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\f0\fs26 \cf0 KINSHIP CIRCLE ? PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST \
\
11/16/06: Questions & Rumors About The Animal \
Enterprise Terrorism Act \
A lot of questions and rumors are circulating the \
internet regarding the \
Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) and its passage \
on Monday, November \
13, 2006. I hope you find the information below \
useful, as animal advocacy \
and social justice orgs regroup for the continuing \
fight. Brenda Shoss, Kinship Circle \
\
1. QUESTION/RUMOR: I understand the House passed a \
version of AETA with \
language that varies from the Senate?s companion bill \
S. 3880. So, will a \
conference committee have to reconcile the differences \
between the bills and \
vote to approve AETA legislation all over again? DOES \
THIS MEAN AETA IS \
STILL AN OPEN ISSUE WHICH CAN BE DEFEATED? \
\
1. CLARIFICATION: 11/15/06, from Alex Hershaft of FARM \
and Equal Justice \
Alliance, alex@equaljusticealliance.com - \
Unfortunately, that is not true. \
The bill they voted on (Nov. 13, 2006) was S. 3880, \
without the ACLU \
provisions, so no reconciliation is required. James \
Sensenbrenner (R \
Wisconsin-5th) is an evil genius. He used Scott, the \
ranking Democrat on the \
Crime Subcommittee, HSUS and the ACLU to provide him \
cover. Then he rushed \
the vote to the afternoon of the first day, with five \
of his cronies \
outvoting Dennis Kuchinich (D Cleveland), when he saw \
us closing in on him. \
\
We are doing some research to decide where to go from \
here, but we have \
decided to fight on. We should issue some \
clarification in a couple of days. \
We don't think it's worth our time to ask Bush to veto \
the bill... \
\
11/15/06, from Peter Muller, PeterMuller@verizon.net - \
What was voted on was \
S3880 and not HR4239. The bill that passed was the \
Senate version so there \
are no conference committees etc. required. Kucinich \
could have (and should \
have) called for a roll call vote and raised a \
point-of-order about a quorum \
but it would not have made any substantive difference \
since the bill \
presumably had the support of two-thirds of those \
present (4 out of 6). We \
would have to know the names of the co-conspirators \
but that and $3 will get \
you ride from the Greenbelt station to the airport. In \
sum Kucinich did what \
he could and should be thanked - we have to figure out \
how to mobilize the \
AR community to get something positive out of this. \
\
################################################# \
\
2. QUESTION/RUMOR: Why didn?t the Big Groups -- HSUS, \
PETA, etc. -- take \
action to oppose AETA sooner? \
\
2. CLARIFICATION: 11/15/06, from Alex Hershaft of FARM \
and Equal Justice \
Alliance, alex@equaljusticealliance.com - Introduced \
at the behest of the \
pharmaceutical and biomedical industries, AETA was \
kept under wraps until \
last August [2006], when it was exposed by a freelance \
reporter at a \
national animal rights conference. Our ensuing \
national campaign opposing \
the bill gained the support of 160 organizations, \
including the Humane \
Society of the U.S., the National Lawyers Guild, the \
New York City Bar \
Association, and the Natural Resources Defense \
Council. No bona fide animal, \
environmental, or civil liberties protection \
organization supported the \
bill. For a complete listing, visit \
http://www.noaeta.org/opposition.htm \
\
################################################# \
\
3. QUESTION/RUMOR: What in the heck happened last \
Monday? With so many \
groups and individuals rallying against AETA, how did \
it pass with no debate? \
\
3. CLARIFICATION: 11/15/06 Letter To Congress, from \
Equal Justice Alliance \'ca \
\
Dear Representative: \
On Monday, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) \
was passed by a voice \
vote of five representatives on the suspension \
calendar, generally reserved \
for unimportant and non-controversial issues. \
\
AETA is anything but. It denies equal protection under \
the law and limits \
freedom of speech and assembly. It unfairly brands as \
'terrorists' \
nonviolent animal protection advocates. It unfairly \
brands as 'terrorism' \
nonviolent civil disobedience, undercover \
investigations, and whistle \
blowing. It invokes excessively harsh penalties for \
comparable federal \
offenses. It is excessively broad and vague by \
implicating innocent \
par-ties. It may authorize unwarranted wiretapping of \
animal protection \
advocates. It has a chilling effect on all forms of \
social justice and life \
affirming advocacy. It deters investigation of federal \
laws by animal \
enterprises. It interferes with prosecution of real \
terrorism against the \
American people... \
\
...Sensing the turning tide, Republican House \
Judiciary Chair Sensenbrenner \
placed the bill on a suspension calendar for the first \
evening of the lame \
duck session, when few of you would be present. \
\
As Sensenbrenner sensed the mounting opposition over \
the weekend and Monday \
morning, he quickly advanced the vote to \
mid-afternoon, catching most of you \
unawares. Consequently, only six representatives were \
on hand to vote on an \
issue that generated thousands of phone calls and \
e-mails from concerned \
constituents, as well as thoughtful opposition \
statements from animal, \
environmental, and legal organizations. \
\
We played the game by Congressional rules, generating \
an overwhelming \
outpouring of opposition to the bill on short notice. \
But the outgoing \
chairman of the Judiciary Committee managed to ignore \
the will of your \
constituents for his own self-interest. On Monday, \
Congress brought shame on \
itself by allowing him to subvert the democratic \
process. \
\
We would appreciate any advice on how we can rectify \
this gross injustice. \
Your expression of support would be welcome as well. \
\
Sincerely, Peter Muller, Alex Hershaft, Odette \
Wilkens, Dawn Moncrief, for \
the Equal Justice Alliance, http://www.noaeta.org/ \
\
################################################# \
\
4. QUESTION/RUMOR: The ACLU (American Civil Liberties \
Union) didn?t take a \
stand for free speech by opposing AETA. \
\
4. CLARIFICATION: From D. Barber, Correspondence \
Manager, American Civil \
Liberties Union - The ACLU Letter to Congress Urging \
Opposition to the \
Animal Enterprise Act, S. 1926 and H.R. 4239 \
(3/6/2006) can be read at \
http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/gen/25620leg20060306.html \
\
If you are not already an ACLU member, we encourage \
you to help support our \
aggressive work on the issues you care about. To join \
please visit \
http://www.aclu.org/contribute/contribute.cfm \'caor call \
1-888-567-ACLU. Once \
again, thank you for your interest in the ACLU. \
Sincerely, D. Barber, Correspondence Manager, American \
Civil Liberties Union \
\
11/14/06, from Karen Dawn, news@dawnwatch.com - \
Actually, Sensenbrenner lied \
about lack of opposition from the ACLU. Sigh. ACLU did \
not oppose the whole \
bill but did ask for changes: \
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/27356leg20061030.html \
\
################################################# \
\
5. QUESTION/RUMOR: Why should I still protest AETA? \
I've received letters \
from my senator and congresswoman stating that the \
parts of AETA restricting \
free speech, such as protests or boycotts, have been \
removed... \
\
5. CLARIFICATION: From Kinship Circle, \
kinshipcircle@brick.net - Most \
legislators are not wholly informed about the drastic \
expansions within \
AETA. The Animal Enterprise PROTECTION Act of 1992 and \
Animal Enterprise \
TERRORISM Act of 2002 already exist. Indictments and \
convictions have been \
based on these laws. There is no need for additional \
penalties outlined in \
the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act of 2006. \
\
The National Lawyer?s Guild opposes AETA because it \
complicates prosecution \
for vandalism, trespassing and other crimes for which \
clear penalties are in \
place. While any activist who breaks the law should be \
punished -- we don?t \
need new laws/penalties for crimes that already fall \
under existing laws/penalties. \
\
As part of the Equal Justice Alliance, I?ve heard \
arguments from lawyers, \
activists, a former Congressman, etc. who?ve poured \
over the text of this \
bill. It is vague and deceptive -- even with the \
exemptions mentioned above. \
It does not focus on the issue of whistle-blowers. \
AETA is so overbroad, \
honest citizens may not know if their activities fall \
within the law. \
\
AETA is a dangerous precedent for free-speech rights. \
Consider: \
\
AETA does not genuinely fight terrorism (but wastes \
taxpayer dollars under \
the guise of doing so). It unjustly singles out any \
group that advocates for \
animal protection simply because of political \
ideology, and silences lawful \
advocacy seeking to expose animal cruelty violations. \
AETA may divert \
valuable taxpayer money and resources away from real \
terrorism. \
\
AETA's exceptionally severe penalties do not fit the \
crime. According to the \
United States Sentencing Commission, in 2005 the \
median sentence in federal \
courts for larceny was 4 months; for embezzlement, 4 \
months; for sexual \
abuse, 4.5 years; and for manslaughter, 3 years. AETA \
proposes up to 18 \
months for an offense involving no threatened or' \
actual economic damage or \
bodily harm, or up to life imprisonment for economic \
damage! \
\
Several corporations that support AETA are repeat \
offenders. They have been \
cited for numerous animal welfare violations. These \
corporations have a \
vested interest in silencing lawful dissent. \
\
You can find other AETA resources here: \
http://www.noaeta.org/resources.htm \
\
################################################# \
\
6. QUESTION/RUMOR: Should I wait for the Big Groups to \
bring AETA?s sneaky \
passage to the media, or contact the media myself? \
\
6. CLARIFICATION: Anyone is welcome to contact the \
media, which has \
downplayed AETA considerably. The average person has \
never heard of the \
Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. One Kinship Circle \
member asks, \
shirley_mondeaux@msn.com - How about contacting Bill \
O'Reily to investigate \
into the number of people present to pass AETA and the \
underhanded way that \
it was done? He loves stories like this. If not him, \
then try Anderson \
Cooper? He also presents fair and just causes. \
\
We say: Go for it. Write/call local and national media \
about AETA?s \
underhanded passage and assault on free-speech rights. \
\
################################################# \
\
7. QUESTION/RUMOR: I am so mad about Monday?s passage \
of AETA. I want to \
know if my elected official voted in support of it. \
\
7. CLARIFICATION: 11/14/06, from \
AnimalVoicesNews@earthlink.net - There was \
no roll-call vote. Just AYES AND NAYS and done. There \
is no listing of how \
anyone voted. However, you can see if your legislator \
was an AETA COSPONSOR. \
\
SOURCE: THOMAS/Library of Congress, \
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/thomas \
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR04239:@@@N \
H.R.4239 / Title: To provide the Department of Justice \
the necessary \
authority to apprehend, prosecute, and convict \
individuals committing animal \
enterprise terror. \
SPONSOR: Rep Petri, Thomas E. [WI-6] (introduced \
11/4/2005) - Republican \
COSPONSORS: \
Rep Issa, Darrell E. [CA-49] - 11/4/2005 - Republican \
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] - 11/4/2005 - \
Republican \
Rep Cannon, Chris [UT-3] - 11/4/2005 - Republican \
Rep Bonilla, Henry [TX-23] - 11/4/2005 - Republican \
Rep Cunningham, Randy (Duke) [CA-50] - 11/4/2005 - \
Republican \
Rep Calvert, Ken [CA-44] - 11/4/2005 - Republican \
Rep Otter, C. L. (Butch) [ID-1] - 11/4/2005 - \
Republican \
Rep Boren, Dan [OK-2] - 11/4/2005 - Democrat \
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] - 11/4/2005 - Republican \
Rep Doolittle, John T. [CA-4] - 11/4/2005 - Republican \
Rep Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [WI-5] - 11/4/2005 - \
Republican \
Rep Emerson, Jo Ann [MO-8] - 11/8/2005 - Republican \
Rep Edwards, Chet [TX-17] - 11/8/2005 - Democrat \
Rep Kline, John [MN-2] - 11/9/2005 - Republican \
Rep Pearce, Stevan [NM-2] - 11/9/2005 - Republican \
Rep Larsen, Rick [WA-2] - 11/15/2005 - Democrat \
Rep Hall, Ralph M. [TX-4] - 11/15/2005 - Republican \
Rep Kuhl, John R. "Randy", Jr. [NY-29] - 11/15/2005 - \
Republican \
Rep Cubin, Barbara [WY] - 11/16/2005 - Republican \
Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] - 11/16/2005 - \
Republican \
Rep Bishop, Rob [UT-1] - 11/17/2005 - Republican \
Rep Ryan, Paul [WI-1] - 12/7/2005 - Republican \
Rep Sullivan, John [OK-1] - 2/1/2006 - Republican \
Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] - 2/7/2006 - Republican \
Rep English, Phil [PA-3] - 2/15/2006 - Republican \
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 2/16/2006 - Democrat \
Rep Green, Mark [WI-8] - 3/2/2006 - Republican \
Rep Beauprez, Bob [CO-7] - 3/16/2006 - Republican \
Rep Coble, Howard [NC-6] - 4/26/2006 - Republican \
Rep Stupak, Bart [MI-1] - 5/15/2006 - Democrat \
Rep Chocola, Chris [IN-2] - 5/17/2006 - Republican \
Rep Norwood, Charlie [GA-9] - 5/17/2006 - Republican \
Rep Peterson, Collin C. [MN-7] - 5/18/2006 - Democrat \
Rep Conaway, K. Michael [TX-11] - 6/15/2006 - \
Republican \
Rep Herger, Wally [CA-2] - 6/29/2006 - Republican \
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [PA-13] - 7/20/2006 - \
Democrat \
Rep Andrews, Robert E. [NJ-1] - 9/6/2006 - Democrat \
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 9/6/2006 - Democrat \
Rep Weldon, Curt [PA-7] - 9/12/2006 - Republican \
Rep Rehberg, Dennis R. [MT] - 9/12/2006 - Republican \
Rep Ferguson, Mike [NJ-7] - 9/14/2006 - Republican \
Rep Graves, Sam [MO-6] - 9/19/2006 - Republican \
Rep Hayes, Robin [NC-8] - 9/25/2006 - Republican \
Rep Kind, Ron [WI-3] - 9/26/2006 - Democrat \
\
################################################# \
\
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY REGARDING AETA \
\
From: Peter Muller, PeterMuller@verizon.net \'ca \
Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 \
Congratulations -- on Our Gains from the vote AETA \
\
No - I?m not crazy (at least not any more than usual) \
? In spite of losing \
the vote to a sneaky procedural maneuver ? we won more \
through this effort \
than through any other campaign in federal AR lobbying \
history. \
\
We began our work on opposing AETA through the Equal \
Justice Alliance \
(founded by Alex Hershaft of FARM and myself, Peter \
Muller of the League of \
Humane Voters) in early October and were immediately \
supported by hundreds \
of diverse Animal Protective groups. In a very short \
time, we gathered and \
focused an Animal Rights political force that really \
had to be reckoned with \
by Congress and the industrial animal abusers who can \
(and did) out-spend us \
a thousand-fold. \
\
Our first plan was to issue a strong, measured, \
rational response to \
Congress upon their reconvening on Monday November 13, \
2006. \'caThe measure \
had been fast-tracked through the Senate with no \
opposition and we were not \
going to let that happen in the House. Monitoring the \
Congressional \
schedules, it looked on Thursday 11/9 and Friday 11/10 \
that no fast track or \
regular scheduling on AETA was contemplated until 12/4 \
at the earliest. We \
adjusted our scheduled actions accordingly. \
\
On Friday 11/10, after hours (around 8:00pm) we were \
informed that AETA had \
been placed on the fast track calendar for Monday the \
13th after hours. \
Everything had to be changed overnight. We immediately \
put out messages to \
various listservs, which urged AR activists spread the \
message to call their \
Representatives by and on Monday the 13th urging them \
to oppose AETA. \
\
By Monday morning, we had gathered a team of twelve \
lobbyists from various \
groups including: Equal Justice Alliance, FARM, League \
of Humane Voters, \
Compassion Over Killing and various other groups as \
well as some \
unaffiliated individuals. While driving to our launch \
site we were informed \
that the proponents of AETA in the House has scheduled \
meeting to deal with \
our arguments. This was the first sign that they were \
no longer cock-sure \
that they could ram it through at will without \
opposition. \
\
We walked the through the halls of the three office \
buildings that housed \
the Representatives each member of the team had a \
prioritized list in hand \
of members that had to be engaged. We reconvened for \
an interim debriefing \
around 1:00 o?clock. \'caAll lobbyist reported that the \
offices with whom they \
had made contact (about 10-12 each) had received a \
very high volume of calls \
from their constituents opposing AETA. \'caThis was true \
whether the \
Representative was inclined to vote for or against \
AETA ? they all admitted \
to a high volume of constituent calls against AETA. \
\
Through a procedural maneuver, which we will detail in \
a later post, the \
proponents of AETA were able to ?debate? and vote on \
AETA with only six \
Representatives on the floor of the House. Dennis \
Kucinich from Ohio was the \
only representative who spoke against the measure \
(Please thank him with a \
call to his office Phone (202)225-5871). \
\
Our Victory consists in being able to mobilize these \
many calls in such a \
short for a very significant impact on Congress. \'caI?m \
sure that given one \
extra day and being a little more savvy of the \
procedural chicanery ? we \
could have stopped it. \'caHad it come to the House \
Calendar allowing full \
debate and amendment we could have beaten an \
industrial force that spent \
millions of dollars. \
\
We have shown that we have the power to enact or stop \
federal legislative \
action. Let?s not lose it. The Equal Justice Alliance \
will post specific \
programmatic legislative and organization proposal \
shortly. Let?s use this \
loss to galvanize our resolve to win legislatively by \
acting in concert on \
federal legislation. Peter \
\
=========================== \
\
From: Chris Heyde, chris@saplonline.org \
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 \
Congress Criminalizes Non-Violent Acts Against Animal \
Mistreatment \
\
WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 14 -- The government yesterday \
paid tribute to Dr. \
Martin Luther King, Jr., in an emotional \
groundbreaking ceremony for a \
memorial to recognize the iconic civil rights leader?s \
legacy and celebrate \
his advocacy of non-violence to achieve social change. \
Tragically, only a \
few hours later and at the opposite end of the \
National Mall, the House of \
Representatives voted in favor of the Animal \
Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) \
to criminalize many of the same legitimate and \
constitutionally protected \
tactics used by Dr. King when they are used to advance \
animal protections. \
\
Following the Senate?s passage of the measure in late \
September, the House \
passed the AETA by a simple voice vote preceded by \
virtually no substantive \
debate. \'caWhen signed by the President, this bill could \
be used to arrest, \
prosecute and imprison law-abiding citizens exercising \
their first amendment \
rights to peacefully assemble and protest. \
\
?It is shameful that on the same day America honored \
the memory and legacy \
of Dr. King, Congress declared the millions of \
Americans who advocate for \
greater protection of animals to be terrorists and \
criminalized many of the \
tools used by activists to challenge industry abuse of \
animals,? said \
Society for Animal Protective Legislation Legislative \
Counsel Tracy \
Silverman. \
\
Under the terms of this industry-endorsed bill, a \
citizen who travels across \
state or county lines or uses the mail or Internet to \
protest the \
mistreatment of animals could be fined and/or \
imprisoned if his or her \
actions cause economic damage to companies that use, \
abuse or exploit \
animals ? or if his or her actions, even if they were \
non-violent, are \
simply deemed to represent harassment or intimidation. \
Animal protection \
advocates could be prosecuted and labeled as \
terrorists for conducting these \
peaceful forms of social justice because the bill \
contains language that is \
vague and ambiguously broad. \
\
Furthermore, the AETA is unnecessary because existing \
laws address extremist \
acts that result in property damage, bodily injury or \
death. \'caThis poorly \
written measure will eventually be subject to \
challenge and will likely be \
deemed unconstitutional. \
\
Contact: Tracy Silverman, Esq. at the Society for \
Animal Protective \
Legislation, (703) 836-4300; http://www.saplonline.org \
##30## \
\
For over 50 years the Society for Animal Protective \
Legislation (SAPL), a \
division of the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), has \
been committed to \
improving the welfare of animals through non-violent \
means. As Mahatma \
Gandhi said, "[n]on-violence is the greatest force at \
the disposal of \
mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of \
destruction devised by \
the ingenuity of man." \
Christopher J. Heyde, Deputy Legislative Director \
Society for Animal Protective Legislation (Division of \
the Animal Welfare Institute) \
http://www.saplonline.org \'ca \
http://www.compassionindex.org \
\
=========================== \
\
From: centcom@war-online.org \
Organization: Win Animal Rights \
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 \
[WAR] UPI Article About AETA Passage \
\
http://www.upi.com/HealthBusiness/view.php?StoryID=20061114-045942-5048r \
Note from WAR: You can post a comment on this article \
by visiting the URL above. \
\
Analysis: Bill targets animal activists \
By STEVE MITCHELL, UPI Senior Medical Correspondent \
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Congress passed an update \
to the Animal \
Enterprise Terrorism Act and President Bush is \
expected to sign it into law, \
but animal rights activists say the new legislation \
will do little to \
inhibit their actions against pharmaceutical companies \
and other animal \
research firms and may even spur increased extremist \
activities. \
\
The biomedical research industry was pushing for the \
bill because they \
wanted laws in place to thwart new tactics employed by \
activists, including \
harassing and intimidating individual researchers and \
companies that do \
businesses with animal research firms. \
\
"Hopefully, this will give law enforcement the tools \
they need to address \
more quickly and swiftly that kind of campaign," \
Frankie Trull, president of \
Foundation for Biomedical Research, a group supported \
by industry, told \
United Press International. \
\
In recent years, animal activists have begun targeting \
homes of individual \
researchers and executives of pharmaceutical \
companies, including threats to \
take further action if they do not cease their \
business with animal research \
firms, such as Huntingdon Life Sciences. Activists \
have also sent \
threatening letters to shareholders of pharmaceutical \
companies and waged a \
successful campaign to prevent Huntingdon from being \
listed on the New York Stock Exchange. \
\
"Right now, a researcher who's under attack really has \
no where to go and \
this will help them get law enforcement attention," \
Trull added. "We're \
hoping this new law will help make the climate more \
friendly and those that \
seek to end all animal research will do so through \
legitimate means as \
opposed to this kind of intimidation and harassment." \
\
Animal rights advocates, however, think the \
legislation may provoke the very \
activities it intends to prevent. "They could've taken \
a step that will \
create their worst nightmare," Camille Hankins, who \
represents Win Animal \
Rights, told UPI. "The thing they were afraid of was \
destruction, damage to \
labs and vandalism, but this could be the catalyst for \
a lot of that." \
\
Hankins said the threat of penalties of up to 20 years \
or life in prison \
that the legislation carries may drive more people \
underground because there \
will be little incentive to remain "above ground" with \
one's identity \
revealed. "Why be above ground, why not go below \
ground?" she said. \
\
The legislation carries various penalties, ranging \
from a fine or 1 year \
imprisonment for violations that do not instill a \
sense of fear of bodily \
injury or death or economic damages less than $10,000 \
to more severe fines \
or prison terms for actions resulting in injury or \
larger economic loss. The \
stiffest penalty is life imprisonment for violations \
that result in the \
death of a person. \
\
Hankins thought the pharmaceutical industry used its \
influence to get the \
legislation passed and noted that several large drug \
manufacturers were \
cited as members of the Animal Enterprise Protection \
Coalition, which was a \
list of groups established by National Association for \
Biomedical Research \
that supported the bill. \
\
"I think this legislation was bought and paid for, by \
the pharmaceutical \
industry primarily," she said. \
\
Pharmaceutical companies listed as members of the \
Coalition included \
Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Roche \
and Wyeth. The \
Biotechnology Industry Organization was also on the \
list. \
\
Hankins asserted that the legislation infringed upon \
rights of free speech \
and assembly granted by the First Amendment to the \
Constitution. "It's \
overly broad, overly vague and restricts freedom of \
speech and freedom of \
assembly, so no doubt someone will have to be a test \
case that will go all \
the way up to the Supreme Court," she said. \
\
However, Trull said the law specifically states that \
it does not restrict \
any rights protected by the First Amendment. "Lawful \
boycotting, protesting \
and demonstrating is all protected," she said. The law \
is aimed more at \
preventing threats and intimidation of researchers and \
firms that conduct \
business with animal research enterprises, she added. \
\
To make a charge stick, businesses have to prove that \
the actions caused \
them financial damage. "This is a very responsible \
piece of legislation, \
meaning everybody can't just prosecute for no reason," \
Trull said. \
\
Dr. Jerry Vlasak, a trauma surgeon and spokesman for \
the North American \
Animal Liberation Press Office, told UPI he thought \
the bill would have \
little impact on animal rights activists. \
\
"As far as the underground liberation movement, it \
won't have any impact at \
all because they don't really care about those laws," \
Vlasak said. "Their \
activities -- sabotaging, liberating animals -- are \
already illegal so just \
adding one more law won't make much difference." \
\
The legislation's effect on the above ground movement \
would also be muted, \
Vlasak said. "I don't think it's going to make a huge \
difference in the \
above ground movement because they've (law \
enforcement) already gone after \
people who were conducting effective protest \
campaigns," he said. \
\
The net effect on the above ground movement is that it \
could "make people \
more seriously consider going underground," he said. \
\
Vlasak may be one example of an activist targeted by \
law enforcement \
authorities. His house along with the homes of five \
other animal rights \
activists in California were raided by the FBI and the \
Santa Monica Police \
Department October 31. Thousands of dollars worth of \
items, including his \
computer, were seized, but Vlasak said he was never \
charged with a crime or \
informed of the reasons for the raid. His attorney has \
been trying to obtain \
a copy of the affidavit but so far the authorities \
have not complied. \
}