Researchers Not Afraid of Animal Rights Terrorists

Researchers to animal-rights activists: We're not afraid
By Thomas G. Watkins CNN

(CNN) -- Three research scientists have taken a rare public stand against animal-rights activists, describing them as terrorists for their threats and acts of violence in commentaries published in the latest issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

Since 2003, "we have seen our cars and homes firebombed or flooded, and we have received letters packed with poisoned razors and death threats via e-mail and voice mail," wrote Dario L. Ringach, a professor of neurobiology and psychology, and J. David Jentsch, a professor of psychology. They work at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"Adding insult to injury, misguided animal-rights militants openly incite others to violence on the Internet, brag about the resulting crimes, and go as far as to call plots for our assassination 'morally justifiable,' " they wrote.

In telephone interviews with CNN, both men said they had been subject to harassment, threats and violence.

Last March, "they blew up my car while it was parked in front of my home at 4 a.m.," said Jentsch, who uses rodents and nonhuman primates in his research into how brain chemistry influences mental disorders. His 2006 Volvo was destroyed.

The Animal Liberation Brigade, which took responsibility for the attack in a Web site posting, announced "when we come back, it's not going to be the car, hint, hint," Jentsch said.

He said an FBI investigator described the incendiary device as "sophisticated."

"We have to take them on directly"

The practice long followed by many researchers of keeping quiet and hoping the activists will go away does not work, said the 37-year-old scientist. "We have to take them on directly; that's what we plan to do ... I'm not going to be afraid of these people; they're thugs." Read More

This is the second story this week where previous victims of these vegan animal rights terrorists have stood up and publicly announced that they aren’t going to be intimidated by them. The reason they are doing this is because they know the work they are doing with life-saving medical research is that important. This is the type of work that in the past has led to history changing breakthroughs and improved the lives of billions of people. Obviously it’s not easy, but these people are doing the right thing and my hat is off to them.

PETA Suggests Insurance Breaks for Vegans

Monday, July 27, 2009, 1:37pm PDT
PETA to UnitedHealth: Promote vegetarianism
Los Angeles Business from bizjournals - by Chris Newmarker of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal

Animal rights activists are urging one of the nation’s largest health insurers to wage war against hamburgers.

The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, said Monday that it had sent a letter to UnitedHealth Group Inc. CEO Stephen Hemsley that calls for the insurer to promote vegetarianism.

The group is suggesting that UnitedHealth lower rates for vegetarians, and raise them for nonvegetarians. A PETA spokeswoman said the insurer would optimally reward people who don’t even eat fish, eggs or dairy products.

PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a news release that the “range of serious diseases linked to eating meat and dairy products adds up to a huge financial toll.”

“By encouraging policyholders to go vegetarian, UnitedHealth Group would save on claims, employers would see less absenteeism because of illnesses related to the consumption of meat and dairy products, and policyholders would avoid high premiums,” Reiman said. Read More

Add this to the list of outrageous letters that PETA has sent out. Eating a vegetarian diet is not healthier for you. How can it be healthy to leave out entire food groups from your diet? If PETA wants to encourage something, maybe it should be eating a balanced diet along with proper exercise. They continue to endanger human health through the promotion of their agenda.