Thanks to a post on Erik Marcus' excellent blog, Vegan.com, it has come to my attention that a federal law exists which if not repealed imperils the legal right of anyone to speak out against animal cruelty, anywhere in the U.S. The 2006 law is called the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, and it was introduced by our very own Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI). It effectively criminalizes any type of protest (even a blog posting) which 'intimidates' someone involved involved in an animal enterprise - a researcher, rancher, fur farmer, puppy mill owner, etc. And it's not the intent of the defendant that will be judged, but rather the effect of the action has had on the alleged victim.
Practically anyone could be subject to a felony conviction simply because someone who works with animals felt threatened, regardless of whether any illegal act had been intended or carried out.
This law casts nothing less that a chilling effect upon the free speech rights of animal rights activists, and thus interfere's with the public's right to know exactly what is going on with animal enterprises. There are already laws that protect the disparagement of certain industries, but these laws exist mostly on a state by state level (some examples can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_libel).
Animal rights activists are no more violent or evil than any other group of people - and are probably less so if you base that argument on the great people that I know.
Please consider urging your representatives to repeal the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, or learn more about how activists and environmentalists are being vilified by reading books like Green is the New Red, by Will Potter.
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