CLEAR ALERT: CLEAR denied access to "eco-terrorism" conference

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CLEAR has been denied TWICE in attempting to register to attend "Stopping Eco-Extremism: A Conference On Legislative, Legal And Communications Strategies To Protect Free Enterprise" (to be held in Washington, DC March 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Reserve Officer's Association, One Constitution Avenue NE, fifth floor). The conference is co-sponsored by free-market think tank Competitive Enterprise Institute and the "crisis management" firm of Nichols-Dezenhall.

The event is advertised in a February 25 press release posted on CEI's website, (http://www.cei.org/gencon/003,02409.cfm) containing a line clearly reading "you are invited...." We thought that meant us, the web reading public!

But despite the public nature of the invitation, CLEAR was informed by e-mail shortly after registering for the event last week that the event is not open to the public and attendance is by invitation only. There was, however, no mention of the event being closed to the public in the public, online invitation.

We can't help but take this personally. Do we have b.o.? Maybe they don't like our hair or we listen to the wrong music...

Not to be cowed, CLEAR today called CEI, and was told that the conference WAS open to the public by the person who answered the phone. We again registered to attend, and once again received an e-mail response that the event is not open to the public, and no one at CEI remembers telling us it is.

For the record, CLEAR staff have never disrupted a backlash event or hearing we have attended (just ask Ron Arnold or Chuck Cushman), nor do any of us have a criminal record. Heck, we've never even been in a fist fight. We can only imagine that the security risk comes from us exposing the true nature of their specious campaign.

The keynote speakers are the new darlings of the anti-ecoterror squad, Rep. Scott McInnis and Nick Nichols of Nichols-Dezenhall. There will be a "a panel discussion [to] follow, featuring a counter-terrorism expert, an eco-terrorism victim, and a CEI environmental policy expert."

While we don't have a beef with people objecting to property destruction undertaken in the name of environmentalism, CLEAR wants to keep an eye on statements (such as the following) that lump completely legal consumer protection campaigns and lawsuits to enforce environmental protections with things like arson under the umbrella of "eco-terrorism" or "radical environmentalism" (often used interchangeably these days). This smacks of political and financial opportunism and does nothing to advance a free and open debate over environmental policy.

"Radical environmentalists have been active for decades. But now, a far more dangerous threat has emerged: eco-terrorism. Media-savvy attack groups have turned public opinion against technology and have cost businesses billions of dollars in lost sales, excessive regulatory compliance costs and baseless lawsuits. They have intimidated researchers and destroyed laboratories, businesses and private property using any means possible - including arson, burglary, assault and vandalism."

Are we to think these corporate PR experts aren't mixing their definitions for a reason? This is a campaign against all citizens and activists who speak and act against corporate wrongdoing and insist that the laws established through the democratic process are enforced as intended.

To add further to our concern, Nick Nichols wrote a column for the online magazine, Tech Central Station last week in which he stated, "Like many foreign-based terrorist groups, many eco- and animal rights terrorist groups receive encouragement, support and funding from groups that are perceived to be legitimate charities. In the United States, charitable organizations classified as 501 (c)(3) groups under the tax code benefit from taxpayer subsidies, government grants and foundation philanthropy. This classification can bring enormous financial benefit to extremist groups." (http://www.techcentralstation.com/1051/envirowrapper.jsp?PID=1051-450&CID=1051-022802C)

As far as we know, there is very little (if any) evidence to support such an allegation, unless you start defining support for the global warming treaty as a form of "eco-terrorism."

Forgive us if we choose not to take such reckless statements with a grain of salt....

We encourage all interested parties to register for the conference and join CLEAR in our attempt to attend. We promise that we will protect our unvarnished record and that no fisticuffs will break out.

Contact CEI's Corinne Simon at (202) 296-0263 or Nichols- Dezenhall at (202) 331-1010 to register. The deadline is TODAY, March 4.

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ABOUT CLEAR

CLEAR provides grassroots and national environmental advocates and organizations with information about the vital importance of fair and effective environmental policies in protecting human health, natural resources, communities and private property. Through publications, research, and facts, CLEAR helps concerned citizens understand and counter misinformation about environmental policy and science and the impacts of environmental law on the economy and private property.

Publisher: Dan Barry (daniel.barry@mindspring.com)

Editor: Emily Headen (eheaden@earthlink.net)

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