“First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.

“Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out.

“Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.

“And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”

- Pastor Martin Niemoeller

——

The House passed AETA yesterday afternoon; of all our elected sheeple Congresspeople, only one had the convictions to vote against this blatantly unconstitutional and unconscionable example of pandering: Dennis Kucinich, D-OH. Love him. Too bad he’s one of a kind.

For those not in the know, AETA stands for “Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act”. The Senate passed it (S. 3880) unanimously in October; the House version (H. 4239) was fast-tracked “as part of the suspension calendar: in other words it was put on a list of non-controversial bills to pass with one swoop by voice vote.” It was passed yesterday afternoon, hours ahead of the scheduled vote. (Kind of like one last “fuck you” to the 160+ organizations and thousands of individuals who opposed the bill.)

In a nutshell, AETA strips animal and environmental advocates of their First Amendment rights:

AETA unjustly singles out animal protection groups because of political ideology, and silences lawful advocacy seeking to expose animal cruelty violations.

AETA does not genuinely fight terrorism. AETA would take valuable taxpayer money and resources away from real terrorism.

Existing laws sufficiently punish criminal activity. Laws already exist to protect industries against illegal actions, regardless of who commits the acts. Indictments and convictions have been made based on current federal laws, specifically, the Animal Enterprise Protection Act of 1992 and the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act of 2002. AETA’s additional penalties are excessive and drastically expand the 1992 and 2002 Acts.

AETA’s exceptionally severe penalties do not fit the crime. According to the United States Sentencing Commission, the 2005 median sentence in federal courts for:

* larceny = 4 months
* embezzlement = 4 months
* sexual abuse = 4.5 years
* manslaughter = 3 years

By contrast, AETA proposes one year for an offense involving no threatened or actual economic damage or bodily harm, and up to 20 years for economic damage!

AETA is overly broad and vague. Innocent parties may not know if they are acting within the law. AETA may tar honest citizens wrongfully charged with the terrorist smudge. Whether or not they triumph in court, their reputation may be irreparably damaged.

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.

“Animal Enterprise” includes almost every retail business in the United States. Nearly every business “sells … animal products for profit.” That includes grocery stores and restaurants (meat/dairy products), shoe stores (leather shoes), and clothing stores (wool sweaters).

AETA singles out animal rights (and even less “zealous” animal welfare) advocates and treats their criminal offenses more harshly than those of other activists/criminals. Additionally, previously lawful and peaceful activities, such as protesting an event, engaging in a letter campaign, or organizing a boycott, could be considered “terrorism” under AETA. Sponsored by corporate animal abusers, AETA allows these businesses to continue their inhumane practices unchallenged.

Ostensibly, AETA targets “those crazy animal rights extremists” - but the truth is, you could be next.

AETA seeks to punish those activists who cause not just property, but also economic damage to “animal enterprises,” no matter if this damage is a result of legal activities that fall within the realm of free speech. The fact of the matter is that activists everywhere campaign against that which they find unjust, with the goal of ending said injustice. If we allow AETA to stand unchallenged, your cause - be it a woman’s right to choose, ending discrimination against gay/lesbian/transgendered individuals, or economic equality for all - may be Big Business’ next target.

If you’d like to learn more about AETA, I’ve posted a number of action alerts on my AR blog, easyVegan.info (click here for AETA search results.) The Equal Justice Alliance - at www.noaeta.org- has a wealth of coverage, as does Will Potter at GreenIsTheNewRed.com.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts aeta Animal+Enterprise+Terrorism+Act free+speech terrorism animal+terrorism eco-terrorism censorship

Originally posted @ www.kellygarbato.com/blog/2006-11-14/
Filed under: Animals, Current Events, Law & Disorder, War on Terra — Kelly @ November 14, 2006 1:30 pm