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Well, now, let's be reasonable here. Depending on what publication you get this story from, the information is different.
The Independent says "The FBI has sounded a new and surprising alarm, suggesting environmental and animal-welfare militants are now the biggest terrorist threat in the US, increasingly using incendiary devices on targets ranging from housing developments and research laboratories to car dealerships."
MSNBC says "Environmental and animal rights extremists who have turned to arson and explosives are the nation’s top domestic terrorism threat, the FBI has told lawmakers."
However, CNN says "Violent animal rights extremists and eco-terrorists now pose one of the most serious terrorism threats to the nation, top federal law enforcement officials said Wednesday."
That "one of the most serious" qualifier makes a huge difference in whether this is silly dribble or slanderous, lie-filled drivel. If they say that so-called "eco-terrorists," which the CNN article mentions have never killed anyone, are the nation's "top threat," then we have an obvious lie on our hands and another case of "LOOK OVER THERE!"
However, if it says "one of the top," that may be an exaggeration, but it's not NEARLY as bad as saying "the top threat."
I went directly to the transcript on the FBI website, and here's what John E. Lewis actually said: "One of today's most serious domestic terrorism threats come from special interest extremist movements such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), and Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign."
So, though this is a silly notion, it's nowhere near as bad as saying that ALF and ELF are worse threats than Al Queda. Also, it's a frightening notion, as mentioned in the commentary, that vandalism and "office takeovers" have been classified as "terrorism," in the same category as mass murder and flying planes into skyscrapers.
Commentary on the pro-environment websites I frequent has already started flying, and it really sucks that though the government is obviously being overzealous here, people think they've said something they haven't. You can see some of these writings here, here, and here.
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