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From Pacifica, this is Democracy Now!

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An investigation by the Humane Society of
the United States uncovers abuse of downed

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dairy cows, cows too sick or too injured to
stand, at a California slaughterhouse. What’s

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more, the meat is being served to children
through the National School Lunch Program.

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Hidden cameras inside factory farms. Today
an undercover animal rights activist speaks

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about how he spent over a decade secretly
filming animal abuse, including cows being

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shocked, beaten and dragged by their necks.
Now states across the country are cracking

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down—not on the abuse of animals, but on
those who expose it.

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This threat of animal rights and environmental
activists says the number one domestic terrorism

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threat, according to the FBI, has been a manufactured
threat. This has been manufactured since the

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early 1980s, when corporations created the
term "ecoterrorism."

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Today we’ll hold a debate on the so-called
"ag-gag" bills that target people who go undercover

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to film farm operations.

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The public buys into the very emotional plea
of the activists. And unfortunately, they

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use it as an animal welfare issue, when really
their agenda is to create a vegetarian society.

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We’ll look at the case of environmental
activist Daniel McGowan. After serving over

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five years in jail, he was briefly picked
up again last week, just days after he wrote

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an article for The Huffington Post.

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All that and more, coming up.

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Welcome to Democracy Now!, democracynow.org,
The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.

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The United States has announced plans to deploy
a new laser attack weapon prototype on a ship

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in the Persian Gulf near Iran. The U.S. Navy
has released video of the laser weapon system

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setting fire to a drone during a test run.
In addition to burning through drones or ships,

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the laser can produce blinding bursts to disable
sensors. The announcement of its future deployment

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is an apparent warning to Iran after an impasse
was hit during talks on Iran’s nuclear program

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and the possible lifting of Western sanctions.
Iran said today it had begun operating two

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new uranium mines and a processing plant.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry continued
the Obama administration’s harsh rhetoric

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against Iran during a visit to Israel. Speaking
in Jerusalem Monday, Kerry assured Israeli

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President Shimon Peres that no option would
be taken off the table.

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John Kerry: "We understand the nature of the
threat of Iran, and as the president has said

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many times, he doesn’t bluff. He is serious,
and we will stand with Israel against this

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threat, and with the rest of the world, who
have underscored that all we are looking for

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is Iran to live up to its international obligations."

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Kerry met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu Monday night. The two claimed progress

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has been made toward possible peace talks
between Israel and the Palestinians.

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The company that runs Japan’s Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear power plant has signaled its

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temporary storage pits may be failing, but
says it does not have another option for containing

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radioactive water. Three out of seven storage
pits at the nuclear facility are now leaking

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in the latest setback for the plant since
an earthquake sparked an historic nuclear

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disaster there two years ago. The company
admitted 32,000 gallons of contaminated water

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leaked from two pits over the weekend. The
plant’s cooling system has also failed twice

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in the past two weeks. A spokesperson for
Tokyo Electric Power Company spoke at an emergency

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press conference today.

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Masayuki Ono: "There is a possibility of a
new leak, and that is what we are here to

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explain to you today. We understand that we
have caused tremendous worry to the people

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of Fukushima and the wider public, and we
apologize for that."

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President Obama traveled to Connecticut on
Monday to meet with families of the Sandy

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Hook Elementary School shooting victims and
repeat his call for tighter gun control. During

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a speech at the University of Hartford, Obama
pushed for a number of reforms, including

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a ban on assault weapons, but focused on universal
background checks for gun buyers, which he

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says are supported by 90 percent of people
in the United States. Obama urged Congress

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not to delay on gun control.

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President Obama: "Some folks back in Washington
are already floating the idea that they may

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use political stunts to prevent votes on any
of these reforms. Think about that. They’re

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not just saying they’ll vote 'no' on ideas
that almost all Americans support. They’re

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saying they’ll do everything they can to
even prevent any votes on these provisions.

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They’re saying your opinion doesn’t matter.
And that’s not right."

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Obama’s speech came as Senate Democrats
took steps to advance a gun-control package

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for debate this week. A group of Republican
senators, including Minority Leader Mitch

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McConnell, have vowed to filibuster it.

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Two U.S. senators — Democrat Joe Manchin
of West Virginia and Republican Pat Toomey

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of Pennsylvania — are reportedly negotiating
a bipartisan deal on gun background checks.

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Aides told the Associated Press the deal might
require checks for sales made at gun shows

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and online but exempt certain other transfers,
such as those between close family members.

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Current law only covers sales at federally
licensed gun vendors.

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In the Syrian capital Damascus, at least 15
people are dead after a suicide bomber drove

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a vehicle into a compound that houses the
central bank and finance ministry. The Syrian

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government blamed opponents for Monday’s
attack and said 53 people were also wounded.

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Italy’s president has pardoned a U.S. Air
Force colonel convicted in absentia for his

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role in the kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric
who was secretly flown to Egypt and tortured

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under the CIA’s rendition program. Joseph
Romano was one of 23 U.S. officials to be

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sentenced to jail terms for the kidnapping
of Abu Omar, who was seized from the streets

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of Milan in 2003 and imprisoned in Egypt for
four years without charge.

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Lawyers for the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden
have asked for his landmark civilian trial

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to be delayed because of automatic government
budget cuts known as sequestration. During

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a hearing Monday, attorneys for Sulaiman Abu
Ghaith said a potential September trial could

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be impacted by five-week mandatory furloughs
of federal defenders. U.S. District Judge

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Lewis Kaplan called the prospect of a delay
due to the cuts "stunning" and "extremely

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troublesome." Abu Ghaith has been accused
of conspiring to kill Americans, although

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he is not accused of taking part in the 9/11
attacks or any other terror plots. A lawyer

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signaled Monday the defense may ask for his
trial to be held outside of New York, citing

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concerns he may not get a fair trial in the
city hardest hit by the 9/11 attacks.

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A diplomatic cable posted by the whistleblowing
site WikiLeaks on Monday shows the Vatican

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dismissed reports of violence under the brutal
rule of Chile’s Augusto Pinochet as "Communist

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propaganda." In a cable sent to U.S. Secretary
of State Henry Kissinger in 1973, five weeks

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after democratically elected President Salvador
Allende was toppled in a U.S.-backed coup,

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a Vatican official was quoted expressing "his
and the pope’s grave concern over successful

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international leftist campaign to misconstrue
completely realities of Chilean situation."

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Thousands of people were killed under Pinochet’s
regime, and many more were tortured. The cables

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show the Vatican later realized the abuses
were taking place, but continued diplomatic

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relations with Chile and refused to criticize
Pinochet publicly. The documents were released

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by WikiLeaks in a new searchable database
dubbed "The Kissinger Cables." The files also

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include notes from a 1975 conversation where
then-Secretary of State Kissinger is quoted

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saying: "The illegal we do immediately; the
unconstitutional takes a little longer."

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange spoke about
the release of "The Kissinger Cables" Monday

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from his refuge inside the Ecuadorean embassy
in London, where he remains holed up to avoid

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extradition to Sweden on allegations of sexual
assault. He is concerned if he is extradited

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to Sweden he might then he extradited to the
United States. In a video address, Assange

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called the release "the single most significant
geopolitical publication that has ever existed."

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Julian Assange: "Orwell once said that 'He
who controls the present controls the past.

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And he who controls the past controls the
future.' Our analysis shows that the U.S.

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administration cannot be trusted with its
control of the past. We have pulled together

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two million documents, 250,000 documents from
our previous release Cablegate, 1.7 million

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documents pulled from the National Archives,
and put them together into an integrated format,

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a search system that we are very proud of."

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Chilean forensic experts have exhumed the
body of the legendary poet Pablo Neruda to

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probe allegations he was poisoned under Augusto
Pinochet’s rule. While cancer has been the

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accepted cause of Neruda’s death for nearly
four decades, the poet’s driver has claimed

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he was poisoned by a stomach injection administered
by doctors. Neruda, who won the Nobel Prize

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for Literature in 1971, was a close friend
of the ousted president, Salvador Allende.

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The Philippines is billing the United States
$1.5 million for the destruction of a pristine

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coral reef by a Navy minesweeper. The fine
is less than expected after a report found

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at least 2,300 square meters had been damaged,
less than an earlier estimate of 4,000. The

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Navy’s U.S.S. Guardian was stranded in the
Tubbataha Reef Marine Park for 10 weeks after

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its commanders ignored warnings from park
rangers. The park’s superintendent called

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fine a "slap on the wrist," noting the cost
of salvaging the ship was estimated at about

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30 times the requested fine.

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U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is pressing
Congress to alter military law in order to

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prevent commanders from overturning sexual
assault convictions made in military court.

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The move follows public outcry after Air Force
Lt. Col. James Wilkerson was reinstated and

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his conviction for aggravated sexual assault
overturned. The military has been accused

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of failing to address an epidemic of assaults
in its ranks. Recent statistics show fewer

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than one-in-10 perpetrators were held accountable
after their attacks were reported. Advocates

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for military victims said Hagel’s proposed
change is only a small step toward addressing

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the systemic problem.

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Maryland is set to become the newest state
to legalize the use of marijuana for medical

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purposes. State lawmakers approved medical
marijuana on Monday, and Gov. Martin O’Malley

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has said he will sign the bill. Nineteen other
states and Washington, D.C., already allow

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marijuana use for medical purposes.

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Israeli journalist Amira Hass has suffered
a torrent of hate mail and calls for her prosecution

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after she wrote an article defending the rights
of Palestinians to resist violent occupation.

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In the article, Hass defended the throwing
of stones by Palestinian youth at Israeli

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soldiers, calling it "the birthright and duty
of anyone subject to foreign rule." Hass said

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Israelis remain in denial about "how much
violence is used on a daily basis against

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Palestinians. They don’t like to be told
that someone has the right to resist their

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violence," she wrote. Tune in to Democracy
Now! on Wednesday when Amira Hass will join

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us.

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And those are some of the headlines this is
Democracy Now, Democracynow.org, the War and

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Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.

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AARON MATÉ: In recent years, activists and
investigators have gone undercover to reveal

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shocking cases of animal cruelty at some of
the nation’s largest plants and farms. In

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many cases, they have made secret videos of
the abuses, leading to prosecutions, closures,

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recalls and vows from the offenders to change
their practices. In 2008, this undercover

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investigation by the Humane Society exposed
wrongdoing by a California meat processor.

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A warning to our viewers, some of the images
are very graphic.

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HUMANE SOCIETY INVESTIGATION: An investigation
by the Humane Society of the United States

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uncovers abuse of downed dairy cows, cows
too sick or too injured to stand, at a California

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slaughterhouse. What’s more, the meat is
being served to children through the National

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School Lunch Program.

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AARON MATÉ: That undercover investigation
by the Humane Society resulted in the largest

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meat recall in U.S. history. In the last two
years, activists have also caught on camera

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employees of a Tyson Foods supplier in Wyoming
flinging piglets into the air, workers at

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Bettencourt Dairies in Idaho shocking cows,
and the searing of beaks off of young chicks

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at Sparboe Farms in Iowa. In the case of Tyson
and Bettencourt, the employees were charged

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with cruelty to animals. In the case of Sparboe
Farms, the company lost one of its biggest

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customers: the fast food giant McDonald’s.

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AMY GOODMAN: But the videos have also sparked
a reaction in the oppose direction: criminalizing

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those who blow the whistle. A front-page articlein
The New York Times this weekend noted that

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a dozen or so state legislatures have introduced
bills that target people who covertly expose

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farm animal abuse. These so-called "ag-gag"
bills, as they’re known, make it illegal

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to covertly videotape livestock farms or apply
for a job at one without disclosing affiliations

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with animal rights groups. They also require
activists to hand over undercover videos immediately,

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preventing them from publicizing findings
and sparking public outcry or documenting

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trends.

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Five states already have ag-gag laws in place.
North Carolina has just become the latest

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state to consider such a law, joining a list
that includes Arkansas, California, Indiana,

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Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Vermont.
Many of these bills have been introduced with

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the backing of the American Legislative Exchange
Council, or ALEC, a mechanism for corporate

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lobbyists to help write state laws.

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In a moment, we’ll host a debate on the
so-called "ag-gag" laws, but first we’re

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joined by one of the activists whose undercover
work has sparked their passage. The activist

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agreed to join us today on the condition he
could use a pseudonym and conceal his identity.

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He asked us to refer to him simply as "Pete."
Pete is an undercover animal rights investigator

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who has secretly captured animal abuse on
farms and slaughterhouses for the past 11

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years. He has released footage to groups such
as Mercy for Animals, helping spark national

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outcry and charges against the abusers. His
investigations have led to at least 15 criminal

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cases, and his videos have been used in a
number of documentaries.

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Pete, we welcome you to Democracy Now! Can
you talk about what it is that you do?

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PETE: Sure. Thank you for having me.

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What I do is go undercover to work for an
extended period of time, maybe two weeks,

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maybe longer, maybe six weeks or so, at farms,
ranches and slaughterhouses. And the main

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thing that I do is focus on any and all criminal
activity that exists at a facility. So, an

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undercover investigator’s job is to show
everything that occurs, whether it’s legal

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or illegal. There’s a lot of standard practices
that may look cruel, but they’re legal.

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And that is up to a campaigns department and
lobbyists and the public to decide if they

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want to change that.

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For an investigator, the main objective is
to document all illegal activity and get that

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information to the authorities. And every
single facility, whether it is a corporate

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facility or a family farm, whether it has
a couple hundred animals or whether it has

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a million chickens on it, every one that I’ve
worked at has been breaking the law. And because

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we keep finding illegal activity, and because
we’re getting more cooperation from law

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enforcement now, I believe that has fueled
some of these ag-gag laws in an attempt to

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try to stop us.

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AARON MATÉ: And Pete, how do you go about
doing it? Obviously, here we’re calling

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you Pete, not your real name. Do you give
your real name when you’re applying for

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these jobs?

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PETE: Yes, I do. I give—you know, because
I have to fill out a W-2, and so I’m obligated

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to put my real name. You know, these investigations
are done legally, so we don’t use fake IDs.

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You know, we don’t use fake names. And the
most critical point is that when we’re hired,

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we do everything how they tell us to do it,
so, you know, we try to fit in. We generally—you

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know, an investigator’s—part of the job
is to always make sure that if you’re doing

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a good job, you get them to note that and
let you know you are in fact doing your job:

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They can’t blame any problems on you.

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AMY GOODMAN: I want to ask you about your
time working at the Ohio hog farm in 2006.

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You captured this footage showing hundreds
of impregnated pigs crammed into gestation

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crates that restrict their movement. They’re
held in these crates, standing up or collapsed

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on the floor, for up to 116 days. The investigation
was featured in the HBO documentary Death

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on a Factory Farm. Let’s go to a clip.

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PETE: It’s a large farm. Basically, their
operation is to birth and raise the pigs,

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then send them off to become hogs ready for
slaughter. They use gestation crates and farrowing

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crates, just like most other hog farms in
America. Gestation crates are where sows are

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impregnated in those crates, and they’re
waiting while they’re pregnant.

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How do they know which ones are pregnant?
How do you know on a pig?

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HOG FARMER: Huh?
PETE: You just see on the belly?

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HOG FARMER: All these are pregnant.
PETE: You can just tell on the belly?

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HOG FARMER: Yeah.
PETE: They are totally confined, shoulder

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to shoulder so they can’t move, for about
113 to 116 days. If they lie down, they have

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to plop straight down.

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AMY GOODMAN: That is an excerpt of the HBO
documentary. Pete, what happened here? How

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did you document it? And what resulted from
your findings?

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PETE: So, in that investigation, that was
a little bit different. And in that, we actually

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had a whistleblower complaint that they were
hanging crippled sows to death. They would—they

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would wait until they had too many sows, the
female hogs, that were downed, and they started

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to become a nuisance. And so then they would
be dragged out. They’d put a chain around

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their necks, then hang them from a front loader.
And it would take about four to five minutes

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for them to be hanged to death.

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Normally in an investigation, the targets
are actually chosen randomly, and we consistently

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find violations of the law, regardless. But
in this case, I went in because there was

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a whistleblower who complained about that
specific act. However, a judge determined

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that hanging hogs to death was a legal means
of euthanasia, and so they were not prosecuted

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for that act.

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AARON MATÉ: Pete, I just want to clarify,
you said earlier that you find cruelty 100

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percent of the time?

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PETE: One hundred percent of the time. You
know, I mean, it would stand to reason that

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there has to be a farm out there, at least
one, that’s not breaking the law. That would

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stand to reason. The only thing I can tell
you is that I have not found it yet.

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So, I have worked at a—for example, just
with the dairies alone, I’ve worked at Bettencourt

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Dairy in Idaho, which at the one site that
I was at, one of their numerous sites, there

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were about 6,000 cows, and, you know, people
were breaking the law every day there. I’ve

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worked at the Conklin Dairy Farm in Ohio.
It was a family-owned farm, had about 200

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cows, the most sadistic animal abuse that
I’ve ever seen. And I’ve worked at the

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E6 Cattle Ranch in Texas, also family-owned,
and the owner was convicted for cruelty to

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animals. Another MFA investigator worked at
a large dairy in New York, and he worked alongside

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a mechanic. And it just so happened that the
one worker that he was working alongside was

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also convicted for breaking the law for cruelty
to animals.

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AMY GOODMAN: I want to talk about one of the
dairies, Pete. You recently infiltrated Bettencourt

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Dairies in Idaho and released some shocking
footage. The video shows a cow being dragged

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on the floor by a chain attached from her
neck to a moving tractor. It also shows dairy

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workers viciously beating and shocking cows
and violently twisting their tails. Additionally,

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your hidden camera captured unsafe and unsanitary
conditions, including feces-covered floors

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that cause cows to regularly slip, fall and
injure themselves. There were also sick and

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injured cows suffering from open wounds, broken
bones and infected udders left to suffer without

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veterinary care. Now, Bettencourt Dairies
is Idaho’s largest dairy operation and cheese

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supplier for Kraft and Burger King. Three
of the dairy workers were charged with misdemeanor

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animal cruelty due to your investigation.
Tell us exactly what happened, how you got

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the video out, how you made it public, and
who these people were who were convicted.

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PETE: Absolutely. So, the entire purpose behind
the Bettencourt investigation was that—I

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guess I should start by saying that my identity
has been made public by the Animal Agriculture

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Alliance, and they’ve been trying to prevent
me from getting undercover at farms and slaughterhouses.

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So the whole reason that I went to Idaho is
specifically because Mercy for Animals hired

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me to just work at any facility that I could.
And so I went to Idaho because I’ve never

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been there, and I chose the dairy industry
because I hadn’t worked at a dairy in over

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two years. On that alone, I decided to go
apply at Bettencourt. They were the first

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place to hire me.

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And within 45 minutes of arriving on my first
day, there was the—I filmed the incident

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that you discussed of someone putting a chain
around a downed cow’s neck and dragging

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her out of a stall. The manager, Felipe, of
that site, the Dry Creek Dairy site, he shocked

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the downed cow about 50 times with a hand-held
device. He was the one who put the chain around

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her neck. I still don’t understand why he
was not charged for that crime. But there

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it was, on my first day, that management was
involved in the most hideous act of abuse

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that I saw while I was there.

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The investigation lasted three weeks, and
there were acts of unnecessary cruelty, of

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people beating and punching cows in the face
and punching them in the eyes, and so forth,

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throughout that time. Once we felt that we
had established a pattern of abuse and showed

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everyone who was involved in it, though no
cow during that time had an imminent threat

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to their so that we felt we needed to cut
the case immediately, we then went to law

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enforcement.

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AMY GOODMAN: And what happened to these people?
Are they still working in the plant, though

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they were charged with misdemeanor? And the
companies that use Bettencourt, the largest

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plant in the state?

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PETE: Right. So, I guess first I should say
Felipe, to my knowledge, is still running

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that site. He was not charged. There were
three workers that were charged. Two fled.

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One was convicted. And the company itself
was not charged.

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So, the Bettencourts said that, you know,
they’re going to put up cameras and that

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they’re going to have people sign a policy
saying, "Don’t abuse animals." I want to

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make this very clear: Most facilities that
I’ve worked at, you have to sign a form

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that says you will not abuse animals. I have
worked at more than one facility that has

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cameras that are operating there. I don’t
know who’s behind the camera, but certainly

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they’ve never uncovered anything that I’ve
been able to find with my hidden cameras.

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So I don’t believe that that’s going to
actually do anything to minimize the amount

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of illegal cruelty at Bettencourt.

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AARON MATÉ: Pete, I also want to ask you
about what you uncovered at the Martin Creek

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Kennel in Arkansas. Your investigation was
featured in the 2006 HBO documentary called

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Dealing Dogs. Let’s go to a clip. And again,
a warning to our viewers: These images are

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very graphic.

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PETE: Up at the trench, there’s a table
sitting right next to the trench with a bloody

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knife on top. And the whole table is just
covered in dried blood. The area around the

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table is just littered with dog organs.
These are lines of trenches. Started out here,

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and he keeps digging new trenches as he fills
them up. More dogs, whole dogs. OK, this dog

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here had been cut open.

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AARON MATÉ: That’s a clip from the 2006
HBO documentary Dealing Dogs. Pete, talk about

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what you found there.

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PETE: Sure. So, that facility, they had been
suspected for a long time of abusing animals.

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And it was a place that was licensed by the
USDA to sell random-source dogs and cats to

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research labs. That’s called a Class B license.
A few of those still exist, and most of them

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now buy their dogs and cats from pounds. So
they go to the local shelter and then—or

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animal control facility, and then they’ll
resell them to research. That facility was

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the largest in operation, having over 600
dogs at a time, over 100 cats at a time. And

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they would sell to universities for research
all over the country. Not only were they abusing

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the dogs on a daily basis, but they were also
getting a lot of stolen pets.

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That facility was eventually shut down. The
U.S. attorney’s office got involved, because

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they were also involved in a felony fraud.
They had a veterinarian pre-signing their

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interstate health certificates without checking
the dogs. And so, for every one of those that

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crossed state lines, it was a felony. It’s
kind of like hitting Al Capone for tax evasion.

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But anyway, all of the animals were rescued
once the U.S. attorney’s office raided the

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facility, and they were permanently shut down.

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That said, there’s an interesting point
about that case, which is that, you know,

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you look at—you look at a facility like
that, it’s licensed by the government, and

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you wonder how can they be doing these things.
Like, how can all of these farms and slaughterhouses

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be breaking the law, and no one but undercover
activists finds out about it? Well, at Martin

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Creek Kennel, I watched a USDA inspection.
I watched two federal inspectors walk through

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the facility, and they did not find a single
dog that was dying of open wounds that I was

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able to document that day at that facility.
I’ve seen federal inspections at several

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facilities that I’ve worked at, and they
don’t find any of the crimes that I’ve

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uncovered while I’m there. So, I applaud
the USDA for all of the action that they take,

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and I’m not trying to—I’m not trying
to come down on them. But what I’m trying

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to say is that an inspection alone or third-party
verification does not find the kind of criminal

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activity that an undercover investigation
will find. And there is no law enforcement

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agency that exists in this country to do undercover
work of puppy mills, factory farms and slaughterhouses.

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AMY GOODMAN: Pete—

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PETE: It’s up to nonprofit groups.

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AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the so-called
ag-gag bills that would criminalize the undercover

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work you do? Republican State Senator David
Hinkins of Utah told his local station, KSL-TV,

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he doesn’t understand opposition to the
so-called ag-gag bills. Hinkins said, quote,

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"If a wife were abusing her husband, we wouldn’t
sneak into their living room and set up a

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hidden camera. We don’t want people mistreating
animals. ... There are authorities they can

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contact. They don’t need to be detectives
or the Pink Panther sneaking around." Your

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response?

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PETE: Two things. Number one, animals cannot
speak for themselves. So, of course, domestic

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violence is a complicated issue, but ultimately,
you can question a battered spouse and try

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to get the truth from them. You cannot ask
an animal, "Who kicked you?" or "Who’s neglecting

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you?"

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The second thing—and I hesitate to say this
because I have so much respect for law enforcement,

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and we’ve seen so much cooperation from
law enforcement especially in the last few

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years, but corruption and apathy from law
enforcement still is a big problem that we

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find when we’re dealing with animal cases.
And if you’re a cop, and if you hear that,

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and that shocks you, it’s because you’re
a good cop. But I can’t tell you how many

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times it is that we find clear violations
of the law, and the local authorities won’t

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do anything. And it’s tough. You know, it’s
very hard, if you’re a police officer in

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a rural county, you go to church with, and
you live alongside, or you’re involved in

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the same business as the people who some activist
comes in and starts showing conditions that,

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you know, they point out are illegal, but
that you may—you may do yourself, or your

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friends may do themselves.

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AMY GOODMAN: Pete, how would the ag-gag bills—

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PETE: So that makes it a very complicated
issue.

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AMY GOODMAN: —affect you and your work?

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PETE: They would make it illegal for me to
do my job.

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AMY GOODMAN: How?

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PETE: It’s pure and simple. Well, so, the
ag-gag laws generally say that if you document

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conditions at a facility, if you take a photograph
or video of an animal agriculture facility,

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you’re breaking the law.

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What they’ll also say—and this is the
most clever—is they’ll say that if you

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see an act of illegal abuse, you have to report
it within 24 hours. That’s misleading. It’s

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misleading because if you just show illegal
activity from one individual, you can’t

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then show who else is involved in that illegal
activity. And when one person is busted—and

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I absolutely swear to this—they’re not
going to—it’s not going to stop other

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people from breaking the law. It’s going
to let everyone else know they need to be

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more careful about how they do it, or they
just need to make sure that they’re more

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careful about who they hire.

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The second thing is that it’s not always
clear what is illegal. The first dairy that

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I worked at, I saw someone kick a cow right
in the side of her head to try and get her

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to stand. I documented it, thought it was
illegal. Turns out, it’s perfectly normal

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to try to do to a cow to make her stand, that
the first thing you should do is kick her

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right in the side of the head or the neck.
When I saw people hanging crippled sows to

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death in Ohio, I assumed that surely that’s
illegal. In fact, it looked sadistic. Turns

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out that’s perfectly legal. So you don’t
always know.

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AMY GOODMAN: And so, what happens when you
get to continue to record? What is your point

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that when you turn it in after 24 hours, it
hurts what you do?

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PETE: Well, so let’s say that you go to
a facility, and you believe that someone has—in

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fact, let’s set it up as best we can. Let’s
say you see an act that you believe is illegal,

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someone admits that it’s illegal, and you
have an attorney standing by within 24 hours

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to tell you it’s illegal. You’re very
unlikely to meet all three of those conditions.

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You are then missing out on any pattern of
abuse to determine if this is a one-off incident.

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You’re then missing out on an opportunity
to determine if anyone else is involved in

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breaking the law. And you’re missing out
on an opportunity to find out if management

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at that facility is aware of this, to see
if it’s more of a systemic problem, like

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we found at Bettencourt and like we found
at multiple facilities when we do these investigations.

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So it really hinders—it prevents you from
working a criminal case.

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AMY GOODMAN: Pete, you wanted to be a police
officer when you were young?

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PETE: Yes, absolutely. That’s the reason
that I started doing this. I wanted to go

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into law enforcement, but, you know, I realized
there’s a lot of people that are going into

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law enforcement, and there’s very few people
doing this. And there is just no such thing

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as a cop whose sole job is to go undercover
to look out for farmed animals or for dogs

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00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:04.190
in puppy mills. So I decided to combine my
two passions, since I was an animal rights

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00:33:04.190 --> 00:33:08.200
activist and I wanted to be a cop, and try
and do this job.

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AARON MATÉ: And, Pete, since these ag-gag
laws have been passed, have you stopped your

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00:33:12.159 --> 00:33:16.080
work in any of the states where they have
gone into effect?

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00:33:16.080 --> 00:33:22.130
PETE: Yes, I have. The main group that I work
for is Mercy for Animals. They are an extremely

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00:33:22.130 --> 00:33:28.669
gutsy group. They are extremely professional.
And they are very, very focused on not only

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00:33:28.669 --> 00:33:32.710
campaigning for animal welfare, but for finding
illegal activity on farms and slaughterhouses.

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00:33:32.710 --> 00:33:38.169
It’s why I love working for them. And they
do everything completely legally. So, any

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00:33:38.169 --> 00:33:42.309
states where the ag-gag laws have passed,
it’s a no-go to work there.

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00:33:42.309 --> 00:33:46.350
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we want to thank you for
being with us. Pete is the name he asked us

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00:33:46.350 --> 00:33:50.929
to use; it’s not his real name, though he
does use his real name when he goes undercover;

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00:33:50.929 --> 00:33:55.460
is an undercover animal rights investigator
who has secretly captured animal abuse on

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00:33:55.460 --> 00:34:00.460
farms and slaughterhouses. He has released
the footage to groups such as Mercy for Animals,

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00:34:00.460 --> 00:34:05.659
helping spark national outcry and charges
against abusers. He’s using the pseudonym

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00:34:05.659 --> 00:34:10.530
to conceal his identity, not disclosing his
whereabouts, so he can continue to get hired

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00:34:10.530 --> 00:34:16.710
by unknowing slaughterhouses, farms and other
facilities suspected of animal abuse. HBO

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00:34:16.710 --> 00:34:19.340
and others have used his video in their documentaries.

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00:34:19.340 --> 00:34:24.599
This is Democracy Now! When we come back,
we’ll have a debate on the so-called ag-gag

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bills. Stay 

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00:35:51.710 --> 00:35:53.589
with us.

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AARON MATÉ: We turn now to a debate on the
so-called ag-gag bills that would criminalize

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00:36:00.220 --> 00:36:06.220
undercover filming on farms and at slaughterhouses.
Five states have already passed ag-gag laws.

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00:36:06.220 --> 00:36:11.030
North Carolina has just become the latest
state to consider such a law, joining Arkansas,

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00:36:11.030 --> 00:36:14.569
California, Indiana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania,
Tennessee and Vermont.

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00:36:14.569 --> 00:36:19.089
AMY GOODMAN: For a discussion on these so-called
ag-gag laws, we’re joined by two guests.

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00:36:19.089 --> 00:36:24.030
Will Potter, freelance reporter who’s been
covering the bills and ALEC for years, the

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00:36:24.030 --> 00:36:28.740
American Legislative Exchange Council, he
runs the blog GreenIsTheNewRed.com [http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/].

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00:36:28.740 --> 00:36:33.030
He’s also the author of Green is the New
Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement

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00:36:33.030 --> 00:36:38.040
Under Siege. And we’re joined by Emily Meredith,
the communications director for the Animal

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00:36:38.040 --> 00:36:42.270
Agriculture Alliance. The group’s annual
summit will be held next month with a heavy

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00:36:42.270 --> 00:36:47.740
focus on the undercover animal cruelty videos
and the ag-gag laws trying to block them.

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00:36:47.740 --> 00:36:53.520
The summit’s theme is "Activists at the
Door: Protecting Animals, Farms, Food & Consumer

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00:36:53.520 --> 00:36:59.140
Confidence." Both guests are joining us from
Washington, D.C.

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00:36:59.140 --> 00:37:03.530
Let us begin with Emily Meredith. Can you
talk about the—

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00:37:03.530 --> 00:37:04.089
EMILY MEREDITH: Good morning.

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00:37:04.089 --> 00:37:07.440
AMY GOODMAN: Morning. It’s good to have
you with us—the Animal Agriculture Alliance

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00:37:07.440 --> 00:37:13.829
and what these laws are that are being often
successfully passed around the country?

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00:37:13.829 --> 00:37:19.170
EMILY MEREDITH: Sure. Well, the Animal Agriculture
Alliance is the largest national coalition

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00:37:19.170 --> 00:37:26.170
of individual farmers and ranchers, veterinarians,
processing facilities and a host of national

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00:37:26.390 --> 00:37:31.760
organizations representing basically every
protein group. And we work to make sure that

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00:37:31.760 --> 00:37:36.790
there’s a unified voice communicating and
engaging with consumers and helping them understand

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00:37:36.790 --> 00:37:39.060
where their food comes from.

437
00:37:39.060 --> 00:37:44.530
And this farm protection legislation, which
has been termed ag-gag legislation by the

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00:37:44.530 --> 00:37:50.619
activist community, is extremely important
because these undercover videos are harmful

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00:37:50.619 --> 00:37:54.960
to the farm owners where these videos are
taped, the farm families that work those farms

440
00:37:54.960 --> 00:37:59.670
day in and day out, and the animal agriculture
industry truly as a whole. And these videos

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00:37:59.670 --> 00:38:06.670
damage their reputations. They bring harsh
criticism. And many of these videos have found

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00:38:07.550 --> 00:38:13.990
no legitimate instances of abuse, but rather
use manipulated footage. They show false narrative

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00:38:13.990 --> 00:38:20.990
of the images that are being shown. And they’re
meant to shock and awe consumers and to really

444
00:38:22.819 --> 00:38:29.490
highlight conduct that the animal activist
groups want to put an end to the entire industry.

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00:38:29.490 --> 00:38:33.990
They want to end the animal agriculture industry.
And that’s what these videos are about.

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00:38:33.990 --> 00:38:37.589
And that’s why legislation like this is
so important. It is because this legislation

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00:38:37.589 --> 00:38:42.970
is meant to protect the right of these people
to continue to operate their farms and ranches

448
00:38:42.970 --> 00:38:47.800
and to continue to provide food to this hungry
country and the world.

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00:38:47.800 --> 00:38:52.369
AARON MATÉ: Will Potter, you’ve covered
this issue extensively. Your thoughts on what

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00:38:52.369 --> 00:38:55.359
are called the ag-gag laws or farm protection
laws?

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00:38:55.359 --> 00:38:59.690
WILL POTTER: Well, there is certainly a lot
of truth to what you just said. I mean, these

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00:38:59.690 --> 00:39:05.099
undercover investigations have created a lot
of distrust with the industry and really questioned

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00:39:05.099 --> 00:39:10.220
where people are getting their meat and animal
products from. It’s important to point out,

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00:39:10.220 --> 00:39:14.390
though, that these investigations have also
led to criminal charges across the country.

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00:39:14.390 --> 00:39:19.589
They’ve led to the largest meat recall in
U.S. history. They’ve led to ballot initiatives

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00:39:19.589 --> 00:39:22.890
across the country in which consumers are
speaking out.

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00:39:22.890 --> 00:39:29.819
And to frame this as something by animal welfare
groups who are seeking to abolish animal agriculture

458
00:39:29.819 --> 00:39:34.060
is just disingenuous. The people that are
opposed to these bills are people like the

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00:39:34.060 --> 00:39:39.250
Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, the
Teamsters, the AFL-CIO, the American Civil

460
00:39:39.250 --> 00:39:44.660
Liberties Union, the National Press Photographers
Association. These are not radical extremist

461
00:39:44.660 --> 00:39:49.380
animal rights activists; these are everyone
who cares about where their food comes from

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00:39:49.380 --> 00:39:52.060
and whether or not they have a right to know
about what they’re buying.

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00:39:52.060 --> 00:39:54.099
AMY GOODMAN: Emily Meredith, your response?

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00:39:54.099 --> 00:40:01.099
EMILY MEREDITH: Well, I would say that these
videos are—they’re showing families, they’re

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00:40:01.680 --> 00:40:06.910
showing farms and slaughterhouses, and they’re
basically making them guilty without ever

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00:40:06.910 --> 00:40:12.270
giving them the opportunity to address the
allegations that are levied in those videos.

467
00:40:12.270 --> 00:40:17.030
They’re not giving them the opportunity
to take corrective action. I know that Pete

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00:40:17.030 --> 00:40:23.390
mentioned that they often turn the videos
over to the authorities. That is completely—I

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00:40:23.390 --> 00:40:28.869
think that’s disingenuous, when in fact
they actually release these videos direct

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00:40:28.869 --> 00:40:35.500
to the media. They send them direct to companies.
One of the farms where—that Pete mentioned,

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00:40:35.500 --> 00:40:41.550
they sent the video direct to CNN and to Burger
King. And it was in fact the farm owners that

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00:40:41.550 --> 00:40:46.960
turned that footage over to the state prosecutor
and took responsibility, fired five of his

473
00:40:46.960 --> 00:40:50.490
employees, at least five of his employees,
and turned that footage over. And I think

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00:40:50.490 --> 00:40:52.450
that’s—that’s disingenuous.

475
00:40:52.450 --> 00:40:57.640
If you truly care about animal welfare, you’re
not going to wait even a minute to report

476
00:40:57.640 --> 00:41:00.740
animal abuse. You’re going to see it, you’re
going to stop it, and you’re going to say

477
00:41:00.740 --> 00:41:05.829
something. And I think that’s very important
to note. This footage is taken for weeks or

478
00:41:05.829 --> 00:41:11.490
months. It’s held, and it’s released at
a politically opportune or strategically conceived

479
00:41:11.490 --> 00:41:15.640
time. And it’s used—these videos are used
for these groups’ fundraising purposes.

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00:41:15.640 --> 00:41:19.270
I know Pete mentioned Mercy for Animals. Yes,
they release these videos, and they release

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00:41:19.270 --> 00:41:24.450
them under a big "donate now" button. And
I think that’s really and truly disingenuous.

482
00:41:24.450 --> 00:41:26.890
And that’s why this legislation is so crucial.

483
00:41:26.890 --> 00:41:28.400
AMY GOODMAN: Will Potter, your response?

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00:41:28.400 --> 00:41:34.670
WILL POTTER: I think it’s interesting to
say something like the activists are making

485
00:41:34.670 --> 00:41:41.050
people who abuse animals and are facing felony
animal cruelty charges, in many cases, making

486
00:41:41.050 --> 00:41:46.240
them guilty. I mean, it completely restructures
the debate away from the people who are actually

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00:41:46.240 --> 00:41:47.450
committing the abuses.

488
00:41:47.450 --> 00:41:51.660
And I think it’s important to point out
also that we can’t limit this discussion

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00:41:51.660 --> 00:41:56.339
to what’s being described as criminal activity.
Although these investigations have certainly

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00:41:56.339 --> 00:42:01.369
led to criminal charges across the country,
much of what these investigators are documenting

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00:42:01.369 --> 00:42:06.069
are actually standard industry practices.
I think most people would be shocked to learn

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00:42:06.069 --> 00:42:10.640
that there is not one federal law that protects
farm animals during their lives. There are

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00:42:10.640 --> 00:42:15.200
some legislation that protects animals as
they’re being transported and some legislation

494
00:42:15.200 --> 00:42:19.550
that protects animals as they’re being slaughtered,
but that exempts poultry, which are about

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00:42:19.550 --> 00:42:24.650
90 to 95 percent of animals that are killed.
So, to put this in another way, there’s

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00:42:24.650 --> 00:42:30.490
about nine billion animals killed every year
for food in this country by an industry with

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00:42:30.490 --> 00:42:36.900
virtually no government oversight and no accountability.
These undercover investigators are really

498
00:42:36.900 --> 00:42:42.190
the only meaningful way that American consumers
have a right to know how their food is produced

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00:42:42.190 --> 00:42:45.559
and to have a check and balance on a multibillion-dollar
industry.

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00:42:45.559 --> 00:42:50.390
AARON MATÉ: Emily, does the industry have
safeguards in place that you think counter

501
00:42:50.390 --> 00:42:55.849
what Will is saying is needed, which is people
investigating and doing monitoring of these

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00:42:55.849 --> 00:42:56.190
farms?

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00:42:56.190 --> 00:43:00.780
EMILY MEREDITH: Oh, for sure. I mean, I think
the last thing that the industry needs is

504
00:43:00.780 --> 00:43:06.309
activist groups that really wish to see a
vegan world, quote-unquote, "policing" them.

505
00:43:06.309 --> 00:43:11.369
Some of the measures that are in place are
every employee that is hired on a farm or

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00:43:11.369 --> 00:43:15.990
ranch is required to sign a document saying
if they see abuse, they will report it to

507
00:43:15.990 --> 00:43:21.920
managers, to farm owners, and even to local
authorities. There are a lot of farms, ranches,

508
00:43:21.920 --> 00:43:26.040
processing facilities, that have video cameras
in place that run every day, that a quality

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00:43:26.040 --> 00:43:30.980
assurance manager or some sort of manager
is reviewing that footage. There’s trainings

510
00:43:30.980 --> 00:43:35.410
in place. A lot of these facilities train
in multiple languages to make sure that their

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00:43:35.410 --> 00:43:39.450
employees understand how to properly handle
animals and care for them.

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00:43:39.450 --> 00:43:44.640
And I think the bottom line to really note
here is that these—98.2 percent of farms

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00:43:44.640 --> 00:43:49.200
and ranches in this country are family-owned.
I think that the term "factory farm" gets

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00:43:49.200 --> 00:43:53.869
thrown around a lot, and that’s a completely—again,
a term made up by—a very catchy term made

515
00:43:53.869 --> 00:43:57.950
up by the activist community, whereas, in
reality, the majority of farms and ranches

516
00:43:57.950 --> 00:44:02.359
in this country are family-owned. And these
farm families, they truly care about their

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00:44:02.359 --> 00:44:06.760
animals. And they want—it’s not in their
best interest to have abuse allegations levied

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00:44:06.760 --> 00:44:09.900
against them. They want to make sure that
every one of their employees is doing the

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00:44:09.900 --> 00:44:13.950
right thing, that they’re doing the right
thing, and that they can continue to do what

520
00:44:13.950 --> 00:44:18.059
they love to do and what has been in their
families for generations. Some of these farms

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00:44:18.059 --> 00:44:24.140
and ranches have been in operation for a hundred
years. They don’t want to have any allegations

522
00:44:24.140 --> 00:44:28.730
against them that would allege animal cruelty,
because that is—A, it’s bad for business,

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00:44:28.730 --> 00:44:33.790
but, B, it goes against what they were raised
to do. And I think that that’s really important

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00:44:33.790 --> 00:44:37.460
to note. And we need to remember that these
people are producing our food every day.

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00:44:37.460 --> 00:44:41.000
AMY GOODMAN: Will Potter, what about Emily
Meredith’s points that the vast majority

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00:44:41.000 --> 00:44:44.900
of farms are family farms and that they successfully
monitor themselves?

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00:44:44.900 --> 00:44:50.309
WILL POTTER: It’s completely nonexistent.
Old MacDonald’s farm just does not exist

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00:44:50.309 --> 00:44:55.050
anymore. We’re talking about nine to 10
billion animals raised for food every year.

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00:44:55.050 --> 00:44:59.050
These are not little red barns dotting the
countryside. These are industrial operations,

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00:44:59.050 --> 00:45:05.290
in some cases with a million birds on a single
farm. To say that this is a family business

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00:45:05.290 --> 00:45:09.630
is just misrepresenting how the entire animal
agriculture industry functions. This is a

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00:45:09.630 --> 00:45:15.150
multibillion-dollar industry that, as I said,
has virtually no safeguards, no oversight

533
00:45:15.150 --> 00:45:20.099
from the government. And a handful of activists
and whistleblowers have really rattled the

534
00:45:20.099 --> 00:45:21.130
industry to its core.

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00:45:21.130 --> 00:45:25.970
And I think what that really represents is
that as these investigations are exposed,

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00:45:25.970 --> 00:45:29.800
they not only lead to criminal charges, but
they’ve really changed the nature of the

537
00:45:29.800 --> 00:45:35.210
public debate. Most people have been led to
believe exactly what Ms. Meredith said, that

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00:45:35.210 --> 00:45:40.750
there are these little red barns and Old MacDonald
raising animals for American consumption.

539
00:45:40.750 --> 00:45:44.950
But that just doesn’t happen. So people,
when they see this footage, when they become

540
00:45:44.950 --> 00:45:49.339
aware of how this industry operates, they’re
appalled. And I think that really reflects

541
00:45:49.339 --> 00:45:51.440
the sea change in the national dialogue right
now.

542
00:45:51.440 --> 00:45:54.240
AMY GOODMAN: Will Potter, I want to ask you
about how journalists will be impacted by

543
00:45:54.240 --> 00:46:01.220
these bills, but first let’s turn to this
2011 report by ABC’s Brian Ross on McDonald’s

544
00:46:01.220 --> 00:46:07.220
dropping a large McMuffin egg supplier. The
fast food chain fired Sparboe Farms following

545
00:46:07.220 --> 00:46:09.030
allegations of animal cruelty.

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00:46:09.030 --> 00:46:16.030
BRIAN ROSS: In the wake of an ABC News investigation,
McDonald’s has fired Sparboe Farms, citing

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00:46:16.079 --> 00:46:22.460
undercover video made by an animal rights
group, Mercy for Animals, showing mindless

548
00:46:22.460 --> 00:46:25.530
animal cruelty, most of which is too graphic
to broadcast.

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00:46:25.530 --> 00:46:28.800
AMY GOODMAN: Will Potter, can you comment
on this?

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00:46:28.800 --> 00:46:34.390
WILL POTTER: I mean, particularly what concerns
me as a journalist is exactly what you just

551
00:46:34.390 --> 00:46:38.920
described. I mean, these bills are so broad
that they wrap up, in some cases, photography

552
00:46:38.920 --> 00:46:44.200
and video documentation. They wrap up anyone
who distributes or possesses that footage.

553
00:46:44.200 --> 00:46:50.880
And even the reformed bills, as they’ve
been presented, which focus on misrepresenting

554
00:46:50.880 --> 00:46:56.500
yourself in job application or the mandatory
reporting provisions, those still put reporters

555
00:46:56.500 --> 00:46:57.210
at risk.

556
00:46:57.210 --> 00:47:00.880
I think people need to understand that there’s
a long history of investigative journalism

557
00:47:00.880 --> 00:47:05.940
in this country, I mean, dating back to Nellie
Bly, who pretended to be insane in order to

558
00:47:05.940 --> 00:47:12.800
expose systemic abuses in insane asylums across
the country, for reporters to document these

559
00:47:12.800 --> 00:47:19.450
types of abuses in this way. In addition to
that, not everyone who is exposing and making

560
00:47:19.450 --> 00:47:24.740
the news has congressional press credentials.
We’re in a climate right now where some

561
00:47:24.740 --> 00:47:29.079
of the national headlines are made not by
investigative journalists, but by people that

562
00:47:29.079 --> 00:47:31.770
are taking it upon themselves to document
this kind of corruption.

563
00:47:31.770 --> 00:47:38.020
AMY GOODMAN: Give us examples of what has
been exposed that has led to the closing of

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00:47:38.020 --> 00:47:40.260
factories, changes in policy.

565
00:47:40.260 --> 00:47:45.200
WILL POTTER: I think it’s really reflective
of this national climate to see what happened

566
00:47:45.200 --> 00:47:51.220
in North Carolina this last week. A fifth
person, a fifth employee of Butterball pleaded

567
00:47:51.220 --> 00:47:57.930
guilty to animal cruelty charges. And on that
same day, the North Carolina Legislature introduced

568
00:47:57.930 --> 00:48:03.760
a new bill that criminalizes the very investigation
that led to those criminal charges, and also

569
00:48:03.760 --> 00:48:09.180
led to the ousting of a top Ag official in
North Carolina on obstruction of justice.

570
00:48:09.180 --> 00:48:13.480
I think that really wraps up, you know, the
totality of what we’re talking about, that

571
00:48:13.480 --> 00:48:17.880
the mechanisms in place that are meant to
be safeguards in many ways themselves are

572
00:48:17.880 --> 00:48:24.020
corrupt. And it’s taken undercover investigators
to expose that and to allow for this dialogue

573
00:48:24.020 --> 00:48:25.920
of what needs to happen to reform.

574
00:48:25.920 --> 00:48:30.010
AMY GOODMAN: And a point that Emily Meredith
made about if you see abuse, if you do get

575
00:48:30.010 --> 00:48:34.670
in there and you do film it, you should have
to turn the film over within 24 hours, what

576
00:48:34.670 --> 00:48:36.150
is your response to that, Will Potter?

577
00:48:36.150 --> 00:48:40.400
WILL POTTER: I think there are a couple things
to point out. One is that this doesn’t allow

578
00:48:40.400 --> 00:48:47.400
for a systemic or a multi-abuse pattern to
be exposed. For instance, no one would go

579
00:48:48.460 --> 00:48:54.240
to the FBI or to the police and say that they
should bust the mob after catching one illegal

580
00:48:54.240 --> 00:48:59.250
activity. And I think that’s really the
same situation here. Do we want to see one

581
00:48:59.250 --> 00:49:04.770
aberrant behavior, or do we want to see what
is happening every single day on these farms

582
00:49:04.770 --> 00:49:09.339
to get a complete picture of what’s happening
and how our food is being processed?

583
00:49:09.339 --> 00:49:13.180
I think the second thing to think about is
that many of the people who work on these

584
00:49:13.180 --> 00:49:17.510
facilities are some of the most vulnerable
populations in the country. These are people

585
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that in many cases are not native English
speakers, that are not familiar and don’t

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00:49:22.130 --> 00:49:26.980
have access to an attorney within 24 hours.
So for them to make the decision to report

587
00:49:26.980 --> 00:49:31.930
this information and put their livelihood
on the line cannot be forced on them in such

588
00:49:31.930 --> 00:49:36.240
a short amount of time. That really places
an unfair burden on the workers. And that’s

589
00:49:36.240 --> 00:49:40.180
why groups like the Teamsters and the AFL-CIO
have opposed this, as well.

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00:49:40.180 --> 00:49:46.049
AARON MATÉ: Emily Meredith, many points to
respond to here. Will Potter’s point that

591
00:49:46.049 --> 00:49:50.109
forcing this quick disclosure puts an unfair
burden on workers?

592
00:49:50.109 --> 00:49:55.319
EMILY MEREDITH: I think that’s blatantly
untrue. I think that it’s easy for the activist

593
00:49:55.319 --> 00:49:59.559
community to sit there and say it puts an
unfair burden on workers, when, in reality,

594
00:49:59.559 --> 00:50:04.400
I think it puts an equal burden when they
cut and run after obtaining the footage that

595
00:50:04.400 --> 00:50:10.809
they want and release it to the mainstream
media. I mean, you’re showing workers there

596
00:50:10.809 --> 00:50:17.089
that are most—in most cases, not doing anything
wrong, are complying with standard industry

597
00:50:17.089 --> 00:50:22.230
practices, and you’re releasing that footage
direct to the public. So, where are the activists

598
00:50:22.230 --> 00:50:27.299
in doing what Mr. Potter just suggested, in
helping those workers get attorneys and making

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00:50:27.299 --> 00:50:29.940
sure that they’re represented? They’re
not doing that.

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00:50:29.940 --> 00:50:34.329
And I think it’s easy for them to sit there
and say that—you know, make all these excuses

601
00:50:34.329 --> 00:50:38.920
why their videos are necessary; however, I
think we need to remember that these videos

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00:50:38.920 --> 00:50:44.190
play a huge part in their bottom lines. They’re
a huge part to their fundraising campaigns,

603
00:50:44.190 --> 00:50:48.329
and it’s how these organizations, like Mercy
for Animals, like the Humane Society, like

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00:50:48.329 --> 00:50:52.799
PETA—that’s how these organizations stay
in business and continue to operate.

605
00:50:52.799 --> 00:50:57.470
And I would also say that there’s nothing
in the Constitution that would give you a

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00:50:57.470 --> 00:51:03.380
right to videotape on private property. In
fact, there’s many states that have—that

607
00:51:03.380 --> 00:51:09.369
prohibit videotaping in any sort of business,
not just on farms and ranches, not just in

608
00:51:09.369 --> 00:51:13.180
agriculture. And I think that that—that’s
a very crucial point, because just because

609
00:51:13.180 --> 00:51:16.819
you’re an undercover activist doesn’t
give you the right to go onto someone’s

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00:51:16.819 --> 00:51:22.430
private property. And in many cases, these
are family farms, as I’ve mentioned before.

611
00:51:22.430 --> 00:51:26.470
Animals are 100 feet from the family home.
It doesn’t give you a right, just because

612
00:51:26.470 --> 00:51:30.220
you want to—you think you want to expose
something, to go onto that private property

613
00:51:30.220 --> 00:51:32.230
and to videotape.

614
00:51:32.230 --> 00:51:35.990
And these farms and ranches, they do need
protection. In fact, I will say one more thing,

615
00:51:35.990 --> 00:51:41.869
if I may, which is that the first of these
bills which—the first of these recent bills

616
00:51:41.869 --> 00:51:47.450
was actually written at the kitchen table
of former Iowa Representative Annette Sweeney.

617
00:51:47.450 --> 00:51:52.260
This bill, she had farm—she’s a farmer
herself. She raises animals. And she had other

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00:51:52.260 --> 00:51:57.030
farm families coming to her, saying, "What’s
our recourse? You know, these videos are spreading

619
00:51:57.030 --> 00:52:01.400
misinformation. They’re using false footage.
They’re using footage that wasn’t even

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00:52:01.400 --> 00:52:05.540
obtained in our facility. And we don’t have
a recourse, and we need to do something about

621
00:52:05.540 --> 00:52:09.990
it." And so, she sat down with other legislators
at her kitchen table and drafted the first

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00:52:09.990 --> 00:52:14.150
one of these bills to protect families like
hers. And I think that that’s what we really

623
00:52:14.150 --> 00:52:15.329
need to remember, is that—

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00:52:15.329 --> 00:52:19.000
AMY GOODMAN: Let’s go—let’s go to who
is writing the legislation. And here I want

625
00:52:19.000 --> 00:52:22.990
to ask you about the role of the American
Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, in

626
00:52:22.990 --> 00:52:28.760
pushing these state bills. ALEC spokesperson
Bill Meierling told the Associated Press,

627
00:52:28.760 --> 00:52:32.720
quote, "At the end of the day it’s about
personal property rights or the individual

628
00:52:32.720 --> 00:52:38.359
right to privacy. You wouldn’t want me coming
into your home with a hidden camera." Let’s

629
00:52:38.359 --> 00:52:42.309
put this question to Will Potter, because
Emily Meredith raised it, as well, that people

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00:52:42.309 --> 00:52:46.680
don’t have a right to go onto private property
and film.

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00:52:46.680 --> 00:52:50.109
WILL POTTER: Well, if I were keeping pigs
in my home their entire lives and not allowing

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00:52:50.109 --> 00:52:55.730
them to turn around, keeping chickens in battery
cages and debeaking them, or docking pigs’

633
00:52:55.730 --> 00:52:59.799
tails without anesthesia, I probably wouldn’t
want anyone coming into my home and documenting

634
00:52:59.799 --> 00:53:00.750
that, either.

635
00:53:00.750 --> 00:53:05.670
I think what is missing the point here is
that the American Legislative Exchange Council

636
00:53:05.670 --> 00:53:10.609
is behind a coordinated effort, dating back
to about 2003, in which they’ve drafted

637
00:53:10.609 --> 00:53:16.390
model legislation criminalizing a wide range
of activity, from nonviolent civil disobedience

638
00:53:16.390 --> 00:53:21.309
to the undercover investigations of animal
welfare groups as terrorism. And over the

639
00:53:21.309 --> 00:53:25.950
next 10 years, they’ve used that legislation
around the country. And in—the recent attempts

640
00:53:25.950 --> 00:53:30.609
of ag-gag bills are really an extension of
that. This is a concerted effort by corporations

641
00:53:30.609 --> 00:53:34.859
to silence their opposition, and it’s bankrolled
by some of the most powerful industries on

642
00:53:34.859 --> 00:53:35.210
the planet.

643
00:53:35.210 --> 00:53:39.700
AMY GOODMAN: Where does ALEC fit into this
picture, this organization where corporate

644
00:53:39.700 --> 00:53:44.240
heads and legislators get together and write
legislation?

645
00:53:44.240 --> 00:53:49.480
WILL POTTER: So, I think most of your listeners
are familiar with ALEC, because Democracy

646
00:53:49.480 --> 00:53:54.180
Now! has reported on it quite a bit. But the
way the group functions is by taking thousands

647
00:53:54.180 --> 00:53:59.210
of dollars of donations from corporations,
and in exchange for that money, these corporations

648
00:53:59.210 --> 00:54:04.059
are allowed to draft model legislation. And
these model bills are introduced around the

649
00:54:04.059 --> 00:54:09.280
country without any fingerprints tying them
to the industries that crafted or are attempting

650
00:54:09.280 --> 00:54:14.329
to craft the law, so most people have no idea
where these bills are actually coming from.

651
00:54:14.329 --> 00:54:19.960
Meanwhile, ALEC mobilizes lawmakers around
the country. For instance, in Utah, my reporting

652
00:54:19.960 --> 00:54:25.970
on the ag-gag bill there showed that the Senate,
as it—the Utah Senate that passed the bill,

653
00:54:25.970 --> 00:54:30.640
over half of the supporting votes came from
ALEC members. I mean, we really have no idea

654
00:54:30.640 --> 00:54:35.290
of the true scope of this organization, but
it’s clear, especially with this wave of

655
00:54:35.290 --> 00:54:40.609
ag-gag bills, that ALEC bills has been a driving
force behind these attempts to criminalize

656
00:54:40.609 --> 00:54:40.980
activists.

657
00:54:40.980 --> 00:54:45.099
AMY GOODMAN: Emily Meredith, how involved
is ALEC in the legislation that’s passing

658
00:54:45.099 --> 00:54:48.040
in state after state, most recently this week
introduced in North Carolina?

659
00:54:48.040 --> 00:54:52.319
EMILY MEREDITH: Well, I’ll go back to what
I said earlier, which was the first recent

660
00:54:52.319 --> 00:54:56.559
one of these bills was really written around
the kitchen table by someone who is a farmer

661
00:54:56.559 --> 00:55:01.000
herself, who has a vested interest in this,
and who was approached by other farm families,

662
00:55:01.000 --> 00:55:08.000
and looking for a recourse for these videos,
looking for someone to help them protect themselves,

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00:55:08.900 --> 00:55:13.770
really. And I think that it doesn’t matter
where the impetus is coming from, and I would—I

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00:55:13.770 --> 00:55:17.760
would strive to say that the impetus is coming
from farm families themselves.

665
00:55:17.760 --> 00:55:22.329
But the true point is that, you know, as Will
Potter pointed out, well, I—you know, I

666
00:55:22.329 --> 00:55:27.099
don’t think you would want me videotaping
that. Well, you know, I think that that is—that

667
00:55:27.099 --> 00:55:31.299
is untrue. I think that there’s a lot of
farmers’ and ranchers’ organizations,

668
00:55:31.299 --> 00:55:34.930
like the Animal Agriculture Alliance, who
are striving to be transparent and to help

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00:55:34.930 --> 00:55:39.270
consumers understand where their food comes
from. However, we’re running up against

670
00:55:39.270 --> 00:55:45.390
staunch opposition and activist organizations,
like Mercy for Animals, activists, journalists,

671
00:55:45.390 --> 00:55:51.710
who are going in and who are really mistreating
this video footage, who are taking footage

672
00:55:51.710 --> 00:55:55.780
for weeks and months, they’re holding it,
then they’re releasing it, as I said before,

673
00:55:55.780 --> 00:56:00.970
at a politically opportune time. And this
video footage is often spliced together from

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00:56:00.970 --> 00:56:05.599
footage from 10, 20 years ago that they use
in these videos. They’re running a false

675
00:56:05.599 --> 00:56:07.460
narrative with a lot of these images. And
even—

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00:56:07.460 --> 00:56:10.819
AMY GOODMAN: Will Potter, that’s a serious
charge that Emily Meredith is making, that

677
00:56:10.819 --> 00:56:12.430
most of it is false, the videotape.

678
00:56:12.430 --> 00:56:15.920
WILL POTTER: Yeah, it is a serious charge,
and I would love to see any evidence of that.

679
00:56:15.920 --> 00:56:19.650
I’m sure prosecutors would, as well, as
they’ve brought criminal charges in these

680
00:56:19.650 --> 00:56:24.079
cases, not from footage from 10 or 20 years
ago, but of things that happened months ago,

681
00:56:24.079 --> 00:56:28.710
that have immediately led to criminal investigations.
If there are allegations of any of this footage

682
00:56:28.710 --> 00:56:34.160
being manipulated or staged or doctored in
any way, I would love to see it, from anyone

683
00:56:34.160 --> 00:56:38.420
in the industry. But they continue to make
these claims without any evidence as to what

684
00:56:38.420 --> 00:56:39.809
is actually happening.

685
00:56:39.809 --> 00:56:44.569
To talk about transparency in this way is
really interesting to me, because this industry

686
00:56:44.569 --> 00:56:49.880
is behind attempts to keep consumers in the
dark, and then the Animal Agriculture Alliance,

687
00:56:49.880 --> 00:56:54.520
for example, is holding a conference about
those attempts, and then, at the same time,

688
00:56:54.520 --> 00:56:59.220
denying access to reporters such as myself—my
credentials were refused—who are trying

689
00:56:59.220 --> 00:57:02.839
to attend and learn about their efforts. So
at every step of the way, they’re trying

690
00:57:02.839 --> 00:57:06.369
to keep the public in the dark, they’re
trying to keep consumers in the dark, and

691
00:57:06.369 --> 00:57:09.230
they’re trying to make all of us unaware
of what’s actually happening.

692
00:57:09.230 --> 00:57:13.750
AMY GOODMAN: Emily Meredith, your response?
And the significance of the meeting that you’ll

693
00:57:13.750 --> 00:57:19.980
be having in Virginia, coming up on May 1st
to 2nd at the Westin Arlington Gateway, "Activists

694
00:57:19.980 --> 00:57:23.299
at the Door: Protecting Animals, Farms, Food
& Consumer Confidence"?

695
00:57:23.299 --> 00:57:27.900
EMILY MEREDITH: Well, I want to say first
that the industry is not trying to keep consumers

696
00:57:27.900 --> 00:57:32.859
in the dark. They have made a lot of efforts
to be more transparent, to communicate about

697
00:57:32.859 --> 00:57:38.450
things. And in fact, these bills—I want
to emphasize this point—mandate reporting.

698
00:57:38.450 --> 00:57:42.359
They want you to see it, they want you to
stop it, and they want you to say something.

699
00:57:42.359 --> 00:57:46.210
They don’t want you to hold the footage.
As I said before, a lot of this footage is

700
00:57:46.210 --> 00:57:51.869
never even turned over to prosecuting authorities,
until the farm families and the owners of

701
00:57:51.869 --> 00:57:56.630
these facilities turn it over themselves.
And that has happened in numerous cases.

702
00:57:56.630 --> 00:58:01.160
The second thing I want to make a point about
is that after a lot of these videos are released,

703
00:58:01.160 --> 00:58:07.420
these farms themselves are going to independent
review panels—excuse me—and having these

704
00:58:07.420 --> 00:58:12.819
videos reviewed by known humane handling experts,
like, for instance, Dr. Temple Grandin. And

705
00:58:12.819 --> 00:58:17.880
I want to make this point very clear. When
that review panel asks for the full footage—let’s

706
00:58:17.880 --> 00:58:22.059
say that the activist organization was in
a facility for three weeks or three months—when

707
00:58:22.059 --> 00:58:22.960
that review panel, which—

708
00:58:22.960 --> 00:58:23.839
AMY GOODMAN: Five seconds.

709
00:58:23.839 --> 00:58:27.119
EMILY MEREDITH: —which includes experts,
they ask for the full footage, they’re not

710
00:58:27.119 --> 00:58:31.150
turned that full footage over. The activist
community does not want that review panel

711
00:58:31.150 --> 00:58:33.819
to see the full footage. And in my mind, that’s
because there really is—

712
00:58:33.819 --> 00:58:36.710
AMY GOODMAN: We have to leave it there. Emily
Meredith, I want to thank you for being with

713
00:58:36.710 --> 00:58:40.369
us, of the Animal Agriculture Alliance, and
Will Potter, freelance reporter, author of

714
00:58:40.369 --> 00:58:45.609
Green is the New Red. We will look at the
case of Daniel McGowan after our show, and

715
00:58:45.609 --> 00:58:47.180
we’ll post it at democracynow.org.