True Animal Liberation
Animals are inherently better than human beings. To clarify, when I say ‘Animals’ this is merely shorthand for ‘all life upon the planet,minus us’. And by ‘inherently better’ I mean collectively, and most of the time individually, more important to the healthy functioning of the Planet than we are. Animals are far more civil, much more intuitive, and far less wicked and worthless than the human race.
My position within Animal Rights has always been, and forever will be consistently ‘extreme’. If you want a bunch of moralism and ethics read some Gary Francione or Peter Singer. I am a misanthrope and so is my stance as pertains Animal Liberation. Animals lives must be exalted and protected at all costs, whatever it may take! And for decades this is what disorganizations like the Animal Liberation Front, Animal Rights Militia and others have done under cover of darkness and clandestinely.
The Animal Liberation Front was started in England in 1976, or thereabouts. It was formed originally out of another group called the ‘Band Of Mercy’ that was no less concerned about Animal Liberation but was not willing to go quite as far as the ALF. In short, the ALF had no concern for the law. If rescuing an Animal entailed trespassing on private property, burglary or property damage, so be it. At first the ALF had an office and was centralized. This made it an easy target for law enforcement, and soon ALF members were going to prison. This is when a brilliant turn in organization occurred. The ALF decentralized and made the terms of affiliation thus:
1. Anyone who is Vegan or vegetarian, that
2. Liberates Animals from places of harm or causes economic damage to those that profit from Animal exploitation, and
3. Causes no harm to a human or Animal.
4. Has the right to consider themselves a part of the Animal Liberation Front.
This had some rather far reaching affects geographically and well into the future. First off, this disorganization made it impossible for a centralized authority to ever stop the group. The worst they can do is grab a small group or individuals that have holes in their security. But since each ALF cell is autonomous and clandestine no two cells even know of each others existence making it impossible to snitch, even if compelled to do so. The government here in America displays much misdirection portraying the idea that subversive, top down organizations, are the threat. This is largely a ruse to get activists who otherwise would go underground and become a problem to law enforcement to remain in their crosshairs.
Those in authority in law enforcement know that the pyramid hierarchy is the easiest to infiltrate. Every group of this type is seeking capable people that are disciplined and intelligent. They are also seeking material resources to better legitimize the group. In short, they are trying to become the new authority group. And it just so happens that the FBI, ATF and private corporate interest groups are teeming with the exact type of person and finances that every one of these ‘revolutionary’ groups are chomping at the bit to receive. This all makes for a perfect storm whereby infiltration, diversion and drag netting the movement, any movement , is a cinch!
Disorganization stops this in it’s tracks with the added and positive effect of being instantly unpopular with the vast groups of activist types that cling to Animal Rights as a cause for purely personal and pathological reasons. Since everything the ALF does is above the law not very many cling-ons will be willing to live anonymous lives doing physically difficult activities in the dead of night. Whilst being largely vilified by those that make a buck off of Animals suffering like every other scam charity. There simply isn’t any of the bells and whistles that this type of piece-of-shit would find self serving.
The move to decentralize also became the rise of the ALF in various countries, very rapidly. Having a simple set of easily translatable criteria allowed for quick adaptation by A.R. activists everywhere. It also showcases the power of an ‘action only’ affiliation as opposed to an ideology or purely membership approach. So much of what passes for Animal Liberation today is of the same symbolics that plagues and saturates all activist movements. Joining groups, lobbying governments, fighting for cage space, protesting generally, shenanigans for media attention, petitioning, Educating/entertaining, and on, and on, and on, ad infidentum.
Busy work for the activists acts as a pressure valve for frustrations channeling them into safe outlets for the system. The problem that sincere activists often face is the material fact that despite these efforts none of these indirect forms of resistance are effective in any tangible way to Animals lives, today, in the present, now. instead, everything becomes theoretically effective in an imagined future. For example: maybe someone will watch our new program about elephants being abused in the circus, and then they will become concerned and compassionate and then, they (not us) won’t stand for it anymore. And then they (not us), will save these elephants or shut down the circus, whatever it may take! And of course since the busy work is legal, safe, and can be stopped at anytime by the individual without consequence (because it’s not having a real world impact) It attracts the worst types of fakes, phonies, scam artists, lazy and pretentious people that you can name……..Anyway.
The ALF being an extra legal outfit makes use of an aboveground. This legal wing is not in physical contact whatsoever with those breaking the law to save Animals. But they do the legal work that the underground often cannot do without risk of capture. Things such as passing communiques explaining why an action occurred, explaining the reasons for true Animal Liberation, whatever it may take. And often combating regressive voices within the movement itself. Outside of this grassroots and international disorganization of the ALF and groups like the ALF is another form of direct action for Animals in the form of sanctuaries, so let’s talk about them a bit.
‘Sanctuary’ may be a flowery sounding word, invoking feelings of tranquility and security but this is reserved for the Animals alone. In the world of Animal Liberation running a large preserve for wayward and rescued Animals is fraught with difficulties, hard physical labor, constant financial concerns, movement politics and much, much more. Small to medium sanctuary owners are the unsung heroes of Animal Liberation. They often do not have the resources to take on all the Animals thrust upon them and at times have to make hard decisions on which Animals to accept, or reject, so as not to become culprit to playing silent partner to Animal abusers or whole industries of abuse that seek to don the mantle of ‘compassionate’ by ‘retiring’ their Animals after having done ‘their duty to humanity’, or simply sending them off to sanctuary to make room for more.
Sanctuary workers have to care for Animals that have been through hell on earth. Not a fake hell invented by religious wing nuts but the real hell of human use and abuse. To work for, or own an Animal Sanctuary is to constantly become attached to Animals, actually get to know them as individuals, only to watch them die early of the very complications that brought them to your care. And when other fair-weather activists have come and gone back to the city to pat themselves on the back for mucking a barn or petting all the Animals, the people that really keep an Animal sanctuary operational never get a break, no days off, no vacations and no travel. Their lives, efforts and dedication is in the help of actual Animals. When we speak of Animal Liberation let’s remember that we are talking about the real world work, within or without the law, that saves Animals or stops their suffering now!
We live in a time of identity. we live in a pretentious age where everyone feels entitled to all the praise while simultaneously lacking all the substance. we live in the era of the adult infantile consumer shitbag that thinks their wish is societies command. But I will tell it plainly. Animal Liberation is NOT giving speeches at gala events. Animal Liberation is NOT compassionate gluttony and Vegan cheese. Animals Liberation is NOT being in a band or being an artist. Animal Liberation is NOT writing or reading books. Animal Liberation is NOT an anarchist, feminist, socialist theoretical critique. Animal Liberation is NOT your ‘enlightenment’ by studying Buddha, Krishna or any other so-called eastern solutions. Animal Liberation IS saving Animals from places of harm, confinement or danger, and/or, stopping people from harming, killing or selling Animals, real ones, in the present.
It really is embarrassing to have to elaborate this point which should be obvious but has been made elusive by so many fame seekers and careerists. Once upon a time the ALF and the Animal sanctuary world had a symbiotic relationship. This makes perfectly logical sense. The ALF used to be involved in extensive live Animal liberations, mainly in the 80’s and 90’s, and often needed friendly relations with animal sanctuaries to have somewhere to take and house liberated Animals. Unfortunately, these more complex and involved actions have fallen out of circulation in the underground as less and less capable and serious people have come to replenish the ranks. Equally unfortunate is that more and more of the large sanctuaries have sold out to moneyed interests and would probably be the first ones to call the cops if anyone showed up in the middle of the night in a ski mask with a van full of Animals. Solidarity abounds everywhere where superficiality reigns king. But when it entails sharing the risk? well, then, there’s always a good excuse to turn your back on those that really need it.
So because of this, and a thousand other reasons, I am taking the misanthropic position from here on out. And that means looking at these issues and Animal Rights with new eyes. And it will not be so much through the eyes of the Animal lover as it is the perspective of the human hater!…… Four legs, good. Two legs bad.
So let’s dispense with the humanitarian concerns and not just the ALF and affiliates, but of the whole Animal Rights movement as well. If we are to keep consistent in our concern for Animals over people, and we realize that at least 90% of the human race is the problem. Then lets go ahead and elaborate the basic criteria that even qualifies any of us to be worth the air we breath.
Regards,
Walter Bond
ALF POW