A n i m a l W r i t e s © sm
The official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue #
09/15/02
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ ParkStRanger@aol.com
~
MichelleRivera1@aol.com
~ sbest1@elp.rr.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ Henry & Me by Robert Cohen
2 ~ Rosenberg Youth Award
3 ~ Website of Note
4 ~ No Criminal Charges in Chicken Starvation Case
5 ~ Letting A Friend Go by Marc Bekoff
6 ~ World Farm Animal's Day
7 ~ The Innocent
8 ~ Memorable Quote
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~1~
Henry & Me
By Robert Cohen - notmilk@earthlink.net
www.notmilk.com
"I don't think one can articulate
a satisfaction with harming another
being whether it's human or nonhuman."
Henry Spira
Henry Spira was a man who turned compassion into action. Many people honor
Spira by referring to him as the founding father of the animal rights movement.
Spira was mentor and friend to many of the people who are at the forefront of
today's AR movement. People like Alex Hershaft (FARM), Howard Lyman (Voice for
A Viable Future), Ingrid Newkirk (PETA), and Peter Singer (author of Animal
Liberation).
Henry died of cancer on September 12th, 1997 at the age of 71. He began
fighting for animals in the mid-1970s by calling attention to surgical
experiments being conducted on cats. Those lab experiments took place at the
American Museum of Natural History between 78th and 81st Streets in New York
City.
Many years later, Spira was to draw attention to Revlon's practice of testing
cosmetics by blinding rabbits. Spira took out a full page ad in the April 15,
1980 issue of the New York Times. Without Spira's passion, the world would have
known little of what goes on in research labs, and Spira's revelations awakened
thousands more activists.
I never met Spira. We did, however, cross paths.
You see, I was inside the Museum of Natural History witnessing that cat surgery
while Spira and others were outside protesting. At that time, Dr. Ethel Tobach
was curator of the Primatology department at the museum. My friend (and
mentor), Robert Orndoff, Ph.D., was invited to assist with the cat surgery.
Orndoff's mentor, Frank Beach, was America's expert on the physiological
aspects of hormones and sexual behavior in mammals.
Frank Beach is considered to be the founder and father of the field of psychoneuroendocrinology,
the study of how hormones affect the brain and behavior.
Beach's mentor was Karl Lashly, the father of physiological psychology.
Lashly's mentor was William James, the father of experimental psychology.
So you see, what little I know about the physiological aspects of mammalian
neuroanatomy and hormonal behavior was passed on and taught to me from a long
line of great names in scientific annals. At the time, I believed that animal
research was the most noble of academic pursuits. Photo of Robert Cohen,
vivisector/researcher, 1972:
http://www.notmilk.com/temp/cohen2.jpg
Our Museum of Natural History cat had an electrode implanted in the medial
forebrain bundle of her brain's hypothalamus.
Why would anybody protest that, I wondered? We were scientists, seeking to
expand the horizons of mankind's understanding of brain mechanisms. In the long
run, we would cure human diseases by experimenting on animals. The protesters
did not understand.
I remember going outside to get a hot dog from a vendor in front of the museum,
facing Central Park. I walked among the protesters to try and understand their
position. I recall no individual faces, just a mindless passion that seemed at
the time to be misplaced.
Nearly 30 years later, I am haunted by the fact that I was the clueless one. I
do not remember Spira. I could not pick him out of a crowd. The man was a
visionary. At that time, I lacked the vision to see the truths I now see.
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~2~
Rosenberg Youth Award
From FARM - farm@farmusa.org
Each year, the Bill Rosenberg Award honors a
young person who has made a substantial contribution before the age of 18 to
ending abuse of animals raised for food. The Award consists of a plaque and a
$300 cash prize. The Award was established in 1990 in memory of a young
champion of farmed animals who passed away earlier that year.
Past winners of the Rosenberg Award are: Kathryn Blomgren, Mike Markarian,
David Berman, Katy Reagan, Marc Freligh, Danny Seo, Ella Magers, Paul Shapiro,
Chu Hui Cha, Patrick Kwan, Nathan Runkle, and Erin Creegan.
To be considered for the Bill Rosenberg Award, submit a 1-2 page typed
statement of your accomplishments to help stop suffering of farmed animals. You
may also send up to three pages of supporting materials, including
recommendations from animal rights leaders or others familiar with your work.
Please mail your application to: Bill Rosenberg Award, 10101 Ashburton Lane,
Bethesda, MD 20817. The postmark deadline is September 30. For additional
information, contact Patrick Kwan at pkwan@defendanimals.org
212-696-7911.
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~3~
Website of Note
Please crosspost the following website. It
is a slide show of what happens to millions of companion animals in this
country. It is also a reminder of why it's so important to spay and
neuter.
http://www.spotsociety.org/fatedog.html
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~4~
No Criminal Charges
In Chicken Starvation Case
From Farmed Animal Watch
http://www.FarmedAnimal.net
James
Biggers, CEO of Cypress Foods, will not face prosecution for the two hundred
thousand chickens who died last March at the company's Florida operation. More
than 1 million birds in Florida and Georgia starved or were killed after the
company went bankrupt. In Florida, an estimated 30,000 chickens starved after
going 10-15 days without food. Another 170,000 were gassed and buried. Animal
rights activists "stormed" the facility and removed hundreds of birds
before being stopped from doing so. Biggers faced cruelty charges with a
possible sentence of 5 years in prison.
On September 11th, the State Attorney's office announced there was no evidence
of criminal wrongdoing, noting that the company fell on hard times after the
price of eggs dropped. Gene Bauston of Farm Sanctuary countered that Biggers
made decisions that caused the birds' deaths, explaining: "They were
[Biggers'] birds; they were his responsibility." An attorney with the
Humane Society of the United States plans to push for legislation requiring
large farms to post bonds that could be tapped to pay for feed when facilities
go out of business.
"Farm owner won't be charged in deaths of chickens," St. Petersburg
Times, Chas Squires, September 11, 2002.
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/11/news_pf/Pasco/Farm_owner_won_t_be_c.shtml
"Chicken Farm Owner Won't Be Prosecuted in Starvation Episode," Tampa
Bay Online, Andy Reid, September 12, 2002.
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGA998T606D.html
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~5~
Letting A Friend Go
By Professor Marc Bekoff - Marc.Bekoff@Colorado.EDU
July 14, 2002 - Even in death, animal
companions can teach us about spirituality, grace and love
http://www.bouldernews.com/bdc/guest_opinions/article/0,1713,BDC_2493_1262768,00.html
'Come on Marc, it's time for a hike, or dinner, or a belly rub."
I was constantly on call for Jethro, my companion dog, my very best friend a
large German shepherd/Rottweiler mix with whom I shared my home for 12
years. I rescued Jethro from the Humane Society in Boulder, but in many ways he
rescued me.
As he got older, it became clear that our lives together soon would be over.
The uninhibited and exuberant wagging of his whiplike tail, which fanned me in
the summer, occasionally knocked glasses off the table, and told me how happy
he was, would soon stop.
What should I do? Let him live in misery or help him die peacefully, with
dignity? It was my call and a hard one at that. But just as I was there for him
in life, I needed to be there for him as he approached death, to put his
interests before mine, to help end his suffering, to help him cross into his
mysterious future with grace, dignity, and love. For sure, easier said than
done.
Dogs trust us unconditionally. It's great to be trusted and loved, and no one
does it better than dogs. Jethro was no exception. But along with trust and
love come many serious responsibilities and difficult moral choices. I find it
easiest to think about dog trust in terms of what they expect from us. They
have great faith in us; they expect we'll always have their best interests in
mind, that we'll care for them and make them as happy as we can. Indeed, we
welcome them into our homes as family members who bring us much joy and deep
friendship.
Because they're so dependent on us, we're also responsible for making difficult
decisions about when to end their lives, to "put them to
sleep." I've been faced with this situation many times and have
anguished trying to "do what's right" for my buddies. Should I let
them live a bit longer or has the time really come to say good-bye? When Jethro
got old and could hardly walk, eat, or hold his water, the time had come for me
to put him out of his misery. He was dying right in front of my eyes and in my
heart, I knew it. Even when eating a bagel he was miserable.
Deciding when to end an animal's life is a real-life moral drama. There aren't
any dress rehearsals and doing it once doesn't make doing it again any easier.
Jethro knew I'd do what's best for him and I really came to feel that often
he'd look at me and say "it's OK, please take me out of my misery and
lessen your burden. Let me have a dignified ending to what was a great life.
Neither of us feels better letting me go on like this."
Finally, I chose to let Jethro leave Earth in peace. After countless hugs and
"I love you's," to this day I swear that Jethro knew what was
happening, when he went for his last car ride, something he loved to do, and
that he accepted his fate with valor, grace, and honor. And I feel he also told
me that the moral dilemma with which I was faced was no predicament at all,
that I had indeed done all I could and that his trust in me was not compromised
one bit, but, perhaps, strengthened. I made the right choice and he openly
thanked us for it. And he wished me well, that I could go on with no remorse or
apologies.
Let's thank our animal companions for who they are, let's rejoice and embrace
them as the amazing beings they are. If we open our hearts to them we can learn
much from their selfless lessons in compassion, humility, generosity, kindness,
devotion, respect, spirituality, and love. By honoring our dogs' trust we tap
into our own spirituality, into our hearts and souls.
And sometimes that means not only killing them with love, but also mercifully
taking their lives when their own spirit has died and life's flame has been
irreversibly extinguished. Our companions are counting on us to be for them in
all situations, to let them go and not to let their lives deteriorate into
base, undignified humiliation while we ponder our own needs in lieu of theirs.
We are obliged to do so. We can do no less.
Marc Bekoff teaches biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He helped
Jethro leave Earth on Friday.
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~6~
World Farm Animal's Day
From FARM - farm@farmusa.org
Please
go directly to http://www.wfad.org and feast your eyes!
Then set aside a couple of hours to join in this worldwide 20th annual
observance of World Farm Animals Day. Although the official observance is on
October 2 (Gandhi’s birthday), your events can be scheduled any time between
September 28 and October 6.
This year, we are asking you to hit the streets of your communities with PETA's
graphic video "Meet Your Meat," which documents the atrocities
perpetrated against 45 billion innocent, sentient animals in the world’s
factory farms and slaughterhouses. Once you get their attention you can hand
them a copy of "Why Vegan" by Vegan Outreach.
In fact this historic observance is co-sponsored by FARM, Animal Protection
Institute, In Defense of Animals, Farm Sanctuary, PETA, and Vegan Outreach.
The simple procedure is detailed in the web site's Action Center at
http://www.wfad.org/actioncenter.html. And we provide all the ingredients.
Remember: World Farm Animals Day is a day when everyone is honor-bound to help
stop the 97% of animal suffering in the world.
Thank you for caring enough, Alex Hershaft
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~7~
The Innocent
by Marisa Herrera
Our sisters and brothers tokens of man's malice
Times past and present the innocent at the hands of viciousness
Being tortured, killed, drowned, poisoned, harpooned, electrocuted
Among countless other barbaric ways
The most innocent fall victims to man's atrocities
These creatures who were born out of man's circle
Always seen as objects for man's profits
The innocent fall prey to man's atrocities
Whether they are in the wild, the house or in the farm
Soon an innocent will be beaten to death or skinned alive
Shot for his spotted skin or magnificent tusks
Makes no difference if they are endangered or threatened
Tied behind a car, a rope dragging the victim until skin and limbs fall apart
This innocent's life soon to be dead or crippled for life
The farm an industrial factory where the innocent are machines
Confined for life to make eggs, milk, bacon or meat on your plate
Their body parts cannot sustain such unnatural and abusive ways
Fed antibiotics, hormones, submitted to artificial insemination
Until their bodies produce no longer
Fed other innocents' body parts - that's not their fare
Unable to turn, roam freely, spread those wings
What man wants is the innocents' flesh
Convenient names to forget the source of your food
You call it pork, veal, steak, bacon, ribs, sausage, paté
These were cows, pigs, birds, calves
Not one volunteered to be on your plate
The poor innocent whose lives are behind bars
You find them in zoos, laboratories, circuses
Confined in aquariums, targets in rodeos
Forced to perform tricks for man's profit
Made to dance, skate; jump over fire - all abnormal
Behind the scenes they suffer and cry
We've done nothing but be of the non-human kind
We hear it's for education, research, conservation
For us, however, it's all misery - no exhilaration
They ask why is man so cruel?
We've done no crime - we are of the non-human kind
Deprived of my mother and siblings
I'm caged for research
I become the animal model
I know of needles, drugs, tests and diseases
My pain is physical, my suffering infinite
I'm caged until my death
Man has driven me insane
Is there no salvation?
No longer knowing my true self
Man has changed my behaviour
It's called medical or scientific research
My brothers and sisters call it medical fraud
These are the ways of the human kind
Trapped in jaws of steel
Being lured by some scent or food
This poor innocent awaits hours even days of hell
An agony too real with deep cries of pain
Sheer terror fills this innocent's soul
In desperation trying to free himself - herself
From man's sheer greed and barbaric forms
Until the man called trapper retrieves his prey
The poor innocent an easy and defenseless prey
Maybe frozen to death
Or even having bled to death
The few who escape are crippled - with what fate?
If alive, soon the innocent will know a tragic fate
The trapper sees only money out of his prey
Stomped, broken necks, stabbed
Ways the trapper exterminates his prey
Dead skin will adorn someone's body - tragic vanity
That fur belonged to our brothers and sisters
A beautiful creature - an innocent victim
Many innocent fall prey to man's destructive ways
Behind are left untold orphans whose fate is eliminated
Without their mamma and papa
They have no one to take care of them
Killed were also the bothers and sisters
Families executed under the jaws of steel
These creatures subjects of man's slaughter
The magnificent creature once full of life
That innocent creature having been born out of man's circle
Dictated how man sees and treats the most innocent
For it is man who thinks he's the greatest creature
Giving him rights to abuse, destroy and kill the most innocent
What fate awaits the most innocent?
When man ill-treats and betrays his own kind
If only man would open his eyes and heart
To the wonders and magnificence of the most innocent
So much to learn from these majestic creatures
They all have a purpose and right to be here
The furry, the scaly, the feathery - all creatures
They are our brothers and sisters.
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~8~
Memorable Quote
"Animals" to many; "Pets" to some;
"Soul Children" to the very lucky.
But what if they might be "Angels"?
Selfless beings of the bright beyond;
Come to teach us compassion, love, even humility?
~ from wecare4pets@mindspring.com
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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/
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&
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not-for-profit publisher of The Animals' Agenda Magazine
http://www.animalsagenda.org/
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Animals' Agenda Magazine: WebEdition
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