dear joe....

-this was sent to the pdx adl website:


---- Forwarded message from JoeMaffei@comcast.net -----
I notice on your website you say things like, you stand up for the
defenseless and things of that nature. Actually, it seems your
quite selective in your standing up. There are far more people in
this country that wear leather than those that wear fur. One has to
ask then, if truly you are not just going after the "soft" targets.
(mostly only old women wear fur these days)

Why is it you are never seen protesting outside Wilson's leather,
or other Leather dealers? Why is it that with all the motorcycle
stores in Oregon that sell a vast number of leather products you
are never seen protesting there? Leather doesn't grow on plants you
know, it is actually just the underside of fur, with the fur
removed. While you do not advocate eating meat of any kind, without
eating cows then I'm sure there would be no killing of them just
for their leather.

By attacking only fur stores, your percieved as nothing but cowards
actually, and yes, terrorists as you speak of on your website. It
is easy for a group of hostile shouting people to scare old women
and shop keepers. One does not even have to wonder why you don't go
after the biggest bunch of animal product wearing groups in the
world.......Bikers. It is because your tactics of "frightening
them" just wouldn't work. In fact, you know full well what would
happen should you decide to show up at a biker rally and start
yelling and screaming and throwing things on them.

You show your true colors when you attack only old women and shop
keepers and not go after the tens of millions of people wearing
leather in the country. Those who pick on people that are weaker or
easily frightened are really nothing but bullies.

When I see stories about your organization wading into a group of a
couple thousand bikers and using your same tactics, perhaps then
I'll have a little more respect from you.


this was my response:

Hi Joe,

first of all i would like to thank you for writing and also add that you really made some very good points. the motorcycle industry grossly overuses leather to a disgusting level and I will push for a few demos to have this attention brought to this matter. I also was a little confused as to your views regarding how little old ladies are the only ones wearing fur. Did you not know that the rap industry has brought fur back to the front of the fasion world? And that fur is now worn in high society also throught the whole gangsta culture? I know you think that we stand on a street corner and scare sweet old people set in their ways, and I can even visualise how this geralization was made. However, let me assure you this is not the case. The few elderly people walking by that I have seen were totally left alone by every single person in our group, usually the elderly people are the ones shouting things at us, which we largley ignore due to the fact that, well they are set in thier ways and we are about educating people willing to learn, not attacking people who have been doing something their whole life and are now in their golden years. In fact I bring my two pomeranians to the protests often and little old ladies seem to love them! I have had nothing but plesant encounters with them and in fact I'm sure they felt the same way. I'm sorry, but we cannot support the fur industry and whether we are perceived as terrorists or not I will continue to stop this. Small animals living in cramped cages going crazy and chewing their body parts off until they are analy electrocuted to death, I don't mean to be gross but this is reality. Finally, Joe, I have also noticed that every single person who finds a problem with us tells us how much better off we would be if we protested something else, whether it be leather, the war, child abuse, you name it. Joe, can I ask you, do you take a stand for things you believe in? If not, please do so. You will encounter alot of opposition. But if you truley feel like you are doing the right thing it will be worth it.

Suzanne