A n i m a l W r i t e s © sm
The official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue #
10/18/00
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
~
MicheleARivera@aol.com
~ SavingLife@aol.com
THE TEN ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ Animal Labs by Mark Bekoff - bekoffm@spot.Colorado.EDU
2 ~ A Wish by Barbara Lewis
3 ~ Job Opportunity
4 ~ Initiative to Limit Factory Farming in Florida
5 ~ Going To The Dogs
6 ~ Two Cat Conferences
7 ~ Bill Offers Reprieve for Doomed Military Dogs
8 ~ The Vegetarian Travel Guide
9 ~ The Vow by WantNoMeat@aol.com
10 ~ Quote To Remember
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Animal Labs
by Mark Bekoff - bekoffm@spot.Colorado.EDU
http://www.bouldernews.com/opinion/letters/28elett.html
Boulder Camera, June 28, 2000
So, what did you do today?
Last week [mid June 2000] the American Society of Primatologists met in
Boulder. One question that came to mind was how many thousands of animals are
these (and other) researchers responsible for keeping alone in small cages,
subjecting to horrible experimental treatments (infecting them with diseases,
tinkering with brains, ripping apart youngsters from care-givers to study once
again the development of parent-infant bonds and socialization, and get this -
studying the effect of different types of music on chimpanzees housed alone)
and, yes, "sacrificing" = killing them, "in the name of
science."
It was no surprise that the music study was done at the Coulston Foundation in
Alamogordo, New Mexico, a ghastly research prison that's been repeatedly found
in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act. To be fair, there were some
very interesting studies on cognition and various aspects of the behavior of
free-ranging wild primates.
I also wondered how these researchers tell others about what they do in the
course of a normal day. I imagined the following scene. A child asks of a
parent: "So, what did you do today?" After getting rid of all the
jargon and fluff, her parent's response boils down to: "Oh, I took a
monkey from his mother and sibs to see what would happen," "I killed
chimpanzees to study drug reactions," "I blinded cats to learn about
vision," or "I trained rats first to avoid shock and then didn't
allow them to do it, and watched them go berserk, squeal for help, give up, and
passively accept the shock." Well, I sure wouldn't miss those mealtime
conversations.
Numerous studies have shown how smart and emotional many animals are, and how they
deeply suffer from anxiety and pain, so how in the world do some people do what
they do -- rob animals of their spirits and souls -- and then go home and eat?
Ah, they're helping humankind. Hmm, do unto others...Oh, I just wonder...
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A Wish
by Barbara Lewis
I wish I was a Rottweiler and I could carry a gun
I'd go after all those folks, who think that tortures fun
I'd gather up a gang of us, a Spitz, a chi, a hound
We'd travel in a motorhome, and hunt these people down
We'd start with all the puppy mills, we'd open all their doors
And tell them all "run like the wind, and head for golden shores
There's someone there that's waiting, with open arms for you
I promise you can trust them, they're animal rescue
If I could talk, I'd call the millers out into the night
I'd bear my teeth, and hold my gun and watch them shake in fright
And then I'd laugh and laugh and laugh and then I'd laugh some more
As I threw them in the wire cage and slammed the metal door
So its on to the next, Oh this is fun as we joke around with each other
We start drawing maps and making plans
Got a lot of ground to cover.
There's a pit on the road, someone has dumped
We offer him a ride,
Its not hard to see the life he has led by the pain that's in his eyes.
We give him lots of food and drink, and he shows no aggression
He hears our plan and wants to join, and teach mankind a lesson
We're off again, to search this land for the murderers who went free
To teach the ones who stomped and burned and hung dogs from a tree
One by one we paid them back for everything they've done
And repeated their words back to them, "isn't torture fun?".
After days and days of traveling, gathering troops along the way
Thinking of our forever homes and the people who threw us away
We long for a loving family, Oh wouldn't that be neat!!!
Instead, they dump or beat us or have us put to sleep
Maybe we are not thru yet, there's many more folks to see
The judges and lawyers, the USDA or maybe the AKC.
We give all politicians giardia and mange, on the highway by the side of
the road
And strip them of their dignity, give them fleas and ticks abode.
I smile to myself as this vision dances in my head
My eyes grow very heavy, as I snuggle in this soft bed
I can hear in a far distance, dogs whining and then a scream
When I wake up, I realize that this was all a dream
The wire digs into my side, my feet and body's sore
As I look down to the ones below that cold, hard, wire floor
I start to beg like all the rest, please set me free today.
I pray to God, I'd rather be dead then live this horrible way
And guess what, I'm not a rot nor do I have a gun
I'm just a little Dachshund, put on earth to play and run
To be loved by ALL humans, like every dog should be
But if I did had a gun right now, I'd use that gun on me.
http://my-doggie.com/al/nopuppymills/wish.htm
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Job Opportunity
from: Jack Norris - jacknorris@mindspring.com
Viva! is currently looking for a freelance book
keeper in the Atlanta area to work 10 hours a week -- initially. We are a
growing organization and the position will get busier, so someone who does not
mind additional hours in the future would be preferred.
Viva!USA is a non-profit vegan organization that focuses primarily on animals
killed for food (www.vivausa.org).
A job description is listed below.
If you are interested, please send resumes and references to
Viva!
P.O. Box 49023
Atlanta, GA 30359
Feel free to contact me [Lauren Ornelas - US Campaigns Director] if you have
additional questions. I can be reached at (404) 315-8881 or via e-mail at
vivausa@earthlink.net.
JOB DESCRIPTION - BOOKKEEPER
The bookkeeper reports to the Campaigns Director (US) and when necessary to the
International Director (UK). The role includes the following:
* Maintenance of a full set of accounting records, recording income and
expenditure, debtors, creditors, and cash and bank balances on a regular basis.
* Reconciling the bank account on a monthly basis.
* Ensure all IRS transactions are worked out and dealt with promptly
* Maintaining controls to reconcile weekly the total recorded income to the
banking records, allowing for timing differences shown on the PDQ/CAF
statements.
* Maintaining cash controls.
* Maintaining controls over the authorization and payment of suppliers.
* Maintaining controls over the payment of salaries and expenses.
* All records, whether in print, disc or on computer etc., are to remain in the
HQ of Viva!.
* Assist staff in use of accounting software.
* Working out staff salaries
* Providing relevant tax forms to staff at end of year, end of employment etc.
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Initiative to Limit Factory
Farming in Florida
from Molly McGee - MOLLYMCGEE@webtv.net
Please
join a groundbreaking initiative to limit the confinement of pigs on factory
farms in Florida, specifically by banning the use of gestation crates. These
small metal enclosures used to keep pregnant (i.e. gestating) pigs are just two
feet wide, and the pigs are confined so tightly that they cannot walk or even
turn around. Gestation crates allow hundreds or thousands of pigs to be housed
in close quarters, and this results in a massive accumulation of waste which
threatens the environment.
Gestation crates are so cruel that they have been outlawed in other countries,
but tragically, they remain common in the United States, including in Florida.
Like all animals, pigs experience pain and suffering, and they deserve at the
very least to be treated with a minimum of humane care. But unfortunately,
animals exploited for food in the U.S. have been excluded from most state
anti-cruelty laws. It cannot be humane if a female pig is kept in a constant
state of pregnancy and confined in a tiny crate for her entire life.
Meetings are now being scheduled throughout Florida to train volunteers for a
November 7th signature gathering kickoff at the voting precincts around the
state. We will need to collect over 500,000 signatures over the next year and a
half to place this measure on the ballot in Florida for the November, 2002
election.
We hope you can help and would appreciate anything you can do to recruit
volunteers. For more information, please see: http://www.bancruelfarms.org.
To receive information about the campaign and our upcoming meetings, please
send us your e-mail, mailing address, and phone contact information.
Floridians for Humane Farms
P.O. Box 8487
Coral Springs, Fl. 33075
phone: (954) 917-7654
e-mail: info@bancruelfarms.org
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Going To The Dogs
from Maynard S. Clark - vrc@tiac.net
Senate
Finance Chairman Bill Roth, facing a tough reelection battle in Delaware,
issues a news release from "Wilhelm IV and Tsunami," his dogs.
They urge Congress to pass a tariff suspension and trade bill that includes a
provision banning importation of products made with dog and cat fur.
"Every day, thousands of our friends abroad are cruelly executed for their
fur," Wilhelm IV and Tsunami bark in the release.
For the full text of Sen. Roth's news release from his dogs, click on the
Senate Finance Committee web site:
Or go directly to: http://www.senate.gov/~finance/106-480.htm
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Two Cat Conferences
from: alley_cat_allies@juno.com
The
following two conferences are very worth your while attending, if at all
possible:
Saturday, November 3rd & 4th, 2000, - Statewide conference,
"Winning the Animal Welfare Game", at Wichita State University at
Wichita State University - Hughes Metropolitan Complex: 5015 East North, (29th
& Oliver) in Wichita, KS. One of the speakers will be Bonney Brown of Best
Friends Animal Sanctuary who will be giving two workshops (Fundraising &
Organizing Members/Volunteers). Cost is
$35 ($15 for each additional person from the same organization). Send check
payable to Kansas Humane Society, 4218 Southeast Blvd., Wichita, KS 67210. For
more complete information, contact Sheri Canfield at (316) 524-1590 ext. 203 or
e-mail: schumane@southwind.net.
Saturday, November 4th, 2000, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - "Finding Real
Solutions: Public Forum on Feral Cat Control" at The Hyatt Regency Hotel
in Princeton, NJ. Speakers include Becky Robinson of Alley Cat Allies, Peter
Marsh of Solutions to Pet Overpopulation (S.T.O.P.), and Esther Mechler of
Spay/USA. Registration is $25 (includes lunch) for veterinarians, government
officials, and animal control officers and $35 (includes lunch) for the general
public. For more complete information or to register, please call Alley Cat
Allies at (202) 667-3630 ext. 112.
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Bill Offers Reprieve for Doomed
Military Dogs
Retired
Animals Could Be Adopted by Qualified Handlers
Oct. 11, 2000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Military dogs at the end of their service could get a new
lease on life under a bill approved by the House on Tuesday night.
The legislation, which was passed by voice vote and sent to the Senate, would
allow former military handlers, law enforcement agencies and other qualified
people to adopt the animals. The commander of the dog's last unit would decide
whether the dog is suitable for adoption after considering recommendations of
the unit veterinarian.
Under current Pentagon policy, military dogs cannot be adopted even though
civilian police dogs often find homes with their handlers.
Routinely euthanized
The Defense Department cages and eventually euthanizes military dogs when they
are too old or sick to work, according to Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., who
introduced the bill.
The Defense Department's Dog Center said, however, that military dogs are
euthanized primarily for medical reasons; others die from natural causes.
Units often send retiring dogs to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, where
the animals are used in training dog handlers. Retired dogs can be released to
civilian law enforcement agencies but not to members of the public because of
concerns the government might be held liable if the dog injures someone.
No government liability
Bartlett's bill would require those receiving the dogs to agree they would not
hold the federal government responsible for damages, injury or other losses
after the transfer.
Working dogs have assisted American fighting forces in nearly every U.S.
conflict. They have been trained and used to alert troops to ambushes; find
booby traps, land mines and other hidden explosives; act as decoys to draw
enemy fire; and to search for downed airmen.
More than 30,000 military dogs have served the in the military since World War
II. The military currently has about
1,800 dogs in service.
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The Vegetarian Travel Guide
from Vegetarian Travel Guide - vrc@tiac.net
The
Vegetarian Travel Guide... http://www.VegetarianUSA.com ...
FEATURES
* FREE City & State Guides with our favorite restaurants &
healthfood stores!
* FREE Classifieds
* Bulletin Boards
* Calendar of Events
* Vacation Map
* over 500 links to vacation spots
* vegetarian & vegan societies
* communities
* expos
and much more!
The ultimate online resource for Vegetarians!
For more information, contact:
Peter Firk
peter@VegetarianUSA.com
The Vegetarian Travel Guide
http://www.VegetarianUSA.com
... receiving over 100,000 hits a month...!
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The Vow
by WantNoMeat@aol.com
Forgive me for my actions were learned
I ate you was never concerned
But I can't eat you anymore
I wish I would've done this long before
Visions of your death haunt my soul
But at peace with you I am whole
I can look in your eyes now beast
on your flesh, I no longer feast
I've seen the callous acts us human do
There's much humanity to be learned from you
Without a thought ~ your lives we steal
it's just not worth a simple meal
We justify your death with reasons of greed
but to find peace with you is all we need
Perhaps someday there will be harmony
and no longer your graves we'll be
I have learned from you to be kind
and to the see the faces on which I've dined
I will do all I can to protect you now
I owe you this ~ a solemn vow
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Quote To Remember
"The assumption that animals are without rights
and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a
positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal
compassion is the only guarantee of morality."
~~Schopenhauer, On the Basis of
Morality
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Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online, President
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal RightsOnline=-
&
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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