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 # 09/21/03
Publisher ~ Susan
Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Journalists ~ Greg Lawson -
ParkStRanger@aol.com
~ Michelle Rivera -
MichelleRivera1@aol.com
~ Dr. Steve Best -
sbest1@elp.rr.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ Killing Bison for Sport and Pleasure by Greg Lawson
2 ~ Hunting Statistics and Examples 1977-2001
3 ~ Vegan Evolution by M. Katz
4 ~ Website Of Note
5 ~ Help Make the Second Annual Christmas Monkey Toy Drive a Success!!
6 ~ Watermelon For Breakfast by Robert Cohen
7 ~ Accountability
8 ~ Memorable Quote
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~1~
Killing Bison for Sport and Pleasure
By Greg Lawson - ParkStRanger@aol.com
For those who need confirmation of their manliness, there must be
some special kind of satisfaction in that climatic moment when they discharge
their guns, shooting a full load of hot metal into a wild furry creature.
Apparently it is so satisfying that the sportsmen of Montana will risk negative
public opinion and will even violate federal law to seek such pleasure.
Last spring, the Montana legislature passed the Bison Sports Hunting Bill. In
May it was signed into law by Governor Judy Martz. The current Montana
government doesn't seem to have learned from the mistakes of the past. Bison
hunting was allowed in the late 1980s, but was discontinued in 1991 after
massive national protest. The hunting of bison around Yellowstone Park had hurt
the state's image and their tourism industry.
The current bill was pushed through by the cattle ranchers of Montana, the
Department of Livestock. For more than the last decade, the Montana DOL has
been rounding up and killing Yellowstone Park bison because ranchers have the
unreasonable and unproven fear that bison will spread disease to their cattle.
The ranchers apparently felt that if they could get hunters involved in the
annual slaughter, it would take some of the heat off of them.
When the Bison Sports Hunting Bill was debated last spring, there was not one
hunting organization that supported the bill. Even hunters recognize that there
is nothing sporting about "hunting" bison. Bison have little fear of
humans and will just stand there while a "hunter" walks up to them
and shoots them.
A few years ago, the state of Montana forced the federal government to agree to
the Interagency Bison Management Plan to control the bison population of
Yellowstone Park. According to the provisions of this plan, hunting is not to
be used as a method of managing the bison herd. When Montana starts issuing
bison hunting permits, the state will be in violation of federal law.
A week ago, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission gave tentative
approval to the plan to allow bison hunting around Yellowstone National Park.
The Bison Sports Hunting bill passed last spring allows bison hunting, but the
plans must first approved by state wildlife regulators of the FWPC.
An environmental impact study and a public comment period must take place. This
means that the first hunts will not happen until the fall of 2004. Pat Flowers,
regional supervisor for the Montana FWPC, stated that he knows that bison
hunting will be controversial. "I'm anticipating 10,000 comment letters in
the environmental review," he said in an interview last week with a
Montana newspaper.
It is likely that the majority of letters will be against hunting this majestic
symbol of the American West. It is also likely that the state of Montana will
disregard public comments as they have done in the past. The public comment
period is just a formality required by law.
Buffalo Field Campaign is a grassroots activist group working in the field
everyday to protect the bison. BFC is headquartered in the town of West
Yellowstone and is currently gearing up for the winter season, a time when the
Yellowstone bison face the greatest danger from the cattle ranchers of the Montana
Department of Livestock.
On August 25, Yellowstone Park officials, members of the public and the media
met in Gardiner, Montana, in a ceremony to celebrate the 100th year anniversary
of the Roosevelt Arch. The arch is a large stone gateway at the north entrance
to Yellowstone. Members of the Buffalo Field Campaign were there as well.
As Yellowstone Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis approached the podium, BFC
volunteers unfurled a large banner on a hillside behind her. The banner read,
"Buffalo Slaughter, an American Tradition." The BFC called attention
to the hypocrisy of Yellowstone officials celebrating their commitment to
wildlife when just last March, Yellowstone rangers captured and sent to
slaughterhouses 231 buffalo. Park officials said they were acting under
provisions of the Interagency Bison Management Plan.
To learn more about this issue, to find out how the BFC works to stop the
annual slaughter of the bison and to learn how you can help the BFC, please
visit their website at
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo
Buffalo Field Campaign
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~2~
Hunting Statistics and Examples 1977-2001
From Marisa Herrera - lovenature@pacificcoast.net
Hunting Accidents
According to the International Hunter Education Association, hunters shot 1038
to 1790 people per year in the US and Canada during 1987 to 1997.
In 1997, the causes of 822 shootings were given:
318 (39%) people were victims of accidental discharge,
193 (23%) people were mistaken for game,
143 (17%) people were in their homes or vehicles or obscured by vegetation,
140 (17%) were visible (in some cases wearing blaze orange) but were not
noticed as the hunter quickly aimed and shot, and 28 (3%) moved into the line
of fire.
The hunters were 8 to over 60 years old and were hunting deer, bears, foxes,
raccoons, crows, turkeys, and other game. Many were experienced hunters who had
taken hunter safety courses. Weapons were shotguns (70%), rifles (25%), other
firearms (4%), and bow and arrow (1%).
Following are a few of the hunting accidents that appeared in newspapers during
1997 to 2001.
November 9, 1997. A stray bullet came through a wall and a chair and hit a
13-year-old girl in the chest as she played her clarinet in her home in Motley,
Minnesota.
November 8, 1997. A stray bullet came through a windshield and hit a
29-year-old woman in the forehead as she drove near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.
November 16, 1997. A 47-year-old man dressed in blaze orange was shot in both
legs as he crossed a road before sunrise near Motley, Minnesota.
October 17, 1999. A 36-year-old duck hunter who had taken several hunter safety
courses mistakenly shot two 13-year-old boys and their collie dog near
Paynesville, Minnesota.
November 20, 2000. A stray bullet came through the door of a van and wounded
two men driving near Birchwood, Wisconsin.
November 17, 2001. A stray bullet killed Wayne Blodgett about 8 AM as he stood
in an open field in Adams County, Wisconsin.
November 17, 2001. A 14-year-old hunter who was trailing a wounded deer saw a
movement and killed his 21-year-old brother at 4:30 PM near Ettrick, Wisconsin.
September 18, 1998. A 12-gauge shotgun slug intended for a bear deflected off a
tree branch, penetrated a solid cedar door, ricocheted off a refrigerator and
ceiling and landed two feet from where a 10-year-old boy was eating supper in
Thunder Bay, Ontario.
October 1999. Several lakeshore property owners complained to Minnesota DNR
Officer Chuck Nelson about shotgun pellets hitting their roofs near
Paynesville, Minnesota.
December 8, 1997. A hunter education instructor mistakenly shot his wife in
dense vegetation while trying to shoot a duck near Carthage, Texas.
November 25, 2000. A man taking a walk near Muskogee, Oklahoma, was critically
wounded by a 30.06 rifle bullet fired at a deer from 400 yards away by a
15-year-old hunter who had taken hunter safety courses.
October 1, 2000. A 65-year-old turkey hunter mistook his two sons for turkeys
and shot them near Elmont, NY.
November 25, 2000. A stray bullet hit a tractor-trailer, cut the fuel line, and
ended up in the fuel tank during deer hunting season near Pittsfield, Maine.
October 10, 2000. A turkey hunter in Oak Grove, Missouri, saw his hunting
partner 30 yards away, mistook him for a turkey, and shot him in the head with
buckshot.
November 20, 2000. A 19-year-old hunter thought a man was a deer and killed him
with a .223 caliber bullet near Glasgow, Kentucky.
October 29, 2000. A bow hunter thought he heard a deer, looked, thought he saw
a buck, and killed his 28-year-old son who was walking toward him near North
Webster, IN.
December 2, 2000. A teenage hunter saw a 35-year-old man looking for his dog,
mistook him for a deer, and killed him with a shotgun blast near Powhatan,
Virginia.
October 21, 1999. A 37-year-old hunter saw a gray cap, thought it was a
squirrel, and shot a boy in the head near Sudbury, Vermont.
October 27, 1999. A brown cat came home with an arrow through its back during
deer season near Rochester, MA.
November 25, 2000. Two 16-year-old deer hunters killed two horses near
Pittsfield, Maine.
November 20, 1999. Within minutes after a 49-year-old hunter removed his blaze
orange vest he was mistaken for a deer and killed by a 61-year-old hunter near
Woodbridge, Connecticut.
December 9, 2000. A 40-year-old bear hunter saw a 54-year-old man sitting in
the woods, mistook him for a bear, and killed him near Binghamton, New York.
November 22, 1995. A 23-year-old hunter mistook his hunting partner's gun
barrel for antlers and shot at him. Later, he said, "I thought I was the
safest hunter in the world. Now I'm afraid to walk through the woods myself. I
can see how easy it is."
1999 A 50-year-old pheasant hunter could not see through dense vegetation and
shot a 4-year-old girl playing in her back yard in Utah.
November 16, 2000. A 43-year-old hunter mistook a 13-year-old boy and his
70-year-old grandfather for elk and shot them in Oregon. Each of the victims
was wearing yellow rain gear.
December 28, 2000. A 13-year-old hunter killed a 69-year-old man who was taking
a walk near Jonquiere, Quebec. The teenager said he saw the man only as a
figure in the distance. He took aim with his .22 caliber rifle, and shot the
man in the head.
November 2000. About 6 PM, a bullet came through a wall and missed a woman by
five or six feet in Chazy, New York.
November 1999. A 51-year-old deer hunter heard what he thought were rutting
noises, saw movement, and fired at something brown he saw through his scope.
The victim was a 39-year-old man wearing a brown fleece jacket near
Bloomingdale, New York.
November 1999. A 41-year-old hunter saw a white reflection in a man's jacket,
thought it was the tail of a deer, and killed the man as he walked in a field
by his house near Raymondville, New York.
October 15, 2000. A 49-year-old man was shot on a wooded section of private
land near Sterling, Connecticut.
October 3, 2000. A conservation officer accidentally shot his 15-year-old son
while hunting for turkeys near Morden, Manitoba. The officer said that each
carried a radio to prevent accidents, but there was miscommunication.
November 4, 2000. Daniel Ripka, 21, shot at a running deer, missed, and killed
Stephen Gilbertson, 53, whom he didn't see in the brush east of Backus,
Minnesota.
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~3~
Vegan Evolution
By M. Katz - gentle@alohal.net
Co-author of: Incredibly Delicious;
Recipes for a New Paradigm by Gentle World
www.gentleworld.org
Our understanding of the importance of being a vegan is only the
first step in our climb upward. With veganism firmly planted in our souls, we
learn to spiritually walk, then run, and then fly. We can heighten and expand
our understanding of being vegan.
Thirty-three years ago, I became a 12-year-old ethical vegetarian. In my early
adult years as an ethical vegetarian, somehow, I was still preparing meat for
my fiancé. One day, I realized I could not lower my standards for a man, any
man. I stopped, and he (the man who was to become my first husband) eventually
became vegan himself. Veganism marries us to a greater universal Truth beyond
the marriages we contrive in the soap operas of our lives.
At age 21, a magazine entitled "Ahimsa" was placed in front of my
face while I was eating. It was written by H. Jay Dinshah, founder of the
American Vegan Society. His brilliant writing instantly convinced me to be a
vegan. I could no longer rationalize eating ice cream or dairy cheese. That was
that, I was henceforth a vegan. I clearly saw that animals had a right to live
free of abuse. I then gained an even loftier "overviewing" of the
rights of animals upon meeting the founders of Gentle World. From them, I
learned to actually love animals. The
guilt-free reality that comes with being vegan opened the doorway to having
relationships with animals and discovering that they have personalities and
unique individuality just like we do. They have proven to be exceptionally
loyal friends that I wouldn't trade in for human friendships, for the most
part! Once the animals had become personal friends, the desire grew strong in
me to save them. It became a great part of my life's mission to "speak the
word for beast and bird, 'till the world shall set things right!" (Ella
Wheeler Wilcox)
When I first became vegan, it seemed so easy to see (and still does for that
matter!) the truth of it. Why couldn't others see what was so obvious? I became
a bit of a misanthrope because mankind was so blind to the plight of animals.
The resentment I felt towards humanity was easily felt by people and didn't do
much to encourage converts. But once again, I evolved. I saw: "You cannot
cure the human race if Loves not in your heart; Loves where you have to
start!" (Light) With this new viewing, I was on the road to making vegans
through whatever angle I could reach them. There is an art form in discovering
what it will take with each individual for them to become enlightened to
veganism. For example, my brother was convinced through the scientific and
medical aspects. Later on, the true reason: compassion came to him. Inevitably,
if we donut understand the ethics that it is wrong to cause suffering and pain
and make that a part of our being, our veganism wont endure. Being a vegan
because of health benefits, most likely, is not a strong enough pull to carry
us through all life's temptations forevermore.
In its early years, my veganism was born of an innocent child's not wanting to
hurt animals. I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I never knew another
vegan/vegetarian, (except my best friend at the time who joined in and did it
with me.) There were no health food stores (that I knew of), and I came from a
standard American meat-eating family. The desire "not to hurt
animals" was seen like a stroke of enlightened genius, that I only wish I
saw other truths of life with such clarity. As the years went on and the animal
rights movement developed, I learned that veganism was, in fact, a Truth; something
that was right and reasonable no matter from what angle you looked at it. Books
like Diet for a New America by John Robbins or Beyond Beef; The Rise and
Fall of the Cattle Culture by Jeremy Rifkin exposed the environmental
sanity of a plant-based diet and the humanitarian aspect that world hunger
could be put to a halt. At the same time, medical findings of Michael Klaper,
M.D. and Neal Barnard, M.D., and others, were proving that plant-based
nutrition was the cleanest fuel for our human bodies. (It's worth a mention
that when I became vegan, I didn't know it was healthier! Quite the contrary,
people were alarmed that my parents allowed me to follow my convictions. They
wondered where would I get my protein? "She will die," they thought.)
Veganism for me had now evolved to a great Truth that I share with some of the
great minds of all time that knew there is no spiritual advancement while
living off cruelty, torture and the subjugation of others.
In my evolving veganism, I learned that preparing incredibly delicious food for
others was a powerful aid, one of the strongest. So I fed people, lots of
people. I fed them food just like what they were used to eating; Lasagna,
burgers, shakes, all plant-based and incredibly delicious. Long hours preparing
the food at The Vegan Restaurant on Maui, in its beginning years, co-authoring
Incredibly Delicious; Recipes for a New Paradigm by Gentle World, catering
Celebrity Vegetarian banquets in California, food fairs, free seminars with
meals and packaged plant-based foods sold to retailers, all embellished on this
mode of spreading the vegan message. Thrilled taste buds was worth a thousand
words and tantalized even the average truck driver who never before thought of
the Vegan concept.
With the desire to be a good example of a vegan, I evolved my own dietary
practices and endeavor to improve my own health. I now grow my own food
"veganically." I eat fresh from the garden with food full of
life-giving vitamins and minerals. (I take B-12 sublingual dots). I pass medical
exams with impressive figures in comparison to the norm. Example is the best
teacher. Now my family eats a plant-based diet. Those who have chosen to be a
part of my life have become vegan, even the dogs (and they thrive on it!)
And now I forage through my "veganic" garden for my dinner; a flower
and food-filled garden to nourish the senses. The garden uses both vegan and
organic principles. I dine by the riverside and think to myself, "Wow,
look where my veganism has taken me thus far! And where will it lead me
next?"
Being Vegan, I walk the Earth dressed in a confidence that this path is leading
me to commune with the higher realms of consciousness and further away from the
trivial pursuits of mankind. Being vegan is a peaceful revolution to what ails our
planet today. A peaceful revolution is synonymous with "Evolution."
We change the world, the course of history even, by changing ourselves; by
reprogramming our thoughts. Being Vegan, we become forerunners of a new race of truly human beings. Once we become VeganŠ it doesn't
stop there! Veganism is a count-on-able ally that we use as a tool of evolution
for all of our days.
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~4~
Website of Note
What:
International Vegetarian Meetup Day
When:
Wednesday, October 8 @ 7:00PM
Where:
In up to 561 towns (anywhere that at least 5 people sign up)
The exact local venue is up for a vote.
Who:
Vegetarians and friends
Meetup : Spread
the word about Vegetarian Meetups
http://vegetarian.meetup.com/tellfriends/
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~5~
Help Make The Second Annual Christmas
Monkey Toy Drive A Success!!
Wouldn't you like to help make a Monkeys Christmas dreams come
true? Our goal is to collect at least one toy for every monkey, and one group
toy for each enclosure. The toys do not have to be new, just in good condition.
What many people do not realize is that monkeys can enjoy the same toys that
human children do. All you have to do is make sure that the toy is sturdy or
durable enough to be played with by a strong child. For example, Fisher Price
or Playskool, busy boxes or riding toys make excellent choices for them. They
cannot be something that can easily be taken apart. The capuchins, especially
Cookie, love playing with musical toys that play nursery rhymes. She just keeps
pushing the buttons over and over until the batteries need recharging. As you
are putting away all of the backyard toys, if your child will have outgrown
some of the toys by next summer, consider sending them to the monkeys. Keep
this in mind as you are getting rid of the old toys to make room for the new
Christmas toys.
They also enjoy flat bed sheets, that will have plenty of knots tied in them.
They like to drag them around and hide under them. When they peek out to see if
anyone is watching, another monkey will quickly pounce on them and then the
wrestling fun begins. Spray them with a little perfume and they enjoy it all
the more. All of the monkeys love to play with pails and shovels, sometimes out
of necessity dust pans and containers are substituted. They love to scoop up
and fill the pails with mulch from the floors of their enclosures.
If you would like to donate a toy as a gift for someone, please indicate this
when the donation is made. A gift notification will be sent, letting that
special someone know that you have made the donation in their name.
Just to give you an idea as to what monkeys play with, please visit http://www.amomentintimedonations.freeservers.com/photo.html
where you will see photos of some of the monkeys enjoying themselves, with
their toys.
Please try to have your toys delivered by December 15, 2003.
Toys can be mailed to:
Mindy's Memory Primate Sanctuary
P.O. Box 134
Newcastle, OK 73065
http://www.mindysmem.org
mindysmem@aol.com
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~6~
Watermelon For Breakfast
By Robert Cohen - notmilk@earthlink.net
http://www.notmilk.com
It is not too late for you to enjoy the summertime magic
contained within one of nature's perfect fruits, watermelon.
Mark Twain wrote:
"When one has tasted it (watermelon) he knows what the angels eat."
On my recent summertime coast-to-coast lecture tour of America, one of the most
asked frequently asked questions was, "So, what do you eat for
breakfast?"
I am a vegan, and egg-eating cereal crunchers are at a loss to explain how
anybody could eat delicious non-animal food.
This morning, while Sarah and Lizzy were eating their margarine-slathered 750
calorie bagels, I ate 1/2 gallon of freshly cut watermelon. My breakfast
consisting of just one fruit totaled under 300 calories of fiber-rich melon
containing isoflavones, particularly lycopene. Lycopene neutralizes
antioxidants. Although humans breathe oxygen in air, there exist dangerously
reactive forms of oxygen that can cause
cellular damage. No other fruit of vegetable contains as much lycopene as
watermelon, not even those much-publicized tomatoes.
I had harvested a large seedless watermelon from my garden last evening,
refrigerated same, and was now enjoying the fruit of my summer labor. Holding a
small white seed in my hand, I wonder at the miraculous instructions contained
within that seed instructing a growing melon to soak up just the right amounts
of summer sun, rainwater, and minerals from my soil to produce such incredible
sweetness (seedless watermelons often contain a few edible soft white seeds).
According to watermelon.org, the first Watermelons were grown in Africa's
Kalahari Desert. Watermelon harvests were recorded 5,000 years ago in the form
of hieroglyphics on walls of ancient Egyptian buildings.
In 1905, most Americans did not have refrigerators. Nor were they able to ship
and store fruits and vegetables In the efficient manner that we now take for
granted. In her Ministry of Healing, published in 1905, Ellen White recognized
the importance of fruit in one's diet. On page 299, she wrote:
"Wherever fruit can be grown in abundance, a liberal
supply should be prepared for winter, by canning or
drying. Small fruits, such as currants, gooseberries,
strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, can be
grown to advantage in many places where they are but
little used and their cultivation is neglected."
How does one preserve watermelons? Try making homemade watermelon rind pickles:
http://www.mountain-breeze.com/kitchen/canning/can39.html
In China, watermelon seeds are flavored with soysauce and dried. You'll find
bags of these dried treats in most Asian grocery stores.
I will be scooping out the remaining pulp and juice and adding it all to my
blender for a refreshing drink while I work later this afternoon.
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~7~
Accountability
By CHALISSA 1@aol.com
Draw from the well of life
But do it justice
Poison not the waters
Leave the world a little
Better than when you arrived
Few leave a sustaining
mark of good or evil
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~8~
Memorable Quote
"Here all the wild creatures of the old days are being preserved, and
their overflow into the surrounding country means that the people of
the surrounding country, so long as they see that the laws are
observed by all, will be able to insure to themselves and to their
children and to their children's children much of the old time
pleasures of the hardy life of the wilderness..."
President Theodore Roosevelt
April 24, 1903
Dedication Ceremony for the Roosevelt Arch
Gardiner, Montana
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Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
P O Box 7053
Tampa, Fl 33673-7053
http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal
Rights Online=-
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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