[This letter was printed in the 3/21/01 issue of the Collegiate Times at Virginia Tech. Bolded portions were deleted by the CT editors. It was printed in its entirety in the April 2001 issue of the New River Free Press (without the bolding).]

3/16/01

It has been a month and a half since Craig Rosebraugh came to speak about the Earth Liberation Front on the Virginia Tech campus. Despite the predictions of the Southern Appalachian Multiple-Use Council (SAMUC), the Blacksburg Police, and others, nothing has been blown up, burned down, or broken into. So why all the fear-mongering?

In my opinion, it started when a member of the SAMUC (a pro-lumbering group) stood up in the question/answer session after Mr. Rosebraugh's speech and stated "Did you know that within a month of you coming to speak here there will be a terrorist attack?" Mr. Rosebraugh responded, "No, I have never heard that. Where did YOU hear that?" "That's according to the FBI," was the answer. No-one bothered to confirm that statement with the FBI, but the next day, a memo was circulated on campus by the Blacksburg Police, repeating the statement as a cold fact and giving extensive instructions on how to protect your organization against an eco-terrorist attack. In addition to the memos that circulated openly across campus, I and others in my office received email that had been forwarded numerous times with the same information.

Why were these people so afraid of one man's speech that they would spread misinformation and frighten the campus population? When G. Gordon Liddy and Timothy Leary came to speak, there was not a great outcry to watch for students breaking into offices and stealing records or hosting acid parties. There have been other controversial speakers on campus that did not cause such a violent reaction. And as anyone that saw the lecture on the ELF knows, Rosebraugh did not give tips on how to commit terrorist acts. The only mention he made of specific ELF activities was in response to direct questions from the audience. Instead, he gave a long talk on the history of direct action. Larry Hincker, associate vice president for university relations, joined in the debate with his 2/21 letter in the Collegiate Times. He started out reasonably, saying "The coverage by the Collegiate Times and the ensuing public discourse about the Earth Liberation Front is in keeping with the university's role as place for the free and open exchange of ideas," but then added, "The ELF's twisted logic compares its terrorism with actions of the Underground Railroad, 20th-century civil disobedience for civil rights or the Boston Tea party. It must be remembered that people who participated in such movements usually did so in the full view of all to see." (referring to the ELF''s practice of anonymous eco-terrorism acts). Finally, he warns us that we must be accountable for our actions or "spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder." I understand that he believes those historical examples of direct action were for "good" causes, where the ELF's environmental priorities do not merit their extreme actions. But I believe he is wrong that those examples were conducted in the open - the Underground Railroad was a completely clandestine operation, as the operators would have been in great danger if they had been caught. The Boston Tea Party, led by Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and others, disguised themselves as Native Americans when they boarded the ships on the night of Dec. 16, 1773, and threw the tea into the harbor. The sabotage was denounced by Boston's less radical population, and applauded by those more radical. His conclusion is correct, one must be responsible for one's actions, but I disagree with his insinuation that those who attended the lecture were going to do something illegal.

I got the impression that the people circulating rumors believed the local populace is so sheep-like that we would go out and blow something up just from listening to a lecture. I attended the lecture because I like knowing about what is going on in the world. I have gone to see all kinds of speakers, ones I agreed with, ones I decidedly did NOT agree with, and ones I knew nothing about and wanted to be educated about. As the spokesperson from NRV CARE (the group that sponsored Mr. Rosebraugh's visit) said, we're not going to go burn down buildings because we listened to a lecture. I want to challenge my ideas and talk openly about controversial issues. I think it is irresponsible to try to use fear and mis-information to stomp out speech because it is unpopular, particularly in a University setting.

Thanks for your kind attention

Pris Sears