-Our goal is to destroy, to eradicate the
environmental movement,” said Ron Arnold, of Seattle, Wash., one of
the leaders of the wise-use movement, in 1991. “We’re mad as hell.”
It’s one thing to talk about anger and destruction; another to act
out those feelings. Since 1989, there have been over 100 incidents
of harassment against environmentalists and public employees,
almost half of which occurred in the past year. They include
property damage through bombs or fire, animal mutilation, assaults
and death threats. To educate the public about this chilling trend,
the Oregon-based Western States Center recently published two
reports. Dangerous Territory: The Attack on Citizen Participation
and the Environmental Movement, by Jonn Lunsford, documents many
attacks and threats and includes case studies. Extremists and the
Anti-Environmental Lobby: Activities Since Oklahoma City, by Tarso
Ramos, explores the foundations of the anti-green movement and its
multiplying extremist offshoots, such as militias. To receive a
free copy of either report, write the Western States Center, P.O.
Box 40305, Portland, OR 97240 503/228-8866, or read them on the Web
at www.igc.org/westernstates/.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Intimidation is on the rise.
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