Eco Terrorism and Violence in The United States

Domestic terrorism is a real threat to this country. This type of attack is nothing new to this country but until the threat of international terrorism became prominent, there was not a large focus on domestic terrorism. With a look at history, domestic terrorists are a greater threat to security than international terrorists. Some of these threats are easily preventable and others are more difficult to see coming. The Department of Homeland Security needs to focus on domestic terrorist threats with the same effort as they do for

“Terrorism” was the 5th top searched term on Google from 2001 to 2002. Caroline B. Cooney describes what and how a bioterrorism attack can happen in New York City in her book, Code Orange. A Student at St. Raphael's private school, Mitty Blake is falling behind in his schoolwork, so he has to do his biology paper on the smallpox virus. When Mitty Blake finds an old book on variola major or smallpox, he finds an envelope with 100 year old scabs from the 1904 Boston smallpox epidemic.Accidentally, Mitty gets the dust of them in his system. After realizing that he could have the monster of smallpox, he emails main biological research centers and they get forwarded to the FBI, CDC and maybe a terrorist organization. Susan B. Cooney touches on three main points of terrorism, the fear of terrorism after 9/11, the FBI’s ability to track individuals and bioterrorism.

There is no single, universally accepted definition to define terrorism but the U. S. Code of federal regulations defines it as any violent act or acts dangerous to human life that violates the criminal laws of the U.S. or any State or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the U.S. or any State. (18 U.S.C § 2331). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) divides terrorist attacks that face the U.S. into two broad categories - international and domestic. (18.U.S.C. § 2331).

What is Terrorism? The FBI definition of Terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. The goals and objectives of terrorism can vary. They can used terrorism to gain money and power, or control over a government, or it can be used as a form of hate crime. There goal depends on what there objects is? For example if a small group is unhappy with there government they can use terrorism to try and change the government or take control of it. Another form of terrorism is the use of force to intimidate a certain group of people for money or power. Terrorism can also be used to

They elucidate that terrorism is a “premeditated, politically motivated, violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups of clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience,” (National Institute of Justice).

Terrorism has had a profound affect on the world, as it has inspired fear and despair in the hearts of millions of people. Specifically in the United States, where in certain circumstances U.S. citizens will carry out acts of terror to further their own cause. Domestic terrorism has taken roots in many aspects of society through certain ideological groups, radicalization through media, and by acts of terror that cause immense civil unrest.

Terrorism, a word most people fear, but so often misinterpret. The textbook definition of terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims”. But how does that compare to domestic terrorism? Domestic terrorism or “homegrown terrorism” can be defined as “the committing of terrorist acts in the perpetrator’s own country against their fellow citizens”. Throughout the years, America as a nation has experienced quite a few occurrences of both types. An early example of homegrown terrorism would be the Haymarket Affair which occurred May 4, 1886 where in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, labor protesters detonated a bomb during a rally. Chicago police then responded by firing

By referring to it as eco-terrorism the government categorizes it as a form of domestic terrorism. The government has used anti-terrorism resources to arrest and detain environmentalist activists because when an event is referred to as eco-terrorism it can be assumed that anyone involved is a terrorist. Because of this scare that is being created from the invisible hand of the government and is instilled in the people, it is compared to the Red Scare. The government is trying to create a fear of the environmentalism movement in the people of the nation that do not identify themselves as environmentalists in order to wipe out the movement

National terrorism has been the focus of attention since September 11. But now domestic terrorism is becoming increasingly common among hate groups across the nation. Domestic terrorism can be defined as visible crime, or “street crime.” These acts would consist of violent crimes, (acts against people in which injury or death results) property crimes (acts that threaten property held by individuals or the state) and public order crimes. (acts that threaten the general well-being of society and challenger accepted moral principles) It can also however be described as political crime, (criminal acts by or against the government for ideological purposes) which would include the 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing.

War on Terror started when the World Trade Center in New York collapsed due to the collision caused by airplanes that the terrorists were in charge of. This attack was not friendly to the environment and caused a disaster. The resulting Smog and the toxic materials from the two burning buildings created an environmental problem. The surrounding cities got affected too since the chemicals and ashes were carried around by winds. This was only a start. Americans decided to invade Afghanistan and Iraq in their bid to end terrorism in Middle East. The amount of energy that the army produced during this time played a serious role in damaging the environment. The explosions in Afghanistan and Iraq contributed to the global climate change that every

Dr Jennifer Welchman of the University of Alberta notes how covert sabotage, acts of violence and assault (traits shown by ELF ) were all means by which legal practices may be deliberately obstructed – implying motives for terrorism. She continues to mention how acts such as tree-spiking however, do not pose as great as threat. Those affected were adequately warned of the risks handling affected trees. Welchman believes that such actions do not “appear to stretch civility to the breaking point. Thus we should recognise eco-sabotage as form of civil disobedience”, stating that it should not be classed as form of eco-terrorism. Professor Michael Walzer of Social Sciences at Princeton mentions a crucial difference between Eco-Terrorism and other tactics. According to him Terrorism has no boundaries, and has no consideration for the law. Walzer states how it “breaks across moral limits beyond which no further limitation seems possible”. According to Walzer, for Earth First to have been deemed an eco-terrorist group, all members would have had to consciously and explicitly reject all moral limits on their actions. They would have sought exert power exclusively through the spread of fear and

In regards to America’s agriculture sector and food supply to agroterrorism, terrorist deem this as a high target. This is because “they have noticed that its food supply is among the most vulnerable and least protected of all potential targets of attack” (Olson 2012, 1). Agroterrorism is defined as, “the deliberate introduction of an animal or plant disease for the purpose of generating fear, causing economic loss, or undermining social stability” (Olson 2012, 1).

Terrorism in the twenty-first century has some similarities and differences from terrorism in the twentieth century. Terrorism is, in its broadest sense, the use or threatened use of violence in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim. Also useful to remember that because the two entities involved, the terrorists and the terrorized, are on the opposite end of the political, religious or ideological continuum, the same act is viewed by them differently. There is much sense in the phrase one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

The history of terrorism can be traced back as far as the French revolution. Some of these acts of terrorism only seem as distant reminders of our past, but at the same time, are not a far cry from today’s brutal acts; and although these acts seem distant, it doesn’t also mean they are no longer in the thoughts of individuals in today’s time.

Political terrorism, or right-wing militants, tend to follow an extreme authoritarian ideology and conduct anti-government activities. "Political terrorists in the United States tend to be heavily armed groups organized around such themes as white supremacy, Nazism, militant tax resistance, and religious revisionism."(5) Two of the more famous incidents in the United States are the Oklahoma City Bombing and the Branch Davidian cult standoff in Waco, Texas.