by Walter Bond
2-9-2011

This FAQ list is far from exhaustive.  It could easily encompass not only a Part 1, but also Parts 2, 3, 4, 5.  At some point, however, I will more than likely make it a full chapter which I intend to publish over the next couple of years.  Please bear in mind that none of these questions are rhetorical in nature.  I have, at one time or another, been asked these questions.

Please note the brevity yet substantive nature of my answers to these questions.  In numerous conversations I’ve had with people about the relevant issues involved, the devil is truly in the details.  Or perhaps better stated as the laziness, apathy and selfishness are in the details.  This because as ‘Screaming Wolf’ says in the manifesto, ‘Declaration of War,’ “People derive their thoughts, and philosophies from what they already feel, not the other way around.”  And since many people perversely enjoy the taste of dead Animals more than they care for the truly autonomous nature of Animals.  What they really desire is that Veganism and Animal Liberation issues be difficult to comprehend and therefore of little consequence.

So instead of acceding to this narrow mindset and wasting time in tediously long arguments I choose to provide statements and answers.  In doing so I retain the moral high ground instead of acting as a supplicant begging for care and understanding.  I put the ball firmly back in their court.

Another point of note is that some of these questions would only be asked by those already well versed in the issues of Animal Rights.  This is directly related to the lack of material relating to the Abolitionist’s philosophical and/or strategic stance within the Animal Rights community.  In no way do I consider my answers/opinions the final say.  Those who identify with ‘Abolitionists’ may find my answers either extreme or not extreme enough. All I can say is that these are my heartfelt opinions born of a deeply profound love of Animals, the seriousness of the issue and a great degree of activism; from leafleting, talking and in some instances taking the law into my own hands.  If you find yourself in concord with any of my answers feel free to use them.  If not, then carry on.

Animal Liberation, whatever it may take!

Questions and Answers:

-Why do you exclusively promote Veganism?

Many things are grayly subjective but within that gray area are points of black and white. Animal exploitation is one of those points of black and white. Just as racism is wrong under any circumstances so it is that discrimination on the basis of species is wrong.  As such, you are making consumer based decisions that perpetuate Animal, slavery, suffering and death or you are not.

-Isn’t being vegetarian a step in the right direction?

Certainly.  However, it is not an end in and of itself.  It’s only good as a stepping stone to Veganism, and Veganism as a step towards Direct Activism.

-But most people drive cars and use public transportation.  These modes of travel all use animal by-products in one way or another.  That being the case is not absolute Veganism impossible?

Veganism, as most things in life is not about achieving perfection but about doing the best you can and consequently the least harm.

-What if you had to eat an Animal to survive?

If I found myself on a plane that crashed on the frozen tundra and I was the only survivor, and an Animal crossed my path, yes, I would eat it.  Until that unlikely circumstance occurs, Go Vegan!

-But can’t anyone help Animals, not just Vegans?

Of course.  However, a child molester could also save a child from a burning house.  That singular deed does not negate a voracious appetite for exploitation.

-So Being an Abolitionist Animal Liberation Activist is all about Veganism?

No.  Going Vegan is only the first step.  We Abolitionists not only oppose Animal exploitation in our own consumer decisions but also in the world around us.

-How do you do that?

In a myriad of ways.  We protest, educate, liberate Animals from harm or death and we tirelessly endeavor to stop Animal exploitation by industry and those others who profit from this perversion.  Whatever it may take.

-”Whatever it may take” seems to imply illegality?

Well, clandestine groups such as the Animal Liberation Front, Animal Rights Militias and Justice Department do work which is debatably illegal to stop Animal exploitation.  They too are Abolitionists.

-So to be taken as an Abolitionist Animal Liberation Activist it is necessary to possibly break the law?

No.  Most Abolitionists work well within the parameters of the law, but do not shy from supporting their comrades in the underground resistance.

-What are some of the other attributes of an Abolitionist?

No matter what tactics, be they above or below ground activism we struggle and/or speak out on behalf of and for the total liberation of Animals.  We are not interested in changing the manner in which Animals are currently used and abused.  We strive to eliminate entirely the use and abuse of Animals by people.  Additionally, we do not place the base value of property over the true value of life.  A business needing to turn a profit does not alter this dynamic.  Sentient beings have an inherent right to live free and without human interference.  We also have a sense of urgency that this exploitation be stopped in the here and now.  Not endlessly lobbying for merely incremental changes to the status quo over conceivably decades.

-But according to Gary Francione, Abolitionists do not support illegal direct action.

Firstly, how would it have been possible to be an Abolitionist in the days of slavery and to not support the underground railroad.  That would be patently ridiculous.  It bears mentioning that not all Abolitionists were part of the underground railroad but certainly none were against it.  In the second instance, Gary Francione is not an Abolitionist.  He is a promoter of Veganism to be sure, but not an Abolitionist.

-Don’t you think that some of the underground groups, such as the Animal Rights Militia, are going too far?

I do not think anything that has happened for the sake of Animal Liberation has gone too far. In fact nor could it.  Anything that stops Animals from being murdered and/or stops their oppressors is of value.  Anything that does not contribute to this goal is pointless.

-But isn’t violence wrong under any circumstance?

The use of force insofar as the manner in which it is used varies greatly.  A man raping a woman in a dark alley and a good Samaritan coming along and bashing in the rapist’s head with a pipe is an example of violence employed for a greater good.  That being, stopping the rape.  Regrettably we do not live in a perfect world and sometimes force is required to stop violence.  The reason certain individuals get squeamish about the use of force to save Animals is because, in their myopic worldview, Animals are somehow ‘less than’ and therefore not entitled to the use of any and all means to end their suffering.

-So you promote violence?

No. I promote Animal Liberation. In whatever form that may take to achieve this goal.

-What is Animal Rights ‘Welfarism’?

The welfarist branch of the Animal Rights movement are composed of many of the larger groups.  Such as, The Humane Society and many individuals such as vegan sellout Peter Singer.  In the same manner as Abolitionists there are many factors that support the philosophical underpinnings of the Animal Rights movement.  However, a totally unacceptable factor is an attitude of casual compromise with the exploiters.

-What characterizes a welfarist?

As organizations their main concern seems to revolve around money.  They do this in attempt to expand their base of support.  Additionally, they stick to the ephemeral and the more fashionable aspects of their version of Animal Rights.  Examples include, puppies, kittens, free-range and cage free, etc.  These being nothing more than empty platitudes, that certainly further their goal of raising money, but do nothing to truly advance the issue of Animal Rights in any substantive way.  In many ways they are scam artists promoting something on the order of ‘Animal Rights lite’ to their adoring masses who think they are actually accomplishing something of value.  They consist mainly of elitists who ferociously denounce the work of the true Animal Rights groups, the grassroots groups, if you will.  In effect they argue that we should still use Animals but do it more nicely.  Or in their words “more humanely.”  It beggars the imagination and defies credulity to say that it is possible to kill Animal “humanely.” But their target audience eagerly laps up this pabulum.  Using and exploiting Animals for any purpose is cruel and unusual.  We can never be truly civilized until this societally sanctioned barbarity is stopped.

-As an Abolitionist are you opposed to pacifism?

No, not in and of itself. Different people have different propensities and obviously many of us are peaceful.  We do, however, have a greater sensitivity to these issues to begin with. Regrettably, too often pacifism is a front for cowardice.  Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pacifist but never ceased to actively engage the system.  He put himself and his followers in harm’s way time and time again.  He did not stop until he was assassinated.  Direct Action is ninety-nine percent of the time non-violent, but it does require courage one hundred percent of the time.

-But what about arson as a tactic? That’s violent.

I would disagree.  Violence cannot be inflicted upon a piece of property it can only be destroyed.  It’s this attitude of “violence to property” that is the fly in the ointment. Violence can only be visited upon sentient life.  Beings with an interest in being free of pain and suffering.  If you punch a wall you’ve only done “violence” to your hand not the wall.

-But you eat plants, they are sentient.

No they are not.  If they were you would take your carrot out for walk in the park and not your dog.  If plants were sentient then there would be no difference between kicking a pile of leaves or a human child.  Pointedly, if you really cared about plant life, you would go Vegan and quit supporting the voracious misuse of plant life and the natural world in general, some of whose most precious resources go to feed ‘livestock’ instead of people. Enough grain and feed goes into the production of five pounds of beef, an amount that would feed a Vegan for a month.

-If groups like the A.L.F. are doing the right thing then why do they wear masks and post their communiques anonymously?

Although the actions of groups like the A.L.F. are morally justifiable their actions are not recognized as being legal.  Therefore they are required to act in all respects anonymously.

-If you were a business owner and someone destroyed your property how would you feel?

I would certainly not like it.  But I am not an activist on behalf of business, I am an Animal Liberation Activist.

-Do you really believe that Animals feel pain as humans do?

Most certainly they do.  They experience terror, fear, love, etc.  The whole spectrum of emotions.

-How do you know?

Because I have empathy.  If it is not plainly evident to you that an Animal is in pain it’s either because you are in total denial and therefore lying to yourself or you are totally lacking in emotion and possessed of a perverse disregard for pain and suffering of any kind.

-Wouldn’t you win more people to your cause if you were not so accusatory and extreme?

No matter your position or attitude on one thing or another there will always be those who agree with you or don’t.  The Animal Liberation movement is already rife with “lukewarm activists.”  Our purpose as Abolitionists is to effect change not to convince the morally blind.  What happens to Animals is a form of the most horrific torture imaginable.  In our opinion the response to such must be in-kind.

-Do you really believe the change you seek will come in your lifetime?

I do not know that answer to that question.  I can, however, state unequivocally that nothing will ever happen as long as we, as a society, continue to accept the status quo.

-Don’t people have the right to eat whatever they want?

No.  They have the ability to eat what they want.  True freedom means not doing whatever you want but doing what you ought.  If our wants were allowed to run rampant then society itself would become unjust in the extreme.

-As a Vegan how do you get all your protein and nutrition?

I eat something that is Vegan, then wait about four to six hours, then I eat something Vegan again.

-Doesn’t it take a lot of will power to be a Vegan?

Not if you truly care about Animals, as everyone claims they do.  Also one must acknowledge the fact that it is immoral to use their dead bodies for your gustatory pleasure.

-So you don’t think “free-range” is even a little better than “factory farms?”

No it is not.  This concept of free-range this and free-range that still ultimately means the death of an Animal for our use.  It is a total societal fiction that you can somehow ‘humanely’ allow an Animal to live and then kill it.  (I addressed this in a previous question.)

-What about ‘humane slaughter’?

This is oxymoronic.  Perhaps you could explain to me how to ‘humanely slaughter’ (kill) an Animal.

-Why are you so concerned about Animals?  There are a lot of people that need help as well.

I have no issue with helping people.  However, Animals are exploited in vastly greater numbers than any group of people.  From this stems my concern.

-Isn’t Animal Rights extremism just another form of terrorism?

No. Militant animal rights activism is about saving innocent lives.  True terrorism consists of targeting and killing innocent lives.

-Many vivisectors and fur farmers fear for their lives because of clandestine Animal Rights extremists.  Isn’t targeting them terrorism?

No.  They take innocent lives and therefore are themselves terrorists.  The A.L.F. is Homeland Security for critters.  Those who torture, kill and exploit non-human Animals are not innocent bystanders, they are perpetrators whose actions must be stopped.

Walter Bond is in prison until the year 2021 and cannot use Facebook or the internet.  The website supportwalter.org and the Walter Bond Facebook page were set up to support him.

Walter Bond is in need of donations to enable him to buy vegan items from the prison commissary.  For more info on sending funds to him in prison, please visit this page on the support site: https://supportwalter.org/SW/index.php/donate/  

Here is his mailing address (he can only reply to letters that include a full name and address):

Walter Bond

37096-013

USP Marion CMU

PO Box 1000

Marion IL 62959