NOTE FROM FISHINGMAGIC – Followingmuch deliberation we have decided to publish this report in full. Itis a unique insight into the warped minds of those people who wouldtake fishing away from us, and are willing to maim and even killpeople in order to do that. It makes gut-churning reading but we needto understand the minds of these sick people who act in the name ofanimals.
Forwarded from Jim Beers, 60, a Virginia Sportsman.
Beers is the man that blew the whistle on USFWS headquarters’Pittman-Robertson Program financial mismanagement in 1998-99. He isalso a former police officer who spent 30 years working for the USFish and Wildlife Service. He described the conference as “trulyfrightening”.
After several requests by Conservation Force, an internationalsustainable use conservation organization located in Louisiana, Iagreed to attend the annual animal rights meeting. The Conferenceran from 30 June to 5 July at the Hilton Hotel in McLean, Virginia. John Jackson, Chairman of Conservation Force, believed that it wasimportant for hunters and other sustainable use supporters to attendthis conference just as animal rights representatives attended annualwildlife management meetings. This made sense to me. I wassurprised to learn that no other sustainable use or hunting orfishing group planned to have anyone attend this meeting in a suburbof Washington. As the five days passed, I discovered that noparticipants or attendees from any of the national conservationgroups were to be found, here in their own backyard. To the best ofmy knowledge, no one else who questioned the goals or tactics of theanimal rights movement was in attendance.
Those of you who hunt, fish, trap, wear fur, raise mink, sell furor leather products, train animals, have pets, enjoy rodeos, enjoycircuses, live on ranches or farms, log timber or graze animals, usewood products, eat meat, eat eggs, eat cheese, eat wild fish andwildlife, eat seafood, attend dog races, support animal research forhuman treatments, support proactive fish and wildlife management forhuman benefit, use public lands, own guns, support the 2nd Amendment,wear leather, oppose terrorism, oppose intimidation, oppose physicalthreats, recreate in the outdoors with your families, love yourchildren, want your religious institutions kept free frominfiltration and manipulation, believe in the Constitutional freedomsof the USA, oppose the continued expansion of Federal power, opposeforcible establishment of rule by anarchy in our USA, oppose theefforts of the UN to regulate everything to do with fish and wildlifeand guns throughout the world, and who love this nation and what itstands for should have been there. Organizations that represent yourinterests should have been there. Law enforcement organizationsshould have been there.
The people and groups that gathered at this luxury Hilton Hotelfor five days made no bones that they are going to eliminate everytraditional use of animals and many other American freedoms andtraditions. They have been going about this incrementally for years. Since there have been no serious consequences of their activities,their boldness and arrogance has reached gargantuan proportions. They clearly believe and preach the radical reformation of the way welive, the way we relate to our government, and the elimination ofmost freedoms that we take for granted here in the USA. They intendto change the relationship between mankind and the animal world thathas existed for millennia.
This radical movement must be brought into the light of day. Their agenda, from mandated veganism to obtaining legal rights firstfor apes and then for all other animals, must be understood by all ofus. The current process where bear hunting is voted out in one stateand all of us say, “I don’t hunt bears”. Where wild Himalayan sheepare added to UN Lists and all of us say, “I will never get to theHimalayas”. Where public land is locked up and we say, “I will neverhave to use that land”. Where dog breeders are restricted to lownumbers or forbidden to breed their dogs and we say, “I have a cat”. This incremental process of dividing us and slowly taking away rightafter right, this must be exposed and responded to by all of us,including those vegans and disgruntled citizens who value freedom andAmerica’s promise.
The only way for me to convey the truly frightening experience ofattending this conference is to describe what I encountered. Iearnestly hope that the reader will be convinced to treat thismovement with the serious consideration and public scrutiny that itdeserves. If all of us don’t pull together to maintain our freedomsand way of life, these people will surely turn us into a society thatour forefathers would not recognize and in which we, and I ultimatelybelieve they, will not want to live.
I can only report what I saw through the eyes of a 60 year oldwhite male. These are also the eyes and ears of a Catholic wildlifebiologist and ex-law enforcement officer who hunts, fishes, andunderstands the benefits of proactive fish and wildlife management. After a stint with the Utah Game and Fish, the US Navy, theMinneapolis Police Department, and 30 years in various locations withthe US Fish and Wildlife Service I am what I am and I see what I see. All of these things are relevant to what I am about to report toyou.
Although the First Amendment guarantees the right of free speechand free assembly, many of the things I saw and heard could only becharacterized as inciting mayhem. Many of the people makingpresentations crossed state lines to get there and there werenumerous inferences, suggestions, and encouragements to commitviolent and unlawful acts of major magnitudes.
ARRIVAL AND REGISTRATION
Walking through the parking lot each day revealed an abundance ofbumper stickers. Most referred to veganism in varying intensities.The eventual imposition of veganism nationwide was the most common. Other stickers referred to resisting globalism, disrupting NAFTA,outlawing circuses, outlawing rodeos, stopping fishing, stoppinghunting, stopping dogracing, protesting at Seattle and Quebec,intimidating the World Bank, and outlawing all fur and leather.
The exhibit area inside lay between the registration desk and theconference rooms. Passing through the exhibits revealed anincredible range of protest topics. The following is a partial listof the handouts and publications:
How the international chemistry industry is killing poor peoplearound the world. How President Bush is using religion to kill ourConstitution. Why we must stop the war on drugs. How the World Bankis being forced to meet the demands of protesters. Why we shouldteach children not to be ashamed of their bodies. How all religionswere originally vegan. Ending the use of animals in research,testing, and education. Stopping the use of animals for meat, eggs,and dairy products. Spiritual Communication with animals. Usinganimal communicators. What would Jesus eat today. Stopping logging inthe Philippines. How President Bush is oppressing minorities. Why weshouldn’t eat bananas, chocolate, or beef or use coffee. How to stopunion busting in Haiti. Boycotting McDonalds, Macy’s, Anheuser Busch,and the Back Bay Restaurant Group. Why criminals start out as animalabusers. What’s wrong with – leather, hunting, seafood, fur, meat,etc. Protesting in Solidarity with the U’wa People. The GlobalSweatshop Coalition. Ending Procter and Gamble Testing on animals.Internships for animal rights, indigenous rights, anti-sweatshop, andanti-fur. Internship for DIRECT ACTION/CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.
There were more things here but space is limited. I mention theseto give the reader a taste of the atmosphere at this conference.
VIDEO PRESENTATIONS AND SESSIONS
Videos were constantly being shown. The following selectionsrepresent the flavor of those presentations.
IGNITING A REVOLUTION. A sympathetic primer by radicalenvironmental and animal activists on “ecotage”. SEXUAL POLITICS OFMEAT. Carol Adams, feminist-vegetarian author. ANIMAL LIBERATION: THEMOVIE. ALF raids on British laboratories and factory farms. WHAT’SWRONG WITH HUNTING. By Buffalo Bills Coach Marv Levy. PUPPY MILLEXPOSE. BY actor Charlize Theron. THE REAL LIFE OF CIRCUS ANIMALS. ByAli McGraw. GREAT AMERICAN MEATOUT. By Ed Asner. MONEY AND MYTHS. Howstate wildlife agencies fail to protect wildlife. THE BURGER KINGCAMPAIGN. By Dan Rather. AUSTRALIA FACTORY FARM RAIDS. There weremany others on trapping, chicken farms, the cowboy image, etc.
There were four concurrent sessions throughout the days. Here areselections from the program. WHEN IS KILLING OK? (attacking animals?Unwanted dogs & cats? Fetuses or babies?)
WHAT RIGHTS? WHICH ANIMALS? (Should intelligence matter?) GETTINGATTENTION (Legally) (effective use of street demonstrations) GETTINGATTENTION (Otherwise) (CD’s, disruptions, banner drops, rescues,phone/web siege, destruction) ANIMAL SPIRITUALITY (communicating withanimals) HOW BROAD OUR ETHICS? (Can we justify lying, cheating,stealing, subordinating other social goals?) ANIMAL VICTIMHOOD(Commonality of oppression of animals, children, women,minorities)
WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS (changing behavior through feelings andbeliefs) YOUR SON OR THE RAT? (whose life do we value?) ROLE OFVIOLENCE DIRECT TACTICS (economic and peer pressure, physicalthreats) ENACTING FEDERAL LEGISLATION (issues, coalitions,legislators and committees)
HOW CAN WE ALL GET TOGETHER? (what are the opportunities andobstacles? What are the steps?) ENACTING STATE AND LOCAL LAWS WHATPRICE SOLIDARITY? (when should we tolerate damaging tactics orstatements by other leaders?) WHAT PRICE ANIMAL LIBERATION? (how farshould we go to liberate animals? What should be off limits?)MEDICINE CAMPAIGNS (Huntingdon, Coulston, OPRC, Procter & Gamble,WWAIL) OUTREACH TO WOMEN AND MINORITIES OUTREACH TO RELIGIONCOMPANION CAMPAIGNS (property, puppy mills, spay/neuter, no-kill,Korean dogs).
THINGS HEARD IN THE SESSIONS
I could only attend one fourth of the sessions because there werefour presented at a time in four locations. I can only say thatthose I did attend ranged from very old rhetoric about trapping andhunting to scary references to the violent change of our form ofgovernment. There were reportedly over a thousand attendees. Manywere my age and boasted about starting in the Vietnam protests. Manyof the middle-aged attendees boasted of other protest movementexperience on behalf of radical feminism, the environment, andoppressed workers and minorities. About a third of the attendeeswere under 25. Many of these were heavily tattooed and made liberaluse of metal rings through various body parts. My guess would be thathalf of them were attending their first such conference. In myopinion, they were being scrutinized by many of the sponsors andsession instructors. They were encouraged to meet with instructorslater in hallways and at dinner if they were interested in learning”more” about what was discussed and the things only alluded to. Itappeared to be a bazaar for inducting young people into terroristactivities. Keep this in mind as you read the following excerptsfrom sessions which I attended.
GENERAL COMMENTS
Animals are like exploited workers and prisoners.
WTO demonstrations helped to save turtles.
Oppressed people are like labor and environmental supporters.Pollution is just like police brutality. Use it as an excuse todemonstrate and forge coalitions. Abortion rights activists can helpto involve the women’s movement and the lesbian/gay activists. Aneco-feminist ethicist ranted against patriarchy and the “Miss Vegan”contests. A German leftist studied right wing extremism. Heconcludes- People in power exploit, oppress, and exclude. Speciesismis racist and right wing like Nazism talked about Slavs. InvadingRussia was like invading the wilderness. Nazism today is the animalusers who enslave and kill animals like slave laborers who were”hunted” for sport by Nazis. Competition establishes inequality andoppression. Guns must be eliminated from society. Anyone with a gunwants to kill.
ON TACTICS
I’ve been arrested six times and I still teach at my University.Some places like San Francisco will never prosecute you for anything.Put bricks through widows to intimidate wives and children. Baseballbats when they pull into their driveways have a way of discouragingpeople. Sometimes you have to “blow shit up”. Some people should be”blown up”. Bomb threats at key moments in England have won the dayfor us. Harass business acquaintances on the golf course and theirneighbors. Break up stockholder meetings and company parties. Here’show to find out where people live. There is “other” stuff that I willbe glad to tell you about in the hall or after the dinner. There areno consequences of arrest. Break-ins, destroying property (fire,etc.) is all justified since society refuses to protect animals. Makethings as costly as you can. I’m proud of all my arrests.Propagandize and energize the young, especially radicals in theirteens and twenties who will take risks. Institute demonstrations andmaximize disruptions and publicity. Use “comely” people asspokespersons and always appear rational and reasonable. Coordinateharassment by any means that destroys key businesses, businessleaders, and other opponents. Lying, cheating, destruction, and”anything else” are justified since society won’t listen and the lawsare against us. The end justifies the means. Stress victimhood.Racism equals Sexism equals Speciesism. Women and blacks had to chipinto men’s rights. Now animals are chipping in also. “Person” is notjust humans. The privilege of “whiteness” equals privilege overanimals. Attack history notions and focus on our progressiveenlightenment on all these matters. Break up traditions and changethe status quo to where we are in charge. Disrupt lawmaking thatthreatens us at any level. European culture is our enemy. White malesmust be suppressed. The Huntingdon Life Sciences model from Englandcan serve American activists as an example of what to do. No one ownsa pet. We are guardians only. The whole man/pet relationship needsto be revamped.
NOTE: There were many comments about cockfighting in statesthat still permit it, dogracing, meat, eggs, dairy products, animalresearch, and other matters that resemble the foregoing but aresimply redundant and too much for this already extensive report.
ON RELIGION
Focus on progressive Churches.
I’m a Buddhist but I speak at every progressive Church that willlet me. Manipulate progressive Christians, Jews, and others. Assertthat all early Churches were vegan. Identify and support veganministers and other religious leaders. One humane leader comparedhimself to Mother Theresa. He, like she, “could save X many moreanimals per day or week if he had X more dollars”. Go beyond dogma.Go beyond religion. Enter the circle of life. Unity and UnitarianChurches are good bets to turn people to veganism. We areestablishing a vegan-spiritual based society. We may soon convert theDalai Lama to veganism. Tell people that we all come to this planetfrom somewhere. Saint Francis and Suma Ching How support us. Thereligious issue is really the health/ethics/spirituality issue.Christian tradition has been adulterated. Beware of hierarchicalpriests. Utilize professional animal communicators who engage intelepathic communication with animals. Establish conversations with”the other side” (meaning the dead). Animal souls fit with allreligions.
ON COALITIONS
Read Angela Davis.
Talk about dietary racism.
Establish solidarity with women of color.
Be very careful that you don’t get a Clarence Thomas.
Stress solidarity with all progressive movements.
People of color are at great risk around hunters and trappers. Getwhites upset, this energizes minorities. Anti-nuclear protestersshare our goals as do people against slave labor and those againstusing the third world to grow our food. Always keep an eye out forfree floating radicals who can help. Globalization is the issue toforge coalitions around. (Cheers) Preach solidarity with unions,minorities, feminists, and gay/lesbians. Animals equal the Holocaustequals child abuse.
ON HUNTING
New Jersey is running out of kids indoctrinated to hunt. Trainingkids with guns endangers everyone. Stress issues that divide hunterslike “canned” hunts. Dog hunting and baiting also divide hunters souse these topics. Hunters are already divided, keep dividing them.Oppose all right to subsistence hunting by indigenous people. Usekites, recordings, bullhorns, and “other” things. This last commentbrought a titter of laughs from many of the young people. Hunterswant to kill bears in New Jersey and we saved the bears. HunterConstitutional Rights at the state level are funny. They are aplacebo to hunters and just put control in state legislatures whichwe will soon control. The restrictions on ballot initiatives in Utahmust be fought anywhere that they pop up. Hunters are getting old. Pretty soon they will just disappear. We are successful in getting tochildren early in school so they learn to hate hunting. We need towork more with the UN to bring more animals under their control.
ON FISHING
PETA has cracked the wholesomeness of fishing. This will deterfamilies and help us with the wholesome labels of other animal uses.Always deal with sport fishing and commercial fishing bansseparately. Fishermen are tools of international businesses. Allkilling of fish must be stopped. PETA is proud to be forcing the BoyScouts to drop their fishing and wildlife management merit badges. They are proud to be in solidarity with others who are trying tochange that indoctrination organization.
TRAPPING AND FUR
Confront anyone wearing fur and intimidate them.
Use any tactics to put fur stores out of business.
Confront people wearing fur trim.
Embarrass fur wearers in front of their friends and at placeswhere they wear fur. Personalize the animals to children and thepublic. Trappers are dying out. The propaganda about animal controlis all lies. No animals need to be controlled. Predators must all beprotected and allowed to spread everywhere. Europe and especiallyEngland is way ahead of us here. The Labor Party is verysympathetic.
ON CIRCUSES AND RODEOS
Cowboys are all sissies. Confront them and they run.
Take concealed videos to circuses and try to get footage of whatgoes on. Get local ordinances passed that make it more expensive andmore difficult to put on performances. Identify and support local lawenforcement vegans and sympathizers.
ON ANIMAL RIGHTS
The NARAL representative described how she is working with andsupporting the Great Ape Project. The only goal is to obtain legalrights for apes as the crack in the wall for all other animals (likeabortion, endangered species, and gun control).
ON POLITICIANS
Since industry bribes politicians anything we do to get politicalsupport is good. Remember that we have friends who are not Democrat. Senator Smith (R-NH) and Senator Jeffords (I-VT) are two of our bestfriends. Our new PAC will be an umbrella for all of us to give moneydirectly to those we favor and to defeat those who are not ourfriends. We look forward to a large PAC. We have eliminated severalenemies like Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA). Eighty percent of the peopleare “assholes”. If we can control 11% of the voters we can wincontrol. Clinton didn’t do enough for us. Bush is an enemy to all ofus. (Cheers) If 2% of the voters are ours, we can succeed beyond ourwildest dreams.
ON FEDERAL CONTROLS
The Animal Welfare Act is the vehicle for expansion and amendmentsthat we had hoped it would be. The Federal Bear Protection Actproposed by Senator McConnell (R-KY) will transfer control of bearsfrom the state to the Federal government. We control the FederalCongress and the Federal bureaucracy now. In a few years we willcontrol the state legislatures too. Get supporters in Federalagencies and work together. We need Federal laws over dogs and cats.Training dogs for security, hunting, and performing must becontrolled by the Federal government. Most Federal legislators arepro-animal rights and soon most state legislators will be too.Federal controls break the back of the state fish and wildlifeagencies that are pro-hunting. State agencies are enemies.
These selected comments are but a few of what I heard over fivedays. The more explosive sessions were avoided by the leaders andlawyers. Often hands were put over microphones and comments fromspontaneous participants were not audible but caused considerablechuckling. I shudder to think about those things which they didn’tmention but invited participants to ask about “in the hall” or “afterdinner”. The sessions held anywhere from 50 to 200 people, dependingon the topic, and not once was anything questioned.
At one point I felt as if I was attending a communist trainingprogram back in the 50’s or 60’s for a cadre of insurgents to be sentinto a country to be subverted. Some are trained to control themedia, others to influence politicians and control bureaucracies,still others to control religion and schools, demonstrators were todisrupt things, and others to do the “other things” that ultimatelyunderpin all the rest. Frightening is too weak a word to describewhat it is like to watch this take place in a luxury hotel in a freecountry.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to John Jackson of ConservationForce for having the persistence to have me attend this Conference.Everyone who reads this should share it with your family, yourneighbors, your associates and everyone else you come in contact witheach day. All of us, whether or not we are concerned directly withone of these animal issues should understand what is happening andprotect the traditions and rights of all of us whether or not we arean absolute majority. Allowing these tactics and organizations tosucceed threatens all of us in every way.
I have been told that two other groups were represented at theConference. One was a state animal welfare group and the other anational commercial enterprise organization. They, like me, werequietly observing and may or may not have attended the hourly one offour concurrent sessions which I attended. To the best of myknowledge, my observations support what they saw, heard, and reportedto their groups.
Also, I had an inquiry requesting that I elaborate on the mentionof guns at the Conference. The following is my response to thatrequest.
There was considerable gun control chatter, especially betweensessions.
The current top goal of the animal rights crowd is mandatedveganism throughout the United States. To attain that goal theyintend to incrementally:
-Ban hunting, fishing, and trapping
-Ban the use of fur, leather, and animal products
-Eliminate all fish and wildlife management
-Ban rodeos, circuses, etc.
-Ban the use of animals in research
-Ban commercial fishing
-Ban animal husbandry for meat, eggs, and dairy products
The above are in a rough order of accomplishment over time.
These people realize that making guns unobtainable will be thedeath knell for hunting, trapping, and wildlife management. So theynaturally and aggressively want to “catch up” to England, Canada,Australia, the UN, and dictatorships throughout the world.
Just as importantly however, is their coalitions and allianceswith other radical groups that are also committed to gun control. They are clearly working closely with such groups for short termobjectives (Seattle, Quebec, local ordinances, and specific Federallaws) and for long term objectives ( control of politicians andCommittees, seats on UN delegations, control of agencies, etc.).
There is no place for guns in the world these folks envision. Thesooner they eliminate the guns and gun ownership in the currentworld, the sooner they believe they will achieve their othergoals.
That said, I believe their goals will change if they continue tosucceed. This is really all about POWER. If you can mandateveganism, why not where people live, what they can do, or who willget what favors that you control?
There were remarks about guns that:
-related guns to how patriarchs oppress women, minorities, andindigenous people -“proved” that guns create violent children -saidthey had to be eliminated to finally eliminate hunting -they werepart of the “old” world and not part of the “new” world being created-“proved” that hunter education classes made criminals of childrenand endangered everyone else in society.
Finally, I had a request to define veganism since the requestorcould not find it in the dictionary. The following is my response tothat request.
Veganism is a spiritual and religious state of mind that hasfour external manifestations:
1. A diet with NO animal products (meat, eggs, cheese, milk, fish,etc. are ALL verboten).
2. No use of any animal product (leather, fur, wool, etc).
3. No “ownership” or use of any animal (anti— pet, hunt, fish,trap, sleddog, circus, rodeo, bullfight, cockfight, etc., etc., adinfinitum)
4.A commitment to “recognize” in law the equality of all animals withthe rights and personhood of man.
Other than that they are just like you and me.
Jim Beers
Here are the organizations of the Presenters:
Doris Day Animla League
Assn. Against Factory Farming
In Defense of Animals
Farm Sanctuary
HSUS
American Horse Defense Fund
Animal Protection Institute
FARM
Stop Animal Exploitation Now
New England Anti-Vivisection Society
PETA
League of Animal Protection Voters
PCRM
Animal Save
Compassion in World Farming
United Poultry Concerns
Dawn Watch
Compassion Over Killing
NARAL
Animal Defense League
Animal Strategies
American Anti-Vivesection Society
Public Citizen
SHARK
Alley Cat Rescue
Sierra Club
Feminists for Animal Rights
Tribe of Heart
Philadelphia News
Delaware Action for Animals
LW Robbins Associates
Earth Save
Fund for Animals
International Primate Protection League
OOmahnee Farm Animal Sanctuary
The ETHIC
Coalition to Abolish the Fyr Trade
Humane Political Action Committee
Houston Animal Rights Team
Vegan Outreach
Animals Voice Online
Culture and Animals Foundation
Animal Lovers Project
Animal Welfare Institute
North American ELF Press Office
Satya Magazine
Animal Concerns
Kinship Circle
Animal Concerns
Forest Guardians
Animal Place
Viva!
Cyber Earth Productions
Grey 2K USA
British Union to Abolish Vivisection
Food for Life
Karuna Music
Sea Shepherd International
International Institute for Humane Education
American Sanctuaries Association
Center for Expansion of Fundamental Rights
Milbank, Tweed, et al
PREAK – Houston
Action for Animals Network
Lots of Presenters id’ed themselves as “authors” of stufflike:
Animal Equality Vegan
Judaism and Vegetarianism
Animals and the Afterlife
Others identified themselves as movie stars or law enforcementofficers.
The front of the Program listed the following acronyms(sponsors?).
- FARM
PETA
Farm Sanctuary
HSUS
In Defense of Animals
NEAVS
AAVS
API
DDAL
FFA
LWRA
MSPCA
NAVS
Hope this helps,
Jim Beers
