"Egregious and wilful" violators escape jail

[Joseph Laferriere]

On Sun, 20 Aug 1995, GB:'X0B$4fAB92GB5 wrote:

> Forwarded from: Shirley Mc Greal, International Primate Protection League,
> According to the 18 December 1984 issue of the "New York Times"
>
> IN MY OPINION THESE "EGREGIOUS AND WILFUL VIOLATORS OF FEDERAL WILDLIFE LAWS
> GOT LITTLE MORE THAN A "SLAP ON THE WRIST." THE US CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
> DOES NOT TAKE WILDLIFE CRIME SERIOUSLY ENOUGH! PROBATION IN THE US USUALLY
> MEANS A PERIODIC CHAT WITH AN OVER-WORKED PROBATION OFFCER, IT'S A JOKE.

This is likely to get infinitely worse in the next few years given the
current political climate in the US. Here in Arizona the state
legislature was seriously considering a bill under which any state
employee could be fired for enforcing the Federal Endangered Species Act.
I do not know whether they actually passed this or not. I do know that
they did pass a law designed to make Arizona the freeon-production center
of the world. Never mind that a world-wide treaty bans selling the stuff
anywhere on the planet. [Maybe they are planning to sell it to people
from the planet Vulcan, where I hear it is hotter than here].