Decentralized opposition

Recent articles by CBS News and other mainstream press have focused
attention on fires and property destruction at facilities related to genetic
modification, urban sprawl and animal experimentation. CBS 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 ELF, along with Animal Liberation
Front, Live Wild or Die, and the core cadre of Earth First!, are not
"groups" in the sense of a recognized gathering of members with officers,
leaders or even facilitators. They don't meet in board rooms or high rise
office buildings and plot "the overthrow of the United States government by
force and violence." They 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
of representative 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 to
oppose 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, and 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, 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 rgimes. 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.

"Let our practice form our doctrine, thus assuring precise theoretical
coherence."

Doc Sarvis, in "Monkeywrench Gang," by Edward Abbey

Michael A. Lewis

East Mesa

Rio Grande valley