A n i m a l W r i t e s ©
sm
The official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Established 1997
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Issue # 06/13/04
Publisher ~ Susan
Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Journalists
~ Greg Lawson - ParkStRanger@aol.com
~ Michelle Rivera -
MichelleRivera1@aol.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ What Would Jesus Grill This Summer? by Greg Lawson
2 ~ The Absurdity of Dissection by
Katie Vann
3 ~ Vegan Coupons - Great Deals!!
4 ~ AR2004 Final Program Schedule Posted
5 ~ Flogging A Natural Born Hero: The Betrayal of Smarty Jones by Becky Burgwin
6 ~ Do You Have Land To Donate?
7 ~ Vegan Machine by Diana Moreton
8 ~ Memorable Quote
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~1~
What Would Jesus Grill This Summer?
by Greg Lawson - ParkStRanger@aol.com
Would Jesus barbecue a factory farmed chicken or baby back ribs,
or instead, would He anoint veggie-ka-bobs with a bit of olive oil?
A few years ago, as president of the Vegetarian Society of El Paso, I was asked
to do a radio debate with a local M.D. who had written a book called
"God's Diet." The bizarre message of her book was "if God didn't
make it, don't eat it."
According to her, God had made animals, fruits and vegetables but not bread,
cereals or pasta. The doctor's diet plan was a modified version of the low-carb
Atkins diet. By her choice of book title, I have a feeling that she was just
name-dropping to sell the book. There were no scriptural passages cited
anywhere in the book to justify her ideas, and frankly, I was annoyed by the
implication that Satan provides us with our daily bread.
In recent years there have been a number of diet plans published which link
religion and food choices. Naturally, as a vegan, I tend to agree with those
books that promote a plant-based diet, such as Dr. Don Colbert's "What
Would Jesus Eat?," which encourages eating non-animal "living
foods" and avoiding "dead" or processed foods.
"God's Nutritionist," a moving new book edited by Robert Cohen, is a
collection of the inspired writings of Ellen G. White, founder of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church. Not in the same category as the 'lose weight' or
the 'cure yourself' diet plans, this book is about spiritual veganism and how
to maintain good health. Robert has added many scientific facts which support
Ellen's advice. This is a good one for your bookshelf. More info...
http://www.squareonepublishers.com/titles_godsnutritionist.html
"The Hallelujah Diet," by a preacher in North Carolina, the Rev.
George Malkmus, involves an eighty percent raw vegan diet, but includes honey.
I think including plenty of raw food is a good idea, but why eighty percent?
That seems arbitrary, and I haven't yet swallowed the raw food concept. A mix
of raw and cooked food seems the best idea to me. As an ethical vegan, I would
never eat honey or any products containing food stolen from bees. So, this diet
gets my thumbs down.
New at the bookstores is Jordan S. Rubin's "The Maker's Diet: The 40 Day
Health Experience That Will Change Your Life Forever." Rubin also sells a
line of 30 nutritional supplements through his company, Garden of Life. Hmm, a
forty day diet, that sounds real biblical. Lent lasts for forty days. Jesus
fasted for forty days in the wilderness. Moses was on the mountain for forty
days. The Great Flood lasted for forty days during which Noah wrote his book
"The Eggs and Seafood Diet."
Rubin advocates eating organic meat, eggs and unpasteurized dairy products and
warns against an all-raw, vegan diet. Cow and goat milk IS to be taken raw,
however, or lightly fermented for 30 hours or taken in the form of raw cheese.
Lightly fermented goat milk? Yuk.
I think I would prefer the "Forty-Day Wilderness Fast Diet."
Whatever God's dietary preferences, when it comes to His hobbies, I somehow
doubt fox hunting would be one of them.
A group of hunters in England are trying to set up their own "church"
in order to try to protect themselves from their government's attempt to ban
fox hunting. This news was reported recently in The Daily Telegraph of the UK.
The hunters feel that if they establish themselves as a church called the Free
Church of Country Sports, they will be able to claim that anti-fox hunting
legislation is a violation of their religious freedom. They claim that not only
fox hunting, but also shooting and fishing are part of their religion.
The stained-glass windows on this church are exceedingly transparent; perhaps
they should just openly call themselves The Church of the Immaculate Deception.
One of the founders of this group is Rod Brammer who runs a shooting school at
Shillingford, Devon. Mr. Brammer was quoted by the Telegraph as saying,
"We baptize our children by blooding them with the blood of that which we
kill. Is this any more strange than dressing them in white and totally
submerging them in water?" Yes, Mr. Brammer, that's a bit more strange.
But that's only my opinion as a spiritual vegan.
To learn more about what the religions of the world have to say about veganism
and animal rights, please visit...
The International Vegetarian Union's page http://ivu.org/religion/
Also listen to ACT radio, Animal Concerns of Texas, tonight, Sunday, June 13 at
7:30 Mountain time. ACT can be heard with Real Radio by going to
http://ktep.org/program_detail.ssd?id=103
El Paso NPR - KTEP 88.5 :
National Public Radio for the Southwest
Our guest on today's ACT is Dr. Stephen Kaufman, co-chair of the Christian
Vegetarian Association...
www.christianveg.com
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~2~
The Absurdity of Dissection
by Katie Vann - Vann167@aol.com
A weary high school student stands, scalpel in hand, over the
corpse of a creature who once breathed and felt emotions such as joy and
sadness. The student is then instructed to dissect the remains of this
creature. As the scalpel is lowered to the flesh, the little, if any, knowledge
gained from this experience is overtaken by the insurmountable loss of
something far greater: the human conscience.
The violent and outdated method of teaching science through animal dissections
in high schools and universities is not just wrong; it's absurd. Dissection
attempts to advance an individual's knowledge at the expense of human
character. It desensitizes youth and for some, may cause lasting emotional
damage. It discourages education, and it is disrespectful towards individuals
who have deeply held religious and moral beliefs of nonviolence towards animals.
The Humane Society of the United States estimates that twelve million animals
are dissected each year in high schools across the US. Frogs, fetal pigs, and
cats are among the most common animals dissected. Many ethical issues are being
raised concerning the businesses which supply dissected animals. Some animals
are inhumanely raised at breeding facilities while others are caught in the
wild or are stolen companion animals.
Life is life. All living creatures experience the same emotions. All creatures
have the capabilities to feel happiness as well as suffering. Dissection
desensitizes students to the sanctity of all life. It devalues non-human forms
of life and teaches violence. We live in a world where we have seen the effects
teaching violence has had, and we should therefore make the connection and put
forth a greater effort to instill in today's youth lessons in kindness. In an
interview with the news program Dateline
before his death, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer stated, "In 9th grade, in
biology class, we had the usual dissection of fetal pigs, and I took the
remains of that [pig] home and kept the skeleton of it, and I just started
branching out to dogs, cats." To some, cutting up an animal may give the
dissector a feeling of excitement and power which can lead to a deeper
fascination with killing, as was the case with Jeffrey Dahmer.
In the past few years, students have begun to speak up and take stands against
dissection. Ten states currently have laws stating that a student has the right
to an alternative assignment in any K-12 dissection. Even U.S. medical schools
are making progress. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine, 85 of 126 U.S. medical schools have discontinued the practice of
using animals for training doctors and all except two medical schools in the
United States offer their students non-animal alternatives.
This past school year, I was faced with participating in a dissection of a
fetal pig in my biology class. I refused to participate in the dissection and
sacrifice my belief that all animals have rights and was therefore offered no
other option but to drop the class halfway through the semester. Why are
students who value life being turned away from education? Why should those with
the courage to speak up for their beliefs be punished?
Animal dissection is an unnecessary practice because of computer simulations
and other alternatives that are presently available. It is crucial that the
absurdity of dissection be realized so that both human and non-human animal
rights are no longer impinged upon.
What essence of an individual gives his or her life value? I believe that one
can be most strongly defined by his or her conscience and ethical beliefs.
In conclusion, I refer back to the words of someone who also stood up for his
conscience, Martin Luther King, Jr., "There comes a time when one must
take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but he must
take it because his conscience tells him that it is right."
For additional resources on Animal Dissection, laws in your state, or how to
stand up and implement a student choice policy at your school, please view the
following websites:
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
www.pcrm.org
InterNICHE
http://www.interniche.org/
National Anti-Vivisection Society
www.navs.org
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~3~
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<><><><><>
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<><><><><>
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Lamas Beauty is committed to producing products that are free of any animal
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<><><><><>
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~4~
AR2004 Final Program Schedule Posted
The Final Program Schedule for the Animal Rights 2004 National
Conference is now posted at www.AR2004.org/schedule2004.html.
The schedule packs ten plenary sessions, 63 workshops and rap and campaign
report sessions, and hundreds of videos and exhibits into a compact 3-1/3-day
program. Intensive seminars, demonstration, and lobbying are planned for the
Monday after the conference.
More than 80 speakers, representing 60 organizations, will present. They
include Steve Best, Lawrence Carter-Long, Karen Davis, Karen Dawn, Michael Fox,
Michael Greger, Tippi Hedren, Alex Hershaft, Steve Hindi, Kevin Jonas, Greg
Lawson, Howard Lyman, Jim Mason, Lauren Ornelas, Dan Piraro, Tom Regan, Sherry
Schlueter, Jerry Vlasak, Paul Watson, and Zoe Weil. (For a complete speaker
listing, visit www.AR2004.org/program.html)
The conference will be held on July 8-12 at the Sheraton Premiere Hotel in
Vienna, VA, just outside the Washington Beltway. The hotel offers a fabulous
$75 room rate, $10-12 vegan buffets, and free dog beds. To book a room, please
visit https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/res?id=0405202927&key=3F210
click on "Book Now" and follow instructions.
The $140 conference registration includes access to all sessions and exhibits as
well as morning and evening snacks. A few low-income discounts and staff
positions are still available. To register, visit www.AR2004.org/registration.html
For additional details, please visit www.AR2004.org
or call 888-ASK FARM!
Take advantage of the current discounted rates.
Register for AR2004 at www.AR2004.org
today!
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~5~
Flogging a Natural Born Hero
The Betrayal of Smarty Jones
June 9, 2004
by Becky Burgwin
(contact COUNTERPUNCH: counterpunch@counterpunch.org)
When Smarty Jones won the Preakness, after winning the
Derby, the world woke up to his existence and Americans started thinking that
maybe he was the Seabisquit of our time. Back then we were coming out of the
great depression. Tensions in the world were mounting and another world war
brewing. Americans needed something to make them feel good about their country
and themselves. Seabisquit was a little guy who nobody thought stood a chance
against the mighty thoroughbreds of his day. His trainer, jockey and owners had
a lot of history -- some good, some bad. This gorgeous little horse with the
huge heart charmed the country and made us forget our problems for at least a
little while.
Much like Seabisquit, Smarty Jones has owners, trainers and a jockey with
history -- some good, some bad. He is a natural born hero -- small, sweet,
easy-going and well treated. I am a huge animal lover and though I come from a
long line of jockeys, trainers and breeders, I think thoroughbred racing is
inhumane. In fact, I find the whole process of capturing wild horses, putting
big metal bits in their mouths, throwing saddles on their backs and hanging on
while they buck and kick until they're too worn down to go on, abominable. They
call it "breaking" because it does just that. It breaks their spirit.
From then on they are beasts of burden who serve at the pleasure of their human
masters. And, unlike, steeple chases, track racing especially bothers me
because it's so unnatural. Horses are not stock cars. And then there's the part
where they get whipped so they'll run faster. That's where they lose me
completely.
So, when I heard that Smarty had won the Preakness by 7 lengths without having
a crop laid on him, I was intrigued. I've watched that race and they're right.
Stewart Elliott never touched him. So I'm thinking, maybe this small, mellow,
sweet-as-all-get-out horse can make it look cool to win with no whippings thus
affecting change for all horses in future races whose jockeys and trainers want
to be like Smarty's. I'm in.
Finally, the day of the Belmont arrives. 92% of the country says they're going
to watch. What a captivating story. How bad do we in America need a hero right
now? And they're off. Smarty came out strong and stayed strong through the
whole race. I was very excited, as was the entire crowd. His odds were 1 to 5,
so no one, especially the bookmakers in Vegas, expected him to lose.
Now, if you watch the race carefully, you'll see that Smarty had a great start
and stayed ahead for the first half of the track. I was thinking, OK, this is
good. In the home stretch he takes off like a shot and gets about 3 lengths
ahead. Now I'm jumping up and down screaming. Then, for some completely
incomprehensible reason, Mr. Elliott starts to whip him. He starts hitting him
and you can see Smarty's head snap back. He whipped him over and over again for
the rest of the race and you could see how it was getting harder for Smarty to
run. Yes, maybe he was tired, Belmont Park being a long track and all, but does
anybody really think that whipping a small, good natured pony with a riding
crop while he's exhausted and trying to finish a race was helping him run
faster? Not this horse. You could just see it in his gait, his head and ears.
He was beat, literally. He was being beaten and it took everything he had just
to finish that last 100 yards. What a betrayal this was to this kind, unique
animal.
I cried -- well everybody cried. Just when we need something good to happen,
what do we get? More brutality. So now I am wondering, wouldn't it be a humane
move to change the rules so that none of the jockeys carry crops and make it so
none of the horses would ever get whipped again? That way, it would be across
the boards and a win-win for the jockeys, the trainers and the owners as well
as the horses. Maybe they'd be less temperamental. Maybe Rock Hard 10 wouldn't
fight going into the gate all the time and thoroughbreds would be a little less
high-maintenance. But I just came across a website where you can buy whips
autographed by your favorite jockey. So I'm guessing that's not going to happen
any time soon.
In the end it boils down to the fact that some animals just refuse to be
mistreated. They have too much heart and too much soul. I think Smarty Jones
was one of those animals and his jockey and the racing world in general have no
one but themselves to blame that this precious creature just couldn't keep up
while he was being flogged.
<><><><><>
Ms. Burgwin's writings have appeared in Time, Newsweek, New York Magazine,
Counterpunch, Alternet and OpEdNews as well as several other online Op Ed
sites. She is on the Board of Aid Afghanistan and one of the contributors to
the Peace Project in Assisi, Italy.
http://www.counterpunch.com/burgwin06092004.html
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~6~
Do You Have Land To Donate?
DONATED LAND IN HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA TO BE PROTECTED
FOREVER AS A WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
WASHINGTON (April 27, 2004) — Eight acres in Hayward, Alameda County,
California have been donated as a conservation easement to The Humane Society
of the United States’ Wildlife Land Trust for permanent protection as a
wildlife sanctuary through a donation from Dr. Ellen G. Levine.
“I donated this conservation easement to The Wildlife Land Trust so that
various animals that live on the property and in the area have a place of
shelter. This area is rapidly being bought up for construction and I wanted
there to be a permanent refuge for animals,” said Dr. Levine. “Some of the wild
animals that live in this area include mule deer, opossums, raccoons, foxes and
red-tailed hawks. I looked for a land trust as fully committed to the
protection of these animals as I am, and eventually found The Wildlife Land
Trust.”
A conservation easement is a permanent and legally enforceable agreement
between a landowner and a land trust. The landowner agrees to establish the
property as a permanent wildlife sanctuary, which is a binding agreement to all
future owners of the property as well. In turn, the land trust enforces the
terms of the agreement. For The Wildlife Land Trust, these terms always include
a ban on recreational or commercial hunting or trapping, and commercial
logging.
Citing Dr. Levine’s donation of this conservation easement, Stephen Swartz,
general counsel and acting executive director for The Wildlife Land Trust,
said, “Our accepting this easement means that it will remain a permanent
wildlife sanctuary, safe from the destructive consequences that additional
residential development inevitably represents for wildlife. Every property that
we protect is directed at one goal: ensuring that wherever they live, wild
animals have permanently protected homes.”
Headquartered in Washington, DC, The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust now protects over
63,000 acres on 76 properties in 22 states and four foreign countries. It was
founded in 1993 by The Humane Society of the United States in order to save the
lives of wild animals by saving as much of the land that shelters and feeds
them as possible, wherever possible. For more information, including how
existing wildlife habitats can become permanent wildlife sanctuaries and how to
become a volunteer sanctuary monitor, The Wildlife Land Trust can be contacted,
toll free, at 1-800-729-SAVE or through their web site: www.wlt.org.
For More Information Contact: Sue Farinato (301) 258-3012
Media Contact: Belinda Mager (301) 258-3071
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~7~
Vegan Machine
by Diana Moreton 2004 -
morton_diana@hotmail.com
You can't do much once you're dead
you can't say much once you're dead
you can't enjoy much, once you're dead
But while you're alive
you can choose to be green or red
Red is dead and green is lean
I'd rather be a vegan machine
A vegan machine promotes living
it's attributes are compassion, giving
a red machine promotes only death
it prematurely ends your breath
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~8~
Memorable Quote
"I do not regard flesh food as necessary for us. I hold flesh food to be
unsuited to our species. To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious
than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb
for the sake of the human body."
~ Mahatma Gandhi
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Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal
Rights Online=-
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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