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An ELF with convictions

Two of them, according to the Seattle Times. The newspaper still has a hard time calling it terrorism though. The article begins with a sympathetic tone too…

TACOMA — A 32-year-old violin teacher from California was found guilty this morning of two counts of arson for the 2001 fire at the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture.

A federal jury found that Briana Waters, a former Olympia resident, was among a group of ecosaboteurs who torched the center in the predawn hours of May 21, 2001, causing about $1.5 million in damage. The center was later rebuilt at a cost of about $7 million.

Waters faces at least five years in prison for each count of arson.

So let's get this straight. It's important for us to know that the felonious ELF was a violin teacher. Also, it's not terrorism, it's ecosabotage.

This is all because a few ELFs (shouldn't that be elves?) made a mistake about what a UW researcher was doing. Apparently, committing arson, to burn down a research laboratory is justified if you only think that the researchers are genetically engineering trees. It's environmentally friendly after all to burn down a research lab to prevent something that nature does all the time anyway (the co-mingling of genes from plant species happens all the time thanks to bacterial plasmids).

The Earth Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the fire because it believed, mistakenly, that a UW researcher was genetically engineering trees.

Meanwhile, as jurors were getting confused about whether there was a consipracy involved, and whether or not the arson used an "explosive device" (the firebomb that was used to set the fires) in a "violent crime" (since when is arson not violence?), other ELFs were claiming responsibility for more arsons.

On Monday, the jurors' first full day of deliberations, arsonists destroyed three multimillion-dollar homes in Snohomish County and damaged a fourth in what federal officials are investigating as crimes that may be linked to the Earth Liberation Front.

Something has to be done about the terrorists from Rivendell!

The trial was the first to result from a lengthy federal investigation into a series of high-profile arsons at a ski resort, wild-horse corral, a slaughterhouse, timber-company offices, the UW and other targets. The militants who carried out these actions claimed credit on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front.

Eighteen people were eventually indicted on charges involving one or more of attacks, as well as what federal prosecutors claim was a broader conspiracy in attacks that caused tens of millions of dollars.

Twelve of those indicted opted to strike plea deals, with sentences ranging from probation to 13 years in prison. Four others fled and a fifth — Bill Rodgers, an alleged ringleader — committed suicide after being taken into custody.

And yet the jury couldn't agree that a conspiracy was going on?

Bruce Bare, dean of the UW's College of Forest Resources, said he was pleased with the verdict.

"Somebody was held accountable. It will never cover the emotional anguish that some of our folks suffered," Bare said. "It impacted a lot of students because of the research that was lost. It effected faculty and staff even to this day."

So the violin teacher is looking at ten years in prison instead of forty. Maybe while she's in jail I should go visit so she can teach me to play a microscopic violin in sympathy for her. At least there's small justice for the victims of ecoterrorism. Even so, the war on Rivendell continues. I hope they catch the ELFs that burned down the street of dreams.

At least "officials" still know terrorism when it happens, even if the Seattle Times doesn't…