Scott Tibbs
Printed in the Herald-Times, 12-15-2000
Back to opinion page.
Stand against terror
To the editor:The vandalism at McDonald's on Kirkwood raises disturbing questions about why this has happened, and what kind of atmosphere we are living in.
Since January, Monroe County has been held hostage by radical Left Wing terrorists. The ironically named "Earth Liberation Front" has committed arson and spiked trees. Anti-Starbucks terrorists have repeatedly broken windows and cut phone lines at the Starbucks on Indiana Avenue in a shameless and cowardly attempt to intimidate them into leaving Bloomington.
Now, the windows on the front of the McDonald's store on Kirkwood have been destroyed, and one wonders what the motivation is behind this violence.
McDonald's, especially the Kirkwood store, has been a target of "animal rights" extremists and environmentalists for years now. Anti-McDonald's flyers adorn telephone poles next to the store, and McDonald's is the only Kirkwood business to experience this destruction in recent weeks. The tactics being used against McDonald's are the same as those used against Starbucks months ago. It is obvious McDonald's is being targeted.
Given these facts, it is very probable that McDonald's is the latest victim of Left Wing terrorists in Bloomington. This is frightening, and it is clearer than ever that those who would practice violence to achieve a political goal must be found and imprisoned to keep society safe. As law-abiding citizens, we cannot tolerate this type of political terrorism.
I am not writing this letter to express unquestioning support for McDonald's. Instead, I am urging Bloomington and Monroe County residents to take a stand against terrorism. We must let it be known that violence is unacceptable, and that we do not want terrorists in our community. We do not need an Earth Liberation Front. What we in Bloomington really need is "liberation" from left-wing extremists who believe terrorism is the way to accomplish their goals.