If I had to write a list of my heroes, the members of the Animal Liberation Front would be at the top of my list. These compassionate and brave individuals constantly risk their own lives and freedom for the sake of rescuing animals from vivisection labs, slaughterhouses, fur farms and other merciless institutions. They are considered a terrorist group, though they have never harmed a living being. They destroy the weapons of murder and the tools of terrorism. Despite legitimate protest, the exploitation of animals and the environment will continue as long as there is money to be made. While many consider the destruction of property an act of violence, I do not consider the destroying of the concrete and metal killing machines whose sole purpose is the destruction of innocent life to be a violent act.The ALF carries out direct action against animal abuse by rescuing animals from fur farms, laboratories and other houses of torture. They also cause financial loss to animal exploiters, usually through the damage and destruction of property or the act of setting free their “product”—the animals. Their goal is to save as many animals as possible and to physically disrupt the process of animal exploitation and abuse. The long-term goal is to force animal abuse companies out of business.The ALF has the following credo: If we are trespassing, so were the soldiers who broke down the gates of Hitler’s death camps. If we are thieves, so were the members of the Underground Railroad who freed the slaves of the South. And if we are vandals, so were those who destroyed forever the gas chambers of Buchenwald and Auschwitz.I really miss being active in the animal rights movement. When I lived in New York, I was fortunate to be a part of a large network of people with similar views. I volunteered on a weekly basis for various an