-Caveat Lector- ----Original Message Follows---- From: *STRIDER* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: The Transformation of a Butterfly Part II Date: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 22:55:00 -0500 (CDT) continued from Part I - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 11:45:42 EDT Subject: The Transformation of a Butterfly Part II >From The Konformist ( http://www.konformist.com ) The demonization of Earth First! is the direct result of an organized campaign promoted by the FBI and the timber companies. Admittedly, Earth First! made it quite easy to be discredited originally: most members spoke in favor of the practice of tree spiking, and in 1987, when George Alexander was nearly decapitated at a Louisiana Pacific lumber mill in Cloverdale mill, the group showed little sympathy for his plight. Soon after, they were blamed in the press for the accident, though no evidence has ever been presented for the allegation and nobody was ever charged. Still, the smear was an easy stick, based on the leaderships' refusal to disavow acts of sabotage that were potentially lethal. The aftershock of such reckless philosophical nihilism lasts to this day: although there have been no injuries of lumberjacks caused by Earth First! members, the label of the group as "tree spikers" still exists. In 1988, the FBI launched a major sting operation against Earth First! in Arizona, Operation THERMCON. Over $3 million dollars were spent trying to entrap and frame members of Earth First! in acts of destruction. Over 50 FBI agents were involved in the operation, including agent Michael Fain and informant Ron Frazier. Both Fain and Frazier were the leaders of five people caught trying to disrupt power lines in the Arizona desert. Despite the fact that the failed act of sabotage was conceived and commanded by FBI provocateurs, the further damage to Earth First! and its reputation had been done. It could have been worse: among the plans Fain couldn't convince others to participate in was attacking nuclear power plants. In 1990, the campaign heated up in reaction to Proposition 130, the California initiative, dubbed Forests Forever, which would have ended unsustainable logging and clearcutting. If it had passed, the losses to Pacific Lumber, Louisiana Pacific and Georgia Pacific would have been in the hundreds of million dollars. Even worse, a new leader in the Earth First! movement was emerging: Judi Bari, who insisted that Earth First! as a group condemn all potentially hazardous acts of disobedience. Bari, a former union organizer, also began reaching out to local loggers. The twin values promoted by Bari were a threatening combination to the status quo: it's hard to demonize those that preach non-violence, and her developing alliance with workers could drive a stake in one of the most effective tools for business monoliths: pitting workers against environmentalists, making the issues of jobs and ecological balance appear to be in conflict. (In truth, considering the shoddy treatment loggers receive from the lumber giants - Louisiana Pacific has laid off over a thousand workers since 1988 and engaged regularly in union-busting activities, and Pacific Lumber under Hurwitz has looted $55 million from the worker pension fund - they actually share a common opponent in exploitation with forest activists.) The big three lumber companies soon hired Hill & Knowlton, the PR firm that would later sell America on mass murder in Iraq. Soon, Prop 130 was labeled "The Earth First! Initiative." Phony Earth First! flyers and press releases calling for violence and sabotage were released. Something known as the "Earth First! Terrorism Manual" began circulating as well. According to San Francisco Examiner columnist Rob Morse, a press kit he received from H&K and Pacific Lumber "included a press release on the Earth First! letterhead, but not written in the usual careful, sweet style of Earth First! It read like a bad Hollywood version of what radicals talk like... At the bottom of this ridiculous flyer was the name of Earth First! leader Darryl Cherney, with his first name misspelled..." Then, on May 24, 1990, Judi and Darryl were both nearly killed, when a motion-triggered pipe bomb hidden under the driver's seat of Judi's car exploded in Oakland, California. Oakland Police immediately arrested them, blaming the bombing on the victims, who they claimed were injured by their own bomb going off by accident. Over the next month and a half, the Oakland PD and the FBI trotted out claim after claim of sensationalistic lies, all to convince the public of their guilt. Bari informed the police she had received numerous death threats in the months preceding the bombing, but the cops weren't interested. "If you turn up dead, then we'll investigate," they said. If they had ever bothered to investigate, their findings would have been quite interesting. Just a month before the bombing, the FBI conducted a bomb investigation training in Humboldt County. FBI bomb expert Frank Doyle (agent for the well-named FBI Terrorist Squad) used pipe bombs to blow up cars, the same FBI bomb expert who later showed up at the crime scene and immediately shifted the blame to Judi and Darryl. The exercise took place on a Louisiana Pacific logging site. The chief of Louisiana Pacific's security force was an ex-FBI bomb expert himself. Meanwhile, according to another FBI bomb expert, David R. Williams, the Judi Bari device "was made with excellent craftsmanship and it was well conceived. It did not come out of Anarchist Cookbook; it did not come out of Poor Man's James Bond. It was a complex bomb, very well made." In other words, the work of experts. A very similar device was used in the bomb investigation training. Recently, Flatland Magazine, a magazine popular in the conspiracy theory subculture, published a story arguing that the bomber wasn't FBI related, but a disgruntled member of Earth First! sour over personal relationships. The story, interestingly enough, has been picked up and promoted by news outlets that previously ignored Flatland's "fringe" viewpoint, but who long have had a bone to pick with the political cause of Earth First!. The debate rages on, but one thing is certainly clear: if the FBI didn't try to kill her, they weren't interested in finding out who did. That being the case, perhaps Judi wasn't too far off when she declared, "The FBI should find the bomber and fire him." Tainted by connection to a supposed "terrorist" group (and facing a nearly $6 million ad campaign financed by the timber industry), Prop 130 died. Yet the campaign against Earth First! continued: it reached its most absurdly surreal moment in 1991, when the San Francisco Examiner printed an article where an "ex"-CIA agent accused Earth First! of funding scientific projects to develop a virus as part of some diabolical plot to wipe out the human race (an ironically amusing charge, considering the source.) That such unsubstantiated charges could be repeated in the mainstream press explains how the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department could react after the death of David "Gypsy" Chain last September 17th. Rather than investigate the loggers who fell the tree that killed him for manslaughter (after they shouted obscenities, promised to get a "pistol," and even threatened, "I'll make sure I got a tree comin' this way!") the only individuals they even hinted at investigating were Chain's fellow Earth First! activists for supposed recklessness. ***** For anyone who is remotely aware of modern political history, the involvement of the FBI in harassing those in Earth First! is business as usual. The operation even had a code name: COINTELPRO (short for "Counterintelligence Program".) COINTELPRO was the FBI's Top Secret program to undermine the activities of those labeled as "subversive" organizations. FBI kingpin J. Edgar Hoover ordered agents to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" the activities those he deemed as a menace to society. Officially, the program was disbanded in 1975, the reality is it never disappeared. According to M. Wesley Swearingen, a retired FBI agent with inside knowledge of COINTELPRO, "The program is still in operation today, but under a different code name. The operation is no longer placed on paper where it can be discovered through the release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act." Two of the more infamous victims of COINTELPRO are Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, the Los Angeles Black Panther leader, and American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier. Both were framed for murders that they didn't commit: in both cases, Richard W. Held, a veteran FBI agent, was directly involved, committing perjury and destroying evidence along the way. Held, coincidentally, was the special agent in charge of the San Francisco FBI office at the time of the Bari bombing. In recent years, those in the Patriot-Militia movement have become frequent targets of harassment by the feds, and much of the violent, dangerous behavior supposedly attributed to them by the establishment follows the predictable pattern of frameups and provocateurs. Some would argue this shows the FBI is waging not a battle of ideological purity, but rather a war against those who don't get with the program. All groups (left, right or center) that stand in the way of this goal become an enemy of the state that must be attacked. I bring this up to Julia, and ask her what she feels about the Patriot movement. After all, for all the supposed differences between Earth First! and the Militia crowd, they're basically groups of people who are taking a stand against the path our society is heading. In fact, I suspect that if the members of the two groups met with open minds, they'd discover they have a lot more in common than they ever imagined. Julia thinks for a moment, and speaks carefully, perhaps rightfully concerned that her opinions and words will be misunderstood and open her up to criticism. "I can't talk about the particulars, but I can say this: anyone who takes a stand against societal norms will be subject to attack, and I do empathize with all who do this. We live in a sick consumer society: consume, consume, consume. Anyone who opposes it can expect to be persecuted." "I try to always go through life with peaceful actions. A few years ago, I felt I had to use a weapon, as someone was trying to kill me. But when I began learning how to use the weapon, I became sick in the stomach, it made me ill. I decided to give it up, that it was a temporary solution, that I was going to live my life with peaceful actions as my way." "But do I sympathize with their opposition to where our society is heading? Definitely." ***** "This isn't just about Pacific Lumber, or Maxxam, or Charles Hurwitz. There is an international corporate structure behind this. There is a healthy balance, a path of equality that protects and preserves life. And this is being destroyed by the rich and powerful." She pauses for a moment, hearing the raising passion coming from her voice. "When I say this, I come not from a place of anger, but a place of love and sacredness. We really don't have to destroy the earth and life. I really believe if we all just open our eyes, our spirit, and our hearts, this will become evident." "I know there are a lot of people with an insider point of view, but if they can just be tweaked, made aware that these issues are connected, that what they are supposedly doing for their own benefit is in fact destroying them and the world, I believe that they can change their attitudes and actions. I believe in the humanity of all, that we all can find redemption." Judi Bari passed away on March 2, 1997, a victim of breast cancer. At the time of her death, she was an icon for the Earth First! movement, a person who brought peace and wisdom to a structure that was clearly lacking it. Hers was a story of gradual change, from the woman who sang cheery songs about spiking trees to an advocate of non-violence and unity between workers and ecologists. Perhaps it says something that Bari (like Malcolm X) was targeted after she began denouncing divisive policies and encouraged the gathering of tribes. As important as Bari was (and is) to the environmental movement, Julia is perhaps already more so. The lessons it took Judi Bari a lifetime to embrace, Julia seems to understand almost instinctively. The simple truth is nobody benefits more from violence and destructive rebellion than those with power, and nobody is more frightened by peace than those who control the armies. By her own admission, Judi Bari's advocacy of non-violence was more a tactical move, while with Julia it is a spiritual choice. The demons which Bari had to grapple with to the end, Julia has already conquered. Though she is not planning on leaving Luna soon, Julia does have dreams and visions for her future. Currently, she is working on becoming a great poet. "I want to make people aware of the beauty in the world around them, and at the same time, I want to expose the lies. So much money is spent on writing for toothpaste commercials, it's misplaced priorities. Even worse, weapons of mass destruction are sold to us like a toothpaste commercial. It's really vile." "Our media feeds off that: we have a culture that worships celebrities. I admire people who are famous for being themselves, helping the homeless, stopping oppression. People like Rosa Parks, Leonard Peltier." "I do think we can change. It happened with slavery. The idea that people could be private property was once accepted. We all have the potential to make a difference: you can be a hero or a destroyer, celebrate lightness or in darkness. We all have choices in life, and we can all choose to cherish life." Maybe her cheery, hopeful ideals are naive. Considering what she has already accomplished, it may be unwise to second guess her. Her battle to save Luna is not her end, but merely a beginning in her transformation into a leader of peace. At worst, her ideology sounds a bit like REM's "Stand," a silly, simple pop song on the surface that actually is a call to open your eyes and be aware of where you are in the world. This may be to Julia's benefit, as it lets her sneak up on people who don't take her too seriously. When she first entered Luna, nobody (including herself) expected it to be as important of an event as it has turned out. Somehow, I get the feeling that she's going to keep sneaking up on us. Note: In August 1999, Home Depot, the largest single retailer of lumber in the world, announced that by 2002, it will stop selling goods made from wood cut in ancient forests in a sweeping policy change aimed at protecting redwoods, the rain forest and other ecologically sensitive tracts. They urged other retailers to join the effort to save endangered forests and pledged to hold the line on prices as vendors and customers switch to products made from alternative materials. And with that, another domino comes crashing down. Luna Tree: The official site of Julia Butterfly http://www.lunatree.org Albion Monitor: Judi Bari Resource Center http://www.monitor.net/monitor/bari.htm Earth First! Media Center Andy Caffrey, facilitator 707/923-2114 ** see update below ** geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/9901/ Contributions to further the Earth First! Media Center's promotional work in support of the above and dozens of other EF! campaigns, may be sent, payable to Earth First!, to: Earth First! Media Center P.O. Box 324 Redway, CA 95560 ***************************************** update inserted by *STRIDER* - andy's old ef! site [Earth First! Media Center] is no more - here is the current info: PLEASE NOTE theses changes: NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS: [EMAIL PROTECTED] NEW, EXPANDED WEB SITE! Hayduke Rocks! an Earth First! Media and Action Network http://www.efmedia.org ***************************************** JAIL HURWITZ! Save Headwaters Forest! http://www.jailhurwitz.com The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) P.O. Box 397 Garberville, CA 95542 (707) 923-2931 Fax 923-4210 http://www.igc.org/epic/ Contact us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] to join our listserver Bay Area Action http://www.baaction.org http://www.HeadwatersForest.org Headwaters Forest Weekly Update & Action Alert List High quality list with action alerts, news, and info. Moderated. To subscribe send email to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> No subject line needed. In the message body write: subscribe headwaters Julia Butterfly To write to Butterfly, send letters to: Julia Butterfly PO Box 1265 Eureka, CA 95502 Donations are welcome and can be made payable to Luna. Please email us for inquiries regarding donations of goods or services. Email: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe to the Luna list send email to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> No subject line needed. In the message body write: subscribe luna To order the Luna/Julia Butterfly video. VIRGIN SACRIFICE - Headwaters Agreement gives away the forest to save the trees Sonoma County Independant http://www.metroactive.com/sonoma/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >From The Konformist ( http://www.konformist.com ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Search /RENEGADE/ for articles on Julia Butterfly & Luna - http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi?JULIA Search /RENEGADE/ for articles on Headwaters - http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi?HEADWATERS Search /RENEGADE/ for articles on Forest Action - http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi?FOREST /RENEGADE/ Search - GO TO: http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi? and just type in your topic. For differing results you may uncheck "article" and search on just "subject," etc. /RENEGADE/ also has "time-frame" in the search, so you can tailor your results that way, too. ----- Peace! *STRIDER* Sector Air Raid Warden at /RENEGADE/ /RENEGADE/ news_service: http://fornits.com/renegade/ DEDICATED TO SPIRIT, TRUTH, PEACE, JUSTICE, AND FREEDOM Bay_Area_Activist list: http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi?fetchT usenet: news:alt.thebird news:misc.activism.progressive chat: http://jupiter.beseen.com/chat/rooms/i/1055/ e-mail: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -- Ethiopian Proverb It only takes 20 years for a liberal to become a conservative, without changing a single idea. - R.A. Wilson ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. 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