It was less than a year after September 11, and I was at the Chicago Tribune writing about shootings and murders, and it was leaving me feeling pretty dark and depressed. I had done some activism in college, so I decided to help a local group hang door knockers against animal testing. I thought it would be a safe way to do something positive, but of course I have the absolute worst luck ever, and we were all arrested. Police took this blurry photo of me holding leaflets as evidence.
911事件還沒超過一年的時候, 我在芝加哥論壇報 寫些關於槍擊和謀殺的事件, 而這讓我感到 相當黑暗和沮喪。 在大學時我也曾參與一些社會運動, 所以我決定幫忙一些在地的團體 為反對動物測試去敲人家的門。 我以為做一些正面的事 是一種安全的方式, 但我實在是運氣極差無比, 然後我們全部被逮捕了。 警察幫我拍了這張模糊的相片, 把傳單當作是證據。
My charges were dismissed, but a few weeks later, two FBI agents knocked on my door, and they told me that unless I helped them by spying on protest groups, they would put me on a domestic terrorist list. I'd love to tell you that I didn't flinch, but I was terrified, and when my fear subsided, I became obsessed with finding out how this happened, how animal rights and environmental activists who have never injured anyone could become the FBI's number one domestic terrorism threat.
對我的指控被撤銷了, 但是幾個星期後, 兩個聯邦調查局探員來敲我的門, 然後他們告訴我,除非我幫他們 監控一些異議團體, 否則他們會把我列入國內恐怖份子名單。 我很想告訴你我沒有退縮, 但我實在是嚇壞了, 當我的恐懼平息後, 我變得著迷於找出 這種情況是怎麼發生的。 動物權利和環保人士, 那些從來沒有傷害任何人的人們, 如何會成為聯邦調查局的 頭號國內恐怖主義威脅。
A few years later, I was invited to testify before Congress about my reporting, and I told lawmakers that, while everybody is talking about going green, some people are risking their lives to defend forests and to stop oil pipelines. They're physically putting their bodies on the line between the whalers' harpoons and the whales. These are everyday people, like these protesters in Italy who spontaneously climbed over barbed wire fences to rescue beagles from animal testing. And these movements have been incredibly effective and popular, so in 1985, their opponents made up a new word, eco-terrorist, to shift how we view them. They just made it up.
幾年後,我被邀請去 讓國會質詢我的報導, 我告訴議員們, 當每個人都在說嘴生態環保的時候, 有些人冒著生命危險 去保衛森林,去阻止油管建設。 他們把自己身體擋在 捕鯨船的魚叉和鯨魚之間。 這些都是平民百姓, 像這些義大利的抗議者 他們自發地爬過 鐵絲網圍籬去把小獵犬們 從動物實驗裡救出。 這些運動十分有效 而且受歡迎, 所以在1985年, 他們的敵人製造了一個新詞, 環保恐怖份子, 來轉化我們對他們的觀點。 他們就憑空造出了這個詞。
Now these companies have backed new laws like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which turns activism into terrorism if it causes a loss of profits. Now most people never even heard about this law, including members of Congress. Less than one percent were in the room when it passed the House. The rest were outside at a new memorial. They were praising Dr. King as his style of activism was branded as terrorism if done in the name of animals or the environment.
現在這些公司為一些新法律背書, 像是動物企業恐怖主義法案, 只要抗議會造成獲利的減損 就把抗議行動說成恐怖主義。 現在大部份的人從來沒聽說這個法律, 包括國會議員們。 當這個法律通過的時候, 不到百分之一的議員在會議室裡。 其他人在外面一個新的紀念碑前。 他們在讚美馬丁·路德·金 因為他的行動若出自於 動物或環境保育立場, 就會被視為恐怖主義。
Supporters say laws like this are needed for the extremists: the vandals, the arsonists, the radicals. But right now, companies like TransCanada are briefing police in presentations like this one about how to prosecute nonviolent protesters as terrorists. The FBI's training documents on eco-terrorism are not about violence, they're about public relations. Today, in multiple countries, corporations are pushing new laws that make it illegal to photograph animal cruelty on their farms. The latest was in Idaho just two weeks ago, and today we released a lawsuit challenging it as unconstitutional as a threat to journalism.
支持者們認為這樣的法律是必須的, 對於極端份子如: 破壞公物者、縱火犯、激進份子。 但現在,像 TransCanada 一樣的公司 在對警方簡報一些像這份的報告, 關於如何指控非暴力抗議份子 為恐怖份子。 聯邦調查局關於環保恐怖份子的訓練文件 不是關於暴力, 而是關於公共關係。 今天,在許多國家, 財團們正在推動新法律 讓拍攝他們農場裡 對動物的殘酷行徑成為非法的。 最近的是兩個星期前在愛達荷州的立法, 而今天我們提起了訴訟 提告這樣威脅新聞業的法律是違憲的。 第一個農業封口 (ag-gag) 訴訟事件,
The first of these ag-gag prosecutions, as they're called, was a young woman named Amy Meyer, and Amy saw a sick cow being moved by a bulldozer outside of a slaughterhouse as she was on the public street. And Amy did what any of us would: She filmed it. When I found out about her story, I wrote about it, and within 24 hours, it created such an uproar that the prosecutors just dropped all the charges.
這類案件如此被稱呼, 是個叫 Amy Meyer 的年輕女性, Amy 看到一隻生病的牛, 被一台推土機移出屠宰場。 她當時正在一條大街上, Amy 做了我們每個人都會做的事: 她把這件事拍成了影片。 我知道了她的故事後寫了篇報導, 在 24 小時內, 這篇新聞引起了如此騷動, 讓提告者撤銷了所有的指控。 但顯然,即使是這樣的披露
But apparently, even exposing stuff like that is a threat. Through the Freedom of Information Act, I learned that the counter-terrorism unit has been monitoring my articles and speeches like this one. They even included this nice little write-up of my book. They described it as "compelling and well-written." (Applause) Blurb on the next book, right?
也是種威脅。 透過資訊自由法, 我了解到反恐單位 持續監控著我的文章 和演說,像現在也是。 他們還在我的書裡 寫了這樣的小註記: 「引人入勝,寫得很好」。 (掌聲) 這是下本書的宣傳簡介,對吧? 這一切的目的都是讓我們感到害怕,
The point of all of this is to make us afraid, but as a journalist, I have an unwavering faith in the power of education. Our best weapon is sunlight.
但身為一個記者,我對教育的力量 有種堅定不移的信仰。 我們最好的武器是公開一切在太陽下。 杜思妥也夫斯基寫過,所有人類的作為
Dostoevsky wrote that the whole work of man is to prove he's a man and not a piano key. Over and over throughout history, people in power have used fear to silence the truth and to silence dissent. It's time we strike a new note.
是在證明他是個人而非只是一個琴鍵。 整個歷史的過程裡, 掌權者一而再再而三利用恐懼 把事實和異議消音。 現在是我們奏出不同琴聲的時候了。 謝謝。
Thank you.
(掌聲)
(Applause)