EFF finds evidence of FBI Misconduct

Using documents obtained through EFF’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation the report finds:
• *Evidence of delays of 2.5 years, on average, between the occurrence of a violation and its eventual reporting to the Intelligence Oversight Board*
• *Reports of serious misconduct by FBI agents including lying in declarations to courts, using improper evidence to obtain grand jury subpoenas, and accessing password-protected files without a warrant*
• *Indications that the FBI may have committed upwards of 40,000 possible intelligence violations in the 9 years since 9/11*
Click here for more.

Skepticgate: the Latest Climate Cover-Up

Pat Michaels, a prominent climate denier and senior environmental studies fellow at the Cato Institute, testified before Congressman Henry Waxman’s Energy and Commerce Committee in February 2009 that only about 3% of his funding came from the dirty energy industry — but then last August Michaels publicly admitted that he actually gets more like 40% of his funds from Big Oil. Rep. Henry Waxman is now calling for an investigation into whether or not Michaels deliberately misled Congress when he lied about the sources of his funding. click here for more about what is becoming known as Skepticgate.

Environmentalist Murdered in the Philippines

An environmental advocate and broadcast journalist was shot dead in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Monday morning. Dr. Gerry Ortega, a veterinarian, was killed by a gunman in San Pedro Village after finishing his daily radio program on DWAR Palawan. In recent years Ortega was involved in vigilant advocacy campaigns, participating in anti-mining protests and pressing for the Palawan community’s share in the Malampaya natural gas project. click here for more.

More Info Released on UK Snitches

Four deep undercover police infiltrators operating in the UK and Europe between 1995 and 2009 have been exposed. PC Mark Kennedy (AKA “Mark Stone”), an undercover police officer from 2000 to at least the end of 2009 who was based in Nottingham. Officer A, “Lyn Watson” who was undercover in Leeds from 2004 till 2008, Officer B, “Mark (Marco) Jacobs”, who appeared in Brighton in 2004 and then moved to Cardiff in 2005 and was active there till 2009 and PC Jim Boyling, “Jim Sutton” who was based in London between 1995 and 2000. A summary of the activities of the first 3 agent provocateurs has been put together and activists are asked to publish any better photos or information about their political activity click here.

Big Court Case Against Coal Companies Today

Clean water advocates and concerned citizens across the nation will be monitoring a blockbuster Kentucky court case today, which will ultimately determine whether citizens can intervene in a state’s gross mishandling of indisputable acts of contempt and egregious Clean Water Act violations by two coal companies.
Thanks to the extraordinary investigative work of clean water advocates, Kentucky subsidiaries of International Coal Group and Frasure Creek Mining were singled out in an intent to sue notice last October of “over 20,000 incidences of these three companies either exceeding permit pollution limits, failing to submit reports, or falsifying the required monitoring data. These violations could result in fines that may exceed 740 million dollars.” click here for more.

Hatian Farmers Burn 400 Tons of GMO Seeds

“A fabulous Easter gift,” commented Monsanto Director of Development Initiatives Elizabeth Vancil. Nearly 60,000 seed sacks of hybrid corn seeds and other vegetable seeds were donated to post-earthquake Haiti by Monsanto. In observance of World Environment Day, June 4, 2010, roughly 10,000 rural Haitian farmers gathered in Papaye to march seven kilometers to Hinche in celebration of this gift. Upon arrival, these rewarded farmers took their collective Easter baskets of more than 400 tons of vegetable seeds and burned them all.[i] “Long live the native maize seed!” they chanted in unison. “Monsanto’s GMO [genetically modified organism] & hybrid seed violate peasant agriculture!” click here for more.

Rising Tide Responds to False Allegations

An article titled “In the Fight to Make a Better World” recently appeared on several Indymedia websites, including Portland Indymedia. The article began,

“You read indymedia, chances are you know some protesters who are wanted by the police and the FBI. The good news is that now you can receive a big cash reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of crimanals [sic]. It’s easy just a quick call. and if you know more that one person you can get multiple REWARDS up to $2000 for each . for information leading to the arrest of known criminals and subversive group activity.”

The article then listed a wide-ranging and diverse collection of activist groups, movements, and political parties, including Democracy Now!, the Animal Liberation Front, Socialist Labor Party, and “Anarcist [sic] book fair,” among many others. We were very surprised to see our name on this list, right in between Cascadia Rising Ecodefense and Freedom for Animals. The article finishes by providing contact information for various federal agency snitch lines, including the FBI and Homeland Security.

Although the implicit premise of this article is that Olympia Rising Tide (and everyone else mentioned) are wanted by the police and FBI for criminal activity, it is important to note that Shayne O’Neill, the supposed author of this fishing expedition article, never actually accuses us of any criminal activity, nor of being wanted by the police or FBI. Olympia Rising Tide is a legal, aboveground community group. We have never carried out any illegal actions in the fight for a just and sustainable world. Some people do perform underground actions to dismantle oppressive power structures, but those are tactics that Olympia Rising Tide chooses not to use. The police and FBI have no grounds on which to accuse us of any illegal activity – that is why they are looking for people who read Indymedia to provide that non-existent information.

Fishing expeditions (searches for information on groups disliked by the State and Capital but about whom the State has no incriminating information) are a scare tactic used to neutralize groups who are effective at creating change. The police wish to silence us by sowing fear, distrust, and misinformation in our community. We believe we are being targeted because we are vocal, uncompromising, and effective (qualities any social or climate justice group should be proud to claim), not because we have broken any laws.

It is important to remember that nothing good ever comes from talking to the police. If you don’t talk, they won’t have any information. The majority of convictions of activists would not be possible were it not for informants, undercover agents, and snitches. Even if you think you are going to “clear up our name,” it is better to say nothing at all. If questioned by police, remember that the only thing you should say is “I am going to remain silent. I would like to speak with my lawyer.” Without voluntary snitches, the police would be much less effective at neutralizing activist groups. However much reward money you are offered (and do you really think they’ll deliver on that promise?), it is never worth it to betray your friends, comrades, and the movement. And statistically, people who snitch receive sentences that are just as long, if not longer, than those who refuse to talk. If you snitch you’re not “just telling them what they already know,” you’re giving them the tools to fabricate charges where they couldn’t before, and you’re setting back the movement. If you incriminate others, you are also incriminating yourself and making yourself a target of investigation.

This false insinuation that Olympia Rising Tide is comprised of known criminals and is wanted by the police and FBI is part of the larger crackdown on environmental and animal rights activists known as the Green Scare. Activists who carry out non-violent but illegal activities in furtherance of animal or earth liberation are demonized as violent terrorists. This “terrorism” rhetoric is used to prevent people from speaking out in the first place, and justify the criminalization of previously free speech. The government is not going after us for breaking the law, they’re going after us because we’re effective. For more information on the Green Scare, check out http://www.greenisthenewred.com.

Anyone who has information on Shayne O’Neill or the source of the original article is asked to please contact Olympia Rising Tide at olympia@risingtidenorthamerica.org. If you believe you have been harassed because of your political beliefs, affiliations, or perceived political beliefs and affiliations, please contact the National Lawyers Guild’s Green Scare hotline: 1-888-NLG-ECOL.

Olympia Rising Tide will not be scared into passivity, nor will we allow ourselves to be neutralized by unfounded allegations of criminal activity. We will continue to remain vocal, uncompromising, and effective in confronting the root causes of climate change.

Two Industrial Tar Sands Links

The ITD (Idaho Transportation Department) will issue permits to Conoco-Phillips today, January 25th. They are expected to start the first load up wild and scenic route 12 on February 1st, destined for the Canada tar sands. Conoco-Phillips and ITD claim that only one load will be on route 12 at a time. And it will take 3 weeks before the first 2 loads can get to Billings and the trailers can come back to pick up the next 2 loads. click here for more.

TransCanada Corp. is moving forward with a plan to build a 1,700-mile pipeline to carry heavy, high-pollutant oil from the tar sands under the boreal forests of northern Alberta, across the American heartland, through scenic ranchlands in the piney woods of east Texas and on to refineries near Houston and Port Arthur. For many in Texas — who are holding meetings, passing out leaflets and hosting neighborhood talks with, of all people, the Sierra Club — the Keystone XL pipeline is a barrel too far. Right now, the issue is before the State Department. click here for more.

Rising Tide North Texas Appears

“Hey everyone! So excited to be making the first post on our shiny new website. It’s our first spring as an organization here in Denton, and we are hosting our first event of the semester, a screening of the film “Gasland”, on Tuesday, Feb. 1st. This event is taking place at 7:00pm in Wooten Hall, Room 322 – UNT Campus, on the corner of W Highland and Welch Streets, in Denton, TX.” click here for more

Week of Action to Protest Trial of Bidder 70

In December 2008, Tim DeChristopher disrupted an oil and gas auction to allay further climate change. By registering as a bidder, Tim drove up prices on many parcels and eventually won over a million dollars worth of oil leases before federal agents removed him from the room. He faces 10 years in prison. Tim’s trial will be held in downtown Salt Lake City on February 28th, and we are organizing many opportunities for those who wish to defend a livable future to do so on a variety of levels. The Countdown to Uprising Empowerment Summit begins on February 25th and will include interactive workshops, concerts, art, demonstrations, speakers, wild street theater, nonviolent direct action trainings, and more. If you have any more ideas for creative actions, workshops, speakers, street theater or stunts, contact us at climatetrial@peacefuluprising.org and we’ll be in touch.
For those who can’t make it to Salt Lake City, there will also be solidarity actions held across the country. Continue reading below to find out more, or go directly to our Climate Trial Solidarity Map to find an action near you. click here for more.