Category: Uncategorized

Animal Rights Activist Under Investigation for Alleged Perjury

The Associated Press reported in its March 4 edition that the Grant County Sheriff’s office was investigating possible perjury charges against the director of a Seattle animal rights group.

The Associated Press cited Chief Deputy John Turley as saying that David Thornton, director of the Northwest Animal Rights Network, was currently the subject of an investigation for allegedly making false or misleading statements to a public servant as well as for second-degree trespassing.

The allegations stem from a complaint that Thornton, 33 made, after entering a private dog farm near Quincy, Washington. Thornton allegedly filed a complaint stating that 200-300 animals on the farm were in distress and that some were near death. An investigation by sheriff’s deputies, however, found about 60 dogs that appeared to be in good health, well-fed and with adequate living space.

According to the Associated press, the sheriff’s office will send a report to the Grant County prosecutor’s office recommending that criminal charges be pursued against Thornton.

Source:

Sheriff’s office recommends charges against animal rights activists. The Associated Press, March 4, 2003.

Efforts to Reduce Penalties for Cockfighting Ban in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma state Senate is working on a bill that would reduce the penalties for cockfighting under a ban that was approved by voters last November.

The proposed change would reduce cockfighting from a felony to a misdemeanor. The bill was put forth by state Sen. Frank Shurden after another bill of his that would have legalized cockfighting in those counties that voted against the ban was headed to failure.

Shurden told Oklahoma’s KOCO Channel 5, “It is wrong to make felons out of people for raising chickens.”

The penalty for participating in a cockfight under Shurden’s bill would be reduced to a $500 fine and up to a year in jail. Attending a cockfighting would carry a maximum penalty of a $200 fine.

Source:

Measure would ease cockfighting penalties. ChannelOklahoma.Com, February 20, 2003.

New Mexico House Considering Cockfighting Ban

With Oklahoma’s recent outlawing of cockfighting, there are only two places in the United States where cockfighting is legal — Louisiana and New Mexico. Although an effort to ban cockfighting in New Mexico failed in the state Senate in February, it is moving forward in the state House.

The proposed law would make sponsoring, arranging, holding or participating in a cockfight a fourth-degree felony. Cockfighting is already illegal in 13 New Mexico counties and 28 municipalities according to a Reuters report on the proposed ban.

But the sport is apparently popular in rural parts of the state. Ronald Barron, president of the New Mexico Game Birds Association which claims 7,000 members, cockfighting generates more than $51 million a year in revenues to the state, including an active export industry that sends game birds to the Philippines.

Despite that, Animal Protection Voters of New Mexico — which supports the ban — was touting a poll that it says shows more than 80 percent of New Mexico voters favor a ban on cockfighting. Danielle Bay of the Animal Protection Voters of New Mexico told Reuters, “Forty-eight other states in this country have banned cockfighting, most of them over 100 years ago. New Mexico’s time has come.”

With the New Mexico legislature set to adjourn on March 22 and the state Senate already having passed on the measure, however, it doesn’t seem likely that an end to cockfighting will be forthcoming soon in New Mexico.

Source:

New Mexico considers cockfighting ban. Zelie Pollon, Reuters, February 15, 2003.

Disposition of McDonald's Case Delayed Until End of March

Judge Richard Siebel was to have ruled on the division of a $10 million settlement between McDonald’s and vegetarian groups on February 25. Instead, Siebel decided to delay his ruling until March 25 after questions were raised about some of the groups seeking funds.

The funds can only go to tax-exempt groups, but the tax status of two of the groups — the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America and the Hindu Student Council — were still in limbo. Siebel delayed his decision to allow time for plaintiffs attorneys to determine the tax status of those two groups.

Some vegetarian groups have objected to the proposed division of the settlement and have hired Chicago attorney Michael Hyman to represent them. At the February 25 hearing Judge Siebel apparently ignored the concerns of those objecting to the proposed division.

The Associated Press quoted Hyman as saying that Siebel did not ask any questions regarding the objectors concerns. “He’s made up his mind, it sounds like,” Hyman said.

Hyman said that his clients would likely appeal the division of the settlement if there are no changes, and a story posted at VegSource.Com said that, “A consortium of a wide number of celebrated vegetarian individuals is forming which will likely appeal any decisions which are counter to the interests of the vegetarian class.”

Sources:

Judge Delays Dispersal in McDonald’s Case. Associated Press, February 25, 2003.

Judge delays ruling another month. VegSource.Com, February 25, 2003.

Bill Moving Through Texas Legislature Would Define Animal Rights, Environmental Terrorism

A bill making its way through the Texas legislature would create a new class of crimes for acts of animal rights and environmental terrorism.

The bill, HB 433 (read the full text here – PDF), defines an “animal rights or ecological terrorist organization” as,

. . . two or more persons organized for the purpose of support any politically motivated activity intended to obstruct or deter any person from participating in an activity involving animals or an activity involving natural resources.

To actually be charged with animal rights or ecological terrorism requires that an individual be found to have intentionally blocked, damaged, or otherwise physically disrupted a legal animal facility or resource.

The bill calls for up to two years in jail for those convicted, plus allows treble damages in civil lawsuits and requires the state to maintain on online registry of individuals convicted of animal rights terrorism.

Animal rights activists are up in arms over the proposed law. The Longview News-Journal quoted animal activist and attorney Kelly M. Heitkamp as saying that law smacked of “tyranny,”

This is about freedom of speech, freedom of assembly. I don’t know if anyone here cares. There are some pro-lifers here. It could be you tomorrow. … this is a ridiculous bill.

The allusion to pro-lifers is interesting, since the Supreme Court rejected appeals of a similar law that applied to the pro-life movement, the Federal Access to Clinic Entrances Act. That law provided special penalties for protesters who intentionally blocked, damaged, or otherwise physically disrupted abortion clinics. There are some differences between the two bills which make the Animal Rights and Ecoterrorism bill more susceptible to legal challenges, but there isn’t any reason that a more narrowly drafted bill couldn’t easily pass Constitutional scrutiny.

Source:

Local lawyer says animal rights bill is ‘ridiculous’. Glenn Evans, Longview News-Journal, February 19, 2003.

Animal Rights Extremists Failed to Torch California McDonald's

Animal rights terrorists apparently attempted to firebomb a Chico, California, McDonald’s but failed to set fire to the building according to a report on the incident by the Chico Enterprise-Record.

Around 5:30 a.m. on March 4, an employee of the restaurant discovered two one-gallon plastic milk containers filled with a flammable liquid. “Meat is murder,” “Animal Liberation Front” and similar slogans were spray painted in red on the building.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chico police closed the restaurant for 6 hours while they analyzed the crime scene.

Those responsible for the attempted arson left a note at the scene as well as a typewritten note at the office of local newspaper the Chico News & Review. The contents of those notes was not revealed by authorities.

Source:

Incendiary device left at Chico McDonald’s. Eleanor Cameron, ChicoER.Com, March 4, 2003.

Two firebombs left at restaurant. Robyn Moormeister, Paradise Post (Chico, California), March 4, 2003.