AETA Seems Certain
November 15, 2006
............................By Joe Miller
Dear Friend,
Things are even worse than I indicated in the "Urgent/Stop AETA" alert I sent last night (the alert is pasted below).
According to an excellent blog written by Will Potter (bio below) under the name "Green is the New Red," the version of AETA that passed in the House yesterday contained identical language to the amended version passed unanimously in the Senate on September 30. If Potter is correct (and the information and analyses on his blog seem very accurate), AETA can now be presented to the President for his signature. Once AETA becomes law, citizens will have to fear that their legimate forms of First Amendment expression against various "animal enterprise" practices may be construed as terrorism, and subject them to all the stresses (time, financial, physical, psychological, etc.) of defending themselves, and perhaps even conviction.
http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/bio
http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/2006/11/13/aeta-passes-house-recap/
Potter's entries provide all sorts of information, insights, and valuable analyses on all the factors that have led up to the apparent imminent signing of this chilling and anti-democratic bill into law.
One entry indicates that the House voted on AETA as part of a "suspension calendar" used to simultaneously pass by voice vote (without even a roll call) a group of "non-controversial" bills to save time.
Another entry indicates that only Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) spoke against passage of the bill. A very long entry indicates all the forms of disinformation that have been disseminated about the bill, and juxtaposes Potter's analysis of the real reality in each situation. Do yourself and our country a favor, and check out the following links about the real meaning of, motivations for, and ways in which AETA was passed.
http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/2006/11/13/aeta-passes-house-recap/
http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/2006/11/13/urgent-misinformation-campaigns-on-aeta/
One thing I had wrong on my alert yesterday was that the ACLU currently opposes AETA. I was basing my statement on a March 6, 2006, ACLU letter encouraging Congress to oppose AETA. One of Potter's entries indicates that on October 30, the ACLU sent a letter to Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) indicating that the ACLU "does not oppose" AETA, but does urge "necessary minor amendments" to the bill. I find the National Lawyers Guild position on AETA a lot more compelling that the current ACLU position.
http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/gen/25620leg20060306.html
http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/2006/11/13/aeta-passes-house-recap/
http://www.aclu.org/images/general/asset_upload_file809_27356.pdf
http://www.nlg.org/news/statements/AETA_Act.htm
That's about all for now. Potter's blog is an excellent resource for the unfolding saga of AETA.
http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/
Best,
Joe
November 13, 2006
Urgent/Stop AETA
Dear Friend,
Unbelievable! The House of Representatives re-convened at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, and one of the first things they did -- as reported by the Humane Society of the United States -- was to pass the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) by voice vote.
AETA is an attempt by forces in industry and government to limit, stifle, and quash responsible and lawful forms of citizen opposition to various "animal enterprise" practices, in an attempt to protect these practices and the profits they generate. AETA is opposed by more than 100 different groups including the National Lawyers Guild, the ACLU, and the Humane Society of the United States. Links to the compelling statements of the National Lawyers Guild and the Humane Society about why AETA should be defeated are contained within my last update on the St. Joe Valley Greens website. The StopAETA site has a complete listing of all the different groups that are on record as opposing AETA.
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/stopeata2.shtml
http://stopaeta.org/
AETA can still be stopped! Differences between the language in the amended version that unanimously passed in the Senate (S. 3880) on the last day before the recess for the mid-term elections, and the version that passed in the House (H.R. 4239) today must still be resolved.
If enough Representatives and Senators can be persuaded to acknowledge the true purposes and dangers of AETA during this resolution process, AETA can be stopped even during the current Republican dominated "lame-duck" session of Congress. One would think/hope that AETA would definitely have much less chance of resolution and success in the Democrat dominated House and Senate commencing in January.
The following are the options for resolving the differences in the AETA bills that have passed in the House and Senate. If resolution cannot be achieved, AETA cannot pass:
"After a measure passes in the House, it goes to the Senate for consideration. A bill must pass both bodies in the same form before it can be presented to the President for signature into law. If the Senate changes the language of the measure, it must return to the House for concurrence or additional changes. This back-and-forth negotiation may occur on the House floor, with the House accepting or rejecting Senate amendments or complete Senate text. Often a conference committee will be appointed with both House and Senate members. This group will resolve the differences in committee and report the identical measure back to both bodies for a vote."
http://www.house.gov/house/Tying_it_all.shtml
Contact your Representative and Senators now and encourage them to acknowledge the true purposes and dangers of AETA, and to vote NO on any reconciled AETA bill that is reported back for a vote. Voting NO is voting YES for Democracy and the First Amendment.
Best,
Joe
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Joseph Miller
Dept. of Psychology
51 Madeleva
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Office Phone: 574 284-4532 ext. 4534
Fax: 574 284-4716
St. Joe Valley Greens, South Bend, IN