Short update on the case of the AETA4 in California, and ways that folks can support them:

On July 13th, defense attorneys for Joseph Buddenberg, Maryam Khajavi, Nathan Pope and Adriana Stumpo (the AETA 4) presented oral arguments on their motion to dismiss the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. The defense demanded that the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) be struck down as unconstitutional before Judge Ronald Whyte of the United States District Court, Northern District of California in San Jose.

The AETA is being used for the first time since its passage by Congress in 2006 to do exactly what civil rights advocates feared it would do - criminalize activities protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The oral arguments presented on July 13th were not about the allegations as directly applied to the AETA 4, but rather that the whole case should be dismissed now because the AETA itself is unconstitutional. The courtroom was packed, and many people were there in support of the AETA 4. The following are very rough and incomplete notes of the oral arguments:

 http://www.aeta4.org

The last few weeks have been unbelievable! I want to share some of my experiences so that anyone who hesitates taking time off their job might think again, and renounce being consumer slaves of corporate capital, in favor of radical adventure and creative insurrection against the global government of militant madness.

Nearly a month ago I took time off work to partake in the most amazing Cascadia Summer, something like a summer vacation, even with an overnight in Douglas County Jail.

On July 13th, defense attorneys for Joseph Buddenberg, Maryam Khajavi, Nathan Pope and Adriana Stumpo (the AETA 4) presented oral arguments on their motion to dismiss the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. The AETA 4 are being represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC), and other well-respected civil rights attorneys, including Tony Serra. The defense demanded that the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) be struck down as unconstitutional before Judge Ronald Whyte of the United States District Court, Northern District of California in San Jose.

The AETA is being used for the first time since its passage by Congress in 2006 to do exactly what civil rights advocates feared it would do - criminalize activities protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The oral arguments presented on July 13th were not about the allegations as directly applied to the AETA 4, but rather that the whole case should be dismissed now because AETA itself is unconstitutional.

There are a lot of activists swooping into PDX for the Let Live weekend (letlivefoundation.org/conference) and the surge against animal abuse begins Friday the 26th with a rally at Ungar furs, SW 12th & Yamhill (2 blocks west of the library). If you want help animals then come "Raise your fist and your voice, (cause) fox & mink have no choice!" Ungar has been slaughtering innocent animals for 103 years and is the last furrier in downtown Portland. Although the Let Live Conference ends on Sunday night a lot of animal advocates are sticking around for another rally on Monday at Ungar.

Last Saturday, dozens of elephant supporters turned out at the Oregon Zoo to educate the public about the plight of elephants in zoos. This was part of an international day of action, in which people all over the world rejected the premise that forcing elephants to entertain humans in tiny enclosures is worth the cost to the animals.

If you want to see the real face of elephant "handling," here is a shocking undercover video of an elephant being abused so that she can entertain the public:  http://ida.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=4621.0&printer_friendly=1. If you think exhibiting elephants is remotely acceptable, I urge you to watch this video.

For much more information about elephants in zoos, please see  http://www.helpelephants.com/about_us.html.

Animals belong to themselves, not to us. They should not suffer in our systems of food, science, entertainment and fashion. Instead, they should live free of the tyranny we put upon them. But they cannot claim this freedom alone. The Let Live NW Animal Rights Conference is a grassroots forum for people who want to help. Through an open, respectful, and friendly environment this conference will provide an opportunity for attendees to learn skills and strategies to become better advocates for the animals, no matter ones experience level in activism.

"Let Live" is taking place in Portland, Oregon, June 26th-28th, 2009. It will be held this year on the campus of Portland State University in the Smith Memorial Building. It is being organized by Vegans for Animal Advocacy, with support from Let Live Foundation as well as local area businesses such as Herbivore Clothing, and Food Fight Grocery

A band of eco-rebels is crossing the US Empire to renew a fighting movement that can stop this industrial nightmare from choking the life out of the earth: the Earth First Roadshow!

The need for resistance in solidarity with the wild has never been louder or clearer than it is today; the roadshow is a tool for growing that resistance. There are countless examples to draw from in the story of radical movements before us: militant labor organizing tours, anti-fascist resistance recruitment and international speaking tours to build cross-border solidarity. The origin of Earth First! itself is credited to a few roadshows that kicked it all off in the early 1980s. We are building on this tradition; akin to a fellowship crossing Middle Earth to amass insurgents to face Mordor head-on.

* Thursday, June 25th, 3p
Laurelhurst Park (west side of Park)
FREE
Learn all you want to know about Direct Action: Media, Lockdowns, Tri-pods & a DA role-play
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* Saturday, June 27th, 7p
Red & Black Cafe (12th & Oak)
$ 3-5

- Music:
The Rising Phoenix Society (Old Timey Party Down Crunk)
Slow Teeth (Harmonic Folk Punk)
Here Comes Trouble (Ukelele Country Funk)

- Presentation:
Learn about Direct Action, the Greenscare, Earth Forst! History & more through a puppetshow, a slideshow and skits!
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* Saturday, June 28th
Let Live Animal Rights Conference
 http://www.letlivefoundation.org/conference

homepage:  http://www.earthfirstroadshow.wordpress.com

This morning around 9:30am I was traveling on the MAX reading a book and I saw bright red from the corner of my eye. I looked up to see bright red paint splattered across a building like blood. Then I noticed it was Nicholas Ungar Furs. So I got off the train to get some photos and info for this article. The entrance, the sidewalk, the windows, and the sign on the front of the building were significantly splattered. The Police arrived very shortly after I did leading me to believe that perhaps this just happened last night.

As of this posting I have not seen a communiqué from this anonymous guerrilla artist so I will attempt to piece together an understanding of why such an action has been taken.

“Ten Bucks a Tom” Campaign Kicks Off July 1

Jackson County, OR. – June 15, 2009 – Local animal welfare organization Spay/Neuter Your Pet (SNYP) is teaming up with many local veterinary offices throughout the valley this summer to offer an incredible price to neuter male cats. The cost is just $10 per neuter. Only 500 certificates are available for sale on a first-come, first-served basis at Pet Country, the Medford, Ashland and White City Grange Co-Ops, and the Stewart and Crater Lake Mini Pet Marts.

What began under George Bush continues under Barack Obama - targeting dedicated activists with "one of today's most serious domestic terrorism threats," according former FBI Deputy Assistant Director of Counterterrorism John Lewis before a Senate panel in May 2005. Called "eco-terrorism," it grew out of the 2001 USA Patriot Act that created the federal crime of "domestic terrorism" and applied it to US citizens as well as aliens. (Editorial comment: This has gone on since before 9/11 and Obama has done nothing to change it even after right wingers murdered Dr Tiller for performing abortions)

Three pit bull owners and a group of animal groups have won a federal appeals’ court order challenging a Denver ban on pit bulls that a critic said had resulted in the killings of as many as 2,000 dogs. read more

Two prominent Obama administration officials were in Oregon today to discuss salmon recovery. NOAA chief (and former OSU professor) Jane Lubchenco and White House Council on Environmental Quality chairwoman Nancy Sutley came to talk salmon, but pointedly did not allow participation from the public -- indeed, the doors were closed to almost everyone. Despite the incredibly short notice, dozens of people showed up with signs, banners, and lots of spirit.

I had actually expected to meet with some tension from the fishermen who had promised to be there. However, when I arrived and began talking to the other groups, I was pleasantly surprised and amazed at how articulate and well-informed this particular crowd was on this issue. Sea lion advocates and anglers immediately found common ground on numerous issues: All of us care about real salmon recovery; None of us believes killing sea lions is the answer; All of us want to see dams removed from the Snake river; All of us want to see habitat restoration. By the end, we were actually carrying each others' signs -- some of the fishermen carried signs supporting sea lions, and some of us carried their "science not politics" signs. [ Read More | Older articles | Sea Lion Defense Brigade ]

On May 21st, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) joined in defense attorneys' motion to dismiss the U.S. government's indictment of four animal rights activists under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA).

http://sealiondefensebrigade.org/wp-content/uploads/dsc_49651-150x150.jpg

We now know the identities of the animals put to death by the state. There were three of them rather than two. They are: C645, C674 and C858... C645 had a name, not just a brand. He was given the name Glider, by the children of Redland Elementary School. C674 was named "Hershey" by the community, in honor of Governor Kulongoski's dog. C858 had been added to the death list only last month, after being observed eating only TWO fish. Clearly, they are not targeting "problem" animals, as they had initially claimed. They are targeting and killing any sea lion they can get.

Once again, we are asking for volunteers to step forward who would like to assist with monitoring. It seems that the killing has not ended for the year after all. We particularly need people to be watching the river at Bonneville dam, and down in Astoria at the sea lion haul out. If you would be interested in helping with this, please contact the Sea Lion Defense Brigade at info@sealiondefensebrigade.org. You can also call Matt Rossell at In Defense of Animals to volunteer as a monitor. That number is (503)249-9996. [ Read More | http://sealiondefensebrigade.org ]

For the past week, Buffalo Field Campaign volunteer patrols have been documenting the Montana Department of Livestock, Yellowstone National Park, Gallatin National Forest and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks agents carry out massive and relentless hazing operations, harassing and harming America's last wild bison population.

On May 12th, agents were set to haze bison within Yellowstone National Park to "make room" for the bison that would be hazed off of Horse Butte. But Mother Nature had different plan...

Today is a day to celebrate. The European Union has slammed shut the door on trade in the products of the commercial seal slaughter. The Canadian government estimates that losing this primary market will cost Canada's sealing industry $6.6 million (CAD) each year. The hunt brought in less than $7 million last year. Just the promise of an EU ban was enough to drive the prices for seal fur down to $15 (CAD) per skin -- a decline of 86 percent since 2006. As a result, many sealers stayed home. Out of this year's quota of 280,000 harp seals, fewer than 60,000 have been killed so far.

Canadian seal hunt supporters won't give up just yet. With government subsidies still in hand, the sealing industry will be chasing down new markets. The ProtectSeals campaign is working to convince all targeted nations to follow the EU's example. Canadian Senator Mac Harb has introduced his nation's first bill to end the hunt. The ProtectSeals campaign is striving to convince other members of Canada's Parliament to support the bill. [ Read More ]

On Friday, April 10th, Salem Police and Willamette Humane Society responded to a report of animal neglect at the Scamps Pet Center located inside Salem's Lancaster Mall. Officials liberated 2 dogs and a rabbit from Scamps who were found to be living in poor health conditions. Store manager Laura Lien, 59, was cited for animal neglect. Scamps Pet Center at the Lancaster Mall is now being investigated.

Tracy Lee, a former employee of Scamps in Corvallis, Albany and Eugene says, "I'm not surprised that there are only 6 stores left of the dozens that were in business when I worked for them. Yes, they were known for buying from puppy and kitten mills, and a number of animals would die while in the shop. I remember the mutant American Eskimo with the paw growing out of it's chest." [ Read More ]

Much gratitude to the community for starting to stand up for the Columbia River Sea Lions recently! For those who want to get involved but haven't known what they could do to help, here is your invitation. The Sea Lion Defense Brigade is expanding our patrols, and we would like your help.

First, officials went after sea lions. Now, legislators are trying to target cormorants for the same reason. They say that, since we humans want to kill so many animals, we need to kill off all natural predators so that we don't need to deal with our own unnatural behavior.

Senate Joint Memorial 7 is a bill that is sponsored by Fred Girod, the same guy trying to make it even easier to kill sea lions in Oregon. It's a bill that would make it legal to kill cormorants. Are you familiar with cormorants? They're beautiful black water birds with yellow beaks, who sit on posts on the river and hold their wings out like little statues, warming themselves in the sun.

Related: Earth day for Sea Lions, Cormorants, Terns, and other creatures: Today, as I was walking near a school in rural Colton, Oregon, I observed several volunteers, out planting trees, and improving the habitat near a stream that meanders through the school ground. Colton probably has more trees (albeit second, third, fourth, and even fifth growth) per capita than pernaps 90% of the country.

Bessey Agreement Handout: A recent settlement agreement in a civil rights lawsuit brought by the ACLU on behalf of an animal rights activist has important implications for all people engaged in public demonstrations in the City of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia NLG created a handout for demonstrators to help understand the agreement, and what it means to you!

What a great day for standing up for the sea lions! With the sun shining on us, animal advocates packed the bus called Cool and headed down to Salem today. We came from all over Cascadia -- from Portland, from Eugene, from St Helens, from Colton, from Beavercreek, and from other communities across Oregon. As there was only supposed to be room for 25 on the bus, we had to squeeze together close to fit 30 on board, and others had to make their own way there in separate cars. We went down to the capital to make our voices heard on behalf of some of the most oppressed residents in all of Cascadia. We went to speak up for the sea lions of the Columbia.

We began with an hour-long demonstration at ODFW headquarters. The ODFW is the Oregon state agency responsible for killing the sea lions. They're spending more than a million Oregon taxpayer dollars on this mis-guided program, at the same time that services are being cut to senior citizens, people with disabilities, and children. (Washington State residents are spending an additional $1 million plus on their half of the killing.) They've admitted that the best they can hope for from this program is that it might, perhaps, be "marginally" helpful. More likely, it will not be effective at all. Because, as we all know, it is not the sea lions who are driving the salmon into extinction. It is us. Read More | sealiondefensebrigade.org

The killing has begun on the Columbia. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has already started killing sea lions on their hit list - animals who have been seen eating even ONE salmon at the Bonneville Dam. They've even claimed the authority to kill animals NOT on their list. Last week, four more beloved friends were put to death behind our backs by callous government agents who believe they can get away with this. Stop the river of blood! We have to keep pressure on, and set the record straight regarding this misguided government plan to kill a protected species in a dubious effort to "save" endangered salmon for fishermen's nets. So we're chartering the 'Cool Bus', a bio-diesel bus with room for 25 activists, and taking a road trip to Salem for a demonstration at the ODFW headquarters. After the one-hour demo, we will head to the Capitol to visit our legislators to ask them to cancel sea lion killing, a plan that fails to address the real problems that plague salmon recovery; overfishing, the dams, and habitat destruction.

RSVP today, as we still have a few seats left on the Cool Bus, and we'd love for you to join us. Save some lives this Thursday.

WHEN: Thursday, April 16, Bus leaves at 10 am

WHERE: Meeting at In Defense of Animals office, NE 18th and Alberta, boarding a bus and driving to Salem.

On April 8, protesters descended on George Mason University in order to protest Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.