November 21, 2007
Whiny eco-terrorists
In 2001, a group of eco-vigilantes committed serious acts of arson (the picture there is particularly gripping) against various logging operations in the Pacific Northwest.
To read the support site of convicted felon Danial McGowan, you'd think he was a completely innocent victim in all of this. I mean, seriously: he was arrested by federal agents and while in custody, was not allowed to talk to his wife for two whole weeks. He eventually pleaded guilty to some of the charges against him (arson, conspiracy, destruction of property, etc.), and started serving a seven-year sentence in July. The outrage on the site is just unbelievable. McGowan received exactly the same treatment that any arsonist would. He has not been mistreated at all.
Burning down buildings is a crime, and even proponents of civil disobedience believe that you have to be willing to go to jail if you break the law, no matter how unjust the law may be. But the site and his supporters don't seem nearly as concerned about the fact he helped destroy several million dollars in property, or that there are laws that make that kind of thing illegal. No, they're concerned that he was treated like any other arsonist, because clearly, having political reasons for doing what you're doing makes you special.
