The debate continues:
Blumberg and his crybaby colleagues got off with broken computers, graffiti and subscriptions to Time and TV Guide. Instead of likening animal-rights activists to actual terrorists, they should be thanking them for their restraint.Wow. That's pretty in your face. I think this guy's off the mark, personally. I've found when people tell you to appreciate the restraint of people who have performed violent acts, there's a hint of threat behind that: It could be worse, buddy. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Here's the original piece:
Terrorists, no matter what their cause, seek political change through violence and intimidation. Is it essential that we label animal-rights extremists as terrorists? Perhaps not, unless such a label helps us -- and especially politicians -- to better appreciate the seriousness of the threat and to marshal the necessary law-enforcement resources.Blumberg goes on to call animal activists anti-science, which is preposterous, but seems like the only possibility when grasping at straws to explain behavior you don't understand when animals' lives are to you merely stock-in-trade.
Personally knowing people who experiment on animals, I can tell you that many of them are concerned about the animals and often have a hard time working with them, psychologically. They have to tell themselves all sorts of things in order to continue on. Think what this does to people, much less the animals imprisoned in these labs.
I'm encouraged that he had difficulty getting senators to be outraged over what happened. It is a serious issue, and these are tactics I can't condone, but animal experimentation is itself an outrage.
For the sake of all parties involved, more time, energy, and money should be spent on alternatives to animal research (and no money should be spent on frivolous research involving animals), not wasting it on lab break-ins and serial harassment. This applies to government funders, researchers, and those opposed to animal research. Being constructive with creative approaches will benefit everyone in the long run, while destructive activities (despite their short term rescues) result primarily in harm. The ends don't justify the means.
