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Hustler Article on SHAC!

Hustler
March 2008
Page 38

(Mixed company: Hunting enthusiast George Snedeker (far left) and animal rights activists Aaron Zellhoefer, Danae Kelly and the Barbi Twins face off as part of the confrontational reality show 30 Days.)
(PHOTO BY LADI VON JANSKY)

Reality Show Crossfire.

Mixed company: Hunting enthusiast George Snedeker (far left) and animal rights activists Aaron Zellhoefer, Danae Kelly and the Barbi Twins face off as part of the confrontational reality show 30 Days.

AS SEXY MODELS-TURNED-ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS Shane and Sia Barbi sat down with several of their compadres to interview "terrorist" Darius Fullmer by telephone at HUSTLER headquarters, they were joined by an unlikely guest. North Carolina hunting enthusiast George Snedeker was thrown into the mix by the reality show 30 Days, which sent a crew to film the entire Q&A as part of the series´ third season lineup.

Arguably television's best such program, 30 Days is the brainchild of Morgan Spurlock, who burst onto the big screen in 2004 with his anti-corporate documentary Super Size Me. In his Big Mac attack, the West Virginia-born filmmaker subjected himself to a radical body change, exclusively consuming McDonald's fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner over a 30-day period. Not surprisingly, Spurlock picked up 25 pounds and a host of health problems (including a declining libido) during the junk food-ization of America.

This powerful, witty and phenomenally successful documentary debuted at 2003´s Sundance Film Festival, where it garnered the prestigious Documentary Directing award. Super Size Me became the first documentary to break into America's weekly top-10 box office list and has earned $29 million-plus since its May 2004 release. According to USA Today, the film—reportedly shot on a budget of $65,000—is the third-highest grossing documentary ever.

In 2005, Spurlock's newfound fame led him to the FX network, which airs 30 Days. Reprising Super Size Me's month-long experimental period, the daring reality show throws together opposites on the political, cultural and social spectrum to see if a meeting of the minds is possible. Can individuals from diverse walks of life coexist if they tread a mile in each other's shoes?

For example, in one hour-long segment a heterosexual male is relocated to San Francisco to live with a gay roommate. Another unscripted episode features a Christian fundamentalist who moves into a Muslim household, while a third chronicles a member of the anti-illegal alien vigilante group the Minutemen as a family of undocumented Latinos in East Los Angeles welcomes him to its humble abode.

Meanwhile, the episode that Spurlock's camera crew was filming at the Flynt Building introduces gun owner/carnivore Snedeker to animal rights activists, namely the Barbi Twins. For an entire month the good ol' boy was forced to give up his red meat diet and hunting forays as the guest of a strictly vegan L.A. family. Will they find common ground or shoot each other? To find out, tune in to FX's 30 Days—and get a glimpse of Larry Flynt's conference room to boot!
--Ed Rampell

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(Danae Kelly, Shane, & Sia Barbi (The Barbi Twins) speak their minds about the SHAC 7 case.)
(PHOTO BY LADI VON JANSKY)

Hustler
March 2008
Page 36-39, & 80.

WHY DO UNCLE SAM AND BIG BUSINESS FEAR THE BARBI TWINS AND THEIR DOGGED FRIENDS?
High-profile activists discuss the absurd targeting of "eco-terrorism" and the animal rights movement as primary threats to homeland security..
BY SHANE AND SIA BARBI

SHAC, AN ACRONYM FOR STOP HUNTINGDON ANIMAL CRUELTY, is a militant group that has used bare-knuckled tactics to stop Britain's Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) from conducting scientific experiments on animals for drug and cosmetic research. SHAC's hard-hitting campaign led major insurance companies and banks—including Aetna, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America—to stop doing business with HLS, purportedly costing the firm up to $100 million.

On May 26, 2004, the SHAC 7 became the first defendants charged with violating 1992's Animal Enterprise Protection Act, which was sharpened into the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act in 2006. AETA expands the definition of terrorism to include virtually any interference in commercial activities involving animals, regardless of how the creatures are being treated. The animal rights activists were accused of inciting violence against HLS and its researchers at Huntingdon's New Jersey animal testing lab. This despite the fact that federal prosecutors did not provide any evidence that the defendants were directly involved in anti-HLS provocations and vandalism. Nevertheless, on March 2, 2006, the SHAC 7 were convicted of Internet stalking and terrorism.

In 2005, FBI Deputy Assistant Director John Lewis declared, "The number one domestic terrorism threat is the eco-terrorism, animalrights movement."

However, critics sharply disagree. "It is simply ludicrous to describe animal rights and eco-terrorism as the number one threat," asserts Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremist groups. "It is difficult to understand how the leaders of our major national security organizations can see it this way."

In a 2005 CNN report, Potok noted that since 1993's Oklahoma City bombing, 15 peace officers have been killed by rightwingers, and there have been 60 plots by white racists and other anti-government zealots. Potok believes that the FBI’s priorities are politically motivated, hatched by a pro- Big Business administration that opposes environmentalism. Potok fears "we will ignore a world of violence emanating from our own extreme right." It’s also worth noting that anti-choice groups regularly post pictures on their Web sites of abortionists affixed with targets, but no legal action is taken against them.

Shane and Sia Barbi, who have posed nude for calendars and centerfolds, are to the animal rights movement what Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave were to the anti-Vietnam War struggle, using their celebrity, sensuality and glamour to shine a light on a controversial cause. The Barbi Twins, who had previously written about animal rights for HUSTLER (May '07), were assigned to interview a member of the SHAC 7.

They did so at the Flynt Building in Beverly Hills, speaking by phone with Darius Fullmer on the day he was released from prison. (Fullmer had been convicted on one count of conspiracy to violate the AETA. His crime? Running a Web site that reported on and supported the campaign to shut down HLS.) Joining Shane and Sia were fellow animal rights activists Aaron Zellhoefer and Danae Kelly, as well as hunter George Snedeker. The following is an edited version of the question-and-answer session, which was filmed by the TV series 30 Days. (See "Reality Show Crossfire" on page 38.)

SHANE BARBI: I never get starstruck, but my sister and I really admire what you stand up for. The SHAC 7 is probably the top of the line, and not only on Bush's [domestic terrorism] list. Everybody in the animal world admires these people.
I know about the person behind the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, Patti Strand, an animal breeder. She was sick of people attacking her, and she got lobbyists to protect businesses [that use] animals.Was this bill directed toward the SHAC 7?

DARIUS FULLMER: You're absolutely right. The bill originated in '92, but was never tried in court. In May of 2004 the Senate Judiciary Committee met to discuss the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty [SHAC] campaign and what to do about it. Senator [Patrick] Leahy [D-Vermont] of the Senate Judiciary Committee actually refused to be at the meeting 'cause he felt it was a waste of the committee’s time and that when the American public thinks of terrorism, they're not thinking of people protesting animal abuse; they have much bigger concerns. But in his absence, [the committee] changed the Animal Enterprise Protection Act to specifically target the SHAC campaign. We were arrested one week later. That really seemed to me as if they looked at what we were doing [and] decided it wasn't against the law, so they changed the law so that it would be.

SHANE: It's so obvious you're being targeted. It’s sad the media didn't pick it up. There should be an outrage.The SHAC 7 are considered the number one domestic terrorist in the United States, above al- Qaeda bombers and the KKK, correct?

FULLMER: That's absolutely true. According to Homeland Security, the animal rights and environmental movement are the number one domestic threat. Which is ridiculous, because we’ve never killed anybody. There are militia groups, [like the one behind] the Oklahoma City bombing. There were white supremacists in Texas hoarding chemical weapons [and] who tried to obtain the bubonic plague in Utah.We have all these things happening, yet somehow [the government] decides that we're the biggest domestic threat to security. Obviously, their concern isn't the KKK targeting poor black people; [it's] blue-collar people and students targeting corporations.

SHANE: They value business over human beings. Forget animals. Does this scare you?

FULLMER: To be honest, it's something I've been dealing with for so long, I don’t really [care] anymore. I can't even remember having a phone conversation without the likelihood that someone was listening to it—it just becomes a way of life. In a sort of sick, perverse way, it's not a bad thing, because if they weren't listening, it would mean we weren't getting the job done. The fact that we've ruffled feathers tells me that we're on the right path, [that] they're worried about us.

SIA BARBI: When you were in jail, how did other prisoners view you?

FULLMER: It was actually really positive. I was surprised. I expected more of a mixed reaction, but I can honestly say, both with the inmates and the prison staff, I never got a single negative comment. I got lots of respect; a lot of the opinions seemed to be, "That's great that you're standing up for what you believe in." Even a few guards said, "I support what you're doing." I was really encouraged by that.

SIA: Were you shocked when you were handed a one-year sentence?

FULLMER: We thought I'd probably receive a noncustodial sentence because the judge expressed lots of questions about whether or not I should be included in this case—and about the weakness of the case against me. So I was surprised to get the year, but at the same time I was ready for that possibility.

SHANE: We've written for HUSTLER before. HUSTLER has a very good researcher, Mark Johnson, and he was shocked [by the SHAC 7 verdicts]. He asked, "How come I haven’t seen anyone covering this?" It’s not out in the media purposely. It’s very scary to do this interview.

AARON ZELLHOEFER: Looking back, how would you describe your prison experience?

FULLMER: It was frustrating more than anything; it's not being able to do any good for anybody via activism. There's no opportunity to better yourself in terms of education or learning a skill. So just not being able to do any good in the world was incredibly frustrating.
But my time in there led me to a lot of optimism because…awesome things [went] on in terms of animal rights, from legislation in different states passed against the worst factory farming practices, to the more militant end of things, great direct actions. Knowing that people on the outside were still carrying the mantle definitely inspired me.

ZELLHOEFER: Has being imprisoned changed your outlook on the way that you protested?

FULLMER: I couldn't imagine myself not being involved in activism. Right now I’m focused on the appeal because we have to get rid of this law, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. It's a horrible precedent, not just for the animal rights movement, but for anybody who believes in freedom of speech, whether that's a labor union, environmentalist or anybody who values their right to speak their mind.

GEORGE SNEDEKER: I can't imagine this whole thing [happening] just for speaking your mind. What exactly didn’t they like about what you did?

FULLMER: To be honest, I'm still not sure, even at this point. I'm sure it's intentionally vague. The best I can get from the [law's] wording is basically, if you protest against an animal enterprise and you cost them money, disrupt their business, it's a felony. Which is ridiculous, because the bus boycotts in the Civil Rights Movement obviously disrupted business; that's the point of a boycott. At no point was myself or any of our codefendants accused of committing what we'd normally conceptualize as a crime: beating someone up, stealing something, destroying property—none of that.

SNEDEKER: I guess I can get locked up for just talking, right?

FULLMER: (Laughs.) We can definitely say that.

SHANE: Now are we actually supposed to even talk about [tactics]? I heard that even by describing it, you can get in trouble.

ZELLHOEFER: It's up to you, Darius, if you want to answer or not about black faxes.

FULLMER: I'm fine just repeating what was alleged and claimed in the case. I didn't face that charge. That was some of my codefendants. I'm not too familiar with intricacies of the law, but essentially a black fax is a tactic in which people will keep faxing just black sheets of paper to a company's fax number as a form of disruption, to keep them from being able to get faxes through during that time. As far as I know, none of my codefendants were actually charged with participating in something of this sort. Rather, they were charged with addressing the question of what that is and explaining to the people at [an animal rights] conference how it works.

SHANE: One thing I found out. We're even scared to talk about it since we are very aware that they [the SHAC 7] didn't do something heavy duty. Now [companies will attack] anything that suggests a boycott [and might affect] their profits.
The law has a clause that pertains only to businesses with animals. For example, Oprah's show has 30 million viewers. When her program described mad cow disease, Oprah stated, "That's disgusting. I'm never going to eat meat again." She was sued by the meat industry, although she won. But because of today’s [Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act] law, she'd lose now.

SNEDEKER: How did you affect Huntingdon's business or take money out of their pockets?

FULLMER: The really revolutionary thing about this campaign wasn't just targeting the [Huntington] lab. Let’s face it. If you stand and protest outside the lab, they can ignore you. Instead, this campaign targeted all the institutions that allow that company to exist, primarily investors, but [also] customers, suppliers [and] insurance companies as well. Anybody who is financially tied to this lab and allows this lab to continue doing what they do was campaigned against.
And if you're some big financial institution— Citibank, HSBC, whatever—you don’t want your name in the paper next to a story about animal abuse. You don't want protesters out in front of your facilities or CEO's homes, calling them out on what they're supporting. So the theory behind the campaign and what's made it so potent is that the investors don't need Huntingdon, but Huntingdon needs the investors. And that's why this campaign has been so successful.
The government could care less about Huntingdon; they're not that big of a deal in the big picture. What they're afraid of is the precedent we’re setting. When Huntingdon goes under, which I believe they inevitably will, to my knowledge that's the first time a social movement has put a multinational corporation out of business. You know, that’s no small thing.
In this world, obviously, the corporations run everything. They're pulling the strings, and for them to lose that power to a bunch of average people [is extraordinary]. There's no big political group or corporate social justice group involved in this campaign—just bluecollar workers, students, what have you, standing together and making their voices heard. Having that sort of impact terrifies the powers that be.

ZELLHOEFER: What's so scary about this case is what the FBI started doing in November 2002, monitoring the SHAC 7's phone calls, e-mails, etc.

FULLMER: When this case came about, just the amount of resources, manpower, hours and money put into this investigation is mind-boggling—literally millions and millions of dollars. I certainly think there are more important things those resources could be going to. If you ask the average person in this country, they would much rather that resources go toward real terrorism, people who want to hurt Americans.

SHANE: When they say on TV, "Seven terrorists arrested," is that animal activists, or is that real al-Qaeda terrorists? That's the real question.We're not that free America, that country that we've been talking about.

For more info, visit SHAC7.com

(Aaron Zellhoefer, a SHAC 7 supporter, speaks his mind alongside the Barbi Twins and pro wrestler Chyna (in red T-shirt) at the heated demo.)
(PHOTOGRAPHY & MAKEUP: RYAN PATTERSON/PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: MORGAN EAGLE)