Recently, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed a bill making it a crime to enter an agricultural facility under false pretenses to do something unapproved by the owner. This sort of legislation, known as "ag gag," is a response to animal welfare activists who have gotten hired to document miserable conditions and cruelty at factory farms.
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That's good, because the effect would be to keep information away from the citizenry. If someone lies to get a job at a major hog farm or poultry operation, that person can be fired. If he or she does any property damage, prosecution can be done under existing laws. No additional legislation is needed -- unless you want to intimidate people from exposing useful facts.
If factory farms have something to hide, they need this sort of protection. But the rest of us have nothing to gain by letting them have it.
