Day: October 24, 2001

EFF’s Odd Idea of “Chilling Effects of Terrorism”

The Electronic Freedom Foundation has an interesting web page that “attempts to convey the chilling effect that responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have had on information availability on the Internet as well as some sense of the effect on people trying to provide this information.”

The page lists web sites that have been taken down as well as firings and pressure applied to traditional media outlets as well. What I thought was interesting, however, is that EFF apparently has its ideological blinders on — there isn’t any mention of censorship efforts directed at people who have been perceived as too gung ho about the war against Afghanistan.

The EFF notes, for example, that Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” was pulled by some stations because of his comments, but doesn’t note that Ann Coulter was let go by National Review for her bellicose columns. And not a word about Arizona State University where officials removed an American flag from a cafeteria out of “concerns for the feelings of international students on campus.”

Memo to EFF: censorship works both ways.

Eloquent Commentary on Animal Rights Terrorism

In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, animal rights activists and Animal Liberation Front defenders argue that their brand of terrorism isn’t comparable to what happened at the World Trade Center the Pentagon. Certainly the two are not comparable in terms of scale and loss of life, but they are united by the simple fact that the goal is to terrorize people in an effort to change their behavior. When activists set a researcher’s home on fire or fire bomb a laboratory, they are not attempting to make a reasoned argument about the role of animals in medical research, but rather are sending a pretty clear message — stop this or else.

Gillian Reynolds, writing in the London’s Daily Telegraph, did an excellent job of puncturing the notion that there is any real difference in aims among terrorists. Reynolds wrote about a broadcast in Great Britain about the terrorism faced by Colin Blakemore, who has been targeted by animal rights activists largely because he is willing to publicly defend himself and debunk many of the activist claims. Reynolds wrote,

How can people who profess to care for animals be so vile to fellow human beings? …

A bomb was sent [to Blakemore] through the post, packed into the kind of cardboard tube that usually carries posters. His children had picked it up, looked at it. Had they opened it, at least one of them might have died, the others showered with HIV infected needles with which the explosive was also said to be packed. A letter arrived, razor blades attached to the top, lacerating the hand of the secretary who opened it. Gangs of screaming people invaded the Blakemore garden, tried to break down the front door. On police advice, they put in security gates and cameras, had panic buttons installed. The protesters came on Christmas Day, on Easter Sunday.

This is, in its most literal form, terrorist behavior. Blakemore and his family have suffered through it.

I couldn’t have said it better.

Source:

Conscience and the call to arms. Gillian Reynolds, The Daily Telegraph (London), October 23, 2001.

Animal Liberation Front Hits Two Iowa Farms

Animal Liberation Front activists hit two separate farms on successive days in Iowa, releasing thousands of animals.

In the early morning hours of October 17, activists snuck onto a farm near Ellsworth, Iowa, and released about 1,400 mink.

The next day, on October 18, ALF activists hit a farm near Mineola, Iowa, releasing more than 100 pigeons and other birds. The farm had been the victim of a previous ALF attack in September 2000.

ALF spokesperson David Barbarash confirmed that the ALF was responsible for the attacks. Barbarash told The Omaha World-Herald,

The ALF is claiming responsibility for both actions. I think what the ALF is doing is giving these animals a fighting chance for survival.

Aside from the loss of the animals activists did about $4,000 in damage to pens and aviaries on the farm.

It is interesting to note that there were several breeding pairs of rare ducks and geese. Apparently if you hunt rare animals that’s bad, but if you release rare animals to be killed in the wild, that’s good!

Source:

Vandals release 1,400 mink. Kate Kompas, Des Moines Register, October 18, 2001.

Activists hit Iowa farm again. Chris Clayton, Omaha World-Herald (Iowa), October 19, 2001.