Letters to the Editor

[December 10th, 2003] LAP-DOG JOURNALISM

Picking up a copy of the WW has always been one of my small pleasures when passing through Portland, till recently. Carlton Smith's story ["Grooming an ELF," Nov. 26, 2003] has developed a low real point for the WW in my eyes. It left me wondering, "Is this an example of a new form of Domestic Embedded-Reporting for the Team Bush/Ashcroft war on terrorism?" Marginalize them and whatever political view they may have, and if this is not enough, paint them in a light that will make their friends wonder where their allegiances really are.

There were a lot of telling details to this story that were never printed. Like why did Tre Arrow fall from that tree? Because the police practically pulled him out of it with their harassment. Why did Jake Sherman allow himself to be painted as a very impressionable follower of Tre? Because he, like every other living and breathing person on earth, saw it as a way to reduce his sentence by decades. Why did the police miss their chance to apprehend Tre numerous times when they could have? Most likely because either they did not have their shit together or because, like in the case of the Sept. 11 hijackers, they were being too guarded of their info to share it with any other agencies. And lastly, how did Jake's dad know to implicate his own son? I don't know--that is the question for a real investigator reporter to tell us, and not just a Lap-Dog Journalist for Ashcroft.

Mike Pelly
Olympia, Wash.

THE T WORD

In his article subtitled "How Tre Arrow turned Jake Sherman into an 'eco-terrorist'" ["Grooming an ELF," WW, Nov. 26], Carlton Smith writes, "It would be too much of a stretch to compare Jake Sherman to the Islamic militants who fell under the influence of Osama bin Laden," and then proceeds to do exactly that. And at no point anywhere in the article does one find the word which actually names the crime at issue: vandalism. While reasonable people may argue at length about the merits of "direct action" and the strengths and weaknesses of our current system of government, there is no good served by fueling the blurring of the definition of what constitutes terrorism.

What sets terrorism apart from all other forms of conflict is its intentional targeting of noncombatants in order to influence a political balance of power by intimidating a general populace. There are many very ugly crimes, deserving of society's highest condemnations, which are not mislabeled as terrorism. How then have we become so willing to accept the characterization of vandalism as terrorism? Vandalism is the destruction or damage of property, sometimes with a political motive. To call it anything else is an attempt to change the rules based upon politics.

Throw a brick through a McDonald's window because you're drunk or angry at your girlfriend, and you may spend the night in jail and pay a fine. Throw a brick through a McDonald's window because you oppose the corporation's activities, and you may spend several years in prison. Jake Sherman and company did not harm life or limb. They did not strike at random. They committed an act of vandalism against a company engaged in politically charged actions. A reflection of that simple fact somewhere in this article would have been responsible journalism.

Chris Lynch
Northwest Johnson Street

SHAKING THE TRE

Thank you for an interesting cover story on the relationship between Jake Sherman and Tre Arrow ["Grooming an ELF," Nov. 26, 2003]. I do think the story, however, suggests numerous things that just are not true.

First is the suggestion that I am not sure whether Tre was a government agent provocateur. I never, ever, gave any support to Mr. Smith's theory that Tre Arrow worked for the government, and told Mr. Smith that I did not believe Tre worked for the government. Tre Arrow is without a doubt the most consistent person you will ever meet, and is not capable of a federal agent's duplicity. In fact, until Mr. Smith suggested it, the possibility of Tre Arrow working with the government never occurred to me or, as far as I know, anyone else.

What I did say, and I will keep saying, is that those who seek change must be vigilant to protect ourselves from agents provocateur, and must always be wary.

Second, I remind WW readers that your arguments (Tre approached Jake like a sexual predator, veganism is a cult tool, etc.) were forwarded by Jake Sherman in a plea to Judge Redden for a lower sentence. Judge Redden dismissed the arguments, as evidenced by his refusal to lower Jake's sentence.

Third, three people have been found guilty in the Schoppert Logging fire. Tre Arrow has not, and should not, be treated as if he were one of them.

Stu Sugarman, Attorney
Southeast Belmont Street

Editor's Note: Stu Sugarman has represented both Tre Arrow and Jake Sherman.

Carlton Smith responds: I'm shocked, shocked at the vitriol. Finding scapegoats and twisted explanations for inconvenient facts used to be the province of the nutty right, the sort of people who complained that Martin Luther King was a secret communist agent. But facts are stubborn things, as John Adams once averred, and as the Great Communicator, R.W. Reagan, once misquoted.

Fact: Firebombing private property is against the law, and a repudiation of the principles of democracy--something that those who "monkey wrench" conveniently dismiss when they eschew comparisons of the anti-liberty forces of Osama bin Laden. They say they haven't killed anyone. I say they haven't killed anyone--yet. Certainly they have thrown out the social contract while claiming a superior morality, just as have bin Laden and his minions. It isn't simply vandalism; it's an attempt to intimidate and coerce, which is exactly why the law prescribed such draconian sentences.

Fact: Tre Arrow fell out of the tree in Clatsop County not because the authorities were using nasty tactics to get him down (though they were), but because he fell asleep after 48 hours of refusing to descend. Blaming the authorities for Arrow's miscalculation is the same as blaming the police when a bank robber trips and breaks his leg while running out of the vault.

Fact: Just because a minority chooses to anthropomorphize the forests doesn't give that same minority the right to impose its values on those who don't share its views, and that's exactly what the firebombing attempted to accomplish.

Fact: The description of Jake Sherman's background came from letters filed with the court in connection with his sentencing--the words were not mine. Criticism for reporting these characterizations is an attempt to murder the messenger.

Fact: The Federal Bureau of Investigation resolutely refused to account for its actions with regard to Tre Arrow, including their supposed efforts to locate him since the indictment more than a year ago. Far from being a "lap dog" of the FBI, I criticized that federal agency and even suggested a possibly nefarious reason for their seeming inability to put him into custody.

Fact: Tre Arrow ran out on his companions, rather than stand with them to take the consequences of his alleged acts. So much for loyalty and principle.

In response to Stu Sugarman, it should be noted that Judge Redden did in fact accept a markedly lower recommended sentence for Jake and the others. And it is true that I raised the issue with several lawyers of whether Tre Arrow was a government agent. Sugarman and Sam Kauffman both acknowledge the possibility of double agentry. I hope Sugarman is not suggesting that the other three offered up Tre Arrow's name as a co-conspirator in order to somehow please the FBI; that is far too conspiratorial, even for my taste.