Environmentalist Receives Higher Prison Sentence than Al-Qaed Operative

An Al-Qaeda operative charged with creating a weapon of mass destructionhas received a lesser prison sentence than an environmentalist who setfire to an empty building.Christopher Paul, aka “Abdul Malek,” is an Ohio native who joined Al Qaedain the early 90s. According to the FBI, he:received training in “the use of assault rifles, rocket-propelledgrenades, and small unit tactics,” fought with the mujahedeen inAfghanistan,and returned to Ohio to recruit and establish a terrorist cell.He pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to use a weapon of massdestruction against Americans at home and abroad. His sentence: 20 years.By comparison, Marie Mason was sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison, asa “terrorist,” for property destruction in the name of defending theenvironment.Her sentence, for arson targeting genetic engineering at Michigan StateUniversity, was the most severe yet in what many are calling the “GreenScare.” Unfortunately, it is not an isolated incident. Jeffrey “Free”Luers was sentenced to 22 years and 8 months for setting fire to SUVs. AndEric McDavid was sentenced to 20 years for “conspiracy” to sabotage theNimbus dam, even though an FBI operative provided the group withbomb-making recipes; at times financed their transportation, food andhousing; strung along McDavid, who had the hopes of a romanticrelationship; and poked and prodded the group into action.The FBI has labeled the environmental and animal rights movements as the“number one domestic terrorism threat.” Groups like the Earth LiberationFront and Animal Liberation Front, and activists like Marie Mason, haveclearly broken the law in the name of defending the environment. But theyhave never used rocket-propelled grenades, never created weapons of massdestruction, and never harmed a single human being.This should concern everyone, regardless of how you feel aboutenvironmental issues or economic sabotage: Such skewed governmentpriorities are wasting valuable law enforcement resources targetingenvironmentalists while Al-Qaeda continues to place American lives atrisk.What kind of message do you think this sends, when environmentalists whotarget property are a greater national security threat than theorganization responsible for the most deadly act of terrorism in thehistory of the United States?

By Will Potter
greenisthenewred.com