FROM THE SKEPTIC TANK
It's War!
Time To Go To The Mat
By
Dr. Al Grossman
For those of you who remember Mario Puzzo's THE GODFATHER, "time to go to the mat" meant that a gangster war was brewing and that all members of a gang were called into one base (house) where mats were spread on the floor for sleeping conditions for all members. They ate and slept there only going out on forays to attack their rivals. They did this so their members would not get picked off individually.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are at war! It is a war declared by the animal rights fanatics and their ilk. PETA and the Humane Society of the US have grievously attacked and seriously wounded the Pure Bred Dog community. Until the advent of AB1634 in California we have stood by and cursed the plague that hit us but have taken little action. The National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) has been the only full time organization that has incessantly fought these terrorists. Yes, there have been a number of voices raised by hastily formed organizations to fight AB 1634 but will they be effective as splintered groups in the long run. It reminds me of the militias in Iraq, each of who is fighting for their own way of life and religion. Effective in their own region and for their own sect but having an overall negative effect for the good of their country.
PETA and their ilk have become more emboldened by their series of legislative successes. They have stepped up their PR campaigns with billboard ads and TV commercials. Recently they have flaunted authority in California by defacing the car of the sister of the mayor of Los Angeles and have aggressively picketed and verbally attacked two UCLA professors engaged in vital research
The time for idle talk is over! We must strike back and strike back vigorously with a planned and coordinated campaign. There has to be a meeting of all the organizations now trying to raise funds and combat the terrorists on their own. We need to call a summit meting to begin to lay out our strategy, our budgets and the task forces that will be needed to once and for all slay the multi headed dragon which is the animal rights fanatics.
Where will the money come from win this war? I will be a heretic and say that most of the money should come directly from the AKC. When at war many things done in peacetime need to be delayed until the war in won and then we can resume our efforts in many charitable activities. AKC has just rescued the Health foundation with a very hefty infusion of cash and credit. They have just launched a drive to collect monies for a new humane organization. I applaud them for their efforts but their timing is all wrong. This is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. If the ship founders the arrangement of the chairs is meaningless. For now, the monies should be diverted to strengthening the hull so all aboard may survive.
For now, a major portion of the requests for health grants for research should be diverted to Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and to other research organizations until our battle is won. Hard decisions like this have to be made if we are to survive this onslaught. Discovering cures for diseases for breeds that may not survive this titanic struggle serves no purpose at this time. A few years postponement may be necessary. AKC also has a reserve fund of over 30 million dollars. Certainly, a share of this can be made available for this battle.
There are those who may claim that I am a voice in the wilderness, an alarmist and I suppose, even a charlatan. However I have been calling attention to the clashing of arms ever since, as the publisher of Doral Publishing, I wrote the preface to Rod and Patti Strand's book THE HIJACKING OF THE HUMANE MOVEMENT. I was also on the founding board of NAIA. And over the years I have written many articles under my From The Skeptic Tank syndicated column about the insidious progression of the animal rights fanatics.