We hope young animal rights activists Carrie Feldman and Scott DeMuth don’t stay in jail too long. We kind of admire their gumption, even if their ethics and tactics seem a bit screwy.

Feldman and DeMuth are the Minneapolis-area animal rights activists subpoenaed to tell a Davenport federal grand jury Tuesday about a 2004 break-in, burglary and vandalism to a University of Iowa lab that conducts research with animals.

While mum to the grand jury, the pair have been quite willing to tell everyone else they were not involved in the attack. We don’t know why federal investigators are seeking information from these two. Perhaps authorities are investigating the fundraising operations of the organization that claimed responsibility for the attack. Knowingly funding an ongoing criminal enterprise is a felony, too.

The pair and a hardy group of supporters outside Davenport’s federal courthouse attacked the federal grand jury system and defended violent tactics against those who would use animals in lab tests. At one point, DeMuth compared his plight to the American Indians who died in custody at Camp McClellan in our community a century and a half ago.

That’s some moxy. But the grand jury isn’t investigating that awful chapter in Q-C history. It apparently is looking at a Nov. 14, 2004, crime that inflicted $450,000 damage to the University of Iowa’s Seashore Hall, released the lab rodents kept there and terrorized the humans who returned to work there.

These activists hadn’t expressed much public opinion about the federal grand jury system until they were called to testify about this specific crime.

It’s tougher when these activists keep affirming the crime every time they condemn the federal grand jury. They’re certainly entitled to their compassionate animal-rights beliefs. And they’re entitled to act on them through many lawful means. With hard work and effective protesting, perhaps they can change university practice and even the law.

We’ve been happy to share their concerns in letters on this page and would note: All letters of support have been from the Minneapolis area. We’ve yet to receive a single letter from anyone in our community.

We’d encourage these two activists to speak out to federal and state legislatures and in public forums. We’re less receptive when they obstruct a federal investigation because — by their own admission — they disagree with the law.