Talk:Richard Berman cares about animals: clients exposed

Edit note
I have relocated this section off the article page again.

According to CCF,
 * PETA has given tens of thousands of dollars to convicted arsonists and other violent criminals. This includes a 2001 donation of $1,500 to the North American Earth Liberation Front (ELF), an FBI-certified “domestic terrorist” group responsible for dozens of firebombs and death threats. During the 1990s, PETA paid $70,200 to Rodney Coronado, an Animal Liberation Front (ALF) serial arsonist convicted of burning down a Michigan State University research laboratory. In his sentencing memorandum, a federal prosecutor implicated PETA president Ingrid Newkirk in that crime. 7 Things You Didn't Know About PETA

edit note
A response to the claims requires that the following points be addressed:
 * Is it true that PETA contributed funds to of North American Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and Rodney Coronado?
 * What did the sentencing memorandum of a federal prosecutor actually state? --Bob Burton 07:18, 17 June 2009 (EDT)

And I can't see how the policy of the ALF can be cited to address accusations directed against the ELF. And even if it could, the ALF statement about their policy only addresses the claim about "death threats" but not the not fire-bombings.--Bob Burton 07:18, 17 June 2009 (EDT)

Response
Replaced with the following section.

PETA, ALF & ELF
In October of 2000, Ingrid Newkirk, the director and co-founder of PETA, published a book about the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) entitled "Free the Animals: The Story of the Animal Liberation Front". According to an interview with David Shankbone in an HBO documentary about her life, she understands but does not support arson.


 * "I do support getting animals out in the same way I would have supported getting human slaves out, child labor, sex slaves, the whole lot. But I don’t support burning. I don’t support arson."

During the 1995 trial of Rodney Coronado for the arson of Michigan State University (MSU), U.S. Attorney Michael Dettmer "alleged" that Ingrid Newkirk arranged to have Coronado send her stolen documents and a videotape. , According to David Martosko's written testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works in May of 2005, pages from PETA's IRS documents from 1994 show "disbursements to the Rodney Coronado Support Committee" and a loan to his father. According to the same testimony, their IRS documents from 2000 show a disbursement to Earth Liberation Front (ELF). ELF is an organization with no official membership and is similar to that of ALF.

So, a lawyer for the prosecution "alleged" prior knowledge. Donations were public record and included in IRS statements (independently audited and available upon request). There was even a committee set up for donations to Rodney Coronado. Ms. Newkirk's book about ALF was published in 2000 and sells on Amazon. She has also discussed ALF in an HBO documentary and an episode of 20/20. According to David Martosko's testimony, PETA has published interviews with ALF activists. This is hardly the clandestine arrangement characterized by CCF.

Lisa, June 20, 2009