This week, I’ve only got one video for y’all, since it’s my birthday and I really shouldn’t be wasting it on the internets. My lone offering is Spoon’s The Underdog, which has always reminded me of Dennis Kucinich. Whenever it’s on the xm, I just close my eyes and imagine it’s his theme song, blaring in the background while he’s sworn into office on a copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. Then I snap out of it and curse the two-party system.

Oh, and if you’re feeling generous and looking to shower me with birthday gifts, why don’t you send some cash BETA’s way? BETA = Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and they could sure use it more than moi:

Hezbollah fighters, their guns blazing, seized control of west Beirut on Friday after three days of deadly street battles with pro-government foes pushed Lebanon dangerously close to all-out civil war.

Convoys of triumphant Shiite opposition gunmen firing into the air and flashing victory signs took to the streets after routing Sunni militants loyal to the Western-backed government of the divided nation.

As the fighting eased, the army and police moved across areas now in the hands of Iranian- and Syrian-backed opposition forces which have been locked in an 18-month power struggle with the ruling coalition.

(More below the fold…)

Action Alerts

CREDO Action: Tell Speaker Pelosi: Stand Strong on Wiretapping Legislation!
Our hard fought victories on the Bush administration’s illegal wiretapping program are in danger once again.

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Don’t Let the Justice Department Harvest DNA from Innocents
An outrageous Justice Department proposal directs federal law enforcement agencies to collect DNA samples from anyone they arrest. Speak out against this proposal that turns the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” on its head!

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Ask Kentucky horse racing chairman to make safety reforms to protect animals
One study shows that over 800 horses die every year from injuries sustained in races because of the dangerous conditions they are forced to run in. Please Take Action to urge the chairman of the Kentucky state agency that regulates horse racing to make reforms that will protect horses from injury and death on the track.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Ask your legislators to pass laws regulating factory farms
The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (PCIFAP) has put the factory farm industry on the defensive with a major independent study showing the devastating impact that intensive animal agriculture has on human health, the environment, rural economies and culture, and animal welfare.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Ask your state’s Governor to ban animal electrocution for fur
New York recently became the first state on the nation to ban one of the cruelest methods used to kill animals for fur – anal and genital electrocution. If other states follow New York’s lead by passing similar legislation of their own, even more animals will be spared from this horrific end to their lives.

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle - kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Wed, May 7, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Subject: Eight Belles Ran For Her Life…And Died

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

5/7/08: Eight Belles Ran For Her Life…And Died

FROM KINSHIP CIRCLE / PLEASE READ:

We ordinarily write all SAMPLE LETTERS. However in the recent death of young Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby — we cannot out-write the magnificent letter PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk sent to presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton. Ms. Newkirk’s letter is presented as a sample letter below:

1. CHANGE AS MANY WORDS AS POSSIBLE, TO MAKE THE LETTER YOUR OWN.
Include a DISCLAIMER as shown (BELOW). Remember: You are NOT Ingrid Newkirk.

2. KINSHIP CIRCLE BELIEVES HORSE RACING, LIKE DOGFIGHTING AND COCKFIGHTING, SHOULD BE OUTLAWED. However, if you’d like to participate in a campaign that calls upon “the racing industry to suspend the jockey and trainer, bar the owner from racing at the track, and… stop using young horses susceptible to horrific injuries…” PETA provides a web letter here: getactive.peta.org/campaign/eight_belles/iiwn8g8227xnmxix

Kentucky Horse Racing Authority
4063 Ironworks Pkwy, Building B; Lexington, KY 40511
ph: 859-246-2040; fax: 859-246-2039
email: lisa.underwood [at] ky.gov, jim.gallagher [at] ky.gov

LEFT PHOTO: Track personnel try to hold down Eight Belles after the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 3, 2008, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Eight Belles was euthanized after breaking both front ankles following a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon)
abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=4784855

RIGHT: Eight Belles and trainer Larry Jones walk before the Derby.
news.bostonherald.com/sports/other_sports/horse_racing/view.bg?articleid=1091901

(More below the fold…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle - kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Sat, May 3, 2008 at 5:26 PM
Subject: ACT/ Stabbing Pigs To Teach Human Surgery?

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

5/3/08: Stabbing Pigs To Teach Human Surgery?

EMAIL kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net FOR WORD DOC OF A FORMATTED LETTER.
Easily modify letter and copy/paste it into an email or print out to fax or mail.

Pigs used in laboratory research. This photo is NOT from Hartford Hospital.

(More below the fold…)

I have yet to receive any email notifications from an animal welfare or rescue organization regarding the recent cyclone in Myanmar.

However, I did find the following press release on the WSPA’s website:

Animals that cyclone survivors depend on need help now

A veterinary team from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is on stand-by in Thailand awaiting entry authority to cyclone struck Myanmar to assess and then relieve the suffering of thousands of animals that human survivors depend on for food and their livelihoods.

WSPA is receiving daily updates from The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) while preparing its rapid assessment and response team.

Philip Russell MBE, WSPA’s Director of Disaster Management, said: “No one else, Governments, humanitarian NGOs or owners have the resources to care for these animals, most of which are owned by poor impoverished families. If those that survived die, so too will the livelihoods of thousands of people.”

He added that, as WSPA so often finds, when operating in emergencies many families will have or be in the process of selling off their remaining livestock at severely reduced prices to ensure some monetary value for immediate subsistence, mainly because they cannot now keep them alive.

WSPA, supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) will assess and respond to the needs of animals.

One way of helping to stop the spread of disease is to separate animals into temporary holding pens. Emergency feed will also be needed as it is unlikely that there is any food for surviving livestock in and around camps or spare hay of any type available in Myanmar. Any precious grass that is not ruined by the flood will be owned by individuals and not for sale.

Wet conditions, lowered immune systems, endemic disease such as Foot and Mouth and overcrowded camps create a highly disease prone and contagious environment. WSPA seek to advise government livestock veterinarians on the need for and how to deliver veterinary checks to enable preventative treatment in the form of antibiotics, vaccinations and de-worming.

“WSPA works to align animal welfare and humanitarian agendas to reduce poverty, hunger and disease in humans. Equally, by complimenting humanitarian efforts in this way we increase the number of animals we protect,” said Russell.

If you’d like to make a donation to help in these relief efforts, here are links to each of the three organizations’ disaster relief funds: WSPA, IFAW and the HSUS.

I tried searching for animal welfare/rescue groups based in Myanmar, but came up linkless. If anyone out there knows of a local group in need of aid, please let us know in the comments!

Additionally, CNN has a list of human relief organizations here.

———————-

Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts wspa world society for the protection of animals natural disaster cyclone burma myanmar disaster relief animal rescue news in the news floods flooding

Speaking of the disappearing honeybees, one Dennis van Engelsdorp of the Apiary Inspectors of America says:

“For two years in a row, we’ve sustained a substantial loss. […] That’s an astonishing number. Imagine if one out of every three cows, or one out of every three chickens, were dying. That would raise a lot of alarm.”

Dude, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but somewhere upwards of 99.99999% of American cows and chickens are dying. To the rate of roughly 10 billion per year. To break it down even further, that’s about 9 billion chickens and 25 million cows. Per year. In America. America alone.

Dennis, you don’t even need to imagine such a thing. Look no further than your dinner plate.

(Crossposted from.)

—————–

Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare food meat bees cows chickens clueless

Action Alerts

DawnWatch: NY Times columnist asks why we keeping giving horse racing “a pass.” 5/4/08
William C. Rhoden, of the New York Times, has written eloquently on horse racing before. I quote him extensively in my section on the issue in Thanking the Monkey. And while every paper has carried the story of the death of Eight Bells at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, I wish to share Rhoden’s column, on the front page of the Sunday, May 4, New York Times sports section.
It is headed “Race’s Aftermath Shows Sport’s Brutal Side.”

Ecological Internet / The Rainforest Portal: Agrofuels on Stolen Lands Continue to Threaten Colombian Rainforests and Communities
It is gravely unethical and ecologically devastating to expand production of biofuels by allowing land to be stolen from local Afro-Colombian communities; and at the expense of Colombia’s ancient primary rainforests, food security, water resources and regional climate.

Just $6: Thank you Senator Rudman!
We’re building a broad coalition of support for publicly financed elections from across the political spectrum, and we are fortunate to have former Senator Warren Rudman on our side. Senator Rudman has tirelessly advocated for better elections and better government. He has written an Op-Ed on the subject as well as testified to the Senate Rules Committee on behalf of the Fair Elections Now Act.

League of Conservation Voters (LCV): Serious global warming legislation is at your doorstep
Unless we take immediate action, a chance to pass a strong piece of legislation through the Senate this year, with the potential to make a real impact on global warming, could be lost. The Climate Security Act is presently being debated in the Senate, but requires a number of amendments to improve its effectiveness.

National Wildlife Federation (NWF): Urge Your Senator to Stop Supporting High-Risk Development!
The Senate is now debating the National Flood Insurance program, which has a significant impact on how development decisions are made in coastal areas and natural floodplains. These areas will feel the worst impacts of global warming with sea level rise, intensified hurricanes, and increased flooding.

(More below the fold…)

Action Alerts

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Act Now: Stop Secret Spying Deal
House leadership is on the precipice of caving in and handing over everything the President has demanded: expanded surveillance powers, and immunity for big phone companies that broke the law. Help stop them.

Center for Biological Diversity: Tell Congress: Protect our Parks and Wildlife From Pesticides!
A February 2008 study funded by the National Park Service documented extensive chemical contamination in 20 western U.S. parks. Researchers found that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like the pesticide endosulfan are threatening park ecosystems and wildlife health. Alarming levels of these chemicals were found in some of America’s most seemingly pristine areas, including Rocky Mountain and Glacier national parks along with 18 other western parks from Texas to the far northern reaches of the Arctic.

Center for Food Safety: Keep Antibiotics Working!
Did you know that an estimated 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States are regularly added to the feed of livestock and poultry that are not sick—a practice with serious consequences for our health? Bacteria that are constantly exposed to antibiotics develop antibiotic resistance. This means that when humans get sick from resistant bacteria, the antibiotics prescribed by doctors don’t work.

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): Help Support The Great Ape Protection Act
The Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 5852) has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to end invasive research on the 1200 chimpanzees remaining in laboratories, retire the approximately 600 federally-owned chimpanzees to permanent sanctuary, and make the recent decision by the National Center for Research Resources—part of NIH—to stop funding the breeding of federally-owned chimpanzees statutory.

Levees.org: Demand the 8/29 Investigation Act!
Demand the 8/29 Investigation Act, a truly independent and truly complete analysis of the flood protection failures in metro New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

(More below the fold…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Natalie Bowman
Date: Mon, May 5, 2008 at 4:14 PM
Subject: Slaughterhouse Rescues Find Sanctuary at California Shelters

Hi Kelly,

Farm Sanctuary and Animal Place, a nonprofit sanctuary for farm animals, are now coming to the aid of 14 animals seized from a Watsonville, Calif. slaughterhouse- whose owner is now being charged with cruelty and investigated by the state Department of Agriculture.

I have included a press release below with further details, in case you are interested in posting on the story.

Warm regards,

Natalie Bowman
Communications Manager
Farm Sanctuary
P.O. Box 150, Watkins Glen, NY 14891
PH: 607-583-2225 ext. 250
www.farmsanctuary.org

P.S. Farm Sanctuary has just offered refuge to six more goats from the slaughterhouse, including two new mothers and their twin kids.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Natalie Bowman, Farm Sanctuary, 607-583-2225 ext. 250, nbowman [at] farmsanctuary.org Marji Beach, Animal Place, 707-449-4814, marji [at] animalplace.org

Animals Confiscated from Slaughterhouse Find Refuge at California Sanctuaries

Farm Sanctuary and Animal Place Shelter Neglected, Sick and Injured Animals from Watsonville Abattoir

Orland, CA and Vacaville, CA - May 5, 2008 - Farm Sanctuary, which operates the largest rescue and refuge network for farm animals in North America, and Animal Place, a nonprofit sanctuary for abused and discarded farmed animals, have responded to a call from Santa Cruz Animal Services and are coming to the aid of 14 neglected animals confiscated from a Watsonville, Calif. slaughterhouse on Thursday, May 1.

The rescued animals-12 goats, one cow and one sheep-were discovered at the Lee Road slaughter facility on Thursday, May 1 by Todd Stosuy of Santa Cruz Animal Services, when he noticed a cow with a bloody horn from the road and initiated an investigation. Stosuy said that in addition to the injured cow, he found 12 very ill, malnourished goats with overgrown, rotted hoofs, as well as several other animals who would have perished if he had not intervened. Upon returning to the facility on Saturday, May 3, Stosuy seized eight more goats and another sheep whose health had deteriorated since his last visit; the sanctuaries and Animal Services are arranging placement of these animals. According to Stosuy, all of the rescued animals were either acquired by the owner at auction or raised on the property and were to be hand-picked by and slaughtered for local customers.

(More below the fold…)

Campaigning in Durham, North Carolina this morning, Obama p0wned Hillary re: her parroting of McCain’s supercilious “gas tax holiday” idea:

Senator McCain was the first one to propose a gas tax holiday. And then Senator Clinton immediately said, “Me, too.” And most of you probably have been reading the reports, if we suspended the gas tax for three months, as they propose, the most you could hope for would be a 30-cent-a-day savings for a grand total of $28 for the entire summer. That would be the savings best case scenario that you would get. But the fact is we tried this back in Illinois, back in 2000, and it’s been proposed in the past. And other states have done it. And typically, what happens is you eliminate the gas tax, and the oil companies simply make up the difference. They fill the gap. They stop up whatever perceived savings the consumers might have.

You’re paying the same amount of gas except now we no longer have the money going into the highway trust fund that builds our roads and our bridges, keeps us safe and puts thousands of people here in North Carolina to work. It’s a shell game.

Seriously, Hills, wtf are you thinking?!

Related: The green Democrat’s choice; Obama or Clinton: who’s greener? on Grist

(Crossposted from.)

——————–

Tagged: 2008 elections hillary clinton barack obama john mccain gas gas tax gas tax holiday scams politics

Since I’m in the middle of writing a rather substantial essay over at Smite Me!, not to mention devouring all my wonderful new books, I haven’t had as much time to post over here as I’d like. So I thought I might dig into the archives - like, way back, as far as my pre-blogging days - and post an older book review that I wrote for Amazon in 2003 (in other words, this book review was actually quite current when I first wrote it!). Dominion is an older book and, as you’ll see from the review, not explicitly pro-animal rights, but it’s still one I’d recommend, as it’s for the most part a powerful animal-friendly piece.

This blog started out as a Yahoo Group, and for a short time we had a nice little book club going. When I say “a short time”, I think this was our only selection. ‘Twas fun while it lasted, though!

(Crossposted to.)

(More below the fold…)

Action Alerts

Compassion Over Killing (COK): Crack the Cruelty: Take Compassion Over Killing’s 30-Day Egg-Free Pledge!
The egg industry’s busiest time of year is the Easter season. After the holiday, “sales go down, but the hens keep on laying eggs,” says the American Egg Board. In an effort to boost post-holiday sales slumps, egg producers across the country celebrate May as “National Egg Month.” COK is asking you to put a compassionate spin on this month-long industry-declared holiday by pledging to Crack the Cruelty and choose egg-free foods for at least 30 days!

DawnWatch: Lead NY Times article on goat leg rescue at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary 5/1/08
There is a lovely article, featuring Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, on the front of the Metro section (page B1) of the Thursday, May 1, New York Times. The article, by Fernanda Santos, is headed, “A Rescued Goat Gets a Chance For a Normal Life On Four Legs.”

Environmental Defense: Urgent Alert: Oppose the Voinovich Proposal
Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) proposed legislation that would postpone meaningful action on global warming pollution for at least twenty years. In the meantime, the proposal would take away state authority to control global warming pollution, undermining efforts in dozens of states.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Tell Congress to Ban Wildlife Poisons!
Recently, the Bush Administration stripped endangered species protection from gray wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies. These wolves face a range of threats, including the use of two toxic chemicals in government-run predator control programs. Please ask your Representative to support HR 4775, a bill banning two deadly poisons that kill gray wolves and many other wildlife species.

Oil Change International: Take Action on Mother’s Day!
This Mother’s Day join Oil Change International and the 1Sky campaign to take action on behalf of your children and all children. In connection with efforts 1Sky is coordinating nationally, Oil Change is asking you to trace the hands of your child or children onto a letter to send to your members of Congress. If you don’t have a child, trace your own hand, and then forward this on to any parents you know!

(More below the fold…)

Great feminist-minded country dominated my mp3 player yesterday, so I’m in a hardy candy kind of mood today. Here are three of my favorite country songs (mostly oldies, the newer stuff generally doesn’t do it for me): Loretta Lynn’s “The Pill”, Jeannie C. Riley’s “Harper Valley PTA”, and The Dixie Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl”. You’ll have to excuse the awful misogynistic video for “The Pill” - ’twas the only listen-able video I could find. Well, not so much “excuse” as “ignore” or “don’t watch, just listen”.

And to round out to selection, NOFX’s “Clams Have Feelings Too”. I think this is one of the songs NOFX initially wrote to mock the concept of animal rights, but the band’s singer did go veg in the late ’80s, and the track is included on PETA’s compilation album, Liberation: Songs to Benefit PETA. And really, I think it’s a relatively animal-friendly song either way.

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Action Alerts

Born Free USA / Animal Protection Institute (API): Be a Voice for Animals in Circuses in Your Community
Ever wish there was something more you could do to make a difference for animals in the circus and help end the suffering they are forced to endure? How about working with us to enact protective legislation in your city?

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Protect Digital Privacy at the Border and Beyond
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an opinion in the case U.S. v. Arnold holding that the Fourth Amendment does not require government agents to have reasonable suspicion before searching laptops at the border, including international airports. Meanwhile, a number of national newspapers have documented unnerving reports from travelers whose electronic devices have been seized as they crossed U.S. borders.

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): May 1: Make the Call to Protect Downed Farm Animals!
Please call your U.S. Representative and urge support for any bill to protect downed animals—including H.R. 661, the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act, and H.R. 5762, the Food Safety Recall Information Act.

SaveTheEnvironment.org: Help save the home of the black bear! [Yazoo Pumps project]
Your voice is needed to protect 200,000 acres of Mississippi Delta wetlands—habitat of the endangered Louisiana Black Bear. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Environmental Protection Agency is using its “veto authority” to stop the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from constructing the controversial and environmentally destructive Yazoo Pumps project. For the final veto to go through, however, the EPA needs to hear from as many people as possible that want this project gone!

We Can Solve It: Time is Short: You can help protect polar bears today
The Bush Administration has until May 15 to decide whether to place the polar bear on the Endangered Species list. Tell Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne that the polar bear, and its fragile Arctic habitat, requires protection from the effects of global warming. Sign the petition today.

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Action Alerts

Finnish Support Group for Bear Rescue in Asia: HELP RESCUE CAGED MOON BEARS
Please sign this petition to be sent to the Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean Governments. Our bear rescue petition has already been forwarded to the Chinese government, but signatures are still being collected in petitions to be forwarded to the Vietnamese and South Korean governments.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Ask That Charges Be Filed Against Trooper Caught on Tape Abusing Police Dog!
Many of you may have heard about the recent outrage generated by a video in which an apparent North Carolina state trooper strings up his canine partner by the legs and kicks and yells at the dog, apparently as a twisted form of “discipline.” According to news sources, former Highway Patrol Sgt. Charles Jones was fired last September after the video came to the attention of North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, who apparently asked that Jones be dismissed from duty.

Public Citizen: Demand a Strong Consumer Bill
With your help, we recently pushed the House and Senate to pass legislation that will make consumer products safer. Now we’re heading to the finish line. Today, members of the House and Senate will begin negotiating differences in the legislation they passed and writing a final bill.

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA): Washington County Bill Is Still Unacceptable for Wilderness
On April 9, Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT) introduced S. 2834, the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act of 2008. While in some ways this bill is better than Senator Bennett’s 2006 version, which you helped to defeat, it still contains some of the same damaging provisions for southwestern Utah that would perpetuate bad precedents for all future public lands bills. Once again we need your help! Please let your Senators know that S. 2834 is bad for Utah wilderness!

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