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 # 06/27/04
Publisher ~ Susan
Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Journalists
~ Greg Lawson - ParkStRanger@aol.com
~ Michelle Rivera -
MichelleRivera1@aol.com
Webmasters ~ Randy Atlas - ranatlas@earthlink.net
~ Trevor Chin -
tmchin@yahoo.com
Staff ~ Alfred Griffith - agriffith@igc.org
~ Denise Higgins -
Demnymets@aol.com
~ Andy Glick -
andy@meatfreezone.org
~ Sheridan Porter -
Pad4Paws21@aol.com
~ Bill Bobo -
RunRun@aol.com
~ Katie Vann - Vann167@aol.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ Eleven Days Until AR2004 by
Greg Lawson
2 ~ Last Call For Discounted Registration
3 ~ The Success of Our Efforts to Defend Animals Depends On Our Ability to
Make Right Judgements, to Guide Our Actions
4 ~ Kerry's Record on Animal Welfare & Environmental Issues
5 ~ American Candidate
6 ~ Worldwatch Institute Breakthrough On Meat
7 ~ When I Am Gone
8 ~ Memorable Quote
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~1~
Eleven Days Until AR2004
by Greg Lawson - ParkStranger@aol.com
Once again, I am honored to be one of the speakers at Animal Rights 2004, the annual conference presented by FARM, the
Farm Animal Reform Movement. This year it happens just outside our nation's
capital at Vienna, Virginia, July 8 though 12. I am also proud that this year, Animal Rights Online is one of the many
sponsors of this event.
This gathering is a time to meet new people in the AR movement and a time to
rekindle old friendships. It's a time to find new motivation, a time to examine
and clarify our views and our roles as Animal Rights Advocates.
It's a time for learning... oh, what a time for learning. With over 80 speakers
participating in over 50 workshops, 30 campaign reports, the evening keynote
talks, and the rap sessions, the video presentations, receptions, exhibits, the
strategy meetings....it's almost too much to pack into a such a few short days.
The memories I have of the last three FARM conferences I attended will be with
me forever. I expect no less from this year's meeting. The connections with
people I made, the greater understanding I gained of non-human animals, of our
movement, and other things I learned at this annual event have helped me to
become a better voice for the other beings with whom we share this world.
The first evening of the conference, I am giving a brief talk on the current
status of wildlife protection in our movement. Right now I am trying to figure
out how to say all I want to about this topic in the short time I have.
It's a challenge to consider how to give equal time to the situation of the
bison of Yellowstone, the sea turtles on Padre Island, pet tigers in Texas, the
hunting of black bears in New Jersey, the plight of the grizzlies and the
wolves, the current administration's violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act... hmmm, I could speak way over my time just on the Bush administration's violations of federal and
international laws protecting animals.
I guess I will have to save some of those thoughts for my other workshops and
the rap sessions.
Don't let this opportunity pass. Be a part of it. Go to www.ar2004.org for more
information and to find out how to make your reservation. This conference
should be attended by everyone who works for the recognition of the rights of
animals.
Hope to meet you there.
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~2~
Last Call for Discounted Registration!
www.AR2004.org
Pre-registration for the Animal Rights
2004 National Conference (July 8-12, just outside Washington DC) will end
next week on June 30.
You can register by phone (800-632-8688) or online at www.ar2004.org/registration.html.
June registration is only $120 if
you mention your e-list (which provides $20 off), for 4 jam-packed,
unforgettable days of training, strategizing and networking. Details including
travel and lodging boards, final program, exhibitors, and staffing
opportunities are at www.AR2004.org.
Discounted hotel rooms are also available through tomorrow. Reserve your room
now by calling 800-572-7666 or by clicking www.ar2004.org/lodgingfood.html.
Just in! Check out Bizarro cartoonist Dan Piraro at our
Awards Ceremony! Some of his amazing work on behalf of animals can be seen
here: www.bizarro.com/vegan/index.htm
Thanks for your active compassion for the animals! Hope to see you soon.
Sincerely,
Dawn Moncrief
Registrar, AR2004
Animal Rights 2004 National Conference
register@ar2004.org
www.ar2004.org
888 FARM USA
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[Editor's Note: Last week's
lead article was about an incident at a Palm Beach conference where Captain
Fred Mascaro was attacked for "owning" pedigreed dogs instead of
getting them from the pound. We have since been informed that Captain Mascaro's
dogs are rescued, not bought from pet shops. With that proviso, we offer the
following rebuttal opinion to the original article.]
~3~
The Success of Our Efforts to Defend
Animals Depends
On Our Ability to Make Right Judgements, to Guide Our Actions
by The Friends of Guenady
Association - speakeasy@wanadoo.fr
www.stop-abus-animal.com
We read with interest the article entitled Those of You Without Sin Cast the First Stone : Judgementalism and
Shaming in the Animal Rights Community, in issue # 06/20/04 of Animal
Rights Online.
The problem of the differing levels of awareness of animal exploitation, as
well as what this reflects, which is the differing levels of commitment to our
struggle, is one which has often disturbed us. Here, in the South of France,
where 'animal welfare' essentially means taking care of stray and abandoned
dogs and cats, we have found ourselves at the meetings of large and
well-financed associations (not ours), in which a great number of the women
present were wearing fur, with no negative comments being made by the
organizers, and not by the attendees, either. We made our comments discreetly
to the organizers, in private, and received a shrug of the shoulders in
reply... That's the way it is, the shrug was intended to convey, and we might
as well face it...
We have also attended, as long-time vegetarians (and vegans), so-called
'vegetarian' lunches given by such associations, as an occasional 'exotic'
touch, where the choice of main dishes was between fish and omelettes. They
didn't have a clue about what to do for us vegans...
No, we made no waves on those days, but we did, as a result, think long and
hard about the problem. And we decided that, as those who have come before us
have so often said, albeit in different contexts, they who refuse to learn from
the past are condemned to repeat its errors.
Our adversaries (who are rolling in money from their lucrative, ill-gotten --on
the backs of animal suffering-- gains and who are well-armed with powerful
--and ruthless--lobbies that exert pressuure on the level of governments and on
the national and international media, which we cannot hope to match), these
interests have always cleverly snuffed out from our sight the evidence of our
movement's past. Do we know about the battles of those who fought before us?
What they learned, why they succeeded in their actions, or, more often,
unfortunately, why they failed?
Unless we make it our business to discover these things, we may believe that
not pointing out contradictions to well-intentioned people is simply common courtesy...
But in that case, we should not wonder why our movement has had so little
impact on society, and why we are unable to effect real change for all animals.
We are of the mind that Animal Rights is a name covering too many disparate
tendencies, a catch-all for everything from well-intentioned people who buy
pedigreed dogs and cats, to those who profess, speaking as the 'leaders' of the
movement (leaders chosen by whom? By the media, who report them, and not
others... Why them? To put words in our mouths? To make us all look --too
often-- ridiculous? In our opinion, all these strategies by our adversaries are
possible), they are the spokespersons, we are told, of animal defense (not you
or us). So, if they not only believe that animals have the 'right' to live
their lives as Nature intended, but also that 'some' good for humans has indeed
come from vivisection (for example) (a proposition which has been totally
discredited, even though this great news has yet to be adequately
disseminated), then not only is the principle being supported that Might Makes
Right, but also this contradiction permits our adversaries to point and say,
Why, even So And So, an Animal Rights Advocate, supports vivisection. Or, take
another 'Animal Rights Leader' (again, as dubbed by the media) who just a
couple of years ago was defending bestiality (and probably still is)... If the
animal isn't hurt by it, perhaps it's not wrong... And no mention of the fact
that an animal can hardly be considered a willing party in sex with a human
being.
While it is not necessary to shout and insult those who do not understand the
implications of their own and others' contradictory and inconsistent thinking,
it is nonetheless important for those of us who are serious about making real
changes for animals to speak out against these contradictions and
inconsistencies, every time they crop up. We have a responsibility to educate
ourselves, through this process, as well as to educate those who are newcomers,
and learning that 'Everything Goes' cannot apply to our struggle if we intend
to win. It is our duty to separate the Dilettantes from the Soldiers.
We are in a struggle that we will never win if we do not remember at all times
what our objectives are, and where our loyalties lie. For the Soldiers among us
(many are called, but few are chosen), our loyalties cannot be with our
well-intentioned fellow humans, who wax sentimental about the pedigreed animals
they have bought and loved (for every bought animal, how many died in the
breeding process?), while comfortably installed at a dinner table where the
fruits of other animals' sufferings are served for the greater pleasure of our
species...
If we do not make the distinction between those of us who are serious about
effecting change and the others, time will pass, as too much of it already has,
and nothing will change. Let each of us decide where his or her loyalties lie,
and then those who are not in this movement to see it through to the end,
should step out of the way and let those who are committed, and who have a
monumentally difficult job to do, get on with it without the additional
obstacles.
One last observation: the same issue (# 06/20/04) of Animal Rights Online ended
with a quotation from Christiaan Barnard designed to warm the heart of all
animal lovers. But a closer look at this 'animal lover' reveals that in fact
Barnard had a job of it, trying late in life to salvage his reputation --in the
eyes of the public no less than in the eyes of his own profession-- as a result
of what was considered (by his colleagues) to be his 'irresponsible' quest for
self-glorification (at the time, one Nobel laureate spoke of 'criminal
operations')... For heart transplants were technically possible long before
Barnard first performed one; none were attempted because his medical colleagues
knew that the chances of patient survival were essentially nil. Barnard
captured the headlines over and over again with his human to human heart
transplants, then with animal to human heart transplants (opening the way, by
the way, to transmission to man of primate viruses), always with the same
result: operation successful, patient dead. In Slaughter of the Innocent (for which, by the way, Christiaan
Barnard demanded reparation from the author, while not disputing the facts
revealed), Hans Ruesch wrote : " Zurich's daily, Blick, reported on June
24 [1977] that during the operation [to implant the heart of a female baboon
into the chest of a 25-year-old Italian woman] the whole surgical ward of
Groote Schuur shuddered again and again to the shrieks of the baboon lady, as
her chest was being cut open and heart excised without the slightest
anesthesia, because Barnard wanted to give to his patient a heart in perfect
working order, completely free of any chemicals..." (Slaughter of the Innocent, p.413) The young woman was dead a few
hours after the transplant took place. Pardon us if, after this report, and the
self-admitted large number of primates vivisected and thereby 'sacrificed' by
Christiaan Barnard, we do not applaud this late-life effort to redeem himself
in the eyes of the world.
In vivisection (which has led to so much false medicine and resulting human
suffering), it is particularly easy to see what is true of all 'Animal Rights'
: "Animal protection is, essentially, the same combat as human
protection," said Marguerite Yourcenar. Half-measures will get us
absolutely nowhere in spreading this message, nor will they serve us in
realizing the social changes that it imposes.
As Ayn Rand advised (not an Animal Rights leader, but one smart cookie
nonetheless) :
Judge-- and be prepared to be judged..
The Friends of Guenady Association
Nice, France
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~4~
Kerry's Record on Animal Welfare & Environmental Issues
From: AnimalAdvocacy@yahoogroups.com
(with thanks to Grace H. for researching this information)
...although Kerry is not the ideal candidate, I'd like to point out that he
actually has a pretty good record on environmental and animal protection votes.
Such as:
From Humane Scorecard (HSUS and Fund for Animals):
* Co-sponsored Bill S.736 --making Animal Fighting a felony
* Co-sponsored S.1298 --Bill re. humane euthanasia of downers, and banning
human consumption of them
* Voted for amendment to prevent consideration of drilling in ANWAR
* Voted for requiring DOD to protect endangered species (amendment to S.1050)
* Voted for increased funds to USDA to improve enforcement of federal animal
fighting law
---He received a score of 100% from HSUS//Fund for Animals for his votes on
animal protection legislation.
From League of Conservation Voters:
Kerry voted pro-environment on the following:
* Climate-Stewardship Act (S.139) - to reduce global warming
* Voted against Arctic drilling and against off-shore drilling
* Voted for Superfund Tax (to clean toxic sites) and a Renewable Fuel Liability
waiver
* Voted for Amendment to hold off on changes to new source review regulations
(allowing more pollution) to evaluate impact on environment, etc.
* Voted against giving addition subsidies to nuclear industry, and voted
pro-environment on damaging water development project at Devils Lake, ND, etc.
When you add all these up, I believe Kerry's approach could have a huge impact
on protecting habitats and wildlife, and on other animal issues. And when you
compare this to the assault by the current administration on every aspect of
the environment (air, water, wetlands, forests, parks, mining mountain tops,
etc.) on which animals, and humans, depend -- I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss
Kerry (in favor of Nader).
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~5~
American Candidate
Coming on Showtime in Summer 2004, American Candidate is a
ground-breaking reality television series in which the American people will
identify a People's Candidate that they would like to see run for President of
the United States.
AMERICAN CANDIDATE will attempt to identify one individual who has the
qualifications and qualities to be President of the United States. This summer,
AMERICAN CANDIDATE will debut with 12 contestants from all walks of life. Over
the course of 10 weeks, those 12 will face-off against each other in a series
of challenges designed to test their presidential mettle and to show viewers
what really goes on in the making of a presidential candidate. Week-by-week,
the original pool of candidates will be winnowed down. The final episode will
be a showdown between the remaining two candidates, and one person will emerge
victorious -- the "American Candidate." The winner gets $200,000 and
a nationwide media appearance after the show so the "American
Candidate" can make his or her address to the nation.
So guess who is campaigning to be on this show? What a great opportunity to get
animal advocacy to the mainstream public. Check out the following website:
Vote Bruce Friedrich
http://www.votebruce.org/
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~6~
Worldwatch Institute Breakthrough on Meat!
An area of RPA's work we have said little about involves
explaining to environmentalists, conservationists, and their organizations why
protecting ecosystems and the human environment requires responsible policies
for all animals, not just attention to endangered species as has been their
main concern. Some of RPA's work in this area to date:
-- Articles in The Sylvanian: Sierra Club
Pennsylvania Chapter Newsletter (Fall 2003) and Threshold: The Movement Magazine of the Student Environmental Action
Coalition (Spring 2004) about RPA's 10,000
Years Is Enough campaign to end university animal-agribusiness programs.
-- RPA Factsheet #3, Why
Environmentalists Should Support Responsible Policies for Animals' 10,000 Years Is Enough Campaign.
(See www.RPAforAll.org.)
-- Presentations, media interviews, and lletters-to-the-editor in which we've
explained benefits for people and ecosystems of the 10,000 Years Is Enough campaign and RPA's This Land Is Their Land campaign to protect wildlife.
A breakthrough involving a respected environmental organization has occurred in
recent days: The editors of the Worldwatch Institute's World-Watch magazine acknowledge in the July/August 2004 issue that
Earth's ecosystems cannot sustain today's meat industry much longer.
Animal organizations have explained ecological problems with the egg, milk, and
meat industries for many years. Richard Schwartz -- president of Jewish
Vegetarians of North America, on whose Board of Advisors I serve -- is quoted
in the World-Watch article, as are
world-renowned animal advocate Jane Goodall, Beyond Beef and Biosphere
Politics author Jeremy Rifkin, and others.
The World-Watch article is titled
"Now, It's Not Personal! But Like It or Not, Meat-Eating Is Becoming a
Problem for Everyone on the Planet." Please take a moment to send a
brief note thanking the editors for this important article:
Editors
World-Watch
Worldwatch Institute
1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
edayres@worldwatch.org
Consider mentioning (1) it is easy to change our food choices, and protecting
animals, ecosystems, and Earth's food-producing capacity is plenty of reason to
do so, and (2) their publicizing the meat problem is a crucial public service
and will enhance the Institute's reputation for objectivity. (Some
organizations fail to tell the whole truth for fear of criticism for explaining
the significance of scientific findings rather than only reporting the
findings.)
Of course, please pass this message along to others who may be interested.
Thanks and best wishes!
David Cantor
Executive Director
Responsible Policies for Animals, Inc.
P.O. Box 891
Glenside, PA 19038
215-886-RPA1
RPA4all@aol.com
www.RPAforAll.org
Responsible Policies for Animals, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit
organization showing influential people how to establish responsible policies
for animals that are also responsible policies for ecosystems and people. RPA's
10,000 Years Is Enough campaign aims
to end the teaching of factory farming and animal agribusiness at U.S.
universities. Its This Land Is Their
Land campaign aims to protect wildlife by ending direct abuses and human
land-use practices that harm wildlife, ecosystems, and people.
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~7~
When I Am Gone
Anonymous
When I am gone release me....
Let me go - to find out all that I can be.
You mustn't tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy that we had our precious years.
I gave you love. You can only guess
How much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you each have shown,
But now it's time I traveled on my own.
So grieve awhile for me, as grieve you must.
Then let your grief be comforted by trust,
It's only for awhile that we must part;
So bless the memories that lie within your heart.
If you need me, call and I'll be there.
Though you can't see or touch me, I'll be near.
And if you listen with your heart, you'll hear
All my love around you soft and clear
And then, when you must come
This way on your own...
I'll greet you with a smile
And say, "Welcome Home"!
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~8~
Memorable Quote
"But for the use of physical punishment by, and fear of their
oppressors, animals would never
be a part of a circus."
~Richard Pryor
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal
Rights Online=-
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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