The Enemy Within here in my opinion is two fold - 1: The New York Times, and 2: the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). The New York Times calls a well known terrorist organization "
anti-sprawl activists" after they (ELF) burnt down four multimillion-dollar homes and left signs “Built Green? Nope black!”
House Fires With a Message in the NorthwestBy John Holusha
Firefighters poured water onto a burning house in a suburb north of Seattle where four multimillion-dollar homes burned on Monday. Three were destroyed and a fourth was damaged. (Elaine Thompson/Associated Press)For people who are
anti-sprawl activists — or have baser motives — a new-built house sitting empty in a previously rural area evidently makes a ripe target for an attack by fire.
It happened again today north of Seattle, where three of six model homes on a so-called Street of Dreams burned to the ground and a fourth was damaged. Fire officials said the blazes were deliberately set, and that a sign was found at the scene claiming responsibility and signed E.L.F., which stands for a shadowy group or movement called the Earth Liberation Front.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/0...e-northwest/?hp------------------------------------------------
Earth Liberation Front (ELF)
Base of Operation: Canada; United Kingdom; United States
Founding Philosophy: The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is an international underground organization consisting of autonomous groups of people who carry out direct action according to the ELF guidelines. It was founded in 1992 in Brighton, England by Earth First! members who refused to abandon criminal acts as a tactic when others wished to move Earth First! into the mainstream. The group jumped to North America in the mid-90's. Historically, the group has concentrated efforts on the timber industry and animal rights issues. More recent actions indicate that some ELF factions are also targeting suburban sprawl, with New York a hotspot for this type of activity. Within the past year, a number of under-construction condominiums and luxury homes have been set on fire by ELF operatives. Subsequent press releases describe an "an unbounded war on urban sprawl", adding that "we will not tolerate the destruction of our island" and "if you build it we will burn it." There is not a centralized organization or membership to speak of in the ELF, so individuals or cells are driven only by their personal decisions to carry out actions.
Current Goals: According to the ELF website, which guides individual member's actions, "Any direct action to halt the destruction of the environment and adhering to the strict nonviolence guidelines, listed below, can be considered an ELF action. Economic sabotage and property destruction fall within these guidelines."
1) To inflict economic damage on those profiting from the destruction and exploitation of the natural environment; 2) To reveal and educate the public on the atrocities committed against the earth and all species that populate it; and 3) To take all necessary precautions against harming any animal, human and non-human.
The ELF advocates "monkeywrenching," a euphemism for acts of sabotage and property destruction against industries and other entities perceived to be damaging to the natural environment. "Monkeywrenching" includes tree spiking, arson, sabotage of logging or construction equipment, and other types of property destruction. Economic damage is often accomplished via acts of vandalism, ranging from breaking windows and gumming locks to setting fires and damaging equipment. Public education is typically achieved by means of anonymous press releases following acts of sabotage. Spray paint is also used to communicate messages and to claim responsibility at the site of sabotage.
http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=41----------------------
FBI is investigating fires in luxury homes as potential acts of domestic terrorism.
By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE
The Associated Press
Three houses were destroyed and two had smoke damage from the pre-dawn fire of seven-figure luxury homes in a Seattle suburb Monday. WOODINVILLE, Wash. | Three seven-figure homes went up in flames Monday in a Seattle suburb, apparently set by eco-terrorists who left a sign mocking claims that the houses were environmentally friendly.
The sign — a sheet marked with spray paint — bore the initials ELF, for Earth Liberation Front, a loose collection of radical environmentalists that has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks since the 1990s.
The sheriff’s office estimated that Monday’s pre-dawn fires did $7 million in damage to the “Street of Dreams,” a row of unoccupied, furnished luxury model homes where tens of thousands of visitors last summer eyed the latest in high-end housing, interior design and landscaping. Three homes were destroyed and two suffered smoke damage.
Snohomish County District 7 Fire Chief Rick Eastman said that crews had removed incendiary devices found in the homes. Later, Kelvin Crenshaw, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in Seattle, said there was no evidence such devices had been used.
The rest here:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation/story/515853.html
Columbus Townhall > Forum > Politics > National > Crime / Corruption (Moderators: Peter, CTH Public Relations)
Topic: The Enemy Within
