Fantastic book. Scary stuff but oh so important. ( )

I hope that this book will be very widely read. Like the revelations of the government's illegal spying, harassment, and bogus convictions that hearings on COINTELPRO brought to light (see [b:Agents of Repression|388974|Agents of Repression The FBI's Secret Wars Against the Black Panther Party & the American Indian Movement|Ward Churchill|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174367899s/388974.jpg|1289846]), Potter's research into efforts by industry and government to repress radical environmentalism brings together some poorly understood political issues. Most important of them all, is the fact that activists using traditionally legal tactics have now been convicted on terrorism charges.

I was only faintly aware that animal liberation-type activity has been going on since well before the 1990s--the first instance, Potter claims, occurred in 1977. Even more significant is the fact that by the late 1980s, as the environmental movement became increasingly popular, cool-headed discussions of direct action tactics were appearing in the mainstream media. Until the end of the 90s "eco-terrorism" was explicitly "not on the radar" of law enforcement (55-6). Potter argues that all this changed when politicians got involved. In 1998, the first hearing on "eco-terrorism" was held. And after 9/11/2001, environmental and animal rights direct action came under increasing persecution, soon being elevated to the "top domestic terrorism threat." However, this sudden concern was not explained by any increase in the incidence of the sorts of crimes being targeted.

Recent efforts to disrupt, discredit, and destroy the movements associated with the ELF and ALF use the new legal framework of terrorism instead of existing criminal law. Potter's shows that no valid argument has been made for this change. Counterproductively, this trend marginalizes environmental and animal rights activists in general, convincing more of the moderates among them of the need to radicalize in order to make any real progress because the system seems irredeemably opposed to their values. Just think if all the effort involved in this anti "eco-terrorism" campaign were directed instead toward supporting legal activism and creating new legislation. (Remember the adage, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em"?) The extreme wing of the movement would probably not be so desperate that they'd feel the need to resort to property destruction, intimidation, etc. Marginalization leads to radicalization. School shootings, always by unpopular or alienated kids. Germany after WWI. Duh.

While reversing this marginalization would be a far more effective strategy toward preventing the illegal acts in question, the reason that will probably not happen is that proponents of "eco-terrorism" legislation and prosecutions aren't the least bit interested in environmental protection or animal rights--because they are (or are funded or influenced by) capitalist interests who profit from unsound environmental practices or animal exploitation. The movement against "eco-terrorism" is driven by corporate profit and is, therefore, opposed to any obstacles--legal protest or illegal--to doing business. (If you're unaware of the extent of this corporate influence, Potter documents it quite well.) Narrow private interest is not--nor is anything else--a basis for criminalizing a political movement, but the disregard for free speech exhibited by those behind this "eco-terrorism" meme is quite evident.

Potter argues, beyond this political critique, that this conflict of interests is essentially cultural (242-7). Like the Red Scares and COINTELPRO last century, this "green scare" is another manifestation of manipulated fears of a segment of the population who are told the "American way of life" is threatened, as alternative lifestyles and values associated with these movements (vegetarianism, etc.) become more widely accepted. The late Michael Crichton even made (absurdly nihilistic) "eco-terrorists" the subject of a novel. Their fear is ultimately not of "eco-terrorism" but of the shifting of values it represents within modern society. I would add, these shifts are not always perceived to be in the interests of capital, in which cases the new movements become political targets. As this tragic conflict unfolds, let's remember who it's between: people who value capital first and people who value the life of the planet first. ( )

Essential information within an always gripping, sometimes humorous, and at times heart-breaking narrative.

Will Potter begins this book by sharing his own experiences with the blood-chilling fear induced by a visit by FBI agents wielding the word "terrorist" after he had been arrested for leafleting in a wealthy neighborhood. He then recounts the investigative journey into "terrorism" that fear prompted him to undertake. Along the way we meet smug judges, altruistic anarchists, power-crazed prosecutors, and the corporate cabals whose behind-the-scenes machinations result in nonsensical atrocities like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and a special prison for "low-risk terrorists."

If you care about civil liberties or prisons, you need to read this book. If you care about corporate influence in politics, you need to read this book. If you care about the Constitution, you need to read this book. And, oh yeah, if you're an environmental or animal liberation activist--or any kind of activist at all--then, for your own protection, you definitely need to read this book. ( )