A n i m a l W r i t e s © sm
The official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com Issue # 06/17/01
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
~ MichelleRivera1@aol.com
~ sbest1@elp.rr.com
THE SIX ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1
~ Meat Inspectors Say USDA Ignores Humane Slaughter Act
2
~ Albert Schweitzer
3
~ UPC Summer 2001 Poultry Press
4
~ ARO Library
5
~ Misty
6
~ Memorable Quote
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`
Meat Inspectors Say USDA
Ignores Humane Slaughter Act
from
Jai Maharaj - jai@mantra.com
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Washington,
Friday, June 15, 2001 (Reuters) - Federal meat inspectors and animal rights
groups on Wednesday accused the U.S. Agriculture Department of allowing packers
to slaughter cattle and hogs while still conscious, despite regulations
mandating livestock be killed humanely.
The
coalition representing 6,700 meat inspectors sent a petition to Agriculture
Secretary Ann Veneman urging broader authority to enforce the Humane Slaughter
Act (HSA).
Under
the act, all animals must be humanely handled and "stunned"
unconscious prior to being hoisted up on the production line.
"We
are the people who are charged by Congress with enforcing HSA, but most of our
inspectors have little to no access to those areas of the plants where animals
are being handled and slaughtered," said Arthur Hughes, president of the
National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals.
The
most brutal of these violations, the meat inspectors said, were caused by
ineffective stunning -- causing cattle to be dismembered and hogs to be scalded
while still conscious.
Chris
Church, spokesman for USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, said they take
violations of the Humane Slaughter Act "very seriously."
"It
is the meat inspectors responsibility to enforce these requirements," he
said. "They have full authority to take any action necessary including
stopping the slaughter lines."
USDA
officials said the department has bimonthly meetings with the union of meat
inspectors and complaints over humane slaughter has never been discussed.
Church
said accusations in the petition were based primarily on complaints about an
IBP Inc. beef plant in Wallula, Washington.
IBP
spokesman Gary Mickelson said the company disputes the meat inspectors' claims,
pointing out that a recent state investigation on livestock mishandling at the
Wallula plant resulted in no charges.
IBP
and the state of Washington announced in April a cooperative agreement that
allows state officials to continuously verify the plant is properly handling
livestock, Mickelson said.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
Albert Schweitzer
Copyright
2000 by Viatoris Ministries
"It
was unreasonable to me -- this was even before I had gone to school -- that in
my evening devotions I should pray only for people. So when my mother had
prayed with me and kissed me goodnight, I used secretly to add another prayer
which I had myself composed for all living creatures: Dear God, guard and bless
everything that breathes; keep them from all evil and let them sleep in
peace."
Unlike
so many children who begin their lives with a caring heart, Albert Schweitzer
did not lose his capacity for love and concern when he became an adult. His
empathy was all-encompassing, and led to a lifetime of service to all forms of
life.
Born
in 1875 in Alsace at a time when it was under German rule, Albert was the son
of a Lutheran minister. He was a musical prodigy and by the age of nine had
been invited to play as guest organist in the church at Gunsbach. A love for
the organ and for the music of Bach, remained passionate interests for the rest
of his life.
But
he did not choose music as a career. Instead, he followed in his father's
footsteps and studied theology and philosophy. He earned his Doctorate and was
assigned to St. Nicolas Church in Strasbourg. But he was there for only three
years.
Because
Schweitzer was intellectually as well as musically gifted, by the time he was
twenty-eight he had been appointed principal of the Theological College at
Strasbourg University. But although music and scholarship were bringing him a
great deal of satisfaction and renown, he knew that this self-serving lifestyle
was not the path he would follow for the rest of his life.
In
his autobiography, Schweitzer wrote that when he was twenty-one he woke one
morning with the thought that because he had been so blessed in a world of so
much suffering and sorrow, he must give something in return. "So with calm
deliberation, while the birds were singing outside the
window,
I decided that I could justify living my life for scholarship and art until I
was thirty." But he promised himself that after thirty, he would devote
his life to the service of others.
Albert
Schweitzer kept that vow but when the time came, his friends and colleagues
strongly opposed his plan. They insisted that he was throwing away his life.
They brought great pressure to bear, trying to convince him that he could make
a much greater contribution to the world by continuing on the path that was
bringing him so much attention and success.
But
in spite of the continued pressure, at the age of thirty Schweitzer began the
medical studies that would allow him to become a doctor -- a medical
missionary. At the end of his training he planned to go to Gabon in West Africa
and establish a clinic, deep in the jungle, at Lambarene.
He
almost didn't go. The French Missionary Society, which was supposed to sponsor
his African Mission, got involved in a heated debate. Dr. Schweitzer had a
reputation for holding unorthodox views, and many doctrinally-correct Christian
leaders distrusted him. He had to convince them that his only purpose in going
to Africa was to bring healing to those in need. And when he had done that, he
had to solemnly swear that he would never try to convert either the
missionaries or the natives to his theological beliefs. But the Missionary
Society could not keep Schweitzer from thinking, and it was during his African
years that he developed his ethic of Reverence For Life.
As
his work with the sick became known in Europe and America, numbers of willing
workers came to join Dr. Schweitzer, and he was able to make extended trips out
of Africa. During those times, as he went about gaining financial support for
his medical work, he was increasingly asked to lecture on the spiritual/ethical
relationship to the world that he called "Reverence for Life."
His
message was: "Reverence for Life gives us something more profound and
mightier than the idea of humanism. It includes all living beings (his
emphasis). We reject the idea that man is 'Master' of other creatures, 'Lord'
above all others. We must realize that all life is valuable and that we are
united to all life. By ethical conduct toward all creatures, we enter into a
spiritual relationship with the Universe."
Schweitzer's
own "spiritual relationship with the Universe" was based on his
understanding that Christianity -- or any religion -- had value only insofar as
it balanced the inward turning of the mystic with the kind of substantive,
ethical activity which Jesus called for in the Sermon on the Mount.
He
faulted Christianity for not putting into action Christ's "great
commandment of love and mercy."
Christians had treated this command as a treasured platitude instead of
using it as a basis "for opposing slavery, witch burning, torture, and all
the other ancient and medieval forms of
inhumanity."
He
also faulted Christians for ignoring the reality of the Lord's Prayer:
"Only a Christianity which is animated and ruled by the idea and the
intent of the Kingdom of God, is genuine. Only such a Christianity is
genuine. Only such a Christianity can
give to the world what it so desperately needs. It is only through the idea of the Kingdom of God that religion
enters into relationship with civilization."
This
Kingdom of God on earth was the goal towards which Christ taught his followers
to work and pray. A world in which God's will would be "done on earth, as
it is in heaven" was a world in which compassion, kindness and love were
the rule. It was a world in which Reverence for Life, meant reverence for all
living things.
Schweitzer
said that the Christ who called men and women of his own time, is the same
Christ who calls us to do the works of mercy and love today. "He speaks to us the same words,
'Follow thou me' and then sets us to the tasks which He has to fulfill for our
time."
Dr.
Schweitzer believed that whatever path of service is chosen, compassion and
concern for all creatures must be incorporated into that service. Reverence for Life leaves no breeding ground
for cruelty. It is a "boundless ethic" which includes all beings
regardless of race, religion, or species.
He
lived out this belief. During his lifetime he ministered to "all
beings" with compassionate care. It is a matter of record that in the
hospital at Lambarene he gave his services to countless thousands of native
Africans. And although his care of
nonhuman beings is of no interest to those who record a great man's deeds, in
his autobiography Schweitzer wrote movingly of his care for the many kinds of
creatures who came across his path in the jungle at Lambarene.
In
his own time, Albert Schweitzer was as widely known for the extensive network
of medical help he established in West Africa as Mother Teresa is known for her
ministry to the sick and dying in India. And like Mother Teresa, Dr. Schweitzer
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1952).
The
Albert Schweitzer Society is still an active force that continues his work in
25 countries and ministers to "the poor, sick, lepers, and all those
suffering from injustice due to race, sex, color..." But Schweitzer's
legacy goes far beyond this ministry to suffering humanity. His "boundless ethic" of Reverence
for Life, continues to grow in its influence, helping to bring about the kind
of world in which all beings can know freedom from the violence and brutality
which makes life on earth a misery for so many.
He
understood that this freedom is inextricably bound to the way we treat all
creatures -- human and nonhuman. And his prophetic understanding is both a
warning and a guideline for our own time: "Until he extends the circle of
his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace."
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
UPC Summer 2001 Poultry Press
from
Franklin Wade - franklin@upc-online.org
http://www.UPC-online.org
The Summer 2001 Poultry Press has been added
to the United Poultry Concerns Website.
Inside This Issue:
* UPC Complaint Prompts Shutdown of
Cleveland Poultry Slaughter Market
* Freddaflower Memorial Fund: Remembering
Boris
* Karen Davis' New Book MORE THAN A MEAL -
Coming Soon!
* Ban Cockfighting Bills: Your Letters are
Needed ASAP!
* Birds, Rats, And Mice Need Your Help Asap!
* Bills Killed
* Avoiding Burnout
* Book Review - Animal Equality: Language
and Liberation
* UPC Protests Fresh-Fields' Sale of Dead
Ducks in DC
* Big Chicken in the Sky Rains Out Egg Roll,
Not UPC
* Denver County Judge Sentences DJ for
Cruelty to Hen
* UPC Joins Global Safe Food Alliance &
News Conference
* Trader Joe's Drops Duck Meat
* Children's Book Celebrates Chicken Killing
as Boyish Mischief
* Md Gov. Glendening Goes Almost Vegetarian
* Farmed Animal Well-Being Conference
* Animal Rights 2001 National Convention
* UPC 3rd Annual Forum: Does Animal Welfare
Hurt or Help Abolition?
It
is accessible from the UPC Website or directly at:
http://www.upc-online.org/summer2001
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
ARO Library
Each
week Animal Rights Online advises our readers of books that are available on
animal rights, animal welfare, and vegetarian issues. The following is a recap of those books. Anyone wanting more information on any of
the following titles, please contact EnglandGal@aol.com for a full description of the book you are interested
in.
BOOKS
'NUMERICAL
ORDER'
42
Ways To Help Animals In Laboratories
150
Vegan Favorites
1,001
Low-fat Vegetarian Recipes
'ALPHABETICAL
ORDER'
A
A
Language Older Than Words
All
For Animals: Tips and Inspiration for Living a More Compassionate Life
Animal
Experimentation - A Harvest of Shame
Animal
Gospel
Animal
Grace
Animal
Rights: A Subject Guide, Bibliography, and Internet Companion
Animals
in Society: Facts & Perspectives on our Treatment of Animals
Animals
on the Agenda
Animals,
Property and the Law
Animals:
Why They Must Not Be Brutalized
Animal
Rights and Human Obligations
Animal
Rights: History & Scope of a Radical Social Movement
Animal
Rites: Liturgies of Animal Care
Animal
Talk: Interspecies Telepathic Communication
Animal
Theology
Animal
Underworld: Inside America's Black Market
An
Unnatural Order
B
Becoming
Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet
Behind
The Dolphin Smile
Being
Vegan
Best
Friends: The True Story of the World's Most Beloved Animal Sanctuary
Beyond
Animal Rights
Beyond
Evolution
Beyond
The Bars: The Zoo Dilemma
Beyond
The Law
Blood
Relations: Animals, Humans, and Politics
Burgers
'N Fries 'N Cinnamon Buns
C
Caring
Consumers
Child
Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Animal Abuse
Compassionate
Living for Healing, Wholeness and Harmony
Conveniently
Vegan
Conversations
With Dog
Cooking
With Kindness
Cooking
With Peta: Great Vegan Recipes for a Compassionate Kitchen
Cookin'
Southern: Vegetarian Style
Cruelty
to Animals and Interpersonal Violence
D
Dark
Horses and Black Beauties
Dead
Meat
Defending
Animal Rights
Dog,
Cat, and Possum Tales
E
Eat
Right Live Longer
Encyclopedia
of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare
Ethics
Into Action: Henry Spira & The Animal Rights Movement
F
Feed
The Birds
Food
For Life
Food
For The Gods
Foods
That Fight Pain
Free
The Animals
G
God's
Covenant With Animals: A Biblical Basis for the Humane Treatment of All
Creatures
Goodbye,
Friend
H
Heinerman's
New Encyclopedia of Fruits & Vegetables
Hospice
Hounds
Hunting,
Animal Rights, and the Contested Meaning of Nature
I
Incredibly
Delicious: The Vegan Paradigm Cookbook
Instead
of Chicken, Instead of Turkey: A "Poultry" Potpourri
Introduction
to Animal Rights: Your Child or the Dog?
In
Your Face: From Actor to Animal Activist
Is
God A Vegetarian? Christianity, Vegetarianism, and Animal Rights
J
Judaism
and Vegetarianism
K
Kids
Can Cook: Vegetarian Recipes
Kinship
With The Animals
L
Listening
to Wild Dolphins
Living
in Harmony With Animals
Losing
Paradise: The Growing Threat to our Animals our Environment and Ourselves
Lost
and Found: Dogs, Cats, and Everyday Heroes at a Country Animal
Shelter
M
Mad
Cowboy
Mad
Cows and Milk Gate
Meat:
A Natural Symbol
Meatless
Burgers
Milk:
The Deadly Poison
My
Cat Saved My Life
My
Pet Died
N
Naked
Empress, Or The Great Medical Fraud
Natural
Pet Cures: Dog & Cat Care the Natural Way
Nature's
Chicken: The Story of Today's Chicken Farms
Nutrition
and Athletic Performance
O
Out
of Harm's Way: The Extraordinary True Story of One Woman's Lifelong Devotion to
Animal Rescue
P
Paw
Prints On Our Souls
Peaceful
Kingdom: Random Acts of Kindness by Animals
Pit's
Letter
Political
Theory and Animal Rights
Preparing
for the Loss of Your Pet
Prisoned
Chickens Poisoned Eggs
R
Rattling
The Cage Toward Legal Rights for Animals
Reading
Zoos: Representations of Animals and Captivity
Reigning
Cats & Dogs: Good Nutrition, Healthy Happy Animals
Replenish
The Earth
S
Sacred
Cows and Golden Geese
Save
The Animals: 101 Easy Things You Can Do
Saving
Emily
Science
On Trial: The Human Cost of Animal Experiments
Slaughterhouse
Soy
of Cooking
Souls
Like Ourselves
Strolling
With Our Kin: Speaking For And Respecting Voiceless Animals
T
Table
for Two: Meat and Dairy-Free Recipes for Two
Tasty
Bytes Cookbook: Best-of-the-Internet Vegetarian Recipes
Teaching
Compassion: A Guide for Humane Educators, Teachers, and Parents
That
Quail, Robert
The
Animal Dealers: Evidence of Abuse of Animals in the Commercial Trade 1952-1997
The
Animal Rights Movement in America: From Compassion to Respect
The
Compassion of Animals: True Stories of Animal Courage and Kindness
The
Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery
The
Great Ape Project: Equality Beyond Humanity
The
Heart of the Matter: Breaking Codes and Making Connections Between You and Your
Dog or Your Cat
The
Inner Art of Vegetarianism: Spiritual Practices for Body and Soul
The
Inner Art of Vegetarianism Workbook: Spiritual Practices for Body and Soul
The
Loss Of A Pet: A Guide to Coping with the Grieving Process when a pet dies
The
Lost Religion of Jesus: Simple Living and Nonviolence in Early Christianity
The
Nutritional Yeast Cookbook
The
Puppy Baby Book
The
Rainbow and Other Stories
The
Saucy Vegetarian: Quick & Healthful No-Cook Sauces & Dressings
The
Smile of a Dolphin: Remarkable Accounts of Animal Emotions
The
Uncheese Cookbook
The
Use of Animals in Higher Education: Problems, Alternatives, & Recommendations
The
Weaning of America
To
Free A Dolphin
U
Unleashing
Your Inner Dog: Your Best Friend's Guide to Life
V
Vegan:
The New Ethics of Eating
Vegan
Vittles
Vegetarian
Cooking for People with Allergies: Wheat and Dairy-Free
Vegetarian
Magic In Three Easy Steps
Victor's
Picnic With the Vegetarian Animals
W
Waste
of the West: Public Lands Ranching
When
Animals Speak: Advanced Interspecies Communication
Wind-Of-Fire:
The Story of an Untouchable
What
Is A Vegetarian?
Y
You
Can Save the Animals!
Z
Zoos
And Animal Rights: The Ethics of Keeping Animal
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
Misty
©2001
Pauline Dubkin Yearwood - Ahimsa2000@aol.com
If you love
something, set it free.
That’s what they
said in the ’60s.
So when she
broke up with her boyfriend
And had to
move to a new apartment
Where they
didn’t take pets
She drove
Misty to a distant neighborhood
Way out where
the nice houses were
Kissed the
upside-down orange ‘M’ between her eyes
And set her
down in a big front yard.
Somebody will
adopt her, she thought
As Misty began
a life of freedom
That ended
four weeks later
When a thin
orange cat
On the trail
of a bag of fresh garbage
Crossed the
street in front of a car
That was going
much too fast.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
Memorable Quote
"My
illness is due to my doctor's insistence that I drink milk, a whitish fluid
they force down helpless
babies."
~
W.C. Fields
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
(Permission
Granted To Quote/Forward/Reprint/Repost This Newsletter In
Whole Or In
Part with credit given to EnglandGal@aol.com)
* Please forward this to a friend who you
think
might be
interested in subscribing to our newsletter.
* ARO gratefully accepts and considers
articles for publication
from
subscribers on veg*anism and animal issues.
Send
submissions to JJswans@aol.com