The Failed Pacifist

Anti-Dam Comment Triggers FBI Investigation

Jim Bensman is an environmentalist. He has worked closely with the Sierra Club and has been a paid staff member of Heartwood for over a decade.

Last month, the Army Corps of Engineers invited public input regarding the Melvin Price Locks and Dam. During the hearing, the corps' presentation of possible options included the dam being dynamited. Mr. Bensman let it be known that he supported the idea that the dam should be torn down.

The next day, however, a local newspaper reported that Bensman "said he would like to see the dam blown up and resents paying taxes to fix dam problems when it is barge companies that profit from the dam."

Workers at the corps' St. Louis office "took a dim view (of the article) and questioned if it was a potential threat," and a security manager forwarded the clipping to the FBI, said corps spokesman Alan Dooley.

Soon after that, the FBI was questioning Mr. Bensman to determine if he was a terrorist threat.

Note that the corps workers who "took a dim view" of Mr. Bensman's comments didn't contact the newspaper to see if the quote was accurate. Instead they sent the clipping directly to the FBI, leading to the investigation of Mr. Bensman, a self-described "thorn in the side" of the corps.

posted by Doran @ 9:12 PM