Amnesty International: Commend President Obama and Call for Accountability
“Amnesty International commends President Barack Obama’s signing of executive orders on Guantanamo, detention policy, interrogation and transparency, along with his decision to halt military commissions at Guantanamo, as important steps forward in committing the United States government to human rights, international law, the U.S. Constitution, and the values and ideals central to a just, free and secure society. As President Obama said at the signing ceremony, the United States does not have “to continue with a false choice between our safety and our ideals.” Take a moment to commend him for his initial first positive steps and ask him to finish the job he started.”

Center for Biological Diversity: Stop Palin’s Attack On Beluga Whales
“Governor Sarah Palin won’t give wildlife a break. Last week, she announced the state of Alaska will sue to strike down Endangered Species Act protection for the imperiled Cook Inlet beluga whale. This rare white whale’s population has already plummeted from thousands to just 375 in the last two decades. They will certainly go extinct if Palin has her way. Our lawyers and scientists are already in court to block Palin’s anti-polar bear actions, and we’ll soon jump in to save the beluga from her reckless campaign to promote oil & gas interests. But we also need to build a groundswell of public support. Please help us now to protect beluga whales by sending a letter asking the Obama administration to oppose Palin’s lawsuit.”

Environmental Defense: Cap Global Warming Pollution Now
“President Obama says that our environmental and economic renewal “starts with a cap and trade” system to deal with global warming. But he needs the support of Congress to achieve this historic goal this year. Take action to deliver this message to your members of Congress.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Urge Crayola to Stop Using Glue Traps Immediately!
“PETA has received several complaints that Crayola Facilities is using glue traps to catch and kill rodents in its corporate offices. Reportedly, glue traps are currently set out in the entryways and storage areas at its Palmer branch. Even though we have made repeated attempts to contact Crayola, LLC, asking it to remove set traps and choose humane rodent-control methods, the company has yet to respond to our requests.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): URGENT: Pit Bull Returned to Alleged Dogfighter: Your Voice Is Needed!
“Setting an unthinkable precedent, the Madison County, Georgia, Animal Control Board recently returned a pit bull to Johnny Stewart Johnson, the man from whom the dog was legally seized. According to news reports, the returned dog was one of seven pit bulls seized in a raid in July 2008 from Johnson’s Shakedown Kennels, where the animals were found tethered by heavy chains at the property, which also housed a treadmill, supplies commonly used by dogfighters to “patch up” torn up victims, and other evidence of this gruesome and illegal activity. Sources report that the seized dogs were underweight and scarred when they were found chained to barren barrels without adequate food or water—typical of the harsh and bleak conditions endured by dogs bred and kept to be tortured in staged pit fights. Johnson is facing multiple felony counts of dogfighting.”

PETA India: Tell British Officials to Stop Supporting Canadian Bear Slaughter
“PETA Europe is calling on Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to stop using real bear pelts to make headpieces for the Five Guards’ Regiments. Bears are cruelly killed for their hides. They are either shot during hunts or ensnared – sometimes for days – in traps before hunters finally come along and shoot them. Bears aren’t crops to be “harvested”. They are individuals who live in families and feel pain and terror when they are hunted down and fired upon and when they are injured and dying. There is no excuse for killing these magnificent animals and no excuse for profiting from their suffering. Because the MoD is willing to pay for bearskin caps, bears are being slaughtered.”

United Farm Workers (UFW): Company agrees to settlement & then refused to pay. You can help.
“In June 2006, three courageous Bakersfield grape workers spoke up for their rights and were fired. Why? These workers were “laid off” after they had complained about a lack of protective equipment and mistreatment by a supervisor. [...] Last October 25, the workers’ legal rights were affirmed when they won a negotiated back pay settlement of $50,000. They looked forward to finally being able to pay bills. However the company decided not to play by the rules. Despite Kirschenmann Farms’ lawyers promising the agreed settlement would be paid, nothing has happened.”

Update, 1/25/09: FYI, in the comments, Katie Kirschenmann writes: “Kirschenmann Farms is not the farm involved in the lawsuit listed in the post above. [...] The UFW acted in error when citing Kirschenmann Farms in their call to action. This is incorrect information.” Further, this action alert is no longer available on UFW’s website.

The Veg Blog: zpizza considering new vegan cheese
“Turns out that they’re actively testing a number of vegan cheese options, including a certain brand from Chicago. This would be a huge win for pizza-loving vegans everywhere, so drop them a line and let them know that you’d love to see them start offering a vegan cheese option, particularly if there’s a zpizza in your area.”

Contests

Humane Society for the United States (HSUS): Enter Your Pet in the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest!
“To support Spay Day, The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International host the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest – a great opportunity to celebrate our pets, raise funds for spaying and neutering, and win great prizes! Entering the contest is easy and free – simply upload a digital photo of your pet and tell us a little about him or her. Ready to get started?Contest deadline is Friday, February 27.”

The PETA Files: Daniela Sea Wants You to Go Veg and Win ‘L Word’ Loot
“Now back to that itch … All you’ve got to do to get your hot little hands on this primo prize is focus on another “L” word we all like: “lunch.” Just send us a comment telling us about your favorite vegetarian lunch by February 1, 2009, and you could be the lucky duck to walk away with a season of The L Word.”

PETA2: Free Stuff Friday: Fanciful Fox Cruelty-Free Products!
“Take Amanda Fox, a sixteen-year-old from Pennsylvania, for example. She and her mom, Kathie, started a completely vegan, cruelty-free, fair-trade shop called the Fanciful Fox in Scranton, PA. Check out the pictures of the awesome goodies you can win from the Fanciful Fox and get inspired by what Amanda has to say, then find out how you can enter to win below! [...] This contest ends February 6, 2009, and the winner will be chosen and notified by February 13, 2009!”

Newsletters

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA): eNews, January 23, 2009
“Tough Puppy Mill Bill Kicks Off 2009 Campaign”

Best Friends: eNews, January 22, 2009
“Transitions”

Petitions

Urge Dunkin’ Donuts to switch from using Styrofoam

Upcoming Events

World Day for Meat Abolition, January 31, 2008
“World Day for the Abolition of Meat is intended as a means of promoting the idea of abolishing the murder of animals for meat. Worldwide six million sentient beings are killed for their meat every hour! That figure doesn’t even count the fish and other sea animals, which of course are included in the demand for the abolition of meat. Meat consumption causes more suffering and death than any other human activity and is completely unnecessary.”

Dogs Deserve Better (DDB): Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week, February 7-14, 2009
“Join us February 7-14th for Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week. OUR GOAL in our 7th Season is to SEND OUT 12,500 VALENTINES TO CHAINED or PENNED DOGS. We are striving to raise awareness for chained and penned dogs in a positive way…by delivering Valentines, a brochure and a treat coupon to dogs living outside all over the U.S. and into other countries where we have representation, such as Canada and Australia. Here’s what you can do: 1) Make Valentines; 2) Mail Coupons for Free or Reduced Cost Treats or Dogfood; 3. Send addresses for Chained or Penned Dogs.”

Animal Aid: End Primate Experiments – Day of Action, Saturday, February 28, 2009
“After 20 years, the EU law that governs animal testing across Europe and the UK is being revised. European Directive 86/609 EEC, which applies to animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes, is the legal template on which all EU member states base their national laws. In the UK, the relevant law is the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.Sadly, this Directive does not include an independent enquiry into the scientific reliability of animal experiments, nor does it offer a total ban – something to which Animal Aid is committed unequivocally.”

Your Daily Click-Through Reminders

About

The easyVegan Link Sanctuary is a near-daily roundup of animal and environmental advocacy action alerts, campaign updates, carnivals, contests, newsletters, petitions, upcoming events and miscellaneous resources.

While my primary focus is non-human animals and the environment in which they live, I will cover human rights issues as well, especially as they relate to animal and environmental welfare. (For example, while reproductive rights is typically seen as a feminist or women’s issue, the growing global human population does have environmental consequences. In this vein, access to family planning resources has a tangible impact on the environment – an environment we share with non-human animals.)

This link roundup is meant as a jumping-off point for you, the reader, to take further action and learn more about the issues presented here. I link, you decide!

If you have a link you’d like included, please drop me a line at easyvegan [at] gmail.com – or leave it in the comments! Feedback is also appreciated, particularly as it relates to the links included above. I’ve tried my best to identify and name any speciesism, sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, sizeism, etc. which may appear in the resources above; if, however, I’ve overlooked something, please leave a note in the comments. It’s not my desire to fight one form of oppression by engaging in another.

If you’d like to get on the above organizations’ e-mail lists, I’ve compiled a full list of all my resources on the Get Active! page.

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Tagged: links quick links link dump link roundup link love link sanctuary easyvegan link sanctuary animals animal rights animal welfare wildlife conservation pet companion animal dog canine cat feline livestock farmed animals animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist nature politics government news in the news action alerts activism get active petitions the petition site care2 click through sites click to help click to donate green animal advocacy animal activism newsletters carnivals contests campaign updates updates press release the animal rescue site the rainforest site the ecology fund free rice good search armchair activism take action tree hugger meat climate change food events upcoming events

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: DawnWatch – news [at] dawnwatch.com
Date: Tue, Apr 1, 2008 at 1:28 AM
Subject: DawnWatch: Animal slaughter art exhibit closes under peaceful protest, then threats — SF Chronicle 3/30/08

Last week, a San Francisco art exhibition that included animal cruelty was in the news. This Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle, March 30, included a lead article (by Ilana DeBare, pg B1) headed, “Art Institute halts exhibition showing killing of animals; Workers threatened; video unclear about why deaths filmed.”

The article opens:

“Citing threats of violence by animal rights activists, the San Francisco Art Institute said Saturday that it is canceling a controversial exhibition that included video clips of animals being bludgeoned to death, as well as a public forum it had scheduled to address the controversy.

“”We’ve gotten dozens of threatening phone calls that targeted specific staff people with death threats, threats of violence and threats of sexual assaults,’ said Art Institute President Chris Bratton. ‘We remain committed to freedom of speech as fundamental to this institution, but we have to take people’s safety very seriously.’

“The exhibit that sparked the controversy was a one-person show by Paris artist Adel Abdessemed called ‘Don’t Trust Me,’ which opened March 19.

“Along with a variety of other elements, the show included a series of video loops of animals being bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer in front of a brick wall. The animals killed included a pig, goat, deer, ox, horse and sheep.”

While the headline and opening lines of the article suggest that the exhibition was removed only because of threats of violence, further on we read:

“Abdessemed’s show, one of about a dozen public exhibitions that the 650-student school hosts each year, had opened fairly quietly. But as word spread among animal rights groups, more than 8,000 people sent e-mails to the institute slamming the show. Institute officials temporarily closed the show Wednesday and scheduled a public forum for Monday.

“But then the tone of some of the e-mails turned violent, Bratton said, with threats against individual staff members, such as, ‘We’re going to gather up your children and bludgeon their heads.’ Officials decided to shutter the exhibition permanently, the first time in the institute’s 137-year history that a show was closed for safety reasons. They also canceled the forum.

“”Some of the people who said the most threatening things said they would be present at the forum,’ Bratton said.”

Because I am choosing to send this article out to animal advocates, headlined and opening as it is, and thereby at first seeming to suggest that the threats of violence were successful, I feel I should comment further. I am disappointed that after the efforts of 8,000 people, leading to a temporary closure and a forum, threats made by a few shut down all discussion. Yes, the immediate effect, the closing of the exhibition, was the same. But in my chapter on activism in “Thanking the Monkey” I cite studies (done on humans!) which show that people forced into a choice will choose otherwise at the first safe opportunity, while those believing they made the choice of their own free will tend to stand by that choice. That is something we intuitively understand: we have all seen it in the sexist sitcoms where the wife whispers to her friend “I got him to agree by making him think it was his idea.” And now well documented, it is an important phenomenon for us to keep in mind as we work to not only win a few battles, but to make monumental shifts in the way society treats other species.

I couldn’t help but contrast the threats made against the art gallery employees, with a quote from Captain Paul Watson made last week. If you are not familiar with the work of Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd, check out www.SeaShepherd.org — or a fun place to learn about them is in a thrilling article from last year’s National Geographic, which you will find on line here.

Watson and his crew risk their lives as they interfere with whalers and sealers. Watson was recently shot in the chest by a whaler, and sealers have physically attacked his crew. Yet when a hunting vessel sank in Canada last week, killing four sealers, Watson slammed the hypocritical regulations of the government that allows sealers to hunt in wooden boats, but he also publicly commented:

“We will of course rescue any sealers should they require help. The Sea Shepherd crew is motivated by both mercy and compassion and a respect for all life – including the lives of those who inflict pain, suffering and death upon the most innocent of animals – the seal pups.” (See the article here.)

The attitude reflected in that comment helps maintain the public image of the Sea Shepherd crew as heroes, avoiding the terrorist label the sealing and whaling industries would prefer. It adds to the strength of the anti sealing campaign, which looks like it will soon come to fruition as the European Union moves towards banning Canadian seal products.

I send a thank you to all of those engaged in strong yet peaceful activism — the heroes on the high seas and ice floes, or rescuing animals from horrendous conditions — and to the thousands at computers, sending notes that bring a museum to shut its doors and hold a forum. Forums change thinking. And as nothing influences thinking in the modern world as powerfully as the media, I thank all those who engage in constant peaceful communication with the media. The effect of your efforts over the last few years has been enormous.

We have an opportunity to hold that cancelled forum in San Francisco on the Chronicle’s editorial page. You can read the article cited above here.

And you can sent your thoughts on animal slaughter as art, in a letter to the editor, at letters [at] sfchronicle.com.

The Chronicle notes, “Please limit your letters to 200 or fewer words … shorter letters have a better chance of being selected for publication.”

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. And please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters. Editors are looking for original responses from their readers.

Yours and the animals’,
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited — leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read advance reviews of Karen Dawn’s new book, “Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals” and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.

To discontinue DawnWatch alerts go to www.DawnWatch.com/nothanks.php

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts ida in defense of animals art San Francisco Art Institute art exhibit Don’t Trust Me San Francisco California Adel Abdessemed animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals Walter and McBean Galleries Walter and McBean Gallery does gat horse cat feline ox pig sheep flickr photos dawnwatch protest peace peaceful protest San Francisco Chronicle Captain Paul Watson Sea Shepherd terrorism war on terra war on terror civil liberties news in the news update

It’s Christmas morning. Before I shut down my computer until January 3, 2008, I will enjoy fulfilling what has become a DawnWatch tradition — a scan of the media stories of the year. Because I feel so blessed to do this work, Christmas morning seems the most perfect time to sum up a year of it.

For dogs, 2007 was the year of “fake fur” coats made from real dog fur, of the Menu pet food crisis, of celebrity pet store blunders, and the year of Michael Vick.

In February the Humane Society released a report telling us it had tested garments being sold at popular outlets and had found many garments labeled faux but containing real fur. Also, fur labeled as raccoon was sometimes from wild dog, or domestic dog, including a German shepherd-collie mix. The story got widespread media play, even in People magazine. While animal advocates may dislike the suggestion that dog fur coats are more repugnant than others, the dog angle got the media. The widespread coverage reminded the public that all fur coats were once live sentient animals.

On March 16, Menu Foods announced a recall of 91 pet food products sold under some of the country’s best known brands. Early coverage reported 10-15 cats and dogs dying after eating canned and pouched foods. Sadly, that number was widely repeated by the media even when it became clear that it only included the cats and dogs who died in Menu’s test lab — not the true number of animals, which is estimated to be in the thousands. A superb piece published on the San Francisco Gate website, by Christie Keith, told us “Nearly one month passed from the date Menu got its first report of a death to the date it issued the recall. During that time, no veterinarians were warned to be on the lookout for unusual numbers of kidney failure in their patients. No pet owners were warned to watch their pets for its symptoms. And thousands and thousands of pet owners kept buying those foods and giving them to their dogs and cats.” We have since learned, from the Toronto Globe and Mail, that the chief financial officer of Menu Foods Income Fund sold nearly half his units in the pet food maker less than three weeks before the massive recall. He called the timing a “horrible coincidence.”

This year the media occasionally featured Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Falling into that focus were their purchases of puppies from a Bel Air pet store. For years, with limited success, animal folks have been trying to get the media to cover the horror of the puppy mills that supply pet stores. The Britney and Paris hook did the trick. The story gained momentum throughout the year, with Entertainment Tonight, in October, airing a puppy mill segment recorded for PETA by Charlize Theron some years ago. On the Saturday before Christmas, the biggest puppy buying day of the year, actorvist Carole Davis led others such as Law and Order’s Richard Belzer and comedian Carol Leifer, in a protest outside the usually celebrity stocked pet store, and closed it down for the day. The protest got some great media, and you can watch the fun original video covering the event at www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyZdkCi-JzQ

In 2007, the hideous practice of dog fighting finally got massive media attention when Michael Vick was arrested for it. There were reports that he was involved in many dog deaths including the electrocution of a dog after she lost a fight. After failing polygraph tests while denying he killed dogs, Vick finally admitted to hanging a dog and eventually owned up to another dog killing. He was sentenced, in December, to twenty-three months in prison. The dogs taken live from his property have been retired to the Best Friends sanctuary. For a short time there was so much media ,Vick seemed to be the new Britney.

The scandal inspired a storyline on the hit drama series CSI, detailing the cruelties of dog fighting. It aired December 13 under the title “Lying Down With Dogs.”

That brings us to the remarkable coverage this year of animal issues on mainstream television, in hit drama and comedy series:

In January, on the popular show “Veronica Mars,” Veronica was hired to investigate the disappearance of a monkey stolen from the campus lab. We learn that while the animal rights kids were suspected, the monkey, Oscar, was actually taken by a science student who couldn’t bear the thought of the monkey being euthanized, which was Oscar’s fate at the lab. Thus millions of American teenagers learned the fates of monkeys who die in laboratories for trivial purposes. Of course, Veronica decided not to turn in the science student for his act of compassion.

Also in January, ABC’s Boston Legal took a look at animal testing. Bethany defended Matthew, accused of harassing a woman named Bella who owned a cosmetic company that tested its products on animals. Matthew’s organization had been protesting outside the business and saying it kills and tortures animals. When Bethany cross examined Bella, she said: “The truth is, you do kill and torture animals, do you not?…Your company uses rabbits….You lock them in stocks so that just their heads stick out. You clip their eyelids open and poor chemicals into their eyes while they are left there for two weeks to experience ulceration, bleeding, and massive iris deterioration. Do you not subject these animals to excruciating pain?…Sometimes the rabbits break their own necks trying to escape.”

Later in the year, in December, David Kelly and Boston Legal took on meat and the environment. In one episode, the head of an environmental organization was distressed to see massive energy waste at the law firm’s offices. He sued, claiming that the firm had misrepresented itself as green. Cross examining the head of the green group, the lawyer asked if he eats meat, and explained, “I only ask because studies show eating meat contributes more to greenhouse gases than driving a car. Denny says you two often have rib-eye together. Is that true?” When the defendant said he didn’t believe eating meat is worse for the environment than driving a car, the lawyer responded, “It is. Contaminated runoff from slaughterhouses is a major source of water pollution. Livestock itself contributes 18% of greenhouse gases just from, pardon me, farting. That’s more than all the planes, trains and automobiles put together.”

Boston Legal takes its storylines from current affairs. How wonderful that this year both animal testing and the impact of meat diets on the planet were current affairs deemed important and topical.

Even on comedy shows, serious animal issues were tackled. In April, on The King of Queens, Doug found a live chicken for whom he developed affection. He and the audience were treated by his neighbor to a film about slaughterhouses. Doug went veggie. By the end of the episode he could no longer withstand the onslaught of the fast food advertising campaigns; he gorged on burgers. But the issue was portrayed in such a way that Doug’s lack of will power, while funny, was also sad. In fact the topic of animals and meat was handled with surprising sensitivity throughout the episode.

The boys on HBO’s Entourage rescued a racehorse who was bound for “the glue factory,” reminding viewers of the fate of the losers.

And even reality TV got into the act. On Fox’s “The Two Coreys,” one Corey supported PETA and invited a PETA representative over to show slaughterhouse footage to the other.

HBO, known for its superb documentaries, this year aired “I am an Animal,” about Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA. If you missed it, you can get it “On Demand” or on Netflix. It is a fascinating documentary, which includes animal cruelty information everybody should know – and which, thanks to HBO, quite a few people now do know.

The Wall Street Journal covered Smithfield’s announcement that it will phase out sow gestation crates. Those are individual cages in which sows spend much of their lives. They are too small for the animals to turn around or lie down in with legs outstretched. The phase-out will be over ten or twenty years, so we continue to push for bans. This year Oregon became the first state to pass a legislative ban on the crates. In 2008 we hope to make California the third state to do so by ballot initiative. The initiative will include bans on restrictive cages for calves raised for veal, and for laying hens.

Even Wolfgang Puck went welfare, announcing early this year that he would no longer sell foie gras, and that he would introduce animal welfare standards for the meat prepared in his food empire. He also vowed to introduce more vegetarian dishes.

Last year there was much news about elephants; this year some of it turned good. Los Angeles’s Ruby was retired to the PAWS sanctuary in Northern California. And Maggie, the lone elephant in Africa for years, has just joined her. The Alaskan zoo finally agreed to let Maggie go after she collapsed in her barn twice in a week, unable to stand without the help of local firefighters. We thought we were going to lose her but she is now safe at the sanctuary.

While we continue to spread the word about the animal cruelty of circuses, unfortunately the widely watched Bachelor took a group date to one this year. But we see other signs of light. Last weekend, as Ringling arrived in Florida, the Palm Beach Post published a searing indictment by Florida radio host Duncan Strauss. You can read it at tinyurl.com/ywpr44

The Bachelor also swam with dolphins. The UK Independent did a piece in January focusing on the link between dolphin slaughter and the use of live dolphins for human entertainment — such as in swim with dolphins programs. It told us that thousands of dolphins are chased and killed, with a few of the best specimens being sold live to the highest bidders, for tens of thousands of dollars each. Only a celebrity ensures coverage in America, and this year, during Japan’s annual dolphin slaughter in November, the dolphins got Hayden Panettiere, the young star of Heroes. She accompanied Ric O’Barry to the Taiji killing beach. The media went mad. Shows such as “E” and “The Insider” covered the story. Even though they needed the celebrity hook, the coverage was not fluff. The Insider included horrifying footage and pointed viewers to www.savejapandolphins.org/ to get involved and try to help bring the annual slaughter to an end.

Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd’s work for the whales was featured in a lengthy New Yorker story, and in an interview on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show with the author of Whale Warriors.

Efforts to ban horse slaughter remained in the news through 2007. We learned from a Houston Chronicle front page story that the closure of US slaughterhouses has led to mass trucking of unwanted horses on long journeys to Mexico for slaughter – in facilities where no humane laws apply. The American Horse Slaughter Prevent Act, which would ban not only US horse slaughter but also the transport of horses to slaughter elsewhere, is now needed more that ever. At community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2007_horse_slaughter3 you can send letters to your legislators urging their support.
Animal issues also got indirect but important coverage this year as those who refuse to eat or wear animals hit the trendy mainstream. 2007 was the year of Vegan Chic. We saw Today Show coverage of Vegan accessories, a piece in The Boston Globe on a professional image consultant whose specialty is vegan fashion, an article in Forbes magazine on a high-end vegan shoe-designer, and leading papers publishing articles such as “Style goes vegan.”

The New York Times Dining Section featured vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz on its cover, in an article titled, “Strict Vegan Ethics, Frosted With Hedonism.” Newsweek broached marriages between vegans and omnivores. And, astounding to many of us, this year Gourmet Magazine announced that it would start running regular vegetarian features, and editor Ruth Reichl wrote “how much more food there would be if we all ate vegetables instead of feeding the plants to the animals and eating their meat.” She also wrote, “It is becoming increasingly clear that we ought to change our ways. We live in a society that consumes more meat than any other group in history. There are currently more than three billion domesticated cattle, sheep and goats in the world – and that number does not include the 100 million pigs or the 9 billion chickens that we consume every year in this country alone. Livestock grazing and feed production now use 30 percent of the surface of the planet, and that takesa toll on the environment. Eating so much meat takes a toll on us as well: Most health professionals agree that we would be better off if we consumed less meat and more vegetables.”

The same magazine, in June, covered chicken slaughter, sharing gruesome details of standard practices. Gourmet!

Veganism’s move to the mainstream got a push from Skinny Bitch, a vegan diet book that sold well from the start, but which hit the number one spot on the New York Times best seller list after Victoria Beckham was spotted with a copy. 850, 000 copies are now in print!

Vegan fighter Mac Danzig won Spike TV’s “Ultimate Fighter” championship.

And the New York Times Magazine section’s “7th Annual Year in Ideas” included “Vegansexuality,” the term for those who seek intimate partners who share their compassionate lifestyle.

Perhaps vegetarianism saw its hottest mainstream spike when vegan actress Alicia Silverstone promoted vegetarianism in an advertising campaign – naked. If you missed the spot you can still see it at www.peta.org/feat/alicia_psa/index.asp. And check out Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue from his September 20 show. It includes a spoof on the ad that is well worth watching. The monologue is on line at www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYOVELcTnu4 and you can skip to 7:50 to watch the Alicia segment.

This year, at Thanksgiving, there were so many articles on vegetarian feasts that DawnWatch couldn’t possibly cover them all. I had to “settle” for the New York Times Thanksgiving Day front page article on turkey rescue!

Activists taking the animal protection message into faith based communities made news with a lead article in The Los Angeles Times. The article noted the work of Best Friends, and of the new “animals and religion” program at HSUS, and of Bruce Friedrich from PETA. The Los Angeles Times also covered PETA’s undercover investigation of a hen farm run by a Trappist Monastery in South Carolina. We learned that the monks were raising the hens under standard industry conditions, and learned the cruelty of those conditions. Just before Christmas the monastery announced that it will halt its egg farming business.

Also late this year, Foxnews.com published two groundbreaking pieces about shocking cruelty at a pig slaughterhouse – just in time for the Christmas ham season.

We wish Gretchen Wyler had been alive to see them – and all of this years’ amazing coverage. In May we lost the Golden Age Broadway star who founded the Genesis Awards, an award show as glamorous as she was, which honors animal friendly media. We will miss her but know that her legacy, the Genesis Awards, is stronger than ever. What a media selection there will be to choose from this year!

I have been working on DawnWatch for eight years. Every year, as I look back and see the immense increase in the amount and depth of coverage of animal issues I get a little weepy. We are getting somewhere. I thank all of you who care. This year I particularly thank the many of you who made my job easier and helped out everybody, by sending me media tips and links when I could not find the time to dig them up. Many of you know I have spent most of the year writing and putting together a book. It is called “Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals,” and will be published by Harper Collins in March. I so look forward to readings and to meeting some of the thousands of wonderful activists behind the email addresses I see on my screen. Your care and commitment is changing the world.

Wishing us all joyous holidays that renew our strength for the compassionate campaigns of 2008,

Yours and the animals’,
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited — leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

To discontinue DawnWatch alerts go to www.DawnWatch.com/nothanks.php

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts dawnwatch news in the news pet companion animal dog canine cat feline dog fur cat fur faux fur fur trim fur free michael vick dogfighting animal fighting blood sports menu foods pet food dog food cat food recall Humane Society hsus humane society of the united states Britney Spears Paris Hilton puppy mills Charlize Theron peta people for the ethical treatment of animals Richard Belzer Carol Leifer Carole Davis Veronica Mars CSI Boston Legal meat factory farming animal research animal testing animal experimentation vivisection The King of Queens vegetarian Entourage horse racing The Two Coreys HBO I am an Animal Ingrid Newkirk Smithfield Smithfield Foods Wolfgang Puck foie gras ducks duck liver elephants captive elephants zoo circus amusement park The Bachelor dolphins Hayden Panettiere Heroes Paul Watson Sea Shepherd wildlife conservation horses horse slaughter horse meat Isa Chandra Moskowitz vegetarianism vegan veganism ultimate fighter Mac Danzig Vegansexuality turkey chickens Gretchen Wyler msm mainstream media medianimals animal liberation activism

On CBS’s “60 Minutes” Sunday, November 4:

Ivory War
Correspondent Scott Pelley goes to Africa to see firsthand the endangered elephant herds and confront the careless poachers who slaughter them for their ivory tusks.

You can go to www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml and hit Watch video under the “Ivory Wars” heading for a 30 second preview.

If you miss the show, or if you are not in the US, you should be able to watch it this week on that site.

Positive feedback for animal friendly coverage encourages more of it, so please be sure to thank 60 Minutes for covering this issue. The show takes feedback at: 60m [at] cbsnews.com

I send thanks to Amy Mayers for making sure we knew about the upcoming segment.

Yours and the animals’,
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited — leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

To discontinue DawnWatch alerts go to www.DawnWatch.com/nothanks.php

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts dawnwatch 60 minutes elephants ivory ivory trade conservation wildlife poaching news in the news

DawnWatch: Animal Testing — Three famous deaths and a ray of hope 9/12/07
Alex the parrot, Felix the monkey, and Anita Roddick the Body Shop founder who pioneered the mass marketing of animal friendly cosmetics, have died.

Defenders of Wildlife: Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — Forever
Write your elected officials today and urge them to support the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act (H.R. 39), a bill that would permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Protect Yellowstone and the Greater Rockies
Help block drilling in Colorado wildlife refuge

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Dozens of Allegedly Neglected Dogs in Meigs County, Tennessee, Need Your Voice!
PETA has received allegations of serious neglect of numerous dogs at 1627A Sam Davis Rd. in Decatur, Tennessee.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Tell University of Illinois to Stop Cruel Dog Lab!
Please urge the university to shut down the dog lab and mandate the adoption of FIDO immediately.

Newsletters

Best Friends Animal Society: eNewsletter: September 12, 2007
Events — Here, there, everywhere!

Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC): Dissent is Patriotic: September 2007, Vol. 6, No. 7
Role for Grassroots as Era of Gonzales and Talon Ends; Legislation; Grassroot News; and more!

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Weekly eNews: September 13, 2007
PETA E-News: Enter PETA Contests to Win Cruelty-Free Gifts

United Animal Nations (UAN): eJournal, VOL. 3, NO. 8 – September 2007
September e-Journal :: Take our disaster preparedness poll

Vegan Outreach: eNewsletter: September 12, 2007
Notes from Vegan Outreach

VegCooking.com: Recipe of the Week: September 12, 2007
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo alla Carbonara (Now that’s what I call Vegan YumYum!)

Petitions

Urge the Bahamas Government to Ban the Catching and Killing of Endangered Sea Turtles!

Save Chapultepec’s Dogs

Australian Cavy Sanctuary – small animals matter to me!

Oppose the destructive practice of mountaintop removal mining

Free Rainforest Researcher Marc van Roosmalen

RESCUE ACTIVITIES FOR WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY and in COSTUDY AND GUARD IN DIVERLAND, AN AMUSEMENT

Street Begging Elephants

Your Daily Click-Through Reminders

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist green nature action alerts activism link dump link roundup link farm link sanctuary click through sites click to donate care2 the animal rescue site the rainforest site VegCooking.com news in the news newsletters vegan veganism vegetarian vegetarianism recipes peta people for the ethical treatment of animals Natural Resources Defense Council nrdc drilling yellowstone biodiversity wildlife conservation rockies colorado oil gas energy Bill of Rights Defense Committee bordc civil liberties Defenders of Wildlife polar bears Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act petitions the petition site mountaintop removal mining mining vegan outreach Best Friends Animal Society Best Friends dawnwatch animal research animal testing animal experimentation vivisection United Animal Nations uan animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals Decatur Tennessee Meigs County dog canine pet companion animal dog lab University of Illinois sea turtles Chapultepec Mexico Australian Cavy Sanctuary Marc van Roosmalen Margarita Island dolphins elephants

Center for Biological Diversity: Save Panama Biosphere Reserve From Dams
Please join the growing international movement to protect this ecological jewel and voice your opposition to the proposed Hydroelectric Projects.

DawnWatch: UK media on meat and global warming 9/9/07
“Activists take Gore to task on his diet”

Defenders of Wildlife: Protect Utah Prairie Dogs and Other Wildlife
Fill out the form below to urge your Representative and Senators to support the Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2007 (H.R. 1422 and S. 700), important legislation that would help private landowners protect Utah prairie dogs and other imperiled wildlife that live on their property.

Earthjustice: Say No to the Blowing Up of Appalachia
Tell the administration to stop trying to diminish the buffer zone rule and start enforcing it!

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Tell the U.S. Navy to Stop Killing Whales!
Ear-splitting military sonar is needlessly killing whales and other marine mammals throughout the world’s oceans. Yet the Navy has refused to put effective safeguards in place during testing and training.

The Ocean Conservancy: Take Action Tell NMFS two wrongs don’t make a right whale safe
Tell NMFS to listen to the science and protect endangered whales from entanglement.

The Sierra Club: Tell Congress to Pass Sound Energy Policy This Fall!
Urge your Representative and Senators to pass sound energy legislation this fall!

Campaign Updates, Press Releases, etc.

United Poultry Concerns (UPC) Urges Money – Not Chickens – for Kapparot Ceremonies
United Poultry Concerns (UPC) is urging rabbis and other members of the Jewish community who perform the kapparot ceremony between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to use money instead of chickens. This year kapparot is scheduled for the week between Monday, September 17 and Friday, September 21.

Carnivals

Vegetarian Carnival #7 (September 10, 2007 @ Activist Mommy)

Newsletters

Hugs for Puppies: eNews & Action Alerts: September 10, 2007
Great News: More Restaurants Go Foie Gras Free! & more

The Sierra Club: Club Currents: Volume VI, #80: September 11, 2007
Sierra Club Currents — Study Shows Pollution Prevention is Economic Plus

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary: September 2007 Newsletter
Animal Rescue Alert; Slaughterhouse Escapee Battles For His Health

Petitions

Hold the Antibiotics!

To the NFL: Help Pitt Bulls while Punishing Michael Vick!

“Yes!” to Stronger Dog-Breeder Kennel Regulations

Good News for Whales: Thank Iceland for Doing the Right Thing!

Protect Ancient Trees and Spotted Owls!

Support a Plastic Bag Ban in Los Angeles County

Reduce Pesticides on the IUB Campus [for residents in the Indiana University - Bloomington area]

Nuclear Free Alberta

Your Daily Click-Through Reminders

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist green nature action alerts activism link dump link roundup link farm link sanctuary click through sites click to donate care2 the animal rescue site the rainforest site Center for Biological Diversity biodiversity wildlife conservation Panama Hidroecologica del Teribe hydroelectric dams Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary woodstock news in the news newsletter Natural Resources Defense Council nrdc Navy sonar whales Defenders of Wildlife Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2007 endangered species prairie dogs utah private land dawnwatch al gore meat global warming climate change diet United Poultry Concerns UPC religion kapparot chickens poultry Earthjustice Appalachian mountain Appalachia clean water pollution buffer zone Clean Water Act coal Ocean Conservancy NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service fishing entanglement large whales Marine Mammal Protection Act mmpa sierra club club currents energy energy bill congress Udall-Platts RES hugs for puppies petitions the petition site iceland whale meat whale hunt whale slaughter michael vick dog canine pet companion animal animal fighting dogfighting blood sports nfl national football league pitt bulls breeding overpopulation puppy mills trees spotted owls logging plastic bags la los angeles los angeles county pesticides Indiana University alberta canada nuclear power plants tyson antibiotics bird flu avian influenza factory farming factory farms carnivals vegetarian vegetarianism vegan veganism

Aasian karhutarhaus: HELP RESCUE CAGED MOON BEARS
Please sign this petition to be sent to the Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean Governments

DawnWatch: NY Times Magazine on pet food animal testing 9/2/07
“They Eat What We Are”

DawnWatch: Solomon Islands lifts dolphin export ban — International Herald Tribune 9/2/07
“Plan to export dolphins raising activists’ anger; Solomon Islands has little else to sell”

Environmental Defense (ED): Take Action to Support Transportation Solutions
You can earn “transformation points” for your state while helping decrease your pollution and carbon emissions by taking our Transportation Solutions and Personal Action Pledges.

National Wildlife Federation (NWF): Protect Orcas from Global Warming!
Congress needs to act now and reduce global warming pollution and ensure that wildlife such as orcas are protected from global warming!

National Wildlife Federation (NWF): Support the “No Child Left Inside Act”
Are America’s children environmentally literate?

National Wildlife Federation (NWF): Make Sure the Senate Passes a Strong Farm Bill!
We need your help to make sure Congress passes a Farm Bill that is good for fish and wildlife! [Be sure to edit out the speciesist language if you use the sample letter provided by NWF!]

The Sierra Club: Save Teshekpuk Lake!
“A new plan from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released last month will open this wildlife-rich network of coastal lagoons, deep-water lakes and wet sedge grass to oil and gas drilling.”

The Wilderness Society: Withdraw faulty spotted owl recovery plan now!
The Bush Administration is trying to get away with a plan to roll back more than a decade of wildlife protections.

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS): Please Help Protect Endangered Great Cats and Rare Canines
Please send your member of Congress a message urging them to cosponsor the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act

Newsletters

Animals Australia e-update: September 2007
Damning Live Export Reports * Egypt’s First Animal Charity * You’re Invited!

Compassion Over Killing (COK): eNews, September 4, 2007
Nat’l Chicken Month, World Veg Fest, and more!

National Wildlife Federation (NWF): EnviroAction: September 2007
Orcas, Farms, Kids and Katrina

The Sierra Club: Club Currents: Volume VI, #79: September 4, 2007
Sierra Club Currents — Save Teshekpuk Lake!

The Sierra Club: Club Insider: September 4, 2007
Our Guide to Green Beer

Petitions

Marcy on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Your Daily Click-Through Reminders

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist green nature action alerts activism link dump link roundup link farm link sanctuary click through sites click to donate care2 the animal rescue site the rainforest site Wildlife Conservation Society wcs Great Cats and Rare Canids Act wildlife conservation National Wildlife Federation nwf news in the news newsletter global warming climate change No Child Left Inside Act education farm bill Aasian karhutarhaus bears moon bears bear bile dawnwatch dolphins Solomon Islands marine parks cat feline pet food dog food cat food animal research animal testing animal experimentation vivisection Animals Australia Compassion Over Killing cok Environmental Defense ed the sierra club Teshekpuk Lake alaska oil gas drilling The Wilderness Society spotted owl petitions the petition site

Center for Biological Diversity: Kempthorne Awarded Rubber Dodo
On Friday, August 24, we awarded the first annual Rubber Dodo Award to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in recognition of his one year and 90 days in office without listing a single new species as threatened or endangered. That’s a record.

DawnWatch: NY Times on meat and global warming link 8/29/07
“Trying to Connect the Dinner Plate to Climate Change”

DawnWatch: Bob Barker offers to pay for Maggie’s move to sanctuary — Anchorage Daily News, 8/28/07
“Bob Barker says price is right to move Maggie off to California.”

Defenders of Wildlife: Keep Bald Eagles Soaring!
Tell the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service to keep strong protections in place for bald eagles.

Greenpeace: Say Yes To Cape Wind
We need YOUR help to get Congress on track and make offshore wind a reality.

The People’s Email Network (PEN): WHO SHOULD CONGRESS IMPEACH FIRST?
Now that Alberto Gonzales has resigned, the question of who to impeach first is much simplified.

SaveOurEnvironment.org: Take Action for Cleaner Air
Urge EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to set stronger air quality standards that protect our health.

The Sierra Club: Protect communities’ air and water from polluting factory farms!
Take Action: Stop Tyson’s Dirty Water Bail-Out Bill!

Newsletters

The Ocean Conservancy: eNewsletter: August 2007
The International Coastal Cleanup: It’s not too late to lend a hand

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): VegCooking.com: Recipe of the Week
White Bean Soup

The Sierra Club: Club Currents: Volume VI, #78: August 28, 2007
Sierra Club Currents — Stop Tyson’s Dirty Water Bail-Out Bill!

Vegan Outreach: eNewsletter: August 29, 2007
A Truly Inconvenient Truth

Petitions

Please help get Michael Vick’s fines donated to Pit Bull and other animal rescues.

End the Canadian seal hunt boycott travel/seafood

Tell Your Governor to Invest in Transportation!

Send Congress Their Global Warming To-Do List!

Your Daily Click-Through Reminders

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist green nature action alerts activism link dump link roundup link farm link sanctuary click through sites click to donate care2 the animal rescue site the rainforest site Center for Biological Diversity Rubber Dodo Award Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne wildlife conservation endangered species SaveOurEnvironment.org EPA clean air ozone greepeace offshore wind wind energy energy cape wind Massachusetts hypocrisy Defenders of Wildlife bald eagles fws Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act news in the news newsletter the sierra club club currents water pollution tyson tyson foods factory farms factory farming People’s Email Network pen impeach impeachment alberto gonzalez dawnwatch bob barker elephants zoo alaska the Elephant Sanctuary Alaska Zoo meat global warming climate change People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals PETA VegCooking.com recipes vegetarian vegan The Ocean Conservancy vegan outreach michael vick animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals dog canine pet companion animal animal fighting dogfighting blood sports animal rescue petitions the petition site seals seal hunt canada infrastructure

It has been another of those weeks in which I was unable to focus on DawnWatch, so I now find myself playing some catch-up on the weekend. I start by noting that on Wednesday, Aug 22, the Los Angeles Times published five fabulous animal advocacy letters in response to last week’s front page story on the random killing for kicks of farm animals. The letters discussed various aspects of animal cruelty, including dogfighting, the circus and the meat industry. The following letter, from Pat Sommer, reminds us what can happen when we close our hearts to the suffering of others:

“I do not fear evil; I fear apathy. For a decent society to overlook base cruelty because it is directed at those we consider unworthy of our pity shakes me to the core; I am German and live with the legacy of that mind-set. May God forgive us.”

I send a huge thank you to all who wrote and were therefore part of the effort that resulted in a block of five pro-animal letters to the editor on the Los Angeles Times editorial page.

Michael Vick has remained in the spotlight this week. The headline on the front page of the sports section of the Saturday, August 25, New York Times announces, “After Plea, Vick Is Barred Indefinitely By the N.F.L.”

The article opens:

“The National Football League suspended Michael Vick indefinitely without pay yesterday after he admitted in court papers that he paid for dogfighting bets and helped kill underperforming dogs.

“The 27-year-old Vick, the Atlanta Falcons’ star quarterback, will be out for at least the 2007 N.F.L. season and probably much longer. If he serves a year in prison — the sentence recommended in the plea agreement — he will probably not be eligible to play again until 2009.”

The article tells us that Vick said he did not gamble on the dogs but “he said that he was present when his co-defendants placed bets.” And it tells us, “Vick said that he agreed to the killing of ‘approximately 6 to 8 dogs that did not perform well in testing sessions,’ adding that ‘all the dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning.”’

The following from that article is of interest, given the current debate over the fate of the confiscated dogs:

“He agreed to pay restitution for the costs associated with the 53 pit bulls that authorities have held as evidence since they were seized from his property in April. The costs, the plea agreement said, include the ‘long-term care and/or the humane euthanasia of some or all of those animals as may be directed by the court in this case.”’

You’ll find the whole article on line at: www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/sports/football/25vick.html.

And you can send letters to the editor at letters [at] nytimes.com.

The no kill sanctuary Best Friends, in Utah, dismayed by reports that groups such as PETA and HSUS had suggested Vick’s pitbulls could not be rehabilitated and should be “euthanized,” has published an offer to take in the dogs. You can read it on line here.

I generally view the rescue of media-hyped animals partly as publicity stunts — there are fifty equally deserving pitbulls at my local shelter who are due to die next week and who nobody is offering to take in. But if Vick’s plea agreement includes restitution for the confiscated dogs, including long term care, I cannot understand why anybody would call for their death. They could be given a decent life at a sanctuary, presumably kept far from toddlers and poodles, and the cost of their care would come from Vick’s pocket rather than from animal advocacy funds that would otherwise save equally desperate dogs who don’t need to be rehabilitated. A letter, by Joseph Pastore, to be published in the Sunday August 26 New York Times calls for the dogs’ permanent care at Vick’s expense — you might consider a similar letter to your own paper.

The upside of the Vick case has been that dogfighting has finally received the negative attention it has deserved for years. A recent development is the attention the case has brought to other areas of animal cruelty, generally more accepted in our society. A few weeks ago I shared a letter published in the Los Angeles Times in which activist Sharon Hall reminded readers who were saddened by the suffering of Vicks’ dogs, that billions of animals suffer similarly on factory farms and in slaughterhouses. This week, various articles published in leading papers have pointed out the disconnect between our concern for Vick’s dogs and our lack of concern for other animals.

The Wednesday August 22 Washington Post included a piece by Courtland Milloy headed, “Animal Cruelty Isn’t Judged on a Level Playing Field.” (Pg B1)

Milloy opened with:

“While eating a porterhouse the other night, I began to see the steak for what it was: a hunk of meat, blood and bone. I managed to disgust myself even more by imagining that a charbroiled piece of pit bull would not have looked much different from the gristle of beef on my fork.

“Then I came back to my senses and continued to enjoy my meal.

“Too bad for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick that people like me love dogs more than cows. Or, to put it another way, I prefer the taste of Angus and Hereford to Rottweiler and pit bull. Otherwise, the federal agents who recently charged Vick with dogfighting would have to arrest nearly all of us for participating in far worse acts of animal cruelty.

“Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney is credited with having said: ‘If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.’ Well, they don’t — and most of us are carnivores. We’ll kill a duck, deer, turkey — name any meat — for the sheer entertainment of our palates or for the fun of the hunt.

“And yet, Vick, 27, must take the fall. On Monday, the star athlete agreed to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy. The admission could put him behind bars for more than year and all but end his football career.

“Make no mistake: I have no particular affinity for Vick. You just can’t defend a guy who apparently gets his kicks watching dogs mangle each other and risks losing a hundred million dollars in NFL earnings and endorsements to boot. It’s just that all the hullabaloo about dogfighting seems a bit hypocritical.”

He goes on to discuss society’s attitude to horses and horseracing quoting the HBO Barbaro special in which we heard, “And when we ask them to — they run.” Milloy responds, “And when they don’t, well, they die.”

While those of us incensed by animal cruelty are thrilled to see the response to Vick’s activities, Milloy’s piece points out the odd inconsistencies and is worth reading and responding to. You’ll find it on line here OR tinyurl.com/2ukvmd.

The Washington Post takes letters at letters [at] washpost.com.

Wednesday’s Boston Globe included a wonderful piece by Globe columnist Derrick Z. Jackson, focusing on the horrors of the greyhound racing industry. It is headed, “Michael Vick isn’t alone.” (Pg A11)

It opens:

“As Michael Vick plummets from celebrity to our national symbol of animal cruelty, there is an unsettling question unanswered in all of the press coverage. Was he uniquely brutal or merely a spectacular outlier for canine atrocities we allow every day?

“This is not an apology for Mr. Vick and his accomplices in his dogfighting ring. The act of hanging, drowning, electrocuting, and shooting pit bulls, just because they did not win, easily calls for prison, penance, and other impoverishment, not to mention many therapists.

“But the national outrage rings a bit hollow. It feels a bit too easy to condemn only this fool sick enough to throw away a 10-year, $130 million football contract with the Atlanta Falcons and his residual millions in endorsements for his mad dashes as quarterback.

“It feels a bit easy because I am a former owner of a rescued greyhound.

“You can go down last month’s 18-page federal indictment against Vick and his codefendants and see plenty of snippets such as these: ‘train and breed … for… competitions’; ‘destroying or otherwise disposing of dogs not selected to stay’; ‘executed at least one dog that did not perform well’; ‘executed at least two dogs that did not perform well’; ‘Vick possessed… approximately 54 American Pit Bull Terriers, some of which had scars and injuries.’

“Of course, you can apply the same phrases or similar ones to greyhound racing. Yet dog tracks operate in about a quarter of our states, including Massachusetts. In 2000, animal rights activists were able to place a ballot question before the Commonwealth’s voters to ban greyhound racing. Supporters of racing outspent the activists by nearly 4 to 1 and barely beat back the proposed ban, 51 percent to 49 percent.”

Jackson describes the dark side of the greyhound racing industry and closes with:

“There is no difference between this and what Vick did, other than that dogfighting is illegal and greyhound racing remains legal in many states. For his depraved hobby, Vick will be shamed with prison stripes. Greyhound racing, despite its primitive exploitation of dogs, remains a $2 billion business even today.”

You’ll find the full piece on line here OR at tinyurl.com/258zz3.

It deserves some appreciative letters to the editor. The Boston Globe takes letters at letter [at] globe.com.

The San Diego Union Tribune, also on Wednesday August 22, published a piece by PETA president Ingrid Newkirk, headed, “What Vick should do about animal cruelty.” She urges Vick to use this experience to speak out against dogfighting. And she writes:
“The rock mogul Russell Simmons, who is a spiritual person, thinks Vick will become enlightened because of this experience. Others who advise and guide Vick say that he is a person who has shown love for animals but who somehow compartmentalized his feelings for animals into those he cares for at home and those he uses and abuses in his gambling enterprise. Before we cast the first stone of skepticism, we should remember that all of us are capable of compartmentalizing our thinking in order to excuse bad behavior.

“If we truly acted as if we believed what we are now shouting from the rooftops – that cruelty to animals is just plain wrong – we would all think of what goes on in slaughterhouses and become vegetarians. We would race home at lunchtime or pay someone to be there for us to make sure our dogs didn’t have to sit with their legs crossed, waiting to relieve themselves. We would turn away in disgust from animal circuses because in our hearts we know that elephants want to be with their families in the wild, not forced, through the use of bullhooks, to stand on their hind legs while wearing a silly costume.

“But Vick’s failure to recognize animals as sentient individuals who were harmed needlessly is the issue now in the spotlight. Now that he has admitted his guilt, he needs to speak out against dogfighting, if only to stop youngsters from thinking that their football hero’s only ‘crime’ was that he got caught.”

You’ll find her piece on line at: www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070822/news_lz1e22newkirk.html.

The San Diego Union Tribune takes letters at letters [at] uniontrib.com.

Gary Francione’s piece on the Philadelphia Daily News website, headed “We’re all Michael Vick,” is the hardest hitting. Francione suggests that the Vick case demonstrates our “moral schizophrenia” about animals.

He writes:

“In this country alone, we kill more than 10 billion land animals annually for food. The animals we eat suffer as much as the dogs that are used in dog fighting.

“There is no ‘need’ for us to eat meat, dairy or eggs. Indeed, these foods are increasingly linked to various human diseases and animal agriculture is an environmental disaster for the planet. We impose pain, suffering and death on these billions of sentient nonhumans because we enjoy eating their flesh and the products that we make from them.”

He notes a character named Simon the Sadist from one of his books , who derived pleasure from blowtorching dogs. Francione comments: “He enjoys blowtorching dogs – we enjoy the taste of flesh and animal products. But we and Simon both kill sentient beings (although we may pay others to do the dirty work) because we derive enjoyment from it.”

He ends with:

“Michael Vick may enjoy watching dogs fight. Someone else may find that repulsive but see nothing wrong with eating an animal who has had a life as full of pain and suffering as the lives of the fighting dogs. It’s strange that we regard the latter as morally different from, and superior to, the former. How removed from the screaming crowd around the dog pit is the laughing group around the summer steak barbecue?

“We are all Simon.
“We are all Michael Vick.”

You’ll find the piece on line at www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20070822_Were_all_Michael_Vick.html and can comment on it on that page. Or please consider a letter to the editor. The paper has so far printed just one glib comment, today, on the piece, stating, “True, there is no ‘need’ for us to eat meat, dairy or eggs. There’s also no need to write an op-ed whenever you have a new book.” The bold piece deserves considerably more. The Philadelphia News takes letters at www.philly.com/mld/philly/contact_us/feedback_np2/.

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published.

Yours and the animals’,
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited — leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

To discontinue DawnWatch alerts go to www.DawnWatch.com/nothanks.php

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DawnWatch corrected: B.R. Myers questions Michael Pollan’s thinking — Atlantic Monthly, September 2007 edition
“Hard to Swallow — The gourmet’s ongoing failure to think in moral terms.”

Kinship Circle: 8/25/07: Supervalu Is Super Cruel
Based on PETA’s “Tell Supervalu to Stop Abusing Animals!” alert

People for the American Way (PFAW): Bush’s Enabler General Steps Down
Tell your senators that they must insist on an attorney general who will represent the interests of the American people and defend the Constitution.

True Majority: Alberto Gonzales Resigns
Tell your Senators to only confirm an Attorney General who truly believes in democracy and freedom – not another Bush crony who fights to restrict civil liberties and ignores the Constitution.

Carnivals

Vegetarian Carnival #6 (August 27, 2007 @ Veggie Chic)

Petitions

Stop Cyrus From Being Returned To His Abusive Owner

Stop PETsMART From Selling Baby Rabbits!

Your Daily Click-Through Reminders

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist green nature action alerts activism link dump link roundup link farm link sanctuary click through sites click to donate care2 the animal rescue site the rainforest site news in the news dawnwatch book review The Omnivore’s Dilemma Michael Pollan Kinship Circle Supervalu True Majority civil liberties George W. Bush Alberto Gonzalez Attorney General People for the American Way PFAW Paul Soderholm Tre Smith pet companion animal dog canine animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals petitions the petition site petsmart rabbits carnivals vegetarian