Did a self-proclaimed animal rights activist know what he was talking about when he defended Sholom Rubashkin?
Gregory Johnson wrote an error-ridden article in defense of Sholom Rubashkin that was widely circulated by Rubashkin supporters.
I posted the article last week, and noted Johnson's errors.
Johnson wrote a response to my post, and to your comments about it.
Here is the part of that response that deals with what I wrote:
I discovered that my article has been picked up and posted to a variety of websites, including Failed Messiah and Shturem.org. This page offers responses to comments posted on the Failed Messiah website.…
…2. Shmarya Rosenberg commented, ”Johnson’s evaluation is based on a controlled tour given long after public and governmental pressure forced Agriprocessors to improve.”
- Clarification. I agree with you here. Planned tours or inspections are undoubtedly a bit more tame than business as usual. However, I was not with a group of inspectors who might be considered a potential threat, and what I was primarily observing were machines, procedure, and aspects of the plant that can’t be easily changed in a day for a small tour group.
3. Shmarya Rosenberg commented, ”…he projects backward, alleging that PETA lied about Agriprocessors.”
- Clarification. Not to get into a debate about PETA, but I was simply surprised that nothing really seemed to have changed two years later, and that what seemed to be the same procedure, produced different results in reality than what the video depicted. Also, the group I was with were not seen as ‘outsiders’ so, it seemed to me, that less was done to impress us. We weren’t inspectors nor were we considered a threat in any way. So, I would think they would be less likely to be on their guard. My observations and comments about the plant were primarily about the machines, mechanisms, and procedures being used. These are things that can’t easily be changed for a tour group. I was looking at the entire process and sort of ignoring things that a person can clean-up in a day prior to an inspection.
4. Shmarya Rosenberg commented, ”Johnson even claims the ‘procedure’ he saw in 2006 was exactly the same throat-ripping shown on PETA’s 2004 videos.”
- Clarification. What I saw was the same room, the same equipment, and a quick cut to the throat that seemed to produce instantaneous death. There were no cattle hobbling around while bleeding to death, nor were throats being ripped out. Maybe I need to revise the article to make this clearer.
5. Shmarya Rosenberg commented, ”Rubashkin supporters do not have the facts or the truth on their side, so they often resort to lies. Those lies may help energize their base and help raise money, but they will not impress a sitting federal judge or law enforcement.”
- Clarification. I’m not in touch with any Rubashkin supporters, so I can’t speak to this, you may be right there. I can only say that my story is genuine and truthful.…