I’m looking over this "eco-terrorism" stuff. Some stray thoughts.

Why always "shadowy"? Can we find a new adjective for our bogeymen?

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Is this what shadowy means?

    Who is the leader of the ELF?
    This is what has caused problems for law enforcement trying to put an end to the group’s activities. There is no Osama bin Laden of the ELF [ed: Yesima bin Burnin?], there are no “lieutenants,” and no hierarchical structure at all. It may even be a misnomer to call the ELF a “group.”

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This misnomer has nonetheless been deemed a “vast eco-terrorism conspiracy.” It earned a press conference graced by both Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Gonzales thanked law enforcement at all levels for "their continued determination to help protect Americans from the threat of terrorism, both foreign and domestic."

Foreign. Domestic. Hey, it’s all the same stuff.

But what distinguishes setting fire to buildings with crude milk jugs full of gasoline from simple crime?

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Gonzalez’s formulation was careful: They "worked together with extensive planning to influence the conduct of government and private businesses through the use of coordinated force, violence, sabotage, intimidation, and coercion."

Mueller stuck to Rumsfeldian koans: "But terrorism is terrorism, no matter what the motive."

To me that sounds uncomfortably like "terrorism is whatever the hell we feel like calling it, including maybe … yeah you, the shifty-eyed guy in the back. You a terrorist, chump?" But maybe I’m just paranoid.