Archive for 2002
M V Ramana on Maneka Gandhi and Hindu Extremism
As I wrote about earlier, animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi was removed this month from her position chairing India’s highest authority regulating animal experimentation. Princeton University physicist M V Ramana wrote an interesting op-ed in Pakistani newspaper Daily Times earlier in December highlighting the sort of nonsense that went on under Gandhi’s watch.
Ramana writes about the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals inspection and recommendations of primate research at India’s National Institute of Immunology. After that inspection, the CPCSEA claimed that most of the primates at the NII were undernourished and suffering from tuberculosis. The CPCSEA then suspended the NII’s authority to conduct primate research, although that decision was stayed by an Indian court.
According to Ramana, although the CPCSEA made its charges public and used its inspection to justify suspending the NII’s primate research program, it still has not made its inspection report public nor supplied a copy to the NII or anyone else.
The report probably hasn’t been made public because it is likely full of errors. The claim that most of the primates at the NII facility suffered from tuberculosis turned out to be false — only two of the 207 monkeys suffered from TB. Ramana writes,
It turned out that the CPCSEA team, not being well-versed with the procedures followed at the NII animal facility, had assumed that animals with crosses in their records — indicating that they had not been tested for tuberculosis, which is common for infant monkeys — were suffering from TB (which were denoted by plus signs). This could be laughed off as an error but for the “wastage for public funds and credibility of both NII and CPCSEA.”
Ramana, too, sees this as part of a disturbing rise of Hindu extremism in India (with Gandhi’s recent firing, on the other hand, being a welcome sign),
There is a more dangerous underside to these actions, and that is the connection, albeit oblique, to Hindu right wing ideology with its fatalistic notions of Karma theory and its support for a caste hierarchy where upper castes claim superiority partly on account of their vegetarianism and not coming into contact with “dirty animals.” Some go further: activists belonging to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad justified their lynching of Dalits in Haryana by suggesting that the cow is more precious than a human being. The recent saga of the CPCSEA is thus dangerous at many levels: the distortion of an official institution, obstacles to scientific progress, and ultimately a challenge to rational democracy.
For those not following Indian current events, Ramana is referring to the October 15, 2002 lynching of five men in Haryana. The men — all members of the lowest “untouchable” Dalit caste — were accused of killing cows and taking their skins to make leather. A mob of 4,000 to 5,000 people lynched took the men form police custody and lynched them.
Immediately after the lynching, members of the extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad quoted Hindu religious writings to the effect that a cow is more valuable than a human being and that the penalty for killing a cow should be death.
Source:
Animal rights and wrongs. M V Ramana, Daily Times (Pakistan), December 19, 2002.
Tags: Cows, Maneka Gandhi
Hunger and Meat Eating: Where’s the Beef?
The Guardian columnist George Monbiot is the latest to offer up a vague warning that meat eating in the Western world is responsible for hunger in the developing world, and that this trend is about to accelerate. Like most such arguments, Monbiot buttresses his piece by pointedly avoiding any detailed look at the trends and causes of hunger — better to leave out the inconvenient facts than ruin a perfectly good argument.
According to Monbiot,
The world produces enough food for its people and its livestock, though (largely because they are so poor) some 800 million are malnourished. But as the population rises, structural global famine will be avoided only if the rich start to eat less meat. The number of farm animals on earth has risen fivefold since 1950: humans are now outnumbered three to one. Livestock already consume half the world’s grain, and their numbers are still growing almost exponentially.
If meat eating causes hunger and the number of farm animals has increased fivefold since 1950, it’s a bit odd that Monbiot doesn’t point out the obvious — that hunger has increased dramatically since 1950. Of course he can’t do that because while meat eating has increased dramatically since 1950, the percentage of people suffering from hunger has declined equally dramatically.
From 1970-1995, for example, the percentage of malnourished people worldwide declined by 15%, and today only about 13 percent of the world is undernourished. If meat production causes hunger, it is difficult to reconcile this decline in hunger with the explosive growth in meat eating (thanks largely to the large worldwide increase in income during the same period). Which is why, presumably, Monbiot chose not to mention it.
Similarly, there are a number of countries facing severe food shortages at the moment. Given that meat eating causes hunger, it is odd that Monbiot (nor anyone else to my knowledge) even attempts to explain the role that meat eating plays in causing specific food insecurity.
This is likely because the best predictors of food insecurity are lack of democracy, corruption and internal violence. Take Africa, for example, where large numbers of people consistently rely on international food aid to avert famine. Transparency International estimates that up to US $100 billion is lost annually in Africa due to corruption. Here’s a little chart I put together listing several African countries facing food shortages at the moment, along with a brief summary of major corruption in each country,
|
Country
|
Corruption
|
Food Insecurity Problems
|
| Angola | US $1 billion in 2001 oil revenues “missing”(FAO appeals for $5.2 million aid) |
1.4 million people need “urgent assistance” (FAO) |
| Malawi | Corrupt government officials sold 160,000 tons of grain last Fall; $8 million in European Union aid diverted — EU demanded return of the money in July 2002 (FAO appeals for $1.6 million aid) |
168,000 families at risk (FAO) |
| Swaziland | $2 million aid diverted for down payment on $55 million presidential jet (FAO appeals for $1.4 million aid) |
21,000 families at risk (FAO) |
| Zambia | Ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International; hundreds of millions stolen in the 1990s (FAO appeals for $2.6 million aid) |
62,000 families at risk (FAO) |
| Zimbabwe | President orders seizure of white-owned farms, causing food crisis; millions $ US aid money missing (FAO appeals for $16 million aid) |
600,000 families at risk (FAO) |
In each country, the amount of money diverted or lost due to internal corruption would be able to buy enough food many times over to avert famine (and in each of these countries, there wouldn’t be a food shortage if the government were not actively interfering in local agricultural production — Zimbabwe being the archetypal case of how to transform a country with a vibrant agricultural sector into a country on the verge famine in a few easy steps).
The world awaits animal rights activists and others to explain how meat — rather than lack of democracy, corruption, and internal violence — is directly responsible for food shortages in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Source:
Why vegans were right all along. George Monbiot, The Guardian, December 24, 2002.
Tags: Miscellaneous
Jeff Nelson Attacks McDonald’s Lawsuit Settlement
This summer McDonald’s decided to settle a class action lawsuit brought against it by vegetarians upset that the fast food chain had claimed its french fries were free of animal products when, in fact, the flavoring added to the fries used a small amount of a beef byproduct.
The lawsuit was started by Seattle attorney Harish Bharti, but when the settlement was announced Bharti complained loudly about how it was being developed. Although the judge order the plaintiffs attorneys to work with McDonald’s to craft a settlement proposal that the court could consider, Bharti complained that the other plaintiff’s lawyers were working on just such a settlement. Bharti was angry that groups he wanted to receive settlement money were excluded from the settlement.
Now Jeff Nelson is attacking the proposed settlements on similar grounds and going after the Vegetarian Resource Group and the North American Vegetarian Society charging them with “sleeping with the enemy” because both groups are likely to receive substantial sums as a result of the settlement (VegSource itself is ineligible since it is not a nonprofit).
Nelson writes,
What most vegetarians don’t know is that the settlement is more offensive than McDonald’s original deception of its vegetarian customers — because McDonald’s is attempting to steer millions of dollars of the settlement monies to animal researchers and anti-vegetarian organizations by simply calling them “vegetarian organizations.”
. . .
Most vegetarians are also unaware that a few vegetarian organizations like the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) and the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) have acted out of such extreme self-interest that they are aiding and abetting the attorneys who are perpetrating this outrage. Why would they do that? Because these few organizations — with McDonald’s blessing — stand to receive millions of dollars from McDonald’s themselves. They are upset that anyone is now rocking the boat and might endanger their hopes to become enriched.
Nelson’s anger comes on the heels of the attorneys in the case releasing a proposed list of the groups who will receive the $10 million. The breakdown for the $6 million earmarked for vegetarian groups looks like this,
|
Group
|
Proposed Award
|
|
Vegetarian Resource Group
|
$1,400,000
|
|
North American Vegetarian Society
|
$1,000,000
|
|
Tufts University
|
$800,000
|
|
Preventative Medicine Research Institute
|
$500,000
|
|
American Dietetic Association Foundation
|
$500,000
|
|
The American Vegan Society
|
$500,000
|
|
Sound Vision Foundation
|
$350,000
|
|
UNC, Chapel Hill, Dept. of Nutrition
|
$250,000
|
|
Vegetarian Vision, Inc.
|
$250,000
|
|
Loma Linda University
|
$250,000
|
|
IFANCA
|
$150,000
|
|
Muslim Consumer Group for Food Products
|
$50,000
|
Nelson’s wrath is directed squarely at NAVS. According to Nelson, the settlement agreement required an announcement to be placed in NAVS’ magazine, Vegetarian Voice, announcing the settlement and explaining how vegetarian groups could apply to receive settlement money. According to Nelson, NAVS director Brian Graff admitted that the announcement had never been placed in Vegetarian Voice due to “deadline problems.” Nelson writes,
As already noted, Brian Graff of NAVS kept to himself the information about how to apply for monies. This is more than unethical; it dishonestly takes advantage of privileged — “insider” — information. He had a responsibility to the class of plaintiffs to share this information, but his failure to disseminate it widely made it very difficult, if not impossible, for many vegetarian organizations to apply. McDonald’s now proposes to reward this behavior by giving him $1 million.
Oddly enough, Nelson then follows that up by trying to claiming that “NAVS is an organization with a very small membership that represents a miniscule proportion of the nation’s vegetarians. In addition to a magazine of limited circulation that is published irregularly . . . ” which seems to undercut his claims of how essential an ad in Vegetarian Voice was.
Nelson is also unhappy that both NAVS and the Vegan Resource Group will substantially benefit from the settlement even though both groups were opposed to the filing of the lawsuit in the first place. He accuses VRG of being in bed with McDonald’s,
It also has a close relationship with McDonald’s, promoting their products, and VRG has the same public stance on “natural flavors” for which McDonald’s was sued — namely, erring on the side of declaring products “vegetarian” when they know that “natural flavors” might mean they contain animal products. . .
In their magazine, VRG also disparaged the lawsuit and people who sue fast food chains, asserting in their editorial that such lawsuits do harm to the vegetarian cause. Additionally, VRG aided McDonald’s in 1997 after McDonald’s informed them the fries had beef product in them, and VRG did not inform the public for several months.
The rest of Nelson’s complaints largely boil down to Nelson disliking a particular group and so arguing it shouldn’t receive any funding. For example, Loma Linda University is slated to receive $250,000 which it plans to use to expand circulation of its Vegetarian Nutrition and Health newsletter as well a develop a web site with vegetarian nutrition information. Nelson complains,
Just how Loma Linda plans to “expand circulation” of a newsletter using $250,000 is not stated. But this lawsuit was not filed so that some university could reap a windfall for a newsletter which they already charged people to subscribe to.
Nelson is also unhappy that Tufts University is slated to receive $800,000. Tufts Nutrition Department evaluates nutrition information and criticizes individuals and groups it finds wanting. Nelson, therefore, accuses them of being anti-vegetarian because they’ve pointed out some of the more nutty claims of John McDougall.
Nelson also doesn’t want to see The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, receive $250,000 for a study of pregnant vegan women. Nelson thinks UNC professor Stephen Zeisel doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and he’s got proof — animal research contradicts Zeisel. Nelson writes (emphasis added),
Zeisel has been quoted in multiple publications stating he believes that vegan women should go off the vegan diet when pregnant, and eat eggs, drink milk and perhaps eat beef liver. Those are foods rich in choline, and Zeisel knows from his lab experiments that when you remove chlorine from the diet of rats, the rats produce babies with birth defects.
That’s right folks, even Jeff Nelson now apparently recognizes the importance of animal research in evaluating the dietary requirements of human beings.
Finally, Nelson complains that the three Muslim groups included — the Muslim Consumer Group for Food Products, IFANCA, and Sound Vision Foundation — are not really vegetarian since they include information about the humane slaughter of animals (halal). But earlier in his essay Nelson claims there are 16 million vegetarians in the United States. The only way there are 16 million vegetarians is if you include those “vegetarians” who tell pollsters that they occasionally eat meat. Here Nelson is trying to have his tofu and eat it to, using one definition of vegetarian when it suits his purposes and another definition when it doesn’t (shocking coming from Nelson — not!)
Source:
Sleeping with the enemy. Jeff Nelson, VegSource.Com, December 11, 2002.
Tags: Brian Graff, Harish Bharti, Jeff Nelson, McDonald's, North American Vegetarian Society, Vegetarian Resource Group, VegSource.Com
Michael James Scarpitti aka Tre Arrow Added to FBI’s Most Wanted List
The FBI has added Michael James Scarpitti, aka Tre Arrow, to its December Most Wanted List. Scarpitti is wanted in connection with a series of Earth Liberation Front arsons in Oregon. In its press release announcing Scarpitti’s addition to the list, the FBI said,
Michael James Scarpitti, also known as Tre Arrow, is wanted for his alleged involvement in the deliberate setting of a fire at a sand and gravel company in Portland, Oregon, on April 15, 2001. As a result of the arson, three concrete mixing trucks were damaged by incendiary devices and the damage was estimated to be more than $200,000. Scarpitti was indicted by a federal grand jury in Oregon and charged with four felonies for this crime on October 18, 2002.
Scarpitti is also wanted for his alleged involvement in an arson which occurred at a logging company in Eagle Creek, Oregon, on June 1, 2001. The remains of four incendiary devices were found at the scene along with four unexploded devices. As a result of this incident, two logging trucks and a front loader were damaged. Scarpitti was indicted for this crime by a federal grand jury in Oregon on August 13, 2002.
Scarpitti is a longtime environmental activist with an extensive history of involvement in anti-logging tree sits and other related protests. He is known to be affiliated with the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), which is a loosely organized movement whose stated objective is to stop the destruction of the natural environment and the exploitation of the earth’s natural resources through whatever means are necessary. Law enforcement authorities consider the ELF to be a domestic terrorism group.
There is a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Scarpitti. Anyone with information about Scarpitti’s whereabouts should contact their local FBI office.
Source:
Michael James Scarpitti: Wanted By The FBI. Federal Bureau of Investigations, Press Release, December 2002.
Tags: Earth Liberation Front, Michael Scarpitti, Terrorism
Maneka Gandhi Removed from Indian Animal Testing Panel
Earlier this year I wrote about an upsurge in Hindu nationalism in India that, among other things, was helping drive an animal rights agenda in government. Spearheading that was Maneka Gandhi, who was chairperson of India’s Central Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals and using her position to block scientific research.
This week, however, Gandhi was removed from her position as chair of this committee. The position was temporarily handed over to V.K. Duggal, Special Secretary in the Union Environment and Forests Ministry, until a permanent replacement can be named.
Gandhi had been removed from the Union Cabinet in July 2002 after she came up on the losing end of a debate over animal research with then-Union Health Minister C.P. Thakur.
Thanks to Gandhi’s role in impeding animal research, a number of important initiatives, including production of vaccines, have fallen behind schedule.
The official reason for Gandhi’s removal from the committee was that a Member of Parliament could not hold this sort of committee post, but it was also clear that the government wanted to install someone less extremist in her views. Union Environment Minister T.R. Baalu told The Hindu that the government would be looking for a chairperson who would better balance animal welfare concerns with the need for animal research.
Source:
Maneka removed from panel monitoring tests on animals. P. Sunderarajan, The Hindu, December 24, 2002.
Maneka Gandhi divested of post of Chairperson of Committee. OutlookIndia.Com, December 23, 2002.
Tags: Maneka Gandhi
Court Orders Halt to Makah Whale Hunt
In a case likely to end up in the Supreme Court, a three judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals halted a planned Makah whale hunt. The panel ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service had failed to provide an adequate environmental assessment in allowing the whale hunt to go forward.
The Fund for Animals and the Humane Society of the United States had sued the NMFS to overturn a lower court’s ruling allowing the hunt to go forward. Fund for Animals president Michael Markarian told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that he was,
. . . elated that the court has put a stop to this illegal and inhumane whale hunt. This court decision upholds the MMPA, which is a sweeping conservation measure to protect marine mammals in the U.S.
This victory, however, is likely to be short lived. The Makah intend to appeal the decision to the full 9th Circuit Court and to the Supreme Court if necessary.
And they are likely to succeed. There’s a reason the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is overwhelmingly the most overturned circuit court in the nation — because it consistently issues rulings like this that completely ignore its own and the Supreme Court’s established precedents.
As Bob Anderson, professor of law at the University of Washington, told The Post-Intelligencer,
It [the decision] is an unprecedented break with how every other court has analyzed general statutes and treaty rights. It seems flatly wrong on the Indian-law component of the analysis. They are definitely stretching to find federal regulatory authority to limit treaty rights when the Supreme Court has said that you have to find clear evidence that Congress intended to do so.
And, as Anderson points out, Congress made the Makah case for it in 1994 when it amended the Marine Mammal Protection Act to read, among other things, that “nothing in this act . . . alters or is intended to alter any treaty between the U.S. and one or more Indian tribes.”
Only the 9th Circuit Court would infer from that that Congress meant to limit the Makah’s treaty rights.
Sources:
Court stops Makah whale hunt. Paul Shukovsky, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 21, 2002.
Court stops Makah whale hunt. Fund for Animals, Press Release, December 20, 2002.
Tags: Fund for Animals, Humane Society of the United States, Hunting, Makah, Michael Markarian, Whales
Benjamin Persky Receives Maximum Sentence
Benjamin Persky was sentenced to 2-6 years in prison for his role in an April 2002 protest outside a Marsh Insurance executive’s New York apartment.
Persky plead guilty to two counts of 2nd degree felony criminal mischief and was sentenced two 2-6 year terms to run concurrently.
According to messages posted on animal rights e-mail lists, the judge called Persky a terrorist and told him that if she were able to, she would have sentenced him to serve his terms consecutively.
As it is, good behavior will likely see Persky released at the end of two years.
Source:
Benjamin Persky. SpiritofFreedom.Org.UK, December 27, 2002
Benjamin Persky Sentenced to 2-6years in Prison. Animal Defense League of New Jersey, Press Release, December 27, 2002.
Tags: Benjamin Persky, Huntingdon Life Sciences, Marsh Insurance, Terrorism
Eric Mills Sues First, Establishes Facts Later
Action for Animals activist Eric Mills sued four California school districts, including the Alameda Unified School District, alleging that it was illegal of them to have sent students to October’s Grand National Rodeo at San Francisco’s Cow Palace.
Mills’ lawsuit contends that such field trips violate state laws that prohibit schools from encouraging the inhumane treatment of animals.
Among other problems with his lawsuit, it turns out that the Alameda Unified School District did not send students to the rodeo in question.
Ah, nothing like an animal rights activist making sure he’s got his facts straight before rushing in.
Source:
Rodeo case eyes Island schools that weren’t there. Susan McDonough, Alameda Times, December 20, 2002.
Tags: Action for Animals Network, California, Eric Mills, Rodeo, United States
Chrissie Hynde: It May Take Murder for Animal Rights Message to Get Through
According to the Center for Consumer Freedom, celebrity animal rights activist Chrissie Hynde tells an interviewer in Pulse magazine, that animal rights activists may have to up the ante to effect the changes they desire,
The last resort is for someone to go in and actually take these guys out. Maybe it will have to be an out-and-out assassination. When no one will listen anymore, then individuals have to take the law into their own hands and it can get very ugly.
Apparently Hynde is just another James Charles Kopp wannabe.
Source:
She’s Not Pretending. Center for Consumer Freedom, December 16, 2002.
Tags: Chrissie Hynde, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Terrorism
Disposition of 2002 New York City Arrests
The North American Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network recently distributed the following e-mail about the disposition of court cases stemming from the arrest of animal rights activists protesting outside the home of a Marsh Inc. executive earlier this year,
On April 21st, 2002, during World Week for Animals In Labs, 10 people were arrested for alleged property destruction at the home of a Marsh Inc. executive in New York City, [USA]. They were charged with 1 count of criminal mischief in the 2nd degree - a Class D felony charges (in the U.S. are ranked as violations (the least serious), misdemeanours, and felonies (the most serious)) The case was closed today.
One individual was not an activist and was improperly identified while walking down the street past the activists and was arrested.
Peter Owens, Jessica Stewart and Broderick Gumpwright had their charges dismissed early in the case.
Melinda DeAugustines plead to Criminal Trespass (a misdemeanour)and sentenced to time served and one year of probation. If she cooperates with her probation, the charge will be dropped to a violation and sealed after that year.
Amiee Grenier plead guilty to a Class E felony (Class A is the highest, E the lowest) and was sentenced to 5 years of probation.
Benjamin Persky plead guilty to a Class D felony - Criminal Mischief in the 2nd degree. He will be sentenced December 23rd, at 100 Centre Street, Part 71, 11th floor. Time is unknown, though likely 2:15pm.
Joshua Schwartz and Jennica Tait plead guilty to a Class D felony - Criminal Mischief in the 2nd degree. They have court dates January 6th and February 10th respectively - I am unsure as to whether this will be sentencing or a pre-sentencing conference.
Jennifer Greenberg went to trial and was found guilty of a Class D felony, Criminal Mischief in the 2nd degree. She too has court January 6th.
Josh, Jennica, and Jen’s court dates will be held at 111 Centre Street, part 53, 5th floor, New York City. Court begins at 9:30 a.m. If they receive a different, specific scheduled time down the line, it will be posted.
Thanks so much to everyone who attended court for the defendants this week. They have personally expressed their sincerest appreciation.
Jennifer, Benjamin and Josh are currently in custody. Please write them letters…Josh is doing better than Jen - she’s only 17 and is rather upset.
Jennifer Greenberg, 3100201610
Rose M. Singer Center
1919 Hazen St.
East Elmherst, NY 11370
USAJoshua Schwartz 3100201611
BBKC
125 White St.
New York, NY 10013
USABenjamin Persky 1410212600
GRVC
0909 Hazen St.
East Elmherst, NY 11370
USA
Source:
Urgent ELP! Bulletin. E-mail communication, North American Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network, December 14, 2002.
Tags: Benjamin Persky, Huntingdon Life Sciences, Joshua Schwartz, Marsh Insurance, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, Terrorism