Action Alerts

Amnesty International: Don’t let Fathi el-Jahmi die in detention
“Libyan Journalists, writers and political activists who criticize the authorities or seek to organize peaceful demonstrations risk arrest, torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Fathi el-Jahmi has been detained for more than 5 years after bravely speaking out for political reforms in Libya. He suffers from heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, and his health is reportedly deteriorating.”

Common Cause: Petition: Release the Torture Memos
“Candidate Obama promised an era of unparalleled openness and transparency in Washington. President Obama has a big opportunity to make good on those promises by releasing the so-called Justice Department torture memos. The American people have the right to know what is in these memos. Sign the petition now calling on the White House and the Justice Department to release the Bush torture memos on Thursday.”

DawnWatch: NPR covers battery egg farm cruelty investigation 4/13/09
“The animal advocacy group, Mercy for Animals, recently did an undercover investigation at New England’s largest egg factory farm. You’ll find the details of the investigation and shocking video at www.mercyforanimals.org/maine-eggs. As a result of the investigation, the state police and Maine Department of Agriculture raided the farm on April 1. There was a lot of great local media coverage, the highlights of which you’ll find at www.mercyforanimals.org/maine-eggs/updates.asp. Yesterday, Monday April 11, the story went national as it was covered on the National Public Radio show ‘All Things Considered.’”

Defenders of Wildlife: Help End Aerial Wolf Killing: Urge Your Representative to Co-Sponsor the PAW Act [for select US residents only]
“So far, more than 1,000 wolves have been chased down by gunmen in low-flying aircraft and killed with high-powered rifles. This year alone, at least 232 wolves have been killed putting the 2008/2009 aerial wolf killing season on pace to become the deadliest in years. During the last session of Congress, your U.S. Representative was one of more than 120 principled lawmakers who signed on as a cosponsor of the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act, federal legislation to end the controversial practice of using aircraft and gunmen to chase and kill wolves in Alaska.”

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): Montana: Say NO to Horse Slaughter
“The three horse slaughter plants in the United States were shut down in Illinois and Texas in 2007, and the federal government is likely to pass legislation that would halt the transport of horses for slaughter. Funding for federal inspectors has been halted, so horsemeat cannot legally be shipped across state lines. Congress has voted time and time again to ban horse slaughter and it is only a matter of time before a federal ban is enacted. Despite all of these steps towards banning horse slaughter, the Montana legislature just passed a dangerous bill, H.B. 418, to authorize the creation of investor-owned horse slaughter plants—and would put in place provisions to protect such a slaughter plant from judicial challenge. H.B. 418 is heading to Governor Schweitzer for his signature. We just have one last chance to stop this bill!”

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – KinshipCirclePrimary [at] accessus.net
Date: Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 4:31 PM
Subject: Historic Spay/Neuter Bill Needs Your Voice

FRIENDS OF KINSHIP CIRCLE / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

friendsofkinshipcircle.wordpress.com

* KINSHIP CIRCLE DOES NOT WRITE OR RESEARCH THESE ALERTS.
* CONTACT ALERT WRITERS. PLEASE DO NOT HIT REPLY.

=========================

California: Spay/Neuter Bill Needs Your Voice Now

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
Judie Mancuso, President, Social Compassion In Legislation (SCIL)

20 A 501(c)(4) non-profit – reducing pet overpopulation through legislation
stc34 [at] aol.com * www.SocialCompassionInLegislation.org

**ATTACHED ALERT CONTAINS DIRECT LINKS TO SAMPLE LETTER + CONTACT INFO**

BACKGROUND:

Together, can make California a humane model for the nation. Our first SB 250 hearing is scheduled for April 15, 2009 in the Senate Local Government Committee. We need your letters and support calls as soon as possible. Please consider printing out letters for others to sign, then faxing all the letters to Senator Florez. Thank you so much for your dedication to pets in California and for your desire to help decrease euthanasia in our state. DETAILED INFO ON SB 250: www.YESonSB250.com

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Photo via CowBoyGirlBeth

Regular readers may have noticed that the easyvegan blogroll is much, much shorter than it used to be. Don’t fret, I haven’t deleted anything!

After months of begging, the Mr. finally created for me a customized WP plug-in that selects and displays ten random links in each blogroll category; the display is updated every time you refresh your browser (and/or kill the cache). If you’d like to view all the links in any one category, simply click on that category’s heading – it’s a link now, yo! – and it’ll take you to a dedicated page that displays all the links in that category, in alphabetical order. (None of these are permalinks – not yet, anyhow – as Shane is also working on generating more intuitive URLs for each page.)

With a fixed blogroll display, I no longer have to worry about a bloated, out-of-control sidebar, and can add links till the dogs come home. If you’d like me to add a specific blog, website, organization, etc., drop me a line at easyvegan [at] gmail.com – or in the comments – and I’d be happy to oblige. Similarly, if your link is present in the blogroll, but you think I’ve mis-categorized it, let me know. Reports of broken links are also appreciated, but the Mr.’s next project is to write a script to auto-check for those.

Action Alerts

Barbara Boxer: Endorse My Six Global Warming Principles
“Even though we face extraordinary challenges in economic policy, we cannot forget that we’re also facing the biggest environmental crisis of our time – global warming. We must act swiftly and surely to save our planet for generations to come, and in the process, develop a new “green economy” that will create millions of jobs and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. That’s why I’ve outlined six key principles for a new global warming bill that will move through the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, which I chair. I need your support to pass this critical bill this year. Please join me and endorse my principles now!”

Conservation International: Stop the Clock on Species Extinction
“Check out our gallery below of species that are threatened with extinction. Then add your voice by signing the petition to help us stop species extinction. You can also learn how we set our clock.”

CREDO Action: Tell the Pesticide Peddlers: We support Michelle Obama’s organic garden.
“The Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) has a bone to pick with Michelle Obama. MACA represents chemical companies that produce pesticides, and they are angry that – wait for it – Michelle Obama isn’t using chemicals in her organic garden at the White House. [...] Sign this petition today to tell the board members of MACA (virtually all of them big chemical executives) that we don’t appreciate their telling Michelle Obama (or any of us) to use pesticides in our gardens. We support Michelle Obama’s organic garden, and we’ll thank them to keep their propaganda out of it.”

Farm Sanctuary: Make Earth Day a Little Cooler for Animals
“The connections between factory farming and the environment are conclusive and staggering. With animal agriculture accounting for more dangerous greenhouse gases than the entire transportation sector – making it one of the leading causes of climate change – there is no better time to act than right now. In honor of Earth Day – April 22 – please join us as we educate the public about factory farming’s negative impact on the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil in which our food grows. Whether you have 5 minutes or 5 hours, we need you to help us spread compassion and awareness about these vital issues. First, find out more about how to speak up for farm animals on Earth Day.”

Free Press: We Want More Internet, Not Less
“Just as Americans are suffering economically, Time Warner Cable is trying to squeeze us even further, forcing customers to pay a steep Internet penalty for exceeding an absurdly low monthly limit. This is ridiculous. Instead of meeting growing broadband demand, Time Warner Cable is gouging Internet users. People across the country are rising up in protest. Join them! By signing this letter, you’re telling your representative to step in and demand an investigation of Time Warner Cable’s unfair Internet penalty.”

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Dear MSM:

The pirates who hijacked the Maersk Alabama last week, taking the ship’s captain hostage and demanding ransom for the vessel, its cargo and the captain, are just that – pirates. Call them criminals if you prefer, or armed robbers and kidnappers. International men of mystery. Swashbucklers, if you will.

But terrorists, they aint:

Terrorism is, most simply, policy intended to intimidate or cause terror. It is more commonly understood as an act which (1) is intended to create fear (terror), (2) is perpetrated for an ideological goal (as opposed to a materialistic goal or a lone attack), and (3) deliberately targets (or disregards the safety of) non-combatants. Some definitions also include acts of unlawful violence or unconventional warfare, but at present, there is no internationally agreed upon definition of terrorism.

Emphasis mine, in order to highlight the common conception of the term “terrorist” – think al-Qa’ida, Hamas, Hezbollah (and not the Tofu kind) – armed militant groups, seeking to overthrow the government in order to enforce their own ideology, in part by targeting civilians.

Twist the term as you might

“There are statements in international law that say pirates are the ‘enemies of all mankind,’ and that goes back to the 1600s,” said Linda A. Malone, director of the human rights and national security law program at the William and Mary Law School in Virginia.

“It’s a form of terrorism, but it’s not done for political reasons. It’s done for financial gain, although those lines are starting to blur,” Malone said. “It’s one of the oldest international criminal law offenses.”

- crimes committed solely for financial gain are…well, crimes: murder, theft, kidnapping, etc.

Twist the term enough, and you’ll render it meaningless.

I can see the headlines now: “Sexting Terrorism Paralyzes US Economy.” Mike Galanos will have a field day with that story.

Hugs,

A band of merry heathen veg*n pirate/terra-ists.

P.S. For more, see: Best, Steven and Anthony J. Nocella II, eds. 2004. Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?: Reflections on the Liberation of Animals. New York: Lantern Books.

Don’t worry, I’m sure y’all can write it off as a business expense, given how you toss the term around with abandon.

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That is all.

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What I most love about these tea party protests – aside from their being an unintentional comedy goldmine – is that much of their support comes from the right wing: Republicans and conservatives, including Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, Sean Hannity (all of Faux News, really), Alan Keyes, and Missouri’s own Peter Kinder. The same group of people who are quick to label acts of theft and property destruction acts of eco- or animal rights- terrorism are – wait for it – emulating an old-school protest which would most certainly qualify as an act of terror under their definition of the term.

And then we have Chuck Norris, right wing godbag extraordinaire, advocating an armed revolution against President Obama on World Net Daily.

Oh, the irony, it burns.

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Action Alerts

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): It’s Time to Learn the Truth
“It’s been six years since the first reports of detainee abuse and nearly five years since Abu Ghraib. Yet the Justice Department has failed to prosecute any civilians for crimes related to interrogation, except a single contractor in June 2004. With mounting evidence of deliberate and widespread use of torture and abuse, we deserve to have the assurance that torture will stop and never happen again. Stand with the ACLU. Ask Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate the interrogation of detainees in the war on terror.”

Center for Biological Diversity: Taking Action to Help Border Species
“Border-wall construction has proceeded rapidly, especially as of late, and continues to threaten public lands and federally protected wildlife, from the magnificent jaguar to the tiny cactus ferruginous pygmy owl. To make matters worse, this construction has occurred outside of the rule of law. In 2005, the REAL ID Act gave the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security the authority to waive any law to expedite construction of border walls. Since then, more than 30 landmark laws designed to protect the air, water, wildlife, culture, and health and safety of people in borderland communities have been ignored.”

Center for Biological Diversity: Save Freshwater Turtles in Florida and Beyond
“Please, help the Center for Biological Diversity end all commercial harvest of wild freshwater turtles in Florida and across the South and Midwest by sending a message now. Here’s what’s going on: Harvests and exports of wild turtles have skyrocketed recently. Herpetologists are reporting drastic reductions in turtle numbers across a dozen southern and midwestern states, including Florida, and the disappearance of many species, particularly southern map turtles. These turtles are harvested for the pet trade and domestic and international food markets. And they’re not even a safe food source: Turtles sold as food are often contaminated with mercury, PCBs, and pesticides.”

Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR): Repeal the AUMF for Iraq and Stop Illegal Wars
“March 2009 marked the 6th anniversary of the illegal war and occupation of Iraq, resulting in the occupation, devastation, destruction and the loss of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, American and other human lives. An end to the senseless war and occupation of Iraq is long overdue. As part of its 100 Days campaign, CCR has released “Amend the War Powers Resolution,” a white paper addressing the problem of presidential war-making at its core. The paper provides an overview of executive abuse of war-making power and calls for the restoration of checks and balances. It also calls for a revision of the War Powers Resolution to prohibit all executive acts of war without Congressional authorization and an end to the illegal wars launched by the Bush administration.”

CREDO Action: Tell Obama: Stop blocking court review of illegal wiretapping.
“To the dismay of civil liberties groups, President Obama is using the “state secrets” defense to make the case that the United States government is completely immune from litigation for illegal spying and can never be sued for surveillance that might violate federal privacy statutes. That’s what happened on April 2, when President Obama’s lawyers invoked Bush’s radical theory of executive power to argue for the dismissal of the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s litigation against the National Security Agency for the warrantless wiretapping of countless Americans.”

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Caution: Spoilers ahead! (More specifically, after the blockquote.)

Firstly, I’m extremely happy to report that, as promised by Ms. Dushku, Dollhouse has improved by leaps and bounds since last I blogged about it. Not only have we gotten to know Echo – our hero – a bit better, but more importantly, the show has addressed “the consent issue” head-on.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. For those who haven’t seen the show, here’s a brief summary via Wiki:

Eliza Dushku plays a young woman called Echo, a member of a group of people known as “Actives” or “Dolls”. The Dolls have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas, including memory, muscle memory, skills, and language, for different assignments (referred to as engagements). The new persona is not an original creation, however, but an amalgam of different, existing personalities. The end result incorporates some of the flaws, not just the strengths, of the people used as templates. The Actives are then hired out for particular jobs – crimes, fantasies, and the occasional good deed. On engagements, Actives are monitored internally (and remotely) by Handlers. In between tasks, they are mind-wiped into a child-like state and live in a futuristic dormitory/laboratory, a hidden facility nicknamed “The Dollhouse”. The story follows Echo, who begins, in her mind-wiped state, to become self-aware.

As I noted before, the Dolls’ lack of agency in both their “wiped” and “programmed” states makes it impossible for them to give meaningful consent – for any of their actions, including sexual relations. When a doll “has sex,” she (or he) is actually being raped. Usually the rapist knows full well that he (or she) is “having sex” with a programmable “doll” – so it’s rape with intent. Occasionally, however, the “doll” is sent on a covert/undercover mission – for example, to seduce a certain FBI agent – and sex becomes a tool she (or he) uses to that end. Such cases still constitute rape, but…well, it’s hard to say who the rapist is when the “doll’s” partner believes that the encounter is consensual. The Rossum Corporation, perhaps?

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Some time ago – we’re talking two years plus – I started a series on this blog called “Consuming Women.” My intention was to highlight examples of advertising campaigns in which the consumption of “meat” is likened to the consumption of women, usually by depicting women as obviously edible foodstuffs. My own personal Pornography of Meat, if you will.

Because I’m a scatterbrain and tend to bite off more than I can chew, I never got past post #2 in the series. Which is a shame – but, luckily, one that’s easily remedied!

For now, let’s start simple and return to the series’ roots: woman-as-fish. Classy.

For those who can’t view the image, the ad depicts a woman – a mermaid – lounging seductively on a table in what appears to be a fancy restaurant. Our mermaiden is surrounded by spoons, forks and knives, all of which will presumably be used to murder, dismember and eat her. And did I mention that she’s totally succulent and mouth-watering, in more ways than one?

In addition to reducing both women and fish to consumable commodities, something to be bought, sold and eaten, this ad for The Seafood International Market and Restaurant also draws upon a fairly popular gendered insult, in which women’s lady bits are likened to fish.

To be fair, I should note that the restaurant in question is located in Singapore; perhaps their slang differs in this regard. Would any international readers care to weigh in?

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