Wednesday, March 25, 2009

There is a War going on and Uncle Sam ain't feelin' it

In the blog world, actions do not speak louder than words. This is because words are everywhere. It's true. People blog with emotional force just for the release they need and the slim possibility that someone is listening. Thankfully, we live in a country where these words can be scrutinized, analyzed, accepted, disproven or simply ignored.

In the real world, actions are everything.

Marie Mason spoke loudly. In fact, she let out a roar that would make a grown Lion scared. In return, the American Government sent thunder, lightning, dark clouds and jail cells her way for 22 years. KABOOOOOOM!

Marie Mason is what we call an environmental activist. Her actions, though, are now essentially defined as terrorism. This is because justifications of actions don't matter to Uncle Sam and really, maybe they shouldn't.

The explosive fire Mason and Ambrose set at Michigan State University on 31 December 1999 caused nearly $1m (£680,000) of damage to buildings and equipment, but no death or injuries. The target was the office of the director of a genetically modified crop research program into moth-resistant food crops for Africa, funded by the US Agency for International Development and the biotechnology company Monsanto.

Professor Daniel Clay, who worked at the institute in 1999 and is now the director, said the attack had a severe impact on the staff. "It really was a shock," he said. "It was a very difficult period for all of us. People were frightened and we asked ourselves how close did this come to physically harming someone."

Along with Mason's ex-husband, the two nearly got away with the crime until evidence as discovered and reported.

Now the question of fairness arises. Is 22 years in jail fair. Nobody was killed but the damages were extensive. Rapists and murderers often get less punishment. How can one distinguish politically charged crimes?

The post 9/11 world is tricky. I'm thinking Uncle Sam does not mind bloggers. It's real confrontations that they will clamp down on.