Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right - The Beating of Huntingdon Life Sciences Executive
A Shooting Ourselves in the Foot: The Sanitizing of Violence in Our Society Article from All-Creatures.org

Throughout the ages, we have accepted killing, violence, and violent behavior as just being a part of life - it's time we change!

By: Frank L. Hoffman

The news reported that the Managing Director of Huntingdon Life Sciences, Brian Cass, was beaten by unknown people wielding baseball bats as he arrived at his home. This was a brutal and violent act, a wrongful act to try to stop the wrongful acts of Huntingdon.

This type of action doesn't make things right, and such violence rarely works, and in fact can set back the efforts of those who seek to make this a more compassionate world by eliminating the holocaust brought upon the animals.

To the best of our knowledge, Huntingdon Life Sciences specializes in animal testing for the pharmaceutical industry, and has been repeatedly accused of atrocities against thousands upon thousands of animals each year. What they are doing is wrong, as are the governments and industries that require such testing. Deliberately inflicted pain and suffering can never be justified, and those who beat Brian Cass were only inflicting more pain and suffering. Jesus, Gandhi and King proved that we can accomplish much through peaceful means. Two wrongs don't make a right.

But why does this problem exist? It begins with the misconception that animal research will help humans, which it rarely does, according to such experts as Dr. Ray Greek and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Animal testing is a form of sanitized violence which we hide from the general public. My wife, Mary, who is a Registered Medical Technologist (MT-ASCP), and who for a time worked in Medical Research while we were at the University of Pittsburgh, says, "Nearly all animal research is subsidized sadism which tries to pass itself off as science."

The other side of this problem is contained in the frustration of those who seek to stop this horrendous suffering which has been legalized and sanitized. A few of these people seek revenge, and in their revenge, they try to sanitize their own violence, excusing it away by saying such things as, "He got what he deserved", and "He got off lightly", as the Telegraph reported. And I suppose I will anger some people on both sides of this problem by what I have written here.

I personally look upon all people of violence with a sense of disgust and mistrust, as I do people who eat their meat with gusto and wear the skins of animals, for such people either don't care or they blind themselves to the pain and suffering of the animals, just as Mary and I did years ago. Such behavior is just plain dishonest. If such people feel and act this way, then why should I trust them to care about their dealings with me or anyone else? Thus in my eyes, those who beat Brian Cass put themselves in the same category with him.

It's time we stop shooting ourselves in the foot by sanitizing, or trying to sanitize, any form of violence in our society. It's time we learn to live in peace with all of God's creatures, both human or non-human.

Go on to: VIOLENCE ON OUR BACK: "Dog Fur"
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