When the Homeland Security Department was taken to task for sending out a warning to local law enforcement agencies around the country about paranoid right-wing extremist bigots with proclivities to violence, they were quick to defend themselves by saying they were not singling out right-wing extremists but had, in fact, produced a similar warning in January about left-wing extremists.

Indeed they did.

It was dated Jan. 26, six days after the presidential inauguration. It was titled, “Leftwing Extremists Likely to Increase Use of Cyber Attacks over the Coming Decade.”

It warned that environmentalists, anarchists and animal rights defenders might try to attack the computer systems of companies they see as polluters or harmful to animals in some way.

The Homeland Security warning states that “cyber attacks are attractive options to left wing extremists who view attacks on economic targets as aligning with their nonviolent, ‘no-harm’ doctrine and tactic of ‘direct action.’”

It mentions this nonviolence policy several times, concluding these groups prefer tactics such as animal releases, property theft, vandalism, and cyber attacks, as opposed to bombings or arson. It never mentions their old favorite, tree spiking, in which metal spikes were hammered into trees such that when loggers’ chainsaws hit them the saws fly apart, often killing the logger.

The report specifically warned about incidents such as the one in July 2007 when an animal rights extremist hacked into a company computer and deleted 300 user accounts. “To restore the accounts, the perpetrator demanded that the company sell its shares in a corporation that conducts tests using animal subjects,” the report stated.

It mentioned an e-mail attack in October 2005 that cost a firm $1.4 million and an April 2005 cyber attack that cost another company $1.25 million.

Horror of horrors.

Somehow the folks at Homeland failed to mention the March 2008 arson fire in a Seattle suburb that destroyed five “built green” $2 million homes, for which the Earth Liberation Front took credit.

No mention of the four ELFers indicted in the 1998 Vail, Colo., resort arson.

No mention of the $50 million San Diego condo project destroyed by arsonists. No mention of the numerous SUV dealerships destroyed by fire. No mention of the Michigan State University animal research facility arson or that one at the University of Washington, where genetic engineering was said to be taking place. Nor scuttling of whaling ships. Nor the beatings of executives, nor kidnapping threats, nor booby-trapped letters, nor firebombing of cars.

No, Homeland gives us this in the appendix: “Animal rights and environmental extremists seek to end the perceived abuse and suffering of animals and the degradation of the natural environment perpetrated by humans. They use non-violent and violent tactics that, at times, violate criminal law. Many of these extremists claim they are conducting these activities on behalf of two of the most active groups, the Animal Liberation Front and its sister organization, the Earth Liberation Front. Other prominent groups include Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty; and chapters within the Animal Defense League, and Earth First!”