A n i m
a l W r i t e s © sm
The
official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue #
01/10/01
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
~
MicheleARivera@aol.com
~ SavingLife@aol.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ To ARO Subscribers
2 ~ Is the Fur Industry Making a Comeback?
by Joshua Kiess -
jkiess@cybrtown.com
3 ~ Rainbow Farms by kcoy@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
4 ~ Giving Cats Speed Is Not So Swift
by Murry J. Cohen,
M.D., and Andy Breslin
5 ~ Fox Hunt Fells Prince
6 ~ Job Opportunities
7 ~ Dissection Help
8 ~ Someone Else by
WantNoMeat@aol.com
9 ~ Quote To Remember
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To ARO Subscribers
It has come to our attention that some non-AOL
subscribers are receiving "truncated" copies of our newsletters each
week. This means that the newsletters are being cut off and only partial
copies are being received. There seems to be no formula to decide who will
and who won't have this problem. In the
last two issues, we have severely cut back on content to prevent this from
happening, but by doing so, we are limiting the material we can provide to all
of our subscribers.
Therefore, in future, if you are one of the people who is receiving a partial
copy, please let me
Thank you all for your understanding and cooperation in helping us to better
serve you.
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Is the Fur Industry Making a Comeback?
by Joshua Kiess - jkiess@cybrtown.com
The question, "Is fur making a
comeback?" seems to be plaguing so many of us animal advocates. So, rather
than continuing to ponder about it, let's look into it ...
The answer is that, yes, fur is making a comeback, but only in the furriers'
dreams! Every so often, especially during the holiday shopping period,
newspapers and other media outlets will run features about how fur is making a
comeback. Most -- but not all -- of these media sources are without conscience
in their hunger for advertising dollars, including the furriers' industry's. So
they give fur these periodic plugs in hope of breathing life back into this
dying industry.
Meanwhile, like any industry in crisis, the furriers are playing the numbers
game to boost their sales image. A basic reality check reveals that for several
years now, they've been including sales of non-fur coats and coats with fur
collars in their tallies. They even include revenue from fur storage, which is
as much as 40 percent of the business some stores do!
As you might suspect, any industry that can inflict such agony on animals also
would lie through its teeth and say that the animals don't suffer. The
statement of Stephanie Kenyon, mouthpiece for the Fur Information Council of
America, that "there have been improvements in fur trapping and ranching
practices" was directly contradicted by Teresa Platt, executive director
of the Fur Commission USA, who stated that "chinchillas are electrocuted
through a clip attached to the genital area," "neck-breaking when
it's done correctly works fine," and regarding trapped animals,
"sometimes a club to the brain renders the animal senseless" and if
not dead, the animal can be shot.
So-called "fur farms" are actually animal concentration camps, where
beautiful beings live from babyhood on in filthy, crowded, barren cages,
exposed to the elements so that their fur will thicken. Here, they pace and
bite the cage wire from birth until death -- by neck-snapping, hot exhaust
fumes, weed-killer injections, or electrocution.
The last was recently demonstrated to animal activist Luke Montgomery by fur
farm owner Lorraine Yurick. Yurick unwittingly allowed Montgomery, posing as a
reporter, to videotape her standard anal electrocution of a fox, literally
frying the pitiful animal's insides until he died. Later, she stammered,
"American people have no problem electrocuting people."
One fur farmer has even been documented putting living, screaming chickens,
cast off by a pharmaceutical company, feet first into a grinder, to be fed to
his foxes later.
By now, almost everyone knows how barbaric the fur industry is, so there's
little threat any more of a fur coat being spray-painted. Instead, the coat
speaks for itself -- putting it on is like putting on a sign saying, "I
support cruelty to animals."
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Rainbow Farms
by kcoy@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
I
went out last night, just after midnight, to make sure all the heat lamps were
working in the goat, chicken and turkey houses. The temperature was
supposed to go to zero or below. All the dogs had long gone to bed and
the night was silent. Stepping on the porch I was greeted with the sight
of a crystal clear sky and multitudes of stars. Turning on the flashlight
(we refuse to have one of those blasted dusk to dawn monstrosities that keep
the stars from shining) I made my way to the barn. Earlier in the evening
I had taken some straw to freshen the farm animal's bedding, and had dropped a
flake outside the gate that I failed to retrieve.
Walking down the drive, I saw a set of bloody paw prints pressed into the snow,
that came out of the woods and ended at the pile of straw by the gate.
Curled on the pile of straw was a dog. Medium sized. Could have
been any kind of dog. It was hard to tell in the darkness. The only
thing for sure was that it was a dark color. I put my hand on the back and felt
cold ribs. I took my gloves off and felt behind the front leg. A
heart beat. Then I heard a faint thump. The end of the tail was going up
and down making a slight impression in the snow, but the head didn't
move. I saw the deep brown eyes that
seemed to say, "please don't run me off. I can't take another step."
The feet were cracked and bleeding. I checked to make sure the heat lamps
were working and gently scooped up the frozen dog. No resistance, just the
thump of the tail. Not much weight for the size of the bundle. I
made my way to the front door.
Coming inside I laid the dog down inside the door. It never moved. Checking to make sure everyone was still
asleep, I began the search for a blanket. I was pretty sure we had used
the last dog blanket for our latest rescue. Nothing in the closet,
nothing in the dryer, nothing on the couch. I went to the bedroom and
gently retrieved the one off the bed.
Even it was old and beginning to fray around the edges, but it was the last one
available. I folded it and set it by the heat register closest to the
furnace. Then I picked up the dog and
laid it down on top.
After midnight, on New Year's Eve, in a very rural area of Southwest
Missouri? No way I could get a Vet to see this one tonight. We
would have to try tomorrow. I went to the kitchen and took a container of
chicken broth out of the fridge and popped in the microwave. I went back
to the living room and set the bowl down next to the blanket, within easy reach
of the cold nose. Another thump of the tail, was the only movement.
I reached down and put my hand under the chin, gently lifting the head.
Now inside I could see that the dog was black, at least on the parts that
had not turned grey. Almost the entire face showed the white signs of
time past, and the pupils surrounded by those dark brown eyes were blue. The
ears were that of a Lab and so was the tail which thumped every time I came
near. The body was skin and bone. There were no front teeth.
The canines were worn or broken down to nubs, and I was able to see three teeth
in the back. I didn't want to pry to see if the old dog was a male or
female. It really didn't matter anyway. I told the old dog I was going to
go to bed and patted it's head which was met by another thump of the tail.
On my way to the bedroom, I wondered how in the world the dog had gotten to our
farm. It came through the woods which were large and uninhabited. I
also wondered why here. The answer was simple. The hand of God had
brought the old dog to the right place.
It's morning now and I've been up for a few hours. The bowl of broth was
empty and the blanket was much as I had left it. No bloody paw prints on
the carpet, only on the old blanket. Sometime after I went to bed, the
old dog lapped up the chicken broth and licked the bowl clean. The blanket had
been fluffed a little and the old dog had curled into a tight ball with the
nose tucked inside the tail. When I bent down to say good morning, there
was no thump of the tail. I knew then that the old dog had crossed the
Rainbow Bridge in the night. Kneeling there in front of the old dog, I
thanked God for the one old blanket I had left and for the hand that gently
guided the old dog to Rainbow Farms. It was then that I thought of the
poem that Walt had written for us:
"Listen to the kindness, spoken softly,
Often lost behind the tears.
Place your hand upon my shoulder,
Let it take away my fears."
--Walt Zientek
May the New Year bring you closer to the hand of God, and all the old blankets
you may need.
Becky Loyd, Rescue Coordinator
The Rainbow Farms Project, Inc.
http://www.rainbowfarms.org/
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Giving Cats Speed Is Not So
Swift
by Murry J. Cohen, M.D., and Andy Breslin
One wonders if the folks at the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) perhaps take their work home with them -- and
smoke it in little glass pipes.
How else to explain why, in October 2000, the nation's largest funder of
programs to address the drug abuse crisis awarded $335,000 -- expected to be a
mere down payment on a study for which taxpayers will foot a $1.68 million bill
-- to infect cats with feline immunodefficiency virus (FIV), and then give the
cats methamphetamine, commonly known as "speed." The grisly
project will take place at Ohio State University, under the direction of one
Michael Podell, a veterinarian who will kill as many as 120 cats.
The rationale for this feline massacre is that HIV causes damage to the nervous
systems of humans, and HIV-infected humans who are "speed" addicts
show increased neurological damage. The regrettable reality is that there are
millions of HIV-infected patients, and tens of thousands of HIV-infected methamphetamine
users. But Podell has instead chosen to use cats, a species completely
unaffected by HIV. And, as anyone who has lived with a cat can attest, they do
not generally use any stimulants, as this would disrupt a tight napping
schedule.
Podell is reportedly concerned that human patients cannot be controlled, a
"necessary variable in a controlled experiment." Certainly, that's
important. No scientist would deny
that.
But controlling an experiment in which the variables are only questionably
applicable to humans does nothing to increase its scientific value. Why? Because FIV-infected cats make poor models
for HIV-infected humans. Podell's
subjects belong to a completely different species and will be infected with a
virus that does not affect humans and only crudely resembles HIV. Most people
who aren't on drugs themselves would deem these factors more significant than
the absence of "control" over experimental subjects.
Podell's expensive tinkering represents a misuse of our tax money.
Regardless of his results, the most important piece of information regarding
the effects of HIV and methamphetamine is already available: They are deadly
killers, and when they coexist they are deadlier than either is alone.
Despite all we've learned about HIV, people -- especially young people -- still
share needles, have unprotected sex, and engage in other high-risk behaviors.
The advent of improved drug regimens has been accompanied by a disturbing
apathy concerning HIV and AIDS. The disastrous misconception that AIDS has been
"cured" must be countered by aggressive educational programs.
Discouraging high-risk behaviors has become more important than ever.
And despite all we know about "speed," this extremely addictive and
deadly drug continues to be widely abused. Once primarily centered in the U.S.
Southwest, methamphetamine use and abuse has spread throughout the country,
though an analysis of data from 1998 and 1999 indicates the trend may be
leveling off. National and community methamphetamine abuse prevention
programs, and laws making the chemicals required to synthesize the drug less
accessible, appear to be responsible.
It's as if someone in the federal government declared, "Oops, that
worked! Better try something
different!" Instead of following up this common-sense approach that gets
to the heart of the problem and does something about it, NIDA and OSU plan to
spend more than one and one-half million of our dollars killing cats.
Just what are they smoking anyway?
Murry J. Cohen, M.D., a medical consultant to the Washington, D.C.-based
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine who practices psychiatry in
Northern Virginia, has directed a substance abuse program and worked
extensively with substance abusers. Andy Breslin, a health writer in the Philadelphia
area, is a former PCRM research coordinator.
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Fox Hunt Fells Prince
Let's
hope the fox fared better than Prince Charles this week. The 52-year old
prince fell off his horse during a fox hunt and broke his shoulder. The
injury is not said to be serious, but we think he should seriously reconsider
taking part in such a cruel "sport".
To read the complete story, see:
< http://ananova.com/news/story/sm_164361.html?menu=news.latestheadlines
>
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Job Opportunities
Two paid animal rights-friendly opportunities are
available for those who are in or near NYC. Students are welcomed to apply.
1) Paid internship with a growing conscientious book publisher. This is a
part-time position with flexible hours. Candidate should be interested in
working in publishing and Web publishing.
2) Part-time Research Assistant for an author writing two books on animal
rights, a nonfiction on animal rights and theology and a fictional animal
rights thriller. Candidate should be familiar with animal rights issues and up
on animal rights literature. Should also be able to do Web research and work on
weekends.
Please email me for more info.
Patrick Kwan - Wackko8281@aol.com
Animal Defense League-New York City
PO Box 20878, New York, NY 10009
718-274-4443 NYC_ADL@bigfoot.com
http://www.adl-online.com
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Dissection
Help
Do
you want your school to provide alternatives to dissecting live animals?
Do you want to research any existing State Laws that mandate alternatives be
offered?
The following states have laws that mandate alternatives be offered. If you'd
like a copy or want to research these laws on-line, contact Jonathan Balcomb at
the address below. He can also help you write letters to the Principals
and School Boards of your local schools, even if such a law doesn't yet exist
in your state.
Florida (1985)
California (1988)
Maine (1989) (State Dept. of Education policy)
Pennsylvania (1992)
Louisiana (1992) (state resolution)
New York (1994)
Rhode Island (1997)
Illinois (2000)
The Humane Society of the United States
Ph: 301-258-3046
Fx: 301-258-7760
http://www.hsus.org
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Someone Else
by WantNoMeat@aol.com
All through history changes were made
caring people stood up to aide
They followed the bloody trail
to defend the weak and the frail
Slavery was ended at last
a hideous crime from our past
But what if everyone looked away
and left change for another day?
Back when women had no rights
all the court battles and gender fights
But what if everyone lost their will
where would our ideals be still?
Children working til almost dead
exhausted, used and underfed
What if we all closed our eyes
what happens when no one tries?
Animals suffer and die at our will
how much more blood will we spill?
It's time for the battle to be won
history says that it can be done
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Quote To Remember
"We
would consider it cruel to confine a dog permanently in a kennel. Yet we visit zoos where hundreds of wild
animals are kept permanently in the equivalent of a kennel. It is as if
we, like the animals, become trapped within the zoo concept and we cannot see beyond
the bars. We forget that wildlife in zoos is still wildlife."
~~Virginia McKenna (Beyond the Bars)
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Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
P O Box 7053
Tampa, Fl 33673-7053
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal Rights Online=-
&
Advisory Board Member, Animal Rights Network Inc.,
not-for-profit publisher of The Animals' Agenda Magazine
http://www.animalsagenda.org/
The Animals' Agenda Magazine: WebEdition
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(Permission Granted To Quote/Forward/Reprint/Repost This
Newsletter In
Whole Or In Part with credit given to EnglandGal@aol.com)
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