Normally I don’t crosspost solicitations for donations, but this email gives some info regarding the current situation in the Midwest…

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: American Humane Association – email [at] americanhumane.org
Date: Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Subject: Help animals displaced by flood

American Humane, June 2008

Breaking News: American Humane Assists Animals in Flood-Stricken Illinois

Over the weekend, American Humane’s Red Star Animal Emergency Services unit deployed to Adams County, Ill., to help animals affected by the severe flooding in the Midwest. As an area that was overwhelmed by the scope of this crisis, Adams County was in dire need of assistance.

American Humane answered the call by joining forces with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Together, we are working to find and set up emergency shelter sites for the many animals made homeless in recent days. It’s a collaboration that is allowing the county to keep as many animals as possible fed, sheltered and healthy through the duration of the crisis.

Your donation today will allow us to continue these vital operations and prepare for the inevitable next disaster. In some situations, animals’ survival instinct simply isn’t enough — they desperately need caring donors like you to make our rescue efforts possible.

American Humane Provides Grants to Shelters in Iowa

American Humane’s response in Illinois is the second wave of assistance we’ve provided to communities impacted by Midwest flooding. Last week, we reached out to overwhelmed and underfunded animal shelters in Iowa, extending $12,500 in emergency grants to those hardest hit by the disaster.

The grants are being put to immediate use, keeping hundreds of animals safe during the crisis. For example, the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center was filled with four feet of water and uninhabitable. The money from American Humane helped the facility evacuate and relocate to nearby fairgrounds.

Stay tuned for an update on our progress in Illinois. And in the meantime, please donate! Your support will fund American Humane’s ongoing relief efforts in the Midwest and ensure our readiness for future crises that put animals in harm’s way.

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Action Alerts

Center for Biological Diversity: Sign a Petition for Wild and Scenic Rivers in Utah
The Forest Service is considering which river segments in Utah’s national forests are suitable for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Although the deadline for public comment has passed, the Forest Service is still accepting comments. The Service will make its final recommendation this fall.

DawnWatch: Primate testing debate on Wisconsin’s “For the Record” — June 2008
Over the weekend, the WISC-TV show “For The Record,” in Madison Wisconsin, aired a debate on primate testing. Scientists, ethicists and animal advocates, including Rick Bogle from the Primate Freedom Project (www.PrimateFreedom.org) took part.

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): Oppose pro-slaughter resolution
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), an organization made up of state lawmakers from across the country, will be considering a pro-slaughter resolution at their annual meeting in July. This resolution would ask Congress NOT to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, and could pressure federal legislators into inaction.

The People’s Email Network (PEN): Criminal Wiretapping Is NOT OK Even If The White House SAID It Was
Congress tells us they don’t have time to have real hearings on impeachment because they have SO much important legislation to work on . . . like trying to sneak through telecom immunity for the umpteenth time. And for the latest attempted scam that has already passed the house, they came up with a shiny new proposed escape hatch.

PETA2: Make Starbucks Even More Vegan-Friendly
Have you guys seen MyStarbucksIdea.com? Basically it’s a site where anyone can go to suggest their ideas for Starbucks. Starbucks has told PETA that it takes the comments received from the web site very seriously, so please take a few minutes today to ask the company to start offering vegan pastries, snacks, and sandwiches!

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Action Alerts

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Tell Congress to Reject Spying
Congress is about to let telecom companies off scot-free after they broke the law by supplying mountains of your personal information to the government without a warrant. You can stop this sham spying “compromise” from being rammed through both the Senate and House this week. But you’ve got to move fast.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Keep Reporters Out of Jail & On the Beat
The importance of a free press is woven into the fabric of our history. When we observe fledgling democracies around the world, Americans can see just how essential a free media is to democracy — and how easily it can be chilled. If we are to have a free press, it is necessary to protect the relationship between journalists and the trusted sources to whom journalists have promised confidentiality. A free press encourages a vibrant democracy and is a critical part of our keeping First Amendment freedoms alive. Tell your senators to support a meaningful reporters’ shield bill.

Big Green Purse: Be One in a Million!
One of the fastest, easiest, most effective ways to protect the environment is by shifting money you already spend to eco-friendly goods and services. In fact, if a million women intentionally shift at least $1000 of their existing budget to environmentally-friendly products, we can have a noticeable ONE BILLION DOLLAR IMPACT in the marketplace.

DawnWatch: Vegan athletic champions in Men’s Fitness mag and ESPN — June/July 2008
Talk show hosts trying vegan diets — Oprah, Ellen — have been in the news lately. Now another phenomenon is getting a lot of press: vegan athletes. The ESPN website has a huge feature telling us about slugger Prince Fielder, football player Tony Gonzalez, fighter Mac Danzig, baseball player Pat Neshek and ultra-marathon runner Scott Jurek. The July issue of Men’s Fitness includes Mac Danzig in their magazine list of the world’s 25 fittest men, and also gives us a splendid web feature on him.

DawnWatch: Vick pitbull turned hospital therapy dog on NPR — 6/21/08
Something for all of us pit lovers, from National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition” Saturday, June 21, 2008: “Dog trainer Mathina McClay talks with Scott Simon about her work with one of the rescued pit bulls from Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring. She has trained the dog, Leo, to be a cancer therapy dog.”

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Subject: IOWA FLOOD: Notes From The Water’s Edge

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

KINSHIP CIRCLE ANIMAL DISASTER AID NETWORK has been asked by the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture/Veterinary Response Coordinator to support rescue operations for Iowa animal flood victims and send volunteers where needed. If you’ve seen the expanse of Midwest floods in news coverage — you know we have our work cut out for us! We thank KC Primary subscribers for their patience during this time…as we’ve been unable to focus on other campaigns.

RELIEF GLOBAL
6/20/08: IOWA FLOOD – Notes From The Water’s Edge

PHOTOS: Louisa County, Oakville area, Iowa.
Credit: Molly Wald
View more photos from rescue operations 6/18 and 6/19/08: flickr.com/photos/mollywald/sets/72157605698148806/

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Shane’s in Vegas for the Amaz!ng Meeting this weekend, so last night I took advantage of my night alone to watch Teeth. Which is just as well; the many scenes of gratuitous male genital mutilation probably would have sent him fleeing from the living room in hysterics. Yes, a damn shiny movie, ’tis.

In honor of a film about misogyny and the oppression of female sexuality, a few videos that celebrate female sexuality.

Empowerful!

(In order: Consolidated – You Suck; Salt-n-Pepa – Let’s Talk About Sex; and the Divinyls – I Touch Myself)

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Action Alerts

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Urgent: Crippled Cows in Iowa Need Your Help!
Video footage of Larry Doane’s cows in Franklin County, Iowa, suggests that Doane has subjected the animals to years of neglect. While we are extremely grateful for the efforts of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in this case, we remain deeply concerned about the cows, whose hooves are so painfully long that the animals can barely walk.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Help Get Answers in Horse-Neglect Case
On June 3, PETA sent a memo to Johnson County, Arkansas, officials asking them to have Ron and Rita Whiteturkey’s horses examined by a large-animal veterinarian. Our request was prompted in part by photographs that suggest that the Whiteturkey’s horses are neglected. Witnesses also report that despite a lack of adequate forage, the Whiteturkeys are forcing their horses to “live off the land.”

Rainforest Action Network (RAN): Stop U.S. Agribusiness Violence!
Last week, six peaceful protesters were severely injured by tear gas and rubber bullets in front of a Bunge soy-crushing facility in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

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Action Alerts

1Sky: Tell Congress to Fund Green Jobs & Grants
Congress is now deciding which federal programs will be funded in 2009. Among those programs are the Green Jobs Act, which would invest $125 million in green-collar job training programs, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, which would authorize grants to local communities to help improve their energy efficiency and increase renewable energy.

DawnWatch: Circus cruelty lawsuit video on Las Vegas TV — 6/17/08
Ringling Brothers circus is in Las Vegas this week. Reporter George Knapp, from the I-team on KLAS-TV, the CBS affiliate, has put together a two part series on the animal welfare battle against the circus. The segments aired Monday and Tuesday this week (June 16 and 17).

DawnWatch: “Food Crisis Solution: Go Vegan” by Peter Singer on NPR 6/17/08
The National Public Radio show “Marketplace”, Tuesday, June 17, includes a commentary headed, “Food crisis solution: Go vegan We grow enough food for everyone, but livestock are devouring our food supply. Commentator and bioethicist Peter Singer says unless we change, the dinner plate of the future will look far different.”

National Wildlife Federation (NWF): Protect the Polar Bears of Chukchi Sea!
Less than a month after listing polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to give oil companies legal protection to potentially harm the bears as they move forward with oil and gas exploration and development in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea.

Sierra Club: Drilling Our Coasts Won’t Help with High Gas Prices
Americans are fed up with runaway gas prices and bloated oil-company profits, but Senator John McCain and President Bush’s proposal to drill for oil along our coastline will only increase Big Oil’s bottom line. Their move to open up our coasts for Big Oil is making headlines all across the country today — I woke up to commentators on NPR talking about coastal oil drilling. The truth is that offshore oil drilling won’t help with high oil prices or ease the pain at the gas pump for American families.

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Action Alerts

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Tell Congress to Reject a Sham Spying “Compromise”
A sham spying “compromise” could be rammed through both the Senate and House this week. It’s moving that fast. If we don’t stop this, telecom companies that broke the law by supplying mountains of personal information to the government without a warrant will be let off the hook.

The Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC): people’s campaign for the constitution pledge
Support the goal of the People’s Campaign for the Constitution: To restore constitutional rights, checks and balances, and the rule of law, which have been violated under the guise of a permanent “War on Terror.” I pledge to join with others to hold elected representatives and candidates for public office to the oaths they have made or must make: to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution.

Center for Biological Diversity: Protect Polar Bear Habitat, Take Action Now
Support the “Polar Bear Seas Protection Act” and ensure that polar bears get the protection they need to survive. We can’t afford to leave polar bears unprotected against the ongoing threats of global warming and continued development in the Arctic. The Arctic sea ice is rapidly diminishing and scientists predict that the habitat crucial to the bears’ survival may be gone by mid-century. We must act now.

Common Cause: No Deal on Telecom Immunity
Congress is wheeling and dealing this week with the White House over whether to give a “get-out-of-jail-free” card to telecom companies that helped eavesdrop on Americans without legally-required warrants. Just a few weeks ago, the House stood strong and refused to give immunity to the phone companies that engaged in illegal wiretapping. But now, Congress is considering a “compromise” bill that could make it impossible for us to find out the details of the domestic spying program and hold accountable anyone who broke the law.

Greenpeace: Just Say NO to Offshore Drilling
McCain, Bush, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are pushing hard to open our national coastlines to oil drilling. In fact, Newt Gingrich has put together a petition like this that more than 750,000 people have signed! They’re using high gas prices and economic concerns to help their friends in the oil industry make even more money.

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Action Alerts

Alley Cat Allies: Feral Cats on San Nicolas Island Urgently Need Your Help
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed a cruel plan to kill all the feral cats on San Nicholas Island—that’s as many as 200—using leghold traps and hunters with dogs. Your written feedback to the Fish and Wildlife Service is vitally needed by tomorrow, Tuesday, June 17.

DawnWatch: Hunter spends “30 Days” in animal rights on FX show by Spurlock 6/17/08
The animal rights episode of Morgan Spurlock’s “30 Days” airs tomorrow night, Tuesday, June 17, on FX at 10:00 PM EST. Check your local listings.

DawnWatch: Huge Washington Post story on Farm Sanctuary 6/15/08
The front page story of today’s Sunday, June 15, Washington Post travel section (page p1) is about Farm Sanctuary! The “Long Weekend” story, by Andrea Sachs. is headed, “I Love Moo: Tales From A N.Y. Animal Sanctuary.”

Democrats.com: Wiretapping: Impeachment not Immunity
On March 14, we won a huge victory when the House voted 213-197 for a bill to strengthen FISA without providing immunity for Bush and the telcos who illegally spied on millions of Americans without a warrant. Thanks to your lobbying efforts – including over 58,000 petitions! – just six Bush Democrats voted for immunity. Even Steny Hoyer voted against immunity. But Hoyer kept conspiring with Bush to sneak immunity through Congress when no one was watching. And on Friday, Hoyer quietly announced a new bill to provide retroactive immunity for past warrantless wiretapping and allow new wiretapping for six more years.

Humane Society of Missouri (HSMO): Help Urgently Needed for Flood Response and Rescue Efforts!
The Humane Society of Missouri’s highly trained Rescues and Investigations team has deployed three rescue teams, trailers and our mobile shelter vehicle to Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the request of the Iowa Department of Agriculture. The Humane Society of Missouri was asked to help due to its swift water rescue training as well as experience with similar disasters.

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Here, finally!, is my review of Strategic Action for Animals: A Handbook on Strategic Movement Building, Organizing, and Activism for Animal Liberation (Melanie Joy, 2008). At 2,000+ words, it’s perhaps my longest book review yet. Towards the middle, I kind of wander off the book review path, discussing issues of “mainstreaming”, violent vs. non-violent tactics and intersecting oppressions. Some of these are central to Strategic Action for Animals, while others are just touched upon. They all struck a chord with me, though, maybe because they’ve been floating around the internets lately. But bear with me, it’s all related.

By the by, I posted a condensed review on Amazon, so if you’d like the short of it, go here (or here, if you prefer LT).

Otherwise, onward.

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