The Animal Liberation Front (ALF)

The basic moral foundation of the ALF, to which I ascribe, is that all sentient beings are individuals to whom life is of intrinsic value. Each individual has feelings, family, the ability to suffer, and an interest in its own life. Each being has a right to not be property which can be exploited.

The actions that I and others have taken based on this moral foundation have not been revolutionary; only evolutionary. It was once argued that the black races could be property, that women were subordinates of men, and that children could be forced to work all day. Compassionate folks no longer support these moral choices.

The ALF credo states that activists liberate animals from suffering and place them in good homes or release them into their natural environment. Activists are required to take all precautions not to harm any animal (human or otherwise).

A few generalities about ALF actions:

The primary reason for most liberations is to stop the suffering of specific animals. It is done by someone who has been a witness to ongoing animal abuse; sometimes by an institution such as an animal testing laboratory, sometimes by a neighbor.

The secondary reason for liberations is shining a spotlight on cruelty for the purpose of informing the public of the abuse going on behind closed doors.

The tertiary reason is doing economic damage (although this the likely focus of media reports).

My first ALF action was related to the first recognized ALF actions. In 1963, direct action against hunting with hounds began in England when the Hunt Saboteurs Association was formed. Going out into the fields to place themselves between the hunters and the hunted, often replacing themselves as the animal prey and taking serious beatings by blood-junkies.

As I write this on February 24, 2008, a larger scale version of "hunt sabbing" is taking place. Sea Shepherd's ship the Steve Irwin is placing itself between Japanese whaling boats and hunted whales.

My first direct action was a hunt sabotage. It took place when my uncle took me on a hunting trip with my cousins. I got the usual preamble about how hunting kept animals from starving and how they ate whatever they killed. I didn't have any plan, except to learn.

When I spotted the head of a rabbit in a bush I immediately shot my rifle into the ground. For the remainder of the day I pretended to be a helpless girl, requiring help and attention. I shamelessly flirted with my dorky cousins. It was their first hunting trip in 8 years without killing anything. At first I felt badly for them. In the days that followed I heard them say that the trip was fun even though they hadn't bagged anything (despite missing two unbelievably good opportunities). They said that they'd never heard me talk so much, or laugh so loudly. Essentially I decided that I could sabotage hunts by being an entertainer.
Hunters still see me as an experienced hunter. I am very familiar with all the local woods (some public, some private). I sing and tell jokes and I have misdirected hunters for a decade from where I know there are generations of small animals.