Eco-terrorismEco-terrorist sentenced to five years and ordered to read Malcolm Gladwell’s book

Twin Elks Lodge in flames // Source: fbi.gov

Last Monday, Chief U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken imposed a 5-year sentence on radical environmental activist Rebecca Rubin for her involvement in several acts of arson, including the burning of Vail Colorado’s Twin Elks Lodge which caused millions of dollars in damage.

The Oregonian reports that Judge Aiken also ordered Rubin to read Malcolm Gladwell’s 2013 book David and Goliath, explaining that Rubin might learn a thing or two about non-violent environmental advocacy while serving her sentence.

Rubin spent almost eight years living underground, giving herself up to the FBI last October. She pleaded guilty to arson, attempted arson, and conspiracy to commit arson in connection with a radical environmental group calling itself The Family.

“I was so convinced at the righteousness of my beliefs, that I chose to ignore my own wrongdoing,” Rubin told the court.

In a letter to the judge, Rubin apologized for the destruction and fear she caused. “Although at the time I believed my only motivation was my deep love for the earth, I now understand that impatience, anger, egotism and self-righteousness were also involved,” she writes. “In retrospect, I recognize how immature my actions were. I am now forty years old and have had much time to reflect on and consider the consequences of my choices, and my thinking has become much more coherent. I know now that my actions were not merely destructive of inanimate objects but were also harmful to other, feeling human beings.”

The judge, saying she appreciated Rubin’s statement and calling it “the most thoughtful, well-stated, honest, unvarnished apology/explanation,” was not unsympathetic to Rubin’s plight. “I understand more than you know when you work in a democracy that all things look like they’re black and white when you’re young,” the judge said. “And there are so many shades of gray.”

In their memo to the judge, the prosecutors said that “While repentance and change are important sentencing factors, they cannot erase four years of criminal conduct followed by several years of running from justice and a continuing desire to protect the last remaining fugitives.”

Rubin’s lawyer, Richard Troberman, in his memo to the judge, said that “the defendant, the Government, and the Probation Office all agree that Rebecca was substantially less culpable than the average participant in each of these offenses.”

Gladwell, when told of the judge’s order, said: “I spend a lot of time in the book talking about the ways in which underdogs can fight the system. I give a number of examples of people who I feel fought the system in the right way.” 

Gladwell points to Martin Luther King Jr. and Baptist minister Wyatt Walker, who were able to defeat the racist white establishment in Birmingham, Alabama, through trickery, not violence.

“They outwitted their opponents,” Gladwell says. “These are people who didn’t have a lot of power, but chose to take on the establishment in effective and innovative ways that did not involve violence. I think that’s probably what [the judge] was urging her [Rubin] to think about.”

Rubin was also ordered to pay $13 million in damages.

— Read more in Sandro Contenta, “The rise and fall of ‘eco-terrorist’ Rebecca Rubin,” The Star (2 February 2014)