Monday, October 12, 2009

Animal Rights Extremists Are At It Again (Updated again)

Just to be sure I am very clear, I do not believe that all animal rights activists are terrorists or extremists. I make three distinctions that are very important. First are the activists - people who engage in peaceful protest and sometimes in peaceful civil disobedience. They belong in the very reasonable category of activist, even though I believe they are wrong. Then there are the extremists, people who do not engage in, but who advocate violence and other terror tactics. And finally there are the terrorists - people who engage in terror tactics. There is a great deal of difference between activism and the latter two categories, while there is only a fine line between the last two. When I am writing about animal rights issues, I am generally not talking about the activists, except insofar as I am talking about something they believe in too.

I just received an email from the David Jentsch PhD, of the organization Pro-Test. Apparently some animal rights extremist web sites have noticed the petition that, if you have yet to sign, you should absolutely sign now. While they do not publicize your personal information, your name does appear and some extremists are now doing searches for information on signatories and harassing us.

Yesterday, a few websites hosted by animal rights activists have encouraged their readerships to visit the list of Pro-Test signatories in order to find names and to contact those persons to express their opposition to animal research. While your email addresses on the RaisingVoices.net website are secure and not publicly listed, the animal rights groups encourage people to use the wide array of Internet tools to find contact information and to use it.

I just got a response to a request for the specific sites involved; The websites "Negotiation Is Over" and "Thomas Paines Corner," have simulposted a piece entitled; "Pro-Test Was Kind Enough to Provide a Directory of Vivisectors." Please be warned that these are extremist hate sites.

David Jentsch was one of the growing ranks of scientists who happen to do research that involves animals, to be attacked by these terrorists, in March of this year. Unlike many of the victims of these attacks - ten on UCLA professors in the past three years, Dr. Jentsch decided that enough was enough and taking the cue from colleagues in the UK, Pro-Test came to the U.S.

As many of you know, I am an ardent opponent of terrorism, regardless of the cause they claim to support. Over the last several months I have tangled with animal rights extremists online, on several occasions. They sometimes pay lip service to opposing these terrorist fucking bastards, but it is more than a little obvious that they have a great deal of sympathy and some have outright appreciation for their actions. I have been vaguely threatened by a couple of these assholes and expect to be in the future.

Terrorism is - always is inexcusable. I have denounced terrorism in the name of environmental issues, losing friends in the process. I have denounced terrorism among the Palestinians - again, losing friends in the process. And I have denounced terrorism for animal rights - and refused to join protests at OHSU, yet again, losing friends in the process. I was told by some of those same animal rights extremist friends, that I am evil. That I am disgusting and my support of animal testing is little different than offering my children for experimentation. I was told that karma would come back on me for being such a horrible fucking person.

Makes me wish there was such a thing as karma, because I am pretty sure that some scumbag who firebombed someone's car, terrorized someone else's family, blowing up labs and generally terrorizing people - intimidating people to get them to do what the want - they would have some serious repercussions for that. And now these people are out to intimidate some more - over the internets no less. Well, good on them for letting us know that our efforts - small as they may be on the parts of many of us, are not in vain. It is nice to know that they are displeased and feel the need to try to stop us from apposing their extremist and often terrorist agenda.

So please, if you have not signed, now is the time to lend your support. Let these vile cretins know that you support science, you support medicine, you support a better understanding of disease, you support new medicines and improving old ones.

Let them know you support a better future for your parents, your children, your grandchildren, your friends - yourself. Let them know you support the scientists who are helping make that better future and will not tolerate violence against them.

10 comments:

Stephanie Zvan said...

They're more than welcome to my information. If they start harassing people for the radical act of signing a petition, I think they'll quickly discover that they've found the best way yet to promote signing the thing. They'll definitely find out how quickly they can lose any sympathy pictures of cute animals might gain them.

It's one thing (in the eyes of the general public), to threaten the people who actually kill the animals. It's quite another to threaten anyone who disagrees with you.

Anonymous said...

I'm in. I don't respond well to threats. Thank you for the heads up.

Christ Davis

Jason Thibeault said...

Hell yeah. I'm in too. Soon as I can throw together a post promoting this, at least.

Anonymous said...

while i am against animal experimentation and animal rights extremism , you have to commend what the latter do , it seems to me that doing nothing solves nothing , the vivisectors just carry on abusing animals , but if you blow them to bits they can't abuse animals , problem solved.

Jason Thibeault said...

You can't commend blowing people up any more than you can condemn them for acts that don't happen any more and haven't happened in at least twenty years. If your illogic leads you to the conclusion that human animals are less worthy of life than the humanely tested laboratory animals in question, then perhaps the human animal that needs blowing-up is you. I don't actually advocate blowing up anti-science advocates, but that sure would solve the problem wouldn't it?

... And the answer is no. Violence begets violence. Do not go down that road, please.

DuWayne Brayton said...

Anon -

First - post some sort of identifier, or your comments get deleted.

I find it very amusing that you don't support animal rights extremism, yet you support blowing up people who engage in testing on animals. Nothing like consistency.

Dan J said...

They're like Islamic Jihadists: If you express an opinion that differs from theirs (i.e. signing the petition), then you are an infidel who deserves death, though theirs is a peaceful religion (just ask them, they'll tell you).

[captcha is "chednest"... Not sure what to make of that]

DuWayne Brayton said...

DanJ -

See my redux post and comments. They are very much the religious radicals - just without the religion.

I am going to write more on this idea later, but keep in mind that one of the defining elements of post modern extremism is conflict with science.

critter said...

Signed.

Samia said...

Hi Duwayne, you said:

First are the activists - people who engage in peaceful protest and sometimes in peaceful civil disobedience. They belong in the very reasonable category of activist, even though I believe they are wrong.

There are all sorts of individual viewpoints held by animal rights activists. I disagree with other activists about certain issues-- often vehemently (though respectfully, as I don't know any who wish harm upon others). So...we're all "wrong?" On all issues? Just a few? I think if you're going to make a statement like this, it could stand to be a little more nuanced (for the sake of clarity, anyway). Also, one of your subsequent posts once again confuses animal rights in general with terrorism.

I appreciate the passion and sincerity in your posts, and please believe I share your horror and anger at criminals who hurt other people and spread lies in the name of "love." It's...a special kind of evil, and I have a lot of feelings about the kind of people who engage in this brand of terrorism. But your broad language is leaving me cold because it makes me feel like you consider me a fool. And I'd feel better about that if I'd shown I deserve the label. :)

I think there is potential for cooperation between peaceful animal rights activists and concerned community members who do not identify as such (possibly because I am so engaged on my campus). So I am loathe to draw what I see as superfluous divisions between people, and I feel a little overlooked by your disclaimer.

Hoping you've been well.