There has been a "greenscare" out in the west coast. The FBI grabbed a bunch of people for burning down empty structures (arson) and called them terrorists cause they did it out of principle rather than being drunk or malicious and doing it for the hell of it.
"Operation Backfire" defendants Joyanna Zacher, Nathan Block, Daniel McGowan and Jonathan Paul entered "guilty" pleas for several eco-sabotage related charges, as part of a global resolution agreement with prosecutors. Judge Ann Aiken presided over the hearings. The change of pleas from the four defendants resolves all current "Operation Backfire" cases in Oregon. As part of this agreement, the four defendants have withdrawn their motion to obtain materials from possible National Security Agency surveillance. The global resolution agreement for the four defendants expressly indicates that Zacher, Block, McGowan and Paul accept their personal participation in crimes, but that these four have not and will not provide information on, inculpate or reveal the identities of anyone else. The four plea agreements are not sealed and are accessible to the public. The courtroom filled with supporters during these hearings; unfortunately, court staff turned away many additional people at the door. A press conference outside the court followed the four change of plea hearings."
The FBI/Homeland insecurity and about a bazillion tax dollars were spent on grabbing these people—putting a wire on one of them, arresting them all and pushing a THOUSAND YEARS IN JAIL sentence for burning down some empty structures where folks were torturing animals and the earth for fun and profit.
It's ironic that the state in its wave of oppression grabs people who love the outdoors—environmentalists—and entombs them in cages of rusty steel and concrete. Think about it—these people were threatened with over a 1000 years of jail, a sentence way disproportionate with the punishment for the crime of criminal arson. Their real crime was they acted out of conscience rather than the motives of most people who commit arson in this country. If they had burnt a building because they were doing it for money, hate or in a personal vendetta they wouldn't of faced such a high sentence—their crime was they burnt these empty structures out of love rather than hate. Love that homeland security and the fbi dubbed "terrorist" in nature.
These people who didn't turn states evidence even when half their comrades pee'd all over themselves in their rush to turn states evidence and rat everyone out. Not only did they rat—they agreed to be rats for the rest of their lives. They must of felt like their "family" had completely deserted them—yet they didn't turn to the dark side.
These folks didn't rat out their comrades. When the majority sold their souls to the devil looking at long sentences these people threw the dice with their lives and stayed to principle. I think that's what the victory here is. We have people in our movement that risked a thousand years in jail when the majority of their comrades squealed like pigs.
Can you imagine facing a THOUSAND years in jail? A lifetime of sticky floors, to cold rooms, body searches and confinement? Facing that we have in our movement people who told the state to fuck off—that they would die in prison before they would turn on their comrades. I would be scared as hell in their circumstances—undoubtedly they are frightened. But even scared they didn't run with the herd and rat—they stuck to principles rather than yield to this wind of oppression.
In our movement, facing close to a dozen agencies trying to put them in prison forever—professionals at scaring people into taking deals—these people said hell no. They didn't know the agencies may of used warrantless wiretaps when they made this decision (a factor which may drop their years down to 8 years—a MUCH closer sentence to the actual crime they may of committed—arson.
I think our movement has reached a watermark—and that mark is these people who even when scared refused to yield to any wind. And the word for such people who stick to principle even under oppression, unfair sentencing, while their comrades are splitting—is heroes. These people acted with courage and are heroes.
Many environmentalist and radicals have been hurt by the fact that during this period of green scare that some did rat out. That took deals of serving up to 5 years an in exchange being the FBI's private consultants for the rest of their lives. Many have wondered what we tell people about how to deal with this greenscare.
I think we have our answer. We point at these people we have in prison (including media) who are refusing to be frightened into compromising principle. We have hero's we can point to as a movement now. This is our answer to the current wave of fear and oppression in the activist world. This is how we are responding as a movement in the way it counts to homeland insecurity and the patriot act triggered waves of repression and special attention that a nonviolent movement is currently resisting in our country. We respond with courage, integrity and our convictions.
We need to be shouting this from every rooftop, IMC, underground zeen, pirate radio, meeting that we can. We need to shout our answer at the "patriot" act (which would of imprisoned Franklin, Jefferson and Paine if they were still alive), Homeland inSecurity and the FBI of which Hoover would be proud. These people are our answer and we need to shout it from rooftops.
You can threaten our people with a lifetime of encasement in concrete and rusty steel and we refuse to squeal and sell our souls. Even when facing a thousand years of solitude and prison in an insanely disproportionate proportion to any actual crime committed as a direct result of our principles we stand tough and in solidarity.
I bet my life before--but never my life in jail. A lifetime of degrading searches, sticky floors, to cold air conditioning, crowded conditions and never to hike in a forest again--what a gamble. But these people took it all and put it on the table and told the state to fuck off they would give their lives before they would ever turn on a comrade.
For some reason that makes me proud. I think we all should be proud. And these four people are heroes and an example for a movement and we need to tell as many people as we can this.
There has been a "greenscare" out in the west coast. The FBI grabbed a bunch of people for burning down empty structures (arson) and called them terrorists cause they did it out of principle rather than being drunk or malicious and doing it for the hell of it.
"Operation Backfire" defendants Joyanna Zacher, Nathan Block, Daniel McGowan and Jonathan Paul entered "guilty" pleas for several eco-sabotage related charges, as part of a global resolution agreement with prosecutors. Judge Ann Aiken presided over the hearings. The change of pleas from the four defendants resolves all current "Operation Backfire" cases in Oregon. As part of this agreement, the four defendants have withdrawn their motion to obtain materials from possible National Security Agency surveillance. The global resolution agreement for the four defendants expressly indicates that Zacher, Block, McGowan and Paul accept their personal participation in crimes, but that these four have not and will not provide information on, inculpate or reveal the identities of anyone else. The four plea agreements are not sealed and are accessible to the public. The courtroom filled with supporters during these hearings; unfortunately, court staff turned away many additional people at the door. A press conference outside the court followed the four change of plea hearings."
The FBI/Homeland insecurity and about a bazillion tax dollars were spent on grabbing these people—putting a wire on one of them, arresting them all and pushing a THOUSAND YEARS IN JAIL sentence for burning down some empty structures where folks were torturing animals and the earth for fun and profit.
It's ironic that the state in its wave of oppression grabs people who love the outdoors—environmentalists—and entombs them in cages of rusty steel and concrete. Think about it—these people were threatened with over a 1000 years of jail, a sentence way disproportionate with the punishment for the crime of criminal arson. Their real crime was they acted out of conscience rather than the motives of most people who commit arson in this country. If they had burnt a building because they were doing it for money, hate or in a personal vendetta they wouldn't of faced such a high sentence—their crime was they burnt these empty structures out of love rather than hate. Love that homeland security and the fbi dubbed "terrorist" in nature.
These people who didn't turn states evidence even when half their comrades pee'd all over themselves in their rush to turn states evidence and rat everyone out. Not only did they rat—they agreed to be rats for the rest of their lives. They must of felt like their "family" had completely deserted them—yet they didn't turn to the dark side.
These folks didn't rat out their comrades. When the majority sold their souls to the devil looking at long sentences these people threw the dice with their lives and stayed to principle. I think that's what the victory here is. We have people in our movement that risked a thousand years in jail when the majority of their comrades squealed like pigs.
Can you imagine facing a THOUSAND years in jail? A lifetime of sticky floors, to cold rooms, body searches and confinement? Facing that we have in our movement people who told the state to fuck off—that they would die in prison before they would turn on their comrades. I would be scared as hell in their circumstances—undoubtedly they are frightened. But even scared they didn't run with the herd and rat—they stuck to principles rather than yield to this wind of oppression.
In our movement, facing close to a dozen agencies trying to put them in prison forever—professionals at scaring people into taking deals—these people said hell no. They didn't know the agencies may of used warrantless wiretaps when they made this decision (a factor which may drop their years down to 8 years—a MUCH closer sentence to the actual crime they may of committed—arson.
I think our movement has reached a watermark—and that mark is these people who even when scared refused to yield to any wind. And the word for such people who stick to principle even under oppression, unfair sentencing, while their comrades are splitting—is heroes. These people acted with courage and are heroes.
Many environmentalist and radicals have been hurt by the fact that during this period of green scare that some did rat out. That took deals of serving up to 5 years an in exchange being the FBI's private consultants for the rest of their lives. Many have wondered what we tell people about how to deal with this greenscare.
I think we have our answer. We point at these people we have in prison (including media) who are refusing to be frightened into compromising principle. We have hero's we can point to as a movement now. This is our answer to the current wave of fear and oppression in the activist world. This is how we are responding as a movement in the way it counts to homeland insecurity and the patriot act triggered waves of repression and special attention that a nonviolent movement is currently resisting in our country. We respond with courage, integrity and our convictions.
We need to be shouting this from every rooftop, IMC, underground zeen, pirate radio, meeting that we can. We need to shout our answer at the "patriot" act (which would of imprisoned Franklin, Jefferson and Paine if they were still alive), Homeland inSecurity and the FBI of which Hoover would be proud. These people are our answer and we need to shout it from rooftops.
You can threaten our people with a lifetime of encasement in concrete and rusty steel and we refuse to squeal and sell our souls. Even when facing a thousand years of solitude and prison in an insanely disproportionate proportion to any actual crime committed as a direct result of our principles we stand tough and in solidarity.
I bet my life before--but never my life in jail. A lifetime of degrading searches, sticky floors, to cold air conditioning, crowded conditions and never to hike in a forest again--what a gamble. But these people took it all and put it on the table and told the state to fuck off they would give their lives before they would ever turn on a comrade.
For some reason that makes me proud. I think we all should be proud. And these four people are heroes and an example for a movement and we need to tell as many people as we can this.