When Firefighters Hate You, Everyone Hates You

In response to the recent news:

Harris Farms. Credit: CBS San Francisco

Animal rights activists claim responsibility for California cattle ranch arson

Arson. Sigh. Yet another misguided contribution to detraction from the movement to end animal exploitation and cruelty. The idiotic ALF spokesperson was quoted as saying:

"We're not delusional enough to believe that this action will shut down the Harris feeding company, let alone have any effect on factory farming as a whole," the e-mail stated. "But we maintain that this type of action still has worth."

What worth could this action possibly have? The feedlot obviously has insurance. Trucks are not difficult to replace. Their horrific, cruel, polluting business carries on, now with an infusion of insurance money to boot. OK, I'll admit that it generated a lot of news reports. Lots of negative press for our movement. Now these manure-mongers have the sympathy from the many millions of people opposed to arson.


As a former arson victim, I can tell you first hand what it feels like - pure hate, violence, senseless devastation, and poisonous, revolting smoke and haunting smells. Playing with fire, you can't be sure nobody will be hurt. You can't control fire. You can't control the deadly smoke, either. Firefighters will show up and fight the blaze, and they will be needlessly endangered. Great, so now firefighters hate you.

And I assure you, when firefighters hate you, everyone hates you!

Thanks a lot, assholes. Now everyone hates the animal rights movement. How many animals does that save? In fact, a lot more animals will die when the average person reads about this and decides they want nothing to do with the animal protection movement, and it serves only to validate the stereotype that we're all hysterical, dangerous, extremist lunatics who belong in jail. And to whoever did this, I hope they lock you up a lot longer than the 5 years Walter Bond was sentenced to. What a psycho - he's got "repeat offender" tattooed all over his face. How many animals can you protect from jail? Zero. Not one lone wolf.

What the movement needs is positive news, positive word of mouth, and new members joining. For example, the story of Bill Clinton's recovery from heart disease could potentially attract millions of interested vegetarians and near-vegetarians. And every time someone goes vegetarian or vegan, thousands of animals will be saved and a new ambassador takes up the cause.  Arson offers none of these benefits, and needlessly endangers innocent people and animals, alienates the public, and creates a permanent negative stigma that is very difficult for the rest of us in the 99.99% peaceful, non-violent movement to overcome. Just stop.

You say you want a revolution,
Well, you know, we all want to change the world...
But when you talk about destruction,
Don't you know that you can count me out!
-- John Lennon