Unquestionably, some of the typical targets of Eco-saboteurs are companies that use pesticides, new construction sites, SUV owners, biotech labs, and fast-food restaurants (Gale, 2006). Eco-saboteurs are members of the group called Earth Liberation Front (ELF) an Eco-terrorist group which in their ideology are protectors of the environment. They may also have been influenced by the publication of several books, including The Anarchist Cookbook (1971), by William Powell; Ecotage! (1972), edited by Sam Love and David Obst; and The Monkey Wrench Gang (1976), by Edward Abbey, a novel about four "ecoteurs" who roam the Southwestern United States blowing up bridges and vandalizing bulldozers in the name of environmental protection (Gale, 2006). The ELF group was inspired by Edward Abbey's 1975 novel, "The Monkey Wrench Gang", that was influential therefore the term "monkey wrench" has come to mean.
Moreover, after September 11, 2001, many Americans were in fear and demanded a change in priorities from former President Bush. Americans showed full patriotic support for former President Bush and his counter-terrorism policies (Whipple, 2002). President Bush made instant comparisons between the ELF and Al Qaeda. The term Eco-terrorism has many complications of defining Terrorism. Eco-Terrorism can be defined by the Federal Bureau of investigation as "the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against people or property by an environmentally oriented, sub-national group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature (Long, 1998).
Pursuing this further, this needs redefinition because of the term "terrorism." Terrorism is acts of terror with no remorse for human safety. Not all Eco-protestors create collateral damage which is violent acts on facilities that affect the environment negatively. Their have been many nonviolent civil disobedience's which have had an impact on American history in a positive way. For example, the Civil Rights Movement, led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and others, included sit-ins and illegal marches which weakened segregation in the south. Another example was the Women's Suffrage Movement that lasted from 1848 until 1920, when thousands of courageous women marched in the streets, endured hunger strikes, and submitted to arrest and jail in order to gain the right to vote. Also the Anti-war movement which were actions that have included refusal to pay for war, refusal to enlist in the military, occupation of draft centers, sit-ins, blockades, peace camps, and refusal to allow military recruiters on high school and college campuses (Starr, 1998).
Others protest that has had an effect on America since the Amendment was ratified are protest against war such as Vietnam and Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Civil Rights Movement, and more recently the protest of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle. Also the many strikes and pickets labor union have been involved in through out history. There are differences among these gatherings. The most striking difference is typically if the protest is violent or non-violent. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Henry David Thoreau referred to the use of civil disobedience. In the movie, ?Breaking the Spell? protesters felt they were not being violent since the items they damaged belong to big business.
ELF would be considered a part of the Psychological and Sociological theories category with an emphasis on environmental terrorism because of the sociological unifying purpose and ideology of those that commits acts in the name of ELF. ELF is considered a domestic eco-terrorist group. ELF fits the description of a domestic terrorism group because of their violent actions within the United States against property to intimidate the government and businesses to further their objectives (Terrorism, Definitions, 2011).
people might say that peaceful protests negatively impacts society because it wastes time, and it never works. For example, on January 21,2017, there was a women's march on washington in repsonse to donald trump's win. They exercised their first amendment rights and statements to let him know women have rights. Donald Trump was recognized for his comments about women. The women rights movement caused people to have a different perspective about them. But, i don't believe that peaceful protests negatively effect society because According to data compiled by Erica Chenoweth at the University of Denver and Jeremy Pressman at the University of Connecticut, at least 3.3 million people participated in over 500 Women's marches across the US. That is a huge turnout for solidarity for women. The effect of the marches probably will be there will be more women's
September 11, 2001 was one of the most devastating and horrific events in the United States history. Americans feeling of a secure nation had been broken. Over 3,000 people and more than 400 police officers and firefighters were killed during the attacks on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon; in New York City and Washington, D.C. Today the term terrorism is known as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives (Birzer, Roberson). This term was clearly not defined for the United States for we had partial knowledge and experience with terrorist attacks; until the day September 11, 2001. At that time, President George W. Bush, stated over a televised address from the Oval Office, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” President Bush stood by this statement for the United States was about to retaliate and change the face of the criminal justice system for terrorism.
The FBI defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives (fbi.gov).” By this definition, terrorism can be classified as internal or international based on the overall intent of the attack. Terrorism has been around since the beginning of time, but it’s only since 2011 that the world has come to fully understand the meaning of terrorism. The following paragraphs will highlight four different types of terrorist attacks that all took place within the United States spanning over a 40 year time period.
Ecoterrorism is hard to define. It is used by the FBI and other government agencies to describe individuals or groups that use arson and sabotage against property, equipment, materials, or facilities that they feel are being used to destroy the environment. This is known as direct action and many such direct action tactics exist such as ecotage, eco-drama and monkeywrenching. Ecotage Acts of major economic sabotage that are designed to hurt the profits of businesses that radical environmentalists believe are profiting from environmentally harmful practices. Eco-drama (Staging non-violent, often illicit events that cause no property damage, but that are designed for the sake of gaining media attention for an environmental cause or to expose an environmental abuse. This type of action is often designed to spur a law enforcement response to maximize sympathetic media attention. Monkeywrenching was made popular by Edward Abbey's fictional work The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975). It generally refers to minor acts of vandalism or sabotage that are undertaken to frustrate the perpetrators of a perceived environmental harm (CITE).
Conclusion: Nonviolent protest are more effective than violent protest in effort to bring about social change.
There are Henry David Thoreau’s refusal to pay taxes in abhorrence of the U.S.’s institution of slavery, Mahatma Gandhi’s 240 mile walk protesting British rule and taxation over India, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘bed-ins’ against the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to the principle that, in his words, “the choice today is no longer between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence.” These examples range from gestures designed to bring awareness and attract popular support to actions directed pointedly against an opposing force. Not all of these protests were entirely successful, though many, such as Gandhi’s, instigated great change. It remains to be seen whether many of today’s protests, be they march, rally, traffic blockage, boycott, or something else entirely will accomplish what they wish. The real question here not whether past, present, or future protests succeed, however, for there is value in taking a stance in victory or failure. Neither is the issue truly whether the beliefs driving that stance are right or wrong- people should have the right to believe and protest what they want. By definition, civil disobedience and ‘peaceful’ protesting do not directly harm others. So in the end, does peaceful protesting positively or negatively impact society? Can it truly create positive
The Monkey Wrench Gang, written by Edward Abbey, is a fictional piece of literature advocating environmental issues and radical anarchism. “We can have wilderness without freedom,” Abbey said. “We can have wilderness without human life at all; but we cannot have freedom without wilderness”(xvi). The Monkey Wrench Gang was set in 1975, after the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. There was a new sense of environmental awareness in the seventies enforced by the Federal government, including The National Environmental Policy, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Water Pollution Control Act (wiki). Abbey spent a majority of his life defending and living for environmental justice of the American Southwest. The Monkey Wrench Gang
Peaceful protest has been present in society for over a hundred years. It has been introduced several times in the United States and beyond as a way for individual citizens to stand, calmly and united, against the forces that oppress them. By doing it this way instead of a more violent course of action, the protesters are showing their displeasure with what is happening in such a way that it sparks a change of the heart versus perhaps only a physical change. Civil disobedience is not easy but continues to be, however, beneficial to our society.
Terrorism originated back as early as the 14th century. The French Revolution originated the word of “terrorist” and “terrorism” (Terrorism Research, n.d.). The use of the word "terrorism" began in 1795 in reference to the Reign of Terror initiated by the Revolutionary government. (Terrorism Research, n.d.). In recent years, there have been major terrorism events in the United States such as 9/11, U.S.S. Cole, Boston marathon, and the federal building bombing in Oklahoma. Shortly after 9/11, Homeland security implemented five threat conditions (Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green) with red being severe and green being the lowest threat condition. The author further states that local police are in the best position to learn about intelligence regarding terrorist threats and potential targets. Many of the resources available to local law enforcement include crime prevention seminars, community policing and partnerships with local businesses particularly banks, realtors, car rental agencies and
Throughout history, there have been multiple occurrences of mass peaceful and civil disobedience that gained momentum and world renown. The successful movement against imperialist Britain led by Gandhi shook the world. The Gandhi-inspired Civil Rights movement led by Martin Luther King successful in reforming an aspect of American law. These movements, caused turmoil and ended with assassinations despite successfully achieving the movement goals. Peaceful resistance consequently causes negative impacts such as violence, social splits, incarceration, riots, and the abuse of peaceful resistance, although on rare occasions, a civil disobedience movement may be completely justified and grandly successful.
In the past, peaceful resistance has been beneficial and contributed to societal changes in the United States. One of the biggest examples being the Civil Rights Movement. For example, Rosa Parks refused to follow
Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. Society has a right for peaceful protests. This ability gives citizens a voice that either the opposing side can agree or disagree with. These peaceful resistance (protests) can reflect on how a problem/situation can affect a population. For example the city of Charlotte, N.C., has lifted a midnight curfew, from the peaceful protesting over the weekend. This example shows how peaceful protesting can improve the lives of many individuals. Peaceful resistance can include famous people who took a stand for their passion. Examples of these actions include Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Edward Snowden. Rosa Parks gives insight on the hard times around the 60's. Rosa Park was a civil activist that had enough
While all protest can have both impacts recent events only portray violent outcomes. In the past peaceful resistance didn’t gain negative attention. Rosa parks protested against sitting in the back of the bus. Martin Luther king protested equal rights. Both of these well-known leaders protested laws while being peaceful. So it is possible to have a peaceful protest when given peaceful