Yes, you could be a “Terrorist”
This is a disturbing story. Posted by Glen Greenwald at The Intercept: https://firstlook.org/...
The FBI on Friday announced the arrests in Oakland of two animal rights activists, Joseph Buddenberg and Nicole Kissane, and accused the pair of engaging in “domestic terrorism.” ... The activists’ alleged crimes: “They released thousands of minks from farms around the country and vandalized various properties.” That’s it. Now they’re being prosecuted and explicitly vilified as “terrorists,” facing 10-year prison terms.
Apparently this has happened before:
The DOJ did exactly the same thing in July of last year: Shortly before the start of the 2014 conference, they arrested two activists on federal “terrorism” charges for freeing minks and foxes from a fur farm. The multiple activists and lawyers who spoke to The Intercept since Friday’s arrests are adamant that these well-timed indictments are designed to intimidate activists at the conference and more broadly to chill campaigns to defend animal rights.
These incidents exemplify the Department of Justice's oppressive use of criminal law to stifle nonviolent political protest. The animal rights activists are probably going to be charged under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) of 2006. As per wikipedia: “The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) is a United States federal law (Pub.L. 109–374; 18 U.S.C. § 43) that prohibits any person from engaging in certain conduct "for the purpose of damaging or interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise."[1] The statute covers any act that either "damages or causes the loss of any real or personal property" or "places a person in reasonable fear" of injury.” So, apparently any act that damages property in an “animal enterprise” can be considered an act of Terrorism. This certainly dilutes the meaning of the word “Terrorism”, and puts many animal-rights activists at risk of severe prosecution. It is only a small step to imagine similar treatment of human-rights activists.
According to wikipedia:
The law (The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA)) was originally introduced in the 109th Congress by Thomas Petri (R-WI) and Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and James Inhofe (R-OK). The final version of the bill, S. 3880.,[2] was passed in the United States Senate on September 29, 2006, by unanimous consent, a Senate procedure that is used to expedite the passage of non-controversial bills without an actual vote. On November 13, 2006, the House passed the bill under suspension of the rules, a procedure generally used to quickly pass non-controversial bills without voting.
Dianne Feinstein, of course has a long history of supporting laws that undermine our individual liberties. Her history on the FISA is well known. For instance, in 2012 she issued the following statement:
“We are pleased the Senate passed the FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 today. This necessary legislation will continue to keep America safe by enabling our intelligence community to identify and neutralize terror networks before they harm us either at home or abroad. In addition, this legislation includes strong privacy protections. The Senate Intelligence Committee will continue to conduct intensive oversight of this program in the 113th Congress.”
http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/...
This statement is particularly noteworthy in that it positively refers to the law as “enabling our intelligence community to identify and neutralize terror networks before they harm us...” If this is not an invitation to individual and civil rights abuses, then I don't know what is.
Additionally, according to Glen Greenwald: numerous states (have) enacted so-called “ag-gag” laws that — amazingly — “prohibit workers from taking undercover videos at the facilities and impose fines or jail time for those who do.”
We are indeed on a slippery slope toward outright oppression of those opposed to the practices of any particular industry. The day is almost upon us when we will hear: "Put down that camera - environmentalist-terrorist."