This Is The ELF --- ELF (Earth Liberation Front) torched a bunch of Hummer dealers in West Covina, Duarte, and Arcadia (all Californian cities). The looseknit group struck three times on August 22, causing plenty o' damage. The group was formed by former Earth First! members, the group patterned after the ALF (Animal Liberation Front, check out Conflict's album, "This Is The ALF") and infamous Monkey Wrench Gang group imagined by novelist Edward Abbey. In Abbey's books, 4 very different people got together and began thwarting the huge developments coming into the wilds of Utah. It was all very idealistic, most actions involving pouring sand in crankcases and yanking up surveyor stakes, but even in the books their actions end up carrying a heavy burden. Some people took up the rallying cry of the Monkey Wrench Gang and decided the only way to stop politicians and real estate firms from raping the land is to wreak economic damage on these enemies of the earth. Heated debate has ensued concerning ELF, Earth First!, their motives and their actions. Remember that eco-sabotage is illegal. Although Proudhon said "Property is theft," torching someone else's property will piss them off and land you in the clink. The last thing we want is for any Culture Bunker compesinos to wind up in the pokey. The FBI has labelled ELF and other similar groups as terrorists, lumping a bunch of non-violent tree-huggers in with soulless Al Quaeda scum. Then again, our country has never been able to think in the abstract. Too bad the Man doesn't take political protest and activism, alternate viewpoints, and legitimate, non-violent protest seriously too, because then maybe a bunch of angry college students wouldn't have to go around burning down luxury gaz-guzzling vehicle dealers.

Here's a secret for the FBI: the ELF does not exist. It's basically one guy who created a name, a website, and some guidelines for what he considered legitimate actions. There is no central command or hierarchy and no orders are issued. It's like the guy who created the World Church Of The Creator in his garage and claimed to have 100,000 members, but in reality had about 5. When the media latched onto WCOTC, he really did start getting some members! Until then, it was just some wackjob's fantasy. I think the FBI goes after people and charges them with ELF activity because it makes terrorist claims easier to stick. Instead of some disgruntled woodsman pulling up surveyor stakes, it's now a "cell" in a global terrorist network, gasp! The Culture Bunker urges non-violent, direct action and political protest - it's what keeps a democracy healthy and a government responsible to its citizens. When you break the law, however, you're on your own, jack.

Shark City, USA --- Another eco-terrorist, a 15 to 17 foot great white shark, has been cruising the waters off of San Diego looking for his next snack. Read about Hungry Hungry Sharko, here. Notice the photo with the giant fin in the background. That fin is probably 200 feet beyond the hapless surfer, so that's a big damn fin!