I encourage you to read this essay by Rick Bogle which critiques Francione’s position against illegal direct action to defend the rights of other animals:
http://primateresearch.blogspot.com/2007/08/animal-rights-violence.html

The two comments following the essay are also worth reading.

Also, I believe the individual rescued/liberated from enslavement and murder at the hands of the flesh, vivisection, or other industries wouldn’t consider such lifesaving actions to be “destructive B.S.,” such as this bird freed from the torture of captivity: http://www.directaction.info/news_oct15_09.htm

I think you’ve just made Gary Francione’s point for why gratuitous T&A campaigns are not the “harmless antics” Ingrid Newkirk says they are and why underground paramilitary operations are so much destructive B.S. and indeed ALL “activism”, if it is to be successful, must instead be unceasingly focused on nothing more than clear, consistent, continuous, nonviolent Abolitionist Vegan education.
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.-= Jeffrey at Coolwater4animals´s last blog ..Going Vegan in Stages? =-.

Just visit your local elementary school cafeteria and look at the posters on the wall and the foods on kids’ plates. They eat the cheap, leftover beef that is the surplus of the dairy industry. They learn that it’s normal to eat dead animals and to drink the milk that those dead animals produced when they were alive.

Those kids aren’t actually demanding meat. It’s absurd to argue that all those animals lives were destroyed due to “consumer demand.” In many cases, the demand doesn’t exist. It just doesn’t.

And while some animal advocates work tirelessly to educate consumers and reduce their demand for animal products, the animal exploiters work to manufacture demand among younger consumers. Thus, until or unless we out-number or out-smart them, we can never undo all of their handiwork.

It’s possible that you’re correct, in the short term. But in the long term it’s debatable.

The Civil Rights activists who refused to move to the back of the bus, who sat down at lunch counters, who demonstrated peacefully through sit-ins, etc. would probably have agreed that any short term violent reactions to their nonviolent illegal actions were worth it in the long run.

“You Don’t Support the ALF Because Why?” by Steve Best
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/ALFront/Best–Support%20ALF.htm

“Beyond Pacifism” by Daniel Peyser
http://www.abolitionist-online.com/article-issue05_beyond.pacifism.daniel-peyser.shtml
.-= Brandon Becker´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.