by Will Potter
City Lights Publishing, $16.95, 302 pages
In 2002, Will Potter was arrested for handing out leaflets against animal cruelty. This event caused the author to begin a quest to find the truth behind why the FBI is labeling and reacting to activist groups as terrorists. The author tells the tale of Daniel McGowan, who worked underground with the Earth Liberation Front fighting environmental causes and who is now imprisoned for his activities in a secret terrorist prison. Story after story is shared depicting the inequity of our government’s strong-arm tactics in dealing with the ambiguous term of terrorism.
What is so endearing about Green is the New Red is that it’s written in the style of a novel, not a reference guidebook on government conspiracies, which adds so much more to its credibility. Each chapter brings personal accounts of unfairness and malicious treatment of people who want to get involved with movements that would improve our society. Whether you believe in the methods of these activist groups or not, the facts are glaringly obvious; there is a need for a change in the definition of terrorism and treatment of activists. Shocking, often times unbelievable, this book presents true cases with credible evidence of our government’s inability to separate free speech from murder.