Dario Ringach was formerly a researcher at UCLA who used monkeys to learn whether an optical implant in the brain and attached to glasses could help the blind to see. But he was driven out of his work by terrorists who cared more for the monkeys than the blind, and were willing to terrify a family of law abiding citizens to get their way. Based on my research for A Rat, is a Pig, is a Dog, is a Boy, I know some of the details of what he experienced, and there is no question in my mind that Ringach had abundant reason to fear for the safety of his family.
After years of silence, Ringach is now speaking out, urging society to defend animal researchers. Why? For the most important of reasons. From an interview in Nature News:
After being quiet for so long, what made you speak up?
What’s changed is I think we’re getting awfully close to the situation where somebody may be killed. There is a general trend toward polarization in our society, from the debates on health care to abortion; we had an abortion doctor killed not too long ago. I think all these events are catalysing the possibility that a scientist might be killed. The situation has changed a lot since my decision. At the time, it was me and a handful of investigators facing these groups alone. Things have changed, and universities such as UCLA are doing more to make sure these investigators are safe.
The take-home message from my own personal experience is: don’t leave people alone to confront these issues. They need the support of their institutions and their colleagues. I hope that nobody else will have to face this decision. That’s why I have decided to speak up. I thought I had to start speaking up in the hope that first, these attacks will stop, and second, that the public will understand we are open to dialogue but we can only do so in an environment where we know that we will not be attacked when we go back home.
Murder is the Rubicon, and some, like Jerry Vlasak, have all but called for it. Steven Best declares that animal rightists are at war with animal industries. PETA winks, and in the past, some of its leaders have had more than a passing acquaintance with animal rights criminals. Ringach has every reason to be worried that the river will be crossed. I am, too.
September 24th, 2009 | 12:13 pm
People HAVE been killed already when we consider the failure to animal test for safety under FDA as well and the failures to animal test in medical research. What of the genocide aimed at the Inuit and Namibidian peoples propagandized as being over “seals”. Seals my foot. All natural resources but particularly oil and diamonds on their lands or in their nations have much more to do with animal radicals being used to destroy indigenous peoples and their culture than specific foods they’ve eaten and traded in from the dawn of time to newly being threatened. Destruction or removal from food resource is the fastest way to commit genocide of the indigenous individuals AND their cultures. Best wishes to those in the scientific communities and they need to know they are not alone in being under theat of death.
September 24th, 2009 | 12:48 pm
Jack Lani: Thanks for contributing. I discuss the harm animal rights advocacy is doing to indigenous cultures in my upcoming book.
September 25th, 2009 | 10:09 am
[...] PETA: People For the Ethical Treatment of Themselves?; and “Animal Researcher Driven Out of His Field Warns That Murder May be Near” …. (evangelicaloutpost, [...]
September 25th, 2009 | 11:50 pm
Hmmmm, sounds exactly like what some right-wing types have done to doctors — you know, the MDs who are having second thoughts about performing abortions because they’re concerned that some good Christian may blow them away. Funny but I haven’t seen any comment from Wesley about that.
September 26th, 2009 | 12:24 am
Hmmm. Sounds like History Writer has the facts wrong-again:
http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2009/05/31/murder-is-wrong-no-excuses-in-killing-of-george-tiller
http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2009/06/08/accused-murderer-of-tiller-threatens-more-pro-life-violence-pro-choice-and-pro-life-activists-should-chill
among others.
September 26th, 2009 | 11:01 am
History Writer says: “you know, the MDs who are having second thoughts about performing abortions because they’re concerned that some good Christian may blow them away.”
Anyone who turns to murder because they don’t approve of what another person is doing (add thinking, believing, etc) is not “Christian”.
People like this move outside the realm of God by trying to make His decisions for Him.
Lumping all abortion advocates into the “left-wing” politically is foolish and untrue – lumping all Christians into the pro-life camp is also equally foolish and untrue.
Lines have become blurred and people have become more black & white in their opinions- polarized.
I was surprised to see a television ad featuring a woman who did animal research testing and was also a cancer survivor. The sad part is that I was surprised and that my second thought was that she was now in danger because of her convictions.
Its crazy, crazy, crazy…
September 27th, 2009 | 7:43 pm
well it was great that our Governor General went and ate raw seal recently, much to the outrage of the European liberal eco-terrorists.
I can say, as a person who lived in a very northern part of Canada for a time, that sealskin boots were necessary to keep my feet from freezing in -50C weather. yes, I do have the temperature correct – that’s 57 degrees below 0 for you toasty Americans
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