STORM2K

SAN DIEGO (Aug. 2) - Officials suspect radical environmentalists set a fire that swept through an unoccupied five-story apartment complex, causing more than $20 million in damage.

A banner reading ``If you build it, we will burn it,'' with the initials ``ELF,'' was found Friday next to the burning building still under construction in the upscale University Town Centre residential neighborhood. No injuries were reported.

The initials may correspond to the Earth Liberation Front, a loose-knit group that describes itself as ``an international underground organization that uses direct action in the form of economic sabotage to stop the destruction of the natural environment.''

Members of ELF have claimed responsibility for dozens of fires and other acts since 1997, causing $50 million in damages to luxury homes, ski lodges and sport utility vehicles. There was no immediate claim of responsibility posted on the group's Web site.

The group, which only communicates with the press by e-mail, issued a brief and vague statement in response to media inquiries:

``The ELF press office has received no communique for the San Diego fire that took place Aug. 1, 2003, and thus cannot answer any questions as to why this location and city was chosen for the latest ELF action,'' the statement said. ``The banner at the site reading `You build it - we burn it - ELF' is a legitimate claim of responsibility by the Earth Liberation Front.''

San Diego police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and arson experts were investigating.

Capt. Jeff Carle, of the San Diego Fire Department, said three construction workers who were sleeping on the site managed to escape the flames unharmed.

``It could have killed someone,'' said Carle.

Several hundred residents of a building next to the construction site were evacuated as heat from the blaze broke windows and melted plastic blinds in their homes.

The 206-unit complex was part of a larger project approved by the City Council in late 2000 that included a hotel and offices. University Towne Centre is a rapidly growing area of apartment complexes and office buildings east of San Diego's tony La Jolla section.

Carle said if environmentalists were behind the fire, he didn't understand their motivation: More trees would be cut down to rebuild the structure.

They should all be thrown in jail for life. Anyone that sets an arson fire and destroys hard earned property and endangers innocent lives is a terrorist....just as evil and dangerous as those Al Quada idiots. The only difference is the banner they destroy and kill in the name of

the thing is these groups hate humanity.

rainstorm wrote:the thing is these groups hate humanity.

If the enviromental wackos that are setting fires hate humanity so badly, why don't they go hug a "crazed" grizzly bear, get themselves killed, and leave the rest of us the heck alone?

Heck, I'll even give them a slogan:
HATE HUMANITY? DO THE WORLD A FAVOR....GO HUG A GRIZZLY

ELF, it's associated group ALF (Animal Liberation Front) and Earth Fi(Wor)st! are listed as terrorist groups by the Federal Government and thus are subject to the antiterrorism statutes. Both ELF and ALF have been responsible for arson fires in Phoenix and Tucson including a Mickey D's burned down by ALF a couple of years ago. The other enviro groups while professing to abhor their actions are secretly pleased and secretly aid and abet them which is why it's been so difficult to capture these people. Of course, once someone dies in an ELF/ALF/EF action then the death penalty will applied to all who are members of these groups and those who aid them and then maybe we can crush these people once and for all. Perhaps we need some 15-30 million dollar rewards for these people since it's amazing how fast people's principles evaporate for big bucks in their wallets-tax free.

Steve

It's ashame that the actions of groups like these really hurt those groups that support the same causes LEGALLY and non-violently. I agree, they should be hunted down as well and thrown in jail.

I'm not sure about other states, but in Georgia if a firefighter dies in the line of duty of fighting an arson fire...even if he dies of a heart attack -- whoever set the fire is charged with homicide.

There's a guy serving a life without parole sentence in Georgia tonight because he set his ex-wife's mobile home on fire, and a veteran firefighter collapsed and died of a coronary while fighting the blaze.

Another man is awaiting execution on Georgia's death row because a volunteer firefighter in NE Georgia was killed several years ago fighting an arson church fire the death row inmate set.

If it's not already the law in all 50 states, it should be. My cousin Britt is a veteran Douglas County FD Lieutenant...he puts his life on the line every time Engine 10 leaves the station...he deserves to be protected from fools, sadists, and terrorists setting fires for kicks, revenge, monetary gain, or some stupid cause they represent....and YES, I said stupid.

Any cause that risks the lives of innocent citizens and brave firefighters is stupid.

JetMaxx wrote:

rainstorm wrote:the thing is these groups hate humanity.

If the enviromental wackos that are setting fires hate humanity so badly, why don't they go hug a "crazed" grizzly bear, get themselves killed, and leave the rest of us the heck alone?

Heck, I'll even give them a slogan:
HATE HUMANITY? DO THE WORLD A FAVOR....GO HUG A GRIZZLY

some black widow spiders!!

I do not get this... why would they burn buildings and what cause or purpose is it serving to burn them. Makes no sense to me.

Lindaloo wrote:I do not get this... why would they burn buildings and what cause or purpose is it serving to burn them. Makes no sense to me.

I think it's mainly to instill fear so as to discourage people from developing in ecologically sensitive areas.

Yes, but in whose terms is any given area "eco-sensitive", Steph?

There are some eco-nuts who see the entire Mississippi Delta from New Orleans to Cape Girardeau, MO as a potential "wetland preserve"; plans for depopulating the Delta (along with the Ozarks, BTW) were floated in the first year of the Clinton Administration.

I saw them in the local papers, which if implemented would have forced 50 million people to leave for "designated resettlement" cities such as Minneapolis, or some "new, eco-friendly pod cities" to be built later (?).

Due to public outcry, this grand scheme didn't get off the table...what bothers me is that those nutcases are still "out there".

Well then they are no better than the KKK or any other initialed terrorist!!! I did not know they even existed until this thread was started.

I have a suggestion. If you don't want a property developed, then buy it and don't develop it. Simple as that.

The eco terrorists remind me of a kid that dumps the monopoly board when he loses.

Don't get me started on these enviro freaks.......you know my feelings and I'll leave it at that!

Dennis

streetsoldier wrote:Yes, but in whose terms is any given area "eco-sensitive", Steph?

I know Bill. I thought of that as I was posting. More than likely with these groups it what THEY THINK ARE ecologically sensitive and noone is going to tell them any different.

Ed - the one thing I always thought I wanted to do if I won the lottery was what you had just suggested. There's alot of land out here in south Jersey that's been up for sale - farms and woods that I would just love to purchase and protect. That is a great endeavor for these groups to follow, but it does take alot of $$$ to purchase sizeable pieces of property. However, I believe that the eco-terrorists are not necessarily interested in doing things legally and in a civilized manner.

Preserving our environment is a good thing, there's no doubt there. But there are legal ways to go about this like Stephanie said. Unfortunately for environmentalists, there are groups of ignorant people that act criminally and decide to hide behind a cloak of saving the environment.

What really gets me is how people are so hard on (law-abiding) environmentalists. The reason they do what they do is because they want to preserve the resources we have left for our children and our children's children. But that's just my opinion.

mrschad wrote:Preserving our environment is a good thing, there's no doubt there. But there are legal ways to go about this like Stephanie said. Unfortunately for environmentalists, there are groups of ignorant people that act criminally and decide to hide behind a cloak of saving the environment.

What really gets me is how people are so hard on (law-abiding) environmentalists. The reason they do what they do is because they want to preserve the resources we have left for our children and our children's children. But that's just my opinion.

There's nothing wrong with lawful and peaceful expression of views, and the peaceful groups get bad press, and that's not just this topic...however, these groups crossed the line setting fires, and should be hunted down, period ...

A good point was made about if they want to preserve the land, then buy it, do it legally ...

SF