RE: ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT FILM

[Guest guest]

Dear Azam,

 

I was quoted by Merritt Clifton (correctly) a few years ago

as having described him as " not the friendliest or warmest

of people " . This description of him is still held by me.

 

But to describe him as " typically attacking anyone who

is doing something for animals " is simply not true. He

is rather uncharitable in his views, maybe but most of

your other comments regarding Merritt are over-reacting

to his views on elephant polo. I, for one, feel that his

support of the elephant polo match is totally wrong but

I also recognise that it is his view and do not attribute

anything more than a different point of looking at things.

To accuse him of " cut-and-paste " journalism is to not

recognise Animal People's great initiative in getting

much of the non-western animal welfare movement

at least knowledable about each others work and upto

date on the many advances in animal welfare.

 

You yourself have said that there is too much fighting

among ourselves and this is indisputable. In all such

fights, the only victims are ultimately the animals we

all seek to help. I agree that we should learn to be

more scope for healthy arguments.

 

Many recent exchanges have thrown more heat that

light on the subjects under discussion.

 

May there be more gentle discourse and may all living

beings be happy.

 

S. Chinny Krishna

 

 

azam24x7 [azam24x7]

Friday, January 05, 2007 7:29 PM

aapn

Re: ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT FILM

 

 

 

Hmmmm....this is getting more and more exciting !

 

As the countdown to the AFAC` 2007 begins, with a couple of days only

to go, I can see that the mud wrestling amongst AAPN colleagues

refuses to die down.

 

Thats nice, there should always be more and more scope for healthy

arguments. But its fair only if it is limited to arguments alone and

not FIGHTS.

 

Let me make my point clear, YES, I am looking forward to seeing the

film screened and if possible meeting the fimlmaker too someday.

People should be given a fair chance to view things on their own and

pass comments and feedbacks.

Restricting or advicing people concerned with animals to stay away

from watching films on animal liberation is a desperate attempt, and

should not be permitted to be practiced.

 

I am sure no one attending the conference is gonna be a MINOR, neither

do they need a BIG DADDY to decide the Do`s and Dont`s.

 

It is very typical of Merritt Clifton to attack people trying to do

something.

It is worth really to make an effort to stay away from that man.

My advice to would be : don't take any notice and stay

away from responding to such remarks, some people to be happy when

they can attack colleagues.

 

It is not worth the bother, these people need to be ignored and with

time they`ll find themselves isolated.

 

Let people do what best they feel as long as it is for the benefit of

animals. They may do it anyway they find best.

 

Even Merritt does it the COPY / PASTE style jourlism for 'Animal

People' at times, lifting statements from AAPN and elsewhere. I guess,

that is his style.

Even that requires some effort, and as long as it is done ethically

for the interest of animals it is good.

As long as it sells, and makes him happy, let him be.

 

In his recent EXCLUSIVE front page EDITORIAL he has adressed me as

Assam Journalist, well I am not.I am just a technical guy whose job is

to wield the camera. But yes, I voiced against elephant polo because I

have the authoroty to do so as as someone who has undergone 'Orphaned

Elephant Management " under dame Daphne`s supervision and am a

qualified Master Trainer in Animal Welfare of the same AWBI whose

Chairperson shamelessly was watching 'Cartier Elephant Polo Cup " .

So a reader reading his article gets the idea that a dumb Journalist

from a remote place is fighting against elite people who understand

elephants and is therefore creating a ruckus.

Mr. Merritt also gets my name wrong always when he prints anything on

me " Azam Siddique " is wrong !

 

I am afraid we waste too much of time infighting amongst ourselves.

Let us end it once and for all, lets end it for GOOD.

 

I dont know how many people at AAPN enjoy getting kicked in the teeth.

Perhaps none !

 

Let us all be careful not to get too involved debating opponents over

and over again, for this diversionary tactic takes time and energy

away from being pro-creatively active.

We only have a finite amount of energy that can go into different

activities, and collectively it could result better.

 

Will a fight between humans help? Or, will reasoning with those

responsible for the issues be more helpful ?

 

Azam Siddiqui

 

aapn , Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl wrote:

>

> >Yesterday I received a memorable gift for the New Year that I want

> >to share with you. It is a copy of the film entitled BEHIND THE MASK

> >that is about Animal Liberation Front activists who believe in

> >taking direct action to rescue animals from laboratories.

>

>

> This is praise for propaganda of the most insidious sort,

> the sort of thing that 20 years ago the animal use industries

> themselves were actually paying undercover operatives like Mary Lou

> Sappone to foment, because they knew that causing the animal rights

> movement to embrace domestic terrorism would be to alienate the cause

> from mainstream public support.

>

> Let me point out what some of these people have actually been

> in trouble for doing, and conclude with a few relevant words from

> Paul Watson--

>

>

>

> > > *Featuring KEITH MANN

>

> Among other things, Mann has been convicted of possession of

> explosive substances, incitement, criminal damage, and escape from

> custody.

>

>

> > ROD CORONADO

>

> Charged with arson, theft, possession of explosives,

> extortion, destruction of government property, and illegal

> interstate flight, in connection with attacks on four universities

> during 1991-1992, Coronado pleaded guilty in 1995 to one count of

> aiding and abetting arson of a research facility, plus lesser

> offenses. He was sentenced to serve 57 months in prison and make

> more than $2.5 million in restitution to Michigan State University,

> Oregon State University, Washington State University, and Utah

> State University.

>

> Ironically, one of the laboratories destroyed by the

> Michigan arsons was engaged in developing the use of sperm cells as

> an alternative to using whole animals in toxicology research. It was

> located next door to a lab that conducted studies to improve the

> efficiency of ranching mink.

>

>

> >INGRID NEWKIRK

>

> ANIMAL PEOPLE in early 1998 published the allegation of

> Norfolk-area cat rescuer John Newton that a hit squad led initially

> by PETA cofounder Ingrid Newkirk had for three years trapped cats

> from neuter/return colonies supervised by the Meower Power Feral Cat

> Coalition and took many to their deaths at animal control shelters.

> Newkirk has written that " We do not advocate 'right to life' for

> animals, " but PETA has rarely if ever told donors that killing

> homeless animals is part of the PETA agenda.

>

> However, Newkirk confirmed to Michael Barakat of Associated

> Press in July 2000 that her staff killed 1,325 of the 2,103 dogs and

> cats they received in 1999--63%. According to Virginia state

> records, PETA in 2003 killed 1,911 of 2,225 animals received: 86%.

> Thus PETA killed markedly more animals, and a higher percentage of

> animal intake, precisely opposite to the national and regional

> trends. Although PETA is not a shelter organization, it killed

> more animals each year than 75% of the animal control shelters in

> Virginia.

>

> This sort of thing was apparently still going on quite recently.

>

> PETA staffers Adria J. Hinkle, 27, and Andrew B. Cook, 24,

> were on June 15, 2005 charged with cruelty in Ahoski, North

> Carolina. They have not yet gone to trial. Ahoskie police and

> Bertie County sheriff's deputies investigating the discovery of 60 to

> 70 animal carcasses in dumpsters during the preceding four weeks

> testified that they saw Hinkle and Cook dump 18 dead dogs and found

> the remains of 13 more in their van. PETA had been taking animals

> from Bertie County since 2001 and Northampton County since 2004.

> PETA suspended Hinkle for 90 days, but not Cook.

>

> Newkirk and domestic animal rescue chief Daphna Nachminovitch

> claimed that PETA never concealed that most of the animals it took

> from the North Carolina shelters would be killed, but ANIMAL PEOPLE

> in mid-2004 received complaints from North Carolina shelter

> volunteers and one ex-PETA employee who stated that PETA was pledging

> that the animals it took would be adopted, and was taking animals

> who had been sterilized and vaccinated in preparation for adoption.

> PETA refused to account for the animals, but the complainants had no

> physical evidence at that time that the animals had been killed.

>

>

> >KEVIN JONAS

>

> Convicted of conspiracy to commit animal enterprise terrorism

> and interstate stalking.

>

> Kjonaas, also known as " Jonas, " formed the U.S. branch of SHAC.

>

> The SHAC web site offered personal information about

> employees of Huntingdon Life Sciences and companies that did business

> with Huntingdon, including not only names, addresses, and home

> telephone numbers, but also in some cases the schools that their

> children attended, the names of their teachers, and their

> after-school activities.

>

> Targeted individuals testified that they " they were besieged

> by screaming protesters outside their homes at all hours, deluged by

> threatening phone calls, and were sent pornographic magazines they

> had not ordered, " summarized Wayne Parry of Associated Press. " One

> woman said she received an e-mail threatening to cut her 7-year-old

> son open and stuff him with poison. A man said he was showered with

> glass as people smashed all the windows of his home and overturned

> his wife's car. "

>

> The testimony was supported by videos of some of the home

> demonstrations.

>

>

>

> >CHRIS DEROSE

>

> As ANIMAL PEOPLE reported at the time, with extensive quotes

> provided in writing by DeRose, in 1993 two volunteers working with

> DeRose, posing as Koreans, paid now deceased dog dealer Erwin

> Stebane $50 to kill and butcher a dog while DeRose clandestinely

> videotaped the action. Felony charges were filed against Stebane,

> based on the video, but in June 1993 Calumet County circuit judge

> Donald Poppy ruled that the case involved illegal entrapment and

> ordered the return of 143 dogs who had been seized from Stebane.

>

> The USDA had fined Stebane in 1987 for repeated violations of

> the Animal Welfare Act, appealed seeking stiffer penalties when an

> administrative law judge suspended Stebane's operating permit for

> only 20 days, and cited him for further violations, but could not

> put him out of business until after the Pet Theft Act took effect in

> January 1993.

>

> In February 1993, the USDA used information supplied by

> ANIMAL PEOPLE to put four Class B dealers out of business. Cases

> were opened against many others. Stebane was finally closed down as

> part of a February 1994 plea bargain pertaining to multiple

> accumulated alleged AWA violations.

>

>

> >JERRY VLASAK

>

> Vlasek was barred in 2004 from visiting England to address an

> animal rights conference, because of remarks he made in 2003 that

> seemed to endorse killing vivisectors. In April 2005, while a

> member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society board of directors,

> Vlasak allegedly said similar things about sealers in a radio

> interview, and was removed from the Sea Shepherd board after

> allegedly posting personal details about a sealer on the Sea Shepherd

> web site.

>

>

> >RONNIE LEE

>

> I believe his convictions--more than 30 years ago--were for

> arson and vandalism. Since then, he has mainly issued statements

> encouraging others to do similar things.

>

>

> > AND PAUL WATSON

>

> (From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1994.)

>

> Reject, isolate, abandon undisciplined ALF

> by Paul Watson

> Captain, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

>

> [EXCERPTS]

>

> Much controversy has been generated over the last few years

> by the Animal Liberation Front and most recently by the attacks on

> the fur departments of major department stores in Chicago. The ALF

> has been condemned for terrorism and has made itself a primary target

> for investigation by the FBI. It is only a matter of time until some

> serious arrests are made and perhaps it is only a matter of time

> until the now unblemished record of the animal and conservation

> movements is irreparably tarnished.

>

> To date, there has not been a single human being injured or

> slain by an animal rights, animal welfare, or conservation movement

> person or organization. Perhaps it is inevitable that such a thing

> will some day happen, but I believe that we should do everything in

> our power to keep that day far into the future. Our strength lies in

> our morality and in the ethical advantage of remaining steadfast in

> our respect for life. All life must always be of paramount concern.

>

> I have met some people who have participated in ALF projects.

> For the most part with a few notable exceptions, I was not impressed

> with their lack of discipline and security, lack of strategy and a

> lack of understanding of tactics. The various ALF hits that have

> been reported also display inadequate discipline, tactics, strategy

> and security.

>

>

> Some people have seen no difference between the sinking of

> whaling ships by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the

> actions of the ALF. In fact there are many important strategic

> differences. First and most importantly, we target whaling ships or

> driftnet fishing operations that have been outlawed by an

> international regulatory agency. Secondly, we engineer an attack

> which takes great pains to avoid any possibility of injury to our

> opposition, targeting only ships and machinery. Third, our

> objectives are meant to increase insurance and security costs

> overall--the actual target ship is secondary to this. Fourth, we

> take responsibility, we cooperate with the appropriate authorities

> on any investigations, and we accept the legal and moral

> consequences for our actions.

>

> There is no profit to be gained for the cause by intimidating

> department stores to not sell fur coats at the cost of negating years

> of hard-won gains in legislation. There is no profit in destroying

> an animal lab with fire if it blackens the entire movement as

> criminal and irresponsible.

>

> Our movement needs humor, it needs imagination, it needs

> evolution, and it needs flexibility. We do not need the shroud of

> violence and dark, evil associations with the tactics of the Irish

> Republican Army, the CIA, and the Red Brigade. A movement of life

> promotes life and utilizes vibrant ideas to engineer strategies

> within which to develop tactics that are positively effective and at

> the same time inspiring to others. Leave the bombs and the torches

> to those who would negate life by taking it.

>

>

> --

> Merritt Clifton

> Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

> P.O. Box 960

> Clinton, WA 98236

>

> Telephone: 360-579-2505

> Fax: 360-579-2575

> E-mail: anmlpepl

> Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

>

> [ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

> original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

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> decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

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