The "animal rights
movement" began to emerge in the mid 1970's with the
publication of a book called Animal Liberation
by Peter Singer. Mr. Singer's first chapter contained
the basic premise of this movement in its title: "All
Animals Are Equal". Denying the existence of the human
soul, animal rights proponents hold that "Each sentient
being should be valued in and for itself", and that
"..there is no rational excuse left for killing animals,
be they killed for food, science or sheer personal
indulgence". Their philosophy would put an end to
animal testing of medicines and surgical techniques,
circuses, rodeos, bird cages, dog pens, the use of
leather and furs, meat, milk, and eggs, and, of course,
the practice of hunting and fishing. Make no mistake
about it, these people are fanatics in their beliefs
.Vowing: "no compromise on animal rights", animal
rights individuals and groups have committed acts
of terrorism and violence to achieve their goals.
In April 1987
the Animal Liberation Front torched a university building
in California where research involving animals was
being conducted. The same group tossed paint and acid
on the homes and cars of employees of the San Diego
Zoo. Bombs have been planted, people wearing fur coats
have been attacked with paint and acid, and one woman
was recently convicted for attempting to murder the
president of a major corporation which teaches doctors
surgical procedures using animals.
Recently, an organization
called "Earth First" published information on how
anti-cattle and anti- hunting people can go out, especially
during hunting seasons, and shoot cattle with rifles
or bows and arrows, and make it look like the work
of hunters.
The inconsistencies
of their philosophy doesn't bother animal rights advocates
one bit. They apparently see no problem in killing
cattle to try and turn cattlemen against hunters,
but they do object to killing cattle for steaks or
leather. For them "the end justifies the means", yet
they oppose that belief in others. One wonders why,
for example, they advocate killing cattle, yet oppose
the use of mice in lab experiments, even when such
research is necessary to save human lives! They declare
that animals have the inherent right to survive but
that apparently man does not, holding that man must
sacrifice his interests in favor of the interests
of animals.
We haven't seen
too many animal rights advocates in Alaska, but even
here their numbers are beginning to grow. Thankfully,
Alaskan animal rights activists don't seem to be violent,
but while many of us were finishing the remnants of
our Thanksgiving turkey, (something Friends Of The
Animals would hate us for), animal rights activists
were marching up and down Anchorage streets last Saturday,
protesting the trapping and sale of furs. One Anchorage
resident, wearing a fur trimmed jacket smeared with
paint, claimed, somewhat inconsistently that "It's
completely Neanderthal to wear fur". The protesters
were joined by an Assistant Attorney General, who
wore a poster of a caged animal and the words "Don't
be caught dead in a fur coat" taped to the back of
her pink Gore-Tex parka.
Alaskan hunters
and fishermen need to forget their differences, stop
the petty bickering, and unite against our common
foe, the animal rights advocates. So long as we are
divided, so long as we try to get "our share" of the
fish and game while attempting to deprive other Alaskans
of theirs, we all stand to lose any rights to hunt
and fish. Perhaps our new Governor, with wise leadership,
can bring us all together, and help us recognize our
real enemy. And a bit of house-cleaning, in the Department
of Law, might not hurt either.
