Such renunciations are next to worthless, as the case of Rodney Coronado illustrates. Coronado was the first animal rights activists convicted in federal court for a terrorist bombing. Despite a long history of other violent activities, Coronado received only a five-year prison sentence. One of the factors leading to the light sentence was Coronado's passionate denunciation of both violence and the animal rights movement at his pre-sentencing hearing. Once he was sentenced, however, Coronado simply ignored his previous renunciation of violence and regularly wrote articles from prison justifying and encouraging acts of destruction against research labs and other facilities.
Renunciation is a poor substitute for incarceration.
Violence from the animal rights community is likely to increase in the coming years. After some initial success in gaining public acceptance in the 1980s, the movement experienced something of a backlash in the 1990s. Today, influential members of even relatively mainstream groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals defend illegal actions as the only way the movement will be able to change society. American businesses and research facilities may have to pay the price for Clinton's soft spot for terrorists. Brian Carnell is publisher of AnimalRights.