Politics and Law
The Vet Who Did Not Vet
Published October 29, 2008 @ 07:32PM PT
I am sharing with you a short, simultaneously amusing and disturbing, Dr. Seuss-style video sent to me by a friend from Animal Rights Hawai'i. And I will tell you before you even watch it that it's not an animal rights video. So how can I justify presenting it on an animal rights blog? Because even if I weren't horrified by the thought of Palin as vice president (or even governor of Alaska) for a thousand other reasons--even if she were in all other respects an ideal candidate--I would want her as far away from national office (and, again, office in Alaska) as possible because of her approach to (i.e., war on) animals.
Enjoy.
Guest Post: Vote Yes on California's Prop 2
Published October 29, 2008 @ 08:08AM PT
The following guest post on Proposition 2 and the treatment of farm animals comes from Elisa Camahort Page, co-founder and COO of BlogHer Inc. and the keeper of seven blogs, including Veggie Goes Vegan and Elisa's Green Scene. Elisa is also a California resident and a vegan. -S. Ernst
Vote Yes On California's Proposition 2, even if you’re a vegan who wishes it did more!
I am a vegan, and by all accounts that means I represent about 1% of the U.S. population. However, about 63% of American households have pets and can be assumed to be fond of animals. On Wednesday, November 5, we will find out whether Californians are willing to afford the barest of creature comforts (to be able to lie down, turn around, and extend their limbs) to some, and only some, of the millions of creatures we humans confine for the purpose of food.
Don’t get me wrong: Whether Proposition 2 passes or not, the vast majority of food animals will continue to experience an existence that few of us would argue is comfortable and that most of us would agree is torturous. A few more square feet will not make happy animals. The passage of Prop 2 wouldn’t send me to eat a burger, or even an omelet. Proposition 2 is one of those pinky Band-Aids applied to a deep gash in our ethics.
But my path from becoming a vegetarian in 1989 to finally becoming a full vegan in 2006 has been based on two philosophies.
The first is this: Do what you can until you can do better.
Bush and Bangs vs. the Wolves--Again
Published October 28, 2008 @ 08:41AM PT
Did you read about this over the past weekend? I was first alerted to it by Treehugger: One More Time with Feeling: Bush Administration Renews Efforts to Remove Gray Wolf from Protected List.
From the Washington Post article:
Having lost in court this summer in a legal battle with conservationists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to reopen for public comment its 2007 proposal to delist the wolves.
"The position of the service is, we think the wolves no longer need the protection of the Endangered Species Act. We're asking the public to weigh in to that," Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for Fish and Wildlife, said in an interview yesterday. . . .
"We'll take whatever time we need to do a good science-based decision."
Yes, I'm sure.
From the NRDC Switchboard: "When Will They Ever Learn?"
Mass. Residents—Vote Yes to Ban Dog Racing
Published October 27, 2008 @ 06:46AM PT
Question 3 on the Massachusetts ballot next week calls for an end to the cruel "sport" of dog racing in that state—a phaseout by 2010. Here, Mary Martin, an animal advocate who shares her home with two "retired" greyhounds, presents the case for voting yes on Question 3 and giving these sweet, exploited dogs the lives they deserve, in loving homes rather than in cramped cages, lives impacted by humans' compassion and care rather than neglect and mistreatment, lives full of joy and comfort rather than sorrow, boredom, and pain. If you're still unsure after reading this post, or if you know someone in Massachusetts who isn't convinced or who has been swayed by the opposition's campaign against the ballot question, please visit or send them to the Yes on Question 3 Web site and the Question 3 Facts Web site, the latter of which responds to false and misleading claims being circulated by the opposition. -S.Ernst
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My husband and I adopted two “retired” greyhounds, Violet and Charles, who were bred, trained to race on demand, and forced to live in a kennel for over 20 hours a day, probably muzzled. Violet was a champion racer who was “discarded” because (from what several veterinarians have told me) apparently she was injected with steroids that eventually shut down her pancreas. Now she has the distinction of being one of the few rare greyhounds afflicted with Type I diabetes. I inject her with insulin twice daily and test her blood sugar by pricking her lip before each injection (and sometimes more frequently). She went blind from cataracts (due to diabetes), and though we had her lenses surgically replaced, one of her retinas detached, and now she has sight in only one eye. She also has glaucoma.
Violet was hauled from Oregon to Florida to race, and she probably was in a kennel without food or water for the entire trip and probably didn’t get to stop to stretch her legs. She may have been in a crate with another dog, barely able to move (and certainly not able to stand).
Charles, on the other hand, was the fastest dog on the training farm and showed great promise. Puppies and dogs who don’t show such promise are killed. Unexpectedly, when Charles was sent to the gate, he refused to race. He wouldn’t budge. He was going to run when he wanted to run, but he wasn’t going to race for anyone. This is not a common occurrence at the track. After three attempts to make him run, he was “discarded.”
“Discarded” often means shot. Sometimes it means killed by lethal injection (they call that “euthanasia,” despite the reality that the dog is perfectly healthy). Sometimes discarded means sent to a research facility to be experimented on and then killed. The owner gets a tax deduction for his “charitable donation of property” in such cases. Sometimes discarded means an adoption group got the opportunity to save the dog and adopt her into a loving home. Thousands of dogs simply go missing each year and are not accounted for.
"Terrorist" Tweeting Veg*ns (and a Recipe)
Published October 26, 2008 @ 09:13AM PT
Today we have a warning that vegetarians (and others) might be using that dangerous tool known as Twitter to support their terroristic vegetarian agenda. (Thanks to the Traveling Vegetarian for drawing my attention to this article.)
It's not just vegans organizing potlucks who are a terroristic danger anymore—now even Twittering herbivores pose a threat! *eye roll* But hey, at least we're in good company: human rights groups, socialists, atheists, and "religious communities" (what does that mean? Is that code for Muslims?) made the list of apparently suspect Twitter users too.
Well, for all you vegans and aspiring vegans out there, Twittering or not, here's today's World GO VEGAN Days recipe, courtesy of Amy of the Veg Cooking Blog (originally posted here):
'Chicken' and Mushroom Quesadillas (recipe and photo after the jump)
Animals in the News: Bears, Belugas, Pigs, and More
Published October 23, 2008 @ 01:41PM PT
I don't have time to write in detail (and you don't have time to read me rant) about every animal-related news story that's been popping up lately, so here is a roundup of interesting news and posts you might want to check out, with brief summaries, including an update on the incident involving the dead bear cub in North Carolina (I haven't talked about this on the blog, but I know many of you probably read the original articles) as well as a look at a "free-range" pig farm that has made news in the UK :
- Poor, poor Palin—Another animal has received protection, despite her best efforts: Beluga whales make the endangered list. (AKMuckraker muses, "Sarah Palin may have a new battle on her hands. With so many endangered animals left to endanger, and so little time, what's a governor to do?" Love it.)
Humane Society Observers of Seal Hunt Not Guilty
Published October 17, 2008 @ 12:45PM PT
Activists who were arrested after observing the 2006 seal hunt in Canada, for allegedly getting closer to the hunt than the law allows, were found not guilty today by a Canadian court.
The Canadian Press: Judge Finds Animal-Rights Activists Not Guilty of Getting Too Close to Seal Hunt
HSUS: Court Declares Seal Hunt Observers Innocent
More info on the annual barbaric seal hunt:
Canadian Seal Hunt
Sea Shepherd's Seal Campaign
HSUS's Campaign to Stop the Seal Hunt
