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| Animal-Rights Activist Accused of Lying in Probe |
| 2004-01-16 |
| A leading animal-rights activist has been accused of lying to a grand jury investigating an arson at a timber company and the theft of chickens from an egg farm in Washington state. Allison Lance-Watson, 45, was released Wednesday for a preliminary hearing next month. She was charged with making false statements to the grand jury when she denied lending a truck to other activists. Investigators believe the vehicle was used in the arson. She could get up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Lance-Watson’s lawyer, Stuart A. Sugarman, said the allegations were extremely one-sided," adding, "The truth will come out." "Lies, all lies." The grand jury is investigating two attacks cited in statements issued by the shadowy Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front. Two well organized eco terror groups. One case involved a fire set at the headquarters of a timber company in Olympia. The other involved the removal of 228 chickens from an egg farm in Burlington, Wash. Both incidents took place in 2000. "Free the chickens!" After the fire, employees of a convenience store saw occupants of a rental truck discard plastic bags containing dark clothing, ski masks, gloves and a wrapper from a pair of bolt cutters, according to the FBI. Authorities say a store surveillance camera showed the truck had the same license plate as one that Lance-Watson and her husband had rented. As they say in the legal profession, "Oops!". |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #10 Coyotes gotta eat, too. Thanks, ALF! |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-1-16 1:29:28 PM |
| #9 Just another day at Rantburg U. |
| Posted by: PBMcL 2004-1-16 1:09:22 PM |
| #8 General Joe's! All I ever needed to know about chickens. |
| Posted by: 4thInfVet 2004-1-16 12:51:15 PM |
| #7 PETA is the political wing of ALF/ELF, and should be treated no differently than the political wing of Hamas: as terrorist enemies of civilization. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-1-16 12:40:07 PM |
| #6 Actually, "range" chickens can live as long as 15 to 20 years. I'm not sure about domestic chickens, since we never kept them longer than about five years, but I'm sure their life expectancy is longer than 10 years. I back what others have said - chickens can and do survive in the wild (white ones don't fare well, though), and there are places in the US that actually have a wild chicken population, so they even succeed (I.E., breed and reproduce). ELF and ALF should be considered on a plane with all other terrorist groups, and treated accordingly. Since a majority of their funding comes from PETA and other left-wing, "envornmental" groups, those ogranizations should be placed on the list of terrorist-sponsoring charities (I don't have any explicit evidence, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy were complicit in supporting these idiotarians, as well). |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-1-16 12:21:19 PM |
| #5 ...Backing up what Scooter said - a good friend of mine runs a chicken farm for GoldKist (they supply the chicken for Campbell's soups) and every time they pick them up, a few always manage to get into the woods and join the Resistance (that's a running joke with us). These birds are already genetically bred to be big and strong, and once they figure out how to feed off all the critters running around in the dirt, they get HUGE - twenty pounds is not at all unusual, and I have seen bigger out there. OTOH, they don't last real long at all up against any kind of predator, and the slightest injury or infection tends to kill 'em off real fast. One other thing that they are very susceptible to is - of all things - heart attacks. It seems that its a genetic defect in most farm-raised chickens these days. When I briefly worked on the farm, I was told not to slam any doors, especially when the chickens were about 3/4 grown, because they would - and did - keel over without warning. NOW you know too much about chickens. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-1-16 11:15:41 AM |
| #4 My family kept chickens when I was a lad. They do pretty well on their own in a forested area, but if they're anywhere near a human population center dogs (and cats) will kill them pretty quick. And in open terrain they're easy pickings for hawks. (This is more than anyone wanted to know about chickens, I'm sure.) |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2004-1-16 10:56:01 AM |
| #3 What do they do with the chickens? Any bets as to the typical lifespan of a domesticated hen in Mother Nature's hands? Don't count on more than a few days! Mebbee they keep them as house pets, naw, can't be that, that would be "cruel" too. |
| Posted by: Craig 2004-1-16 10:37:06 AM |
| #2 It's begining to make sense. The ALF needed the birds to feed the mink they set loose form the fur farm in Snohomish County,WA.:) |
| Posted by: Gasse Katze 2004-1-16 10:10:21 AM |
| #1 More on animal rights terrorism: Animal Rights Activist Would "Sacrifice My Life" - Is Suicide Bombing Next? |
| Posted by: The Tapir 2004-1-16 9:57:33 AM |