JM, agree. I don't see the extremists, however, as the problem. It's the"moderate" groups who know all the communications tools and how to use them, who organize so much better, widely and pervasively, to bring corporations and various levels of government around to their views.
They use the same carrot-and-stick I do as a good rule for making public policy. It's education in the best sense: through the economic. Words and abstract notions aren't enough. The antis built from the ground up, not leaving anything to hired gunslingers, and board rooms are paying attention.
In a globally competitive world, consumers are demanding "value added" from businesses. If you want us to buy your wood products, computers, papers and magazines, cars etc you had better listen to us, they say. The days are long gone when we waited breathlessly for Detroit's new models.
The antis didn't crash the barricades, as we do. They made an end-run.