I've noticed a disturbing trend lately in the media. The very charged word "eco-terrorist" is increasingly being used to describe environmental activists and convict them in print before any sort of trial.

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales attempted to make the 11 environmental activists arrested recently look like a cult by saying they referred to themselves as "the family." The New York Times added to the mystique by describing the group they belonged to, the Animal Liberation Front, as "shadowy."

Robert S. Mueller III, FBI director, had his priorities seriously out-of-whack when he said the bureau is placing the highest importance on prosecuting activists who break the law "in the name of animal rights or the environment."

Mueller's attention would be better placed if he put as much zeal into stopping Osama bin Laden, who just let Americans know that he's planning more attacks in the heart of the United States.

Whether or not you agree with their tactics, the FBI's mission to conflate protecting the environment and stopping animal research with the most well-known terrorist's goal to bring down the American government is destructive to all groups working for social change.

Sarah Turner is a graduate student studying life sciences communications.