In The News
In Case You Missed It…Animal rights activists condemned as guinea pig farm gives up fight
Wednesday August 24, 2005
The Independent [UK]
Animal rights activists condemned as guinea pig farm gives up fight
By Jonathan Brown and Robert Dex Published: 24 August 2005 Scientists have furiously condemned the animal rights movement after the closure of a controversial guinea pig farm which it was claimed would seriously hamper medical research in Britain. The owners of the Darley Oaks Farm in Newchurch, Staffordshire, finally caved into pressure after a bitter and often illegal six-year battle with activists which culminated in the unsolved theft of the remains of the owner’s late mother-in-law. Hundreds of people were terrorised by the protesters. Threats had been made against anyone who was associated with the family who own the farm, who were themselves the subject of paedophilia smears. In what was described as a “guerrilla terrorist campaign” hundreds of properties were damaged in the local village, mainly in night attacks, and electricity supplies were cut. The closure is a blow to the police, the scientific community and the Government, which have fought tooth and nail to keep the operation running. … The decision to close the farm was made public in an anonymous statement by a family member. Another unnamed relative simultaneously appealed for the return of the remains of Gladys Hammond, who died aged 82. Her body was stolen from her grave in October last year. The relative said the decision to close the guinea pig farm had removed the need for the animal rights activists to keep her remains. The statement, made on behalf of the owners, David Hall and Partners, said the breeding centre would undergo a phased closure to ensure the welfare of animals. The Halls plan to return to full-time traditional farming next year. “They have no plans to be involved in any way in the breeding of animals for medical or scientific research,” the statement concluded. The Government said the move was a family decision and it was understood that an alternative supply of animals had already been established. The closure comes just a month after tough new laws came into force designed to stop “economic sabotage” against research bodies and their suppliers. The offence is punishable by five years in jail. A spokesman for the Department of Trade and Industry said: “The Government is determined to tackle extremists who harass or threaten those involved in vital, life-saving scientific research and is committed to a policy of reducing, refining and replacing the use of animals in research.” Professor Tipu Aziz, a consultant neurosurgeon at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, who uses primates in his research into Parkinson’s disease, called the closure as a “tragedy”. He said: “It’s my feeling that the treatment of this family proves that animal rights activists are acting like terrorists.” Brian Cass, the managing director of Huntingdon Life Sciences, who was attacked by extremists brandishing pick-axe handles, said: “It was a succession of criminal acts over many years, some utterly despicable, and the perpetrators of these crimes need to be punished.” Simon Festing, the president of the Research Defence Society, said guinea pig research had contributed to 23 Nobel prizes in medicine. “We still need to use them in certain important areas, such as the study of lung disease, deafness, allergies and the development and testing of new treatments,” he said. Philip Wright, the director of the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry, demanded greater protection of those involved in animal research. Staffordshire Police have mounted a multimillion-pound operation to protect the farm and the village from attack, responding to 460 incidents since 2003 and arresting 60 people. It has also deployed thousands of officers policing the regular protests outside the farm. Inspector David Bird, of the force’s specialist Environmental Protest Unit, said the announcement would have no impact on the search to find those who had desecrated Mrs Hammond’s grave. The Animal Rights Militia claimed responsibility for the incident. Two people arrested over the theft were later released without charge. … . (emphasis added) Click here for the full text of the article.
In Case You Missed It…PETA’s crude analogies
Tuesday August 23, 2005
In Case You Missed It…
Animal terrorism
Monday August 22, 2005
In Case You Missed It…
The Washington Times
Animal terrorism
By Doug Bandow
Published August 22, 2005
Click here for the full text of the op-ed.
International terrorism, exemplified by the September 11 attacks and most recently in London, may pose the greatest security threat facing America. But domestic terrorists also lurk among us, mostly in the guise of animal-rights and environmental activists.
They “see themselves in a war against the entire government and industrial democracy itself,” explains Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project. Frankie Trull, president of the Foundation for Biomedical Research, notes: “These are unbelievably mean-spirited people” who “operate in a classic terrorist organization mode.”
Over the last decade, the Animal Liberation Front has committed 700 criminal acts, according to the FBI. ALF activists recently broke into a car belonging to a pharmaceutical executive’s wife, stole her credit cards and charged $20,000 in charitable “donations.” At the University of Iowa, ALF members destroyed laboratory equipment, removed animals, ruined research papers and threatened school employees. …
In May the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held hearings on ecoterrorism. FBI officials cited more than 1,200 attacks since 1990 causing roughly $112 million in damage.
“There is nothing else going on in this country over the last several years that is racking up the high number of violent crimes and terrorist actions,” argued John E. Lewis, bureau deputy assistant director. The fact that no one has been killed is just “dumb luck,” in his view. …
Frankie Trull worries: “My fear is that in this climate they have managed to drive away really brilliant minds.” PETA doesn’t look much like al Qaeda, and the groups are very different. But the danger of animal-rights and environmental terrorism is exacerbated by the enabling role of supposedly more mainstream groups such as PETA. We shouldn’t wait until people die to combat this threat.
Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former special assistant to President Reagan.
Carbon Cap Holdouts Tour Alaska
Friday August 19, 2005
In Case You Missed It…The Morning Call [Allentown, Penn.], Op-ed
Wednesday August 17, 2005
In Case You Missed It…
Court rejects enviros’ plea to halt EPA rule
Friday August 5, 2005
Fact of the Day: Friday, August 5, 2005 Understanding Mercury Deposition in the U.S.
Friday August 5, 2005
Hurricanes and Political Hot Air
Thursday August 4, 2005
In Case You Missed It...Tulsa Wolrd: Inhofe paves the way for huge increases
Monday August 1, 2005
Tulsa World
August 1, 2005
Hats off to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe for staying the course and crafting a transportation bill that will net Oklahoma more highway money than ever before. The good news comes at a time when the state is growing increasingly desperate in its search for resources to address burgeoning transportation needs.
Inhofe, as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, was instrumental in putting together the historic $286.4 billion transportation bill, which by all reports will meet the approval of the White House.
The previous federal transportation funding measure actually expired in 2003, but impasses over how much money to pump into highways have blocked a final measure. Inhofe had pushed through a $318 billion bill last year but the Bush administration balked at that amount of spending.
The new version will provide an unprecedented level of funding for Oklahoma highways through 2009 -- an increase in the annual average from $424.7 million to $558.6 million, according to Inhofe's staff.
In addition, several critically needed projects will get huge infusions. The Interstate 44 widening project between Yale Avenue and the Arkansas River is scheduled to get $110 million, and a like amount will go to the Interstate 40 improvement project in Oklahoma City.
Several other Tulsa area projects, including the Mingo Creek trails system and the I-44 and 193rd East Avenue interchange project, also will get substantial amounts.
"This bill is historic for Oklahoma," said Inhofe. "I am extremely proud of the increase in funding the state will receive from this legislation." He should be. No other state leader has achieved such a feat in modern Oklahoma history.
Fellow members of the Oklahoma delegation were unanimous in their praise for Inhofe's accomplishment. Rep. Ernest Istook, who represents the Oklahoma City area, also made the salient point that the state has not taken on enough responsibility with regard to projects like the I-40 expansion.
But that's because the state simply doesn't have the resources to take on huge projects like an interstate reconstruction, or even the many smaller projects like the hundreds of substandard bridges dotting the state. Transportation leaders hope Oklahomans will approve motor-fuels tax increases in September to further bolster transportation funding, but most observers agree the tax measure is doomed.
Some politicians would see the highway funding Inhofe has obtained as just plain ol' pork. Most Oklahomans undoubtedly feel differently. With this funding, economic development, improved safety and thousands of jobs are heading our way.
Click Here for the editorial: http://www.tulsaworld.com/ArchiveSearch/search/ArchiveArticle.asp?ArticleID=050801_Op_A15_Highways
http://www.tulsaworld.com/TWPDFs/2005/Final/W_080105_A_15.PDF