Bunny,
Aren't there other people, activists, in your area, with similar webpages?
Are they facing legal challenges as well? And/or are they supporters of
your site? Another probably naive question on my part is what is your
degree of freedom of speech where you are? Is is possible you could have
other envivonmental activists/groups/organizations defend your page? I am
just babbling and brainstorming,,,,,
----------
> From: bunny <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: STUDIES IN WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: Bunny faces legal challenge
> Date: Monday, November 16, 1998 9:10 AM
>
> Hi Bertina,
>
> I stand accused of "extravagant" language by those who like to kill
rabbits.
> I put the legal letter and some excellent responses on my website.
> Still deciding what to do, I can either give a piece of my info to
someone
> else to host, or modify my language (I could change murder to kill).
> If you have a look at my website, you may see a letter from a 12 year old
> girl who also said that the people who caused her bunny to die were
murderers.
> I feel the same way. Here is the letter anyway (there is already an
> excellent response on my website and some other comments). Unfortunately
we
> don't have your Freedom of Speech (First Ammendment?) and our laws are
based
> more on English law which tends to protect big business and not the
people
> on a small income. I am considering going to the press about the whole
thing.
>
> The debates re religion on Eco Fem have been quite an eye opener for me.
> I never knew of all the different beliefs in the world and it is nice to
know
> that we have diversity in beliefs (although I don't think Angela could
ever
> accept this).
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Marguerite
>
>
> Manuel Fuller Merrigan
> Barristers and Solicitors
> Tolley's Building
> 1st Floor 82 Waymouth Street
> Adelaide
> South Australia 5000
>
> Your ref Marguerite Wegner
> Our ref: ABF 960176 (jm7 0006)
>
> 9 November,1998
>
> Manager
> [Rabbit Information Service]
> [Address]
>
> Dear Ms Wegner,
>
> The Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia (formerly Anti Rabbit Research
> Foundation of Australia)
>
> We act for the Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia.
>
> We are instructed to write to you with respect to some of the material on
> your website concerning our client and its operations.
>
> Without being exhaustive of the matters of complaint, the following
extracts
> are of particular concern:-
>
> l. The allegation that our client "is a body dedicated to the destruction
of
> rabbits in Australia".
>
> 2. That the type of research undertaken by our client "will involve the
> deliberate and painful cruel murder of pet rabbits trapped in
laboratories
> and containment areas".
>
> 3. That money raised by our client will "support up to four conservation
> projects (murdering rabbits?) each year".
>
> 4. That "other diseases that the ARRF may find or develop to murder
rabbits
> may be similar to myxomatosis with regards to the level of pain and
cruelty
> inflicted on both wild and pet rabbits".
>
> 5. That our client has indulged in "cruel and painful research to test
RCD
> on rabbits".
>
> 6. That rabbits have been delivered to our client's researchers "to be
> murdered in attempts to find new ways to kill bunnies".
>
> 7. That our client's "cruel and abhorrent funded research is a blight on
the
> humanity of all Australians".
>
> 8. That our client is "directly involved in the murder and torture of
> rabbits in Australia."
>
> In light of the extravagant language which you have used in your , it is
> necessarily to be inferred that you intended to damage our client's
> reputation within the wide audience to whom your website is published.
>
> It is also to be inferred necessarily that in encouraging people not to
> donate any money to our client your intention is to cause our client
> financial loss.
>
> The statements and accusations in your website are libelous entitling our
> client to sue you for damages and for injunctive relief restraining you
from
> any further publication of your website in that or a similarly offensive
form.
>
> The purpose of this letter is to bring the concern which our client has
to
> your attention and to provide you with an opportunity to remedy the
mischief
> created by your website. We urge you to avail yourself of this
opportunity.
>
> If you do not take steps as soon as practicable to remove the offensive
> material from your website, the fact that you have been afforded this
> opportunity to mitigate the loss and damage to our client and have
declined
> to take advantage of it, will be a matter which will be drawn to the
> attention of the court in any proceedings which our client might
contemplate
> taking against you.
>
> If you have any doubts as to your position and exposure with respect to
the
> matters which we have raised, we urge you take your own legal advice as
soon
> as possible.
>
> In the meantime, our client will be monitoring your website closely.
>
> Yours faithfully,
>
> Tony Fuller
> ***************************************************************
> For any one who is interested here's some info from the CSIRO website re
the
> AARF
>
> From: http://www.csiro.au/communication/rabbits/rcd_book.htm
>
> What can you do to help?
>
> Since its formation in 1992, the Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation of
> Australia has administered a publicly subscribed national fund to do the
> following:
>
> Support research that contributes to the eradication of wild rabbits in
> Australia.
>
> The Foundation has so far committed $100 000 to research projects. These
> include:
>
> *using chemicals and vitamins as rabbit control agents
> *discovering how Australian wildlife co-exists with rabbits
> *helping to identify the probable insect carriers of RCD
> *developing computer models indicating the best time to release RCD
> *identifying myxomatosis strains to be used in future rabbit control
> *mapping of warrens using ground-penetrating radar
> *identifying other pathogens with potential to control wild rabbits.
> *Raise community awareness of the nature and damage that rabbits cause to
> *agriculture and the environment
>
> The Foundation has actively campaigned to raise public awareness of
rabbit
> damage and the need for rabbit control. Its activities include:
>
> producing many educational materials for use in schools
> establishing the Easter Bilby campaign
> presenting national submissions in support of RCD
> running conferences and seminars, and presenting talks at others
> raising thousands of dollars for conservation projects
> providing talks, interviews and articles for many media outlets
> raising funds for the publication of the RCD Field Handbook.
>
> ARRFA
>
> The Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation of Australia is a voluntary
organisation
> and depends on sponsorship and donations.
>
> Donations are tax-deductible, and can be sent to:
>
> Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation Trust
> Adelaide Zoological Gardens
> Frome Rd
> Adelaide SA 5000
>
> Ongoing research on RCD
>
>
> Scientists working with RCD have learnt an important lesson from the
> myxomatosis experience. The initial spread of a biological control agent
> provides a unique opportunity to gather information essential to
> understanding how the agent works. Without this information, scientists
> cannot offer reliable advice to land managers on how to gain maximum
benefit
> from the disease, frustrating rabbit control efforts and wasting valuable
> resources.
>
> The RCD program is coordinating a field study of RCD, bringing together
> Commonwealth and State/Territory agencies responsible for conservation
and
> primary production, and scientists from CSIRO.
>
> Ten detailed monitoring sites have been selected in major bioclimatic
zones
> in Australia, with at least one site located in each State and Territory,
> except the ACT. These cover a range of land uses including agriculture,
> pastoralism and conservation. Information collected will provide an
> understanding of the effects of rabbit calicivirus on rabbit populations
> over time and on the effects of decreased rabbit grazing pressure on
> agricultural and pastoral production and conservation values.
>
> Research on disease spread is being undertaken by the CSIRO Division of
> Wildlife and Ecology to improve understanding of how rabbits and rabbit
> calicivirus interact under different field conditions. It will:
>
> provide an understanding of the initial spread and recurrence of the
disease
> identify the environmental factors and vectors involved in spread of RCD,
> and identify the relationship (if any) between RCD and myxomatosis. Land
> managers can then make better informed decisions on using RCD in an
> integrated manner as part of their overall rabbit control strategy. We
will
> then have the best chance of achieving effective and permanent control
over
> rabbit populations.
>
>
> Click here to return to front page
>
>
>
> At 03:26 PM 15/11/98 -0500, you wrote:
> >What is the legal threat? You do pay for your website dont you? Are
there
> >restrictions to what can be put on a website?
> >
> >Bertina
> >[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> >On Fri, 13 Nov 1998, bunny wrote:
> >
> >> Hi All,
> >>
> >> I received a serious legal threat this week concerning my website from
those
> >> who hate and kill rabbits in my country. Yet the internet is full of
> >> websites of dubious nature including pornographic sites and websites
hosted
> >> by those people that are out for themselves or out to profit from
> >> environmental degradation.
> >> How sad that the authorites target one lone person such as myself who
has
> >> targeted cruelty to the animals and has opposed the spread of the
cruel
> >> diseases in the environment. It surely is a strange world.
> >>
> >> Marguerite
> >>
===========================================================================
> >> /`\ /`\ RABBIT INFORMATION SERVICE: _
_
> >> (/\ \-/ /\) P.O.Box 30, Riverton, Western Australia 6148
(.\_/.)
> >> )6 6( http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm \6
6/
> >> >{= Y =}< VEGETARIAN PAGE =\
/=
> >> /'-^-'\ http://www.geocities/RainForest/4620 /O\
/
> >> (_) (_) /
\ (
>
> >> | . | U
U )
> >> | |} Pity the human race its illusion of permanence (|
|)/
> >> \_/^\_/
w'-'w
> >>
===========================================================================
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
===========================================================================
> /`\ /`\ RABBIT INFORMATION SERVICE: _ _
> (/\ \-/ /\) P.O.Box 30, Riverton, Western Australia 6148 (.\_/.)
> )6 6( http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm \6 6/
> >{= Y =}< VEGETARIAN PAGE =\ /=
> /'-^-'\ http://www.geocities/RainForest/4620 /O\
/
> (_) (_) / \ (
> | . | U U
)
> | |} Pity the human race its illusion of permanence (| |)/
> \_/^\_/ w'-'w
>
===========================================================================
