A n i m a l W r i t e s © sm
The
official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue # 02/10/02
Editor
~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
~ MichelleRivera1@aol.com
~ sbest1@elp.rr.com
THE SEVEN ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ Loving Her To Death by Michelle Rivera
2 ~ Summer Staff Needed for Vegetarian Teen's Camp
3 ~ Chopping Off Cow Tails by Robert Cohen
4 ~ Fight Against Olympic Rodeo Continues by Steve
Hindi
5 ~ An Update From The Field by Buffalo Field
Campaign
6 ~ Endless Lesson by Donna Anderson
7 ~ Memorable Quote
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~1~
Loving Her To Death
By Michelle Rivera - MichelleRivera1@aol.com
I
saw a most disturbing photo in the newspaper yesterday. It did not depict
a case of animal cruelty, but a graphic depiction of the animal/human
bond. The photo showed a beautiful young pig named Tanc. Her sweet
face was pressed against the bars of her cage as she lovingly regarded the
object of her affection, a 10-year-old boy. The boy sat cross-legged on
the floor facing Tanc, gazing into her eyes with a sad, defeated
expression. He looked like he had just lost his best friend, or was about
to.
The caption on the photo revealed this sobering story: The child had
raised Tanc from a mere piglet. He had carefully recorded everything she
ate and documented her weight gain from week to week. Now, he had brought
her to the fair to be sold at auction. He was saying good-bye, as
thousands of 4-H kids had done before him.
As a humane educator, I spend my days teaching children about the animal/human
bond; about the covenant we made with animals when we domesticated them; about
how we have broken that covenant by mistreating animals, exploiting them, and
euthanizing them out of convenience. I present them with videos of puppy
mills, dogfighting and domestic violence involving animals in an effort to help
them to understand that our society has become increasingly intolerant of
animal abuse. I spend hours teaching that empathy and compassion for animals
fosters a more compassionate citizen of the earth, thereby making a more
compassionate society.
But how do I compete with the message that the 4-H club sends? Take this
precious life, nurture her, love her, see to her every need. Bond with her and maybe
even teach her things, like the sound of your friendly voice, and to come when
she is called. Then, at the height of your friendship and unity, deliver her
into the hands of slaughter and turn the page. Don’t feel sad, don’t mourn her,
just move on.
I would be interested to know what psychologists think about this sequence of
events. What are we teaching our children when we allow them to be
responsible for a life and then take away that life in the name of capitalism?
Is there a mixed message here? On the one hand we teach about love and respect,
on the other we tell them to invalidate those feelings on a certain date --
when the fair comes to town. As adults and educators we are always
telling children to express their feelings, rely on their own instinct, do what
you think is right, not what others tell you to do. But those in the 4-H
are telling them to also deny those feelings, that what is right is to
slaughter your friend no matter what YOU feel about it, and to be strong ---
this is the way things are. This is why she was raised, this is the end
result of all your love and affection, your dedication and
responsibility. Ignore the fact that she feels pain, ignore the emotional
attachment and bond that the two of you have cultivated. In short --
ignore your feelings -- we certainly are.
I suppose that the 4-H would argue that these children understand from the
beginning that the animals are being raised for food and that this fact makes
it ok. Or maybe that they are teaching the kids that the ham sandwich
they consumed at lunch was once a pig like Tanc. I understand that
rationale, I just don’t believe we have to take a life to make the point.
Anyone who has ever seen the movie Babe understands the link between the real
live animal and the slab of bacon. And the fact that an animal is “raised
for food” is of little consolation to the animal herself who must suffer the
pain of being torn from the boy she has come to love and trust.
So here’s my question: How do I teach students that pit bull fighting is wrong,
immoral and illegal, unethical and abhorrent, but tricking an animal into
loving you, trusting you and living only for the moments she can be with you
when all along you know you are going to betray her is not only all right, but may
win you a ribbon at the fair?
<><><><><>
Editors note: Larry Kaufman, Professional Pet Loss Counselor and Licensed
Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in West Palm Beach,
Florida, had the following comments about the above article:
"From a psychological point of view, one core issue involved in this topic
is adults’ lack or inability to empathize or identify with both a non-human
being (animal) and their child/children. Animals are thought of and treated as things
– inanimate objects. Animals are not viewed as having the broad range of
feelings and cognitive capacities that they actually have. And human children’s
distress, preferences, conflicts, and doubts, and their entire mourning process
over the loss of their “pet,” is enormously minimized, rationalized, or hardly
even considered at all. This kind of treatment of children by adults will, in
my opinion, leave lasting emotional scars on sensitive children.
Many children who belong to and participate in 4-H clubs are probably being traumatized
each year as a result of their activities with the club. Who presently is
speaking up for the rights of these children? How ironic it is that in our
society we pay so much attention to so many other types of child abuse, but
when it come to children’s relationships with animals we have such a blind
spot!
I have a question to ask of the parents of 4-H participants: What kinds of
feelings would you have if you knew that your healthy and loyal dog or
cat, one you had lovingly raised and nurtured, would soon be killed so that it
could be eaten?
The 4-H Club is so called from the aim of the organization to “improve head,
heart, hands, and health.” I see that the original aim of the organization has,
in part, become perverted. I view the 4-H Club, despite its good intentions, as
messing with kids’ heads, breaking their hearts, tying their hands, and
damaging their mental health. According to the book "Human
Animal Bond and Grief" by Lagoni Butler Hetts (Colorado State University
Veterinary Teaching Hospital publications)
"..........A good example of attachment ..... are the relationships that
that children who belong to 4-H Clubs form with the animals whom they
raise. A significant number of clients and veterinarians have told us how
painful it was for them or for children they know to sell or put up for
slaughter the calves, lambs, or goats whom they had raised and for whom they
had cared while participating in 4-H some reported that their feelings were
either discouraged or ignore."
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~2~
Summer Staff Needed for
Vegetarian Kitchen in International Teen Camp
Looking
to develop your international appeal, or want an exciting professional
development opportunity? Then join our international staff team at the Global
Youth Village. Every summer since 1979, a dynamic learning environment is
created that emphasizes experiential learning and challenges young people and
staff to turn cross-cultural theory and skills into practical action. This year
60 youths (ages 13-18) and 25 staff from around the world will participate.
Workshops address issues concerning young people today, such as war and peace,
distribution of world resources, prejudice, and the effects of social pressures.
Cultural programming and cooperative living help participants learn to respect
differences and discover similarities that transcend cultural, religious,
political, and language barriers.
Legacy is seeking seasonal food service staff in their vegetarian
kitchen. Participants & staff enjoy their sugar and meat free meals
family style. The camp season is July 7 - August 7, 2002. Housing,
meals and salary are provided. Seeking both experienced cooks and those
who want to learn! Visit our web site at http://www.legacyintl.org to read more
and apply.
Contact Leila Baz, Staff Director, if you have further questions.
Mailing address: 1020 Legacy Drive, Bedford, VA 24523.
Email: Staff@legacyintl.org; tel: 540-297-5982; fax: 540-297-1860
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~3~
Chopping Off Cow Tails
By Robert Cohen - i4crob@earthlink.net
http://www.notmilk.com
They
call it docking. To me, docking is what I ineptly do each time I try to return
a powerboat to its berth after a day of water skiing with my kids. To dairymen,
docking is the practice of chopping off a cow's tail.
This past year, two vegetarian groups refused to allow me to speak at their
so-called health festivals because their major sponsors included cheese
producers. There was some controversy within the boardrooms of those decision
makers between the vegetarians who barred me, and the vegans who have open eyes
regarding the treatment of cows, and the adverse effects of dairy products on
the human body.
I am extremely critical of the dairy industry, for good reason. Medical science
points hundreds of incriminating fingers of blame at milk and dairy being the
etiology for various illnesses. Hundreds of those converging lines merges into
one point. One obvious conclusion: milk does not do the body good.
I make no friends when I offer sarcasm towards those vegetarian conference
planners. "Why not accept money from Burger King and McDonalds," I
ask, "instead of from cheese producers like Kraft?"
If you have became a vegetarian for some misplaced sense of compassion, please
know that the dairy industry creates a lifetime of torture for cows.
There is no debate that an animal born to be tomorrow's steak or burger suffers
a horrible death. Yet, compared to dairy cows, this gentle creature's life
is tolerable. He eats. He sleeps. He eats. He sleeps. He then dies.
Modern slaughterhouses attempt to keep impending death a secret from these
victims for as long as possible, knowing that a cleanly killed animal is
profitable. Compassionate slaughter ramps have eased the fear of
slaughter for animals. Many times, the animal is stunned before he
realizes his fate. Horrible? Of course it is, but the dairy industry is
much worse.
Yesterday, I received my latest issue of Hoard's Dairyman, the national dairy
farm magazine.
If you use dairy products, you must know what you are responsible for. The
latest issue (1/25/02, Volume 147, No. 2) includes Letters To The Vet (page
90). N.L from Vermont writes:
"We milk 72 cows...We have been docking tails for a couple of
years...We use an elastrator in the winter when fly populations are the lowest
(They cut off most of the tail with this device. Imagine winding a rubber band
tightly around your finger until the blood no longer circulates. The finger
slowly dies, then atrophies. So does the tail.) After about two weeks, we lop
off the remaining tail. We dunk the stump in iodine and watch for
infection, keeping a close eye on the wound until it heals. The wound takes a
long, long time to completely heal. My question is: Why not (cut) the tails
when the heifers are small? It could be done with other stress-inducing
procedures like dehorning."
Dr. Ken Nordlund, DVM responds:
"Tail Docking is controversial and has been banned in England and
some Scandinavian countries because of concerns about pain, reduced ability to
swat flies, and potential problems with infection and wound healing.
However..."
Folks, the list of "howevers" will break your heart, but to Hoard's
and its readers, it's business as usual.
I've run out of tolerance for the "however" people. I hope that you
are not one of them. Please re-read the letter from N.L. and know that
with the next bite of a slice of pizza or Hershey's Kiss, you must also take
responsibility for a lifetime of pain and suffering to your bovine, a cow
dedicated to your dairy consumption, set aside to produce the cheeses and ice cream,
yogurt and butter, cream cheese, and chocolate that you consume by being a
so-called compassionate
vegetarian.
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~4~
Fight Against Olympic Rodeo
Continues
From SHARK.news@sharkonline.org
Dear
Friends,
I had meant to give updates on the Olympic debacle every day or two, but things
have been extremely busy. Here are a few key points.
As we have from the beginning of this campaign, the light of truth continues to
shine on the rodeo and Olympic Mafia, and rodeo apologists are on the
run. I am told that Utah representative Paul Ray is now trying to find
something to support his contention that SHARK is a terrorist
organization. Isn't it fascinating that Mr. Ray only now tries to find
support for his outrageous statements, instead of before he made them?
That's the rodeo way!
Four nights ago, we followed the Torch to Provo, Utah. There, we were
repeatedly knocked off the Torch route by Provo police, and we repeatedly kept
finding another way to get on. It was an absolute scream, with the police
trying to figure out how in the world we were doing it. The truth is, it
was just blind luck, like none I have ever seen before, or will likely see
again.
The Provo cops followed up that performance when a punk threw a rock at the
Tiger. Two of us saw the punk do it, and I stopped the Tiger, jumped out
and videotaped the loser. Three cops quickly pulled up to tell me to move
the truck. I told them about the rock-throwing punk, and the cops
promised they would take care of it. A couple hours later, we checked
with the cops, and apparently "taking care of it" in Provo means that
they let the criminal go. We shall ask for an internal investigation, but
as far as I can tell, there isn't much good to be found in Provo's cop shop.
Ogden, Utah went fairly smooth, and the cops were professional. Salt Lake
cops have been very professional. The rodeo stooges, of course, are
another matter. Last night, the Tiger had stuff thrown at it again.
One rodeo stooge walked into the middle of the street and pulled his pants down
to show us his butt. Had he not quickly pulled his pants back up, I'm
certain the area would have been declared an EPA disaster area.
Through all of this, we have a great deal of support. The difference is,
our supporters smile and give us a thumbs up, while our opposition is obscene,
violent -- and cowardly and anonymous.
One truly funny thing that happened last night was when the Tiger followed the
Torch route to the front of the Utah State capitol building. There were
dignitaries from around the state, as well as Olympic officials. A sudden
traffic jam left the Tiger right in front of the capitol building for over ten
minutes, while all the people watching the Olympic show that was going on
turned to watch the Tiger. Besides the video footage of rodeo animal
abuse, our LED signs were sending a split message. The front and rear
signs said, "STOP THE OLYMPIC RODEO," over and over. The side
signs said, "SHAME ON MITT ROMNEY," with SHAME blinking as it
scrolled across.
This morning, we took the Tiger to Taylorsville High School, in Taylorsville,
Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake. The Torch was making its way by the school,
and the student animal rights group bravely staged a protest. Pro-rodeo
punks staged a counter protest and barbecued meat to try to enrage animal
protectors. When this ploy failed, the animal abusers pelted the Tiger
with snowballs and iceballs. One punk jumped on the side of the
Tiger. Unfortunately for the punks, they were
being videotaped both from inside and behind the Tiger, and they will now be
learning some facts of life the hard way, including criminal charges. The
local police, who watched while the attack occurred and did nothing, will also
be challenged.
One of the things I will do upon getting home is to put some of the video clips
we have gotten on the road on our website, to show the obscenities and violence
of rodeo people. It will be months before we will catch up with all the
footage we have taken. The crooked cops need to be investigated.
Some people will likely be sued.
Here's something else funny. The rodeo people thought they would get a
worldwide boost for their perverted concept of sport. But because of the
way we have exposed them, they won't even talk to foreign media unless they
have been contacted far in advance, and have questions submitted. Gee,
what could they possibly be afraid of? I expect the Professional Rodeo
Cowards Association (PRCA) fears a repeat of the expose by the European
journalists that kicked their butts a year ago. That documentary (Alone
Against the Rodeo) won a Genesis Award. And you know, they just might be
right -- any of those journalists just might be setting them up!
I'll try to get more info out when I get a chance. As for the pro-rodeo
lurkers on our list, know this. The worldwide media viewing our footage
and interviewing us finds you to be the lowest class of people on the planet,
and I certainly concur. They are so disgusted by you, that they actually
feel a need to tell us so. Your obscene cruelty is matched only by your
incredible cowardice. When the world sees rodeo people for what they are,
they are absolutely repulsed. The Olympic rodeo has given us the
opportunity to educate the world about rodeo sleazeballs, and we are making the
most of it.
Now, it is off to the city, to catch tens of thousands of people as they file
out of the opening festivities! Somebody give me some advice on etiquette
-- should I thank Mitt Romney for setting uup millions of people for the
Tiger? As for the Olympic rodeo -- they still have a bunch of seats
available. Even the rodeo stooges think an Olympic rodeo is idiotic
-- and that's really saying something! p; By the way, there are so many
seats available for the Olympic Games, Mitt Romney has resorted to giving them
away -- yes, giving them away -- just so the television cameras don't film all
those wide open spaces. Nice show, Mitt! I wonder if Mitt can spell
L-O-S-E-R?
Kindest Regards,
Steve Hindi
SHARK
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~5~
An Update From the Field
From Buffalo Field Campaign - bfc-media@wildrockies.org
As we skied along the Madison River yesterday
morning searching for four bison in the dawn's mist we tried to make ourselves
ready for another hectic day of hazing and capture. At least seven
Department of Livestock (DOL) agents had arrived in town the previous
afternoon. After the past two weeks, when 17 bison were captured and 12
slaughtered, we were becoming used to the patterns of the DOL.
My patrol-mates were Marco, a volunteer who traveled all the way from Germany
to help the buffalo; Chris, a research scientist who has grown accustomed to
extreme winter conditions after conducting research in the frigid waters of
Antarctica; and Mike, who helped to form the Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) in
1997. As we skied west along the river away from the park we were happy
to find an old bull--we'd affectionately named him Houdini for his amazing
ability to escape the DOL--on his way up the trail toward the park. Mike
and Marco stayed with him to see that he crossed the highway safely while Chris
and I made our way for the meadow a few miles down river.
The sun was climbing from behind the horizon when we reached the meadow and
discovered three large bulls, their brown coats frosted white, lying beside a
small tributary. (These were the same animals that, two weeks earlier,
had wandered into the park hours before the DOL capture operation began and
came back out the day the DOL left town.) Chris and I were with them
about twenty minutes when the first one stood and shook his shaggy coat.
The crystal rattling of ice filled the quiet morning as chunks of ice fell off
his back. After a while he meandered across the tributary and into the
woods, followed by his two friends.
Mike and Marco radioed from the highway to tell us that Houdini had gone into
the park and to ask our location so they could meet up with us. Our two-way
FM radios allow all the patrols to be in contact with one another and with the
office. A car patrol at Duck Creek watches DOL headquarters and alerts
the other patrols when the agents head into the field on their snowmobiles or
when the helicopter takes to the air. Without the radios patrols would
lack coordination and volunteers would have no forewarning of the DOL's
arrival. Radios also allow our media coordinator to know what is
happening in the field so he can write accurate and timely press releases.
By the time Mike and Marco had reached us, we were a little relieved.
Duck Creek patrol had just contacted us to say all was quiet with the
DOL. We built a fire on the edge of the meadow and shared stories.
A bald eagle soared directly above us. Marco gave us a lesson in
German. At 10 am we heard over the radio that two agents had left DOL
headquarters and were headed our way. Marco and I went to check on the
bison and found only two. A fresh set of tracks headed east and we
decided to follow. We radioed Mike and Chris to tell them to
keep an eye on the two in the meadow while we went to find the lone bull.
After skiing east a mile and a half we got our first glimpse of him, wading in
the river and nibbling tufts of grass from the exposed banks. He stayed
in the river for a few hundred yards, slowly making his way to the park.
A quarter mile from the boundary he swam across the Madison, coming less than
twenty yards from a small flock of trumpeter swans. We watched as one of
the swans took to the air above the bull. I tried to call to our
"Rove" patrol and tell them to be ready to warn passing motorists of
the bison's approach but because of a problem with their radio they couldn't
hear me. Luckily no cars were coming when the bull hauled his body from
the river, crossed the highway, and disappeared into the park. Not thirty
seconds later the two agents came whizzing by on their snowmobiles, oblivious
to the fact that the bull had just crossed.
We turned around and followed our tracks back to our friends in the
meadow. We hadn't been there long when the DOL agents arrived. Rob
Tierney, the agent in charge of the DOL's bison operations stopped by our fire
and made small talk. He told us they had no plans to capture this
week. He kept to his word yesterday and we enjoyed our first peaceful
Wednesday in three weeks. As I sit in the office writing this week's
update the quiet on the radio makes me believe this may be a safe week for
America's last wild bison.
For more information, check the
following website often:
Buffalo Field Campaign
http://www.wildrockies.org/Buffalo/
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~6~
Endless
Lesson
By Donna Anderson - donna1994@delphi.com
I cannot look into a mother cow's eyes
without feeling her pain.
Her children enter a vicious cycle
and from this what will she gain?
I cannot touch the fur of a fox,
the image of blood flows through my mind.
It's skin will be torn from its back.
Haven't we advanced further in time?
We are all as one with nature,
though humans do not realize.
We were put her to share this planet
and not to walk away from the pain in another's eyes.
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~7~
Memorable Quote
The animals, you say, were “sent.”
For man's free use and nutriment.
Pray, then, inform me and be candid,
Why came they eons before man did?
To spend long centuries on earth
Awaiting their devourer's birth?
Those ill-timed chattels, sent from Heaven,
Were, sure, the maddest gift e'er given—
“Sent” for man's use (can you believe it?)
When there was no man to receive it!
~~
Henry Salt, The Sending of the Animals
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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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