Day: December 27, 2002

Michael James Scarpitti aka Tre Arrow Added to FBI's Most Wanted List

The FBI has added Michael James Scarpitti, aka Tre Arrow, to its December Most Wanted List. Scarpitti is wanted in connection with a series of Earth Liberation Front arsons in Oregon. In its press release announcing Scarpitti’s addition to the list, the FBI said,

Michael James Scarpitti, also known as Tre Arrow, is wanted for his alleged involvement in the deliberate setting of a fire at a sand and gravel company in Portland, Oregon, on April 15, 2001. As a result of the arson, three concrete mixing trucks were damaged by incendiary devices and the damage was estimated to be more than $200,000. Scarpitti was indicted by a federal grand jury in Oregon and charged with four felonies for this crime on October 18, 2002.

Scarpitti is also wanted for his alleged involvement in an arson which occurred at a logging company in Eagle Creek, Oregon, on June 1, 2001. The remains of four incendiary devices were found at the scene along with four unexploded devices. As a result of this incident, two logging trucks and a front loader were damaged. Scarpitti was indicted for this crime by a federal grand jury in Oregon on August 13, 2002.

Scarpitti is a longtime environmental activist with an extensive history of involvement in anti-logging tree sits and other related protests. He is known to be affiliated with the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), which is a loosely organized movement whose stated objective is to stop the destruction of the natural environment and the exploitation of the earth’s natural resources through whatever means are necessary. Law enforcement authorities consider the ELF to be a domestic terrorism group.

There is a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Scarpitti. Anyone with information about Scarpitti’s whereabouts should contact their local FBI office.

Source:

Michael James Scarpitti: Wanted By The FBI. Federal Bureau of Investigations, Press Release, December 2002.

Emma and Dusty

Last summer, my daughter began begging us for a cat of her own. So we assigned her to taking care of our existing cats. After she proved she could feed and water the cat, my wife did a little Internet searching and found a woman near us who was giving away kittens.

Dusty, as my daughter named her, as become part of the family, and continues to captivate my daughter’s attention with her antics,

The Birthday Party

My daughter, Emma turned 6 this month.

Earlier in December we had a party with her and about 25 friends at one of those chain pizza places targeted at young kids.

I think of it like one of those credit card ads. Price per child: $7-$8. Not having 25 children running through my house: Priceless.

That helps keep my wife, Lisa, sane,

Emma seemed to enjoy it,

Of course if you want to see a distressed 6 year old, give her a container of firmly closed ice cream,

My brother, Scott, and his kids were able to make the party. Scott just returned from 6 months in Kuwait,

And a good time was had by all.

Eric Mills Sues First, Establishes Facts Later

Action for Animals activist Eric Mills sued four California school districts, including the Alameda Unified School District, alleging that it was illegal of them to have sent students to October’s Grand National Rodeo at San Francisco’s Cow Palace.

Mills’ lawsuit contends that such field trips violate state laws that prohibit schools from encouraging the inhumane treatment of animals.

Among other problems with his lawsuit, it turns out that the Alameda Unified School District did not send students to the rodeo in question.

Ah, nothing like an animal rights activist making sure he’s got his facts straight before rushing in.

Source:

Rodeo case eyes Island schools that weren’t there. Susan McDonough, Alameda Times, December 20, 2002.

Benjamin Persky Receives Maximum Sentence

Benjamin Persky was sentenced to 2-6 years in prison for his role in an April 2002 protest outside a Marsh Insurance executive’s New York apartment.

Persky plead guilty to two counts of 2nd degree felony criminal mischief and was sentenced two 2-6 year terms to run concurrently.

According to messages posted on animal rights e-mail lists, the judge called Persky a terrorist and told him that if she were able to, she would have sentenced him to serve his terms consecutively.

As it is, good behavior will likely see Persky released at the end of two years.

Source:

Benjamin Persky. SpiritofFreedom.Org.UK, December 27, 2002

Benjamin Persky Sentenced to 2-6years in Prison. Animal Defense League of New Jersey, Press Release, December 27, 2002.

Court Orders Halt to Makah Whale Hunt

In a case likely to end up in the Supreme Court, a three judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals halted a planned Makah whale hunt. The panel ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service had failed to provide an adequate environmental assessment in allowing the whale hunt to go forward.

The Fund for Animals and the Humane Society of the United States had sued the NMFS to overturn a lower court’s ruling allowing the hunt to go forward. Fund for Animals president Michael Markarian told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that he was,

. . . elated that the court has put a stop to this illegal and inhumane whale hunt. This court decision upholds the MMPA, which is a sweeping conservation measure to protect marine mammals in the U.S.

This victory, however, is likely to be short lived. The Makah intend to appeal the decision to the full 9th Circuit Court and to the Supreme Court if necessary.

And they are likely to succeed. There’s a reason the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is overwhelmingly the most overturned circuit court in the nation — because it consistently issues rulings like this that completely ignore its own and the Supreme Court’s established precedents.

As Bob Anderson, professor of law at the University of Washington, told The Post-Intelligencer,

It [the decision] is an unprecedented break with how every other court has analyzed general statutes and treaty rights. It seems flatly wrong on the Indian-law component of the analysis. They are definitely stretching to find federal regulatory authority to limit treaty rights when the Supreme Court has said that you have to find clear evidence that Congress intended to do so.

And, as Anderson points out, Congress made the Makah case for it in 1994 when it amended the Marine Mammal Protection Act to read, among other things, that “nothing in this act . . . alters or is intended to alter any treaty between the U.S. and one or more Indian tribes.”

Only the 9th Circuit Court would infer from that that Congress meant to limit the Makah’s treaty rights.

Sources:

Court stops Makah whale hunt. Paul Shukovsky, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 21, 2002.

Court stops Makah whale hunt. Fund for Animals, Press Release, December 20, 2002.