Ecowarriors
June 8, 2001
As Western civilization, if there is such a thing, blunders ever closer to the edge of societal collapse, ecosystem failure and general cultural ennui, a small and scattered cadre of dedicated enviromeddlers works to save what little is left of the wild and struggles to prevent further damage to ecosystems already in decline. Eschewing the easy but ultimately hopeless path of armed insurrection and violent revolution, these foes of the (corporate) Earth work in their home bioregions to oppose and physically stop, when necessary, activities destructive to the living Earth.
Recent articles in the mainstream corporate press have focused attention on fires and property destruction at facilities related to genetic modification, urban sprawl and animal experimentation. CBS has publicly identified the Earth Liberation Front or ELF as a "group" that has claimed responsibility for these acts, and stated that the FBI is attempting to infiltrate the ELF "and other ecoterrorist groups."
CBS, along with the mainstream press, the security industry and polite society in general, fail to recognize that such groups as ELF, Animal Liberation Front, Live Wild or Die, and the original Earth First! are not "groups" in the sense of a recognized gathering of members with officers, leaders or even facilitators. We don't meet in boardrooms or high rise office buildings and plot "the overthrow of the United States government by force and violence." We don't have four color newsletters, Java-scripted web pages, membership cards, fund-raising campaigns, boards of directors or free gummed, self-return labels with pictures of cute animals in living color.
The label "ecoterrorist group" fits rather loosely on this dispersed cadre of dedicated environmental and biodiversity activists who eschew public recognition for their acts of opposition, depending instead on the act itself to spread political and environmental awareness. Although "spokesmen" have stepped forward, electronically at least, to claim responsibility for these physical acts of opposition, none can claim status as representatives for any universal "group" that guides the actions of adherents around the world.
The unavoidable response by the world security industry is to attempt to locate and neutralize the "leaders" of any opposition to the economic and political status quo. As we've seen repeatedly at protest gatherings in opposition to globalization and the world-wide sellout to corporate hegemony, the immediate response by the constabulary is "round up the usual suspects" and incarcerate them, at least until the fun and games are over. Although the intent is to remove the "leaders" from "planning" the protest activities, the centralized, authoritarian, hierarchical security establishment has yet to understand that there are no leaders; planning is by consensus and grass-roots organization. The people they have captured are merely the most publicly visible participants, who ironically serve as the most effective martyrs and "poster children" for the opposition cause!
In the face of centralized oppression, a decentralized, non-hierarchical opposition is the most effective response. This simple strategy was recognized well by Ghandi, Che and other pioneers of guerilla opposition to oppressive central regimes. In our modern age of centrally organized, militarized police forces, operating at the beck and call of trans-national corporate interests, our only hope of an effective counterforce is through widely dispersed individuals operating under an overarching banner, such as that provided by ELF, Earth First! and others. Even the traditional "cell" organization of guerilla opposition is subject to infiltration by the constabulary. What is necessary now is a truly anarchic organization, with no leaders, no followers and no organizational structure.
While Earth First! groups, clubs and RRR gatherings may be fun, they necessarily draw attention to our unswerving opposition to the dominant paradigm, serving as a convenient fishing hole for would-be FBI informants, industry sycophants and government toadies. The popularity of such gatherings has driven many of us from the fold, preferring instead to conduct our creative field services beyond the light of public scrutiny, in the cool enveloping darkness of remote locations and stealthy maneuverings. We can use this to our advantage. While we put on the lively show, block the roads and timber sales, dance and frolic on the capital steps, meet in colorful neo-hippie celebrations, make bold speeches in highly visible gatherings, we distract attention from those who eschew public recognition, who prefer to work in anonymity, who treasure the unstructured, unfettered life of the solitary activist, who carry the banner and the ideal of Earth First! in their heart but not on their sleeve.
In effect, Earth First! has two activist arms. The public, propaganda arm consists of highly visible, politically pointed protests, guerilla theatre, road and equipment lock-downs, banner hangings and other assorted public protestations against corporate excess. The actions of this group serve to educate the public, bring attention and additional resources to the cause, and thrust a well-placed middle finger in the face of the established authority. These activities are often designed to create a respite for beleaguered and threatened ecosystems, giving those who work within the existing system increased opportunities to craft and implement legal impediments to corporate hegemony.
At the same time, a dispersed minority of EF! followers prefers the muted clink of bolt cutters in the night air, the slow drip of vital fluids on cooling desert sands, the solid thunk of a well placed spike, the cheery glow of blazing billboards against the night sky. This pleasant evening's activity harkens back to the mythic origins of Earth First! and the Ecowarrior tradition. Ned Ludd is our patron saint, reminding us that it is not people we oppose, but social institutions that oppress human individuals and bring about widespread destruction of the wild. As ecowarriors, we have an obligation to ourselves and to our fellow activists.
Doc Sarvis explained the guiding principles of ecotage to Hayduke in Ed Abbey's "Hayduke Lives" as the Code of the Ecowarrior:
In our activist lives, we choose our strategies, our tactics, our field of battle. We cannot afford to discard any of our tools; we cannot ignore any effective tactics. We must make use of all resources available to oppose the corporate growth maniacs, who want only one thing in this world: EVERYTHING!
East Mesa
Rio Grande Valley
"Let our practice form our doctrine, thus assuring precise theoretical coherence."
Doc Sarvis, in Monkeywrench Gang, by Edward Abbey
As Western civilization, if there is such a thing, blunders ever closer to the edge of societal collapse, ecosystem failure and general cultural ennui, a small and scattered cadre of dedicated enviromeddlers works to save what little is left of the wild and struggles to prevent further damage to ecosystems already in decline. Eschewing the easy but ultimately hopeless path of armed insurrection and violent revolution, these foes of the (corporate) Earth work in their home bioregions to oppose and physically stop, when necessary, activities destructive to the living Earth.
Recent articles in the mainstream corporate press have focused attention on fires and property destruction at facilities related to genetic modification, urban sprawl and animal experimentation. CBS has publicly identified the Earth Liberation Front or ELF as a "group" that has claimed responsibility for these acts, and stated that the FBI is attempting to infiltrate the ELF "and other ecoterrorist groups."
CBS, along with the mainstream press, the security industry and polite society in general, fail to recognize that such groups as ELF, Animal Liberation Front, Live Wild or Die, and the original Earth First! are not "groups" in the sense of a recognized gathering of members with officers, leaders or even facilitators. We don't meet in boardrooms or high rise office buildings and plot "the overthrow of the United States government by force and violence." We don't have four color newsletters, Java-scripted web pages, membership cards, fund-raising campaigns, boards of directors or free gummed, self-return labels with pictures of cute animals in living color.
The label "ecoterrorist group" fits rather loosely on this dispersed cadre of dedicated environmental and biodiversity activists who eschew public recognition for their acts of opposition, depending instead on the act itself to spread political and environmental awareness. Although "spokesmen" have stepped forward, electronically at least, to claim responsibility for these physical acts of opposition, none can claim status as representatives for any universal "group" that guides the actions of adherents around the world.
The unavoidable response by the world security industry is to attempt to locate and neutralize the "leaders" of any opposition to the economic and political status quo. As we've seen repeatedly at protest gatherings in opposition to globalization and the world-wide sellout to corporate hegemony, the immediate response by the constabulary is "round up the usual suspects" and incarcerate them, at least until the fun and games are over. Although the intent is to remove the "leaders" from "planning" the protest activities, the centralized, authoritarian, hierarchical security establishment has yet to understand that there are no leaders; planning is by consensus and grass-roots organization. The people they have captured are merely the most publicly visible participants, who ironically serve as the most effective martyrs and "poster children" for the opposition cause!
In the face of centralized oppression, a decentralized, non-hierarchical opposition is the most effective response. This simple strategy was recognized well by Ghandi, Che and other pioneers of guerilla opposition to oppressive central regimes. In our modern age of centrally organized, militarized police forces, operating at the beck and call of trans-national corporate interests, our only hope of an effective counterforce is through widely dispersed individuals operating under an overarching banner, such as that provided by ELF, Earth First! and others. Even the traditional "cell" organization of guerilla opposition is subject to infiltration by the constabulary. What is necessary now is a truly anarchic organization, with no leaders, no followers and no organizational structure.
While Earth First! groups, clubs and RRR gatherings may be fun, they necessarily draw attention to our unswerving opposition to the dominant paradigm, serving as a convenient fishing hole for would-be FBI informants, industry sycophants and government toadies. The popularity of such gatherings has driven many of us from the fold, preferring instead to conduct our creative field services beyond the light of public scrutiny, in the cool enveloping darkness of remote locations and stealthy maneuverings. We can use this to our advantage. While we put on the lively show, block the roads and timber sales, dance and frolic on the capital steps, meet in colorful neo-hippie celebrations, make bold speeches in highly visible gatherings, we distract attention from those who eschew public recognition, who prefer to work in anonymity, who treasure the unstructured, unfettered life of the solitary activist, who carry the banner and the ideal of Earth First! in their heart but not on their sleeve.
In effect, Earth First! has two activist arms. The public, propaganda arm consists of highly visible, politically pointed protests, guerilla theatre, road and equipment lock-downs, banner hangings and other assorted public protestations against corporate excess. The actions of this group serve to educate the public, bring attention and additional resources to the cause, and thrust a well-placed middle finger in the face of the established authority. These activities are often designed to create a respite for beleaguered and threatened ecosystems, giving those who work within the existing system increased opportunities to craft and implement legal impediments to corporate hegemony.
At the same time, a dispersed minority of EF! followers prefers the muted clink of bolt cutters in the night air, the slow drip of vital fluids on cooling desert sands, the solid thunk of a well placed spike, the cheery glow of blazing billboards against the night sky. This pleasant evening's activity harkens back to the mythic origins of Earth First! and the Ecowarrior tradition. Ned Ludd is our patron saint, reminding us that it is not people we oppose, but social institutions that oppress human individuals and bring about widespread destruction of the wild. As ecowarriors, we have an obligation to ourselves and to our fellow activists.
Doc Sarvis explained the guiding principles of ecotage to Hayduke in Ed Abbey's "Hayduke Lives" as the Code of the Ecowarrior:
- No one gets hurt
- Don't get caught
- If you do get caught, you're on your own.
- The eco-warrior forms no network, creates no club or party or organization of any kind.
- The eco-warrior works without recognition or reward.
- Keep fit
- The eco-warrior does not fight people, he fights an institution, the Planetary Empire of Growth and Greed
In our activist lives, we choose our strategies, our tactics, our field of battle. We cannot afford to discard any of our tools; we cannot ignore any effective tactics. We must make use of all resources available to oppose the corporate growth maniacs, who want only one thing in this world: EVERYTHING!
East Mesa
Rio Grande Valley
"Let our practice form our doctrine, thus assuring precise theoretical coherence."
Doc Sarvis, in Monkeywrench Gang, by Edward Abbey
