Editorial: An extra special thanks

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  July/August 2003:

An extra special thanks is in order to all of the respondents
to the June 2003 ANIMAL PEOPLE appeal for help in meeting the
extraordinary cost of our ultimately successful defense against the
libel suit brought against us in July 2002 by direct mail fundraiser
Bruce Eberle and one of his companies,  Fund Raising Strategies,  Inc.
Eberle’s response to our June 2003 news coverage of the
judicially imposed settlement,  discussion of his response,  and a
small sampling of reader comments appear on page 4 of this edition.

The published examples of reader commentary barely begin to
convey an idea of the volume and intensity of the replies we received
to our appeal.  While full recovery from the expense of the Eberle
case will take much longer,  the ANIMAL PEOPLE audience responded
more generously,  vigorously,  and voluably than ever before.
Countless notes sent along with donations made emphatically
clear that the ANIMAL PEOPLE ethical standards for animal charities
and fundraisers, outlined in our May 2003 editorial,  enjoy the
wholehearted endorsement of the overwhelming majority of donors and
animal charity directors  who have made their views known to us.
Respondents ranging from pensioners to representatives of
major multinational corporations made plain in letters,  calls,  and
e-mails that even though they may at times disagree with specifics of
ANIMAL PEOPLE coverage or comment,  they invest in us a humbling
degree of trust–as well as hope for achieving a far more humane
future through sharing information,  openly discussing issues,  and
continually expanding the global circle of compassion.