Animal Rights or Human Responsibility (AR-HR)

A recent article titled “Politics of Fear” by Gretchen Bernardi explored a perceived similarity between McCarthyism/Witch Hunt mob mentality and reaction against Animal Rights Activism groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)  and the Humane Society of the United State (HSUS).  Although Ms. Bernardi writes at length on the topic, she misses a most crucial detail of resulting in failure of her analogy.

In the eras of both McCarthyism and the Salem Witch Trials, government officials had been swayed by pressure exerted stemming from a philosophical/religious agenda resulting in the violation of due process and suspension of legal rights of a targeted human community.  Ms Bernardini is correct there is a growing body of outrage at individuals supporting Animal Rights to the future detriment of the communities in which they participate.  However, these individuals are not the ones being subjected to theft of property under color of law, interference in their lawful commerce, selective law enforcement to the detriment of property owners and even death threats.   These are all symptoms of the McCarthyist/Witch Trial attitude, but the communities suffering this treatment are animal breeders, farmers, scientific researcher and other groups currently targeted by PETA and HSUS

These groups are well-aware that they need only apply the label ‘puppy mill’ to a dog breeder, ’irresponsible’ or ‘hoarder’ to an owner to they wish to target for even Law Enforcement to look the other way.  Consider the following examples, all of which have occurred within the past 2 months and most are on-going, representing a miniscule portion of the affected.

• The rescue group “Saving Pets One at a Time” (SPOT) is currently holding a group of dogs hostage, in violation of a court order to return the dogs due to illegal seizure. Law enforcement refuses to intervene and enforce the court order, despite the fact they were willing to seize the dogs in the first place.  Their stated goal? To run the rightful and legal owner out of money in court so that they can keep the dogs and sell them. (otherwise phrased as ‘put them up for adoption’)
• The breeder of Vice President Biden’s German Shepherd pup has been subjected to harassment and death threats, while law enforcement has done little to protect her. 
• Pet owners across the country are now labeled irresponsible owners for making surgical decisions in consultation with their veterinarian with the right to determine their choice removed by mandatory spay/neuter laws (MSN)
• Pit Bull Terriers and dogs vaguely fitting the physical description are seized and destroyed for nothing more than their appearance or parentage, with their owners powerless to resist
• Animals seized and owners charged with cruelty despite animals being in ‘good condition’
• Scientific researchers having their cars set on fire, their children threatened due to their chosing to dedicate their lives to research for the good of human-kind (jeopardizing the current and future health of us all)
• Farmers having increasing requirements laid upon them that drive them ever closer to the brink of financial collapse with little to no benefit in food safety and often with less benefit to animal or crop health.
• Law enforcement and media referring to people with groups of animals numbering 5 as ‘animal hoarders’, which they like to refer to as a recognized mental illness. (which it is not)

There is most definitely an active witch-hunt and campaign of fear, no doubt about that.  Unfortunately, the groups depicted by as victims by Ms. Bernardini are not the subject of the McCarthyism and Witch-Hunt tactics.  They are the source of the McCarthyism and Witch-Hunt tactics, and they have a massive budget with which to do so.  For their followers to claim otherwise is disingenuous, at best.

Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders   http://AR-HR.com
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