At last, power-crazy bullies get the blasts they deserve

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | December 19, 2004 | Miranda Devine

[Piefloater]

After years of cowardly pandering to environmental and animal rights activists, at last industry is fighting back.

Groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Wilderness Society have long been getting away with twisting the truth and using questionable methods to push their agendas. Many other groups have become power-crazy bullies using a compliant media to expand their influence.

But last week, in a twin blow for fairness, the Tasmanian timber company Gunns Ltd filed suit against 20 activists, alleging they have told lies and sabotaged the company; and Italian clothing giant Benetton refused to cave in to PETA threats and boycott Australian wool. Not only that, but the Australian Wool Innovation group last month launched legal action in the Federal Court to stop PETA threatening clothing retailers.

Gunns filed its $6.3 million lawsuit at the same time as the ABC's Independent Complaints Review Panel upheld three complaints that a Four Corners program in February, Lords Of The Forests, was inaccurate, showed bias and lacked fairness.

That's putting it mildly. But it was just this kind of inaccurate, unfair hyperbole that fuelled Opposition Leader Mark Latham's ill-fated visit to Tasmania's forest with Greens leader Bob Brown. Maybe the ALP should join Gunns lawsuit.

Gunns, Tasmania's largest employer, is suing 20 groups and individuals, including Brown, Tasmanian Greens leader Peg Putt and Wilderness Society national campaigns director Alec Marr. The company accuses them of a sustained campaign of vilification, vandalising machinery, disrupting operations and seriously damaging crucial business with Japan.

Tasting some of his own medicine, Brown went purple at the intimidation.

"They can take every penny," he told the ABC. "They can take every peaceful night's sleep. They can take every home comfort. They will never stop me campaigning against their vile destruction of Tasmania's forests and its wildlife."

Gunns shares rose to an all-time high at initial news of its legal action, reported Hobart's The Mercury newspaper.

Meanwhile, in Chicago on Friday, PETA made good its blackmail threat to Benetton: boycott Australian wool or face a corporate vilification campaign. Protesters paraded red sheep and bloody videos titled United Cruelty Of Benetton outside Benetton stores to convince shoppers to boycott the label.

PETA's target is Australian wool, because it claims the age-old practice of mulesing by Australian farmers is cruel. Mulesing is the removal of loose skin around the sheep's anus to prevent painful, even fatal, attacks by blowflies and maggots. As yet, there is no viable alternative, farmers say.

Already, US retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has buckled under PETA pressure and promised not to use Australian wool.

Make no mistake, wool is the new fur and PETA will not rest until it has destroyed our wool industry, in much the same way it has been pulverising the Indian leather industry by persuading shoe and fashion retailers, such as Nike, Reebok, Gap, Marks & Spencer and J.Crew to boycott their leather.

India's leather industry is its second largest employer. But PETA, like its fan, the artist known again as Prince, couldn't care less about people. On his new album, Prince poses in fake wool under the words: "To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being."

Right.

It's about time activists were forced to take responsibility for their actions, instead of blithely threatening other people's livelihoods in order to make themselves feel good or enhance their social lives. If you tell lies or break the law, you should face the consequences, because the company, its workers, contractors and shareholders certainly do.

[Glenn]

The smackdown of PC is breaking out all over.

[stboz]

Bloody Hell! It's about time!

[exnavychick]

PETA's target is Australian wool, because it claims the age-old practice of mulesing by Australian farmers is cruel. Mulesing is the removal of loose skin around the sheep's anus to prevent painful, even fatal, attacks by blowflies and maggots. As yet, there is no viable alternative, farmers say.

____________________________________________________________

And for this practice, PETA boycotts Australian wool? What a bunch of maroons. Those precious sheep might die without it, but it's cruel to remove the skin to prevent death. Niiice logic.

These guys want to run around wearing only leaves and twigs, that's their business. Hope they are happy when they die of exposure...at least the little animals will be intact.

Pfft.

[Bushforlife]

These PETA radicals need to get a life.



And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over
all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing
seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree,
in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it
shall be for meat.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air,
and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there
is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.


Yes man must not act cruelly toward animals; any rational person would accept that. Yet Peta and like minded radicals have a tendency to search for cruelty that in reality doesn't exist, as well as to resort to extra-legal measures, in pursuit of their agenda, which seems to be the abolition of human consumption of animal products. It is ironic that the vast majority of these extremists are left wingers, who have no problem with the indiscriminate slaughter of human unborn.

[JoeFromSidney]

PETA's target is Australian wool, because it claims the age-old practice of mulesing by Australian farmers is cruel. Mulesing is the removal of loose skin around the sheep's anus to prevent painful, even fatal, attacks by blowflies and maggots. As yet, there is no viable alternative, farmers say.

Botox?

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[B4Ranch]

Is there a light appearing at the end of the tunnel? I see a faint glow!

[blackie]

Hang 'em High ~ Bump!

[backhoe]

It's about time activists were forced to take responsibility for their actions, instead of blithely threatening other people's livelihoods in order to make themselves feel good or enhance their social lives. If you tell lies or break the law, you should face the consequences, because the company, its workers, contractors and shareholders certainly do.

Precisely.

[TexasCowboy]

"I see a faint glow!"

Maybe..........maybe!

There are some encouraging signs.

[Squantos]

Too late to work within the system....too early to shoot the bastards !

Wait for it !

[razorback-bert]

Ping me, when it is time.

[Issaquahking]

Great post mate! I like where the goof makes his comment -

Tasting some of his own medicine, Brown went purple at the intimidation. "They can take every penny," he told the ABC. "They can take every peaceful night's sleep. They can take every home comfort. They will never stop me campaigning against their vile destruction of Tasmania's forests and its wildlife."

Bet when he sits in prison and has time to contemplate his stupidity, he'll sing a different tune.

Unlike the useful idiot greenie, most small to midsize farmers are the salt of the earth, and have done 10 times the benefit for the environment than any enviro-whack has ever dreamed!We are starting to see some good things happen around the globe. Lets hope more companies pay attention and follow suit, in getting the greenie to cough up for damages done!

[Squantos]

WILCO Bert !

[processing please hold]

Ain't it a grand sight to behold.

Always remember, there are more of US than them.

[o_zarkman44]

The trapping of fur bearers continues dispite the animal rights people. My son traps furs and makes a small portion of what was once a good seasonal sideline. But he loves to trap and will continue even with the prices being lower. The promise is that world fur markets are re-bounding and real fur is a viable green alternative to the petroleum based polyester fiberfill nylon chemicals the PETA consuming inbreds prefer.

[TexasCowboy]

This Bob Brown joker reminds me of the bimbo at customs in San Francisco when I was coming back in with four zebra skins:

"These are endangered. You can't bring them in!"

"No, ma'am. I wouldn't have carried them all the way from Nairobi if they were endangered. Zebras raise like rabbits in the Serengetti."

"Well, if they're not endangered, they should be. I can't let you bring them in!"

"Then we're going to have problems if you don't get your supervisor over here."

She called him and got her butt chewed because they weren't listed in her book.

[TexasCowboy]

I bought a huge Australian sheep skin rug when I was in Thousand Oaks, CA.

DO YOU HEAR THAT, PETA??!

IT WAS MADE FROM THE SKINS OF SHEEP!!

I've also got a sheep skin coat! So there!