60 Minutes tonight:

[babylonsister]

Sunday, Nov. 13, 2005
AFTERSHOCK – After the huge earthquake hit Pakistan, a team of New York paramedics left their jobs and paychecks to save the lives of victims who had no other medical help. Bob Simon reports. Michael Gavshon and Solly Granatstein are the producers.

BURNING RAGE - Ed Bradley reports on extremist environmental and animal rights groups whose increasingly violent tactics -- including arson and bombings -- make them the biggest domestic terror threat. Graham Messick is the producer.

MAD MONEY MAN – Dan Rather profiles Jim Cramer, a retired Wall Street millionaire who now shouts, literally, about stocks on his cable TV show. Joel Bernstein is the producer.

[tk2kewl]

1. I do not agree that the environmentalists are "terrorists"

saboteurs, sure. but not terrorists. they are not targeting people

[Gildor Inglorion]

3. Ah, but remember, "property rights" are MUCH more important...

than mere so-called "human rights." Therefore, attacking the property of the destroyers of the environment becomes terrorism. Don't you just love life here in the Amerikan Reich?
:eyes:

[kahleefornia]

7. I agree with you

I think of a terrorist as someone whose actions deliberately make me afraid to do things. If I built some sprawling housing development on a fragile wetland, and some Earth Firster torched it - I wouldn't be afraid to leave my house or take the subway or drink milk that might be poisoned. It would just make me really mad that my investment was gone.

But terror? No.

Well, I guess they want to make people afraid to do the developing, or gas guzzling, so there is a fear element. But that isn't their main goal. They seem to just want to remove the offending development or vehicle. ie - these vehicles are bad, lets make them un-driveable. Whereas a terrorist is trying to say - look how badass we are, everyone be afraid and do whatever we say.

[-..__...]

9. They are not targeting people...

but, people (police, firefighters, bomb disposal teams), have to respond to their actions. Those actions do place responders at an unnecessary risk.

The extreme environmentalists may not be deliberately targeting human life, but the consequences of their behavior can pose a threat.

[Cleita]

10. I agree.

Having seen some of what they have done first hand, they have set back the cause of environmentalists, who were trying to work quietly with local populations and businesses for environmental change in logging practices and other destructive practices.

[tk2kewl]

25. but the same goes for all criminal action.

[BiggJawn]

19. Yet.

Were you in the kitchen while they were interviewing the "doctor"?

[bullimiami]

2. ok 2/3 of a waste of airtime. toothless, gutless 60 minutes.

i wont watch it anymore. not for several years.

[napi21]

4. You many not call them terrorists, but what they are doing is WRONG!

It's wrong to destroy other peoples property like that!

This is exactly what we criticize the Pubs for...the end justifies the means!

I agree with them that SUV's are a status symbol and MOST people don't need one, and destroying a lot of the land for resort expansion isn't the greatest thing, but to set fires, and destroy property is NOT the way to change things!

[justiceischeap]

6. Kinda like that whole Wal-Mart "Leave a Cart" thing, huh? (eom)

[napi21]

8. NO. Not even close! The WM thing only makes the clerks work

harder to clean up your mess. These people are destroying peoples property!

[justiceischeap]

13. Destroying Property is destroying property.

Especially if you put pershibles in the cart.

[devilgrrl]

14. Are we all this outraged about chemical companies polluting the waterways?

Huh???????

The story is overblown bullshit. Business and Industry do more damage to the environment than these clowns. Give me a fucking break please!

[justiceischeap]

17. I am!

I'm also outraged at how AgriBusiness and how suburban sprawl pollutes the environment.

Like I said, destroying property is destroying property, whether that property is corporate owned (Wal-Mart crap) or polluting land, drilling ANWR, polluting our waterways, etc. Some people fight by filling up carts and leaving them for underpaid employee's to restock, some people protest, some people go to the extreme—burning SUV's, animal labs or newly built developments.

If you think land developers are any less destructive than Wal-Mart, then you need to educate yourself more. One of the reasons we as a nation are so dependent on foreign oil is because of suburban sprawl, land over-development and gas-guzzling suv's that people drive two miles to their local wal-mart. It's all connected.

[napi21]

16. You're comparing some meat and ice cream with

$40,000 cars and Million dollar properties.

Yes, you're right, destroyed property is wrong in all cases, but still no comparison to what the people shown on 50 Minutes did.

That's like saying someone stole my Sunday Paper out of my driveway v/s someone burned down my house! I'd be pissed about the paper, but the harm done to me by destroying my house is unconscionable!

[justiceischeap]

20. See my post above

It's all connected. You may not agree with the way ELF/ALF does things but they certainly have generated a discussion here.

And honestly, if it weren't for ALF (which started in England), we wouldn't have some of the legislation in place for animals that we do today. Personally, I think laws that hold people accountable for animal abuse is a good thing—whether it be domestic animals, lab animals or factory-farmed animals. Which, by the way, provide that meat and ice cream by spending their short lives being pumped with growth hormones and antibiotics—that we then ingest—and it's no wonder people are growing immune to antibiotics.

Yes, Wal-Mart is evil but so are land developers and agribusiness.

[Postman]

5. Chickens and Slaves. Hello? Is anybody home?

eom

[Eric J in MN]

11. How many innocent people are killed each day by the US military,

and how many by enivronmentalists and animal rights supporters?

[The2ndWheel]

21. Fornicator!

How dare you speak of state terror in that way!

[SoCalDem]

12. I'll pass on it.. (I usually do)

"Investigative" journalism these days is little more than promos for books and tv shows..

and their choice of coverage for environmentalism is suspect too.

too bad they are not doing stories that would help people ..like:

environmental impact for NOLA returnees
environmental impact of HFCS

etc etc etc

[devilgrrl]

15. Oh, I know...

Also, ever notice that these "eco-terrorists" hit businesses; housing developments, etc... Has anyone ever investigated the businesses hit? I bet you any amount of money, they were on shaky ground to begin with and these so-called terrorist activities are nothing more than an opportunity to get out of tough spot. How much do you want to bet?

[justiceischeap]

18. I couldn't agree more

How easy is it to blame a headless organization like ELF? I was thinking that as I watched the piece this evening.

[AtTheEndOfTheDay]

23. Good thought.

I was thinking maybe black ops but that makes more sense.

[Cleita]

22. I'm watching and it seems like an excuse for

pyromania. Surely if they were sincere, they would worry about all the animals they are burning up with their fires.

They are environmental hooligans who have taken up a cause for their own crazy agenda. All you Christians who are upset with the fundies, it's the same thing.

I work very hard for animal rights and environmental causes, but encouraging destruction of property and habitats as a result isn't very environmental.

24. re: Bradley on environmental extremists

his story sounds like republican hype. Those dang hippies are really dangerous to our country. balderdash!

[Bigmack]

26. I was called a "terrorist"...

and an "ecoterrorist" when a buddy and I went around with a pickup truck and a long pole and knocked some of the signs off the utility poles and roadside trees.

The "Lose Weight Fast" and "Roofs Cleaned Cheap" people were pissed, and the local real estate people were looking to get the sheriff after us. The sheriff told us we did a good thing... all those ugly-ass signs are illegal. Then he told us where there was a "porcupine tree"... you couldn't see the tree for all the signs stuck on it.

I guess a terrorist is just anybody you don't like.

27. yes, or a terrorist is an individual who does something

as opposed to a corporation. However, I don't agree with damaging property.