A n i m a l
W r i t e s © sm
The official ANIMAL
RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue # 11/24/02
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ ParkStRanger@aol.com
~
MichelleRivera1@aol.com
~ sbest1@elp.rr.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ The Fund For Animals Starts 10 Day Countdown to Fur
Free Friday
2 ~ Want To Organize Your Own Fur Free Friday Campaign?
3 ~ Birds of a Feather by Greg Lawson
4 ~ ACT Radio - Animal Concerns of Texas
5 ~ Chanukah and Vegetarianism by Richard H Schwartz, Ph.D.
6 ~ Letter to the Editor
7 ~ Pigtails Sanctuary Needs Help
8 ~ Thanksgiving Prayer by Greg Lawson
9 ~ Memorable Quote
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~1~
The Fund for Animals
Starts Ten-Day Countdown to 'Fur-Free Friday'
Events to be Held at 'Neiman Carcass' Stores
Nationwide
SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a nationwide campaign to
persuade upscale department store chain Neiman Marcus to stop selling fur, The
Fund for Animals has announced the ten-day countdown to "Fur- Free
Friday." On Friday, November 29, the busiest shopping day of the
year, The Fund for Animals and local groups across the country will hold
protests, silent vigils, mock funeral processions, and other events at Neiman
Marcus stores to bring attention to the cruel and unnecessary killing of
animals for fur coats and fur-trimmed clothing.
"With the many warm and fashionable alternatives available, there is
simply no reason to sell fur," said Pierre Grzybowski, Grassroots
Coordinator for The Fund. "Neiman Marcus should be a trendsetter in the
fashion industry, and should spare millions of animals from cruel and
unnecessary deaths. Being a socially responsible company means putting an end
to animal cruelty."
Animals raised on fur farms are confined to tiny cages until they are put out
of their misery by gassing or anal electrocution. Trapped animals suffer for
days in steel-jawed leghold traps, often gnawing off their own limbs to
escape. Leghold traps are the land mines of the natural world, not only
killing "target species," but also indiscriminately maiming and
killing "non- target" animals such as endangered species and family
dogs and cats.
Last fall, a Decision Research poll of high-income shoppers, conducted in four
metropolitan areas where Neiman Marcus has stores, revealed that 54% of
consumers consider selling fur to be socially irresponsible. By more than a
four-to-one margin, consumers prefer to shop at stores that do not sell fur.
Neiman
Marcus: Fur Is Cruel and Unnecessary
http://www.neimancarcass.com/
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~2~
Want To Organize Your Own
Fur Free Friday Campaign?
Courtesy
of Animal Protection Institute (API), the following website will help you do
just that:
Ban
Cruel Traps
http://www.bancrueltraps.com/
For even more fur websites, check out the
following:
www.inFURmation.com
http://www.infurmation.com/
fur facts
http://www.furkills.org/facts00/
Image Gallery:
Fur Farming
http://www.animalsvoice.com/PAGES/archive/furfarm.html
Peta
Undercover Showcases on IFILM.com
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilm/collections/0,4328,1082,00.html
Ooze Online - Pet Ware
http://www.oozemagazine.co.uk/petwear.htm
Canada
Focus : seal - clubbing
http://www.countryguide.com/
Buying and
selling exotic animals on the internet
http://www.fims.uwo.ca/newmedia/LB-Issue1/shopping.html
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~3~
Birds of a Feather
By Greg Lawson - ParkStRanger@aol.com
Last
Tuesday, Steve Best suggested I attend his Intro to Philosophy class.
Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president of the Humane Society of the United States,
was the guest speaker. In attendance were a couple of hundred of Steve's
students and also some other special guests - a dozen cockfighters who had come
to hear Wayne and defend their lifestyles.
At first Steve was a bit worried that the cockfighters would cause disruptions
and was even considering how to kick them out, but at the end of the class
Steve was glad they had been there. No more graphic illustration of the
idiocy of animal abuse could have been presented, not by slides nor by video.
Wayne is at the other end of the spectrum occupied by Steve Best as a
speaker. Where Steve is passionate, Wayne is dispassionate preferring to
present the facts in an often nonjudgmental way. Perhaps this is because
Wayne is used to speaking before lawmakers and so he comes across as a cool
lawyer type as opposed to Steve's often religious fervor.
Wayne began by asking the class a number of questions concerning how they felt
about the rights of animals. Steve turned his back so the class wouldn't
be worried about how the answers might affect their grades. "Do you
think abuse to animals is wrong?" "Do you think dog fighting is
wrong?" "Do you think cockfighting is wrong?"
"Do you think hunting for sport is wrong?" "Do you think
raising animals for food is wrong?" A surprisingly large number of people
raised their hands indicating that they thought those activities were
wrong. Obviously, they had listened in Steve's previous classes and done
the reading assignments. Only a few hands went down on the raising
animals for food question.
Then Wayne gave a history of the rights movement, describing how civil rights
and women's rights preceded the animal rights movement and how the question of
our moral responsibility to animals is the next question we are asking
ourselves as a society. Wayne talked about the arguments for hunting, and
explained why they just don't hold up to logic. During the first 45
minutes of the class Wayne had only briefly mentioned cockfighting.
About halfway through the talk Steve went over and whispered in Wayne's ear
something to the effect "Wayne, I think you should talk about cockfighting
some more. Let's mix it up with these cockfighters."
So he did. Wayne described the barbaric practice without using the word
barbaric, that was to be said later by Steve. Wayne explained how
Oklahoma had just become the 48th state to ban cockfighting and how the HSUS
was going after New Mexico next. When he finished, Steve opened the
discussion up to questions and welcomed questions from the cockfighters.
Steve maintained order in the class and tried to prevent disruptions from the
barbarians, which did occur, but were quickly squelched.
The cockfighters sat in about four groups spread around the room. Two
were right in front of me on the first row. (I had sat behind them with the
honorable intention of helping to protect Wayne and Steve should violence
erupt). They were obviously all heated up by the threat to their way of
life. One grizzled geezer was granted his opportunity to make his point
and said "Don't listen to these guys...Think for yourselves....After they
take away our livelihood they will be coming for you. They will try to stop you
from eating meat. If you beat your dog, they will make sure you go to
jail." Cries of "YES" and applause filled the room.
And also "Sit down you moron."
"I'm just trying to feed my family. I have worked hard all my
life," said another cockfighter. "You are trying to hurt me and
my family."
"Drug Dealers work hard to feed their families," commented a student.
Steve said to the cockfighters, "We don't want to cause you any
harm. But we don't want to see you make your living from harming other
creatures. We want you to find a more ethical way of living."
"If we don't outlaw eating chickens, we shouldn't outlaw
cockfighting," said a student.
I added my comment to the debate. "I understand that argument. I
don't eat chicken. There is a certain amount of hypocrisy to being
opposed to cockfighting and then to go have lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken.
I hope you will remember this when you join your families at Thanksgiving, that
you say 'Please pass the tofu.'"
The cockfighters went on to demonstrate that they didn't have a moral leg to
stand on. The TV cameras captured it all. The students saw how self
serving all arguments are for the continued exploitation of animals for profit,
for entertainment, for our gluttonous appetites.
I am glad I went to Steve's class, it was a lively interchange between young
developing minds who will determine the course of our movement, and relics of
the past who, sadly enough, will be relegated to a chapter in the future book
of manKind.
I am also glad we exited through the back door.
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~4~
ACT Radio - Animal Concerns of
Texas
Be sure to listen to ACT Radio's second show
tonight at 9:30pm EST (7:30pm, mountain time) with Greg Lawson and Steve Best.
http://www.ktep.org/program_detail.ssd?id=103
El Paso NPR - KTEP 88.5 :
National Public Radio for the Southwest
The subjects covered will be toxic meat, meat recalls, and the failure of the
USDA to inspect meat. Our featured guest is Dr. James Gibson who speaks about
the benefits of a vegan diet.
It is really important that everyone contact KTEP and tell them you support the
show and are elated to hear this kind of radio. Please write KTEP and/or
General Manager Pat Piotrowski.
General Feedback:
http://www.ktep.org/index.ssd
Pat Piotrowsky: patrickp@utep.edu; 915-747-6295
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~5~
Chanukah and Vegetarianism
Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D. - RSCHW12345@aol.com
Many
connections can be made between vegetarianism and the Jewish festival of
Chanukah:
1. According to the Book of Maccabees, some Maccabees lived on plant
foods since they were unable to get kosher meat when they hid in the mountains
to avoid capture.
2. The foods associated with Chanukah, latkes (potato pancakes) and
sufganiyot (fried donuts) are vegetarian foods, and the oils that are used in
their preparation are a reminder of the oil used in the lighting of the Menorah
in the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean victory.
3. Chanukah represents the triumph of non-conformity. The Maccabees
stuck to their inner beliefs, rather than conforming to external pressure. They
were willing to say: This I believe, this I stand for, this I am willing to
struggle for. Today, vegetarians represent non-conformity. At a time when most
people in the wealthier countries think of animal products as the main part of
their meals, when the number of McDonald's and similar fast food establishments
are growing rapidly, when almost all celebrations involve an abundance of
animal products, vegetarians are resisting and insisting that there is a
better, healthier, more humane diet.
4. Chanukah represents the victory of the few, who practiced God's
teachings, over the many, who acted according to the values of the surrounding
society. Today vegetarians are a very small minority in most countries, but
they believe that, consistent with God's original diet (Genesis 1:29), and
religious mandates to preserve our health, treat animals with compassion,
protect the environment, preserve natural resources, and share with hungry
people, vegetarianism is the dietary approach most consistent with Jewish
values.
5. Chanukah commemorates the miracle of the oil that was enough for only
one day, but miraculously lasted for eight days. A switch to vegetarianism on
the part of the world's people could help cause an even greater miracle: the
end of the scandal of world hunger which results in the death of an estimated
20 million people annually, while over a third of the world's grain is fed to
animals destined for slaughter.
6. It is interesting that the ratio of eight days that the oil burned
compared to the one day of burning capacity that the oil had is the same ratio
(8 to 1) that is often given for the pounds of grain that are necessary to add
a pound to a cow in a feed lot (a ratio of 16 to 1 is often given for the
amount of edible beef produced). The miracle of the oil brings the use of fuel
and other resources into focus, and vegetarian diets make resources go much
further, since far less water, fuel, land, pesticides, fertilizer, and other
agricultural resources are required for plant-based diets than for
animal-centered diets.
7. Chanukah also commemorates the rededication of the Temple in
Jerusalem after it was defiled by the Syrian-Greeks. The Hebrew root of the
word Chanukah means dedication. Today, a shift to vegetarianism can be a major
factor in the rededication and renewal of Judaism, because it would show that
Jewish values are relevant to everyday Jewish life and to addressing current
problems, such as hunger, pollution, resource scarcity, global climate change,
and huge health care expenditures.
8. Candles are lit during each night of Chanukah, symbolizing a turning
from darkness to light, from despair to hope. According to the prophet Isaiah,
the role of Jews is to be a "light unto the nations" (Isaiah 42:6).
Vegetarianism can be a way of adding light to the darkness of a world with slaughterhouses,
factory farms, and vivisection laboratories, as well as other symbols of
oppression.
9. Chanukah commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from the Syrian
Greeks. So, today, vegetarianism can be a step toward deliverance from modern
problems such as hunger, pollution, and resource scarcities.
10. On the Sabbath during Chanukah, the prophetic portion indicates that
difficulties can best be overcome "not by might and not by power, but by
my spirit, says the Lord of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6). Today, Jewish vegetarians
are arguing that the way to a better, less violent world is not by exercising
our power over animals, but by applying the spirit of God, "whose tender
mercies are over all of His creatures" (Psalm 145:9).
11. The Hebrew root of the word Chanukah also means education, Jewish
vegetarians believe that if Jews were educated about the horrible realities of
factory farming and the powerful Jewish mandates about taking care of our
health, showing compassion to animals, protecting the environment, conserving
resources, and helping hungry people, they would seriously consider switching
to vegetarian diets.
12. At the morning services during each day of Chanukah, there is a
recitation of Hallel, the psalms of praise from Psalm 113 to 118. During the
Sabbath of Chanukah and every other Sabbath during the year, the morning
service has a prayer that begins, "The soul of all living creatures shall
praise God's name". Yet, it is hard for animals to join in the praise of
God when in the United States alone almost 10 billion animals are killed
annually for their flesh after suffering from cruel treatment on factory farms.
In view of these and other connections, I hope that Jews will enhance their
celebrations of the beautiful and spiritually meaningful holiday of Chanukah by
making it a time to begin striving even harder to live up to Judaism`s highest
moral values and teachings by moving toward a vegetarian diet.
Richard H. Schwartz, PhD
Professor Emeritus, College of Staten Island
2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10314
Phone: (718) 761-5876 Fax: (718) 982-3631
E-mail RSCHW12345@aol.com
Author of Judaism and Vegetarianism, Judaism and Global Survival,
and Mathematics and Global Survival.
Over 100 articles at http://jewishveg.com/schwartz
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~6~
Letter To The Editor
By Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Please
consider sending the following letter to the editor of your local
newspapers. Feel free to personalize it.
Dear Editor:
We live in strange times. We subsidize farmers to grow tobacco, then tax and
sue the tobacco industry to recover the costs of associated medical care. We
subsidize the meat industry, then suffer the costs of associated medical care
and lost productivity. Now, we prepare to give thanks for our good life by
taking away the life of an innocent animal. It just doesn’t make sense.
Thanksgiving is about liberty, happiness, and life. But, the 330 million
turkeys raised each year for our holiday dinner table experience none of these.
They are crammed into large sheds filled with toxic fumes from their excrement.
Their beaks and toes are clipped to reduce damage from stress-induced
aggression. After 16 weeks of hell, they are hung by their legs on a conveyer
belt and beheaded by an electric saw while fully conscious.
Thanksgiving is about good health. But turkey flesh is laced with cholesterol,
saturated fats, hormones, antibiotics, and deadly Salmonella and Campylobacter.
Careful adherence to government warning labels or Poultry Hotline instructions
are required to defer disease.
Thanksgiving is about sharing. But feeding grain to turkeys denies lifesaving
foodstuffs to millions of starving people. Thanksgiving is about a bountiful
harvest, but raising grain for turkeys depletes topsoil and groundwater that
are essential to a good harvest.
On this special occasion, let us reflect on the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
Let us replace the wretched, sick carcass of an innocent animal on our holiday
dinner table with a wholesome, delicious, guilt-free spread from our bountiful
harvest of grains, vegetables, and fruits. Let us replace misery, disease, and
death with happiness, health, and life!
Sincerely,
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~7~
Pigtales Sanctuary needs HELP!
Animal
sanctuary looking for live in vegan/vegetarian animal lovers with a good
attitude. No complaining tolerated. Live in poverty and love it! Close to the
beach in sunny Florida. Drivers license a must.
Call 386-437-5580 or 386-503-6131 Email: PIGTALESANCTUARY@aol.com
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~8~
Thanksgiving Prayer
By Greg Lawson - ParkStRanger@aol.com
Oh, Creator of the Universe...
Whenever we see birds flying in the sky,
we are thankful they are there.
Whenever we see fish swimming in the waters,
we are thankful they are there.
Whenever we see deer or squirrels or rabbits in the woods
we are thankful they are there,
and not here on our dinner tables.
Amen
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~9~
Memorable Quote
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
--Mahatma Gandhi
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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=-
&
Advisory Board Member, Animal Rights Network Inc.,
not-for-profit publisher of The Animals' Agenda Magazine
http://www.animalsagenda.org/
The
Animals' Agenda Magazine: WebEdition
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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