Let's stop homeland terror

Regardless of Washington's best efforts to desist terrorist efforts overseas, nationally, the U.S. has yet to take a united stand against the dangerous cadre of environmental extremists who continue to commit horrendous acts of terrorism against their fellow citizens. \nFor those who balk at the harsh label of "terrorist," think about what terrorism really is. According to U.S. Code, terrorism is defined as "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets." The violent actions recently committed by environmental groups certainly qualify as terrorism. \nAt the forefront of environmental terrorist groups are ELF (Earth Liberation Front) and ALF (Animal Liberation Front). We do not have to search far to smell the stench of their presence. Locally, there have been numerous costly attacks on developers and construction companies. \nMost recently, a Bloomington developer lost his personal home near Lake Monroe to an arsenal fire. Although this particular action was unclaimed by either ELF or ALF, the similarities of the arsenal style nationwide indicate the perpetrators were members of one of the groups. Earlier this summer, members of ELF bombed trucks outside of Sims Poultry plant, which packages already-processed chicken.\nELF has also admitted responsibility for a fire on Jan. 23, 2000, that destroyed a house at the Sterling Woods Development. Additionally, an environmentalist jammed tree spikes into trees in Yellowwood State Forest, intending to injure loggers. Oh, and also add to the list the time when activists added sugar to the gas tanks of expensive construction equipment on Highway 46. These environmentalist groups are violent, although they maintain they are not. \nIn a 1997 interview, Lee Dessaux, a terrorist who targets hunters, said, "I say, if we were (violent), don't you think we'd have killed people by now?" An action is violent if it is caused by force and results in destruction. When these terrorists harbor such hateful motives against people who don't affiliate with environmental activism, what assurance is there that they will not murder or injure anyone in carrying out their destructive terrorism?\nThese radicals have decided to reroute the traditional line of action. Instead of trekking through the political arena to sway public opinion, these activists are commanding change via violent coercion. I have heard some refer to environmental activists as watermelons: green on the outside and red (communist) on the inside.\nWhile these activists may sincerely believe their goal is noble, their method of tyrannical cowardice undermines their credibility as an organized public interest group. In the end, all of us who have suffered from ceiling-high insurance premiums as a result of damaged homes will resent ELF and ALF's unethical conduct and consequently reject their cause. Eventually, Americans will most likely scorn such groups and collectively become apathetic toward environmental problems. Although environmental terrorists succeed in intimidating construction companies and industries, the powerful assembly of American capitalists will ultimately prevail. \nIf an environmentalist's ideology convinces someone to align with militant terrorists, he or she needs to rethink his or her ideology. If the cause is just, he will not need to resort to wrongdoing to circumvent the problem. Perhaps frustration with immovable public sympathy toward the environment suggests a legitimate lapse in the importance of such a cause. Surprisingly enough, Americans are rightly more concerned with human lives, not trees and animals. Yes, we should take care of our environment -- but people come first.\nThe bottom line: The U.S. cannot effectively fight a war on terror overseas without also aggressively confronting environmentalist terror in our homeland.