OPINION/COMMENTARY

Senate Panel To Explore Links Between Domestic Terrorists And Tax-Exempt Animal Rights Groups

As our nation continues to fight the international war on terror, eco-terrorism is steadily gaining prominence within the United States. Homegrown eco-terrorists and animal-rights extremists, including the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), have claimed credit for more than 1,100 terrorist crimes and $110 million in damage. These have included arson, assault, vandalism and other crimes against scores of American companies. The Department of Homeland Security recently added ALF and ELF to its list of terror groups, while the FBI has been forced to pull precious resources away from the hunt for al-Qaeda to fund the crackdown on these groups’ increasingly violent actions. Also alarming are the relationships these domestic terrorist groups have with tax-exempt organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Humane Society of the United States, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine....

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