Day: July 26, 2001

A helicopter swooped over Glen Coberly’s tomato patch in Middlesex, Virginia, while 6-7 officers sprang upon him with guns drawn and ordered him to the ground. Convinced they had spotted Coberly harvesting marijuana plants, they were about to make a big bust. Unfortunately for them, their would-be score went bust itself when it turned out the plants were tomatoes.

The helicopter pilot thought Coberly’s tomato plants looked the same color as marijuana, but conceded he can make mistakes on overcast days like the one on which the raid occurred. Not that they didn’t have the best intentions. Middlesex Sheriff Guy Abbott said, “We’re just trying to do our best to protect our citizens. And we’re not perfect; we make mistakes.”

But who is going to protect the Glen Coberly’s of the world from overzealous drug warriors?

Source:

Drug agents ketchup to wrong suspects. Daily Press, Tina McCloud, July 20, 2001.

Prior to its broadcast, animal rights activists were distributing angry letters and call for action against NBC’s reality-based gross out show, “Fear Factor.” Its most recent episode dared contestants to eat sheep’s eyes.

The ratings are in, and NBC’s strategy seemed to pull in the ratings with 14.12 million people tuning in to watch the sheep eye episode based on preliminary ratings figures (the show is easily the highest rated summer TV series).

Source:

NBC’s “Fear” scares ratings high again. Rick Kissell, Variety, July 25, 2001.

A group of animal rights activists calling themselves Pirates for Animal Liberation claimed responsibility this week for sinking a yacht belonging to bank of new York executive Brian G. Rogan. Rogan is BNY’s President of Capital Markets.

The group targeted Rogan because BNY provides financial services to Huntingdon Life Sciences. In a communique claiming responsibility for the act, the activist said,

As the boat began to take on water it was cut loose and pushed out to sea, we left before confirming whether or not the boat sunk. Both the boat and his [Rogans’s] personal dock were left covered with painted slogans denouncing BNY’s involvement with Huntingdon Life Sciences…

Upon escape we cut through his estate to his personal Flag Pole, his Amerikkkan Flag was lowered and discarded like the trash it is, and replaced with the only flag that matters, a pirate flag!

Although it claims to only follow legal tactics, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty welcomed the property destruction. In its press release on the matter, Frontline Information Service quoted an unnamed SHAC spokesperson as saying,

SHAC is a legal campaign and the P.A.L.’s action was unsolicited, but enthusiastically welcomed. HLS has been warned for the 500 animals they murder every day there is 500 different strategies the animal rights movement will use to shut them down. I would anticipate seeing more creative and hard-hitting tactics like this in the future.

Source;

“HLS: Thar She Blows” – Animal ‘Pirates’ Sink Bank Exec’s Yacht! Press Release, Frontline Information Service, July 25, 2001