Firebombings Target 2 Calif. Scientists

Animal-Rights Activists Apparently Behind Rash Of Attacks At U. Of Calif., Santa Cruz

(AP)  The FBI is investigating two firebombings targeting scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as the latest in a rash of attacks against biomedical researchers who experiment on animals, authorities said.

One scientist and his family, including two small children, were forced to flee from a second-story window Saturday after a firebomb was lit on their front porch, filling the off-campus house with smoke, Santa Cruz police said. An adult was treated for minor injuries at a hospital and released.

Police were investigating the attack as attempted murder, said Santa Cruz police Capt. Steve Clark.

"That device had a real potential to put that family in jeopardy," Clark said. He described the bomb as a "Molotov cocktail on steroids."

A sprinkler system and a neighbor with a garden hose helped keep the fire from spreading before firefighters arrived to extinguish it, Clark said.

Also Saturday morning, a firebomb destroyed a car belonging to another researcher parked at faculty housing on campus. Investigators said they were treating the attacks as "domestic terrorism."

The attacks came four days after police obtained threatening animal rights pamphlets left at a Santa Cruz coffeehouse containing the names and home addresses of UC Santa Cruz scientists.

"Animal abusers everywhere beware," the pamphlets read. "We know where you live."

Molecular biologist David Feldheim, whose front door was charred, was among the researchers on the list, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported. According to his Web site, Feldheim's lab uses mice to study the development of brain functions involved in eyesight.

Authorities would not identify the researcher whose car was destroyed but said that person's name was not listed in the pamphlet.

A spokesman for the North American Animal Liberation press office, which commonly posts messages from groups taking credit for animal rights violence, issued a statement Sunday saying it had not received any claims of responsibility for the attacks.

"It's regrettable that certain scientists are willing to put their families at risk by choosing to do wasteful animal experiments," press office spokesman Jerry Vlasak said in the statement.

Police said they have no suspects in Saturday's attacks, the first against UC Santa Cruz scientists since February, when animal rights activists showed up at the house of a breast cancer researcher during her young daughter's birthday party.

The masked protesters pounded on the front door, and one threw a punch at the researcher's husband as he tried to chase them away, according to police. The FBI is still investigating that case.

In recent years, three UCLA researchers who use non-human primates have been targeted with firebombs, though two failed to ignite. Animal rights groups claimed responsibility for all three attacks.

More recently, masked protesters targeting the University of California, Berkeley, have scrawled graffiti and broken windows at scientists' homes.

FBI investigators say the incidents at different universities are probably not centrally coordinated. But authorities said the attacks do share tactics, including the public posting of researchers' personal information and the type of firebomb used.

"These are odious assaults on individuals and on the principles of free inquiry by which we live," UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal said in a statement Saturday.

Police said they were offering stepped-up security to the 13 UC Santa Cruz researchers whose names appeared in the pamphlets discovered last week.

[barbaraf4]

Is the unabomber out on parole?

[extremophil]

I wonder how many of these animal-rights morons have benefited from medical care that has been the direct result of animal testing.

[msay3]

I don''t condone the activities of these animal-rights extremists, but their behavior has had an impact on raising the awareness of animal welfare in the general population....

[nwihoosier]

Peace and Love
Nancy ol gal, what evidence do you have to back up your statements? No hearsay, please.
Do something productive for a change.
Peace and Love

[deborahcox05]

Save the animals. Experiment on inmates.


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Posted by matvei1107 at 09:17 AM : Aug 04, 2008

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How about we experiement on idiots like you.

[zoopster1]

"Sometimes the experiments are cruel and wasteful and done just because they can.

Posted by Nancy_Naive at 09:10 AM"

So what. Animals are not people. They are $@%^&! animals. Even if there are rabbits that are blind because of Max Factor, that gives nobody the right to set fire to a human being''s house. Not you, nor any of those other wackos are fit to be the judge of any of us.
I like rabbit stew, does that mean you''ll try to burn my house next?

[nothappyatall]

Just think, YOUR tax dollars are supporting animal rights terrorists, peta, HSUS, ALF and also Earth First and other nuts who have escalated to arson and firebombing.
Time to YANK the tax exempt status of these domestic animal rights terrorists and there is a petition on-line to do just that in regards to peta who has posted bail and helped CONVICTED arsonists like Rod Coronado and others;

Take a Bite out of PETA Sign the petition to have PETA''s tax-exemption status removed www.consumerfreedom.com/petaPetition.cfm

[nothappyatall]

I don''''t condone the activities of these animal-rights extremists, but their behavior has had an impact on raising the awareness of animal welfare in the general population....

Posted by msay3

Yeah,the same way 9/11 has increased the awareness of Al Quaida right? the end justifies the means, so what a few medical doctors get killed and all medical research stops as long as we get more ''awareness'' right???
These nuts target MEDICAL RESEARCH, you know, the research into heart disease, cancer, AIDS etc etc.

[gheemaster38]

Stupidity knows no bound. they are killing attempting to kill one animal for another one? They are as guilty as the scientist that are doing the experiments. THey are MURDERS! I am sure most of them call themselves CHRISTIANS!!!

[jediservant]

God is sending the animal rights people to smite the scientists of Satan. Then the animal rights people get arrested and executed. God works in mysterios ways. Hallejulia.

-----------------------
Posted by GOP_forever at 09:30 AM : Aug 04, 2008

You are very wrong and you have misrepresented God! Sir, maybe your god would do something like that but the true God would not.

The true God has given me a great love for the animal Kingdom but even as much as I love animals I know in my heart that this act is a crime against God and Man.

[antoniof123]

"It''s regrettable that certain scientists are willing to put their families at risk by choosing to do wasteful animal experiments," press office spokesman Jerry Vlasak said in the statement.

You know a statement like this is just stupid. There is no response to something this stupid. Jerry you are a moron and should be locked up.

[antoniof123]

"It''s regrettable that certain scientists are willing to put their families at risk by choosing to do wasteful animal experiments," press office spokesman Jerry Vlasak said in the statement.

You know a statement like this is just stupid. There is no response to something this stupid. Jerry you are a moron and should be locked up.

[zoopster1]

What`s the address... wouldn`t want to make a mistake...

Regards,

Posted by Nancy_Naive at 09:53 AM

I hope for your sake that you''re joking.

[gheemaster38]

IF they think the scientist are bad, they should have seen me disect and go to town on that Steak I had for dinner last night. I would have put Einstein to shame. mmm mmmm Good

[god-is-true]

Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

[slim1h2o]

I hope for your sake that you''''re joking.

Posted by zoopster1 at 10:00 AM : Aug 04, 2008

She is.

[missingamerica]

"Animal abusers everywhere beware," the pamphlets read. "We know where you live."

Idiots.

If they really cared about the welfare of the animals of this planet, they would quit acting like children who have just been introduced to the concept of moral responsibility but are still to immature to act in a socially responsible manner.

All things PETA are bogus...what is the point of saving one animal here or a hundred there, when the true threat to ALL of the animals - to include humans - of this world is human population expansion?

Do they really think ANY animal will be able to stand in the way of 10 billion humans? 15 billion? 20 billion? All in search of arable lands and mineral and energy resources?

These flaming idiots act as if putting out the fire in one tree while turning your back on the blazing forest is a display of enormous wisdom.

lolll...methinks the forest - and the animals - laugh, when they are not weeping.

[buttonjockey]

Well folks, this is (by definition) terrorism. Not that we haven''t had our share of terrorists in this country, the KKK being most notable.

Will Bush apply the same standard in this country that he does overseas? Will he "hunt them down and kill them?" Or will he treat this as a criminal act because these are Americans and show that there''s a double standard? I''ll bet you that the rule will be, "If you''re a terrorist, then it''s death if you''re a Muslim."

[missingamerica]

"Animal abusers everywhere beware," the pamphlets read. "We know where you live."

Idiots.

If they really cared about the welfare of the animals of this planet, they would quit acting like children who have just been introduced to the concept of moral responsibility but are still too immature to act in a socially responsible manner.

All things PETA are bogus...what is the point of saving one animal here or a hundred there, when the true threat to ALL of the animals - to include humans - of this world is human population expansion?

Do they really think ANY animal will be able to stand in the way of 10 billion humans? 15 billion? 20 billion? All in search of arable lands and mineral and energy resources?

These flaming idiots act as if putting out the fire in one tree while turning your back on the blazing forest is a display of enormous wisdom.

lolll...methinks the forest - and the animals - laugh, when they are not weeping.

[missingamerica]

(P.S. I would not for a heartbeat rule out the possibility that these acts were carried out by those who would gain by casting a shadow on those who are environmentally conscious. It is but a small step from "Those animal rights activists are crazy!" to "Enviro-nuts are unAmerican!".

I doubt that 1,000 American Petroleum Institute commercials urging the exploitation of America ashore and offshore can have anything near as much impact as acts such as these do.

Manipulating public opinion is an energy industry specialty - consider the current "drill here drill now" rant even as those 68 million undrilled acres dwindle into the background....or Iraq.)

[gwagener]

There are legal ways (protests, law suits, petitions, etc.) to oppose animal testing. Terrorism is illegal and contrary to democracy.
I favor animal testing so long as it has good peer review for scientific value.

[jmurrieta1]

The law needs to be changed to allow the use of deadly force in self-defense against arson attacks. At present, arson is considered a property crime, so a citizen can''t use deadly force in self defense without fear of prosecution.

That law needs to be changed, allowing the firebombers to be shot by the homeowner if caught in the act.

Write your congressman.

[jmurrieta1]

The law needs to be changed to allow the use of deadly force in self-defense against arson attacks. At present, arson is considered a property crime, so a citizen can''t use deadly force in self defense without fear of prosecution.

That law needs to be changed, allowing the firebombers to be shot by the homeowner if caught in the act.

Write your congressman.

[lochlan-2009]

"Animal-Rights Activists Apparently Behind Rash Of Attacks At U. Of Calif., Santa Cruz"

So they bought him a new car? Or, did these people never hear of insurance.

[libsluv2spit]

was it islamic terrorists??? NOOOOOO it was a bunch of liberals...

you cant tell the difference these days.

[libsluv2spit]

Well, if he does, then they are safe... look how long Bin Laden`s been kicking since Sheriff Bush torn down his WANTED: Dead or Alive poster.

Regards,


Posted by Nancy_Naive at 10:28 AM : Aug 04, 2008
+ report abuse

******

hey at least your consistent..you would right behind any SIBVERSIVE act..like they say..A LIBERAL WILL SAVE YOU EVEN IT MEANS KILLING YUO

[libsluv2spit]

So they bought him a new car? Or, did these people never hear of insurance.

Posted by lochlan at 10:46 AM : Aug 04, 2008
+ report abuse

******

YOU ARE A TYPICAL WEAK MINDED LIBERAL you are so busy saving cockroaches that you guys are failing to see tha tyou are defeating your purpose..

oh yeah..these people usually have insurance coverage for liberal terrorist attacks

[credibility2]

Low-life''s that perpetrate this type of violence just because they don''t agree with what others are doing aren''t fit to walk and breathe air. Will there be an all out war of these low-life''s once others start drilling for oil and disturbing flora and fauna? I wonder what these imbeciles live on without desecrating their precious life forms of any size and type?

[lochlan-2009]

libsluv2spit

My point is this accomplished nothing but getting him a new car. He will be packing the next time these kids come to play.

Get off your Mom, Your Dad''s coming home.

[wangbang]

Those leftover useless hippy freaks should be CRUSHED and pounded out of existence.

[voltaire333]

It''s too bad that a few bad apples will give a bad name to the overwhelming majority of animal rights advocates who peacefully resist animal cruelty. The media has a field day with stories like this as they try to paint every animal rights advocate as a dangerous terrorist.

This distracts from the real problem, which is that you have huge corporations paying thes psuedo-scientists to torture and terrorize animals in unscientific testing that does nothing but serve to protect these corporations from liability when their products injure and kill people. The corporations get the tests results they want, and these scientists, who have sold their souls, get to call themselves "scientists" and work on university campuses. Animal rights research is a scam.

[doctorwho6]

Sooner or later, one or more of those ALF freaky cowards will pick on the wrong guy. For example, my wife and I are both licensed for concealed carry because of my research, and we have two large dogs protecting our property. I would have absolutely no problem, being a combat veteran from Vietnam, sending one of those freaks to their maker if they threatened my family. In fact, I have great compassion for the animals we study, but none for the ALF animals.
Be warned ALF dudes, we are waiting for you in New Mexico. BTW, medical shunts, CAT scans, insulin therapy and transplants were all made possible by animal research...otherwise, we''d have to use humans instead... hey, a good idea... save the animals and use PETA and ALF members as guinea pigs.

[latrocinor-2009]

I guess I''ll eat another roast today in revenge.

With the prices of meat nowadays raising my own meat, like rabbits, for food comes to mind. Bunny burgers sound pretty good.

[nextgenman]

Those dickheads preach don''''t hurt or kill animals but yet threaten to kill people and innocent children, these are the kind of people that PETA and the Sierra club and other leftist wing wackos are. Theysay one thing and do another, I say catch the little liberal freedom hating basstards and kill them with a fire bomb too!

Posted by zgomer at 11:11 AM : Aug 04, 2008
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Yeah! They sound like the Republican Torturers at Abu Ghraib!

[yankeerebel7]

*** filthy, disgusting, idiotic hippies! What a cowardly way to "fight". These guys are probably 5''6 120 lbs, with girlish figures.

[infe5]

"Activists" for any cause tend to be young, privileged (i.e. from wealthy families), college kids. These crunchies have never had to work to achieve anything, and thus feel the need to fill a void in their lives. They jump on whatever feel good cause is popular at the moment, to give themselves a sense of purpose. The absence of hardship in their lives translates to a lack of character, for which they overcompensate by promoting violent action for their "cause". They usually do not understand, or are willfully ignorant of the underlying situation that they strive so hard to affect. Yet still they scream that they are the ones who are "informed".

It really is quite tragic. These kids will be prosecuted and sent to prison (as well they should), all because they lack the maturity garnered by experience outside of their realm of comfort.

[kevboom]

I have a friend who works for Eli Lilly and handles shipping/logistics for pharmaceuticals. He has nothing to do with animal testing or research and development. Regardless, a few weeks ago a group of self-declared "anarchists" picketed in his suburban front yard with chants of "dog killer" etc., apparently because they think he has some power to end testing in a multi-national conglomerate. Wrong. Sadly, these fringe groups who have a soft heart for animals, are their own worst enemies. They don''t do their research or attempt to communicate with those they protest, as in the case of my friend who didn''t even know his company tested on animals until the day protesters showed up hurling insults. They don''t organize like mature adults and exhaust their legal options such as fund raising, petitioning, media pressure, and lawsuits. They instead go underground, break the law, and like these fools in California, attempt murder, to make their points, which cause those who might otherwise be sympathetic to their cause to turn against them in disgust. I have no problem with groups like the SPCA that support humane treatment of animals. Unfortunately, animal rights is often equated with ignorant hot heads that think they can change the world by making a scene. Wrong again. They are a disgrace to their cause, patting themselves on the back while blithely naive to the fact that no animals will be saved by anything they do. Just the opposite in fact.

[ubrew12]

Leona Helmsley left a cool billion dollars, her entire estate, for dogs. She''d ''said'' she would include homeless people in there, but in the end, only the dogs mattered to her.

Ironically, she and these eco-terrorists had a lot in common. They should have made common-cause and joined the battle against the humans.

[rational_1]

And all along I thought PETA stood for People Eating Tasty Animals. LOL!

[legacyabq]

Well said Kevboom. They do the principles they espouse a disservice: I wonder why they cant see that?

And besides, the guy uses mice!! Do they understand that millions of mice are used worldwide? That people trap and kill countless thousands? They would have to take on the whole world to be consistent. I suppose their filthy apartments are over-run with the things. What idiots. I could understand a little more (but not condone) if it was concerned with intelligent primates, but the guy works with RODENTS for chrissakes! What serious lunatics!

[gwagener]

Only a very small minority or animal activists and environmentalist are terrorists.

[rushman71]

Man, maybe I could add the head of an environmentalist between the buck and the moose on my wall. HMMMMM.... Yeah, that sounds good.

[summarex]

If you are one of those animal rights activists. This should give you an idea of who you are in league with - degenerates who equate the rights of people with the concocted rights of animals.

Rights are exclusively human!

[gwagener]

Man, maybe I could add the head of an environmentalist between the buck and the moose on my wall. HMMMMM.... Yeah, that sounds good.
-------------------------------

Posted by rushman71 at 11:38 AM : Aug 04, 2008

So you will respond to terrorism with terrorism. That plan is why terrorism is self-perpetuating. Hte begets hate.

[sistatee-2009]

Fortunately, Only a very small minority of Normal People are animal activists.

Posted by DaVicar2 at 11:42 AM : Aug 04, 2008

That seems abnormal.

[talkingham]

Typical republican dirty trick to label or link environmentalists with radical animal rights groups though they have nothing in common.

[godseyesore-2009]

Eliminate repugnacians..Eat more Dog.

[mwbio]

This is a sad situation. When anyone put the welfare of an animal over that of men, women and children, they are both sick and deluded. There are times to defend and kill, put this is NOT it.

[gwagener]

Only a very small minority or animal activists and environmentalist are terrorists
------------- Posted by gwagener

Fortunately, Only a very small minority of Normal People are animal activists.

-------------------------------

Posted by DaVicar2 at 11:42 AM : Aug 04, 2008

In a free democratic society, we need people on the extremes on issues to help strike a balance so, for example, animal studies have good controls and scientific merit without cruelty. What we do not need is poor sports who cannot deal with democracy and resort to violence and terrorism when they do not get their way. What ever side of the issues they are on.

[element51]

SpinLiberal...You assumption that all liberals are foaming at the mouth terriorists is way off the mark. The fact that we care about the treatment of animals does not automatically make us crazy. Any movement has it''s fringe element, even yours, and they sometimes do things that are outrageous but that does not mean that they are respected by the rest of us. So please, don''t paint all of us with the same brush.