March 7, 2013
Hot on the trail of the anti-drone bill namely, Virginia State Senate Bill 954 I blogged about a few weeks ago, comes another more insidious bill from ANOTHER republican senator, Chapin Rose of Illinois. Senator Rose has introduced SB1532 which would amend the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act to the extent the Department of Agriculture can prosecute anyone who, making a complaint under said act is determined to have done so with, “intent to harass the person or entity.”
What is extremely disturbing about this is not only has the Department of Agriculture proven itself in many previous circumstances to be biased towards the animal exploitation industry but one also has to wonder what exactly will determine harassment? I can’t think of one instance where someone has targeted an animal abuser with the intent to just harass them without the desire to stop animal cruelty in one form or another. Charges of animal abuse are usually corroborated with evidence and/or by a witness account.
The animal rights movement has been the focus of more legislation to silence them recently as greatly improved tactics like undercover investigations gain a foothold in bringing legal prosecutions against animal abusers.
In 2006, a federal law was passed called the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act the most aggressive law so far that targets animal rights activists. Activists found guilty under this law could face up to twenty years in jail if an industry they are protesting suffers profit loss. Apparently, groups including the Fur Commission USA, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and various pharmaceutical companies lobbied for the law. In the wake of horrific animal abuse at factory farms being exposed by undercover investigations, we have seen a swathe of ag-gag laws coming into effect. Five states currently have ag-gag laws in place; Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Utah and North Dakota. New Hampshire, Wyoming, Indiana, Nebraska, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Tennessee have all introduced anti-whistleblower laws this year. Montana and Virginia recently passed anti-camera drone legislation and in all but one of these cases they directly target and criminalize exposing animal abusing industries.
Do lawmakers have any integrity left? What we are witnessing is the horrific treatment and exploitation of a massive number of animals for food, clothes, medicine and entertainment and it is beyond reasoning that when abuse is exposed, lawmakers appear to side with the abusers.
Watch SHARK's video exposing Senator Chapin Rose:
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