“The War on Scientists”

Secondhand Smokette, better known as Debra J. Saunders, has an excellent column in today’s San Francisco Chronicle castigating the animal rights terrorists who are attacking animal researchers. (I should point out that she was writing about the dangers of animal rights before I ever did.) From her column:

Imagine if a group of rabid creationists started fire-bombing the homes of University of California professors to prevent them from teaching evolution. Area politicians would be holding competing press conferences to assure the public that they would take on the violent zealots, who have declared war, not only on good academics and their families, but on science itself.

No need to imagine. Across California, a different group of zealots has done just that. True believers have distributed personal information on scientists and their families. They’ve placed firebombs in medical researchers’ homes and cars. They’ve donned hoods on their heads and marched to the homes of professors, then banged on their doors. They’ve told children that their parents are evil murderers and chalked anonymous charges on sidewalks for the neighbors to see.

The difference is these zealots aren’t fighting for religious fundamentalism. Extremist animal rights groups have organized anonymously to intimidate and terrorize medical researchers until they abandon their studies out of fear for their children’s safety and their own peace of mind.

She points out that HSUS has offered a $2500 reward for information leading to the conviction of these criminals. Good for HSUS, but I doubt very much whether a mere $2500 will move many to turn in these creeps. Given, HSUS’s hundreds of millions in assets, it seems to me it should put some real money on the table to show how seriously it abhors these actions. How about upping the ante to, say $50,000 or more? That might get someone’s attention.

In any event, it is good to see one animal rights group (HSUS is that, even though it doesn’t pitch the ideology) show some gumption here. Still waiting for a PETA condemnation. I am not holding my breath.