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Santa Monica Police Raid Homes of Two Animal Liberation Press Officers
Police Refuse to Delineate Reason for Search Warrant; Similar Raid Last Year Resulted in Costly Lawsuit by Activists
For Immediate Release
November 2, 2006
Contact: Jerry Vlasak, MD
(310) 251-0259
Santa Monica Police Raid Homes of Two Animal Liberation Press Officers
Police Refuse to Delineate Reason for Search Warrant; Similar Raid Last Year Resulted in Costly Lawsuit by Activists
Los Angeles- Search warrants were served on the residences Tuesday of two North American Animal Liberation Press Officers by the Santa Monica Police Department. No arrests were made, and no reason was given for the warrants, signed by Los Angeles Appellate Judge Paul Turner. Thousands of dollars worth of private items were taken with no explanation, confounding animal activists in the Los Angeles area, which has seen increasingly effective animal advocacy in the last several years.
In a similar action in 2004, the same agency raided the home of Goldfinger lead guitarist John Feldman in Bellaire; no arrests were ever made, and Feldman was awarded $75,000 by the City of Santa Monica last year.
Press Officer Dr. Jerry Vlasak stated: “Apparently the Santa Monica Police are fond of rummaging through the belongings of innocent people who advocate for animals. My wife's underwear drawer seemed to be of special interest to them, although the Press Office premises themselves have not been touched as yet. They left my home a mess; we are, however, looking forward to our hefty sum from the department, just like John and Amy [Feldman] got last year. The animals can always use the money.” Linda Greene adds: “The Press Office must be doing something right, to incur such wrath from those who support animal exploitation and abuse.”
Despite the loss of several computers, the Press Officers, who claim they keep back-up data available at several locations, were unfazed and back at work within hours. Sgt. J. Moroso and Lt. Beautz of the Santa Monica Police Department did not return repeated calls.
Contact Jerry Vlasak, MD, Press Officer, at (310) 251-0259.
- 30 -
NAALPO
21044 Sherman Way # 211
Canoga Park, CA 91302
ph: 818.932.9997
fax: 818.932-9998
November 2, 2006
Contact: Jerry Vlasak, MD
(310) 251-0259
Santa Monica Police Raid Homes of Two Animal Liberation Press Officers
Police Refuse to Delineate Reason for Search Warrant; Similar Raid Last Year Resulted in Costly Lawsuit by Activists
Los Angeles- Search warrants were served on the residences Tuesday of two North American Animal Liberation Press Officers by the Santa Monica Police Department. No arrests were made, and no reason was given for the warrants, signed by Los Angeles Appellate Judge Paul Turner. Thousands of dollars worth of private items were taken with no explanation, confounding animal activists in the Los Angeles area, which has seen increasingly effective animal advocacy in the last several years.
In a similar action in 2004, the same agency raided the home of Goldfinger lead guitarist John Feldman in Bellaire; no arrests were ever made, and Feldman was awarded $75,000 by the City of Santa Monica last year.
Press Officer Dr. Jerry Vlasak stated: “Apparently the Santa Monica Police are fond of rummaging through the belongings of innocent people who advocate for animals. My wife's underwear drawer seemed to be of special interest to them, although the Press Office premises themselves have not been touched as yet. They left my home a mess; we are, however, looking forward to our hefty sum from the department, just like John and Amy [Feldman] got last year. The animals can always use the money.” Linda Greene adds: “The Press Office must be doing something right, to incur such wrath from those who support animal exploitation and abuse.”
Despite the loss of several computers, the Press Officers, who claim they keep back-up data available at several locations, were unfazed and back at work within hours. Sgt. J. Moroso and Lt. Beautz of the Santa Monica Police Department did not return repeated calls.
Contact Jerry Vlasak, MD, Press Officer, at (310) 251-0259.
- 30 -
NAALPO
21044 Sherman Way # 211
Canoga Park, CA 91302
ph: 818.932.9997
fax: 818.932-9998
For more information:
http://animalliberationpressoffice.org/pre...
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Jerry, violence is not the answer. This tactic of yours has back fired. Look what they did to SHAC. They all went to prison. You and your friends are being charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal stalking. You have terrorized your targets. Your group threatens to kill them. You picket their home at night. You vandalize their property. You send threatening phone calls, emails, snail mail to anyone even remotely related to your targets. You hurt innocent people. You post where they live, where their children go to school, you harass their employers, you try to illicit violence against them. That is not freedom of speech.
Real animal activists are against violence. Violence makes the movement look bad. You make all animal activists look like violent thugs. You have hurt the movement. Your stopthekilling campaign is doing the exact same thing that SHAC did. You are guilty of violating the animal enterprise act. Your computer may have been protected but no one else's was. You encouraged these other activists to do these things on your behalf. You told them what they were doing was legal. You put this in writing. It wasn't. You knew it wasn't after the SHAC loss but you didn't tell these people. You have used them. I do not forgive you. You are a detriment to the real animal movement.
Real animal activists are against violence. Violence makes the movement look bad. You make all animal activists look like violent thugs. You have hurt the movement. Your stopthekilling campaign is doing the exact same thing that SHAC did. You are guilty of violating the animal enterprise act. Your computer may have been protected but no one else's was. You encouraged these other activists to do these things on your behalf. You told them what they were doing was legal. You put this in writing. It wasn't. You knew it wasn't after the SHAC loss but you didn't tell these people. You have used them. I do not forgive you. You are a detriment to the real animal movement.
John Smith writes;
"You are guilty of violating the animal enterprise act."
Of course the origin for this wonderful animal enterprise act that violates human and civil rights is none other than the GW bush regime, those who profit the greatest from animal research are none other than the megacorporations (PHARMA, petrochemical, beef/dairy, etc..) that heavily finance the coffers of the right wing corporatists in the GW bush regime..
No human being has been injured by either ELF or ALF actions, corporate property vandalism is only liberating material to it's original physical state, sort of like recycling. Ironically the same petrochemical industries that make people physically ill, (thus 'requiring' animal testing) experiments with human health with pharma treatments like chemotherapy are inaccurate and ineffective, not to mention cruel to animals..
The very answer that could render animal testing obsolete is also being outlawed by the right wing elements of the GW bush regime based on 'religious reasons'. Human stem cell reasearch is far more accurate because human cells are being tested instead of the biological systems of other species (ie., rats are resistant to brand X, humans develop cancer from brand X). Since animal testing for products is the dominant research in the U.S., many products that are harmful to human health are released into the market..
In fact, if animal research were replaced by human stem cell research, many petrochemically derived products would be taken off the shelf as they are potential carcinogens, endocrine disrupters. Rats and other animals are far more tolerant of toxins than are human cells..
"You are guilty of violating the animal enterprise act."
Of course the origin for this wonderful animal enterprise act that violates human and civil rights is none other than the GW bush regime, those who profit the greatest from animal research are none other than the megacorporations (PHARMA, petrochemical, beef/dairy, etc..) that heavily finance the coffers of the right wing corporatists in the GW bush regime..
No human being has been injured by either ELF or ALF actions, corporate property vandalism is only liberating material to it's original physical state, sort of like recycling. Ironically the same petrochemical industries that make people physically ill, (thus 'requiring' animal testing) experiments with human health with pharma treatments like chemotherapy are inaccurate and ineffective, not to mention cruel to animals..
The very answer that could render animal testing obsolete is also being outlawed by the right wing elements of the GW bush regime based on 'religious reasons'. Human stem cell reasearch is far more accurate because human cells are being tested instead of the biological systems of other species (ie., rats are resistant to brand X, humans develop cancer from brand X). Since animal testing for products is the dominant research in the U.S., many products that are harmful to human health are released into the market..
In fact, if animal research were replaced by human stem cell research, many petrochemically derived products would be taken off the shelf as they are potential carcinogens, endocrine disrupters. Rats and other animals are far more tolerant of toxins than are human cells..
Missouri Stem Cell update with linx;
This work is in the public domain
By legalizing human stem cell research, outdated animal testing may become obsolete, recognized as the cruel AND innaccurate science that it is..
Here's what many people of conscioussness may hear from any given U.S. court in the coming months;
"You are guilty of violating the animal enterprise act."
Of course the origin for this animal enterprise act that violates human and civil rights is none other than the GW bush regime, those who profit the greatest from animal research are none other than the megacorporations (PHARMA, petrochemical, beef/dairy, etc..) that heavily finance the coffers of the right wing corporatists in the GW Bush/Cheney regime..
"Legal provisions recently unveiled on both sides of the Atlantic have augmented protections for pharmaceutical interests and other institutions that use animals. This year, six anti-vivisection activists were found guilty of federal charges over an interstate campaign -- encompassing arson threats, and vandalism by the Animal Liberation Front’s “Commando Division” -- that violated the Animal Enterprise Protection Act. That law, originally passed in 1992, was strengthened after the events of September 11, 2001 in response to heavy lobbying from animal-testing firms and pharmaceutical companies."
read on @;
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Oct06/Hall31.htm
No human being has been injured by either ELF or ALF actions, corporate property vandalism is only liberating material to it's original physical state, sort of like recycling. Ironically the same petrochemical industries that make people physically ill, (thus 'requiring' animal testing) experiments with human health with pharma treatments like chemotherapy are inaccurate and ineffective, not to mention cruel to animals..
"The animal rights movement has lobbied for years against animal experimentation on moral and ethical grounds, but the scientific evidence against vivisection is far stronger. Researchers who put their careers on the line and publicly admit that animal-based models are inaccurate for evaluating the effects of drugs in humans are encouraged or forced to be silent in a billion-dollar industry.
Two such researchers are Dr Ray Greek, an American anaesthesiologist, and his wife, Jean Swingle Greek, a veterinary dermatologist. Both are ex-vivisectors who have studied medical and scientific literature which is largely unavailable and inscrutable to the public. Using the industry's own data, they expose in their new book, Sacred Cows and Golden Geese: The Human Cost of Animal Experimentation, how we are kept in the dark about the dangers to our health from animal experiments.
WHY ANIMAL MODELS ARE NOT PREDICTIVE
Open up a rat, a dog, a pig and a human and you will find much the same terrain, but with differences. But it is precisely these differences which have an impact when it comes to assimilating drugs. For example, rats, the species most commonly used in vivisection, have no gall bladder and excrete bile very effectively.
"Many drugs are excreted via bile, so this affects the half-life of the drug," explain Ray and Jean Greek. "Drugs bind to rat plasma much less efficiently. Rats always breathe through the nose. Because some chemicals are absorbed in the nose, some are filtered. So rats get a different mix of substances entering their systems. Also, they are nocturnal. Their gut flora are in a different location. Their skin has different absorptive properties than that of humans. Any one of these discrepancies will alter drug metabolism."
These differences are only on a gross level. Medications act on a microscopic level, initiating or interrupting chemical reactions that are far too small for the human eye to observe.
"We differ on the cellular level and molecular level and, importantly, that is where disease occurs," the authors explain. "The cells of chimps are very similar to [the cells of] humans, but the spatial organisation of the cells is vastly different."
"
read on @;
http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/animaltesting.html
The very answer that could render the cruel legacy of animal testing obsolete is also being outlawed by the right wing elements of the GW bush regime based on 'religious reasons'. Human stem cell reasearch is far more accurate because human stem cells are being tested instead of the biological systems of other species (ie., rats are resistant to brand X, humans develop cancer from brand X). Since animal testing for products is the dominant research in the U.S., many products that are harmful to human health are released into the market..
In fact, if animal research were replaced by human stem cell research, many petrochemically derived products would be taken off the shelf as they are potential carcinogens, endocrine disrupters. Rats and other animals are far more tolerant of toxins than are human cells..
This 10/07/06 election those concerned about humans, animals and the greater ecosystem can vote in Missouri for allowing research on embryonic human stem cells. This isn't pro-GMO/GE abuse of science by corporations, but a greater accuracy in medical research..
"We're the official coalition of patient groups, medical organizations and citizens supporting Amendment 2: The Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. This important measure on the November 2006 statewide ballot:
- ensures that Missouri patients will have equal access to any federally approved stem cell cures that are available to other Americans;
- ensures that Missouri medical institutions can provide and help find those cures; and
- creates responsible ethical guidelines for stem cell research – including a strict ban on any attempt to clone a human being."
read on @;
http://www.missouricures.com/
This work is in the public domain
By legalizing human stem cell research, outdated animal testing may become obsolete, recognized as the cruel AND innaccurate science that it is..
Here's what many people of conscioussness may hear from any given U.S. court in the coming months;
"You are guilty of violating the animal enterprise act."
Of course the origin for this animal enterprise act that violates human and civil rights is none other than the GW bush regime, those who profit the greatest from animal research are none other than the megacorporations (PHARMA, petrochemical, beef/dairy, etc..) that heavily finance the coffers of the right wing corporatists in the GW Bush/Cheney regime..
"Legal provisions recently unveiled on both sides of the Atlantic have augmented protections for pharmaceutical interests and other institutions that use animals. This year, six anti-vivisection activists were found guilty of federal charges over an interstate campaign -- encompassing arson threats, and vandalism by the Animal Liberation Front’s “Commando Division” -- that violated the Animal Enterprise Protection Act. That law, originally passed in 1992, was strengthened after the events of September 11, 2001 in response to heavy lobbying from animal-testing firms and pharmaceutical companies."
read on @;
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Oct06/Hall31.htm
No human being has been injured by either ELF or ALF actions, corporate property vandalism is only liberating material to it's original physical state, sort of like recycling. Ironically the same petrochemical industries that make people physically ill, (thus 'requiring' animal testing) experiments with human health with pharma treatments like chemotherapy are inaccurate and ineffective, not to mention cruel to animals..
"The animal rights movement has lobbied for years against animal experimentation on moral and ethical grounds, but the scientific evidence against vivisection is far stronger. Researchers who put their careers on the line and publicly admit that animal-based models are inaccurate for evaluating the effects of drugs in humans are encouraged or forced to be silent in a billion-dollar industry.
Two such researchers are Dr Ray Greek, an American anaesthesiologist, and his wife, Jean Swingle Greek, a veterinary dermatologist. Both are ex-vivisectors who have studied medical and scientific literature which is largely unavailable and inscrutable to the public. Using the industry's own data, they expose in their new book, Sacred Cows and Golden Geese: The Human Cost of Animal Experimentation, how we are kept in the dark about the dangers to our health from animal experiments.
WHY ANIMAL MODELS ARE NOT PREDICTIVE
Open up a rat, a dog, a pig and a human and you will find much the same terrain, but with differences. But it is precisely these differences which have an impact when it comes to assimilating drugs. For example, rats, the species most commonly used in vivisection, have no gall bladder and excrete bile very effectively.
"Many drugs are excreted via bile, so this affects the half-life of the drug," explain Ray and Jean Greek. "Drugs bind to rat plasma much less efficiently. Rats always breathe through the nose. Because some chemicals are absorbed in the nose, some are filtered. So rats get a different mix of substances entering their systems. Also, they are nocturnal. Their gut flora are in a different location. Their skin has different absorptive properties than that of humans. Any one of these discrepancies will alter drug metabolism."
These differences are only on a gross level. Medications act on a microscopic level, initiating or interrupting chemical reactions that are far too small for the human eye to observe.
"We differ on the cellular level and molecular level and, importantly, that is where disease occurs," the authors explain. "The cells of chimps are very similar to [the cells of] humans, but the spatial organisation of the cells is vastly different."
"
read on @;
http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/animaltesting.html
The very answer that could render the cruel legacy of animal testing obsolete is also being outlawed by the right wing elements of the GW bush regime based on 'religious reasons'. Human stem cell reasearch is far more accurate because human stem cells are being tested instead of the biological systems of other species (ie., rats are resistant to brand X, humans develop cancer from brand X). Since animal testing for products is the dominant research in the U.S., many products that are harmful to human health are released into the market..
In fact, if animal research were replaced by human stem cell research, many petrochemically derived products would be taken off the shelf as they are potential carcinogens, endocrine disrupters. Rats and other animals are far more tolerant of toxins than are human cells..
This 10/07/06 election those concerned about humans, animals and the greater ecosystem can vote in Missouri for allowing research on embryonic human stem cells. This isn't pro-GMO/GE abuse of science by corporations, but a greater accuracy in medical research..
"We're the official coalition of patient groups, medical organizations and citizens supporting Amendment 2: The Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. This important measure on the November 2006 statewide ballot:
- ensures that Missouri patients will have equal access to any federally approved stem cell cures that are available to other Americans;
- ensures that Missouri medical institutions can provide and help find those cures; and
- creates responsible ethical guidelines for stem cell research – including a strict ban on any attempt to clone a human being."
read on @;
http://www.missouricures.com/
Any legalization of human stem cell research will not end animal testing overnight..
For the moment, supporting ALF methods of direct action will be the most effective method at stopping animal testing case by case. However, the legalization of human stem cell research can and will reduce the amount of animal testing over time..
"The use of animals as models for the development of human medications and disease almost always fails, simply because humans and animals have different physiologies.
Adult stem cell research is more effective than animal testing because there are no complications or failures related to tissue rejection. In fact, international researchers using adult stem cells - cells that are present in all growing human tissue - have shown success in treating cardiac infarction, Crohn's disease and thalassemia. The answers to the mysteries of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's will be found by using stem cells and other modern technologies, not by cutting up beagles.
Most Americans tolerate vivisection because they believe that it is a necessary evil. It is evil, but it's not necessary. Whether vivisection is morally right or wrong no longer matters: It is as obsolete as eight-track tapes, telegrams and bloodletting. It is time the public stopped funding this antiquated science, through tax dollars and research and development costs imbedded in prescription prices.
It may even be time to consider lawsuits aimed at pharmaceutical companies that continue to profit by charging patients, insurance companies and the state and federal governments for medications and treatments based on such flawed and antiquated research. These lawsuits could rival the tobacco lawsuits of the past decade, with individuals and states seeking damages for the cost of caring for those killed or disabled by dangerous medicines."
read on @;
http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-stop.html
The research on stem cells is ongoing in other countries outside the U.S., and results indicate that animal testing is outdated..
There's no reason that animal rights activists cannot do two things simultaneously, maintain support for ALF AND also vote to legalize human stem cell research with the long range goal of phasing out animal testing..
"Cologne-based physician Heribert Bohlen said a test he developed using stem cells from mice can offer "at least the same amount of information about the possible toxic effects on unborn human life as experiments on mice, rabbits, rats and guinea pigs," Deutsche Welle reported.
In addition to saving animal lives, Bohlen said tests using the new stem-cell technology are more economical than conventional animal experiments.
The newspaper said SUV Rheinland Group and the company Axiogenesis developed the R.E.Tox method. The developers claim that the method can show whether or not a substance damages fetal human cells or hinders their development.
Animal welfare activists say they are happy when animals' lives can be saved, regardless of the number, but they emphasize that widespread testing on animals still continues, the newspaper said."
read on @;
http://www.physorg.com/news66391852.html
For the moment, supporting ALF methods of direct action will be the most effective method at stopping animal testing case by case. However, the legalization of human stem cell research can and will reduce the amount of animal testing over time..
"The use of animals as models for the development of human medications and disease almost always fails, simply because humans and animals have different physiologies.
Adult stem cell research is more effective than animal testing because there are no complications or failures related to tissue rejection. In fact, international researchers using adult stem cells - cells that are present in all growing human tissue - have shown success in treating cardiac infarction, Crohn's disease and thalassemia. The answers to the mysteries of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's will be found by using stem cells and other modern technologies, not by cutting up beagles.
Most Americans tolerate vivisection because they believe that it is a necessary evil. It is evil, but it's not necessary. Whether vivisection is morally right or wrong no longer matters: It is as obsolete as eight-track tapes, telegrams and bloodletting. It is time the public stopped funding this antiquated science, through tax dollars and research and development costs imbedded in prescription prices.
It may even be time to consider lawsuits aimed at pharmaceutical companies that continue to profit by charging patients, insurance companies and the state and federal governments for medications and treatments based on such flawed and antiquated research. These lawsuits could rival the tobacco lawsuits of the past decade, with individuals and states seeking damages for the cost of caring for those killed or disabled by dangerous medicines."
read on @;
http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-stop.html
The research on stem cells is ongoing in other countries outside the U.S., and results indicate that animal testing is outdated..
There's no reason that animal rights activists cannot do two things simultaneously, maintain support for ALF AND also vote to legalize human stem cell research with the long range goal of phasing out animal testing..
"Cologne-based physician Heribert Bohlen said a test he developed using stem cells from mice can offer "at least the same amount of information about the possible toxic effects on unborn human life as experiments on mice, rabbits, rats and guinea pigs," Deutsche Welle reported.
In addition to saving animal lives, Bohlen said tests using the new stem-cell technology are more economical than conventional animal experiments.
The newspaper said SUV Rheinland Group and the company Axiogenesis developed the R.E.Tox method. The developers claim that the method can show whether or not a substance damages fetal human cells or hinders their development.
Animal welfare activists say they are happy when animals' lives can be saved, regardless of the number, but they emphasize that widespread testing on animals still continues, the newspaper said."
read on @;
http://www.physorg.com/news66391852.html
The use of violence in self defense of animals is one tactic that is proven effective, along with many others. Anytime anyone is effective inchallenging the state/status quo, they will feel the repression of those in power. SHAC and others know they are effective by the amount of backlash by animal abusers they endure. The state is more than happy to watch activists continue their sanctioned forms of protest, just like they have the past several hundred years. And no one I know has been charged with stalking anyone; not sure where you get your facts.
There is no way to compare the terror of millions of animals tortured to death in labs, much less billions more killed elsewhere, with the discomfort caused to animal abusers. They are not innocents, and have the ability to stop their abuses and find themselves free of attack at any time. As for myself and other Press Officers at the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, we know the law pretty well, and intend to continue making use of our rights so long as they continue to exist, no mateer in what abreviated form. We will continue to advocate for animals, and against those who abuse and exploit them.
"Real animal activists are against violence." Who made this up? An effective animal rights activists uses any measure available to her to stop the torture of innocent animals. Period. As Nelson Mandela said "Violence is not a moral principle, but a strategy. And there is no moral goodness in using an ineffective strategy." Perhaps you care more about how the movement looks than the condition of those it seeks to protect; more animals are abused every year in labs and on factory farms than the year before.
No one at the Press Office tells anyone to do anything; don't look to make us into some type of leaders of a bunch of zombies. There are good people all over the world refusing to stand around holding a sign or a candle while non-human animals die behind closed doors. When history judges us for how we permitted the murder and torture of so many, what will you be remembered for? Posts on a blog? Holding a sign and peacefully watching the murder of billions? Or intervening in their slaughter?
There is no way to compare the terror of millions of animals tortured to death in labs, much less billions more killed elsewhere, with the discomfort caused to animal abusers. They are not innocents, and have the ability to stop their abuses and find themselves free of attack at any time. As for myself and other Press Officers at the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, we know the law pretty well, and intend to continue making use of our rights so long as they continue to exist, no mateer in what abreviated form. We will continue to advocate for animals, and against those who abuse and exploit them.
"Real animal activists are against violence." Who made this up? An effective animal rights activists uses any measure available to her to stop the torture of innocent animals. Period. As Nelson Mandela said "Violence is not a moral principle, but a strategy. And there is no moral goodness in using an ineffective strategy." Perhaps you care more about how the movement looks than the condition of those it seeks to protect; more animals are abused every year in labs and on factory farms than the year before.
No one at the Press Office tells anyone to do anything; don't look to make us into some type of leaders of a bunch of zombies. There are good people all over the world refusing to stand around holding a sign or a candle while non-human animals die behind closed doors. When history judges us for how we permitted the murder and torture of so many, what will you be remembered for? Posts on a blog? Holding a sign and peacefully watching the murder of billions? Or intervening in their slaughter?
Sorry about a couple of typos in my initial post; it was late. Of significance, the Mandela quote is "Non-violence is not a moral principle, but a strategy. And there is no moral goodness in using an ineffective weapon." He also said "It is the oppressor, not the oppressed, who determine the methods of our resistance."
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