we live our lives. During my and many others' treesitting, we received the president's at- tention. We now have made a difference for the better. We have protected land that no longer can be touched or de- stroyed by man. Our baby owls can rest now in their environ- ment and live happily forever! Just when I thought I could rest again, another decade has gone by and more disturbing news of our environment is- upsetting me — the news of our global warming. Human- ity needs your leadership. Together, we can make 2008 the year that we face up to this civilization challenge. Scientists recently announced that within five years, the Arc- tic might be ice-free— a strange new open ocean, where bears and other beautiful creatures will no longer live. In this time of desperate cri- sis, the world needs your lead- ership. We have the solutions to hold global warming to the low end, and create a safe and prosperous future. What we will do today and in the next two to three years will determine our future. We are liv- ing in critical times. This is a "last warning" to human- ity. We need to slow global warm- ing pollution by 2015 to avert the worst conse- quences. Please take one pow- erful action today. Reach out to a friend, and ask them to help make a difference, today! There are many things that we all can do daily to make a difference for the better of our "Mother Earth!" Love Always, — Kristina Marie Ferro Dear EF!, Thank you for sending me a subscription of the EF! Journal. continued on page 25 The Earth Erst! Journal Needs a New Editor (or Two). Now! The Earth First! Journal is actively seeking a new member of our edi- torial staff. It could be you! Being a part of the Journal is full of rewards— working on a con- sensus basis with a tight collective to create a publication essential to this movement. Our new long-term editor ide- ally will be familiar with Earth First! and the radical environ- mental movement, be personally compatible with existing staff, have excellent editing skills, be computer literate, have a sense of humor and be able to commit to at least a year and a half. When it comes down to it, though, all you really need is passion and deter- mination. As a collective, all of the work is shared, so a motivated, hard- working individual is required! We just moved into a new office/ house, so when you first get here, you'll live and work in fancy digs here in Tucson. The dumpster scene is top- notch, the radical community is as friendly as can be and there are really good vegan burritos for only $2.79! The monsoon rains make late Summer one of the nicest (and cra- ziest) times to be in Tucson. If the skies are blue and the Summer heat feels like a bit much, there are lots of beautiful, cooler places to ex- plore nearby. We are in the center of the giant saguaro's homeland, surrounded by grasslands, canyons and sky islands. Mount Lemmon sits on the edge of Tucson, at more than 9,000 feet tall, topped with pines, bears and snow (for much of the year). Now, imagine being in this setting while you're communicating with inspiring activists around the world. You’ll spend your days getting first- hand accounts of direct actions in defense of the Earth and turning these stories into- the periodical that is, more than any other, the one pub- lication that radical environmental activists use to inspire and commu- nicate with one another. We also welcome people with a variety of talents and activist experience to come and work for one issue of the Journal as a "short- term" editor. This adds to the di- versity of voices and energy in the Journal. Spots on the collective are available as early as July! This is a paid two-month commitment. To apply, send your resume, a letter of interest, a writing sam- ple, your activist history and the names of some activists who can vouch for you to the Earth First! Journal, POB 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702. For more information, contact (520) 620-6900; collective @earthfirstjournal.org. May-June 2008 Earth First! Page 3 w V THe GReeN scARe, round two (four ARR0ST0D for midwest 0LF actions) by Josh On March 10, four people were arrested for alleged participation in two Earth Liberation Front (ELF) actions: the arson of a genetic- engineering agriculture facility at Michigan State University (MSU) on December 31, 1999, and the destruction of commercial logging equipment near Mesick, Michigan, on January 1, 2000. Stephanie Fultz, Aren Burthwick and Frank Ambrose of Detroit and Marie Mason of Cincinnati were each charged with one count of arson and one count of conspira- cy to commit arson. Ambrose and Mason were also charged with two additional counts of arson. Almost immediately, Ambrose signed an unconditional plea agreement on March 19. In exchange for the dis- missal of the three arson charges against him and a reduced sentence, Ambrose agreed to fully cooperate with the government in this and any other investigation. The Michigan arrests came just four days after Briaria Waters was found guilty of participating in the ELF arson of the University of Wash- ington Center for Urban Horticul- ture in May 2001 (see next page). Many had hoped— perhaps too opti- mistically — that Waters' trial would be the final episode of Operation Backfire, the FBI's investigation of old ELF actions in the Pacific North- west (see EF!J July- August 2007). On the contrary, the arrests of March 10 seem to have ushered in the Green Scare's second wave. Not surprisingly, this new round looks a lot like the first: the inves- tigation of an iconic ELF action, the intimidation and persecution of aboveground environmental ac- tivists and communities, a clear in- tention to prosecute the actions as "terrorism," a press conference polit- icizing the arrests before the national media and a defendant assisting the government's investigation. The ELF Takes on Genetic Engineering Although not nearly as ambitious or costly as the ELF's destruction of the Vail ski resort in October 1998, the burning of MSU's Agriculture Hall was nevertheless an iconic, original and effective action. As former ELF press officer Craig Rose- braugh explains in his memoir, Burning Rage of a Dying Planet, "Not only was the damage quite signifi- cant,... but this was the first time arson had been used to further the cause against genetic engineering (GE) in the US. Furthermore, it was the first time the ELF had taken credit for any GE-related action." Predictably, the media presented the action as an assault on scien- tific efforts to relieve famine in the so-called developing world. But, as the ELF communique plainly stated, MSU's research was funded by the US government and corporations like Monsanto, which then use their considerable power to force such crops on desperate nations. These nations often resist the importation of GE crops and seeds, given their significant risks to human health, cultural identity, biological diversity and ecological integrity. By taking action against GE re- search at MSU, the ELF did more than simply add another ecologically destructive industry to its list of tar- gets. It also acknowledged the ways in which corporate globalization victimizes both human and ecologi- cal communities. Occurring just one month after the World Trade Organi- zation protests in Seattle, MSU could be considered the first ELF action of the anti-globalization era. The MSU action is significant in yet another way. In the late 1990s, the ELF had been something of a West Coast phenomenon, mainly targeting timber companies and other agents of wilderness destruc- tion. Beginning in 2000, however, the ELF took a growing number of actions in the Midwest and North- east. The MSU action was a herald of this trend, and it helped to trans- form the ELF into a national force. Given this significance, it is clear why the feds were so desperate to charge someone with the MSU ac- tion. Naturally, the FBI began by targeting aboveground environ- mental activists in the Midwest. A Trail of Repression Ambrose first showed up on the FBI's radar in January 2001, when he was charged with the ELF treespik- ing of a timber sale in Indiana. The charges were eventually dropped without explanation, but Ambrose had already received the dubious honor of being the first person ar- rested for an ELF action in the US. In 2003, Mason and Ambrose were working with Massasauga Earth First! (MEF!) and Sweetwater Alliance in southern Michigan, to stop the privatization of the state's water sup- ply by Ice Mountain, a Nestle subsid- iary. MEFl's aboveground activism for resource rights and watershed protection, as well as its vocal sup- port for the ELF's attempted arson of an Ice Mountain pumping station on September 21, quickly attracted the attention of the FBI (see EF!J March- April 2004). On October 28, 2003, Mason and Ambrose received subpoenas demanding that they provide fingerprints and DNA sam- ples to a federal grand jury. When their attempts to appeal these sub- poenas failed, the two were forced to provide the grand jury with the requested materials. The FBI's harassment of Mason intensified during this past year, as the feds repeatedly and unsuc- cessfully tried to discuss Midwest ELF actions with her. The situa- tion came to a head on the night of February 7, when Mason's 16-year- old daughter caught a plainclothes police officer tinkering with the underside of Mason's car. The cop claimed that he was searching for burglars and departed, only to re- turn with a uniformed officer later that night. They walked right into Mason's house, through the front door and without consent, but left when confronted. When Mason inspected the un- derside of her car, she discovered a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver attached to the chassis — a common method of covert sur- veillance. Almost immediately, a pickup truck charged onto Mason's front lawn, and four to five plain- clothes officers jumped out. With guns drawn, they ordered Mason, her daughter and a friend onto the ground, reclaimed the GPS unit by force and interrogated the trio for half an hour before letting them go. One month later, FBI and Depart- ment of Homeland Security agents returned, this time with a warrant for Mason's arrest. The Indictment and Press Conference The federal indictment against Mason, Fultz, Burthwick and Am- brose reveals two particularly inter- esting pieces of information. First, the indictment repeatedly refers to an anonymous "person known to the grand jury." Many have taken this language to mean that this person is an informant, but there is no proof of this. Such phrasing may indicate that the feds are not yet ready to charge this indi- vidual, or it may be a clever attempt to turn the defendants against one another. Until reliable infqrmation becomes available, no assumptions should be made about this person's identity or role in the investigation. There are few things more damag- ing to solidarity than speculation about snitches. Second, the indictment is care- fully worded to ensure that the two ELF actions are treated as federal crimes, even though they both oc- curred within a single state. The in- dictment repeatedly describes the targets as receiving federal financial aid and participating in interstate commerce. It also claims that "the object of the conspiracy was for the defendants to influence and af- fect the conduct of government. . . by means of force, violence, intimida- tion and coercion." This leaves little doubt that the government will seek terrorism enhancements against the defendants during sentencing, just as it did in the Oregon cases. During the March 11 press con- ference announcing the arrests, the government presented the MSU ac- tion as a "significant act of domes- tic terrorism," even though none of the defendants have been charged with violating actual terrorism statutes. Moreover, MSU President Anna K. Simon made broad and unfounded claims about the ELF's intentions: "This was more than an attack on a building.... It was an as- sault on the core value of free and open inquiry...." In other words, the ELF didn't bum down a research lab because of its rational opposi- tion to genetic engineering; the ELF burned down a research lab because it hates freedom. Sound familiar? Ambrose Turns Informant Back in 2001, when charged with treespiking, Ambrose told the local media, "I've said this before, and I'll say it again: The FBI's the best agency in the world at convicting innocent people." It is this sort of uncom- promising sentiment that makes Ambrose's current cooperation with the FBI particularly surprising Marie Mason and disappointing. Pretrial discov- ery has already revealed that Am- brose has been assisting the feds since April 2007- More details about the nature and extent of his cooper- ation will likely emerge in the com- ing months. As a condition of his plea agree- ment, Ambrose admitted to partici- pating in 1 1 additional ELF actions that occurred in Michigan and In- diana between August 1999 and June 2003. For the sake of security, it should be assumed that Ambrose has already supplied the FBI with the names of alleged participants. Such information is likely to fuel further FBI investigations in the Midwest and beyond. Environmental activ- ists, especially those who know or have worked with Ambrose, should prepare themselves for possible en- counters with the FBI. There is one thing that is par- ticularly new and troubling about Ambrose's plea agreement. Almost hidden within pages of legal jargon is the following sentence: "Defen- dant stipulates and admits that the property destruction attributable to his pattern of criminal activity on behalf of the ELF... was intended to promote a federal crime of ter- rorism as defined by 18 US Code § 2332b(g)(5)." Past plea agreements have re- quired defendants to make nu- merous admissions, including carefully worded explanations of their actions and motives. This in- formation is then used against them during sentencing to secure terror- ism enhancements. However, to my knowledge, no defendant in an ELF case has ever been required to admit to being a terrorist under the provi- sions of the USA PATRIOT Act. The application of the terror- ism enhancement against ELF defendants was one of the key law- enforcement innovations of Opera- tion Backfire. It could be that the intended purpose of the Midwest case is to establish monkeywrench- ing and ecodefense as established forms of terrorism under the USA PATRIOT Act. There can be no doubt: The next phase of the Green Scare has begun. What Burthwick, Fultz and Ma- son need most now is support! Burthwick and Fultz were released on bail; their needs are not cur- rently known. Mason is also free on bail (but under house arrest) await- ing trial. Her legal expenses have already surpassed $10,000, and she is in desperate need of dona- tions to her defense fund. Checks and money orders should be made out to "Books for Prisoners," with a note that they are fof Mason's le- gal support. To make a donation or for more information, contact Got Your Back: Friends of Marie Ma- son, POB 19065, Cincinnati, OH 45219; freemarie@riseup.net; www. midwestgreenscare.org. Page 4 Earth First! Beltane 2008 photo courtesy Got Your Back by Leon Janssen Briana Waters, a 32-year-old vio- lin teacher and mother, was in- dicted in April 2006, for aiding the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) arson of the University of Washington (UW) Center for Urban Horticulture in May 2001. Waters was charged toward the end of a string of indict- ments stretching back to December 7, 2005, when the FBI's Operation Backfire made numerous arrests for a series of ELF arsons that happened between 1996 and 2001. The twisted legal travesty of Wa- ters' case began when she was in- dicted in Tacoma, Washington, rather than Seattle (where the ar- son occurred). The Tacoma judge, Franklin Burgess, is renowned for favoring the prosecution. Waters went to trial facing five criminal charges: one count of conspiracy, two overlapping counts of arson and two counts of using a destruc- tive device in a crime of violence. Waters steadfastly maintains her innocence of these charges to this day. She is also the only one of the Operation Backfire defendants to take her case to trial. On March 6, after four and a half days of deliberating, the jury re- turned a verdict of guilty on the two afson charges but deadlocked on the other three charges. This was a heavy blow to Waters and her supporters, who had witnessed the use of selec- tive evidence, doctored evidence and fear-mongering by the prosecu- tion. The government alleged that Waters served as a lookout and ac- quired a car used for the action, yet there was no physical evidence link- ing her to the action. The case rested on the testimony of two informants involved in several ELF actions. In the defense's, opening state- ment, attorney Bob Bloom re- minded the jury of the basics of the case: that Briana Waters was not there; she was not involved. As much as the prosecution could try to spin the facts to its advantage, it was the jury's job to look at things through the filter of reason. The prosecution began its case with the testimony of Federal Agent John Comery, who went into excruciating detail about nearly every ELF action from 1996 to 2001 except the UW arson. This was a format the prosecution would revert to again and again throughout the trial, seemingly to bore the jury into submission. The first week of the trial featured the testimony of informant Lacey Phillabaum (a former Earth First! Journal editor), who pleaded guilty in October 2006 to participating in the UW arson. She went into great detail about how she got involved in Earth First!, the buildup of her activism through the 1999 World Trade Organization protests and how she eventually escalated her activism through the formation of the "Book Club" (a misleading title given to secret meetings to discuss ELF actions and skills). She described what she "remembered" about the events leading up to the UW arson, including specific details of the action that were later contra- dicted by the testimony of the other informant, Jennifer Kolar. On cross-examination by the de- fense, Phillabaum was cagey and evasive. However, she was very ef- fective in her game of deceit, using big words, arguing semantics and implementing debating techniques to avoid answering questions. Throughout Phillabaum's testimony, it was obvious to courtroom observ- ers that she was well-rehearsed. The next week, the prosecu- tion called Robert Corrina, Waters' cousin who lives in Olympia. Wa- ters had stayed with him off and on for a couple years. He recounted his story for the prosecution: Wa- ters had asked him to rent a car for her, and he agreed. The prosecution went over the details of the rental with him, as well as what happened the weekend of the arson. However, during cross-examination, Bloom effectively destroyed Corrina's credibility. He had lied when he'd first been approached by federal agents at his home and told them he didn't know Waters, his own cousin. He later lied in front of the grand jury about ever renting a car. This was all after Waters had told him that there were accusations against her, that they weren't true and that he should "tell the truth" if he was approached by anyone. The prosecution suc- ceeded in blocking Corrina from testifying to this fact, though it was uncovered during Waters' testimony. People watching were left with seri- ous doubts about Corrina’s basic abil- ity to be truthful. Later, the prosecution called Ko- lar, who had confessed to her in- volvement in four different actions. Much like Phillabaum's, her testi- mony on direct examination went into extraordinary detail, from the "Book Club" meetings to who knew whom and where they had met. Ko- lar described the events of the UW arson, contradicting Phillabaum in a number of details. In fact, she had no memory of Phillabaum ever be- ing there. The prosecution focused on a ma- nila folder that Kolar said Waters gave her containing various articles. Prosecutor Mark Bartlett had Kolar Waters and her daughter read aloud to the jury the most in- flammatory sections, which he had highlighted. These included quotes from Willful Disobedience, and other insurrectionary zines and articles. Kolar maintained that she had never read these articles but "be- lieved" that they were the ones Wa- ters had given her, because she had simply put them away in a box and not touched them. Also included in this box were an astounding num- ber of encrypted disks, passwords, a scanner, Kolar's old laptop and other documents. Kolar turned this box of goodies over to the feds soon af- ter she agreed to cooperate, leading many people to wonder why she would have saved all these sensitive materials, except as an insurance policy for herself in the event she was ever busted. In addition, the FBI and the government have refused to turn over a recording of an in- terview with Kolar, where she pointedly did not name Waters when discussing the identities of her accomplices, even though Waters' name came up during this interview. During Waters' testimony, she said she authored a note to Ko- lar, but that she didn't read — much less write — the articles in the manila folder. Inadvertently bolstering Waters' account, the government introduced testimony that while a print of Waters' right middle finger was found on the outside of the folder, not a single fingerprint of hers was found on any of the papers inside. The circumstances surrounding the folder — Kolar's belated disclo- sure of it, the disjunction between Waters' note and the articles, and the lack of Waters' prints on any of the articles — also raised profound questions about whether Kolar or the government substituted differ- ent, more incendiary articles for the ones Waters had actually given her. Through such sleight of hand, the government painted a false pic- ture of a violent "ecoterrorist" and distracted the jury's attention from the numerous exonerating facts in the case. - On the first day of the defense's case, Waters' lawyers called Anthony Torres, an FBI agent who investigated the case. He was used mainly to show how the FBI manipulated evidence, altering reports to make a clearer link ■§. to Waters when, in fact, the evidence | was scattered and circumstantial. De- ! spite his extremely dodgy and evasive .J testimony, Torres was forced to admit | that Kolar had never once named g Waters as a participant until March 6, | 2006, after the FBI had already fixed | on her as a suspect. | The defense spent the remainder 13 of the day calling a series of wit- nesses who know Waters person- ally, and who testified to her good character and peaceful nature. Two people testified passionately that Waters baby-sat their children and that they trust her completely. A man Waters interviewed for a doc- umentary said that he found her to be so trustworthy and of such integrity that he introduced her to his tribal elders, which was a very big deal. The defense wrapped up its case when Waters herself took the stand, a move that is quite rare in federal prosecutions— and one that showed a confidence that she really had nothing to hide. In the end, the jury must have felt the need to convict Waters on something, rendering a guilty verdict on the two arson counts. The judge agreed -with the pros- ecutor that Waters should be de- tained pending sentencing on May 30. The effect of this has led friends and supporters to fight more strongly for Waters' release until sentencing, so that she can prepare her young daughter for what looks like an inevitable time in prison while her appeal works its way through the court process. There is currently an emergency detention appeal underway to al- low Waters to be released until her sentencing. Based on lies and manipulations of evidence by the government, a loving mother and caring friend has been convicted of crimes she took no part in. This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows the government's history. But the fight for justice is not over. Supporters have issued a call for letters to Judge Burgess asking that Waters be sentenced to the mini- mum time possible. For details on this call or for more information, visit www.supportbriana.org. For Waters' contact information, see page 27. May-Jutte 2008 Earth First! Page 5 continued from page 1 America ATM. As the fake ATM fell apart, choc- olate shaped like coal, as well as "credit cards" that bore information on Bank of America coal investments, fell out. Using the pinata, conversations with passersby, Activists proceeded to pass out literature about Dynegy, and coal and wind power in Texas to people entering and exiting the building. Dyn- egy is currently proposing numerous coal-fired power plants across the US and is the leader of today's US coal rush. creative signs and literature, organizers informed students and staff about how the school's money is being used to fund environmentally and so- cially destructive coal companies. A petition to change Evergreen's bank was circulated, and pressure against Bank of America on campus has grown. Students at Evergreen are seeking to switch the school's bank to a local credit union. "Our tuition money is used to support coal companies that contribute heavily to US carbon emissions, practice mountaintop removal, and exploit the land and people in the Black Mesa region," said Maya Face. For more information, contact Maya, maya@riseup.net. San Francisco, California RAN activists used "Bank Closed" signs and "Global Warming Crime Scene" caution tape to shut down six Bank of America ATMs and three Citi ATMs throughout the San Francisco finan- cial district. Confused customers thought the signs were real, and many of these ATMs stayed closed for the rest of the day. Bank of America — whose CEO, Ken Lewis, won this year's Fossil Fools Award — is the biggest funder of mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia, while Citi is the biggest funder of new coal power plant construction. Charlotte, North Carolina At 6:30 a.m., North Carolina residents locked themselves to bulldozers to stop the construc- tion of Duke Energy's massive Cllffside coal- fired power plant, which is under construction 50 miles west of Charlotte (see EF!f January- February 2008). The concerned citizens also roped off the construction site with "Global Warming Crime Scene" tape and held banners that read, "Coal Fuels Climate Change," and, "Social Change, Not Climate Change." "In the face of catastrophic climate change, building a new coal plant is tantamount to sign- ing a death sentence for our generation," said local farmer Matt Wallace, while locked to a bulldozer. Shortly after activists locked themselves to construction equipment, police arrived on the scene. They used pain compliance holds and tas- ers to force the activists to unlock themselves. The new Cllffside plant is currently in legal limbo for being in violation of the Clean Air Act. While Duke CEO Jim Rogers publicly paints Duke as a "green" energy company, he has re- fused to Install the best-available pollution controls on the new coal plant, as required by federal law. The plant would pump six million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere an- nually, in addition to toxic heavy metals such as mercury. This action was organized by Asheville Rising Tide and Earth First!. For more information, contact Asheville Ris- ing Tide, risingtide@mountainrebel.net; Katiiah EFi, POB 1485, Asheville, NC 28802. f America more than 25 Billionaires for Global Wanning Crime Scene! Dirty Energy blockaded the main entrance of Denver, Colorado Citi's Upper East Side headquarters. Two chained The Unconventional Greenwashing Task themselves to the front doors and were eventu- Force, a band of locals affiliated with the anti- ally arrested after cops cut through their chains. Tucson, Arizona In honor of Fossil Fools' Day, activists hung banners over Tucson's Snake Bridge on April 2, condemning the proposed Downtown Links and 1-10 Bypass highways (see EF.'J March-April 2008). The banners were clearly visible for the duration of morning rush hour but were removed by city officials at 9:30 a.m. Reading, "No New Roads: Put the Brakes on Global Warming!" the banners were situated just above the proposed starting point of Downtown Links. The action was meant to highlight the role of new roads in promoting runaway carbon dioxide emissions. "The Fossil Fools in government and industry are playing games with our future. The time for lip service and half measures is over," said Tucson resident Alex Larkin. "Direct action is necessary to stop those who watch the planet bum while counting the money they make from the fire." Across the street from a Bank of America branch in Worces- ter, Massachusetts, Clark Sustainability Initiative created a makeshift boxing arena for the fight of the 21st century: a dirty-looking Coal Plant vs. a gleaming Wind Turbine. Waterloo, Canada Just before rush hour, student and community activists from AntiWar@Laurier (AW@L) block- aded a local Shell gas station. AW@L's Climate Change Containment Unit deployed to address the planned increase in production of the Alber- tan oil sands by shutting down Shell's primary outlet in Waterloo. Shell is a leading profiteer of climate-change-causing activities, especially in the tar sands. After the Containment Unit had closed the station, a crowd of activists enforced the block- authoritarian network Unconventional Action, "greenwashed" the main entrance to the Demo- cratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) headquarters. The greenwashing team showed up at the front entrance of the Denver Post building downtown, where the DNCC's offices are located, and wrote "DNC Greenwash" on the windows in light green foam. The greenwashers were apprehended in the middle of the action by security and were threatened with arrest. Meanwhile, a greenwash- ing representative went to the DNCC offices to announce the free greenwashing services. So far, some of the largest-known donors to the DNCC include: Xcel Energy, which operates numerous coal-fired power plants; Newmont Mining, which is currently mining for gold on Western Shoshone land; Wells Fargo and JP Mor- gan Chase, which are both top financiers of coal plants; and General Motors, which is rated one of the worst polluters in the car industry, de- spite offering hybrids during the convention. Houston, Texas ade with large banners reading, "Stop Fueling War and Climate Change," "No Tomfuelery, No Tar Sands," and, "No War, No Warming." However, the Containment Unit and its supporters were "attacked" by a group of -o Shell executives in business suits wielding I hockey sticks. The executives proceeded | to destroy large model of the Earth that 4 had been erected at the scene by the activ- | ists. The destruction of the world at the I ®- hands of Shell executives seemed to em- body their greed and ruthless disregard for the planet. *5 Durban, South Africa Petrol giant Engen became the focal point for Durban residents, who have been Dressed in tuxedos and top hats, the billionaires angered by the refinery, holding it responsible Billionaires for Dirty Energy wearing smokestack-shaped top hats demanded that Citi abandon its large-scale in- vestments in coal-fired power plants, due to coal's increasing investment risk. The billionaires held large signs that read, "Coal=Too Risky," and, "Citi, we want our money back." for causing various lung diseases. The protesters laid down floral wreaths signifying deaths in the community due to lung infections. This area has more than five times the worldwide average for cases of asthma. Ten activists with Houston RAN targeted Dyn- egy headquarters. While two activists delivered a Fossil Fool of the Year Award to Dynegy CEO Bruce Williamson, eight others released a balloon banner in the Wells Fargo plaza's main lobby. “Coal has lost its appeal as a predictable in- vestment. It is fraught with uncertainty," said billionaire Lauren Valle prior to her arrest. "Citi is mortgaging our future and compromising its own long-term competitiveness." Newcastle, Australia A group of people from Rising Tide Newcastle visited a large indoor shopping mall armed with a fistful of leaflets, two bags full of coal and a large colorful banner that asked, "How does buy- ing stuff fuel climate change?" While a few peo- ple from the group headed up to the roof of the building with the banner, the rest walked toward the K-Mart in order to swap their bags of coal for some cheap consumer products (thereby cutting out the middle man). The small group of pranksters was met by a stiff line of about 20 police. However, the big banner was successfully hung off the building, facing two main roads and covering the massive shop- ping center logo on the corner of the building. Eventually, all those involved were rounded up, threatened with arrest and kicked out of the building. Edinburgh, Scotland The Edinburgh battalion of the Clandestine In- surgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) paid a visit to grocery chain stores Sainsbury's and Tesco to highlight the absurdity of how far away the food they sell comes from. Ten clowns descended on the supermarkets between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The red-nosed army marched into a new Sains- bury's, where it acted out the carbon-intensive process of transporting food from farmer to plate. The clowns then dispersed throughout the store in search of the elusive "Scottish banana," en- couraging fellow shoppers to find (if they could) any produce in the store that was actually from Scotland. The battalion placed flyers in shopping baskets among pineapples, peaches and pears, reminding shoppers that 50 percent of vegeta- bles and 95 percent of fruit eaten in the UK now comes from overseas. The clowns then marched to a Tesco, where they ridiculed the latest greenwashing invention supermarkets and other companies are capitaliz- ing on: "carbon labeling." This is when a com- pany labels its products with their supposed carbon footprint. This isn't the Scottish banana! Shoppers seemed surprised yet amused by the presence of the clowns. For more info, contact edinburghrebelclowns @riseup.net. Bristol, Wales A direct action against the ongoing construc- tion of a Welsh opencast coal mine exposed a "black hole" in climate change policy. At 7 a.m., protesters halted work- at Ffos-y-Fran, which, if finished, would be one of the largest opencast coal mines in Europe. They barricaded the main entrance to the site, climbed on the roof of the coal washery and chained themselves to machin- ery. The action halted work at the massive mine until protesters left in the afternoon. At the finale of the occupation, the protest- ers unfurled a 118-foot banner across the main building, stating, "Coal: The Black Hole in UK Climate Policy." One hundred eighteen feet is also the distance between the mine and local residents' homes. Objections by local residents to the project have caused a delay of almost two decades from the project's proposal to when planning permis- sion was granted. 5 ? . : ** ^ * ■•in: - » , Coal is already being mined at the partly con- structed Ffos-y-Fran mine and sent to the nearby Aberthaw Power Statioh, the biggest polluter in Wales. Aberthaw was the target of a lockdown and occupation just two days after the Ffos-y- Fran action. For more info, contact info@thecoalhole.org; www.thecoalhole.org. Glasgow, Scotland A bunch of Fossil Fools took to the streets of Glasgow, trying to persuade people to increase their carbon emissions by putting more petrol in their cars, applauding SUVs, and urging pedestri- ans to stop walking and start driving! These silly fools frolicked around Glasgow, Scotland, licking SUVs and applauding traffic! The stupid-suited fools — some sporting bowler hats, face paint, pin stripes, briefcases and glass- es adorned with dollar signs — went to a nearby Shell gas station, where customers were urged to guzzle more gas. One driver refused to drive over a hand-painted Planet Earth as he left the scene of a climate crime, yet sanity prevailed, as the next to leave (a guy in a Jaguar) gleefully put his foot down on the rubbish planet and sped off, to the delight and applause of the fools. The car is mightier than the planet! The confused fools then unfurled a giant award to Shell for its con- tributions to climate change. A grotesque hoard of fools suddenly appeared in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), causing noise and mayhem, and laughing at some insane joke, before unfurling their large award banner applauding the RBS's contribution to climate change. It seemed that these idiots would stop at nothing to show how foolish they were! The fools then went to an airport to pres- ent its staff with another huge award banner for their contributions to climate change. The fools enjoyed a fun game of musical chairs be- fore turning into helicopters and flying out of the place. Next, they scrambled to drool all over some beoooootiful gas guzzlers. At one point, some of them understandably lost control of themselves over an especially big and beautiful car, slavering and licking at it. The 'owner' then showed them how big a hard-on he has for his guzzler by push- ing aside a fool who had produced an old feather duster from the depths of his bag and shouting, "Get away from my car!" As they continued down the street, lots of chil- dren were pleasantly surprised by this strange frolic of fools. Then the cops showed up, having been called by the owner of the aforementioned guzzler. However, the cops soon realized what a harmless bunch of fools confronted them and went away smiling. Southampton, England Climate activists from Southampton targeted a Shell gas station as part of Fossil Fools' Day. Eight activists took over the forecourt, while three more activists scaled and occupied the roof, un- furling a banner to highlight the damage and de- struction the oil giant is causing to our planet. One activist stated, "We are here because we feel we have a duty to ourselves, others and gen- erations to come, to not let multinational com- panies like Shell rape and destroy the Earth." Manchester, England Manchester's Fossil Fools were up to all sorts of tricks, visiting some of their Fossil Fool idols in the city center. Unfortunately, in their efforts to congratulate the best Fossil Fools, a few mis- haps occurred. Some clowns got stuck in the revolving doors at RBS, and a human pipeline was escorted from the city center building by security. Some mem- bers of the parade got confused and chalked mes- sages on the pavement. Fools trying to escape beating drums ran to hide in the flight center, while a samba band blocked the entrance. On a positive note, banners that read, "Oil, Gas and Coal: The Joke's on Us! Happy Fos- sil Fools' Day!" were hung on the walls of RBS, out of respect for their contributions to climate chaos. Placards reading, "Mr. T says, 'I pity the fuel,'" were waved. The parade ended trium- phantly outside of the Manchester town hall to recognize the vital role that the Manchester city council plays in the area. Just before the end of the parade, a charming man performed a short but inspiring musical solo on the spoons. Nottingham, England At 7:30 a.m., 30 people blockaded the en- trances to the Nottingham City Center offices of E.ON, the world's largest investor-owned gas and power company. People covered in gfeen paint — to represent E.ON's greenwash — locked down to the front entrance of E.ON's office and stood in front of other entrances, preventing E.ON employees from getting to work. One activist at the protest said, "We are here today because, despite E.ON publicly claiming green credentials, it is trying to build a new gen- eration of coal-fired power stations. It is trying to build the first new coal-fired power station in the UK in 50 years in Kent, and wishes to con- tinue its expansion with a new power station in Nottinghamshire. We are here to tell E.ON that it will not succeed, and the only real solution to climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Coal is the dirtiest Fossil Fool, and to build new coal power stations in the face of cli- mate change is collective suicide." Bacton, England Approximately 25 Earth First! activists block- aded the UK's largest off-shore gas terminal at Bacton, where 40 percent of the UK's domestic gas is received, processed and distributed by pipeline. Activists blockaded the main road out- side the site at 6:30 a.m., preventing construction workers and shift workers from arriving. Operated primarily by petroleum giants Shell and Exxon-Mobil, this installation includes a gas-fired power station, a processing plant and a distribution point for domestic gas. The pro- test was in solidarity with protestors in Ross- port, Ireland, who have been trying to prevent a similar installation from being built in their community (see ££// January-February 2006). For more information, contact norfolk@ earthfirst.org.uk. May-fune 2008 Earth First! Page 7 HOUSE RAID and STANDOFF in Santa Cruz by Mice Who Feel Pain and Rage Around 2 p.m. on February 24, three police officers and one de- tective knocked on the door of a Santa Cruz, California residence. A woman answered the door, asking for a warrant. In the absence of one, she shut the door immediately. This was the dawning of a drawn-out, lofty standoff. The police began to ask neigh- bors about suspicious activity and to scan the home for exits. That evening, about 25 cyclists arrived to observe the scene. As day be- came night, the numbers on both sides of the standoff increased. At its height, there were approximate- ly 20 cops and agents pitted against around 75 copwatchers and sup- porters of the residents. According to Indymedia reports, at 9:50 p.m., police adorned in SWAT team/riot gear gained entry to the residence by shattering windows and battering through doors. It is re- ported that the police had obtained a key from the homeowner, yet chose to use force and intimida- tion instead. During the raid, police took clothes, computers, backpacks, cell phones, per- sonal journals and other pos- sessions. Just after midnight, the police finally left. Apparently, the raid was in response to a demonstration at a vivisector's house earlier that day. The only account of this was from the vivisector herself. She recalled that six masked individuals came to her home and began beating on the door. Her husband opened the door and grap- pled with the unwelcome visitors. The activists purport- edly fled in a vehicle, but not be- fore witnesses noted the vehicle's license plate number to report it to the police. Police are now searching cell- phone records and other papers they stole during the raid, hoping to find leads on the visit to the vivi- sector and other activist activities. The mainstream media has given a tremendous amount of time to this story. While most of the coverage consists of the usual fodder, some has been distinctly ridiculous. "Obviously, these people are capi- talizing on fear and intimidation," commented the local sheriff. How- ever, these words would be better used to describe killing mice for a day job or smashing into someone's home when you knowingly have the key in your possession. In local coverage, a vivisector re- portedly said, "I'm a scientist. I do research that's really valuable." The vivisector continued to say that ac- tivists shouldn't be concerned about the ethics of her work because "the animals don't feel any pain — we treat them humanely." Apparently, not everybody agrees with that. The amount of support provided by the Santa Cruz community for the raided household is an out- standing example of solidarity. In- terfering with and standing witness to the acts of our oppressors is im- portant. When support is present in communities, state intimidation is that much harder to employ, net- ting people know that we are there for them keeps the hope of continu- ous action alive. Dear vivisectors, we mice believe that those who say we feel no pain should spend less time in the lab and more in the natural world. Denial is no excuse for speciesism and murder. B An Unfortunate Opportunity: uffalo Field Campaign Sees Inside a Bison Trap by Jesse Crocker Recently, I had the unfortunate opportunity to go on a tour of Yellowstone National Park's Stephens Creek bison trap, in Montana, where more than 1,000 buffalo have been captured and shipped off to slaughter so far this year. On March 18, instead of going out on morning pa- trol to monitor the Park Service's hazing and cap- ture of buffalo, I got to sleep in a little later than usual. At 7 a.m., I arrived at the north entrance to Yellowstone, right next to the big stone arch, to meet A1 Nash (from the park's public affairs office) and representatives from various environ- mental groups and media organizations. From there, we caravanned several miles down to the Stephens Creek trap. After driving through several miles of land that had its native plant communities exterminated by agriculture before being incorporated into the park, we turned onto a road I never thought I would be driving down. The road to Stephens Creek is marked with large signs warning the public not to go down the road, though the only sign indicating what happens there reads "corral operations." If I had turned down that road on any other day, I would have been arrested. After passing through rows of snowplows, junk cars and assorted debris, we came to the bison trap. We arrived just in time to see bison being load- ed into a semi-trailer designed to haul cattle. In order to move the bison through the facility and into the truck, there were park employees up on catwalks above the bison with whips and cattle prods. Of all the park employees present, I don't think one was a wildlife biologist or even trained in anything related to wildlife. They were law enforcement rangers, maintenance workers and horse wranglers. Watching the bison being load- ed into the truck was one of the saddest sights 1 have ever seen. Just days earlier, these buffalo had been roaming free, looking for the first shoots of green grass. Now, they were being loaded into a big metal box, to be trucked hours away to a facility designed for handling cattle, where they would be slaughtered. As they moved through Activist Nathan Drake perched on a bipod inside a bison trap, rendering it inoperable for 1 5 hours. the trailer, rubbing against holes in the side of the truck, large chunks of hair were sheered off their flanks and fell to the ground. Throughout the loading, we were not allowed to approach closer than 15 feet from the truck or the facility. The park's reason for this was that we would trauma- tize the bison. After two trailers had been loaded with bi- son, they formed a convoy with several other trucks from various law enforcement agencies and headed off to the slaughterhouse. Then, the wranglers who had been loading the buffalo re- trieved their horses and headed out for another haze, capturing 10 more bulls. At that point, we were taken on a tour of other parts of the facility, including the larger pens, where approximately 160 buffalo were awaiting their fate. Among them were calves who, later in the week would be tested for brucellosis and then shipped off to quarantine, separated from their families and do- mesticated in the name of science. Throughout the tour, we had time for questions and answers with Nash. At one point, Nash said one of the most disconcerting things I have heard a park employee say about bison management. He said that deciding when to send bison to slaughter is "an art, not a science." I guess that explains the lack of biologists on the scene. At the end of the tour, I headed back to the Buffalo Field Campaign trailer in Gardiner, Montana, to pick up my patrol partner. From there, we headed back into the field to docu- ment and bear witness to yet ahother bison haz- ing and capture Operation. On February 25, Nathan Drake perched upon a bipod on public land inside the Horse Butte bison trap, in West Yellowstone, Montana, in protest of bison slaughter. Suspended from his platform was a large banner that read, "I called, I wrote and no response.... This is my response." After rendering the trap inoperable for 15 hours, he was removed, arrested and charged with three misdemeanors: ob- struction, trespassing and resisting arrest. He was re- leased on $5,000 bail, reportedly the highest ever for a bison-related direct-action protest. In a separate incident, two activists, Miriam Wasser and Cat Simonidis, locked down to a post inside the Mammoth Visitor's Center in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming on the morning of March 26. They wanted to call attention to the Park. Service slaughter of nearly 1,000 bison since February 8 — more than ever before in a single season. Upon discovering the ac- tivists, Yellowstone officials closed the visitor's center to the public and the media, including reporters from CNN, CBS and an independent filmmaker. The wom- en were removed, arrested and taken to the Mammoth jail at around 12:30 p.m. and held for 26 hours. During the action, Yellowstone Rangers captured be- tween 30 and 50 bison a few miles away. Between February 8 and March 26, Park rangers captured more than 1,200 bison on the north side of the park. While the government’s official reason for the slaughter is to prevent the spread of brucellosis from wild bison to cat- tle, no such transmission has ever been documented. Page 8 Earth First! Beltane 2008 Tour ofth& desecration/ Tk& Longest Walk Is T xkjjia SNotes by Pathfinder On February 11, the Longest Walk 2008 em- barked on a five-month journey from San Fran- cisco to Washington, DC. This second Longest Walk not only marks the 30th anniversary of the first Longest Walk of 1978, which resulted in historic changes for Native America, but more importantly, it is taking note of the desecration of our environment. The goal of this walk is to bring attention to the massive destruction that is going on all around us. Our world is in peril, and the Native American worldviews that have had to fight for their very existence hold some of the answers to these problems. The original Longest Walk was conducted in response to 11 pro- posed bills in Congress that would have an- nulled treaties protect- ing Native American sovereignty and fur- thered an American history that has con- tinually chipped away at the very existence of , indigenous cultures. "In 1978, our com- munities faced many hardships, such as non- existent religious rights and the criminalization of our people who fought for cultural survival. This is why the Longest Walk was necessary," said Jimbo Simmons of the International Indian Treaty Council. Starting out with just 17 people in San Fran- cisco, the original walk ballooned to 30,000 by the time it reached Washington, to stand at the doors of Congress and defeat those 11 bills. In the following month, participants pushed for the passage of the American Indian Religibus Free- dom Act of 1978. As a result of the walk, indig- enous people were granted the federal legislative right to freedom of religion — a fundamental right guaranteed to all other Americans under the US Constitution. "As indigenous peoples in the US, our environ- ment and our cultural survival are directly cor- related and are still imperiled today. This is why we must walk once again," added Simmons. The religions of native cultures are directly in- tertwined with the land. When the land is in dan- ger, the very existence of our culture is in danger. When you consider the problems we are facing in this country due to global warming, resource extraction, nuclear waste dumping, deforesta- tion and water pollution, you start to see what a great danger we are all in — not just spiritually, but mentally and physically. Once again, it is time to take a stand — or in this case, a walk! The Longest Walk 2008 is taking two routes. The northern route will follow the original route across 11 states and 3,600 miles. The southern route will follow another route across 13 states and 4,400 miles. Both routes will visit sacred sites across the US and promote awareness of sacred sites protection and environmental preservation. In past years, Dennis Banks, the southern route coordinator, has done sacred runs from San Fran- cisco to Washington. During that time, he and others began to notice that sage, a plant sacred to many indigenous cultures, was living amid garbage along the roadways. In the spirit of pro- tecting a sacred plant, we have also launched the Clean Up Mother Earth campaign, where Longest Walk participants clean our country's highways and roads by collecting debris found along the Longest Walk route. In the first 40 days, we have collected more than 1,000 bags of trash. In addition to this, the walkers are paying atten- tion to the world around them as they go, stop- ping in communities to talk to the people there. After taking note of the problems we all face from the destruction of our environment, the walkers are going to come together in a Cultural Survival Summit in Washington. Then, once again, they will knock on Congress's door to tell it the story of the Great Walk and all they saw. What Have We Seen So Far? In Berkeley, California, at the very first steps of the walk, we witnessed treesitters trying to protect a grove of oak trees from development by the University of California-Berkeley (UCB). These oak trees were planted in 1923 on top of an Ohlone Indian burial ground, interestingly enough, to memorialize Californians who died in World War I. These activists have been tree- sitting now for more than 500 days. The group responsible for the sit has more demands than just saving the trees, though. It wants the repa- triation of 13,000 native remains held at UCB's Phoebe Hearst Museum and an end to UCB involvement in nuclear weapons design and research. In addition, it is demanding the preser- vation of Strawberry Canyon, a green belt where the grove and stadium are located, which also hosts Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, an Energy-Department-funded research facility dating back to the Manhattan Project and now slated to expand with a nanotech lab dubbed the "Molecular Foundry."' Only one mile into the walk, there is already a lifetime of work to be done. However, we must venture on to Bakersfield, Cali- fornia. As walker Kaelen Holmes puts it, "The agriculture in Cali- fornia is disgusting. Bakersfield's oil, .agriculture and relative el- evation make it one of the most sickeningly polluted places I have ever seen." If you are wondering where spinach and E. coli met, it was in Bakersfield, where it is a regular oc- currence to spread sludge removed from toilet water and industrial sewage on the crops because it's "ni- trogen rich.” Of course, this sludge is also rich in pathogens, heavy metals and pharmaceuticals. Further along the south route, the walk stayed with the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, which is deal- ing with chromium contamination. According to Marc Lifsher of the Los Angeles Times, "From 1951 to 1969, Pacific Gas and Electric dumped at least 108 million gallons of water laced with hexava- lent chromium into the ground around Topock. The utility used the chemical compound, a known carcinogen referred to as chromium-6 and made infamous by the 2000 movie Erin Brockov- ich, to prevent corrosion and retard the growth of mold in a cooling tower at a compressor station that pushes natural gas through its pipelines." Walking across the California- Arizona bor- der and into the Grand Canyon to visit the Havasupai Tribe, the group was informed of huge piles of uranium tailings that sit just feet from the Colorado I River. These tailings have been affecting the health of the Havasu- pai since the 1950s uranium boom. They are now trying to deal with the fact that the Bush administration is once again attempting to open that area up to uranium mining. We moved out of the Grand Canyon and into Flagstaff, Arizona, where the Save the Peaks Co- alition has been holding the US Forest Service (USFS) at bay for the past seven years in the USFS's plans to use treated sewage effluent to make fake snow at Arizona Snowbowl, a ski resort on the San Francisco Peaks. This area is completely sur- rounded by land with a wilderness designation. These same peaks are considered sacred by more than 17 Arizona tribes, and this treated sewer water would literally destroy the power of the medicines gathered on the mountain by those tribes. According to the Hopi, it is also home to the deities known as Kachinas. From Flagstaff, we head to Black Mesa, on the Dine Nations, where the federal government has allowed Peabody Coal to build stripmines and use pristine aquifer water to slurry the coal more than 200 miles to a power generating station. This use of water has led to aquifer depletion and local springs drying up. This coal mining has also polluted local water supplies to the point where animals have been seen to drink from the springs and die overnight. Meanwhile, up in Colorado, the north route has been paying attention, too. Colorado Governor Bill Ritter issued a proclamation that March was Longest Walk Month in Colorado. After Ritter's proclamation was read on the steps of the Colo- rado State Capitol, Longest Walkers proceeded in a prayer vigil to Newmont Mining Corporation. They did not back down when Newmont's secu- rity forces called the Denver police. They con- tinued with a drum song and prayer vigil when faced with arrest. Simmons then read to a repre- sentative of Newmont the demands of the West- ern Shoshone: that Newmont and other mining companies halt the destruction. Newmont's rep- resentative declined to comment. We still have a few thousand miles to go. Al- ready, we have witnessed the destruction of the environment in mind-boggling quantities. It looks as though we will be issuing a very large book to Congress when we get to Washington. If you are interested in coming on the walk, helping out in your town or just want more information, visit www.longestwalk.org. For a live broadcast from the northern route, visit www.earthcycles.net. For more information about the northern route, visit www.bsnorrell. blogspot.com. Pathfinder is sitting at his computer wishing he was able to walk, too! But somebody needs to update tire website and make sure that Oklahoma is ready for 100 or more walkers. See you in DC! Links to Threatesietl Saxred Sites •Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska: www.arcticrefugeaction.org •Bear Butte, South Dakota: www.defendblackhills.org •Black Mesa, Arizona: www.blackmesais.org, www.blackmesawatercoalition .org •Cave Rock, Nevada: www.petitiononline.com/caverock •Haskell-Baker Wetlands, Kansas: www.savethewetlands.org •Mauna Kfea, Hawaii: www.kahea.org/maunakea •Medicine Lake, California: www.mountshastaecology.org •Mt. Graham, Arizona: www.mountgraham.org •Mt. Shasta, California: www.protectourwaters.org •Mt. Tenabo, Nevada: www.wsdp.org •Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico: www. sagecouncil .org •San Francisco Peaks, Arizona: www.savethepeaks.org •Shellmounds, California: www.vallejointertribalcouncil.org •Woodruff Butte, Arizona: www.sacredland.org •Yucca Mountain, Nevada: www.wsdp.org May-June 2008 Earth First! Page 9 6on£-s Wildlife Refuge Saved Since 2003, the US Navy has been planning to build a fighter jet Outlying Landing Field (OLF), only 3.5 miles from Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Washington County, North Carolina. This refuge is the Win- ter home to tens of thousands of swans, geese and ducks, as well as the only home in the country for the red wolf. The OLF would conduct 31,000 landings and de- partures each year, averaging one every 30 minutes. After five years of struggle from local environmental groups, the US District Court finally ruled that the Navy had ignored en- vironmental laws while pushing forward with the project, and funding for the OLF site was cut. However, new sites have been proposed in swamps in North Carolina and Virginia. Among the notable protests, the group Citizens Opposed to the OLF drove tractors to Raleigh and set up a "Liberty City" tent encampment between the pro- posed site and the refuge. Logging Planned Near Grand Canyon On February 29, plans were re- leased to tractor-log 9,000 acres in Kaibab National Forest, which withstood a "warm fire" in 2006. While the area has significantly recovered, the US Forest Service claims that logging is necessary to "promote recovery... and re- duce future fire risk.” "Post-fire logging destroys soil, spreads weeds, damages habitat and natural tree regeneration, and even increases fire hazard," said Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity. Possible Authorization to Kill Sea Lions On March 18, the National Marine Fisheries Service autho- rized the killing or capture of up to 85 sea lions per year for the next five years, in order to "protect" the dwindling Pacific Northwest salmon population in the Columbia River. Authorities have already tried to deter the sea lions from eating the salmon by installing physical barriers, and firing rubber bullets and firecrackers — to no avail. Be- fore the sea lions are killed, they must be trapped and held for 48 hours, because fisheries manag- ers are supposed to find them a _ spot in an aquarium, zoo or ma- rine theme park. If the sea lions prove difficult to capture, there is a provision that allows them to be shot in the water; - Though it supports "non-le- thal harassment" of sea lions (meaning bringing them to zoos, aquariums or marine theme parks)', the Humane Society of the US successfully postponed the killing of sea lions by fil- ing a motion on March 28 for a preliminary injunction. If not granted by April 18, it will file a restraining order. Resistance to the 2010 Olympics BY SW Resistance to the 2010 Olympic games in British Columbia, Canada, be- gan with last year's string of direct actions and pro- tests (see EF!f July-August 2007). As it becomes clear- er that the Olympics are already causing evictions, homelessness, industrial development and envi- ronmental destruction, the resistance continues to grow. In the first few months of 2008, a wide variety of militant actions and public demonstra- tions have already taken place. As most groups engaged in the resistance have vowed, things are sure to escalate in the coming months. Here is a quick roundup of what's been happening recently. On February 11, the eve of the two-year countdown mark for the Olympics, about 150 mostly native protesters (includ- ing the Wolverine, the Secwepemc Nation and veterans of the 1995 Gustafsen Lake standoff) rallied in downtown Vancouver. Led by el- ders from the Downtown Eastside Women's Center, a march went from the Countdown Clock to the Hyatt hotel, where British Colum- bia Premier Gordon Campbell was hosting a luncheon for Olympic sponsors, government officials and members of the Vancouver Organiz- ing Committee for the Olympics. The protest was held to draw atten- tion to native lands already being destroyed by Olympic construc- tion and to protest attempts by the Olympics organizers to downplay native resistance to the games. About a week later, a large anti- poverty rally of 50 protesters — with members of the Anti-Poverty Com- mittee (APC), the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and Students Against War (Victoria), as well as indigenous and poor people — was held at Victory S.quare . in down- town Vancouver, on February 17. The rally was held on the eve of the provincial government's release of its new budget, and addressed the issues of poverty, stolen indigenous land, lack of affordable housing, homelessness and evictions related to the coming Olympics. Activists denounced the British Columbia government's use of its budget surplus on massive Olym- pic spending and tax cuts for the wealthy. As the APC's Jill Chettiar said to the crowd, "People on the Downtown Eastside are paying for the surplus with their lives, and what are they getting? Tax cuts for the rich. They're spending money on tax cuts for people who already have homes, who already have cars." From the rally, about 40 protest- ers marched across the city to the Countdown Clock, yelling slogans such as, "No Homes, No Peace," and, "Homes, Not Olympics." There, they met up with about 30 more protesters. With no cops guarding the clock, the protesters hurled yel- low paintballs at its face, making its continuous countdown to the coming 2010 Olympics difficult to read. Protesters chanted, "Homes Not Games," "Stop the War on the Poor, Makg the Rich Pay," and, "No Olympics on Stolen Native Land." No one was arrested. "This isn't the end of resistance," said Thomas Malenfant, of the Downtown Eastside Residents As- sociation, while pasting a poster onto the clock. "This is only the beginning." The Countdown Clock has previ- ously been the site of anti-Olympics demonstrations, beginning in Feb- ruary 2007, when the clock's unveil- ing ceremony turned into a melee of protesters throwing eggs and paint- balls on live network television. The next day in Vancouver, a Four Host First Nations (FHFN) and Assembly of First Nations (AFN) photo-op was held to announce "First Nations participation and volunteer opportunities with the 2010 Olympics." It was interrupted when women from Native 2010 Resistance dumped bags of apples onto the stage, yelling, "No Olym- pics on Stolen Native Land!" and admonishing those present, saying, "You should all be ashamed of your- selves for contributing to the rape and destruction of Mother Earth!" The apples were meant to symbol- ize the way the FHFN and AFN, in their bargaining with the Olympics organizers, are similarly red on the outside and white inside. On February 22, Premier Camp- bell's office was attacked by four members of the APC wearing paint suits and paint masks. The front door and window were left splat- tered in paint of three of the five colors from the Olympic rings and were covered in posters demanding that the budget surplus be directed toward tuition, community centers, rent reparations and social housing. The APC has vowed to up the ante on its campaign against the 2010 Olympics organizers and that more actions are soon to come. A few days later, three welcome signs at the south- ern entrance to Vancouver were hit with paintballs. The attack was reported on the No 2010 website, which expressed the senti- ment, "We hope that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presi- dent feels unwelcome and the resistance to the Olym- pics continues to spread." On February 27, a small demonstration of about I 20 people was held to | protest the visit of the president of the IOC, Dr. | Jacques Rogge. Before the I protest, a poster had been .1 hung up around town. It's | headline read, "Dead IOC 1 Prez," and it continued | with, "It is elementary to | the Art of War: Cut off the I head and the body will die!" This was considered so threatening that the city allotted 40 riot cops to patrol the demonstration. In late February, warriors from the Native Youth Network com- pleted a No 2010 East Coast speak- ing tour with more than 20 stops. The tour brought them through Mohawk, Annishinabe, Algonquin, Seneca, Cayuga, Penobscott and Wampanoag territories, 11 major cities and many other native com- munities. On the tour, they spread the story of 2010 resistance, lis- tened to the stories of others' resis- tance, and worked to unite native struggles for land, freedom, life and survival. Throughout all this, more un- derground tactics have also been employed. On February 12, bricks were thrown through the windows of the Bank Street and First Avenue Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) branch location in Ottawa. The RBC has been named as the target of a cam- paign by Ottawa anarchists since late 2007, when the windows of one of its branch locations was smashed by "some exceptionally large pieces of pavement." As the 2007 communique stated, "RBC is targeted for sponsoring and profiting off of the gentrification, environmental destruction and co- lonialism that characterize — indeed, are — the entirety of the 2010 Win- ter Games." The communique also included a call to participate in an- archist games against the RBC. Partic- ipants are reminded, "Don't forget, a gold medal will be given for the most damage at a single location." Indeed, the games seem to have begun, as March 1 saw the windows of the Elgin Street RBC branch smashed in, and by March 5, the Bank Street and First Ayenue RBC branch was targeted again, this time with large blocks of ice mixed with street salts. The resistance doesn't end there! Actions will be ongoing, culminat- ing in an anti-colonial and anti- capitalist convergence in February 2010 at the Olympics. For more information, visit www. no2010.com. Page 10 Earth First! Beltane 2008 We See Color and It Fucking Matters A Reportback From the People of Color Caucus at the 2008 Winter Rendezvous by the People of Color Caucus Any serious discussion of race within our movement must begin with the candid recognition that Earth First! is a predominantly white movement. Following this recognition, a spring of interesting questions will naturally begin to arise from the curious, anti-racist, environmental activist. "Why are people of color so few in EF!? What patterns are perpetuated within EF! today that inhibit people of color from getting involved, and how can we change this? How can we better illustrate the connection between the struggles of people of color and ecocide? How can attitudes of white domi- nation be dealt with openly and positively? What can I do?" This was the gen- eral tone throughout the Anti-Authoritarian People of Color (POC) caucus at the EF! Winter Rendezvous in February. Moreover, w r e consis- tently came to the shared understanding that strat- egies for combating this not-so-invisible form of oppression are still in their infancy. Why Caucus? While many of us are tired of having to hold white people's hands with regard to recognizing privilege, the fact remains that there continues to be a simple misunderstanding — as well as outright ignorance and intol- erance — about the need for an exclu- sively POC space. Here's why we caucus: POC-only spaces serve as safe spaces in which those of us most directly affected by white supremacy can find solidar- ity with each other's shared experi- ences without having to deal with accusations of "reverse racism" and outbursts of white guilt. Moreover, they serve as a kind of social pres- sure valve where we may safely air our grievances. That way, outside of these spaces, we can have more productive conversations — keeping these feelings bottled up is emotion- ally and psychologically unhealthy, and is certainly not conducive to getting shit done. So, for a few hours at the Winter Rondy, a voluntary and temporary line was drawn around a plastic tarp in the Everglades with about a dozen POC in attendance. Dur- ing a simultaneous white auxiliary caucus, white allies gathered to discuss how they could use their privilege to support the struggles of people of color and oppose white supremacy in movements they are a part of. When we all came back together to continue with the gathering's workshops, w r e had a slightly better understanding that, although we are all inheritors of a long racist past, we have also in- herited generations of hard-won progress in breaking free of that past. We shouldn’t bring that prog- ress to a halt by acting like we've already won, pretending that race is now a relatively negligible issue or claiming to be "colorblind." White Dominance in EF! Proceeding from the recognition of white dominance in EF!, the ques- tion arises of how historically domi- nating aspects of white culture are still embodied in EF! culture. White culture has been nurtured, defended and imposed by the forces of im- perialism for centuries. This is the inescapable reality of white privi- lege: It has been bought with blood. Wherever white privilege is in use, without being understood and ac- knowledged for what it is, patterns of white supremacy are not far off. To the extent that white dominance and supremacy prevail in EF!, the movement will continue to be mar- ginalized by enemies and potential friends alike as a movement stuck within its bubble of white privilege. To illustrate the patterns of white dominance and supremacy experi- enced by participants in the POC caucus and by POC in the environ- mental movement as a whole, we have included a brief run-down of tendencies POC have consistently run across. Dealing Constantly With Unchecked White Privilege — This ranges from the absurd assertion that "we are all colored" and/or "tribal" (own up to your whiteness, honkies) to the equally ridiculous claim that POC can "drop out” just as eas- ily as white people (by squatting or dumpstering, which many POC do anyway as a matter of survival), to the insulting declaration that white people "know what it's like" or "understand" because they had the privilege of spending a Summer in Chiapas or some other "exotic" community of color. Also, white ac- tivists who live in "marginalized" subcultures still have white skin privilege and the ability to choose whether or not to remain marginal- ized, a luxury that people of color do not have. Rampant Cultural Appropriation/ Fetishizing Indigenous Cultures — This ranges from white people and their "tribal Earth rituals" and dreadlocks, to the war cries you hear at every protest, to the wolf howls at gath- erings (which has the potential for being pretty disruptive to local wild- life patterns). You have your own culture(s) and ethnic roots that date back over millennia; research and embrace them instead of stealing ours. Added to this is an obsession with what is essentially the "noble savage" myth and the recurring imagery of POC with spears in lit- erature that is not even about actual indigenous struggles. Tokenization — This includes ask- ing us for our "unique" opinion on something as if we could speak for the global community of POC, expecting us to do the necessary outreach to POC communities and expecting us to bottomline anti- racist and environmental justice organizing within our movement. These phenomena are annoying and offensive. The unfortunate reality is that none of these things are new to POC within EF! (or the radical environ- mental movement as a whole). Our individual experiences echo those written about in the article, "Fac- ing Off the Radical Environmental Lynch Mob" (see EF!J September- October 2004). With examples like this, it is not hard to see why POC often haven't found EF! to be a welcoming and inclusive place. Understanding the ways in which a culture of white dominance excludes POC from participating in radical environ- mental movements is crucial when asking why those movements are so white. It's not like POC are less affected by environmental destruc- tion than whites: Worldwide, envi- ronmental injustices are more often committed against communities of color. POC, as a socially and eco- nomically marginalized group, live in neighborhoods with the worst environmental conditions and countries with the lowest environ- mental standards. Within a bubble of white privilege, EF! is in a weak position to combat this problem and redraw the connections of en- vironmental issues to issues of race and economy. Typically, EF! is identified as a wilderness protection movement, fighting for the remaining unspoiled and undeveloped areas of the Earth. It's not hard to see how this comple- ments the image of EF! as a white, middle-class movement — the folks who get to enjoy the wilderness are usually folks with the economic means, leisure time and social back- ground to do so. It seems that, as long as the definitions of radical environmentalism extend only to the unspoiled or "uncompromised" landscape, its demographic will ex- tend mostly to whites. Beyond Tokenism With these difficulties in sight, and a shared understanding of the long-term nature of this discussion, POC and whites have a lot of work to do in confronting white cultural domina- tion in the movement. While many POC within 1 EF! want to work on anti- t racist organizing and are ~ often more aware of pat- ^ terns of white supremacy, ^ exclusivity and racism 14 in the movement, it is j-s, imperative that they are | not expected to take on p the bulk of the burden | of dismantling said pat- terns. White allies must work to be aware of these issues, using their privi- lege to challenge them and ensur- ing that there is an active anti-racist organizing component to EF!. Developing this anti-racist frame- work within our movement will also help avoid tokenizing POC. Too often, white-dominated move- ments believe that the first step in anti-racist action is bringing in POC. This can stem from a belief that a movement that is multiracial will also be anti-racist. It ignores the dynamics of white cultural superi- ority that create a movement that is not truly inclusive, and it trivializes the organizing in which POC are al- ready engaged. It is crucial that we simultaneously confront issues of white supremacy within our orga- nization and work to build solidar- ity with POC-led organizations and campaigns. There are many POC-led organi- zations working on transformative campaigns that EF!, as a predomi- nately white movement, could sup- port. Indeed, some examples of this kind of solidarity include support for indigenous resistance to the 2010 Winter Olympics and EF!ers marching with the Coalition of Im- mokalee Workers for fair wages and working conditions. Looking Ahead With the last few minutes of the POC caucus, participants brain- stormed how to . make future Ren- dezvous more open, inclusive and hospitable to the rest of our POC comrades. Sitting in the middle of continued on page 24 Some of the authors of this article: "No borders! No state! Obama ' 08 ! * May-June 2008 Earth First! Page 1 1 6on£-s Peruvian Environmental- ist Murdered On February 26, Don Julio Garda Agapito was murdered in Alerta, Peru, after he reported a truck loaded with 34 logs of poached mahogany. The mahog- any had been logged along the Peru-Bolivia border, a region of the Peruvian Amazon that is one of the most biologically diverse places in the world. While Garcia told the Peruvian national police and the National Institute for Natural Resources (INRENA) about the truck, a man with a copy of the truck's key jumped in and drove away. National police officers ran off to chase the truck, leaving Gar- cia in the local INRENA office. Within a few minutes, 10 bullets were fired, killing him instantly. Amancion Jacinto Maque was identified as the shooter but es- caped to Bolivia. Native Leaders Jailed in Mining Protest On March 17, Chief Donny Morris, Deputy Chief Jack McK- ay and four band councilors from the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (also known as KI or Big Trout Lake) First Nation, all received six-month sentences for opposing mining on their tradi- tional lands in northwestern On- tario, Canada. This is the second time this year that native lead- ers have been jailed for mining blockades. Last Fall, the court issued an order allowing Platinex Inc. to begin drilling in Big Trout Lake on November 6. Native officials say that they will arrest Platinex drillers if they proceed onto na- tive land. The Platinex company has offered financial compensa- tion for mineral exploration, but natives in Big Trout Lake are vow- ing to maintain their opposition, even though the court cases have brought them near bankruptcy. Schumacher Furs Pays PETA On January 24, US District Judge Michael Mosman ordered Schumacher Furs to pay more than $40,000 in legal fees to Peo- ple for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Gregg Schum- acher and his wife Linda sued PETA, claiming it was "stepping over the bounds of free speech into crimes and violations of city ordinances." Judge Michael Mosman stated that the lawsuit was "an extraor- dinary abuse of the litigation process." He went on to add, "I find that awarding fees in this case will properly serve to deter 'putative plaintiffs from filing multimillion-dollar suits against nonprofit groups and private citizens engaged in First Amend- ment activities." Mountain Justice Disrupts Bank With Old-Time Appalachian Music BREF! pluckin' their strings inside Batik of America by Willie At noon on March 5, ap- proximately 24 Mountain Justice activists visited a Bank of America (BoA) in Boone, North Carolina, to protest the bank's funding of mountaintop removal coal mining and coal-fired power plants. The event was the third bluegrass- themed protest in a week in which Action Jackson, an Appalachian string band from East Tennes- see, staged a traditional fiddle and banjo jam inside a BoA branch, for a rally in opposition to the bank's investments in coal. While the demonstration was underway, three account holders present in the bank chose to close their ac- counts in protest, informing the branch assistant manager that they would not allow their hard-earned money to destroy Appalachian com- munities and ecosystems. When police arrived on the scene they briefly detained one protester. The activist was later released without arrest or citation. BoA has invested billions of dol- lars in companies that practice mountaintop removal, including Massey Energy, Arch Coal, Alpha Natural Resources and others. Moun- taintop removal is a method of coal mining in which up to 1,000 vertical feet are blasted off a mountain and dumped into the adjacent valleys. The practice has destroyed more than 800 square miles of mountains, and buried or polluted more than 1,200 miles of streams in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Ten- nessee. In addition to wreaking ecological havoc, the mining prac- tice also endangers coalfield com- munities with toxic flash floods and | mudslides. These and other impacts | of coal extraction, coupled with the | accelerated climate change caused 1 by burning coal, have prompted the | creation of this national campaign to pressure BoA to pull its funding of the coal industry. "So long as BoA continues to fund the destruction of Appala- chia, Appalachian string bands will have no choice but to bring our music into these banks. For as long as BoA is funding coal, we're going to keep coming back," promised one of the musicians. For more information, contact Blue Ridge EF!, blueridgeEF@yahoo.com. Between gigs and actions, Willie is soaking up the stillness of the Shenan- doah Valley, working with Blue Ridge EF!, Mountain Justice and the South- east Convergence for Climate Action. by Hannah Palm fronds swaying, egrets bath- ing, environmental activists playing in the shallow swamp: In February, Earth Firstlers returned to the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area in South Florida, for a week dedi- cated to movement strategizing, campaign building, networking, sharing and growing. Two years ago, the annual EF! Organizers' Conference (OC) was held in this same beautiful swampland. The 2006 OC was my first Earth First! event, and I felt it had been the most inclusive, productive radical gathering I had ever attended. This year, bringing the gathering back to Palm Beach County, the Everglades EF! crew outdid themselves, creat- ing a conference even more superb than their last. The word among seasoned EFiers is that this year's OC was the best in years. What made it so successful? At past EF! gatherings, things have felt very homogenous, with most attendees coming from the lo- cal bioregion and, recently, most people being younger and newer to the movement. But this year's OC was one of the most diverse conferences I've attended. Folks representing an array of campaigns came from across the continent and beyond to lead workshops and share strategies, creating a diver- sity of ages, genders, ethnicities and languages. Everglades EF!, hav- ing raised money in advance, flew in envirorimental organizers from Canada, southern California and Ecuador. They were joined by orga- nizers from the Stop 1-69 campaign in Indiana, the Coalition of Immo- kalee workers in Florida, the anti- Plum Creek initiative in Maine, the mobilization against the Cliffside power plant in Katuah, the cam- paign against Florida Power and Light in South Florida, the EF! Jour- nal in Arizona and many others. It was clear that the organizers had put months of planning into this gathering. The site included a deluxe outdoor kitchen that was complete with do-it-yourself rocket stoves, a covered library built from wood pallets and the most beautiful shifters you've ever laid eyes on. The schedule was organized and full of workshops that were a good 'balance of specific campaigns, movement strategizing and anti-oppression work. A panel of speakers at a work- shop exploring indigenous environ- mental campaigns exemplified this. However, I would like to have seen more opportunities for skill sharing in the workshop schedule. The energy and power dynamics among organizers and attendees felt balanced, making the confer- ence feel more inclusive than most that I've attended. Organizers' roles were well-identified and beautifully handled. The organizers served as facilitators for morning circle and police liaisons, while attendees took care of setting up and breaking camp, cooking and security. The direction of EF! was a focal point that came up throughout the week during conversations about anti-oppression, campaign tactics and government repression. With 250 people at the OC throughout the week, the workshops felt pro- ductive. They were well-attended, and goal- and strategy-oriented. Compared to workshops I’ve at- tended at past Rendezvous, which felt drawn out and convoluted, discussions about "the movement" were thought out and focused. Ex- cellent facilitation made the diffi- cult topics manageable. One night, after word came of the latest round of Green Scare accusa- tions, everyone gathered around the campfire, fueled by our anger and our fear. After days of talking about the solidarity we all long to expe- rience, here was a moment when long-term activists joined with the new, and older folks joined with the young. We created a call to ac- tion and painted a vision of unity in this struggle. The words left me energized and inspired. The enthusiasm from that night prepped us for the action on the last morning. The lockdown at Florida Power and Light was well- coordinated and went off perfectly. Despite last-minute planning, the process still managed to be inclu- sive. Also, in contrast with male- dominated actions of the past, this one included skilled and powerful women in major roles. At the de- briefing that night, many people shared that they thought it was perhaps the best post-Rondy action that they could recall. Overall, the OC was organized, productive and inspiring. Yet, there's always room for improve- ment. The medical support through- out the week was spotty, without a clear location for supplies or visible communication channels between medics and attendees. I also found myself missing the raucous, music- filled fires of past gatherings. This year, the nights were mostly empty of activities that bring people to- gether. While recognizing there's always room for growth, this gath- ering was full of learning, network- ing, strategizing and unification. The space was beautiful, the en- ergy was fun and productive, and the action accomplished its goal. The Everglades EF! crew definitely raised the bar for future gatherings. 1 went home motivated, hopeful and ready for action. Hannah lives in the mountains of North Carolina, and enjoys danc- ing in the street and belly-crawling through swamps. Page 12 Earth First! Beltane 2008 Organizer’ Action More than 1 SO trucks were stopped in front of FPL. continued from page 1 We were there to stop the West County Energy Center, a massive natural gas plant that Florida Power and Light (FPL) is building at the headwaters of what's left of the Ev- erglades. Any one of the problems this plant poses should be enough to cancel it: 12 mil- lion tons of carbon dioxide, emitted an- nually; 13 pounds of mercury; 4,800 tons of other haz- ardous emissions; up to eight billion gallons of water drawn from surface and aquifer sources every year, 20 mil- lion of it deep-well- injected 3,000 feet below the Earth's surface as wastewa- ter every day. All of this is scheduled to occur less than 1,000 feet from a wildlife refuge that's home to 30 threatened and endangered species. Where's Charlie Crist, Florida's "green” governor? Where's the outrage, the dissent? Our only demands were that we get to speak with Lew Hayes, FPL's CEO, and that we be allowed to stay until sunset. But Lew wasn't inter- ested — and neither was the Sheriff's Department. Not that it mattered. Reasonable or not, none of us really expected our demands to be met. Why should they be? To them, we- were criminals — petty criminals, but criminals nonetheless. However, the crimes of FPL and its shareholders are far more se- vere than what we were doing. You see, aside from being ecologically immoral, the construction of the West County Energy Center is actu- ally illegal. The deep- well-injection system — the prototype of which collapsed — is being built without a permit. FPL also lacks permits for the 34 miles of natural gas pipeline that this plant will require to work in the first place. Maybe that's why Lew never shows up when we invite him out. Maybe he has a hard time answer- ing certain questions. Despite the fact that the con- struction of this plant totally un- dermines the federally funded, $ 10-billion Comprehensive Ev- erglades Restoration Project (see EF!f November-December 2007), the Palm Beach Sheriff's' Depart- ment had the audacity to com- plain that our actions cost the city $100,000 — a figure that it hasn't even bothered to explain. If the Sheriff's Department was so con- cerned about the cost to taxpayers, maybe it shouldn't have blocked off seven miles of traffic leading up to the site. All we blocked was a driveway. Maybe it could have used fewer officers, fewer random cop cars sitting around with their lights on, fewer riot police. Maybe it didn't need to block traffic each time it transported protesters on the bus. Maybe it could have left that poor police dog who injured his paw back at the kennel. Around 11:30 a.m., it came time to move in for the kill. The cops started out with pain compliance, threats and intimidation. Then came the buzzing of saws and the weird euphoria of going limp while random strangers yank you every which way. After that, we were car- ried like six-packs, one by one, to the bus, as our fans cheered and chanted. Overall, it took the cops until 1:40 p.m. to finish arresting those who locked down. In 24 hours, we managed to travel from the rough-edged beauty of the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area (where the OC was held) to the bustling frenzy of a successful direct action to the perfect dystopia of in- carceration. At first, we refused to give coir names. The county wasn't happy about processing 26 rambunctious Jane and John Smiths (not to men- tion the confusion of having an actual John Smith booked shortly before we got there). In jail/our treatment was at once privileged and reprehensible. Our size and our unity allowed us to us get away with things that the aver- age inmate could never dream of — a fact I made sure never to forget. For example, after six hours with- out a restroom, several of us had urinated ourselves, and the police refused to give us any clothes to change into. As a result, some of us staged a naked solidarity strike for our soiled companions, where we stripped nude, banged on the win- dow and chanted, "Some clothes or no clothes! Some clothes or no clothes!". Eventually it worked. The Johns got away with more than the Janes, of course, because of the Jane's smaller numbers and the inherent misogyny of the system. All of us were out within 36 hours, some sooner. Being a group that learns from its mistakes, we took careful (and tedious) note of things that we could have done better. Certain aspects of the jail solidar- §■ ity — withholding our names, | for example — came up rather | suddenly, and it was hard | to keep tabs on how far we 4. wanted to take things. Mak- s' ing whispered, last-minute §j decisions about fingerprints on a police bus is hardly comprehensive planning. Additionally, ■ more attention should have been paid to the truck drivers who shared the driveway to the construction site. Some of them were losing a day's pay and hadn't worked the previous week, either. At the very least, we could have talked to them more, offered them food and soda, or invited them to join us. (One of them ac- tually did join us.) Unexpected good things came out of this event as well: Based on the awesome jail support, some of us are starting a Food Not Bars, wjiich will give out free food, cigarettes, cell-phone calls and literature about the prison-industrial complex to Playing leapfrog in front of FPL people coming out of jail. Ideas for better lockbox designs have been discussed as well. More im- portantly, some of the strained re- lationships a few of us had endured in the past few months are now a bit smoother. People always ask if this sort of thing is effective. The naysayers proclaim that we're really just do- ing this for ourselves — that if we re- ally want to change the world, we should run for office. Every time somebody stands up (or locks down) in defense of something she truly believes in — something just, something worth- while-then yes, it is effective. Even if no one hears about it, even if nothing changes externally, the mere act of defiance itself is worth- while. Anything that breaks the spell of passivity, apathy and pow- erlessness that consumes us as a cul- ture is worthwhile. But even beyond that, actions like ours — and those detailed in ev- ery issue of the EF!f — give teeth to the lawsuits, the editorials and the coffee-shop banter. They remind the people in power and on the streets how important what we're fighting for truly is. If you're not willing to fight for the planet you live on, the very thing that gives you and everything around you life, then what are you willing to fight for? In many ways, February 18 was a new beginning for Everglades Earth First!. We now have new par- ticipants, new solidarity and a new sense of intimacy. Finally, we can dream again. It's easier to imag- ine a world worth saving and to go about creating that world every day with our thoughts and deeds. Because of our efforts and the ef- forts of everyone who participated on that momentous day, FPL is on the defensive once again. Wherever it goes, whatever greenwash scheme it comes up with, people will be paying attention. Plans are already underway to form a Loxahatchee Free State along part of the proposed 34-mile pipeline route. On top of that, we are gearing up for a fresh round of battle against FPL's nuclear expan- sions in Port St. Lucie and Miami. ^ This is far from over. From here | on out, it's only a matter of time •S' and tenacity. We invite you all to | join us. £ For more info, contact Everglades EF!, evergladesearthfirst@gmail.com; www.earthfirstoc2008.com. John Smith 16, casually known as Hope Freid, has been involved in radi- cal activism for three years — the three most fidfilling years of his life. May-June 2008 Earth First! Page 13 photo courtesy Everglades EF! The Bulldozers V Have Arrived l H in Indiana Update on 1-69 in Indiana Ground h&s oe«n iroJcjn for :!» ccrttin»i»G of ;-6§. the 5APTA xpsriiighwuy, it, southern indiaca. Alto? 16 Viiws of fisrea public opposition hitetsa scrpcra'.* iotfcyteg. on • Sawn H*. 2063 the scastrjetion ceajfcsy Goiaann A&C defter: using hea?? aqalpasai to teas*? twes ba the kte of U* «x stietee houses withfe the first IT? xSa* cf the pfopoiie-l route. I? coapisteci 1-68 jell stretch some 2000 rates, froit fee CauadteR border to the JlM-oas border shere &*£• :•' the route. It n tli bn obi* to alneet psepie to stew-term bcuafago? tout* *«5*s from wtUPfc to got tovtivwl ?/o *«K folks coming to fc*> able t j syj$*y •Ant, ted V'Ut WS tj&V* SOJ»«* WlB&fef at tfese etociyfied Legal support is svsfisMe, limited, SOW IS THE TIME TO COME TO SOBTHJ3HK IRDUUffA!!! ^ - Plan Puebla Panama For more information see: Questions? Resources to offer? Contact us: StopI69.wordpress.com RoadblockEF@yahoo.com j Clip now for big savings of Indiana forests! Post everywhere! Page 14 Earth First! Beltane 2008 A The 2008 ER Round River Rendezvous This Summer's Round River Rendezvous will be held from June 30 to July 7 in southeastern Ohio's Appalachian region. We in- vite you to join us in our struggle for Ohio's forests and against renewed mining activity. We hope that this year's Rendezvous will provide space for reflection on the movement, time for planning and strategizing, a chance to get to know Earth First! companions from other places, and an opportunity for others to get to know and love some of the damaged yet resilient ecology of Ohio. Meet Indiana bats, cerulean warblers, and a variety of herbaceous plants and hardwood trees. Whether you've never been to an EF! gathering or you've never missed one, join us in Ohio foi a week of activist work and play! by HockHocking EF! A Brief History Ohio is a state defined by its geography. The Wisconsin ice sheet bulldozed its way south from Canada 18,000 years ago, flattening ter- rain, churning rocks into paste and leaving a rich layer of freshly excavated mineral soil, which remains over most of the state today. To the north, the glacier left the Great Lakes, which contain 22 percent of the world's fresh water. To the south, if left the Ohio River, the single larg- est tributary of the Mississippi. Ohio sits in a temperate belt, experiences four distinct seasons and enjoys a wealth of hardwood forest biodi- versity. Before 1492, Ohio was home to some of the most complex agricultural civilizations in North America. European settlement in Ohio was largely deter- mined by its waterways. From Ohio, timber, furs, clay, iron ore, coal and people could be moved south to New Orleans or north to the Great Lakes. Early settlers clearcut forests to build farms, pas- tures and, eventually, cities. The glaciers never reached southeast Ohio, and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains formed a distinct ecosystem with a very differ- ent geology. The 300-million-year-old soils are thinly layered there atop steep slopes and leached clays, unable to retain nutrients like the soils of the plains. Many farms in this region were aban- doned as early American settlers learned the hard way that Ohio's hill country stored its biomass best in the trunks of trees. The ancient coastline that created the rot- ting sandstone cliffs of the Appalachians also left behind coal, oil and natural gas. As early as 1810, coal mines opened throughout the region, setting the stage for a multi-century drama of resource extraction. Failing farms provided the desperate work force, rivers and canals provided the transport to market and high-sulfur seams provided the wealth. With the arrival of rail- roads, Ohio's role as energy supplier to the east- ern US was secured. The Mesabi Iron Range opened for mining in Minnesota in the 1880s, sending iron ore out of Duluth, Minnesota, and across the Great Lakes. Investors quickly realized that the energy pro- vided by coal could be used to fire mills and iron refineries in Ohio, and thus, Ohio's industrial boom was born. It was during this period that Ohio's "C" cit- ies (Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati), along with smaller centers like Akron, Dayton and Youngstown, boomed, drawing immigrant popu- lations from across the globe. The boom lasted until the 1970s, when the US economy deindus- trialized and jobs went overseas. By the 1980s, the boom had busted, Ohio joined the rust belt, and the big cities, like the rural settlements before them, were struck with waves of unemployment. Ohio's only national forest, the Wayne, con- sists almost entirely of land stripped bare and then donated to the federal government, with- out mineral rights, by mining companies dur- ing the Great Depression. Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration work- ers planted millions of native trees in the Wayne in the 1930s and 1940s, reforesting the land- scape as part of a surprisingly intelligent federal plan that has allowed the land to return to its more natural eastern deciduous forest ecosys- tem. Scattered throughout the Wayne are more than 5,000 mining-related sites, including open mine shafts, piles of debris and old furnaces. Current Trends. Unfortunately, the humans of Ohio have fared little better than the trees, soils and waterways. Poverty and risky employment — mining remains the most dangerous industry in the US — have exacerbated the health risks posed by local envi- ronmental hazards. Ohio is much like all states, in that rates of asthma, obesity, diabetes and heart attacks have skyrocketed in recent years. Less often reported is that southeast Ohio has one of the highest cancer rates in the country. Ohio's air quality ranks among the worst in the US, and the Ohio River is contaminated with PCBs, mercury and dioxin. Communities along the river suffer from unexplained illnesses. Resi- dents complain of foul smells, black dust, acrid mists, sores, headaches, respiratory problems, high cancer rates and physical ailments not usu- ally seen in otherwise healthy people. Today, the steel mills are gone. Urban sprawl is gobbling up land around the city centers. Coal mines are silent, and farms in Appalachian Ohio are overgrown. The cities, which once overflowed with diverse cultures, are slowly going bank- rupt, encircled by tract suburbs and foreclosure belts. Farmers in the glacial plain struggle with drought, flooding, the consequences of over- grazing, genetically modified crops, and effluent from huge cattle, pork and chicken farms. In southeast Ohio, the scars of the last two cen- turies are inscribed deeply into the land. Toxic, yellow, green and orange acid mine-drainage leaches from sulfur-rich tailings piles around abandoned coal seams. Huge gob and slag piles dot the forests. Crumbling chemical plants and superfund sites drip complex organic contami- nants into groundwater. Despite the resilience of second- and third-growth forests, many never re- covered from being clearcut, and hardwood log- ging continues to this day. Up until the last 10 years, southeast Ohio has remained fairly isolated by poor roadways, leav- ing much of the Appalachian culture of the area intact. This isolation also made it difficult to in- dustrialize the region (except along the river) and kept it free, for the most part, of major develop- ment. However, over the past decade, new road projects and big-box stores have reached virtu- ally every town of more than 20,000 people. In the absence of better employment, municipali- ties are competing for the minimum-wage jobs that come with them. The tentacles of the energy industry are once again slithering into the hills and forests of Ap- palachia. The coal and natural gas never truly dried up, and the Ohio River still offers trans- portation and cooling for heavy industries. Most continued on next page May-June 2008 Earth First! Page IS ihotos courtesy HockHocking EF! The 2008 ER Round River Rendezvous Ohio? (CONTINUED) I p U L y 6 TH-h I:€01®(iiiyAinFo continued from previous page importantly, though, the poverty and neglect created by the first waves of Appalachian exploi- tation remain, and the captains of commerce ex- pect little resistance to their plans. As Human Habitat The steep hills and deep hollers of southeast Ohio have, until relatively recently, made the area inhospitable to newcomers. A lot of the tra- ditional Appalachian culture is still strong in these remote areas. We chose this region of the state to host the 2008 Rondy because of its biodi- versity and its rich history of rebellion. .During the mid-1700s, conflict brewed along the Ohio River. In the French and Indian War, British colonialists from Pennsylvania and Virginia — both of which claimed the territory — fought the French forces that also claimed the re- gion. Eventually, the British gained sovereignty' over the Ohio Valley. In the early 1800s, Tecum- seh, a Shawnee warrior, was a unifying force for the native resistance movement east of the Mis- sissippi. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa broke all the rules by traveling among warring tribes with a message to refrain from ceding any more lands to the US, unify against the whites, return to native ways and independence, re- fuse to drink alcohol and cease prisoner torture among the Shawnee. The conditions of early European settlement of Appalachia are debated, but a lot of families claim that their ancestors "ran to the hills" to escape indentured servitude or worse. A healthy disrespect for government and regulation has characterized the region ever since. Appalachia has seen ti- tanic union struggles against coal companies, numerous stations on the underground railroad and several economies dealing in various officially prohibited substances. Appalachian culture has tra- ditionally been less socially seg- regated than other regions of the US. The Knights of Labor, one of the earliest labor organi- zations to welcome women and blacks, built their first union hall in Shawnee, and many lo- cal towns proudly describe their heritage as WIN — standing for "white, Indian and negro." Athens and surrounding counties have experienced a second wave of cantankerously independent culture in the last half-century. Numerous social- justice-oriented projects, land trusts and intentional commu- nities dot the landscape. Lo- cal annual events include the Moonshine, Pawpawfruit ■ and Atlatl (a Paleolithic hunting tool) festivals. Several environmental ac- tions and campaigns have taken place in southeast Ohio, including the Zaleski treesit (one of the first east of the Mis- sissippi) and the Eastern Forest Defense Camp. Many organi- zations dedicated to environ- mental and social justice, food security and access, and cultur- al preservation call southeast Ohio home. This year, southeast Ohio hosted Mountain Justice Spring Break, and will host the annual Heartwood gathering and the EF! Round River Rendezvous. Cflmp out SHARE SKILLS psicniTE p itioue itie m M E T UJ 0 P K I11AKE FPIEIIDS HPUE Fun What to Expect If you grew up without a 4-H Club, you probably don't realize how devastating rural poverty actually is in the US. In southeast Ohio, common thefts include the siding off of houses, the catalytic converters out of cars and standing tim- ber off of other people's land. There is a good chance that your great idea — rainwater col- lection, for instance, or scrap- wood shacks — is already in common use as a survival tactic. While here, do n«t act the fool; do not be arrogant. Comments to the effect that it is sick to live Cut out and display! Page 16 Earth First! Beltane 2008 The 2008 ER ^ Round River Rendezvous ... AND A FEW DETAILS so far from "wilderness" will not be taken well by locals or by organizers of this event. Ohio, like any place, has a complex story, full of contradictions and rich with detail and nu- ance. It is easy to condemn coal mining and log- ging as destroyers of the Earth. It is much more difficult to engage with old coal miners and their families as they work to revive the town of New Straitsville from its economic downturn. Or with a neighbor who began to selectively cut maple trees from his forest several years ago, only to fall ill last Winter. With no insurance, he had to make the decision to clearcut his forest to pay the medical bills. This is the reality of the world we inhabit; it is not specific to Ohio. What we lack in pristine forests and rivers, we replace with our fierce connection to the land and each other. In our wounded land, clean running springs bubble out of the hillsides, and caves hide in the tangles of our forests. They, and we, are doing exactly what we have always done: thriving against all odds. The land here has many secrets and a long his- tory: human habitation, struggle, compromise, rebellion and victory have all come to Ohio by turns. Now, we are inviting you. What to Bring •An open mind •Camping gear (camping area is wooded) •Food and snacks (three meals a day will be provided, but plan on cooking a few meals for yourself) •A reusable water bottle and water •Rain gear •Warm clothes •Comfortable footwear •Sunscreen •Instruments •Friends and a positive attitude! Workshop Submissions What Not to Bring If you bring food or water bottles, please cut down on excessive packaging — pack it in, pack it out! We encourage you to leave the booze at home, but if you can't be without it, bring all you will need with you, as there will not be anywhere close by to obtain it. Alcohol will only be tolerated in designated spaces. We encourage you to leave your dogs at home. People who do bring dogs are required to keep them leashed (except in the designated doggy play area) for the safety and sanity of all individuals attending. We expect you to clean up after your dog on trails and in common areas. Dinnerware and silverware will be provided. We want to create an environment that encourages and inspires new ideas, learning, sharing, and reflection on the tactics and strategies of the environmental movement. We need you to do this! If you've been working on a project or skill that you think others could benefit from learning, we invite you to share it! To submit your workshop ideas, contact rondy2008@gmail.com. The deadline for workshop submissions is May 31. hockhocking efl revival (REPORTBACK) On March 21-23, HockHocking EF! (HHEF!) hosted the "Earth First! Revival" in Athens, Ohio. Three EF! chapters, as well as organizers from Columbus, Ohio, met to plan the 2008 Round River Rendezvous and discuss the revival and direction of our regional movement. Blue Ridge EF! and Maketewah Terra Prima EF! joined us in a dilapidated but warm cabin that- was originally built as a Girl Scout camp. Friday night was a relaxing eve- ning of music and conversation around a campfire. We watched the sun set and the full moon rise, breathing in the brisk air of another Spring equinox. Saturday morning, we shared an early breakfast and got down to business. Each group reported on its current projects. We also discussed our intentions to nurture a unified movement by creating -open, respectful dialogue with other environmental orga- nizations in our communities — a dialogue that does not split hairs by focusing on disagreements, but rather one that highlights areas in which we agree and how we can work together. After lunch, EF! traveled to Meigs County, where we were invited to join in a similar discussion at Moun- tain Justice Spring Break. EF!«rs and Mountain Justice huddled in a circle around a pot-bellied wood stove with their minds and ears open. After introductions, HHEF! gave a brief overview of the EF! movement and invited Mountain Justice attendees to this year's Round River Rendezvous. Moun- tain Justice followed with an ac- eount of its birth in 2005 and its history to the present. We found a lot of common ground and pledged to build on one another's momen- tum, working strategically toward the same goals as part of a regional anti-coal campaign. Later, a representative from Blue Ridge EF! reported back from the Organizers' Conference (OC), en- couraging HHEF! Rondy organizers to build off of the thoughtful in- tentions of the OC organizers by giving special attention to oppres- sion and privilege within the EF! movement. We pledged to work on these issues explicitly at the Rondy by having elders in the move- ment illuminate our shameful past, blocking off most of two days for anti-oppression workshops, calling on skilled anti-oppression trainers and infusing these themes into the entire week. After this discussion, the group enjoyed a delicious dinner and traveled to Athens to attend a rau- cous performance by Here's to the Long Haul at the Smiling Skull Saloon. EF!ers and Mountain Jus- tice folks mingled with the Skull's hippie biker regulars. The origi- nal Appalachian-grown, old-time- inspired protest music of Here’s to the Long Haul struck chords with everyone present and sent us all home smiling and thoughtful. May-June 2008 Earth First! Page 1 7 The 2008 ER Round River Rendezvous no new coal in ohio! HockHocking Earth First! decided to kick off our newly revived group with a No New Coal in Ohio! cam- paign. Ohio is now in the cross- hairs of a major energy project that would bring three new coal plants to Meigs County, Ohio, and two new plants to neighboring Mason County, West Virginia, in the next several years. It may also mean a resumption of underground coal mining as early as this year. The completion of these plants would create the highest concentration of coal-fired plants in the country. Gatling, a company based in Beckley, West Virginia, has been busy buying and leasing mining rights and conducting pre-blast surveys on privately owned lands in Meigs County. It is preparing a 90-acre coal preparation site on the floodplain along Yellowbush Creek, near Racine, Ohio. Citizens have requested a pub- lic meeting with the Ohio Depart- ment of Natural Resources (ODNR) to ask questions regarding changes Gatling made to the original min- ing permit application since the 30- day public comment period ended almost a year ago. ODNR has yet to confirm a meeting to answer community questions. The local newspaper, however, reported that blasting could begin any time now. This is in spite of the fact that, as of March 23, ODNR has issued neither a mining permit nor a National Pol- lution Discharge Elimination Sys- tem permit to Gatling. Additionally, ODNR and the Army Corps of Engineers have repeatedly denied citizens' requests for a 401 permit, which would evaluate the impacts of the proposed mining site on groundwater. Amazingly, each of these agencies determined that there would be no significant impacts on the water, despite the presence of three streams running through the proposed site. In addition, the site would sit on two overlapping flood plains that empty almost immedi- ately into the Ohio River. In Gatling's communication to local residents, the company states that blasting activity aimed at removing overburden (the hard, rocky earth under the soil that hides the precious elements deeper underground), building up the mine site in the floodplains and building sludge impound- ments could begin in April and last through September. Completion of the prep site would pave the way for Gatling to process the coal it would gather from its 2,000 acres of new under- ground mines. (This initial mining area would be expanded in five-year increments to encompass a much larger area.) The prep site and the underground mines would cement Racine as the heart and soul of min- ing activity in the area. Gatling plans to mine the area for the next 40 years, and Tim My- ers, Gatling's former chief engineer, told community members that the company intends to begin doing sludge injection into abandoned underground mines when it reap- plies for its permits in five years. If plans continue unabated, citi- zens of Racine and surrounding ar- eas would hear blasting nearly every day for the rest of the year, would face potential damage to drinking water supplies, and would be at risk for increased flooding, subsidence and dust from the processing plants. In addition, roads could be impact- ed, and the county will be strapped to deal with potential damage. The context for this increased mining activity is the recent approv- al granted by the Ohio Power Siting Board for two of five proposed coal plants for the Meigs County area. The American Municipal Power plant (one of the two) is slated to begin construction in 2009. If completed, it would bum 12,000 tons of coal per day. American Electric Power also received approval to build an Inte- grated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant in Meigs. Many envi- ronmental organizations approve of this plant, staunchly defending IGCC's "clean-coal" tech- nology as the best available. Almost certainly, none of the organizations' leaders are residents of Meigs or surrounding counties. Even though siting per- mits have been issued, many other permits are still needed before these plants can begin operat- ing; they are not a done deal. Meigs Citizen's Ac- tion Now (Meigs-CAN) is the only community-based group currently working to stop all new mining activ- ity in the area. Since its inception, Meigs-CAN has educated residents about their rights in relation to mining-related activities. It conducted listening proj- ects to identify commu- nity concerns and created opportunities to address those concerns. It is cur- rently receiving no major funding and is composed almost exclusively of citi- zens of Racine and the sur- rounding countryside. With Mountain Justice Spring Break kick-starting things in Meigs County, the Heartwood Annual Gathering in Ohio's Shaw- nee State Forest and the EF! Round River Rendez- vous in southeast Ohio, there is the potential to give significant support to local organizing efforts. As many have said, it is nearly impossible to shut down a plant once it's in operation, but it's very possible to stop a plant from being built before it's even broken ground. For more information, contact Elisa Young of Meigs-CAN, (740) 949- 2175; elisayoungl@hotmail.com. NATIONAL CORPORATIONS THAT CALL OHIO HOME •Mead Timber Co.: With its headquar- ters in Dayton, Ohio, Mead has vast land- holdings throughout southeast Ohio and a large pulp-processing plant in Chillicothe. •Eramet: A French company, Eramet produces manganese, which is used to strengthen steel. Eramet has a plant locat- ed along the Ohio River in Marietta, home of the worst air quality in the country. •Goodyear: Headquartered in* Akron, Goodyear is the former owner and opera- tor of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant nuclear facility. •Ohio State University: The largest university in the US, Ohio State is located in Columbus. Its president, Gordon Gee, is on the board of directors for Massey Energy Corporation, a major perpetrator of mountaintop removal coal mining in central Appalachia. •American Electric Power: Headquar- tered in Columbus, this is the US's larg- est electricity supplier, owning 80 power plants with a 36,000-megawatt capac- ity. Seventy-three percent of this energy comes from coal. •AK Steel Holding Corporation: Head- quartered in West Chester, AK Steel's main products are carbon, stainless and electri- cal steels, and cold-rolled and aluminium- coated stainless steel for automakers. •Diebold, Inc.: Headquartered in Can- ton, Diebold makes the electronic voting machines that have replaced paper ballots around the country. In 2003, Diebold's CEO said that he was "committed to help- ing Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president [Bush] next year." Page 18 Earth First! Beltane 2008 Proposed Titanium Mine Suffers a Setback More than 300 Vietnamese ransacked a pro- posed titanium mine site in late December, de- stroying machinery and pipelines. They were moved to act out of concern that the mine would contaminate soil and groundwater around their seaside Developers intend 4 to turn the site into a f N tourist resort after the vf; mine is depleted, but /AynjHv , the residents are firm in their preference for ' .. maintaining the site A. as it stands, using it /-'■ as a buffer from wind me area was thoroughly vandalized. Among Six Cops Are Going to le messages left, FLAM warned the KFC work- Have to Start Walking s to "go vegan straightedge!" Two more res- Six cop cars were torched in Montreal, Canada, urants were attacked the following day, and on March 14. Hours afterward, the Your Father lother KFC was hit on March 11. Collective claimed responsibility with a message Let's wait and see what FLAM has got in store for posted on Indymedia Quebec. the next two months.... According to the message, the action was against "increasing oppression in the neighbor- ^ Dead Prez Riot hood and everywhere else exploitation exists." A riot erupted on It also urged people to set fire to not only more February 15, spilling cop cars, but also the "homes and hotels of capi- over from a Dead Prez talists." In addition, the group said it was acting 9 Bp* i' TV\ hip-hop show at Ev- in solidarity with indigenous people fighting for Kg | V ergreen State College freedom and autonomy. PFT