Terrorism and Econoterrorsm: The Earth Liberation Front

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INTRODUCTION
“Al Qaeda gunmen kill French EU worker in Yemen, officials say.” “Gaza's Hamas executes 2 alleged spies for Israel.” “13 killed in Afghanistan bombing; Taliban claims responsibility.” “Lebanese MPs fail to elect president on second try as Hezbollah-led alliance boycotts vote.” These headlines have appeared on news sources such as Fox News and CNN just within the last week. It is hard for the American people to forget what happened on 9/11 and for that, the American media, political climate, and population in general are all focused on terrorism abroad. According to Tim Lister, a correspondent for CNN, the world’s 10 most dangerous terrorists all reside either in the Middle East or North Africa; none from within the United States.1 Almost every ‘most dangerous terrorist organizations’ list on the internet is absent of any domestic group. If they do have one, then it is the Ku Klux Klan.
Even within the United States, people only know the extreme right-wing group such as the Ku Klux Klan, Army of God, and the Sovereign Citizens. However, there is a rise in left-wing groups in America. Eco-terrorism is gaining popularity in the United States as issues including fracking, oil, and the claim of global warming are becoming more common at the dinner table and water cooler. Specially, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is at the forefront of American environmental terrorism. Many new sources and experts in the field have urged politicians and the American people to take ELF seriously as they are dedicated to their mission and are willing to go to great lengths for their cause.
ECO-TERRORISM AS A WHOLE
Though environmental terrorism and eco-terrorism seem similar on the surface, there is a stark difference between the two f...

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...c Terror: Who's Most Dangerous?” CNN. August 24, 2005. Accessed May 7, 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/24/schuster.column/.

Works Consulted:
Abbey, Edward. The Monkey Wrench Gang. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1975.
Anti-Defamation League. “Ecoterrorism: Extremism in the Animal Rights and Environmentalist Movements.” Accessed May 6, 2014. http://archive.adl.org/learn/ext_us/ecoterrorism.html.
Diary of Earth Liberation Actions 2006-2008. Earth Liberation Front Press Office, 2008.
Fitzgerald, Andrew. “10 Terrorist Organizations Operating in the Us.” List Verse. March 24, 2013. Accessed May 6, 2014. http://listverse.com/2013/03/24/10-terrorist-organizations- operating-in-the-us/.
Lewis, Judith. “Earth to Elf: Come In, Please.” LA Weekly. December 22, 2005. Accessed May 7, 2014. http://www.laweekly.com/2005-12-22/news/earth-to-elf-come-in-please/.

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