Eco-terrorists or Social Justice?

[Guest guest]

RE: the below Dawnwatch piece. The people, who commit these " crimes " are

sensitive, intelligent, and ethical people, who have grown frustrated by the

powerlessness of the individual. Mega-business runs the world and controls much

of the media. These compassionate law-breakers have decided to act for social

justice and against the inequity built into the system.

 

The same sort of powers-that-be would have labeled our nation's founders as

terrorists for dumping tea into the Boston Harbor and for publishing illegal

newspapers. These acts were against the law, too. But, it is not terrorism

just because it is illegal and against the interests of the powerful.

 

On a personal level, I have animals of my own to care for and I am not willing

to go to prison. Rather than taking up arms, I encourage every thinking person,

who is like me and frustrated with the status quo, to take up the pen...and, the

telephone and the fax...and, express your compassionate and eco-friendly opinion

to law-makers, editors, and business leaders. Volunteer for organizations like

the Texas Humane Legislation Network. Join the ACLU or political organizations

and advocate from within for animals. Become a single issue voter and let your

elected representatives know it. Leaflet with VegNod at colleges and persuade

others to incorporate compassion into daily life.

 

There are a host of legal things you can do to effect change and without a great

expenditure of time. Come to one of our VegNod events and let's discuss it.

The motto of Vegetarian Network of Dallas is " Stronger Together. "

 

We can take wrest back justice from a system were the fix is in. It will take

some effort, but aren't the animals and the Earth worth it? Margaret

 

**********************************************

 

From DawnWatch: " My Brother The Terrorist " -Los Angeles Times 5/24/07

 

Novelist Caroline Paul comes from a family committed to activism. Her

Baywatch-famous sister Alexandra was in " Who Killed the Electric Car, " hosts a

TV talk-show on environmentalism, and comes out in support of numerous animal

causes. In today's (Thursday May 24) Los Angeles Times op-ed piece headed, " My

brother, the 'terrorist' " we learn that their brother, Jonathon " is considered

one of the biggest domestic terrorists in the country. "

 

Paul gives us some warm personal details about his past, and then writes, " most

important, he has devoted his life to stopping animals' suffering. To this end,

he has broken the law. He crept into animal laboratories to free dogs. He

dismantled corrals to release wild mustangs. He impersonated a fur buyer to film

the treatment of minks. He put himself between whales and whalers despite

warnings that his boat would be impounded and that he would be jailed. And

nearly 10 years ago, he burned down a horse slaughterhouse in Redmond, Ore. It

is for this final act that the U.S. government considers him among the ranks of

Osama bin Laden, Eric Rudolph and Ramzi Ahmed Yousef. "

 

She continues:

 

" My brother, Jonathan Paul, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Eugene,

Ore., to burning the Cavel West Slaughterhouse. He will find out on June 5

whether the judge considers his actions deserving of the 'terrorism enhancement'

to his sentence sought by the government. "

 

Paul does not take arson lightly. She writes, " I was a San Francisco firefighter

for 13 years. I was angry and dismayed that my brother chose arson as a route to

stop animal suffering. But 'a classic case of terrorism'? "

 

She writes, " When House members and senators described acts of terrorism, every

example (Pan Am Flight 103, Oklahoma City, the first World Trade Center bombing,

the Tokyo subway attack) involved the killing of, or the intent to kill, human

beings. But recently the government has moved away from the idea of

terrorist-as-murderer. The case involving my brother represents the first time

that terrorism enhancements have been sought when all the evidence shows that

the defendants took affirmative steps to make sure no one would be endangered. "

 

She asks later, " How much safer do we feel now that ELF/ALF members, who have

never hurt or intended to hurt a single human being, might be confined to a

maximum-security prison? "

 

Of the slaughterhouse Jonathon Paul and others burned to the ground, Paul

writes:

 

" Anyone who lives in Redmond will tell you how terrible the Cavel West

Slaughterhouse was. The horses screamed all day. Their blood clogged the sewage

system. The stench was unbearable. The killings, by many accounts, were slow and

agonizing. My brother's sentiments were far from radical, and they had nothing

to do with the government. His intention was simple: save the horses.

 

" This does not mean arson was the right thing to do. If you call my brother a

lawbreaker, I won't argue. But labeling him a terrorist dilutes the meaning of

terrorism. And you demean all the Americans, and all those around the world, who

have died in real terrorist acts. "

 

You can read Caroline's Paul's full piece on line at

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-paul24may24,0,482874.story

 

Beautifully balanced, condoning neither arson nor the terrorism charge in its

wake, it deserves some appreciative letters to the Times. You can take the

opportunity simply to express appreciation for the piece, or to discuss horse

slaughter, or the cruel conditions under which all animals die in our nation's

under-regulated slaughterhouses every day.

 

Please write. The Los Angeles Times takes letters at letters

 

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a

letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be

published.

 

Yours and the animals',

Karen Dawn