"First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”
- Pastor Martin Niemoeller

Bill of RoghtsOverview

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA, S. 3880) passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent in September. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives on November 13th because we were outmaneuveredby the Republican leadership of the House Judiciary Committee. And now the bill has been signed into law by President Bush. We appreciate your massive outpouring of e-mails and phone calls to Congress. We learned valuable lessons from our lobbying experience. For us, this is a new beginning.

What We Are Doing

We have resolved that Equal Justice Alliance must continue its mission along three tracks:

  • To protect equal justice and freedom of speech for animal and other social justice advocates by working to repeal AETA and to prevent future repressive legislation;
  • To provide an alternative Congressional watchdog function;
  • To promote an atmosphere of respect for animal advocacy within Congress and Justice Department.

We plan to pursue three ways of neutralizing AETA:

  • By convincing federal district attorneys not to prosecute under AETA because the law is too broad and vague to make it through the courts;
  • By convincing federal courts to dismiss a test case because the law is too broad and vague;
  • By convincing Congress that the law is unworkable, unconstitutional, and should be repealed.

    These are our projected tasks:

    Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Establish friendly relations with key legislators, Justice personnel, and defenders of civil liberties.
  • Work with bar associations to obtain their support.
  • Place favorable stories in the media.
  • Conduct Congressional visits.
  • Plan a major national conference next summer in Los Angeles to promote repeal.
  • Compile guidelines for operating in the face of AETA.
  • Compile a record of discriminatory enforcement of AETA.
  • Ask animal rights and other social justice advocacy groups and individuals to join our effort.

    Here is a quick summary of the key flaws of AETA, with more details in the section on Why Oppose:

  • It was passed by a voice vote of only five Representatives as a non-controversial bill.
  • It is excessively broad and vague.
  • It imposes disproportionately harsh penalties.
  • It effectively brands animal advocates as ‘terrorists’ and denies them equal protection.
  • It effectively brands civil disobedience as ‘terrorism’ and imposes severe penalties.
  • It has a chilling effect on all forms of protest by endangering free speech and assembly.
  • It interferes with investigation of animal enterprises that violate federal laws.
  • It detracts from prosecution of real terrorism against the American people.

What You Can Do

Clearly, we can not take on this ambitious challenge without your active and continuing support. We need your Ghandihelp in three specific areas:

  • Keep the issue alive among Members of Congress by contacting your two senators and representative periodically, using the arguments on our website, which expand on the talking points listed above.
  • Report to us any cases of prosecution of social justice groups. This will help us to demonstrate that AETA enforcement discriminates against animal activists.
  • Send a generous contribution to FARM - EJA to help fund this ambitious, crucial campaign. In addition to online giving, checks can be mailed to FARM - EJA, 10101 Ashburton Lane, Bethesda MD 20817, or call us at 800-632-8688 to donate by phone.