NAIA Cheers Gangs Amendment

Senators Hatch and Feinstein propose stricter penalties for animal terrorists

Senators Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah, and Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, cosponsored an amendment to the Senate's juvenile crime bill to inhibit terrorism by youth gangs, especially those gangs working with radical animal rights and environmental groups. Approved on an overwhelming 85-13 roll call vote, the amendment complements the National Animal Interest Alliance Call to Action on animal rights and environmental terrorist activities.

Last November, NAIA began a drive for Senate hearings on animal rights terrorism, for increased penalties for crimes against animal enterprises, greater scrutiny of supporters of terrorism, and a national task force to study the extent and effects of crimes against animal interests. Pursuing these goals, NAIA launched a national campaign with a resolution describing the reasons why animal rights terrorism should be formally addressed in Congress.  Our national director and other NAIA directors met with aides for Senator Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that would hold the hearings.

Numerous organizations representing hundreds of thousands of people endorsed our call for action. Several magazines including Field and Stream and Dog World published useful articles about our petition, giving expansive coverage of the issues to diverse audiences. Some magazines used our petition to editorialize in favor of action while some organizations piggybacked on our initiative, calling for action themselves. Since a huge part of NAIA's mission is to educate the public about the critical difference between animal welfare and animal rights, we view all these developments positively. 

Senator Hatch, whose own state has suffered numerous terrorist attacks, came through for all people.  Realizing the importance of dealing with what FBI director Louis Freeh called "The most recognizable single issue terrorists of the present time," Hatch and Feinstein introduced an amendment to the pending juvenile justice bill to increase penalties for criminals who attack animal enterprises, establish the National Animal Terrorism and Eco-Terrorism Incident Clearing House to track animal rights terrorist crimes, and make it a federal crime to publish bomb-making instructions and plans on the Internet. With Hatch's strong leadership, the Senate approved the amendment in an overwhelming bipartisan vote.

The Hatch/Feinstein amendment to S254 will tighten federal statutes dealing  with gang-related crimes, including attacks on farms, businesses, and laboratories by such groups as the Animal Liberation Front and its Straight Edge affiliates.

"These crimes are increasingly being committed by some juvenile gangs, particularly ian my state of Utah," Hatch said.

A Straight Edge* gang member has been convicted of arson for firebombing a fur farmers' cooperative in Utah and Straight Edgers are implicated in a murder and in attacks on restaurants, a leather store, and fur businesses.  Straight Edge gangsters observe a strict code that avoids sex, drugs, alcohol or tobacco and usually no meat or meat products.  Many have been linked to the radical animal rights movement.

The bomb instructions appear on several websites, including a site run by the Frontline Information Service, a news outlet for the Animal Liberation Front. Hatch said that similar legislation banning the posting of bomb-making information has passed the Senate three times but has never been approved by the full Congress. Spurred by the tragedy in Littleton, Colorado, S254 may have a greater chance of passage if the Senators can agree on its hotly-contested gun control issues.

Coupled with the Hatch-Feinstein amendment, the NAIA Call to Action has raised public awareness of these issues tremendously. The amendment not only accomplishes several important legislative goals, it brings these issues to the level of public debate needed for ultimate defeat of animal and eco-terrorism. We applaud the actions taken by Senators Hatch and Feinstein and remain supportive of their leadership in this very important role. The amendment and its recognition of the terrorist threat to animal enterprises are important developments along the road to success; we plan to continue with our initiative until total success has been achieved.  See the NAIA Call to Action against terrorism on our website or request a copy via fax (503) 761-1289 or via e-mail at petition@naiaonline.org.

The bill in the House

Vigilance is necessary. The juvenile justice bill passed the Senate on a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Al Gore and was sent to the House of Representatives. There the debate has been hot and heavy with many representatives opposing the increased gun control measures. Representative Dennis Hastert, the Speaker of the House, said that the bill would be split in two or more parts to allow passage of measures to combat juvenile crime separate from the battle over gun sale background checks.

In addition to the uncertainty in the House, the American Civil Liberties Union has complained about the constitutionality of a ban on Internet publication of bomb plans, and animal rights activists have joined ACLU in opposing the entire bill in an effort to thwart the Hatch-Feinstein amendment. Under the headline "Defend Frontline, the ALF and Free Speech!" the Frontline Information Service - which publishes plans for incendiary devices and instructions on how to inflict damage to fur farms, fur stores, and other businesses on its website - urged followers to lobby Senators to oppose the bill and expressed the hope that the amendment would be dropped in the House-Senate Conference Committee if the bill passed the Senate. FIS directed its followers to the ACLU website for more information and to fax or e-mail their opposition  to Congress.

Lobbying works both ways, however: If the amendment is dropped in the House version of the bill, it could be reinstated in the House-Senate conference committee if people tell their representatives and senators that inclusion is important to the fight against terrorism.