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Monday, November 14, 2005

60 Minutes with Dr Jerry Vlasak

Last night on 60 minutes was an in-depth segment on Dr. Jerry Vlasak, who is also the mouthpiece for the Animal Liberation Front's communiques to the media. The LA Times writes up the story. (Audio clips will be added later today)

Animal Rights Leader Justifies Violence
In a '60 Minutes' interview, the L.A. area activist says those who harm 'innocent beings' should be stopped by any 'means necessary.'
By Steve Hymon

One of the leading animal rights activists in the Los Angeles area has taken his campaign to the national stage in recent weeks, saying that it may be "morally justifiable" to kill people to stop medical research on animals.

In recent U.S. Senate testimony and in a "60 Minutes" interview that will air tonight on CBS-TV Channel 2, Dr. Jerry Vlasak, a trauma surgeon, said he believes that researchers, slaughterhouse workers and others who kill animals "should be stopped using whatever means necessary."

Vlasak is a board member of Animal Defense League, which has held raucous protests in the last few years outside the homes of city animal services employees and the residences of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former Mayor James K. Hahn.
[cut]
Informed of Vlasak's comments on "60 Minutes," Stuckey, the city's animal services chief, said he feared that activists might harm one of his employees.

"It's no different than Osama bin Laden," Stuckey said. "He doesn't strap a bomb to his chest and kill people on the bus, but he's the catalyst that encourages others to do that."

Stuckey also said that neither Vlasak nor the defense league is doing anything to cure animal overpopulation, provide spay and neuter services or combat illegal breeding.

The mayor's office declined to comment on Vlasak's remarks.

In late October, Villaraigosa met with Vlasak, Ferdin and another league member in his City Hall offices. In a contentious 45-minute session, the mayor criticized the protests and refused to fire Stuckey as long as activists continued to demonstrate near the homes of city employees. Eight days later, the group protested outside the mayor's Mount Washington residence.

The league mailed graphic videos of dogs being killed at shelters to the homes of City Council members. That week, the council decided to lend surveillance equipment to city employees threatened by animal activists.

16 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The ALF/ELF folk who advocate harm to people should be jailed.

I saw the 60-Minutes piece last night. Ed Bradley seemed way to accepting of their points of view. He never seriously challenged them and their anti-human stance. Of course, I never expect much from that show anymore [Dan Rather's Memogate show, for example], so I really wasn't disappointed.

November 14, 2005 7:42 AM  

Blogger Walter Moore said:

Vlasak has done for his cause what Anita Bryant did for the sale of orange juice in San Francisco.

November 14, 2005 7:45 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Hey Mayor, since you find these folks so interesting, you should put Vlasak & Watcho together -- to look for those missing 80 neighborhood watchdogs.

You seem to be looking for a post-Pachueco cause.

November 14, 2005 9:08 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I love the rhetoric here.

Vlasak = Osama Bin Laden. It reminds me of when people compare others to Adolf Hitler who was responsible for the direct execution of MILLIONS of human beings, not to mention those millions who died fighting in the war. It's unbelievably extreme.

Bin Laden is a murderer and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. This Vlasak guy is irresponsible, stupid and potentially dangerous, but I haven't seen someone intentionally murdered at his command.

November 14, 2005 9:17 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I watched this piece last night and I thought I was in hell. This guy should travel to 3rd world countries and experience the reality of what people go through -

November 14, 2005 9:46 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Where exactly does Vlasak practice or treat patients? I want to me sure not to be taken to that hospital in the event of an emergency

November 14, 2005 10:25 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

One of the main problems the "Humane Community"(animal lovers) has with relating to the real world (the animal-hating inhumane community) is the inability to openly criticize the wackiest of the wackoes. You will very rarely read any denunciation of the terror tactics of ADL/ALF but any collector can get a host of fervent defenders no matter how badly the conditions (hundreds of sick animals, rooms full of feces and dead cats in the freezer) at the one-person private shelter has deteriorated.
Even though the "Humane Community"
knows the problems in city shelters existed before Stuckey was hired, and there will be problems after he's gone, they will say nothing in public against the irrational, unreasonable, childish ADL jibber-jabber that your pet is a slave and stray cats in the pound are Holocaust victims.

November 14, 2005 10:49 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

You protest on wrong grounds.

November 14, 2005 11:28 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

It begins with the rumble of a few, and the "insiders" joke about the "crazies" - then as the list of broken promises builds, the rumble gets bigger, and pretty soon His-dissoner the mayor is coming to break YOUR promise.

Then, suddenly, it's SERIOUS.

Strap in, it's going to be a bumpy ride with the slick politician who has never yet kept a campaign promise at the controls of this ill-fated "jet" of a city.

(And the FUN part really comes when the lapdogs begin biting each other and screaming "why didn't anyone tell us this guy was a pathological liar???")

November 14, 2005 11:29 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

YOU WERE TOLD!

End of story.

November 14, 2005 12:52 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The Ani-maniacs have no one to blame but themselves for believing AV.

"I will not run for mayor, I'll complete my term as councilmember."

What more did they need to know?

Schools, next.

Traffic, after that.

Homeless? (Screw that; don't make me laugh) The guy swilling vintage juice with the L.A. Times reporter at Beverly Hills restaurants is going to fix THAT?)

November 14, 2005 12:55 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

For some reason I read the last statement of Mayor Sam's article as saying that the City Council members watched graphic videos of animals being killed at City Council members homes.

I laughed for 10 minutes. I do so amuse myself sometimes with my speed reading.

November 14, 2005 5:07 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

And I think it's because of the font that Mailander was talking about. Very difficult to read.

November 14, 2005 5:08 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I love fur coats. Would Vlasak come after me for that? I also love to consume mass quantities of beef, chicken and pork. I wear leather and I think that leather clothing looks hot on both men and women.

November 14, 2005 5:11 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Monday he was interviewed on "KFI The John and Ken Show" and he is wacked...this group will push until AV caves and fires the city guy.

November 15, 2005 3:52 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I wouldn't consider it to be "caving" if Antonio would fire the guy.

A man's only good on his promise.

I guess Antonio isn't that good. He seems to make and break a lot of promises.

November 16, 2005 12:50 AM  

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