If you decide to take action on issue #6, “Stop Korea From Legalizing Dog Meat”, please edit out the third paragraph in the sample letter. In particular, I take objection to the following sentence: “South Korea does not want to be seen by modern nations as a culture that is backward, barbaric or uncivilized…” Eating dog meat is no more uncivilized than eating cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, lamb, etc. All are sentient beings capable of feeling joy, sorrow and pain. However, to vilify an entire culture for eating an animal we regard as special is inherently racist; in the United States, we treat “food” animals no better. The push should be towards a vegetarian (or, better yet, vegan!) diet for all, not towards outlawing specific species of meat that we find objectionable due to cultural reasons.

And do I really need to explain how offensive the “modern nations” remark is?

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Thu, May 22, 2008 at 8:55 AM
Subject: #1. KC DIGEST: Roo Bloodbath, Buffalo Fate, Caddo Kills, Korea Dog Meat…

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST
Please DO NOT HIT REPLY. Respond directly to the author of each alert.
KC Digest is brought to you, courtesy of Kinship Circle.

PART 1: MAY KC DIGEST – Alerts From Kinship Circle Supporters

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/

PART 1: MAY KC Digest
1. Australia: Kangaroo Bloodbath Begins
2. URGENT ACTION: 9 Bulls In Trap at Duck Creek Face Slaughter
3. Stop The Killing At Caddo Parish, Louisiana
4. UK: “Healthy Eating” Trend Means More Animal Experimentation
5. Email/Call New Huntingdon Life Sciences Shareholder
6. Stop Korea From Legalizing Dog Meat

PART 2: MAY KC Digest
PLEASE RESEND ME PART #2: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
7. Join Post Card Campaign For NYC Carriage Horses
8. Stop Ohio Bill To Ban And Euthanize All Pit Bulls
9. Egypt: Tragedy At Esma (Sakkara) & Request For Support
10. GUESS Brand Sponsors Bullfighting In Algarve, Portugal
11. 14- and 15-Year-Olds Hunt Big Game? Stop This Now.
12. Officers’ Role In Death Of Black Lab Questioned

(more…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Mon, May 12, 2008 at 4:11 PM
Subject: ACT/ K-9 Killers Go To Trial

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

5/12/08: K-9 Killers Go To Trial

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

TWO MIAMI-DADE POLICEMEN KILLED THEIR K-9 PARTNERS, IN SEPARATE CASES:

Rondale Brown, TRIAL DATE: May 19, 2008
Alan Cockfield, TRIAL DATE: July, 28, 2008

(more…)

Since I posted about the Iraq War over on my other blog today (blogging it over there so we don’t have to blog it over here; and oh yeah, today is Shock & Awe’s 5-year anniversary, donthcha know?), I wasn’t planning on a second post for you guys and gals. Then I saw that Elaine (of Elaine Vigneault fame) blogged about war’s toll on non-human animals, specifically pointing to Kinship Circle’s Animals: War’s Unseen Collateral Damage factsheet, a thumbnail of which I often come across as I crosspost most of KC’s email alerts.

You can read the entire two-page factsheet (and download a high-res copy) here. Please do, and forward a it on to your friends and family as well. It’s important that we remember the human and non-human victims of dubya’s War on Terror war on terra, today and always.

And if you need an lol, check out my anniversary post at Smite Me!: Shocked and Awed and LOLed WTFed all over. And then check out some of the actions you can take to help end dubya’s war. Or at least let him know how naughty he’s been. Not that her cares either way, but still.

————————

Tagged: action alerts war iraq war on terra war on terror george w. bush dick cheney impeach impeachment Democrats.com Human Rights First refugees displaced Oil Change International global warming climate change environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist Impeach Bush ImpeachBush.org Ramsey Clark Robert Wexler kinship circle animals animal rights animal welfare middle east dog canine cat feline pet companion animal wildlife conservation

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Sat, Mar 15, 2008 at 8:01 PM
Subject: Part 1/ UPDATES: JAN-MAR 2008

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

PART 1: KC UPDATES / JANUARY – MARCH 2008
Victories * Setbacks * Progress For Animals: ONLY PUBLISHED TRI-MONTHLY

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/

PART 1: KC UPDATES / JAN – MARCH 2008
1. Hallmark Meat Exec Admits Downed Cows Enter Food Supply
2. Juvenile Arrested In Edna’s Disappearance Found Guilty
3. Dog Attacked With Drill Gun – Updated
4. Canada’s New Rules For “Humane Seal Hunt” (oxymoron of the year?)
5. Mississippi Legislators Snub Buddy’s Law
6. Puerto Rico Faces Suit Over Roundup/Kill of Animals
7. Official Investigation Of Puppy Killer Is Underway, Marines Say
8. In Shadow Of Vick Case, Virginia Toughens Dogfighting Laws
9. Landmark Crate Ban On Way To Nov. 2008 Calif. Ballot
10. Los Angeles: Spay-Neuter Proposal Becomes Law
11. South Africa To Resume Elephant Culling After 13 Years
12. Three U.S. Agencies Aim To End Animal Testing
13. Animals Lose A True Friend With Congressman Lantos’ Death

PART 2: KC UPDATES / JAN – MARCH 2008
PLEASE RESEND ME PART #2: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
14. Tammy Grimes To Appeal Unjust Sentence In Doogie Case
15. Companies Prosecuted In Poisoned Pet Food Recall
16. Report Calls For Prosecution Of Pet-Killing Dogcatcher
17. Judge To Bush Admin: You Can’t Exempt Navy In Sonar!
18. FDA OKs Food Sales From Animal Clones
19. NIH Tells UCONN Primate Experimenter To Return $65K
20. Dr. Anteneh Roba Earns Circle Of Compassion Award
21. USA: Killing Dogs In Training Of Doctors To End
22. SF Zoo Attack Victim Admits Taunting Tiger
23. Premarin Maker Wyeth Faces Over 5,300 Lawsuits
24. Denny’s Stop Sponsorship Of Ringling Bros. Circus
25. Boys Sentenced In Toby’s Brutal Death
26. The Dogs That Vick Hurt

(more…)

As much as I loathe animal abusers such as Wendy’s, I might just vote for Blackwater this year. Probably because I recently read Imperial Life in the Emerald City.

Blackwater actually didn’t play a prominent role, but Haliburton did make several cameos, including one in which they culled all the feral cats in the Green Zone – including those adopted and vetted by CPA staffers – in order to prevent a rabies outbreak. Which the resident biologist called scientifically unsound, as there was no risk of rabies.

Just another chain in the link. Errr, link in the chain. You know what I mean.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Sara Joseph
Date: Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 8:49 AM
Subject: RELEASE: Online Polls Open for the Corporate Hall of Shame

Online Polls Open for the Corporate Hall of Shame

Annual Voting Crowns the Worst Corporations of the Year

Candidates include ADM, Blackwater, Countrywide, Mattel, Nestlé, Toyota, Wal-Mart and Wendy’s

BOSTON— This year’s election is all about the issues — global warming, war-profiteering, predatory lending — or at least that is the case in the annual Corporate Hall of Shame. On Thursday, March 20, the online polls open at www.stopcorprateabuse.org for people to vote for the most abusive corporations of the year.

This year’s nominees made headlines for breaking the law, influencing elected officials, undermining democratic decision-making and outright endangering the environment and public health. They include ADM, Blackwater Worldwide, Countrywide, Wal-Mart, Mattel, Nestlé, Toyota, and Wendy’s.

The Hall is a creation of Corporate Accountability International, a membership organization that has worked to protect people from irresponsible and dangerous corporations for the last 30 years.

“Make no mistake, we believe all of the nominees deserve this infamous dishonor, but we look forward to seeing which corporations the voting public selects as the worst of the worst,” said Kelle Louaillier, executive director of Corporate Accountability International. “The ballot box is a way toc all politicians to task. The Hall is now a way of calling corporations to account for major abuses of the public interest.”

Last year, more than 20,000votes were cast to induct ExxonMobil, Haliburton and Wal-Mart. Other past inductees include Philip Morris/Altria, Columbia/HCA and waste disposal giant Waste Management.

The Hall has kept continuous pressure on inducted corporations to curb their abuses. In 2006,Waste Management worked its way out of the Hall by drastically reducing its national lobbying and political expenditures.

Hall organizers expect record turn-out this election season before polls close on July 4th. The new inductees will be announced later that month.

(more…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Sat, Mar 8, 2008 at 2:12 PM
Subject: Soldiers Coping In Iraq? Animal Abuse Is A Crime

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

3/8/07: Soldiers Coping In Iraq?
Tell DOD & Congress Animal Abuse Is A Crime

www.KinshipCircle.org

Was Killing the Puppy a Way of Coping for One Marine? Stressful Environment May Have Contributed to Marine Apparently Tossing a Dog to His Death

abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4387128&page=1

ALERT FROM / REPLY TO:
Pam Leavy, tundraleap [at] msn.com
sheilamahon22 [at] yahoo.com
Brenda Shoss, kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net

BACKGROUND:

It’s bigger than the puppy, bless his precious soul. The mass outrage over the YouTube video depicting Marine David Motari tossing a puppy to his death…has unearthed OTHER incidents of soldiers torturing animals [SEE BELOW]. Please write your elected officials in Congress and Dept. of Defense leaders, asking them to overhaul policy on animals in war zones.

Soldiers taunt & kill crippled dog in Iraq

www.liveleak.com/view?i=6445f9fdd7

www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=6244&aid=19

US Soldier shoots dog with M203 training round

www.liveleak.com/view?i=0a5ee2d6eb

www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=6703&aid=19

Dog Shot In The Ass
This video has been removed. Stills extracted from video are here:

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2007_10.html#anchor6

Soldiers detonate an insurgent IED that has been set inside the carcass of a dog

www.liveleak.com/view?i=122_1176242731

Lions Fed Donkeys In Iraqi Zoo, US Soldiers Film, Laugh & Jeer
www.evtv1.com/showcomm.aspx?itemnum= 6407&aid=19

US Soldiers Shoot A Shepherd’s Flock In Iraq

www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=11017&aid=19

www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23317978-5006003,00.html

Soldier tosses puppy over cliff to his death

www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/43462/9fb16ab3/us_soldaat_gooit_puppy.html

(more…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Last Chance for Animals – campaigns [at] lcanimal.org
Date: Tue, Mar 4, 2008 at 8:56 PM
Subject: Puppy Thrown Off Cliff – Statement from Chris DeRose 3.4.2008

LCA has been notified of a very disturbing video showing a smiling U.S. Marine in Iraq throwing a puppy off a cliff. LCA fully supports U.S. troops and believes this situation does not reflect on U.S. soldiers that are doing their best and putting their lives on the line. However, the act of a U.S. soldier committing animal cruelty is completely unacceptable under any circumstances.

“This video that everyone has seen is atrocious. U.S. Marine David Mortari and the unidentified Marine in the video are absolute cowards and a disgrace to the men and women of this country who valiantly defend the U.S. There is absolutely no excuse for this behavior. These two men shouldn’t be wearing the uniform. I demand that these individuals be held responsible for such a despicable and cowardly act.

When a U.S. soldier is representing America overseas and during war time, it is crucial for any heinous act to be fully investigated. LCA demands for elected officials to put pressure on the military to do a complete and thorough investigation. The correlation between cruelty to animals and cruelty to humans has been proven time and time again. These Marines must be punished.” states LCA President Chris DeRose.

View Chris DeRose’s YouTube reaction here.

Last Chance for Animals | 8033 Sunset Blvd. #835 | Los Angeles | CA | 90046

————————

Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts animal abuse cruelty to animals animal cruelty war iraq war in iraq war on terra war on terror terrorism dog canine pet companion animal puppy dod department of defense marines marine corps David Motari video flickr photos news in the news Universal Code of Military Justice lca last chance for animals chris derose

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Tue, Mar 4, 2008 at 8:48 PM
Subject: ACT/ The Marine Who Tossed The Puppy

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

Be counted. Send a letter. E-petitions don’t work…
SAMPLE LETTER & CONTACTS BELOW

3/4/08: The Marine Who Tossed The Puppy

www.KinshipCircle.org

The Moron

His Accomplice

A Fatal Toss…

Marine Who Did It?

VIDEO:

www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/43462/9fb16ab3/us_soldaat_gooit_puppy.html

digg.com/people/US_Soldier_throws_puppy_off_cliff_(video)?t=13323218

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

(more…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Oct 29, 2007 11:40 PM
Subject: #1: OCT. KC DIGEST – Killing JFK Cats, Shot Iraq Dog, Petitions…

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

10/29/07
PART 1: OCTOBER KC DIGEST – Alerts From Members
View past KC Digest Newsletters: www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/

PART 1: October KC Digest
1. Extermination Of JFK Airport Cats Begins Today! (10/29)
2. PETITIONS & ONLINE CAMPAIGNS, part 1
3. CHINA: Cruel Animal Olympics Start Again
4. Miami-Dade Police Officer Accused Of Killing K-9 Partner
5. Groundbreaking Effort for Farm Animals Underway in California
6. American Soldier Shoots Yet Another Poor Dog In Iraq?
7. “REACH” To Test 30,000 Chemicals On Millions Of Animals

PART 2: October KC Digest
SENT IN SEPARATE EMAIL
If you did NOT get PART 2, request it: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
8. PETITIONS & ONLINE CAMPAIGNS, part 2
9. Ensure Vick’s Dogs Are Spared, As Promised
10. Protest Dog Starved To Death For Art Show
11. Best Friends Religious Summit
12. Join The Thankful Turkeys Celebration
13. Help Benevolent Society For Animals In Ghana
14. Seal “Ambassador” Killed By Marine & Coastal Management

(more…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Fred O’Regan, IFAW – fred [at] ifaw1.org
Date: Oct 26, 2007 7:28 AM
Subject: Can you Help Protect Marine Wildlife?

International Fund for Animal Welfare | October 26, 2007
A Better World for Animals and People

Can you Help Protect Marine Wildlife?

Please contact msakoh [at] ifaw.org today if you can help!

IFAW needs your help in carrying out a crucial next step in a lawsuit to protect whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles, fish, and other marine wildlife from mid-frequency active sonar used by the U.S. Navy. If you are an IFAW member who spends time in the Marianas Islands or The Gulf of Lyon, please help us protect marine wildlife.

These sonar systems can flood tens or even hundreds of square miles of ocean with sound waves which are suspected of causing injury and even mortality of whales and other marine mammals.

Yet the Navy is refusing to take common-sense measures to protect marine life. IFAW is a co-plaintiff in a case that, if successful, will set an important precedent for how this technology may be deployed in the marine environment.

With your help, we hope to send the message to the Navy that the American people want the military to adhere to protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act rather than granting itself a “national security” exemption.

(more…)