Ask Obama to Fight for Change—For the Animals

by Stephanie Ernst

categories: Activism and Actions, Food and Recipes, Media, Politics and Law

Published November 25, 2008 @ 07:05AM PT

You may have already noticed the newest addition to the Change.org Web site, or you may have read about it elsewhere, on another blog, but in case this is news to you, here's the rundown. The always-innovative minds behind Change.org came up with an idea not too long ago—an idea about ideas. What if people from all over the nation could submit their ideas for specific changes they'd like to see Obama help implement, in one central place, where everyone else could see everyone else's ideas, and all participants could vote on the ideas and changes they like best—and in the end, the 10 ideas with the most votes would be submitted to the Obama administration around Inauguration Day? Welcome to Change.org's Ideas for Change in America project. (Continue reading this post for info on the Animal Rights section of the project.)

In the first phase of the project, between now and December 31, we can vote on any and all ideas in the almost 30 categories, and after December 31, the top 3 ideas in each category will form a new list to be voted on between January 5 and January 15. When the second-round voting ends, the top 10 ideas will be selected for presentation to Obama and team. (Read more here.) Change.org is being joined by MySpace Impact in this effort, along with such other esteemed partners as Netroots Nation, TechPresident, People for the American Way, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Earthjustice, Amnesty International, and so many more. (Seriously, the list is impressive; check it out.)

Now let's get to how animal rights figures into this project, shall we? The Animal Rights section of Ideas for Change in America already has several great ideas listed, so read through and vote for the ones you believe in, and if you have a brilliant idea that isn't yet posted, by all means, submit it (for ideas in other categories, scroll down on the main Ideas page and look for the list on the right)! My favorites so far:

• "Increase Funding for Non-Animal Research Methods and Mandate Their Use," posted by yours truly
• An idea on the availability of vegan school lunch options, posted by Alex Hershaft, activist extraordinaire and founder of the Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) and its many successful campaigns
• A proposal for a PSA program on how "going veg = going green and healthy," posted by Elisa Camahort, co-founder and COO of BlogHer
• An idea regarding In Defense of Animals' Guardian Campaign, posted by none other than its dedicated founder and tireless advocate for animals Dr. Elliot Katz
• An idea about protecting animals by passing the Animal Bill of Rights, posted by Megan Backus of the Animal Legal Defense Fund

Go vote up the animal-related ideas, folks. Vote on great ideas in other categories too, of course, but make sure to support—and spread the word about—the animal rights ideas you support. Show the nation and the Obama administration that animals matter, that their right to be who they are meant to be, their right to live as they are meant to live, and their right not to suffer are as important as any other issue.