It
seems apparent that the world did not end at the stroke of midnight on January
first, nor did the lights' ability to function ever falter. What upsets me about
all the Y2K hype is the way that some activists looked at it. On New Year's
Eve, I was in the presence of dozens of vegans throughout the night. There seemed
to be a consensus among them that if, at the dawn of the new year, the power went
out, they would bravely go forth and smash the windows of fur stores, visit vivisection
labs, or make a few stops at fur farms. These so-called animal-lovers tried to
look tough by bragging of what they would do so courageously, if only the Y2K
bug set in. I have one thought for people like that: Consider all those
who have not waited for the lights to go out. Saving animals can't be postponed
for power outages. I'm sure that this situation is not isolated to activists
in my area, but generally represents many people involved with animal rights.
It is one thing to write "Free the animals ALF" on one's canvas sneakers
and talk big. It is another to actually take the risk and make a difference in
the lives of innocent creatures slated to die. Which type of person do you think
a mink would want outside of his cage when the time comes? | 
