Each week we choose a news story, editorial, Letter to the Editor or column that's generated a lot of feedback at PostBulletin.com and reprint some of those comments on this page. This week's topic is a news story from Tuesday's edition about a proposal in the Legislature to make it illegal to make audio or video recordings at livestock operations in Minnesota. Such videos have been used by animal-rights groups to expose mistreatment of animals. The bill's chief Senate sponsor, Sen. Doug Magnus, R-Slayton, said the bill is "aimed at people who are harassing and sabotaging these operations. These people who go undercover aren't being truthful about what they're doing."
Below are some of the comments they received.
"Hopefully this would be shot down on a Constitutional basis, infringing on 1st Amendment rights.
Don't you just love the movement to make videos illegal that show corruption, officials breaking the laws, police brutality, and now animal brutality? Pictures, videos and recordings help expose wrongdoings that are covered up."
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"The people that do the undercover taping are only doing so for publicity reasons. The organizations, like the Humane Society, don't take the footage to the authorities. Instead, they plaster it on TV and use it for fundraising activities. Anyone who has grown up on a farm knows that sometimes it takes force to get an animal to go where it's supposed to go. All of the reports of people shown mishandling down or sick cattle are from people without a farming background and don't know better. Would you like it if someone came into your workplace and secretly videotaped you on a daily basis?"
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"While I hope that anyone that mistreats animals like some of the video I have seen gets punished severely, I can't help but wonder what makes you think that someone can enter private property and videotape anything they want. Should we exempt your home, or should I be free to enter and tape your activities anytime I wish? Just try to take pictures or videotape anything in a Post Office sometime without their consent and see what happens. Take a video camera down to the Government Center and start taping and see what happens. And take a wild guess as to what would happen if you tried taking photos or video in a bank."
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"Minnesota is a one-party state for video-taping. This means you do not have to ask permission to tape someone. You do have to ask permission to step foot on their property or else you could be charged with trespassing."
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"There are two rights here, speech and property. Making it illegal to possess these videos is an infringement of speech and would be unconstitutional. If the filming is done from public property, making it illegal would appear to be unconstitutional, also. However, if someone trespasses on private property, it gets cloudier. If law enforcement entered the property without a warrant, the evidence should be thrown out on the basis of an illegal search. It would seem that the only charge necessary is trespass (or breaking and entering)."
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"So we want another law forbidding getting evidence to stop the abuse and even — may I use the word — torture of our fellow creatures? Apparently some sadistic types think they have a right to do as they please on — and to — their property. ... Protect the whistleblowers."
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"The taping of these abuses is the only way to make the public aware of the cruelty going on. I hope the law is struck down if passed."
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"Are you a bovine farmer with downer cows you still want to slaughter without the public knowing about it, even though you know it's against the law? Sen. Doug Magnus has your back."
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"May I stop by your house and take some video of how tidy it is? Maybe a few shots of you in the bathroom or how you care for you kids? Then I can edit it any way I want and put it up on YouTube. I'm sure I could make you look like an unfit parent, lousy housekeeper or neighborhood pervert. Just slice and dice that video. It's my 'constitutional' right, correct?"
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"More than 99 percent of farms do not abuse animals. but the few that do, these videos imply that all farms are this way. If you watch them, the majority of abusers are employees. If I had an employee that mistreated an animal, they would be fired on the spot."
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"Folks, this is a red herring. The Republicans really want to stop videotaping of police actions. This is just the step in the door. ... So soon you will be seeing no videos of police are allowed, especially when they are breaking the law."
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"Next let's ban the undercover videotaping of supposed foes of conservatives. That's unfair too, right?"
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"I can't imagine this would make it through the court system. How's it any different than say "60 Minutes" or law enforcement organizations conducting sting operations?"
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"This is food safety that we are talking about. Nobody is trespassing in these photos, they are just taking the evidence photos without permission. ... Think back to Chicago 100 years ago and the exposés in Upton Sinclair's book "The Jungle." I suspect he did not have permission to talk about the conditions then. We need more public involvement in food safety, since the budgets of federal and state agencies are being cut."
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"The only way I would approve a law like this is if these businesses were required to have their own cameras installed and monitored by the appropriate departments to prevent animal cruelty. These animals are living, breathing creatures who feel pain. They are already giving their lives to feed us, the least we can do is make sure their lives aren’t spent being tortured."
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"I have no problem with someone secretly taping animal abuse, if in fact the abuse is illegal. And in fact, I really don't have a problem with people taping abusive acts that should be illegal but are not. It's a tough call, but I side on the side of knowing the truth. So many people are unaware of the poor treatment animals get at factory farms and certain slaughterhouses. Even Hitler instilled animal abuse laws that America violates. How far have we fallen?"
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"I have never been more embarrassed and ashamed to be a Republican. What a sick individual that would propose such a bill. Definitely not someone I want to be associated with."
