May 19, 2003
The one abiding goal of both the Greens and animal rights lunatics is to attack America’s economic base in every way possible. This is why, for the past few decades, they have sought to undermine every kind of industry in the nation, from timber to energy, from agriculture to fast foods, from mining to ranching.
Whole books have been written on this subject, but it is instructive to take a quick look at just some of the recent headlines that reflect the myriad of ways Greens and Animal Rights people engage in an endless war on America.
In early April, the U.S. Navy announced drastic cutbacks at its large base in Puerto Rico. Some 2,300 employees at the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, including both military and civilians, will be transferred elsewhere or lose their jobs. Why? Well, maybe you recall the outcry against the Navy’s use of the Vieques bombing range to train its aviators. The protesters, among them a large contingent who said the bombing was harming the wildlife and environment on the small island, won out.
The loss of more than 2,000 jobs in Puerto Rico is a Green’s dream come true. Depriving the Navy of a training area it had used for some 60 years was also another Green victory. They have used environmental laws to thwart military training on bases throughout the nation. Now some 22,600 acres will be returned to the turtles, birds, and whatever wildlife may want to live there. How the base’s former employees will live is of little concern to the Greens.
Not surprisingly, the Defense Department is asking Congress to exempt it from environmental laws that are burdensome and restrict military training. Hearings were held in March on The Readiness and Range Preservation Initiative. Brock Evans, a spokesman for the Endangered Species Coalition, called the exemptions a "shocking occurrence" at a press conference of several environmental organizations. Given the extraordinary performance of our military in Iraq, shouldn’t we give these people what they want and need?
Also in April, an environmental group, American Rivers, engineered the buyout of the Naches Hydropower Plant near Yakima, Washington. Owned by Pacificorp, it is a large power producer in the western United States, and the plant had been in operation since 1904. All of a sudden, though, the Naches River became "navigable," a legal definition that had never previously applied to it. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is required to insure that such plants do no harm to 90% of the fish in such rivers. The cost to Pacificorp to meet this requirement turned the plant into a liability.
This is what all "environmental" laws are intended to achieve. Washington State will spend $1.2 million, and the Bureau of Reclamation will spend $7.3 million, to buy and close down the plant. The fish will be happy, but those who received their electricity from this plant are likely to see their energy bills rise. A nation that lacks sufficient energy generation will find itself in decline sooner or later. The Greens oppose any energy generation other than windmills and solar panels.
Amidst all the war news coming out of Iraq, it was easy to miss the bombings occurring here at home. Oh? You didn’t know about them? How about the attempted bombing of not one, but two McDonald’s in Chico, California, in March? The perpetrators had scrawled "Meat is Murder," "Species Equality," and "Animal Liberation Front" in red spray paint on the exterior of the Happy Meal’s home.
And it’s not just McDonald’s and other fast-food establishments that the Animal Rights lunatics have declared war upon. In March, Michelle Malkin, a syndicated columnist, took note of the way these domestic terrorists have declared war on the United States. Oh? You didn’t know about that either? In a manifesto published on several left-wing Internet sites, "eco-thug" Craig Rosebraugh called on the anti-war crowd to take "direct actions" against American military facilities, government buildings, corporations, and media outlets. Sounding like al Qaeda, the manifesto called for attacks on the financial centers of the nation, urged large-scale urban rioting, and efforts to close down national networks. Okay, right about now you’re thinking, but this guy is one lone nutcase. Wrong! There is a widespread Animal Rights and Earth Liberation network of people ready to do whatever they can to wreak havoc here at home.
Also in March, the David Barbarash-led North American Animal Liberation Front, released its annual report for 2002 and bragged over "100 illegal direct actions" committed against American businesses, government agencies, and universities. Didn’t know about that either? Well, now you do.
The problem, of course, is that these attacks which occur here and there, are never reported in a cohesive fashion, and the result is that we don’t see how they add up over the years in terms of the harm done. Nor are they perceived to be another form of war on America. But they are.
It is time to use The Patriot Act against the Green and Animal Rights terrorists in our midst. Indeed, it is long overdue.
Alan Caruba is the author of a new book, Warning Signs, published by Merril Press. His weekly column is posted on the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center (anxietycenter.com).