Washington certainly has not been friendly to the environment. And, because of that, it's easy to understand how many environmentalists have become frustrated during the last several years. There is, after all, a lot to be frustrated about.

Our wetlands are being destroyed at a rapid pace. Our air quality is dismal. And the drinking water continues to be threatened.

While the oil companies and other large corporate supporters in Washington continue to do very well, the earth, our earth, continues to suffer. Remember, Washington still denies that global warming exists.

There is always room in this society for legitimate debate and colloquy. People who are unhappy with government always have the right to petition the government, to write letters to the editor, and to peacefully protest.

That has only been one of the reasons why this country is great. If we are not happy with something, we've always had the right to peacefully try to affect a difference.

But there's a difference between peacefully attempting to make a difference and doing something that amounts to terrorism. Eco terrorism, which is the process of using terroristic means to obtain what some perceive to be pro-environmental victories, still is terrorism.

And all terrorism is wrong. We can not accept terroristic tactics in a free democracy. When foreigners use terror to achieve what they believe to be important goals, we all scream and protest. And we must do so when domestically eco terrorists attempt to accomplish what they believe to be important goals through terror.

The director of the FBI was right when he recently was quoted as saying that "Terrorism is terrorism". He was referring to the indictment of 11 alleged members of several environmental extremist groups.

The indictment alleges that over the past 4 1/2 years, these eleven alleged co-conspirators were responsible for vandalism, violence and destruction throughout the United States. It is alleged that they are responsible for millions of dollars of property damage, including a 1998 fire in Vail Colorado that caused $12 million in damage.

If they are guilty as charged, we must be happy that people like this have been indicted and have to hope that they are convicted. The fact that they may have caused damage to save the environment is of no moment; this is not how civilized persons conduct themselves.

Our right to object and our right to voice opposition is limited to acceptable means of protest. We don't have a right to start fires. We don't have a right to cause substantial property damage. And we cannot break the law in order to support our position.

At the end of the day, the director of the FBI had it exactly right, "Terrorism is terrorism."

The information provided in this column is written by Stuart Lieberman,a practicing environmental attorney, and is for general information purposes only. It is not legal advice and should not be used in place of legal advice.

Stuart Lieberman, Esq., and IRED.Com, Inc., will not accept any responsibilty for any reliance on the information in this column or any damages whatsoever resulting from reading this column.