Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act: Ever Heard of It?

If you haven’t,  you’re not alone (my own mother had never heard of it until I told her). This bill was passed by (thankfully) former President George W. Bush in 2006, and “prohibits any person from using force, violence, or threats ‘for the purpose of damaging or interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise,’” according to the Wikipedia page on the subject.

AETA, as it’s known commonly, was made to amend the Animal Enterprise Protection Act of 1992, giving the Feds and the US “Justice” Department tools to deal out even harsher punishments to so-called animal rights and environmental “extremists” (I suppose these guys have never heard that desperate times call for desperate measures). Under AETA, the term animal enterprise is broadened to mean “academic and commercial enterprises that use or sell animals or animal products.” That could be anything from a slaughterhouse, to a circus, to a fur store, to a pet shop. Furthermore, as activist Will Potter of GreenistheNewRed.com points out in his analysis of AETA, the wording of the bill is much too broad. For instance, the AETA bill states that “animal enterprise terrorism” is an action or actions taken “for the purpose of damaging or interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise” that either “intentionally damages or causes the loss of any real or personal property,” “intentionally places a person in reasonable fear,” or “conspires or attempts to do so.”

This description presents quite a few problems. First, the AETA broadens the definition of an animal enterprise to mean any academic or commercial enterprise that uses or sells animal products. This is such a vague description that it could apply to any business; grocery stores (which sell meat, dairy, eggs, and toiletries tested on animals), shoe stores (leather shoes), clothing stores (wool coats, silk ties, and leather jackets), you name it. As the Equal Justice Alliance website points out, under AETA, “…anti-pornography activists who target adult bookstores selling leather attire may be terrorists.”
In addition, under AETA, something like civil disobedience, which is illegal but totally nonviolent, is considered terrorism. This is a problem for the movement. No movement in history has ever accomplished anything without some form of civil disobedience (women’s rights, ethnic minority rights, gay rights, etc.). And now, even though it was always illegal, if done in the name of nonhuman animals, it’s considered terrorism.

Same with actions taken by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). What they’ve done has always been considered illegal (vandalism, “theft,” arson, etc.). But now, they are considered, along with the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), the number one domestic terrorist threat in the United States. Even though no one has ever been hurt or killed in their actions (your tax dollars at work, folks).

Perhaps most damaging of all is the effect that the AETA may have on activists who could have been. Fear of going to jail for many years and paying $1000+ fines may keep compassionate people who would like to get involved with the animal rights/liberation movement from getting involved.

At the risk of sounding cliched, it’s time to stop the madness. This is supposed to be the land of the free and home of the brave. Americans should not be scared out of standing up for what’s right. We need to demand justice for all, human and nonhuman. And an excellent step towards doing that would be to stand up against AETA.
So, what can you do?

• Check out the Equal Justice Alliance website to read the bill and get information about why you shouldn’t support it.
• Call your congressperson and Senators about the bill, and express your disapproval.
• Pass the info about the bill onto anyone who doesn’t know.

Good luck, fellow freedom fighters!

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~ by lunacoyote87 on September 18, 2010.