MEAT IS MURDER
Jerry Vlasak turned the animal rights world on its ear when he suggested that animal research scient
By Annette Stark
Jerry Vlasak turned the animal rights world on its ear when he suggested that animal research scient
By Annette Stark
http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/meat_is_murder/3068/
You can call him "terrorist," or you can call him any other ugly word that comes to mind. It won't matter a bit. Since 2003, Los Angeles-based physician and controversial animal-rights activist Dr. Jerry Vlasak has been called that and worse. And it's not about to get better, as Vlasak appeared before Congress this year and said that killing research scientists was "morally justifiable" in the name of animal rights.
"I'm thick-skinned by now," Vlasak says. "I'm willing to take the criticism, the heat, if that's what's necessary for those who abuse animals to know that it's wrong. The people who are most critical are those who make their living off animals. People won't stop if we ask them nicely."
Few would argue that the heat on Vlasak has been extraordinary this year. Prohibited from entering the U.K., he's currently fighting criminal charges in Canada with other members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for obstructing a seal hunt. Here in Los Angeles, the City Attorney's Office recently filed 14 counts of criminal conspiracy against the Animal Defense League, a legal protest group founded by Vlasak's actress/activist wife, Pamelyn Ferdin. (ADL-LA has consistently maintained that it does not engage in illegal acts.) Vlasak is the group's press officer.
Also, he was recently blasted by Congress for being the spokesperson for a movement the FBI now calls the "biggest domestic terror threat."
Shortly after his congressional testimony, Vlasak appeared on a 60 Minutes segment, titled "Burning Rage," reiterating his charge that scientists face death. "I think people who torture innocent beings should be stopped," he declared. "And if they won't stop when you ask them nicely, [and] they won't stop when you demonstrate to them what they're doing is wrong, then they should be stopped using whatever means necessary."
It was a headline grabber. Around the country, people expressed shock. In Los Angeles, where he has also been labeled "extremist" and "terrorist" in the press, it was a little more complicated. While folks were quick to point out that they do not support his radical beliefs, people who know him don't have much else bad to say about the guy. As press officer for the Animal League, which handles publicity for above-ground legal animal groups, such as ADL-LA, Vlasak is out in the community a lot. He's also press officer for the shadowy underground Animal Liberation Front (ALF). Though he isn't a member of ALF, he sends their often-anonymous communiqués and answers questions for the press. He is always pleasant, has met with the mayor more than a few times, and along with Ferdin is helping to spearhead the very mainstream cause of fixing the city's disastrous animal shelters.
The animal rights movement has a lot of moderates, but Vlasak doesn't really embrace them. "I wouldn't say I'm friends with those types of people. But do I associate with them? Sure I do, to enlighten them. Just as I was enlightened - at one time I ate meat. But would I consider someone like that a true friend? No, I would not."
Vlasak was born in Austin, Texas. The first glimmers of radical animal rights activism began to take shape in the early '90s, when he noticed that his patients were sick because of what they ate. "I was practicing surgery and doing a lot of work with cancer and gall bladder disease and noticed people were sick because of what they ate. I began to realize that a meat-based diet is responsible for premature deaths in our society."
After reading books like John Robbins's The Food Revolution, he began changing his practice. "I realized from a health standpoint that it was wrong to say to my patients, 'Yes I'll take off your breast' without telling them how to change their diet. And a lot of them said, 'Why didn't another doctor tell me?'"
Vlasak insists that he would never be violent himself - as a doctor, he points out that it is his duty to save lives. And, he says, reactions to the 60 Minutes segment were mostly positive. "A handful of people said they didn't agree with me and didn't want to associate with me. But it was easily running 20 to 1, supporters vs. detractors. I received hundreds of e-mails in support of my message.
"But you know Americans love violence," he continues. "They're violent with what they watch on TV, the video games they play are violent, violent for going to Iraq. When people turn it around and say that I'm advocating violence, I don't know how they can say that with a straight face."
You can call him "terrorist," or you can call him any other ugly word that comes to mind. It won't matter a bit. Since 2003, Los Angeles-based physician and controversial animal-rights activist Dr. Jerry Vlasak has been called that and worse. And it's not about to get better, as Vlasak appeared before Congress this year and said that killing research scientists was "morally justifiable" in the name of animal rights.
"I'm thick-skinned by now," Vlasak says. "I'm willing to take the criticism, the heat, if that's what's necessary for those who abuse animals to know that it's wrong. The people who are most critical are those who make their living off animals. People won't stop if we ask them nicely."
Few would argue that the heat on Vlasak has been extraordinary this year. Prohibited from entering the U.K., he's currently fighting criminal charges in Canada with other members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for obstructing a seal hunt. Here in Los Angeles, the City Attorney's Office recently filed 14 counts of criminal conspiracy against the Animal Defense League, a legal protest group founded by Vlasak's actress/activist wife, Pamelyn Ferdin. (ADL-LA has consistently maintained that it does not engage in illegal acts.) Vlasak is the group's press officer.
Also, he was recently blasted by Congress for being the spokesperson for a movement the FBI now calls the "biggest domestic terror threat."
Shortly after his congressional testimony, Vlasak appeared on a 60 Minutes segment, titled "Burning Rage," reiterating his charge that scientists face death. "I think people who torture innocent beings should be stopped," he declared. "And if they won't stop when you ask them nicely, [and] they won't stop when you demonstrate to them what they're doing is wrong, then they should be stopped using whatever means necessary."
It was a headline grabber. Around the country, people expressed shock. In Los Angeles, where he has also been labeled "extremist" and "terrorist" in the press, it was a little more complicated. While folks were quick to point out that they do not support his radical beliefs, people who know him don't have much else bad to say about the guy. As press officer for the Animal League, which handles publicity for above-ground legal animal groups, such as ADL-LA, Vlasak is out in the community a lot. He's also press officer for the shadowy underground Animal Liberation Front (ALF). Though he isn't a member of ALF, he sends their often-anonymous communiqués and answers questions for the press. He is always pleasant, has met with the mayor more than a few times, and along with Ferdin is helping to spearhead the very mainstream cause of fixing the city's disastrous animal shelters.
The animal rights movement has a lot of moderates, but Vlasak doesn't really embrace them. "I wouldn't say I'm friends with those types of people. But do I associate with them? Sure I do, to enlighten them. Just as I was enlightened - at one time I ate meat. But would I consider someone like that a true friend? No, I would not."
Vlasak was born in Austin, Texas. The first glimmers of radical animal rights activism began to take shape in the early '90s, when he noticed that his patients were sick because of what they ate. "I was practicing surgery and doing a lot of work with cancer and gall bladder disease and noticed people were sick because of what they ate. I began to realize that a meat-based diet is responsible for premature deaths in our society."
After reading books like John Robbins's The Food Revolution, he began changing his practice. "I realized from a health standpoint that it was wrong to say to my patients, 'Yes I'll take off your breast' without telling them how to change their diet. And a lot of them said, 'Why didn't another doctor tell me?'"
Vlasak insists that he would never be violent himself - as a doctor, he points out that it is his duty to save lives. And, he says, reactions to the 60 Minutes segment were mostly positive. "A handful of people said they didn't agree with me and didn't want to associate with me. But it was easily running 20 to 1, supporters vs. detractors. I received hundreds of e-mails in support of my message.
"But you know Americans love violence," he continues. "They're violent with what they watch on TV, the video games they play are violent, violent for going to Iraq. When people turn it around and say that I'm advocating violence, I don't know how they can say that with a straight face."
Published: 12/29/2005
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