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 # 02/01/04
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 ~ Live Nude Girls: A Feminist AR Activist Tells Her Story
2 ~ Chickens Killed Inhumanely in a Woodchipper and The Role of the AVMA
3 ~ Job Opportunities
4 ~ Animal Activists Call For Change
5 ~ Free Me
6 ~ Website of Note
7 ~ Animal Writes Community Calendar
8 ~ They Wonder
9 ~ Memorable Quote
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`
~1~
Live Nude Girls:
A Feminist Animal Rights Activist
Tells Her Story
By Trulie Ankerberg-Nobis -
truliea@hotmail.com
I am an animal rights activist. I am also a feminist: I believe
that women’s interests deserve equal consideration in all of life's
circumstances. I also am a PETA supporter and have volunteered for many of
their "eye-catching" demos. I have dressed in a cow's suit and a fur
coat with a bag over my head. I have also worn a pleather “dominatrix” outfit
to educate about the cruelty in leather and protested the circus as a tiger in
a cage wearing orange body paint, pasties, and underwear. Most recently, with
PETA I helped distribute Tofurkys as a “sexy Santa” in a mini skirt, crop top
and high-heeled boots.
In cities throughout the Midwest we asked people to consider the animals this
holiday season by going vegetarian. Many local activists were very helpful to
us; their desire to help animals was very apparent. But we were not met with
open arms at every location; in fact, some animal rights activists found this
an occasion to protest us by not
participating and emailing their condemnation of what they claimed is a
“sexist” and “exploitive” kind of activism. I know that many take issue with
"sexy" demos and ads for animal rights because this is believed to
not be in keeping with a feminist perspective. However, as a woman and
feminist, I believe that these demos are very much in sync with feminism. They
are created by and volunteered for by women, smart women who realize that these costumes get valuable attention.
The media is more impressed with demos where activists are in these costumes
than others. This is a simple fact and PETA generates more media attention from
their demos than many others. Obviously when the media is involved, more people
are exposed to the message. I think that potentially exposing tens or hundreds
of thousands to the AR "go veggie" message is better than the few
hundred we will encounter on the street. If a woman has the ability to create a
demo and she or other women want to
volunteer for the demo, then, to be given equal consideration as feminism
dictates, these women have a right to contribute to the movement in this way.
In fact when people say that PETA “uses” women they are relegating women to the
very role we have fought to be rid of, namely, “things” that need to be ordered
around and kept in their place.
It’s ironic that none of the activists offended at my sexy costume spoke to me.
My male companion was the only one to hear their objections. I may have been
considered too submissive and un-opinionated to have an answer and they
“respect women” too much to discuss the issues with me. They may have been
afraid to hear what I might have to say. Maybe they thought I was chained up
and gagged by PETA since they were “using and objectifying” me? Did they think
that I was nothing more than a sexual piece of meat who didn’t know what was
being done to her or able to make her own choices? This thinking further
perpetuates the idea that women are incapable of taking care of themselves and
taking on very serious activism for animal rights.
So I ask each of you, when you see women dressed “sexily” for activism, do you
see a victimized woman with nothing to offer the world other than her body? Or
do you see a woman who intelligently and freely chooses to use her body to make a point? Your answer may lead you
to your own hidden sexism. We all have different ways to contribute to animal
rights activism. PETA’s eye-catching demos are just one way to further the
message that animals are not ours to eat, to wear or to experiment on. I found
my role as the “tiger” in a cage wearing nothing but body paint, underwear, and
pasties to be a very moving experience. Yes, I was very self-conscious and very
cold. But I have never really understood what it must be like to be an
exploited animal in a circus until that moment. I have never known what is a
lifetime of suffering for tigers in circuses until my experience in that cage
being gawked at and laughed at. The only difference was that, unlike the
animals, I was able to emerge from that cage unharmed.
I am grateful for that experience whether or not it was effective to convince
my onlookers of the evils of animals used for entertainment. I am angry that
others would have it that I should not have been allowed to participate in that demo. In fact, I am a better person
having done this demo. I saw many young girls looking at me with wide eyes in
my Sexy Santa costume. This to me is a true test of my feminist ideas. If I can
look at what I am doing and think that I am emulating what it means to be a
positive role model for the women of tomorrow, then I am being true to myself
and to women. I hope that they saw a woman with a loud voice who is not afraid
to stand up for what she believes in. I hope they saw a woman who promotes
compassion and peace for all living beings. I hope they saw that the female
body and being sexy is nothing to be ashamed of and that striving to be healthy
and fit is a good goal to have. I hope that they saw that not being waif-like
skinny with the media portrayed idea of female beauty does not mean that you
cannot be proud of who you are and how you look.
I don’t think that women have achieved all that there is achieve for equality.
But I do believe that, at least for women in America, we don’t have that much
farther to go. Compare this to the animals who are blowtorched, mutilated,
vaginally electrocuted, impregnated to have their babies ripped from them and
then tortured for their milk and meat, hacked open for science, and beaten,
exploded and tormented for entertainment. In all seriousness, who is the
exploited group? Considering the immensity of the problem of animal
exploitation, I find that the majority of the complaining about PETA and their
“using” women to be a distraction that needs to stop. I don’t believe, and I’m
sure that many will be offended at this, that people who choose to make an
issue about women in PETA demos and ads have really considered the animals first. I would suspect that the
animals would think that you could help them in better ways than sending off
your emails in protest of PETA.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~2~
Chickens Killed Inhumanely
In A Wood Chipper
And The Role Of The American Veterinary Medical Association
From Meowvet@aol.com
On February 20, 2002, approximately 30,000 live chickens
were put into a wood chipper and inhumanely torn to bits. A veterinarian
working with the Exotic Newcastle Task Force gave the order to destroy the
chickens in the wood chipper, in violation of the American Veterinary Medical
Association's humane euthanasia procedures. All the evidence compiled by the
County of San Diego Department of Animal Services points to Dr. Greg Cutler, a
veterinarian working temporarily for USDA on the outbreak. In an interview with
Officer May Kay Gagliardo, Cutler admitted he authorized killing the chickens
in the wood chipper. He even described how the chickens would die and, when
asked if this was humane, he responded, "absolutely." When Ms.
Gagliardo asked him for his title, he responded, "Emperor of the
World." Later, in an interview in DVM magazine, Cutler expressed that his
"only regret" was speaking to the County investigators and the media.
Meanwhile, despite all of the evidence identifying Cutler as the veterinarian
who ordered this unspeakable, violent and inhumane destruction of helpless
chickens, he still sits on the American Veterinary Medical Association Animal
Welfare Committee. To date, it is unlikely that he will be removed.
Fast forward to January, 2004. In an interview with DVM magazine, Dr. Bruce
Little, Executive Vice President of the American Veterinary Medical
Association, commented that Cutler's removal from the Animal Welfare Committee
would not be necessary because the Committee focuses only on companion animals.
Since one of the major functions of the AWC is to review and update animal
welfare policies for all animals, including those animals produced for food,
either Dr. Little does not understand the role of the AWC or else he is
attempting to protect Cutler's position on the AWC.
The American Veterinary Medical Association does not address the humane
treatment of animals in factory "farms." Rather, they currently support
hens in batteries and sows in gestation crates. The American Veterinary Medical
Association has had many opportunities to change their inhumane and
pro-industry animal welfare policies. For years, Dr. Holly Cheever has
presented scientific evidence that forced molting causes the needless death of
many hens in egg-producing factories. I have twice presented information from
meat inspectors on the injuries and death of roping calves in rodeos. The
Animal Welfare Committee has never responded to our concerns. In fact, the AVMA
is more pro-actively anti-animal welfare and aggressively obstructive. At the
last AWC meeting, speakers were not even allowed to hear each other's
presentations.
While the American Veterinary Medical Association sponsors various animal
welfare forums, no expert on the humane treatment of food animals has been
invited to speak at their symposia. Instead, the AVMA supports all industrial
uses of animals. This year, the American Association of Equine Practitioners,
an AVMA supported organization, gave their annual humane award to the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. While humane treatment is occasionally
mentioned in these forums, the AVMA does little or nothing to change its
policies supporting the information therein.
Dr. Cutler is not the only culprit in the inhumane killing of 30,000 chickens.
The American Veterinary Medical Association is a willing accomplice due in part
to their archaic and inhumane animal welfare policies. The AVMA must remove
Cutler from their Animal Welfare Committee.
Please call and express your opinion to Bruce Little.
His e-mail address is: Blittle@avma.org
His phone number is: 1-847-925-8070
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~3~
Job Opportunities
FARM is inviting applications for the following positions:
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR - Responsible for increasing and maintaining FARM's
member base through direct mail, donor relations, and grant solicitation.
Position requires some prior experience in member relations and database
management, including familiarity with MS Access and e-mail clients.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR - Responsible for coordinating FARM's seasonal programs,
including World Farm Animals Day, Gentle Thanksgiving, and Meatout. Position
requires creativity, ability to handle multiple tasks, working under pressure,
meeting deadlines, and thorough knowledge of the issues.
OUTREACH COORDINATOR - Responsible for public outreach through fairs,
advertising, and the mass media and for liaison with the environmental, social
justice, hunger, and peace movements, as well as government agencies. Position
requires applicable prior experience and engaging personality.
BOOKKEEPER (part-time) - Responsible for processing checks and credit cards,
entering contributions in database, paying bills, and preparing financial
reports. Must be familiar with Quickbooks or equivalent accounting program.
To apply, e-mail resume and a letter noting position(s), special qualifications
and interests, availability, and salary requirements to: staffing@farmusa.org.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~4~
Animal Activists Call for Change
By Andrew Beckwith
Cornell Daily Sun
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
http://www.cornellsun.com/articles/10511/
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2004 A group called Responsible Policies for
Animals (RPA) has requested that land-grant universities across the country,
including Cornell, reconsider the way animal science is taught. RPA claims that
current animal science departments are obsolete in modern society and promote
and support methods that perpetuate the suffering of animals.
"Systems are set up so that billions of animals each year live extremely
short lives and are never treated humanely; I don't see much of a way that that
could change as long as schools are teaching people to run those systems that
have animals enslaved," said David Cantor, president of RPA.
RPA has been engaged in letter-writing campaigns to land-grant university
chancellors and presidents, explaining the organization's "10,000 Years is
Enough" campaign, aimed at ending the teaching of animal agriculture.
Currently, RPA has received no official response from Cornell.
The animal science department in Cornell's college of Agriculture & Life
Sciences is responsible for teaching, research and outreach, which provides
education and information to animal-related industries in New York State and
around the world.
Prof. Alan Bell, chair of the animal science department, disagrees with the
contention that animal science education advances irresponsible practices
within the animal agriculture industry.
"I would suggest that modern animal science departments actually promote
more enlightened and responsible attitudes toward animal welfare and
environmental stewardship than those industries did in times gone by,"
Bell said. "Animal agriculture is not going to go away. What we have to do
is manage it responsibly and ethically."
Still, Cantor hopes RPA's campaign will spark intellectual debate about the
value of animal science education.
"Where do we get that somehow no matter how agriculture transforms itself,
no matter how it consolidates itself into huge corporations -- how do we get
that these are courses that have to remain in the academy and that taxpayers
and tuition payers always have to pay for?" Cantor said.
One animal science undergraduate at Cornell believes that animal science does
still have a place in academia, but that modification and modernization would
be beneficial.
"I think perhaps they should have separate tracks of the major for people
who are pre-vet versus people who are more interested in agricultural animals,
whether they're pre-vet or not," she said. "I have considered
switching out of the major because of the emphasis on that area which doesn't
really interest me."
She also suggested that animal science departments are not the root of the
problem.
"I think the problem isn't just with the major, it's deeper than that;
it's with agriculture processes, and all the major is doing is teaching us
those practices," she explained.
Clair Whittet '04, president of the Cornell Coalition for Animal Defense,
expressed doubts about the possibility of changing or eradicating animal
science education.
"Why would [animal science educators] want to talk to people who
ultimately want to see their jobs disappear?" Whittet wondered.
"Still," she added, "I hope the efforts of the RPA might open
dialogue at Cornell about the need to drastically change the way animals are
treated on modern industrial farms."
Bell stated that professors within the department already challenge students to
reexamine the status quo.
"We hope that our students are encouraged to question traditional
practices and get out of here with open minds," he said.
Cantor hopes that current methods can be changed by stimulating discussion
among those already involved in the teaching and practice of animal
agriculture.
"Things that would represent progress would be private discussions within
the universities, discussions between the university and the egg, dairy and
meat industries, and between the universities and state legislators, because
there are serious problems with the state laws that require the teaching of
these industries," Cantor said.
RPAforAll.org - Responsible Policies for
Animals, Inc.
http://www.rpaforall.org/
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~5~
Free Me
Please watch this touching video from PETA called
"Free Me," that is sung by Goldfinger frontman, John Feldmann. The
acoustic song accompanies video footage of the horrors on factory farms, and is
a plea to people of all ages to stop contributing to this violence by adopting
a vegetarian diet.
Please send any comments to ElizabethA@Peta.org. Please try to get as many
people as possible to watch this - the animals need our help. To view the
video, please go to:
http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/getvideo.asp?video=free_me
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~6~
Website of Note
A must read. The Cyberactivist. One paragraph reads:
"My name is Dave Louthan. I'm the
guy who shot that mad cow in Moses Lake. I have talked to dozens of reporters
about all this trouble and they have done a pretty good job getting the story
out I guess. The USDA appears to be on the run but I still have a lot of work
to do. My main problem now is informing people about the splitting saws we use
to split the cow carcass in half. You see every beef slaughtered is split right
down the middle from tail to neck. This means that a band saw cuts right down
the exact center of the spine cutting the spinal cord in half the long way.
There are hot water jets spraying on the blade at the guides to clean off the
fat, blood, and bone dust. As the blade cuts down through the spinal cord
little bits are torn out and mix with this hot water slurry which runs all over
the beef inside and out totally contaminating the meat. When the butcher starts
cutting the steaks and roasts with his knife or saw this contamination is
smeared across every cut he makes. So as you can see it doesn't matter if it's
hamburger or filet mignon it's is contaminated. Please help me warn the
unsuspecting consumer. Thank you for your time."
Check it out at:
The Cyberactivist
http://www.cyberactivist.blogspot.com/
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~7~
Animal Writes Community Calendar
e-mail your submissions to
MichelleRivera1@aol.com
Name
of event - Brenda Davis, Registered Dietitian, lecture and book signing -
"The Optimal Diet"
Name of hosting organization - Fort
Worth Vegetarian Society
Date of event - February 13, 7:00 pm
Location of event - Fort Worth
Botanic Garden, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas
Cost of event - Free
Website where people can visit to learn
more about the event or register as well as any other useful information - www.hope-care.org
Name of event - Anthony Marr -
"The Anti-Hunting/Trapping/Factory-Farming Coalition" and Brenda
Davis, RD, "The Optimal Diet" - lecture and book signing
Name of hosting organization - Animal
Connection of Texas
Date of event - February 14, 11:00
am - 2:00 pm
Location of event - Center for
Community Cooperation, 2900 Live Oak St., Dallas, Texas
Cost of event - Free
Website where people can visit to learn
more about the event or register as well as any other useful information - www.hope-care.org
Name of event; "Peaceable
Kingdom" World Premiere at Lincoln Center
Name of hosting organization; Tribe
of Heart
Date of event; Feb. 28, 2004
Location of event; Lincoln
Center,Manhattan
Cost of event; $25-$100
Website where people can visit to learn
more about the event or register as
well as any other useful information: www.tribeofheart.org
Name of event: "The Power Of
One" Humane Education Annual Conference
Name of hosting organization; Association
of Professional Humane Educators (APHE)
Date of event: March 4-6, 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Cost of Event: $125 members $150 non
members
Website for more information: APHE: Events, Annual
Conference www.aphe.Vview.org/events/conference
or e-mail carol@oregonhumane.org
If you submitted an entry and it does not fall within the next three
months, it will appear in next weeks newsletter. There is no need to resend
your information.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~8~
They Wonder
By Janet Riddle - WantNoMeat@aol.com
They wonder why we're always spending
so much precious time defending
In such a world that justifies
the labeling of "necessary" cries
They wonder why we won't relent
in trying to stop us - their money spent
When the world just wants to stay
the self-righteous way it is today
They wonder why we're up so late
those nights when things just can't wait
The choice-less need our iron will
we have their despair to answer still
They wonder why we spend our money
when kindness costs and disregard is free
In this world filled with lies and greed
You'll someday get back the actions you seed
They wonder why we try and make them see
with eyes sealed tight they disagree
The humans with greed have regressed
while still believing they are blessed
They wonder why we force their ear
still they manage to ignore what they hear
Yet the voiceless will get our clear word
change will come when the truth is heard
As they wonder, there's no stopping time
eventually their actions will be a crime
Fight as they will, but it won't be much longer
the animal movement keeps getting stronger
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~9~
Memorable Quote
"Cruelty has cursed the human family for countless ages. It is almost
impossible for one to be cruel to animals and kind to humans.
If children are permitted to be cruel to their pets and
other animals, they easily learn to get the same pleasure from
the misery of fellow-humans.
Such tendencies can easily lead to crime."
~Fred A. McGrand
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal
Rights Online=-
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
(Permission granted to quote/forward/reprint/repost this newsletter In
whole or in part with credit given to EnglandGal@aol.com)
* Please forward this to a friend whom you think
might be interested in subscribing to our newsletter.
* ARO gratefully accepts and considers articles
for publication
from subscribers on veg*anism and animal issues.
Send submissions to JJswans@aol.com
** Fair Use Notice**
This document may contain copyrighted material, use of which has not been
specifically authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that this
not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the
copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go
beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.