Iowa Rejects Video Privacy Protection For Cows 256
Hugh Pickens writes "The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that an effort to outlaw the undercover recording of animal abuse in livestock operations appears to have stalled in Iowa after previously failing in Minnesota, Florida and New York, with the pushback coming from citizens and activists complaining that the proposals were aimed at protecting an industry that doesn't exhibit enough concern for farm animal welfare. A bill introduced earlier this year to criminalize the actions of activists who make unauthorized hidden videos of animal abuse appeared to be headed for approval in the Iowa Legislature, with proposed penalties including fines of up to $7,500 and up to five years in prison. 'I feel it is wrong to absolutely lie to get a job to try to defame the employer,' says Iowa representative Annette Sweeney, a farmer and Republican legislator who sponsored the bill. But District Attorney James R. Horton, who filed animal cruelty charges against employees and the owner of a large-scale calf-raising farm, says he probably 'wouldn't have a case' if not for covert video provided by an animal protection group, and that 'we wouldn't have anything' in terms of evidence against the suspects in the beating deaths of dairy calves at E6 Cattle Co."
Bad logic again from a representative... (Score:5, Interesting)
If the company is adhering to the rules of the law, they wouldn't have to worry about being defamed by people who lied to be hired and then made covert video tapes.
What about THAT side of the argument, Annette Sweeney, farmer and Republican legislator?
Re:Uh... (Score:4, Interesting)
In my humble opinion, as humans, if we have an opportunity to raise food in a humane way, we should strive to do it.
Some american tell me (Score:5, Interesting)
a while ago, i heard that mccain and 30 other republican senators opposed a bill which would prevent companies from putting clauses into their contracts that would prevent female employees from suing the company if they were raped in company's employ overseas by company employees. that included john mccain, the presidential candidate. the justification was 'we think it is wrong to tell businesses how to do business'. so, its ok if a company legislates rape in its overseas operations by putting a clause in its contracts ?
what the fuck is wrong with republicans ?
Re:Bad logic again from a representative... (Score:4, Interesting)
So... if they have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear?
Exactly. Corporations are not entitled to privacy. Rather, they know the regulations; they should damn well obey them.
Re:Some american tell me (Score:5, Interesting)
No, they're simply business-first, everything else second (including rape...).
Re:Some american tell me (Score:5, Interesting)
why is it that always republicans are behind the gravest, dastardliest shit, and they are behind less dastardly shit with a democrat close to their aisle ?
a while ago, i heard that mccain and 30 other republican senators opposed a bill which would prevent companies from putting clauses into their contracts that would prevent female employees from suing the company if they were raped in company's employ overseas by company employees. that included john mccain, the presidential candidate. the justification was 'we think it is wrong to tell businesses how to do business'. so, its ok if a company legislates rape in its overseas operations by putting a clause in its contracts ?
what the fuck is wrong with republicans ?
Simple. They like gang rape. They are opposed to abortions.
You work it out.
Re:Some american tell me (Score:5, Interesting)
When it comes down to stopping rape or protecting business, those guys chose business. That shows you how sociopathic they are.
Re:Only in the US... (Score:4, Interesting)
Because God forbid their customers actually know what conditions the animals were kept in prior to slaughter.
Ok to video farmers... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Some american tell me (Score:5, Interesting)
a while ago, i heard that mccain and 30 other republican senators opposed a bill which would prevent companies from putting clauses into their contracts that would prevent female employees from suing the company if they were raped in company's employ overseas by company employees. that included john mccain, the presidential candidate. the justification was 'we think it is wrong to tell businesses how to do business'. so, its ok if a company legislates rape in its overseas operations by putting a clause in its contracts ?
It wasn't even a regulation. It was just a restriction placed on government agencies saying that they couldn't spend money on contractors who did this. It wasn't stopping the contractors from actually doing it if they really wanted to, it was just the government "voting with its wallet" that they didn't want to support companies that did.
Re:Some american tell me (Score:3, Interesting)
why is it that always republicans are behind the gravest, dastardliest shit, and they are behind less dastardly shit with a democrat close to their aisle ?
Democrats do some dastardly shit too. It depends a little on what you consider dastardly I guess. Some of my (sigh) inlaws would undoubtedly find this silly at worst, but will find the John Edwards (Democrat) affair to be the worst thing ever. Which one affects more people? The current abomination if it passes. Which one can those simpletons understand? The douche cheating on his dying wife. Which one will they complain about over christmas dinner? The democrat.
Note to self, stock up on alchohol this Christmas...
As far as why it seems republicans are always behind shit like this, that's confirmation bias. Misusing the law to benefit corporations happens on both sides of the aisle (democrats aren't sworn enemies of the RIAA or MPAA). As someone who is more sympathetic to democrats, you naturally find ways of writing it off as one bad egg, or not that bad when you hear about Democrats doing it, wheras when a republican does it, it's "Oh those fucking republicans!"
I'm a democrat, and sometimes find myself doing that too.
It's important to keep in mind, there's a clear difference between republicans and republican politicians. Republicans are nice people generally(except the ones that are going to go on and on and on about how society is going to hell because one politician cheated on his dying wife). I might find them a bit naive, and disagree with what they value more, but I know plenty of republicans, and they all are as opposed to rape as I would expect any sane person to be (wouldn't put it past one or two of my inlaws to blame the victim though).
Republican politicians though are evil, but maybe only a little bit more than democrat politicians. Their constituents might be less concerned with the rights of individuals, and might pay more attention to their politicians' personal lives. I think in many cases that makes republican politicians more likely to sell out public interests in favor of corporate interests, like the case here.
The short answer is "because 1. they're not and 2. they have different values than you."
Re:Uh... (Score:5, Interesting)
He doesn't have to define humane - it's already defined into law. A law that livestock operators know well, and are responsible for obeying.
And in this case it wasn't healthy, pampered cows being slaughtered for food, it was a bunch of sick, frostbitten, starved calves that had been so poorly cared for, they were bludgeoned to death and dumped. I think only a psychopath would not agree that behavior is inhumane and unacceptable.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Bad logic again from a representative... (Score:4, Interesting)
Corporations are not entitled to privacy.
This would be true, but in the USA corporations are people and therefor have all the same rights as people, but not all the same morals and ethics.
Re:Some american tell me (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Bad logic again from a representative... (Score:5, Interesting)
In one case they got caught, having failed to edit out their own participation from the film presented as "evidence of abuse" in court.
... says a guy on the Internet, without bothering to cite any names, dates or facts that can be checked. This wanker is modded up to "5 informative". Idiots everywhere.
Clue: if this had really happened, there would be no problem prosecuting the fakers. They'd already be in jail. So name them. Or is this just something you saw on some blog and are passing on after embroidering it a little more?