ELF Strikes Again: The Earth Liberation Front's Latest Act of Terrorism

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In summary: Groupthink) is very elaborate.In summary, a conversation about the Earth Liberation Front's destruction of two radio towers turns into a discussion about groupthink and its potential impact on society. The group expresses anger and frustration towards the ELF and their actions, and questions whether they are an organized group. They also discuss the dangers of groupthink and how it can lead to escalating behavior. The conversation ends with a reference to the Abilene paradox and the ubiquity of group decision-making.
  • #1
lisab
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These guys tick me off to no end!

The Earth Liberation Front knocked down two radio towers used by a local AM radio station. Oh, and why a radio tower? Well, on their http://www.elfpressoffice.org/" [Broken]...

"Due to the health and environmental risks associated with radio waves emitted from the towers, we applaud this act by the ELF," stated Jason Crawford, a spokesperson for the North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office.

Great. Just great. Terrorists driven by junk science.

A few years ago, they torched four houses, each worth over a million dollars (ironically, these homes were open to the public for tours because they used new "green" building methods).

A few years before that they torched the beautiful Horticulture building on the campus of the University of Washington (my alma matter). Years and years of research...gone, due to these yahoos.

I hope the FBI gets these idiots :mad:.
 
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  • #2
How did they topple the radio towers? That would take a very organized effort.
 
  • #3
They used what looked like excavators, judging from the http://www.komonews.com/news/local/57260622.html" [Broken].
 
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  • #4
I often wonder if people like this are actually motivated by that which they claim, or if they would use any convenient excuse.

Thank goodness they only go after AM radio. :biggrin:
 
  • #5
First, I think they should offer a much larger reward.

As for the act of destruction, it would have taken a lot of time to steal the (very expensive) excavator. Logistically, they would need to drive it to the site (very slow and noisy), take down the first tower (very noisy also), then reposition for the second tower and take it down, and finally make their escape.

When they finally are caught (and they will be if they're this brazen) very long sentences (for the group under RICO) and significant damages are in order.
 
  • #6
lisab said:
These guys tick me off to no end!

The Earth Liberation Front knocked down two radio towers used by a local AM radio station. Oh, and why a radio tower? Well, on their http://www.elfpressoffice.org/" [Broken]...



Great. Just great. Terrorists driven by junk science.

A few years ago, they torched four houses, each worth over a million dollars (ironically, these homes were open to the public for tours because they used new "green" building methods).

A few years before that they torched the beautiful Horticulture building on the campus of the University of Washington (my alma matter). Years and years of research...gone, due to these yahoos.

I hope the FBI gets these idiots :mad:.
MORONS.

Oh, did I mention that they are MORONS?

IDIOTS.

Did I mention that they were IDIOTS?
 
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  • #7
Is this ELF an organised group?
That's pretty scary that they are willing to go to that length.
 
  • #8
The behaviour of such a group may look quite foreign but it confirms merely the study results of http://www.abacon.com/commstudies/groups/groupthink.html [Broken]. Irving Janis did a lot of work but his analysis may be a bit too restrictive. It appears that groupthink is everywhere, according to Robert Baron, [URL [Broken] group
decision-making is ubiquitous[/url].

Maybe the phenomenon is indeed much bigger, if we consider the tension between rationality and deeply rooted widespread beliefs in general.

The wiki about groupthink is very elaborate.
 
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  • #9
Andre said:
The behaviour of such a group may look quite foreign but it confirms merely the study results of http://www.abacon.com/commstudies/groups/groupthink.html [Broken]. Irving Janis did a lot of work but his analysis may be a bit too restrictive. It appears that groupthink is everywhere, according to Robert Baron, [URL [Broken] group
decision-making is ubiquitous[/url].

Maybe the phenomenon is indeed much bigger, if we consider the tension between rationality and deeply rooted widespread beliefs in general.

The wiki about groupthink is very elaborate.

The Wiki post makes me wonder if they won't graduate from wrecking radio towers to blowing up populated facilities? They are not peaceful activists, they are domestic terrorists, and should be prosecuted as a group.
 
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  • #10
Winzer said:
Is this ELF an organised group?
Presumably not very - if they don't even believe in AM radio they aren't going to have email or cellphones.
There is only so much organising you can do if your only signalling mechanism is ringing church bells (once if police are coming by land, 2 if by helicopter?)
 
  • #11
WhoWee said:
The Wiki post makes me wonder if they won't graduate from wrecking radio towers to blowing up populated facilities? They are not peaceful activists, they are domestic terrorists, and should be prosecuted as a group.

That's the scary part of the groupthink phenomenon. One can clearly see how things escalate from Janis eight symptoms indicative of groupthink:

1. Illusions of invulnerability creating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking.
2. Rationalising warnings that might challenge the group's assumptions.
3. Unquestioned belief in the morality of the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions.
4. Stereotyping those who are opposed to the group as weak, evil, biased, spiteful, disfigured, impotent, or stupid.
5. Direct pressure to conform placed on any member who questions the group, couched in terms of "disloyalty".
6. Self censorship of ideas that deviate from the apparent group consensus.
7. Illusions of unanimity among group members, silence is viewed as agreement.
8. Mindguards — self-appointed members who shield the group from dissenting information.

Note that item's 6 and 7 are also the base of the Abilene paradox
..in which a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of any of the individuals in the group.

Projecting these indications on other social interactions and politics one might see that groupthink is indeed ubiquitous.
 
  • #12
Andre said:
The behaviour of such a group may look quite foreign but it confirms merely the study results of http://www.abacon.com/commstudies/groups/groupthink.html [Broken]. Irving Janis did a lot of work but his analysis may be a bit too restrictive. It appears that groupthink is everywhere, according to Robert Baron, [URL [Broken] group
decision-making is ubiquitous[/url].

Maybe the phenomenon is indeed much bigger, if we consider the tension between rationality and deeply rooted widespread beliefs in general.

The wiki about groupthink is very elaborate.

How do you know that this all applies to this particular group? Maybe they are all taking drugs and someone thinks God told them to do it. "Groupthink outlines a number of specifics, but we know almost nothing about these people.

For example: Not expressing one's true feelings. How would we know that about any of them?
 
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  • #13
It was a damn sports radio station. Wierd. You would think they would go after conservative talk show stations.
 
  • #14
drankin said:
It was a damn sports radio station. Wierd. You would think they would go after conservative talk show stations.

Now hold on a minute, let's be consistent.

Whatever happened to the concept of every stupid act perpetrated by zealots is motivatedby talk radio? :confused:

By the way, I didn't say "conservative" because it's understood there's really only one type of talk radio - conservative - as nobody cares to listen to liberal whining.:rolleyes:
 
  • #15
WhoWee said:
Now hold on a minute, let's be consistent.

Whatever happened to the concept of every stupid act perpetrated by zealots is motivatedby talk radio? :confused:

By the way, I didn't say "conservative" because it's understood there's really only one type of talk radio - conservative - as nobody cares to listen to liberal whining.:rolleyes:

Like I said, it's wierd. Maybe there are ELF conservatives trying to knock off AM radio competitors? LOL
 
  • #16
mgb_phys said:
Presumably not very - if they don't even believe in AM radio they aren't going to have email or cellphones.
There is only so much organising you can do if your only signalling mechanism is ringing church bells (once if police are coming by land, 2 if by helicopter?)
Don't forget, they could still be communicating with the old string and cans:biggrin:
 
  • #17
lisab said:
These guys tick me off to no end!

...

I hope the FBI gets these idiots :mad:.

I'll second that motion.

Our local ELF, http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2008/08/12/tre-arrow-speaks-true-to-a-higher-power/" [Broken], just got sent to prison.

I can still picture him perched on the ledge of the forestry building with his little plastic milk jug poop container dangling from a rope.

http://www.theglobalreport.org/issues/78/Trey%20Arrow.JPG [Broken]

regarding one of his proteges:

http://wweek.com/editorial/3418/10513/" [Broken]

Family members recounted how Sherman entered Portland State University, met Arrow and radically changed his lifestyle. He became a vegan, and ceased to bathe or wear shoes.

Just the kind of guy you want to sit next to in class. :grumpy:
 
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  • #18
Ivan Seeking said:
How do you know that this all applies to this particular group?

well, observing the website of the group as given by the OP:

lisab said:
Oh, and why a radio tower? Well, on their http://www.elfpressoffice.org/" [Broken]...

This seem to hint to at least some of the symptoms of groupthink as given by Janis (see boldfaces in my second post), that would it make worthwile to inverstigate if the other symtoms are also present.

Maybe they are all taking drugs

It would be interesting to see how drugs could stimulate groups to do excessive things as a group. Also would any of the individuals have done something like that, without hypothetical drugs or without the mutual admiration, support and reassurance of the group? Like 'we-re-all-in-this-together-for-a-better-world.

and someone thinks God told them to do it.

So what else would best describe sociologically, all the supernatural cults with alleged messages of their deity's and demons?
 
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  • #19
WhoWee said:
By the way, I didn't say "conservative" because it's understood there's really only one type of talk radio - conservative - as nobody cares to listen to liberal whining.:rolleyes:
lol. I think the real problem with "left-wing" talk radio was that their message was the same one people were exposed to anyway, from watching TV or reading the paper.

"Right wing" talk radio became popular because it provided a point of view not heard in "mainstream" media.

So both sides had reason to listen to "right wing" radio, but no reason to listen to "left wing" radio. That's a double whammy.
 

What is the Earth Liberation Front (ELF)?

The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is a radical environmental activist group that uses covert and illegal tactics to protest and sabotage industries that they believe are harming the environment. They consider themselves to be an underground movement and have been classified as a domestic terrorist organization by the FBI.

What is "ELF Strikes Again: The Earth Liberation Front's Latest Act of Terrorism" about?

"ELF Strikes Again" is a report on the latest act of terrorism committed by the Earth Liberation Front. It details their tactics, targets, and the potential impact of their actions on society and the environment.

What was the latest act of terrorism committed by the Earth Liberation Front?

The latest act of terrorism committed by the Earth Liberation Front was a series of coordinated attacks on a logging company, a construction site, and a research facility. They used incendiary devices to cause damage and destruction to these targets.

Why does the Earth Liberation Front resort to acts of terrorism?

The Earth Liberation Front believes that traditional forms of protest and activism are not effective in bringing about change. They believe that direct action, even if it involves illegal and violent means, is necessary to protect the environment and send a message to corporations and governments.

What are the potential consequences of the Earth Liberation Front's actions?

The Earth Liberation Front's actions can result in serious damage to property and potentially harm individuals. They also risk facing criminal charges and imprisonment for their illegal activities. Additionally, their actions can cause fear and disrupt the peace and stability of society.

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