Non-Profit Terrorists?

A conservative think tank has given testimony to the Senate alleging that both PETA and the American Humane Society have been providing material aid to the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Earth Liberation Front (ELF). The evidence given against the Humane Society seems pretty sketchy; they apparently hosted a website that sometimes posted communiqués from the ALF. The charges against PETA are a bit more serious, and involve providing defense funds for an ALF arsonist as well as direct donations to the ELF. These charges are far from new; last year Penn and Teller devoted an episode of their cable TV show “Bullsh*t” to PETA’s scary activities, including their financial support of the ALF. It is interesting to note that if the ALF and ELF were ever to be placed on the U.S. government’s official terrorist group list (as some would like), it would become illegal to donate money to or in any other way support these groups. Such a step has never been taken in recent times, and its effects on political discourse in this country would be tremendous.