Annals of animal subjugation—

Those who eat the meat of other [living beings] in order to satisfy their own flesh, they are definitely murderers [themselves], since without a consumer [there can be] no killer. — Acharya Hemacandra (12th c. Jain ascetic/scholar

Human dominion over non-human animals has been and remains the most savage, extensive and horrendous form of tyranny found in all of human history. For animals everywhere, especially those we choose to regard as born to be killed for food, entertainment and other “tradition-sanctified” ends,  every day is a day spent in a Treblinka.  This is hardly hyperbole. Even a brief trip to a slaughterhouse will open the eyes of the most indifferent witness. All of that institutionalized horror is hidden behind an elaborate edifice of lies and euphemisms. And defending the status quo we always find in the very forefront the hirelings of the corporate system: politicians at all levels, the mainstream media, and the p.r. prostitutes and lobbyists paid to confuse the issues and facilitate a continuation of business as usual. Rep. Annette Sweeney certainly seems to fit this description, something almost to be expected in an agribusiness dominated state such as Iowa.—P. Greanville

BY RUTH EISENBUD

The following was sent to Rep. Annette Sweeney, Republican representative in the IOWA state Legislature, regarding her effort to pass a law that would call for prison and a fine for anyone working undercover at a slaughter house to document excessive violence, abuse and torture. Sadly I just heard from a colleague, that the bill was passed by the Iowa house of representatives. It would still be helpful to write to Annette Sweeney and let her know that her cruelty is not appreciated.  Her email address is: annette.sweeney@legis.state.ia.us

At the foot of the article, we furnish our audience with the addresses of all the state reps that might have influence in modifying this disgraceful decision. Above all, spread the word via local and national media, and write any and all persons you deem capable of helping with this issue.

•••••••
Dear Representative Sweeney,

I am sending this to you well aware that you will not agree with or appreciate the point of view that animals are as worthy of the intrinsic right to their lives as humans. However, the following must be said, whether you have the compassion to understand it or not:

The underlying rational that allows for this carnage to exist and thrive is the biblical doctrine that man ranks higher in an arbitrary self-serving hierarchy: god/man/animal created to excuse violence to animals as justifiable and even righteous:

In other words: He who is of necessity cruel to animals can be regarded as a righteous individual.

So while you may justify her heartless position on biblical rhetoric, those with a more profound understanding of compassion, will view this position for what it is: the exercise of greed and power over the harmless and weak.

Who are the criminals?
Dominion with its mandate that man has the god-given right to harm and slaughter animals is cruel in and of itself. To further compound it with the abuses of mechanized factory farming and then attempt to cover up the horrific violence inflicted on harmless animals by criminalizing those who expose the evil begs the question: Who are the Criminals? Your attempt to criminalize compassion and assure that not even the tiniest measures of cruelty are spared the innocent victims has reduced violence and deceit to a new low. The decision to prosecute those who still have a conscience reveals the full depth of the failure of the Judeo/Christian tradition to extend compassion to animals. The following has provided you with a license to violate the sanctity of life for ALL beings and you have taken full advantage of these words to insure the most sadistic outcome.

Words that lead to violence
So, who then are the criminals: those who terrorize, abuse and slaughter harmless creatures, then seek to hide these dirty deeds or those who seek to protect the victims? You would do well to heed the words of a more compassionate view, which understands that all suffering inflicted on sentient beings is a sin, not a god-given right and privilege:

Reverend Andrew Linzey, Oxford University

The information in this letter is being sent to additional media, so that all are made aware of your complicity in the situation in Iowa:  The legislator in charge of protecting the perpetrators and subjecting those with the compassion and courage to expose the mechanized barbarism embodied by agribusiness is Representative Annette Sweeney. Please contact her and let her know that any attempt to criminalize compassion is unacceptable: annette.sweeney@legis.state.ia.us

Respectfully,
Ruth Eisenbud

___________________________

To: annette.sweeney@legis.state.ia.us
Subject: IOWA: Covering up the Dirty Deeds of Dominion
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2011 08:36:13 -0400

Is SeaWorld safe for killer whale trainers?

February 24, 2011 [print_link]

(CBS News) One year after the horrific death of a SeaWorld trainer, the popular Orlando, Fla. theme park is getting set to launch a new killer whale show with revamped safety measures.

Brancheau, a 40-year-old trainer, was attacked and drowned by a 12-ton killer whale named Tillikum. Tillikum is still at SeaWorld, but is kept at a safe distance from the public and the trainers.

No date has been set for in-water training, but critics the safety precautions still ignore the heart of the problem.

In April, Johnson said, SeaWorld plans to fight a number of safety violations that could keep killer whale trainers out of the water for good.

Co-anchor Chris Wragge noted Ventre is a key witness in government hearings about SeaWorld. What does he plan to say about the industry?

Freedom Trails Take Their Toll in Animal and Human Suffering

Patrice Greanville

It Needn’t Be That Way

Red fox: multiple roadkill. (click to expand)

THIS ARTICLE IS REPOSTED DUE TO READER REQUEST

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]T TYPICAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS,it may be no more than a sudden, blurry impression of red, quickly and thankfully left behind in mind and space–a hump on the road, a badly mangled small body you and other drivers strive to avoid–but the jarring occurrence is almost inevitable these days. It’s the sight of an animal killed on the road. The American highway devours animals’ lives at an astonishing rate–twelve victims a second, up to a million animals a day, perhaps more than 300 million casualties a year. Nobody knows the actual precise figure, but most observers agree it is huge.*

Roadkill figures are very high in the US, but the carnage is global. As the accompanying images illustrate, from North America to Australia, Paraguay, Singapore, India, Africa, Thailand, China and Europe, no country or continent is safe for wildlife in the proximity of roads. 

Yet the problem is not only a question of speed limits and irrepressible highway and urban proliferation. Its roots go much deeper, to the cultural and economic origins of the Great American Highway, and our unbroken romance with the private automobile.

The road murders a lot of possums; it’s one of the most victimized species. (click to expand)

For a nation in love with the idea of privacy the automobile was the logical choice, and it seemed an affordable choice, too, at a time when oil was thought inexhaustible and gas-engine pollution was no more than a gleam in the doomsayer’s eye. The final push toward highway proliferation came in the wake of World War 2, when the massive exodus of the new, affluent middle class to suburbs without adequate public transportation triggered an aggressive program of road construction all over the United States. The ambitious highway construction program received an added boost from the Eisenhower administration as it made preparations for rapid deployment of war materials and military units across the US. In the 1950s, no one could foresee the actual consequences of such actions.

A squirrel surprised by one of the million of vehicles imparting impersonal death. (click to expand).

These developments pleased (but scarcely surprised) the auto industry. Hardly a disinterested observer, the industry, led by General Motors, had long pressed the American government to dismantle most forms of public transportation. The switch eventually doomed numerous rail and bus systems across the nation; by the late ’40s the car and its inseparable sidekick, the highway, had won. From that point on, the yearly advance of the asphalt ribbons became a fact of life in the young, car-addicted republic.

The problem of the omnipresent highway is as much a political as a technical one. Without relaxing the mesmerizing influence that runaway individualism and the powerful auto lobby exert on national policy, without an energetic campaign of public education, the chances for real gains are remote or nonexistent.

Spotted hyena. Death respects no animal that gets near the road. (click to expand)

Consider what may have to be done:

Yet another victim. (click to expand)