Rainforest Action Network under siege
Source: SojoNet 2001 (c)
from SoJo, the web presence of Sojourners magazine
[posted here 7-25-01]
A trio of anti-environmental groups and companies is
launching a multi-tiered attack on the Rainforest Action Network [http://www.ran.org/].
Best known for its headline-grabbing campaigns to protect forests, RAN
has a proven track record of altering corporate behavior through a range
of pressure tactics.
A conservative group called the Frontier Freedom Foundation (FFF) -
heavily supported by tobacco, oil, and timber money - is lobbying the
IRS to revoke RAN's nonprofit status. At the same time, logging company
Boise Cascade has aggressively targeted RAN's funders with threatening
letters, trying to undermine the organization by drying up its cash
flow. Both are working with the anti-green Center for the Defense of
Free Enterprise to cripple RAN's effectiveness.
RAN executes highly visible, aggressive campaigns primarily against
corporations destroying old growth forests in North America and around
the world. Its tactics include consumer boycotts and symbolic efforts
designed to capture media attention, including rappelling down corporate
buildings and unleashing giant banners. Along with Boise Cascade, RAN
has also targeted Mitsubishi and Occidental Petroleum, among other
corporate giants.
The first attack came from the FFF (founded by former Wyoming senator
Malcolm Wallup, a close associate of vice president Dick Cheney), which
charged in a letter to the IRS that RAN routinely engages in
non-educational activity, violating the legal requirement that it be
"operated exclusively for educational purposes."
RAN is planning a protest near Chicago at Boise Cascade office on
Wednesday, July 25. The group gathered will include retired judges,
former members of Congress, business CEOs, foundation executives,
concerned celebrities, authors, religious leaders, and the executive
directors of organizations in movements including civil rights, human
rights, women's rights, environmental rights, and labor rights. For more
info, contact Anne Walton-Sandberg: anne@ran.org.
