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Being
a victim of 'animal rightists' is no fun; but to win the battle for hunting,
get the law on your side, be creative and have some fun.
Recently I attended the "The Price We
Pay" conference in Washington, D.C., produced by the National Animal
Interest Alliance.
The purpose of the program was to spotlight
the monumental damage that has been done by animal rights
"humaniacs" to law-abiding, researchers, educators, sportsmen,
wildlife managers, restaurateurs, rodeos, circuses and breeders who treat
animals in a humane and compassionate way.
Since 1986, the Environmental Liberation
Front and Animal Liberation Front have pulled off more than 10,000 incidents
resulting in more than $100 million in damage.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg when
you consider the millions that have been spent on legal fees, the countless
costs when hunts like Ontario's spring bear hunt get canceled, the pain and
suffering of victims of attacks and threats, the loss of cultural identity and
livelihood by native hunters, nuisance animal attacks, harassed workers at
circuses, zoos and rodeos, increased costs for security and even the
starvation of native peoples when legal hunting is outlawed.
I'm sure that you are aware that there were
extra security precautions for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Did
you realize that the most security was needed to protect the rodeo, which was
part of the Arts and Culture Festival.
The reason was that animal rightists attacked
the rodeo with an international assault of letter writing, a billboard
campaign, celebrity spokespeople (Scott Hamilton and others) and protests,
including one man who chained himself to the doors of the International
Olympic Committee headquarters in protest of the rodeo.
More than 300 law enforcement officers were
called to action to protect the rodeo at the Games. Bob Costas, why didn't you
report that?
Not surprisingly, the FBI has declared
eco-terrorism the No. 1 domestic terrorism priority, according to Michael
Gallagher, the head of the FBI's Domestic Terrorism Operations Unit in
Washington, D.C.
The good news
Fortunately, some good things are being done
about this international issue on many fronts.
In 2003, for example, the FBI established a
special task force to unite all efforts to combat domestic terrorism.
The Internal Revenue Service is investigating
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for donations made to individuals
and groups associated with terrorist activities. If you'd like to find out
more about what is being done to combat this group of grandstanding
hate-slingers, check out the Web site of the Center for Consumer Freedom and
their related Web sites www.animalscam.com and
www.activistcash.com.
These programs target the specific groups,
document what their leaders are saying and reveal how these so-called
charitable organizations have spent the millions they raise by stereotyping,
stigmatizing and propagandizing people.
You also may know that fur farmers, tanneries
and department stores that sell fur have received threats and been targets of
arson, bombs, fires and animal releases. And don't forget the folks who wear
fur in public and have had their clothes sprayed with paint and have been
assailed with threats and insults.
The fur-farming industry has stood its
ground, and it's paying off. It has created a version of the
"Neighborhood Watch" crime-fighting strategy of residential areas
that trains people to network, develop close ties with law enforcement and
prepare and plan to prevent attacks. And it's working!
Fur sales have gone up 40 percent since 1998,
despite the fact that animal-rights groups are raising in excess of $100
million a year to put them out of business.
In Great Britain, where the Blair
administration came to power with an agenda to ban hunting, the Countryside
Alliance has not only blunted the anti-hunting forces, it has demonstrated
enormous grass-roots support.
In 2002, it organized the Liberty and
Livelihood March on London that attracted 407,000 marchers to stand up for the
rights of people who live close to the land. It was the largest peacetime
march in England since WWII.
In addition, Countryside Alliance held a
vigil on Parliament Square, lit 7,000 beacons across the United Kingdom and
conducted 15 rallies and six marches that collectively have involved more than
a million people.
When your back is against the wall, people do
fight back.
The Countryside Alliance has said to the
government that if hunting were curtailed, civil disobedience would follow.
As a guide for Countryside Alliance members
who may want to commit civil disobedience in support of rural lifestyles, the
Alliance has said that it would only support people:
- 1.) When the only law they break is the
unjust hunting law itself (not being reckless or lawless).
- 2.) If they submit
to trial and punishment for their alleged civil disobedience, and not try to
escape capture.
- 3.)When their issues create no inconvenience to the general
public.
In addition, the Alliance also has found
occasion to use the power of "the naked truth" to win the media war,
according to Simon Hart, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance.
On one occasion, when the Alliance wanted to
draw attention to a petition they were going to deliver to Parliament, an
attractive young female foxhunter delivered the document to parliament on
horseback while topless.
Simon says that they got a full-page coverage
in The Sun, which reaches 10 million people. In addition, the young woman sold
her story to the British Press, which made her enough money to pay off her
college loans.
Humor often is one of the most potent weapons
for the truth.
The eccentric magician-comedians Penn and
Teller are taking on the animal-rights crowd. Be sure to watch their show
April 1 at 10 p.m. on Showtime. It will be re-aired April 8 at 10:30 p.m.
The lesson that seems to emerge from all this
is, simply put, "success is the best revenge." 
espn.go.com/outdoors/general/columns/swan_james/1773602.html
From ESPN Online April 2004
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