Domestic Eco-Terrorism, PETA, ALF ELF Essay - 948 Words

Domestic Eco-Terrorism, PETA, ALF ELF With President Bush’s â€Å"War on Global Terrorism† making front page news reports and filling the news waves on the evening news, the American Public might not realize that there is in fact a war of sorts going on behind the scenes in their own country. This is the war on home-grown terrorist organizations. Moreover, it is the war to fight against the ALF (Animal Liberation Front) and its environmental little brother spin-off the ELF or Environmental Liberation Front. The Domestic Terrorism Section Chief of the FBI James Jarboe states that, â€Å"the ELF and ALF have become ‘one of the most active extremist elements in the United States’† (Pierce). In another article, John Lewis from the FBI†¦show more content†¦These attacks concentrate mainly on animal research centers, fur farms, hunting clubs etc., anywhere where an animal might be harmed. While the ALF concentrates primarily on the Liberation of animals, the ELF or Earth Liberation Fronts primary mission is the protection of the environment from primarily large corporations that would harm the environment for financial gains for just harm the environment out of ignorance. According to ADL.org, in 1980 a group called â€Å"Earth First!† was formed. The idea of the group was to protect the environment. But, some of its members didn’t like the pacifist way of doing business, so they formed the Earth Liberation Front in England in 1992. (ADL.org) This group prefers to use â€Å"non-violent methods† of burning down buildings and destroying property. They say it’s non-violent because it doesn’t target human or animal related targets. The ELF has set some new record for property damage in the United States; in 1997 they claimed responsibility for a fire that destroyed a $12 million dollar ski lodge in Vail, Colorado. The group said that the lodge threatened key Lynx habitat in the state. They were also involved in $50 Million dollar arson in California where a Hummer dealership was destroyed because they vehicles â€Å"murder† the natural environment. The other organization that is suspected of providing