Eco-sabotage or Eco-terrorism?


Oregonians for Food and Shelter

A couple of weeks ago, The Oregonian printed a guest opinion written by two professors at Linfield College entitled Eco-sabotage should not be mistaken for eco-terrorism. In the piece, the authors wrote “She freed wild horses at the BLM corral in Burns while her friends set the place on fire. She helped do recon on a failed plot to burn a ski resort and more. But no one was ever hurt. She did not hijack a commercial airplane and run it into a tall building. She did not park a truckload of fertilizer outside a federal building, set the fuse and walk away. What she did was eco-sabotage, not terrorism-or “eco-terrorism,” the term adopted by the FBI and others to label all acts of sabotage committed in the name of animals or the environment.” (read here)

Dave Dillon, Executive Vice President of the Oregon Farm Bureau, took exception to their opinion piece and penned a response which the paper printed last Sunday. In part he writes, “Three times in the piece Weidman and Sumner use variations of, “no one was hurt.” They must mean, “no one was killed.” There is no question that those whose workplace or home is burned to the ground by eco-terrorists have been terrorized. Their families have been terrorized. Their colleagues have been terrorized. Others in the targeted industry or community or governmental function have been terrorized. Those who have been terrorized have indeed been hurt. They have been hurt psychologically, emotionally and often financially. Financial harm alone to Oregon farmers, ranchers and foresters in the name of eco-sabotage has been substantial over recent years.”

To read all of Dave’s opinion piece click here.

Great job Dave, keep up the good work!


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