A n i m
a l W r i t e s © sm
The
official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue # 04/04/01
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
~
MicheleARivera@aol.com
~ SavingLife@aol.com
THE NINE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ Getting Animal Politics "Right"
by Sen. Robert Smith
2 ~ Canadian Seal Hunt
3 ~ Still Eating Fish?
4 ~ Horse Slaughter for Consumption Abroad
5 ~ Protest Ringling Brother's Circus
6 ~ 21st Century Cares
7 ~ Job Opportunity
8 ~ Abou Ben Adhem -- revisited by Richard Corsano
9 ~ Quote To Remember
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Getting
Animal Politics "Right"
by Sen. Robert Smith (R-NH)
from The Animals' Agenda
I
am a conservative Republican. And I am an ardent animal protection advocate. I
don't view those positions as the least bit contradictory. Indeed, if the
animal protection movement is to succeed in building a body of law to protect
animals, it must cultivate allies in both political parties, including the
party that now serves in the majority in both chambers of Congress and in the
majority of state legislative chambers. Protection of animals transcends party
affiliation. All people -- whether Democrat, Republican, or independent --
should be concerned about protecting animals from cruelty, neglect,
and exploitation. It is a universal value to express compassionate concern for
dogs and cats, wildlife, and all other animals.
In the Senate, where I have served for a decade and now chair the Environment
and Public Works Committee, I work with some of the most liberal Democrats
--such as California's Barbara Boxer aand Nevada's Harry Reid -- in support of
animal protection causes. Concern for animals should not be the exclusive concern
of a single political party, just as concern for the environment, human rights,
and national sovereignty are bipartisan issues. The sad truth is, I am one of just a few members of Congress who
deeply cares about animal protection enough to act on it. I will continue to
advocate for animals because I care about the cause of protecting animals. In
order to expand the pool of leaders in the legislative domain, however, the
animal protection movement must help more legislators in their elections, and
it must demonstrate that there is political benefit in advocating for animal
protection.
The movement -- specifically, its rank-and-file -- needs to invest a greater
proportion of resources in electoral activities, assisting its friends and
penalizing its enemies, just as other effective interest groups do. The animal
protection movement addresses a large number of bills and urges its members to
send letters and make phone calls, but it fails to immerse itself in the hard
work of electing candidates to office by endorsing individuals, distributing
leaflets, donating dollars, and turning out animal protection voters. It cannot
achieve major successes without getting involved in candidate campaigns. It
needs to take a lesson from the members of the National Rifle Association and
other groups in bringing a comprehensive approach to politics, including
favoring or opposing candidates for office.
If you ask politicians to help you by introducing a bill or speaking in
favor of a measure, and they then comply with the request, it is logical that
they might expect assistance during their time of need: when elections roll
around.
I am most pleased to learn about the formation of Humane USA, the first major
national political action committee (PAC) for animals, and similar PACs at the
state level. I hope that the formation of these operations signals a new
commitment to electoral activity and strengthens the hand of the animal
protection movement in the Congress and in state legislatures. I urge every animal advocate to participate
in electoral campaigns and to support like-minded PACs.
As a conservative, I believe in limited government. The heavy hand of
government should rest on the average citizen's shoulder only when necessary.
So much of the animal agenda involves stopping wasteful and cruel government
programs. There is, of course, a role for government, especially when it comes
to protecting the least powerful in society. Animals are among the most
helpless group, completely disfranchised and depending on our sense of mercy
and humanity to spare them from harm and exploitation.
At the state level, this can translate into passage of strong and comprehensive
anti-cruelty laws with stiff penalties for perpetrators. At the federal level,
it means advocating for a variety of laws such as some currently in the 106th
Congress (all of which I have cosponsored): legislation to bar any interstate
shipment of birds or dogs in animal fights; to halt any interstate shipment of
gall bladders and other bear parts traded and sold for use in traditional
Chinese medicine; to provide sanctuary for chimpanzees abused in medical
research and now languishing in cages that deprive them of a physically
suitable, socially enriched life; to protect injured livestock at stockyards;
to ban the import, export, or sale of dog and cat fur; to protect chimpanzees,
gorillas, and other great apes in their native habitats; and to
validate alternatives to animal testing.
In fact, I introduced the chimp retirement bill mentioned above (S. 2725), and
I am pushing for passage in my committee of the Great Ape Conservation Act (S.
1007) and the Bear Protection Act (S. 1109). I also actively supported bills
passed by the Senate and enacted into law to protect animals in law enforcement
from acts of cruelty, and to ban the sale of videos through the Internet that
depict animal abuse, including macabre "crush" videos. In addition to
endorsing pro-active legislation, I have also supported halting the use of
Americans' hard-earned tax dollars for purposes that cause harm to animals. It
is a conservative principle to reduce the tax burden on average Americans. And
it's morally unacceptable that government spends so much of our money on
harming animals. If most Americans
had knowledge of these expenditures, they would revolt against them. I have
made it a priority to stop programs that involve the twin sins of wasteful
spending and animal exploitation.
With Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), I led the fight to halt a U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) export promotion subsidy for the mink coat industry. If you
can believe it, the USDA was spending millions of our tax dollars on foreign
fashion shows and advertising to promote the overseas sale of U.S-produced mink
pelts. We killed this multimillion-dollar boondoggle in 1995, and we have
remained vigilant during every appropriations cycle to be sure that it was not
resurrected by legislative allies of the fur industry.
With Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI), I also pushed for an end to spending on the
BION primate experiments, in which our government spent millions sending
monkeys into space for dubious benefit to our space program. These experiments were painful and
ultimately fatal to these intelligent and
remarkable creatures. Our amendment narrowly failed, but we created enough
pressure that NASA subsequently canceled the program. During the current
Congress, I supported an amendment to halt the use of tax dollars to promote
the use of steel-jaw leghold traps on National Wildlife Refuges, and I was
prepared to lead a fight, with Senator Boxer, to halt the use of millions of
tax dollars to kill coyotes as a de facto subsidy for private livestock
producers. I also worked with Senator Boxer on an amendment to
end U.S. funding for a program that promotes the setting of nets on dolphins as
a means of catching tuna.
I am very proud to have consistently scored 100 on the legislative scorecard of
The Humane Society of the United States and The Fund for Animals. I consider it the mark of a decent human
being and a responsible elected official to be concerned about the humane
treatment of other creatures.
The government also has a role in protecting the environment.
"Conservative" and "conservation" share the same root word,
and many Republicans have been staunch defenders of our natural heritage. I am
working now in Congress to restore the Everglades, to oppose oil drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and to protect habitats by establishing a
long-term funding mechanism to preserve millions of acres of land (S. 701) for
future generations of Americans. As chairman of the Environment and Public
Works Committee, I take very seriously our responsibility to protect the
environment for both people and animals. I am also opposed to international
trade agreements that subvert our national laws. The rush toward globalization
and free trade has already resulted in the gutting of major American animal
protection laws, including dolphin and turtle protection statutes. I support
fair trade, but not unrestricted free trade that causes us to sacrifice our
animal and environmental protection concerns because they are viewed as
economic impediments.
A conservative has a strong sense of right and wrong. There are universal
values that matter and that should govern our lives: Commitment to family. Commitment to our nation, national
sovereignty, and a strong national defense. And, yes, a commitment to animals
and the environment. I look forward to continuing to serve in public office and
to work on animal protection issues, which mean so much to me, my family, and
my constituents.
But social change is not won only because a cause is just and right. It is won
when common citizens take action, organize into a political force, and demand
responsible policies from their elected officials. More importantly, citizens
must be willing to help elect politicians who support those values.
“Reprinted with permission from The Animals’ Agenda, P.O. Box 25881,
Baltimore, MD 21224; (410) 675-4566; www.animalsagenda.org.”
Email: office@animalsagenda.org
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Canadian Seal Hunt
Want
all the facts about the Canadian seal hunt - the largest marine mammal hunt in
the world? Want to see photos and videos of seals? Want to take action against
the hunt?
All this - and more! - available on the new http://canadasealhunt.ca
website. The International Fund for
Animal Welfare is on the scene, monitoring the seal hunt in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, and we'll be updating the site daily with news, photos and videos.
You can even subscribe for e-mail updates!
Please take a look, and take action.
Cassandra Koenen
Public Support Coordinator
IFAW
1 Nicholas Street, Suite 1100
Ottawa ON K1N 7B7
Tel: 1-888-500-4329 Fax: 1-613-241-0641
ckoenen@ifaw.org www.ifaw.org
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Still Eating Fish?
from Dian Hardy -tacitus@sonic.net
New scientific studies raise concern over
toxicity of farmed fish feed
VANCOUVER, CANADA - Startling new scientific evidence from Canada and Britain
suggests that potentially dangerous levels of toxic chemicals are contained in
the feed given to farmed salmon in Canada and Scotland, the David Suzuki
Foundation announced today.
The research shows that the contaminants, known as persistent organic
pollutants, are especially dangerous for children, nursing mothers and pregnant
women or women considering pregnancy. The studies were conducted in Canada by
Dr. Michael Easton for the David Suzuki Foundation and in Britain by Dr. Miriam
Jacobs in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"We are calling on the Canadian government to immediately heed these
findings and to fund the next stage of research needed to determine the safety
of farmed salmon and salmon feed for people who consume this fish
regularly," said Jim Fulton, executive director of the David Suzuki
Foundation.
"Our research, conducted by Dr. Easton, is a pilot study that examined a
small sample size. But the results demonstrate reason for concern and the need
for further study. We believe it is now the responsibility of the federal
government to fund research that can shed more light on these findings,"
he added.
The research by Drs. Easton and Jacobs shows the farmed fish sampled contained
much higher levels of pollutants, including 10 times more Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCBs), than wild fish. Their studies were conducted independently of
each other.
"The results were very, very clear," Dr. Easton, a Vancouver-based
geneticist and expert in ecotoxicology, told the British Broadcasting
Corporation in a television documentary to be aired this Sunday (Jan. 7) in
Britain.
"Farmed fish and the feed that they were fed appeared to have a much
higher level of contamination with respect to PCBs, organochlorine pesticides
and polybrominated diphenyl ethers than did wild fish. In fact, it was
extremely noticeable," he said.
"It is a function of how the feed is made, of their concentrating of these
different materials to produce high-protein diets for the fish and ultimately
the contaminants apparently get concentrated as well," Dr. Easton said,
adding that these pollutants affect the nervous system, the immune system and
can cause cancer.
"They're a neural toxin, which causes learning disabilities (especially in
children) but they are also an immuno toxic," he told the BBC. "They
cause depression of the immune system that enables you to catch colds and flus
and infections much more easily than normal, and they also aid the production
of cancer."
Dr. Jacobs, a toxicologist in the School of Biological Sciences at the
University of Surrey (U.K.), told the BBC: "I am concerned about the
dietary intake of small children and infants. Their dietary intake will be far
greater than for an adult based on body weight. An ongoing study in Holland has
been monitoring for background levels of PCBs in very young children and up to
school age, and it has been found that there is a greater risk of infection and
a greater risk of impairment of cognitive development in those
children that have higher intakes of PCBs."
While the contaminant levels discovered by Drs. Easton and Jacobs were below
government-approved safety levels, both scientists said they are concerned for
people who regularly eat farmed salmon, and also about how governments
establish risk-assessment values for human consumption of chemicals and
pollutants.
The BBC program Warning from the wild: The price of salmon especially raises
questions about British Standards, which are far weaker than those of the World
Health Organization (WHO) and other European countries which are following the
newly established WHO standards. A spokesman for Britain's Food Standards
Agency says they only recommend a person eat one portion of farmed salmon a
week.
"Once again, we have so many questions raised by scientists about this
industry," Mr. Fulton said. "What we want from the Canadian
government is that they fund additional scientific investigation. We are a
small research agency and we cannot afford to conduct the next stage of
research which is estimated at approximately $800,000."
Those funds could be found in the office of Canada's Aquaculture Commissioner
whose office has an annual budget of over $2 million, Mr. Fulton added.
"I presume that some of the work his office should be doing is this type
of scientific research so I look forward to speaking to the Minister of
Fisheries (Hon. Herb Dhaliwal) about the possibility of continuing Dr. Easton's
work," he said.
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Horse Slaughter for Consumption
Abroad
from AndrewsKD@aol.com
I
found out that an animal abuse that I thought was a thing of the distant past
is continuing unabated all across this country. It is truly America's
"Dirty Little Secret" and an American Disgrace. 2 1/2 million have
died since 1986. All the lower 48 states are actively involved in this
slaughter pipeline.
Last year over 90,000 American horses, some very young and many who were
stolen, were transported thousands of miles stacked like stacks of wood in
cattle cars under inhumane conditions to four equine slaughterhouses in the US
or to butcher shops in Canada. About 2 million pounds of American horse meat
was shipped to Europe as a gourmet "delicacy." Since 1986 2.5 million American horses have
been destroyed and the meat exported. The USDA has been ineffectual and current
state laws are
impractical and unenforceable as evidenced by the rise in this problem.
I have written proposals for Federal laws prohibiting the interstate and
international transport of horses for slaughter; and a ban on the export of any
horse meat and horse byproducts. If interested in these proposals and research,
please let me know and I will provide it. Public education is paramount.
I am submitting it to my two US Senators and Congressman. The only way this Horse Holocaust
will stop is with Federal legislation. All the Best to You and Yours, Dr. D
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Protest Ringling Brother's
Circus
from LexAnima@aol.com
I am interested in providing information and
support to folks in the following cities who want to help protest the Ringling
Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus due to their cruel treatment of
elephants. Did you know that USDA has determined that Ringling elephant
practices have caused "unnecessary" trauma, behavioral stress,
physical harm and discomfort to elephants? Did you know that there is a
lawsuit pending against Ringling due to their treatment of baby elephants? And
did you know that former Ringling elephant workers have now gone public about
the routine beating and chaining of elephants?
If you or someone you know is planning a demo in the following cities, please
contact me directly at this email address or call me at 202.518.3700.
Thanks for helping protect the Ringling Brothers Elephants!
D'Arcy Kemnitz
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Schedule:
Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center = Mar 28 thru Apr 1
New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden = Mar 30 thru Apr 15
Washington, DC - DC Armory = Apr 4 thru Apr 16
Philadelphia, PA - First Union Spectrum = Apr 18 thru Apr 29
Charleston, WV - Charleston Civic Center = Apr 19 thru Apr 22
Roanoke, VA - Roanoke Civic Center = Apr 25 thru Apr 29
Providence, RI - Providence Civic Center = May 2 thru May 6
Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena = May 2 thru May 6
Springfield, IL - Prairie Capital Convention = May 9 thru May 10
New Haven, CT - New Haven Vets Mem Coliseum = May 9 thru May 13
Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center = May 12 thru May 13
Rockford, IL - Metro Centre = May 15 thru May 16
Hartford, CT - Hartford Civic Center = May 16 thru May 20
Rochester, NY - Blue Cross Arena = May 24 thru May 27
Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Arena = May 30 thru Jun 3
Wilkes Barre, PA - First Union Arena = Jun 6 thru Jun 10
Tulsa, OK - Tulsa Convention Ctr = Jun 7 thru Jun 10
Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena = Jun 13 thru Jun 16
Little Rock, AR - ALLTEL Arena = Jun 14 thru Jun 17
Bossier City, LA - CenturyTel Center = Jun 21 thru Jun 24
Tucson, AZ - Tucson Convention Center = Jun 22 thru Jun 24
Phoenix, AZ America West Arena = Jun 26 thru Jul 2
Pensacola, FL - Pensacola Civic Center = Jun 27 thru Jun 30
Inglewood, CA - Great Western Forum = Jul 18 thru Jul 22
Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Sports Arena = Jul 25 thru Jul 29
Anaheim, CA - Arrowhead Pond = Jul 31 thru Aug 5
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21st Century Cares
from - KarenDawn1@aol.com
21st
Century Cares launches 12 month tour to promote humane education.
Permission to cross post!!!
Press Release: March 21, 2001
Las Vegas, Nevada
United States Tour to speak to a million youth and save a million lives,
visiting 50 cities in 50 weeks.
21st Century Animal Resource and Education Services, leader in the education of
America's next generation of pet owners, today announced that Randy N. Warner,
founder and President will launch a 12 month tour of the United States for the
sole purpose of promoting humane education in our nation's schools. It is a
simple, no nonsense program that will take 90 minutes per school year and will
place no demands on the schools. With no personal compensation for this
trip, Randy Warner has found funding and support for over half of the services
required to embark. "I have tremendous confidence in my very lofty
goals and do intend to shoot for the stars. I plan to speak to one
million people (especially youth) and be directly responsible for saving one
million companion animals from unnecessarily being put to death. It is a
mission of mine. I feel compelled to being PRO ACTIVE rather than RE
ACTIVE. This is a VERY solvable problem within our lifetime," Warner
said. "VERY SOLVABLE!!!" he concluded.
Over the past 17 years Warner has devoted his entire existence to saving over
2700 abandoned and abused dogs and placing them in loving homes - voluntarily
giving up any form of normal lifestyle. In the past 8 years, Randy has
been visiting schools with this program, speaking to at risk teens and
underprivileged youth, along with all youngsters willing to give him an
audience. Warner uses his experience to show cause and effect and shares
a message of common sense, compassion and humane education which has been very
well received. Not to mention the fact that it is one of many ways to
curb the violence we see in a growing number of today's young people. It
is a fresh approach to an old problem. The youth are impressionable and they
hold the key to change. It is today's children that will cross the boundaries
that govern this problem.
Randy will be visiting 50 cities in 50 weeks with many goals in mind. Warner will be speaking to schools, boys and
girls' clubs and scout troops as well. Please visit our website
The pet overpopulation problem is most assuredly a solvable problem!!!
Americans are spending over One billion dollars on animal control issues in this
nation, as well as donating a similar amount to animal welfare organizations.
We need to redirect our way of thinking in regard to the monies we spend on
this life and death issue. Warner truly believes that being Pro Active can
radically reduce that amount of expenditure in the next 10-20 years, not to
mention save lives. Most recognized and respected animal welfare organizations
accept these monies to keep themselves in business.
We hope you will see fit to join in this endeavor to put Randy Warner and 21st
Century Cares out of business in 5 years!!!! Our children need and
appreciate challenges and will do a good job with this, as they did with litter
in the 60s, recycling in the 80s and other issues as well.
Remember, in 1999, adults in this United States made decisions which ultimately
resulted in the unnecessary death of over 10 million adoptable pets. Our
children can do better if only given the proper information. We just need
to show them the 21st Century Cares!
CARES, doing business as 21st Century Animal Resource and Education Services or
"21st Century Cares" is a 501c3 non profit corporation based in the
state of California. 21st Century Cares is an animal welfare organization
dedicated to supporting and promoting various forms of humane
education in our nation's schools in an effort to reduce the number of
companion animals unnecessarily born and lost to irresponsibility and cruel and
inhumane treatment of the same.
For more information, please contact:
Randy N. Warner
President
21st Century Animal Resource and Education Services
PO Box 373
Dolan Springs, AZ 86441
520-767-4895
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Job Opportunity
from JenniferH@paws.org
Progressive
Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), based in Lynnwood, Washington is looking for a
talented, committed, compassionate person to fill the position of Animal
Advocate. Purpose of Position: To identify, research and conduct animal
advocacy work with a focus on issues pertaining to exotic animals, farm
animals, companion animals and wildlife, cruelty, and other issues as
assigned. Motivate and involve PAWS volunteers, staff, members and the
public in animal advocacy work. For a full job description and how to
apply, please go to the PAWS website at <http://www.paws.org>.
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Abou Ben Adhem -- revisited
by Richard Corsano - RAJC@prodigy.net
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold: -
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
'What writest thou?'-The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, 'The names of those that love the Lord.'
'And is mine one?' said Abou. 'Nay, not so,'
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still; and said, 'I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men.'
"I am sorry but That I cannot do
Love of fellow man is wanting in you."
"Then in the book of HE who made us all
Write I loved all HIS creatures great and small"
Then The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
JHL Hunt 1784p;1859
Lines 15-18 added by Richard Corsano
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Quote To Remember
"Alas,
what wickedness to have one living creature fed by the death of another.. in
the midst of such wealth as Earth, the best of Mothers, provides."
~ Pythagoras
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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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