5 Radical Green Actions That Could Get You Arrested and 5 Alternatives That Won't

The other day, one of the regulars (a.k.a. "Expendables") at my blog wrote this in response to my recent Copenhagen Clampdown post:

"Expressing alarm at an alarming situation is called militancy. Leaving your house to do so is called terrorism."

If we kept such a scorecard, we'd learn that vivisection, mountaintop mining, ocean floor trawling, and spraying pesticides qualify as "business." But if you even talk about, say, sabotaging the machine that sprays those pesticides, well...you run the risk of being rewarded with an orange jumpsuit and a one-way ticket for an all-inclusive vacation at Guantanamo Bay.

WATCH VIDEO: The Beginning of Ecoterrorism

Every time I give a public talk, I open by telling the audience: "Tonight's event has not been approved by the Department of Homeland Security. Therefore, you are listening at your own risk." The crowd never fails to let out a nervous laugh. Here in the land of the free, you see, we don't like to talk to much about freedom (or lack thereof).

All this, by design, makes it difficult to do more than march, sign petitions, and hold candlelight vigils. Meanwhile, any group thinking outside this repressive box is conveniently labeled "terrorist."

Since the corporate media rarely gives voice to American dissidents, here's a reply from the Animal Liberation Front (ALF):

"One of the fundamental guidelines of the extreme activists is that great care must be taken not to inflict harm in carrying out the acts. This has been borne out in practice. On the very rare occasions when harm has occurred, the mainstream AR groups have condemned the acts. In some cases, the authors of the acts have been suspected to be those allied against the AR movement; their motives would not require deep thought to decipher."

If you're a regular at Planet Green, it probably means you've come to recognize the crisis state in which our eco-system exists. The question remains: What are we gonna do about it?

In the words of Emma Goldman: "No great idea in its beginning can ever be within the law."

5 Radical Actions That Could Get You Arrested and 5 That Won't

1. Removing Dams May Get You Arrested

"Every morning when I awake I ask myself whether I should write or blow up a dam," says Derrick Jensen. "I tell myself I should keep writing, though I'm not sure that's right. I've written books and done activism, but it is neither a lack of words nor activism that is killing salmon here in the Northwest. It's the dams. Anyone who knows anything about salmon knows the dams must go. Anyone who knows anything about politics knows the dams will stay."

An Alternative: Organizing to Have Dams Removed Probably Won't

The Dam/Age that result from dams is well documented. Get involved with the growing international anti-dam movement and experience the joy of bringing down a dam.

2. Animal Liberation May Get You Arrested

It's enough to spawn another Alanis Morissette song: Animals are kept captive. Humans free those animals. If those humans are caught, they are, in turn, kept captive

An Alternative: Choosing Cruelty-Free Products Probably Won't

What if we banded together in huge numbers and pledged to never, ever buy a product that was tested on animals? You can start by compiling a list of cruelty-free products.

3. Tree Spiking and Tree Sitting May Get You Arrested

If you were to hammer a piece of hard material (or "spike") into a tree, it wouldn't damage the tree. However, if a logger attempted to cut down that tree, the spike would break or shatter the saw blade. Since 1988, tree spiking is a federal felony in the U.S. Tree sitting, on the other hand, involves one or more activists sitting high up in trees—also to prevent logging—and is generally considered illegal on grounds of trespassing.

An Alternative: Other Forms of Tree Defense Probably Won't

While it may not appear radical, opting out of the meat-based diet is a huge step toward protecting trees. The U.S. imports 2 hundred million pounds of beef annually from Central America and the cattle industry accounts for 60 to 70% of deforestation. Eating like a radical is a good start.

4. Taking Down Cell Phone Towers May Get You Arrested

Cell phone towers symbolically represent the worst of modern civilization. They also despoil nature areas, emit electro-magnetic radiation, and kill birds. In 2008, Eric McDavid was convicted of plotting to attack cell phone towers and received a sentence of 20 years.

An Alternative: Giving Up Your Cell Phone Probably Won't

This will not only reduce the need for cell phone towers, it will likely save you money, improve your quality of life, and give the planet one less loud cell phone conversation. When was it decided that we were so important that we could never be out of reach?

5. Arson-Related Property Damage May Get You Arrested

When the FBI arrested several members (sic) of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) in early 2006, the mainstream media reacted predictably. For example, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer stated that the ELF's alleged actions challenged "society's ability to conduct itself peacefully" and demonstrated "arrogant, vicious thinking." One can only wonder if the editors at the Post-Intelligencer perceive factory farming as a challenge to "society's ability to conduct itself peacefully" or if offshore drilling demonstrates "arrogant, vicious thinking"?

An Alternative: Boycotts Probably Won't

An abstract form of burning a business to the ground is the boycott. With enough solidarity, organization, and endurance, we can live up to the vision of Arundhati Roy: "The U.S. Economy is strung out across the globe. It's economic outposts are exposed and vulnerable. Our strategy must be to isolate Empire's working parts and disable them one by one. No target is too small. No victory too insignificant."

"Another world is on her way"

Laws are defined by humans. They are not the result of some preordained theology and can be changed. Humans were once kept as slaves. Women were not allowed to vote. We can embrace a darker shade of green and industrial culture can be dismantled. To borrow again from Arundhati Roy: "Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."