———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle - info [at] kinshipcircle.org
Date: Jan 23, 2007 10:13 AM
Subject: KC DIGEST: Israel Product Testing Ban, Serbia Still Poisoning, Iditarod Torture + MORE

Kinship Circle Primary - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

1/23/07: Kinship Circle DIGEST / ALERTS FROM MEMBERS
Israel Product Testing Ban, Serbia Still Poisoning, Iditarod Torture + MORE

IN JANUARY DIGEST:

1. Julia Sharp, Well-Known Rescuer, Needs Our Help
2. Israel: Ban Animal Testing For Cosmetic/Cleaning Products
3. Serbia: Mass Poisoning (T-61) Begins Again
4. Serbia: Fire Your Weapons For Those Who Can’t
5. EU: Support Written Declaration, EU Ban On Bullfighting
6. Family Dog Shot By Police Denied Aid; Dies Slowly
7. Who’s Supporting Iditarod Dog Torture In 2007?
8. Spanish Galgo Appeal: Send Email To Save These Dogs
9. Wish SHAC 7’s Josh And Jake Happy Birthdays
10. Argentina: Horse Drops Dead On Street In Entre Rios
11. Atlanta Puppy-Baking Trial Date Set For 1/29/07
12. Romania: Urge Press To Cover Crimes Against Animals
13. Animal Activist’s Home Raided
14. A Stockyard Filled With Sad Brown Eyes
15. PETITIONS TO SIGN

Each DIGEST includes:

* NEWS and CALL-TO-ACTION, submitted by Kinship Circle members.
* CONTACT INFO to reply directly to the activist who supplied the alert.
* Related KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS for more background information.
* Submissions are from KC members and do NOT originate from Kinship Circle itself.
* If emails for letter recipients fail, contact person who supplied alert — NOT KINSHIP CIRCLE.
* Send submissions for KC DIGEST to kinshipcircle [at] brick.net
* Please “clean-up” submitted alerts, and do not send chain of forwarded messages.

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Behold - the NRA’s idea of those crazy Animal Rights Terrorists:

Complete with hairy-legged, Birkenstock-wearing feminists, dynamite-toting spotted owls, angry cocks (no doubt wielding The Bird Flu), and attack lobsters, the NRA’s graphic novel “Freedom in Peril” is an exercise in stereotyping. Good for a laugh, though. It’s so absurd, it’s funny. Seriously, how could I get offended in the face of such ridiculousness?

What does irritate me is the conflation of animal rights advocates with other leftists: feminists, socialists, environmentalists, secularists, and - yes - gun-haters. (And, um gang members. Brown ones, of course. Do they come in any other color?)

While I don’t mind the NRA churning out such idiotic caricatures of us, please, don’t imply that we have the support of other radical anti-ism activists. We don’t. Speaking for myself, I do advocate on behalf of other disenfranchised groups: women, minorities, the impoverished, GLBT persons, those with mental disorders. Speaking from experience, many other animal rights activists I’ve encountered support these causes as well. However, it’s a one-way street: there’s very little crossover to our side.

Case in point: the civil liberties of animal rights terrorists activists aren’t even worth the ACLU’s time. Yup, we’re lower down on the food chain than Fred Phelps and NAMBLA. Indeed, I keep up with a number of liberal blogs, and “those animal rights extremists” are one of the few topics on which the bloggers and their trolls can routinely agree (to rag) on.

On the other hand, vegankid calls for animal rightists to integrate other progressive issues with their own activism:

So the point i am getting at is that we need to be careful not to view ourselves, vegans, as standing upon an ethical pedestal. Just because we don’t consume animal products does not give us moral high ground. If we wish veganism as a movement to grow, then veganism must become informed by all movements for justice, compassion, and non-violence. Rather than limiting ourselves to non-humyn animal suffering, we must also critically approach ability, gender, class, race, age, size, sexuality, and other categorizations that have been used to create violent hierarchies. To do this, we must put a great deal of effort on our own persynal growth and awareness.

So perhaps the internets are just giving me a skewed perception of the animal rights movement and its insularity in regards to other causes? Thoughts?

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Tagged: animals animal+rights animal+welfare nra national+rifle+association stereotypes second+amendment activism progressive liberal terrorism war+on+terra

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle - info [at] kinshipcircle.org
Date: Dec 19, 2006 11:16 AM
Subject: UPDATES/ Oct-Dec 2006: Wins, Setbacks, Progress

Kinship Circle Primary - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN
(Please do not delete identity/disclaimer information)

Please use GoodSearch and select KINSHIP CIRCLE as your designated charity.
www.goodsearch.com/

UPDATES / October - December 2006: Wins, Setbacks, Progress
VIEW PAST UPDATES: www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/default.html

1. In Memoriam: Virgil Butler
2. Barcelona To Be Left Without Bullfights
3. Chinese President Hu Jintao Halts Dog Cull
4. No Passage: Horse Slaughter Ban & Animal Fighting Bill
5. Dow Chemical Picks Computers Over Animals For Study
6. Welfare For Animals Global - Cruelty Without Borders
7. Supreme Court Rejects NJ Bear Hunters
8. Jury Trial Set For Dogs Deserve Better Founder
9. Troy Gentry Pleads Guilty To Shooting Captive Bear
10. Primate Freedom Project - Rare Win For The Monkeys
11. Prez Signs Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act Into Law
12. Dutch Animal Rights Party + Pro-Animal Lobby In Israel
13. Shanghai Cancels Animal Olympics After Complaints
14. Cat/Dog Fur: European Commission Proposes Ban
15. Live Sheep Trade With Israel Suspended
16. Gypsy: Dog Found With No Mouth Is Alive And Well
17. Arizona Voters Ban Sow Crates, Veal Crates
18. Michigan Voters Stop Mourning Dove Shoots
19. University of Rochester Drops Live Animal Labs
20. Horses Hurt in Wreck Are Spared from Slaughterhouse
21. Campbell Soup/Pace Foods Ditch Rodeo Cowboys
22. German Politicians Ban Import of Seal Products

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: DawnWatch - news [at] dawnwatch.com
Date: Dec 4, 2006 1:39 PM
Subject: DawnWatch: Obituary of Compassion in World Farming founder, Peter Roberts, in London’s Daily Telegraph, 4 Dec 2006

Today I share the London Daily Telegraph’s obituary of Peter Roberts, founder of Compassion In World Farming. The piece says he is survived by his wife and three daughters. He also leaves us the gift of the wonderful organization he founded, which was behind the ban on veal and sow gestation grates in the UK and continues to push for change. You can find out more about it at www.ciwf.org.uk/.

You can also read more on that site about Peter Roberts, including obituaries from those with whom he worked, and pieces that were printed in other papers. His obituary in the Telegraph presents a nice opportunity for animal friendly letters to the editor. The paper takes letters at: dtletters [at] telegraph.co.uk.

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle - info [at] kinshipcircle.org
Date: Nov 24, 2006 12:47 PM
Subject: LETTER/ Don’t Let Animal Fighting Bill Die In Committee

Kinship Circle Primary - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN
(Please do not delete identity/disclaimer information)

The life of the 109th Congress expires at the end of the year, and Sensenbrenner will lose his chairmanship when the new Congress convenes in January. The bill to protect animals will also die. Advocates hope the legislation will be resurrected for the 110th Congress to consider.

11/24/06 — Don’t Let Animal Fighting Bill Die In Committee
KINSHIP CIRCLE ACTION CAMPAIGN
www.KinshipCircle.org

SOURCE OF INFORMATION:
House Judiciary Chairman Blocks Bill Against Animal Fighting
abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2652909&page=1

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

SAMPLE LETTER

Feel free to use portions of our letter, but please add some original thoughts. Hundreds of identical letters may lessen the impact.

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Farm Sanctuary - info [at] farmsanctuary.org
Date: Oct 6, 2006 1:49 PM
Subject: Farm Sanctuary’s E-News & Action Alert 10/06/06

EMERGENCY RESCUE: 26 Turkeys Need Your Help!

Farm Sanctuary has come to the rescue of 26 young turkeys, and saved these innocent young peeps from Thanksgiving dinner tables next month. Raised on factory farms, the birds have all been detoed, cutting off the first joints in their toes, and have been debeaked as well. Just eight weeks old, the birds are still babies needing special care. The smallest bird, who has just been named Butterfly, arrived tiny, weak and sickly. She received sub-q fluids three times a day, and was hand-fed a mash to help give her strength. The young turkeys took cautious steps when they were introduced to their new grassy pasture at our Emergency Rescue & Rehabilitation Center, as they had never before lived within an outdoor space, or had grass beneath their feet. All 26 birds are in need of a check-up by Cornell Veterinary Hospital doctors to assess their health, and blood work needs to be done to test them for contagious diseases. Once they have received a clean bill of health, some of the birds will join Farm Sanctuary’s main flock in the turkey barn, and others will travel in the Turkey Express to loving adoptive homes this Thanksgiving. Click here to make a donation to help these turkey babies.

Paul Harvey says YES to Prop 204!

Nationally known radio personality and longtime Arizona resident, Paul Harvey, broadcasted his support this week for Proposition 204 on his Tuesday morning ABC Radio Network show. He asked Arizonans to vote Yes on Prop 204 when voting this November. This humane initiative will ban the cruel and inhumane confinement of veal calves and pigs used for breeding on factory farms. Click here for more information on this historic endeavor and to hear Paul Harvey’s show.

Farm Animal of the Month: Joshua

Seeing Joshua today, you would never know he was once so ill he could not walk or even stand. Born on a cattle ranch, he contracted a serious infection through his umbilical cord, and when the infection spread into his joints, he was in so much pain that he could not rise up off his knees. Believing that Joshua was permanently crippled, and unwilling to offer him medical care, the ranch owners left him to die. Thankfully, Joshua’s story doesn’t end there. Read more.

Making the “Big Apple” Big on Farm Animal Issues

One day, Pei-Cen Lin sat down to what she believed would be an ordinary lunch with a friend; instead she had an experience that would change her life, as well as the lives of many others. After learning about how animals suffer on factory farms from her tablemate, and then doing her own research, she soon became a vegetarian. Now, Pei-Cen is a top-notch farm animal advocate, spreading her message of compassion in America’s largest city. Click here to read more.

FARM SANCTUARY NEWS AND NOTES

USDA Grants Humane Petition!
Federal animal transport law’s original intentions finally honored

Oppose attempts to criminalize animal rights protests!

IN THE NEWS

Hogwash or Humanity?
Tucson Weekly, October 5, 2006

USDA Says Rule on Livestock Applies to Trucks
Des Moines Register, September 29, 2006

Animal Activists Urge More Humane Treatment of Farm Animals
Voice of America, September 27, 2006

SHOP AT FARM SANCTUARY

Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook

About Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary is the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, we have worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the “food animal” industry through research and investigations, legal and legislative actions, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Our shelters in Watkins Glen, NY and Orland, CA provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. For more information about Farm Sanctuary or our programs, please visit www.farmsanctuary.org or call 607-583-2225. To become a Farm Sanctuary member or to make a donation today using our secure online form, www.farmsanctuary.org/join/donate2.htm. For updates on previous action alerts, www.farmsanctuary.org/actionalerts/update.htm

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To subscribe: www.farmsanctuary.org/signup.htm

Please take a moment to cast your vote for Animal Planet’s Hero of the Year. Ten contestants are up for the honor, which includes a $10,000 donation to the charity of the winner’s choice, as well as an undoubtedly much-needed vacation in Hawaii.

Be sure to read each nominee’s profile; each is impressive, which makes choosing just one deserving activist a tough task. The roster includes such notables as the founders/directors of the Elephant Sanctuary (TES), the Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation Center (IBBR), Dogs Deserve Better (DDB), and the website Pet-Abuse.com.

Granted, I’m not always a huge fan of Animal Planet (for instance, in the mini-biographies, animals are referred to as “it”s as opposed to “him/her” or “them”), but this is a great way to show support and appreciation for our Animal Heroes. I only wish that I could vote for each nominee!