USA & Earth: True Peace - A Holiday Thought

True Peace petition

By JC Corcoran (Contact)
To be delivered to: The South Dakota State House, The South Dakota State Senate, Governor Dennis Daugaard, The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama

Save lives, save on medical costs, and be kind to animals.

That's why I signed the petition.

Will you sign this petition??? Click here.

Thank you for the sake of yourself, the land, sea, & air, and all earthlings.

A Holiday Thought

Aren't humans amazing? They kill wildlife – birds, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice and foxes by the million in order to protect their domestic animals and their feed. Then they kill domestic animals by the billion and eat them. This in turn kills people by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative – and fatal – health conditions like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer. So then humans spend billions of dollars torturing and killing millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, few people recognize the absurdity of humans, who kill so easily and violently, and once a year send out cards praying for "Peace on Earth." ~Revised Preface to Old MacDonald's Factory Farm by C. David Coats~

Oceanside CA: Box turtle taped to balloons is rescued.

Perpetrator(s) could face animal abuse charges if apprehended

Photo from 10News.com - The box turtle was photographed shortly after the rescue

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: linda.furness1
Date: Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 10:10 AM
Subject: CA....turtle taped to balloons

Fire department called to help rescue turtle after it was taped to BALLOONS and sent flying over neighbourhood

Residents in Oceanside, California, were stunned to find the turtle dangling from nearly two dozen balloons after the reptile had become stuck in a eucalyptus tree.

Full Story:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2192018/Turtle-rescued-taped-balloons-sent-flying-neighbourhood.html

22 August 2012

www.dailymail.co.uk

Puerto Rico USA: Wall Street Journal reports re capture, kill, and export of IGUANAS

To me, it is heartless to kill the green iguanas (Iguana iguana or Iguana verdes) for any reason. They are now an "invasive species" (like humans) which is indeed problematic. The survival of other plants and animals that have become forage, habitat and prey for an invasive species is critical. But violent practices, just as with geese in NYC or starlings and goats in WA state, or pigs in HI, TX, or MI are unacceptable. Collecting iguana eggs before harvest is one example of good conservation practices. Fining people who release pet iguanas is another. Amateur hunters traipsing through neighborhoods and jungles to seek and capture iguanas are as invasive and damaging to native flora and fauna as are the lizards.

"Native to Central and South America, iguanas arrived in Puerto Rico in the 1970s as part of the pet trade, says Rafael Joglar, a biology professor at the University of Puerto Rico who has studied the animals. Over time, he says, some escaped and others were set loose, and they slowly began to multiply." (citation)

Green iguanas were introduced by "humankind" to Puerto Rico as part of the pet trade and they multiplied. Lots of children and adults release their pet iguanas after they tire of them, much like people release bunnies and puppies. They also escape using their own intelligence. I know of an iguana who escaped in Bellingham WA. Because of iguanas free roaming in Puerto Rico, some members of humankind are now calling them "The Green Plague."

Herpestes javanicus photo from WikiMedia commons

Habitat destruction and loose predators such as dogs and cats (and mongooses - specifically Herpestes javanicus - which are another species introduced by humans) endanger the Iguana verdes as well as other species in the Iguanidae family such as Iguana delicatissima. Hybridization with native iguanas is a problem. Moreover, the destructive pet trade is still going on. 

The Wall Street Journal article:

To Battle Iguanas, Puerto Rico Has New Plan: Put Them on Menu

RE: José Luis Monge, founder of Best Iguana Puerto Rico Meat: "In an industrial park east of San Juan, he is setting up a slaughterhouse he hopes will one day ship out 2,000 pounds of iguana meat a week."

From Amazon.com: "This beloved, bestselling guide has become a classic reference for anyone wishing to forge a spiritual connection with the majesty and mystery of the animal world." 
From this article at the blog Repeating Islands, one can find many sources of information about the green iguanas of Puerto Rico.

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Omak WA: 23rd Horse Dies in 'Suicide Race'

Photo credit: snjr22

From: Rita Fazio

To: "voicesforRahkim"

Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2012 2:36 PM

Subject: 23rd Horse Dies in 'Suicide Race'

HUMANS...the cruelest species on earth!

http://www.care2.com/causes/23rd-horse-dies-in-suicide-race.html

"Reflected in our dog's eyes is a world that is far better, always loving, free of judgment, 

and endlessly forgiving.

Through our love of them....we live there, too."

I have developed a deep respect for animals. I consider them fellow living creatures with certain rights that should not be violated any more than those of humans. ~Jimmy Stewart

Vietnam: Soldiers Arrested for Torturing, Killing Endangered Langurs

From: Meriem

photo of a langur: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39826/0 

Sent: Friday, August 03, 2012 8:48 PM

Subject: Vietnam: Soldiers Arrested for Torturing, Killing Endangered Langurs - UPDATE 08/01/2012

Update 08/01/2012: According to the news portal Viet Nam News, Quang has been "discharged from the army for causing the death of two endangered langurs" and his accomplices have "received disciplinary warnings". Although Vietnamese law states that an offender can be jailed for up to three years for killing an endangered species such as the grey-shanked douc langur, there was no mention of further punishment for Quang.

http://annamiticus.com/2012/07/26/vietnam-soldiers-arrested-for-torturing-killing-endangered-langurs/

Success!

6/26/12: Update: They cancelled the event. Calls and letter-writing worked!

 On Mon, Jun 25, 2012 at 7:33 AM, Change.org <mail@change.org> wrote:

Hey Liz,

NO DONKEYS AT VAN HORN FRONTIER DAYS!!!

Great news. You did it! You got it cancelled.

I just off the phone with a petition supporter who has been at Frontier Days in Van Horn both days. SHE HAS CONFIRMED THAT THE DONKEY ROPING EVENT WAS CANCELLED. THERE WERE NO DONKEYS THERE. She also let me know that Jason seems like a nice young man who truly did not see anything wrong with this event. He bought the donkeys from a holding area at/near El Paso Tx. She feels he truly thought he was saving the donkeys from slaughter and at the same time, being an entrepreneur, adding something to their Frontier Days.

SHE BELIEVES THE BEST THING NOW IS TO HELP EDUCATE JASON, THE CITY OF VAN HORN AND IT'S CITIZENS ON WHY DONKEYS ARE NOT SUITED PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY FOR ROPING. AND MORE SPECIFICALLY ON WAYS TO PROMOTE POSITIVE EVENTS FOR THE DONKEYS FOR 2013 LIKE CARTING AMONG MANY OTHERS. TO EMPHASIZE THE LONG HISTORY OF 'LONGEARS' IN THE SETTLEMENT OF WEST TEXAS.

LET US ALL THANK JASON OWEN AND CITY FOR CANCELLING.

What needs to ultimately happen is for the law to change. I am hoping to start a new petition to put pressure on the law makers and law enforcers to see specific legislation banning donkey roping of any kind, public as in the rodeos or in private. I will email all of you with that information and I hope you will be as vigilant with your support on that as you have been with this petition. After all we wouldn't need to single out all the specific towns or events if there was law.

We need to let the City of Van Horn and Jason know that they did the right thing by cancelling. Jason is a symptom of the problem rather than the cause. Cruelty for entertainment is a worldwide cultural phenomenon.

I have asked the petition supporter who went to Van Horn to write up her experience so I can share it with all of you.

In response to the many of you who have contacted me about finding out how much money Jason wants for the donkeys so a donation drive can be started, this is what I have learned. NOT ONLY IS IT THE POLICY OF PVDR BUT EVERY RESCUE I CONTACTED THAT THEY DO NOT ACCEPT FOR SURRENDER DONKEYS OR HORSES ETC THAT HAVE BEEN PURCHASED. THIS RESCUES ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE PEOPLE DOING SO EXPLOIT THOSE OF US WILLING TO PAY FOR THEM. That is why we need to find positive events for these donkeys to take part in.

Thank you all for signatures and support. More later. Di

-------------------------------------------

View the petition  |  View and reply to this message online

Unsubscribe from updates about this petition

**************************************************
6/13 POST: 

On June 23 & 24 the City of Van Horn and The Van Horn Texas Chamber of Commerce are hosting an event that features donkey roping. 

Donkey Roping is cruel! Please see more information about donkey roping and this event in this post by Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue a 501(c)3 with facilities nationwide 

Chris Hoar posted 6/12/12:
PLEASE CALL THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - TELL THEM HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM PROMOTING ANIMAL CRUELTY!
The Van Horn Texas Chamber of Commerce is hosting an event that features donkey Roping.
Donkey roping is an extremely cruel "sport" where the donkey is shocked with a cattle prod until he tries to run away. Once in motion two people on horseback run the donkey down, one throwing a rope around its neck, the other around its rear legs. Once roped the donkey is then stretched between the two horses. Broken bones and death are all too common during these events.

Please help by contacting the Van Horn Texas Chamber of Commerce and letting them know how you feel.

Call them at 432-283-2043
Email them patriciagolden@vanhorntexas.org

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Cosmetic?

Talk about an image problem. The people who have performed cosmetic tests on animals are insane, in my view. This week has been World Week for Animals in Laboratories. To read any scientific paper about how long it takes or how many milligrams it takes or how "significant" it is that rabbits or rats show hind limb paralysis or death after ingesting shampoo is mind-boggling.

When the "scientists" don't get the results they want, they re-do it or say that the data was mixed up or that they are inexplicable. For example, here is a paper from ~ten years ago and you can search for the word "rabbit" or "rat" to see the many instances and lengthy duration of insanity, torture or sadism or however you personally term it:

[PDF] Opinion of the SCCNFP on P81, zinc pyrithioneec.europa.eu/health/archive/ph_risk/committees/.../out225_en.pdf
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
SCCNFP has a specific working group on alternatives to animal testing which, in co- ....marketing history of zinc pyrithione containing cosmetic shampoos. ..... rabbits produced no adverse effects when ingestion was meticulously prevented. ..... ZPT administered orally to pregnant rabbits from Day 6 through Day 18 of ...

That these tests are still going on is incredible.

LUSH Cosmetics, The Humane Society of the United States and ...finance.yahoo.com/.../lush-cosmetics-humane-society-united-143000...
Apr 17, 2012 – "The beauty industry continues needless animal testing and it's time for it to stop," said ... "Consumers are largely unaware that some shampoos and lipsticks still involve chemical poisoning of animals such as rabbits and mice. ... A large proportion of the animals used in cosmetic testing are laboratory-bred ...

On YouTube I saw a documentary regarding the life of Henry Spira who led numerous media campaigns and steady protests outside the Museum of Natural History in NYC for TWO YEARS in the 70s relevant to the absurd and sadistic cat experiments the Museum staff had been doing for TWENTY YEARS. We haven't progressed far for FORTY YEARS on! I would recommend watching  

One Man's Way (~52 minutes) and draw your attention to the interview with Ed Koch, former Mayor of NYC, as he explains the cat experiments. They had no cosmetic or other purpose. Then, how much purpose does any cosmetic testing correctly serve? There is an excerpted version (~7 minutes) that also includes Ed Koch at Excerpts from the Activists-Portrait of Animal Rights Activist Henry Spira

For more info on World Week for Animals in Laboratories see:

In Defense of Animals World Week for Animals in Laboratories

And an April 17, 2012 article from a UK columnist:

Alistair Currie column in HUFF POST-UK

Image credit: Dutch Rabbit by http://animals.m-y-d-s.com/

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Rugs?!

There are still media offensives to support hunting of polar bears, touting so-called scientific studies and polar bear abundance---click HERE for an example. This is why protecting polar bears and fighting the inhumanity are all the more imperative. 

From Center for Biological Diversity - Click for LINK

Polar bears are in big trouble from accelerating Arctic warming and a vanishing sea-ice habitat. This year's skyrocketing fur prices and trophy hunting are also taking a devastating toll. Polar bear sport-hunting and the trophy trade are prohibited in the United States, but the international trade in polar bear parts is alive and well.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now deciding whether it will move to protect polar bears under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. At the last round of CITES negotiations, the Service led the charge to ban all commercial trade in polar bear parts -- a move Canada blocked. The agency is now "undecided" on its position for the upcoming CITES meeting.
Canada still kills around 500 bears annually and leads the world in exporting rugs and hunting trophies. As polar bear numbers plummet under pressure from climate change, the Canadian territory of Nunavut quadrupled its hunting quota this season.
Tell the Service to take a stand against this excessive killing, stop the international trade in their parts and lead the world in polar bear protection.
Take action by using this Web address:

http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10286

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USCG

I believe none of our government representatives and military should condone any of its members demonstrating and setting examples of evil, to eachother, to their children, or to their country or their enemies. 

Link to Huffington Post article (excerpt: "U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, a California Democrat, has introduced legislation that would phase out such use of animals by the military. He said he's faced fierce opposition from the Department of Defense."


The cruel acts described below were committed in Virginia Beach VA.

From: peta2 <do-not-reply@peta.org>

Date: Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Subject: Goats Have Their Legs Cut Off With Tree Trimmers, Are SHOT IN THE FACE

	Today, PETA blew the lid off highly secretive U.S. military training exercises in which more than 10,000 live animals are violently mutilated each year. As a result of a brave whistleblower, PETA has obtained sickening undercover video footage of a crude training course for members of the U.S. Coast Guard. Click here to watch the video now. In the shocking leaked video, course instructors repeatedly break and cut off the limbs of live goats with tree trimmers, stab the animals with scalpels, cut holes in them and pull out their organs. Some of the goats moaned and kicked their legs during the mutilations. Later in the day, according to the whistleblower, the goats were shot in the face with pistols and were hacked apart with an ax while still alive. TAKE ACTION NOW TO END THIS CRUEL TRAINING! Thanks for all that you are doing to help animals! Sincerely,  Rachel Owen  Assistant Manager of Youth Campaigns  peta2  RachelO@peta2.com  Add peta2 on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

This e-mail was sent by PETA, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510 USA.

Iditarod

Unbelievable rudeness here. 99 dogs chained. Lance Mackey is a careless and reckless guy who will never stop trying to prove stuff. His body is wracked with problems yet he continues to race in the Iditarod putting his sled dogs at much greater risk than they are already by racing in such a cruel race.

Excerpt from the ESPN article below which, as is strangely not uncommon among the media, glorifies Iditarod and Lance Mackey:

He'd developed his own strategy, running his dogs a little slower at the start, about 12 mph versus the sprinters' speed of 15, establishing a cruising speed of 10 mph through the middle of the race and finishing at 8 mph instead of the usual 6. Lance even identified the perfect body type for his dogs: They need long legs and a thick coat; must have an appetite for fatty lamb and beaver, the food that Lance thinks helps dogs perform best; and must be able to run for 12 hours on two to five hours of sleep. Lance also prefers dogs that run with their tails down, because, Tonya explains, "he doesn't like to stare at their asses for 1,000 miles."

----- Original Message -----

From: SledDogAC@aol.com

Sent: Friday, March 02, 2012 8:23 PM

Subject: Photo: Iditarod winner Lance Mackey's dog yard

Scroll down to see the dog in the foreground. His chain appears to be about four feet long.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5655581


Dan Winters for ESPN The Magazine
Lance and Tonya run the Comeback Kennel out of their backyard, where he's built houses for each of his 99 racing dogs. (According to Sports Illustrated (March 7, 2011), Mackey has 120 dogs.) Mackey is a four-time Iditarod race winner.

Eagles

A bald eagle (CBS News)  

USA: no respect or compassion for eagles!
Feds say Arapaho can kill bald eagles. Click for 3/13/12 article http://bit.ly/y0TL7b via @CBSNews

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Britain

Even with surveillance cameras, they would need to be a real system, not a dummy system, and they would need to be turned on, and somebody with authority who cares would have to review the footage.

Click for Feb 1, 2012 Public Service Europe news story suggesting need for closed circuit television monitoring in British slaughterhouses:

Abattoir abuse shows need for CCTV monitoring - Public Service Europe

'Footage showing "systematic brutality" in British abattoirs shows the current system is not protecting animals – and more stringent monitoring is needed, argues Green MEP'

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Tuna

From: webmaster@greenpeaceusa.org

Sent: 11/3/2011 4:08:38 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time

Subj: Chicken of the Sea's Recipe for Disaster

	Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser
Watch our latest video exposing the tuna industry's destructive fishing practices. Take a random floating object, attach a radio beacon to it, and drop it in the ocean. Let it soak for a few weeks, then come back with a giant net and scoop up everything in sight. That's how Chicken of the Sea catches tuna -- a deadly combination of fish aggregating devices (FADs) and massive seine nets. This indiscriminate practice is causing tremendous harm to our oceans, including the needless deaths of tens of thousands of sharks, rays, and baby tuna every year. We launched our campaign to get Chicken of the Sea to clean up their act back in August with a video by Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Mark Fiore. That video received such a strong response from the company and the rest of the tuna industry that we decided to make another. This time, we're taking a closer look at their destructive practices, and offering indisputable evidence of their activities: actual footage of FAD-driven carnage on the high seas. Help us keep the pressure on and check it out. Our goal is to hit 25,000 views in the first 48 hours. Simply click on the image below to watch the video and be sure to share it on Facebook and Twitter after you've watched it... Chicken of the Sea and the entire tuna industry is scared. They're scared that the public is going to find out the truth about what they are doing. So they've spent the last couple of months and untold amounts of money hiring expensive PR firms to attack Greenpeace, hoping that this will distract the public and confuse the issue. But each and every person who watches this video and becomes aware of our campaign makes it a little bit harder for them to hide the truth. Take a moment and watch it yourself and then pass it along on Facebook and Twitter. For the oceans, Casson Trenor Greenpeace Senior Markets Campaigner P.S. One of the fastest and easiest ways to get people to watch the video is to forward this email to the people in your email address book.
Click here to forward this message.
Greenpeace 702 H Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001 | 1-800-722-6995

Banned!

Foie Gras has been banned in California. Photo credit: ida.convio.net

Hooray for California! 

----- Original Message -----

From: WietseHaak

Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 2:47 PM

Subject: California Bans Foie Gras Ending Torture of Ducks And Geese | Global Animal

Good news in California.

http://www.globalanimal.org/2011/11/01/geese-can-live-freely-in-ca/56697/

###
See also: Foie Gras: Delicacy of Despair

China

Click to view Squidoo lens by "Frankster" about how and why to boycott China for crimes against animals:

Boycott China For Crimes Against Animals

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