A n i m a l W r i t e s
© sm
The official ANIMAL
RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue # 08/27/00
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
~
MicheleARivera@aol.com
~ SavingLife@aol.com
Layout ~ Corrynthia@aol.com
THE NINE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ God and Chick-fil-A - by Rev. J.R. Hyland
submitted by <HumaneReligion@compuserve.com>
2 ~ Support Elephant Conservation: Oppose Illegal
Poaching and Resumption of Ivory Trading -
submitted by
<savewildlife@defenders.org>
3 ~ Excess Animals - from the files at ARO
4 ~ "Collecting Bile From Live Bears Has
Been Banned by the Chinese
Government..." - submitted by Jonathan Owen
5 ~ Job Opportunity - In Defense of Animals
6 ~ First Call to World Farm Animals Day 2000 -
submitted by FARM <farm@farmusa.org>
7 ~ Dear God by Patricia Rogers
8 ~ Poem: Within the Heart - by
WantNoMeat@aol.com
9 ~ Quote to Remember - Margaret
Mead
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God and Chick-fil-A
by Rev. J.R. Hyland
submitted by <HumaneReligion@compuserve.com>
How did a religious tradition whose sacred
writings reveal that God created animals to be the beloved companions of
humans, come to celebrate their abuse? How did a spiritual tradition which
proclaims that God has entered into a covenant with animals as well as humans,
forget that covenant? And how can Christians who are aware of the atrocities
inherent in factory-farming, celebrate the work of a man who is an integral
part of this systemized brutality.
The work and success of Truett Cathy, founder and chairman of the Chick-fil-A
restaurant chain, was recently celebrated in a monthly journal that seeks to
"inspire and encourage" Christians with uplifting success
stories. These stories are followed by
prayers and meditations for each day of the month. The magazine -- "In
Touch"-- reaches tens of thousands of people.
The theme of the issue that featured Cathy was titled "Committed to the
Course," and the introductory essay was written by the Pastor/Publisher
whose church sponsors this outreach ministry. He wrote "What you
believe about God, yourself and the principles in His Word will determine your
degree of success and victory." And the story about Chick-fil-A which
follows, certainly confirms that what you believe about God is an important
factor in the claim that it is the Deity who blesses your enterprises.
Truett Cathy believes that he applies biblical principles to his running of
Chick-fil-A and that it is God who has rewarded him with such great
success. Eager to let everyone who
works for him know that they are doing the work of the Lord, here on earth,
Cathy has erected a large plaque that dominates the entrance to his corporate
headquarters. It contains his "mission statement," a statement that
purports to sum up the purpose of an enterprise. The plaque reads:
"TO GLORIFY GOD BY BEING A FAITHFUL
STEWARD OF
ALL THAT IS ENTRUSTED TO US. TO HAVE A
POSITIVE
INFLUENCE ON ALL WHO COME IN CONTACT
WITH CHICK-FIL-A."
Obviously, having a positive influence on "all" whose lives are
touched by Cathy's empire does not include those who raise and slaughter the
chickens whose lives, from their birth to their early death, are a testament to
the human capacity for brutality. Only by desensitizing themselves to the
horror of what they are doing, could anyone continue to do the kind of work
that supports the Chick-fil-A empire.
God gave these creatures a natural life span of up to 20 years. But in order to
meet the demand for their flesh, created by businesses like Chick-fil-A, their
throats are slit before they are two months old. The cruel way in which they
are slaughtered, is a reflection of the unmerciful way in which they are forced
to live their short lives. From birth to death they are treated as though they
were "things" rather than sentient beings created by the same God who
breathed life into all creatures -- human and animal.
Twenty-five thousand or more, they are packed into warehouses where there is no
room to move. There, they are forced to live in their own excrement, among the
corpses of their fellow creatures who have died from suffocation, heart attacks
and other stresses. But there are so many that the premature death of some of
them, and the loss of their flesh as a commodity, are just considered part of
the overhead of running this kind of a business.
This is the work that Truett Cathy believes makes him "a faithful steward
of all that is entrusted to [him]." It is a belief that makes a mockery of
the stewardship of other creatures with which God entrusted the human race. And
because this business is so successful, Chick-fil-A is celebrated by many
Christians who believe that if people claim to conduct their business by
Godly principles, then their success must be a sign of God's blessing.
Of course the Bible does not substantiate such a claim. In the
Synoptic Gospels, Christ plainly warns that malevolent forces at work in
this world can bring riches and success to those who are cooperative.
Personifying those forces as Satan and the Prince of this World, Jesus told how
he had been tempted, in the wilderness, to accept the success that can come
from collaboration with such forces. And he also revealed that a profane use of
scripture can be used to cover this ungodly collaboration. (See Matthew 4:5,6).
But that revelation is ignored by many professing Christians. Religious history
is rife with accounts of those who used the Bible to justify their greed. It
also shows that the contemporaries of such people celebrated their wealth and
their success, although later generations recognized the evil that was
foundational to their prosperity. Wealthy plantation owners were commended for
Christian virtues which included Bible readings and sermons which informed
their slaves that the scriptures admonished them to "obey their
masters." Great philanthropists were lauded by the churches which profited
from wealth that was acquired from the labor of children and the work of adults
who eked out a living under abominable conditions.
Riches derived from slave and child labor are no longer accepted as a sign of
God's blessing, but other abuses have taken their place. In our own time, the
flagrant abuse of animal beings for the benefit of men like Truett Cathy is
ignored. Although Chick-fil-A is built on the foundation of factory farming,
its founder claims that his purpose is "to glorify God." And he is
supported in this profane assertion by his employees, and by the churches and
other Christian groups to which he so generously contributes. He is celebrated
as a man-of-God; one whose faithfulness to biblical principles has brought him
riches and renown.
Later generations will understand the profanity of such claims. Just as the
practices of slave and child labor are now outlawed so also will the horror of
factory farming be recognized. And there will be no retrospective support for
those who grew rich from the suffering of other creatures. But if God's kingdom
is ever to come to earth, those who claim to follow the teachings of Christ
must be willing to reject those evils which society and organized
religion have not yet recognized. They must be part of the leavening
process that works to bring about the kind of changes which will insure that
God's will is done, on earth as in heaven.
Copyright 2000 by Viatoris
Ministries
http://www.HumaneReligion.org
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Support Elephant
Conservation:
Oppose Illegal Poaching and
Resumption of Ivory Trading
Submitted by <savewildlife@defenders.org>
Barely
ten years ago, wild elephants in Africa and Asia were hurtling towards
extinction. Poachers were killing elephants in record numbers to feed the
international demand for the ivory from elephant's tusks and their hides.
Elephants in Africa were particularly hard hit, with populations in many
countries nearly destroyed. In 1989, the nations of the world took action through
the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES) to ban the
international ivory trade and stop the wholesale slaughter of the world's
elephants.
In 1997, CITES allowed a one-time trade in stockpiled ivory to resume from some
countries. That experiment resulted in dramatic increases in poaching,
both in the countries involved in the trade and across Africa and Asia.
This past April in Nairobi, Kenya, the world's nations were once again asked at
CITES to approve a proposal to lift the ban and allow the ivory trade to
resume. In the end, this request was withdrawn, but the poaching and illegal
trade that was sparked by the experimental ivory sale continues. To bring this
poaching under control and to ensure that it doesn't explode again if the ivory
trade resumes, governments must act now to enforce their laws and build their
capacity to combat elephant poachers now and in the future.
Help save elephants by visiting:
http://www.helpelephants.org
Send
a free e-mail to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urging them to support
elephant conservation and work to oppose illegal poaching and future efforts to
resume international trade in ivory.
Sincerely,
Help Elephants Campaign
Defenders of Wildlife
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Excess Animals
from the files at Animal Rrights Online
What
if we adopted the radical notion that companion animals are individuals, not
property, and that sharing a home with an animal is a privilege, not a
right? What if we require competency tests, proof of financial
responsibility, and permits for those wishing to adopt companion animals, like
we do for driving? What if we provide the same safeguards for the
adoption of companion animals as we do for the adoption of children?
What if we outlaw the buying and selling of companion animals, as we have the
buying and selling of people? What if there was no profit to be made by
puppy mills, backyard breeders, and others who breed companion animals for
profit? How would this affect the "surplus" crisis?
What if we stop killing for convenience? What if we make it a crime to
kill companion animals simply because they are "surplus?" Ban
the killing of homeless animals and we will very quickly rise to the
challenge. It's amazing how creative we can be when it's required of us.
"Excess" animals is not the problem; the problem is in peoples' heads
and hearts, in the ways they think and feel -- or fail to.
`*³³¤³*´`´`*³:»§«:´*´`´`*³¤³«:*´`³¤³´`³¤³´`³¤³´`³:»«:*´`´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³*´`´`*:»§«:³*´`´`*¤³³*'
"Collecting Bile From Live Bears has
Been Banned by the Chinese Government..."
submitted by Jonathan Owen <jonathanowen@wspa.org.uk>
...unfortunately, the above statement from a
recently circulating
article is *completely untrue*...
You may have heard of the agreement that Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) has
arranged with the authorities in the Sichuan Province, China. This agreement
will allow AAF to re-home 500 bears from the worst bear farms, when these farms
are closed during the next 2-5 years. This is good news for these bears.
However, WSPA's investigations of the Chinese bear bile farms in 1999
and 2000, has revealed that several of the large bear bile farms have
expansion plans. One farm, in particular, had 800 bears in February 2000 and
plans to have 1000 bears by the end of 2000. Therefore, China has no intention
of bringing an end to this industry.
Currently, there is an international ban on the trade in bear parts and
products (including bile). However, China has a surplus of bear bile. Much of
this bile is being used in inessential products such as bear wine and tonics.
At some stage in the future China may try to obtain legal international trade
for this product. Dr Fan Zhiyong, the official in charge of the Chinese CITES
(Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora) Management Authority, has stated that China would like to export bear
bile to consumers in Japan, Korea and other countries.
Therefore, the reality of the Chinese bear farming industry is not good. We
need to maintain pressure on China to prevent them gaining legal international
trade in bear bile and other products, and to totally end the bear farming
industry in China.
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Job Opportunity
In Defense of Animals is
looking for one or two part or full time staff members to act in an
administrative assistant capacity. Responsibilities could include answering
phones, writing correspondence, operating photocopier and fax machines, sending
out literature, filing, opening mail and coding membership donations, making
deposits, doing data entry, and general writing. We are looking for
someone who lives in commuting distance to Marin County, and who is highly
organized, self-directed, and an excellent writer.
To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to:
Margo DeMello
Administrative Director
In Defense of Animals
131 Camino Alto, Ste. E
Mill Valley, CA 94941
E-mail: margo@idausa.org
Fax: 415 388 0388
In Defense of Animals
ida@idausa.org
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First Call to
World Farm Animals Day 2000
submitted by FARM <Farmusa@erols.com>
FARM
(Farm Animal Reform Movement) requests your participation in the 18th annual
observance of World Farm Animals Day. This year's theme is "Putting Farmed
Animals Into Politics." The purpose is to raise the awareness of all
candidates for public office and their constituents to the issues and tragedy
of animal agriculture.
FARM will seek the candidates' position on specific farm animal issues and will
circulate their responses among concerned folks in their voting districts. FARM will urge animal activists to collect
funds & votes for the candidate(s) who support their position.
The following issues will be pursued:
~ Ban of veal crates
~ Ban of sow gestation stalls
~ Ban of battery cages
~ Ban of forced molting of laying hens
~ Enactment of Downed Animals Protection Act
~ Funding and enforcement of Humane Methods of Slaughter Act
~ Phasing out subsidies for large factory farms
~ Enforcement of environmental pollution regulation of factory
farms
~ Enforcement of controls on antibiotics use in factory farms
~ Provision of more plant-based foods in National School Lunch
menus
Activists will be encouraged to participate in political events and to set up
information tables with background information and petition sheets on these
issues. FARM will provide display materials including banners, posters and
photographs documenting animal suffering in factory farms and slaughterhouses.
FARM will publicize the observance to the national media. FARM has already
started the effort by sending a team to the Democratic National Convention.
Please e-mail: wfad@farmusa.org or call
1-888-FARM-USA for a free Action Kit. Our WFAD web site should be ready soon.
http://www.farmusa.org
1-888-FARM USA
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Dear God
by Patricia Rogers <parogers@mindspring.com>
Dear
God,
This is Sammy. Take good care of him. He was, and is, much loved. He was
partial to warm places: on top of the heat register, on top of the old dryer
when it was running, the center of the gas stove directly over the pilot light,
the second floor porch when the sun shone in on the chairs.
He liked to sleep under the covers in the crook of my arm until I was dozing
off. Then he would get down and go wrap himself around Violet in the round bed.
There were many other things Sammy liked, too. He liked to play, mostly with
Sylvester and the three-legged cat, Pharaoh. A cat version of hide and seek
that had some elements of tag. He liked to run out the door of the downstairs
porch and throw himself on the concrete floor a full body slam. He liked to
doze on top of the TV with his tail hanging down in front of the screen. He
liked to sit on my dresser with his head up the lampshade when the lamp was on.
He liked the round cat tunnel in the dining room. And he liked being carried
around in it while I sang all the verses to Amazing Grace. He and Clarke liked
that song best of all. Sammy liked all of these things and many more, but there
were two things that Sammy loved.
He loved having a family. Sitting between Phelps and me while we read at night
was sheer heaven. He purred until he fell asleep. He often followed Phelps
around the house until he sat in his chair to read. Then Sammy would mark the
chair with his scent pads and leave to find Violet.
Sammy loved Violet. From the day she came to us nine years ago May, Sammy loved
Violet. He ate with her, slept with her, groomed her, and yes, loved her. He
was steadfast and true. On those occasions when he did leave her side, she had
only to call out and he raced back to her.
Take good care of Sammy, God, for he is much loved. As he began to grow weaker,
his daddy took him four times a week to the doctor for fluids in the hope that
we could keep him here with us while longer. But it was not to be. Now he is with you. Hold him close because
we no longer can. I've enclosed a picture of Sammy and Violet - it seemed
right, somehow. And please don't let him get cold. Remember, after
Violet, he is very partial to warm places.
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Within the Heart
by WantNoMeat@aol.com
Another day another meal
another life your actions steal
Living beings killed for meat
approvingly you sit down to eat
Already dead when in your clutch
a slice of carcass you easily touch
This murdered flesh you consume
you're a grave, another's tomb
You don't notice you are blind
consequences never come to mind
As long as you refuse to look
you can't see the lives you took
Cries uttered upon deaf's ear
this merciless death you don't hear
Acknowledgment can be hard
but ignorance leads to disregard
Neatly packaged, hidden gore
realizations easy to ignore
Awaken morals for a fresh start
change comes from within the heart
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Quote To Remember
"Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only
thing that ever does."
--Margaret Mead
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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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