A lobby group called The American Legislative Exchange Council is promoting "animal and ecological terrorism" legislation across the US. Terrorism and criminal acts are already punishable by law and therefore any effort to single out environmentalists is questionable. Going a step further, legislators in states like Texas for instance are trying to single out organizations that attempt to "influence government entities or the public to take specific political action." Other language is used prohibiting involvement directly or indirectly with "activity intended to obstruct or deter any person from participating in an activity involving animals or an activity involving natural resources."

Because the bills in question are intentionally nebulous, they could set precedents that would violate constitutionally protected rights like freedom of speech, the right to assemble and freedom of the press. And it's not just environmentalists who will pay the price, but any person or group that attempts to speak out or demonstrate against injustice of any kind. Terrorism in and of itself is not justifiable. Nor is it conscionable for lobby groups to use national tragedies for the furtherance of right wing agendas.

The real question that needs to be asked is, why would anyone want to suppress environmental awareness? After all, protecting the environment is how we stay healthy and ensure quality of life for our children. Isn't that what is really important in the long run? You would think so, but when it comes to profit and greed you can throw that naïve notion out the window. However, in order to be balanced, if legislatures are willing to entertain "ecological terrorism acts," why not "corporate terrorism acts?" It only seems fair that any individual or corporation participating in activities with "intent to influence a governmental entity or the public to take specific political action," should be prosecuted under the same guidelines as supposed eco-terrorists. Needless to say the shoe would be on the other foot as corporations enacting terrorism on the environment would be stopped, convicted as criminals and put to public shame.

Present laws are sufficient to address and punish criminal activity of almost any sort. Lobby groups would better serve the greater whole by putting pressure on government to enforce existing laws, rather than attempting to alter them for self-serving purposes.

For information on The American Legislative Exchange Council go to: www.mediatransparency.org/recipients/alec.htm
http://environment.about.com/cs/activism/a/terrorism.htm