User talk:LegAffairs

---Edit note---

LegAffairs,

It has been previously established through our editors and senior editors that FBR be classified as a front group for various reasons, not the least of which that it shares both office space and personnel (as in president and founder Frankie Trull) with two for profit industry groups. As Ms. Trull is and has been employed as a career lobbyist and industry rep before, during and after the founding of any one or all of the three groups, the order in which they were founded is not the issue. A basic conflict of interests is the issue.

It is customary in SW documents for individual persons representing lobbies and front groups to be classified as such. There are many individuals with the front group badges on their SW docs. Ms. Trull is not being singled out in any way on this matter. Ms. Trull apparently represents a variety of industry and commercial interests. Such firms are generally referred to as public relations or lobbies on SW. However, it has been noted on her pages that she also represents universities and institutions receiving government grants. Some of her other government relations have also been noted as well.

On both the Policy Directions & the Frankie Trull articles, the description of FBR was changed from front group back to charity, although it is listed in SW as a front group. Therefore I rolled back both articles previous edits, with a few of your changes added to the PD article. However, the following para on PD was unreferenced. It is also a rather flattering description of what is widely described as a corporate, rather than a "landmark piece of legislation". There is also some discrepancy as well as to whether it was precisely "unanimous", as noted in the AETA article. Most of the other information is contained in that article.


 * "Supporters of the AETA (H.R. 4239/S.3880) consider it a landmark piece of legislation which provides greater protections for researchers and companies from animal rights extremists. It is an expansion of the 1992 Animal Enterprise Protection Act Act (Title 18, Sec. 43 of the US Criminal Code). The AETA expands offenses covered under federal law to include threats, harassment and other intimidation methods that do not physically disrupt animal enterprises, but instead elicit fear among employees (includes false bomb threats, posting personal information, etc.). The AETA also addresses campaigns of secondary and tertiary targeting directed at third parties who do business with medical research organizations. The AETA was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate on September 30, 2006; approved by the House on November 13, 2006 and signed into law by President Bush on November 27, 2006. It was a bi-partisan effort between members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. Sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), James Inhofe (R-OK), and Representative Thomas Petri (R-WI)."

Lisa L.

November 23, 2010