By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
President Obama’s choice for “regulatory czar,” a well-known animal rights zealot, has been put on hold for fear he will push a radical animal rights agenda that may include restrictions on agriculture and even hunting.
According to a report by Fox News, the president nominated a Harvard legal scholar, Cass Sunstein, to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Budget and Management. However, Texas Senator John Cornyn has put a hold on the nominee pending further review of his radical background.
“Sen. Cornyn finds numerous aspects of Mr. Sunstein’s record troubling, specifically the fact that he wants to establish legal ‘rights’ for livestock, wildlife and pets, which would enable animals to file lawsuits in American courts,” Cornyn’s spokesman, Kevin McLaughlin, said in a statement to FOXNews.com.
Sunstein is in favor of allowing people the right to bring suit on behalf of animals in animal cruelty cases and to restrict what he calls the more horrific practices associated with industrial breeding and processing of animals for food.
In a 2007 speech at Harvard University, Sunstein also advocated restricting animal testing for cosmetics, banning hunting and encouraging the general public to eat less meat.
Another potential problem is Sunstein’s position on freedom of speech. In his latest book, On Rumors: How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them, What Can Be Done, he threatens to tweak libel laws for the Internet and make online writers, particularly bloggers, legally responsible for falsehoods and rumors that get generated in cyberspace.
Even though his position as regulatory czar will not involve policy making, he will be able to exert pressure on the regulatory heads of different agencies.
“He is the gatekeeper between the president and the secretaries,” said David Martosko of the Center for Consumer Freedom. “As a regulatory czar, he won’t be a judge or a legislator, so he cannot make laws. … What he can do is nudge the departments in the direction of his philosophy,” which is very much in line with “hard core animal rights zealots.”
If confirmed, “having an animal-rights zealot in that position for the first time could be problematic for Americans who love to hunt, who like seeing circuses, [who like] having animals, who like taking their kids to the zoo, who like feeding their children meat and milk at lunch time,” he warns.
Sen. Cornyn wants assurances from Sunstein that he will not pursue an agenda akin to some of his past writings, particularly on the animal rights issue.
“Sen. Cornyn hasn’t had a chance to speak with him yet, that’s the reason for the hold,” said McLaughlin. “He wants to have a chance to before moving forward.”
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