Life, football, and fines.

I must applaud the NFL today. 5 Players from the Atlanta Falcons were slapped with fines over a game last monday for coming out in support of Michael Vick. I cannot understand the motivation of these guys. I mean besides the fact that they are supporting someone who himself as admitted he was wrong, but the shear cruelty of the event should make it obvious.

They are supporting pain and suffering.

The NFL, like most of mass media, has such a sway over the populous, and they took a strong stance on this issue in my opinion. I am glad that they continue to not back down, even if they are using a "uniform violation" as the reasoning behind it.

Now they just need to switch to synthetic balls.

My message to those 5 players...
...you want to support Vick? Never let him forget the pain and suffering he caused to the dogs. Don't let this kind of abuse happen again. Fight animal cruelty.

Tis the season

Hunting season is back again... I hate this time of year. I have so many de mi familia into hunting. A lot of times I just hold my tongue, but it isn't really the best approach. I don't like to be preachy, I've been on the opposite side of that before and I sure as hell didn't like it, but you can't let your beliefs go to the wayside either. I'm finding the best thing to do is to just be honest. Most people in my life understand my viewpoints, yet seem to want to constantly test them. That gets tiresome after awhile for sure, but at the same time, if the everyday vegan doesn't step up and defend the ideals, who will? I know not all vegans are about animal rights and all, but it does seem that most at least sympathize. I'm sitting staring at a handful of crossbow bolts for the new crossbow my father gave me today. I like weapons and stuff, but a small part of me is now able to look at them and think, "one less hunt". My family owns countryside property and I'm thinking about going out soon to do some target shootings. From the very first moment it crossed my mind, my first thought was how I might disrupt the hunters that day. Maybe for one day the deer will get a reprieve.

Hunting at on time was a nessicary for life, or so they say. I understand that. No problem, but I still wonder why is it nessicary now? Population control is always the biggest argument, hell I've argued that before I became veg. Now I think maybe it would be better for us to learn to live with the environment instead of ruling it. Funny how life circles and revolves isn't it. Realistically, hunting is an archaic way of the past. Most people that hunt only want to get their picture in the paper for the biggest rack or largest buck. Yea, they say the will eat the meat, and use all they can, but it seems to me the only thing most hunters are interested in is the "glory". The deep down ugly little sadistic streak that only comes from the kill. That feeling of dominance over the wild. Man vs Beast. Whatever you want to call it. If you really want to hunt, sell your possessions, move to the wilderness and live off the land. Respect nature. At least then you are part of the natural cycle of life. If not, stick to the supermarket for your next hunt, at you better pick free range.

Lumen Christi High School

I just wanted to post this alert. Lumen Christi in Jackson, MI is hosting a Donkey Basketball event this Sunday. These events can and have been dangerous to both animal and person alike. Please help put a stop to this and urge Lumen Christi that there are many other animal friendly ways to raise funds.




Contact Lumen Christi Here

For more information check out PETA's site on Donkey Basketball

Ahhh Denny's... PLEASE OPEN YOUR EYES

The other day,
I participated in a letter writing campaign launched by PETA against Denny's choice to continue supporting Ringling Bros. Circus. PETA is trying to bring attention to the Ringling's concept of animal welfare. Caging animals for long hours, forcing them to perform tricks, taking them out of there natural environment and claiming it's better, and of course use of hooks.
Here is my letter...

Mr. Nelson J. Marchioli, c/o Ms. Cudd


Dear Mr. Marchioli, c/o Ms. Cudd,

Dear Mr. Marchioli,

I can only assume that you were unaware of Ringling's history of
animal abuse when you agreed to promote the circus at your
restaurants. Please consider a few of Ringling's USDA citations
from last year, which include causing trauma, behavioral stress,
physical harm, and unnecessary discomfort to two elephants;
failure to provide veterinary care to a lame elephant, an
elephant with a swollen leg, and a camel with bleeding wounds;
improper handling of dangerous animals; and failure to maintain
the zebra enclosure. Given this information, please discontinue
your promotion of Ringling.

Sincerely,

Sean Lewis


Sincerely,
Sean Lewis


Pretty much the run of the mill letter template that PETA utilizes right... nothing fancy.
Here the the response...

Denny’s Statement

Before agreeing to partner with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, we spoke with representatives from Ringling Bros. and thoroughly reviewed information about their animal care policies and practices.

We learned that in all aspects of animal care and safety, Ringling Bros. meets or exceeds all federal animal welfare standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Animal Welfare Act.

Based on our review of the information we received, we are confident that Ringling Bros. provides the highest standards of care for their animals. Please visit www.elephantcenter.com if you would like more information on Ringling Brothers animal care

I find myself curious right off the bat about who they actually spoke with and what particular information they actually received. So I did some homework, on the USDA, PETA, Ringling's past track record, the elephant center, and more.
Interesting, the USDA regulations are vague to say the least in the areas the concern most of the animals that Ringling would have. The basically have to make sure the animal is in good health and not a threat to itself and others. Sounds good, but that opens the door to the question of where the the animals wellbeing in the corporate sense. They could be caged for long periods of time as long as they are feed, watered, and occasionally allowed to stretch there appendages. I'd imagine that would only have to the bare minimum they could get away with. Even to a "layman" these animals, between transport and destination, sound as if they would be caged most of their existence. As long as they get an hour (up to 4 by PETA's count) or so a day to move around, by USDA standards that is acceptable.
The USDA is vague, it's a sad but true reality. Some of which I'd suspect comes from the big cattle industry who wanted to make sure they don't get limited on their existing practices. Some from the way humans look at animals a property and commodity.

Ringling themselves come off as full of it.
They have been accused of a long list of violations, while using double talk to deny it. Beatings, prolonged chaining, caging, and transportation. Animals packed into train cars to a point they can't even lay down?
They are accused of poor training methods, even the lack thereof. Covering up wounds from the public. Beatings so severe that have lasted 30 minutes. Trainers being to to make sure all disciplinary measures are away from the public eye. The list goes on and on. The kicker is the the claims Ringling makes about they adhering to the standards and procedures. In most cases, these are standards and guidelines they are either circumventing when they can, like having inside info on USDA inspections before they happen, or are guides they themselves have created to better suit their needs, such as the Elephant Husbandry Resource Guide. I'm sorry, but it very much sounds like Ringling is pulling the wool over the eyes of the county on this. With all the existing guidelines and regulations that exist both federally and internationally, why would anyone need to create more? We just need to improve the ones we have. Of course the real answer to this is the obvious one...

...now the Elephant Center, on paper sounded like a nice place. An elephant retirement destination spot. Of course there is the TB outbreaks, the removal of young from the mother, the accusation that the animals are only allowed access to a small percentage of the facility, and the idea of artificial insemination for creating circus use animals.
A lot of interesting research study going on there concerning TB as well as Herpes. I'm curious of the TB broke out there or on the road, and how the hell does Herpes happen like that? These animals are no better off then the ones on the road. They have been accused of even chaining the elephants even there and that makes no sense, but considering the breeding grounds aspect this place just gives off, I'm not surprised in this either. One big factory farm of performing animals.

When I started this post today, I knew very little about the history and allegations that have been around for a long time. Granted I am slanted on the side of PETA, I knew enough to know that I didn't agree with whole idea of circuses, I knew about some of the isolated instances of abuse and mistreatment, but when I decided to do more then just scratch the surface I started to better grasp the big picture of whats really going on. Ringling, very much wants to claim they are the standard for how to handle and care for animals. They are a good example of what an "American Institution" can and will do when it abuses it's power, and the system designed to prevent that very act.
This is the Denny's does not see.
Maybe they don't want to as long as it's profitable.

In the end, we all suffer from this, but not like the animals.

Gojira - Destroyer of Tokyo or Endangered Species?

It dawned on me...

...as I was enjoying the destruction of tokyo at its finest, isn't godzilla the last of his kind?
The original Gojira (1954) is a movie that sent many different messages of the times. The horror of nuclear weapons and the repercussions that can bring, even the concerns of impacting the global community, but it also brings up a question of protecting an endangered species.
Okay, here's the sit-rep...
...Gojira, a 2,000,000 year old dinosaur from between the Jurassic and the Cretaceous, is bombarded by radiation and removed from his natural habitat. This totally pisses him off. Boats get destroyed, islands get rampaged, and eventually Gojira takes a stroll through downtown Tokyo knocking over every building and tower in his path. He leaves a wake of destruction as fas as the eye can see. Tokyo is never the same again. He continues his rampage until he's finally brought down by an experimental oxygen based weapon that is supposed to basically removed his flesh from his bones. In the end, humanity prevails and Gojira is destroyed.

But does humanity truly prevail?

The local Professor of Paleontology, Professor Tanabe (Fuyuki Murakami) is intent on studying this creature at first, but has to come to grips with the realization that this mutated Tyrannosaurus is going to destroy ALL of Japan if left unchecked.

But he does have a valid point doesn't he?

First, Gojira is a creature thought to have been extinct for millions of years, kinda like the Coelacanth.
Second, Gojira is the last of his species, kinda reminiscent of the current status of the Yangtze River Dolphin.
Any other animal in the kind of danger status would immediately have doctors and scientists and protesters and activists all up and down it's newly declared habitat in a effort to protect the creature from extinction. Gojira would be the next best thing since the spotted owl. Never mind the fact that he's a 50 meter monster that would probably eat everyone in sight, or at least melt their faces off with his radioactive breath.

It's an interesting thought.

The funny thing is, and my point thats finally starting to emerge, is that it's true, he should be protected. (King Kong too!) Who cares that the occasional fishing boat gets sunken, happens all the time. So what if island villagers get squashed and there homes get demolished in a 2,000,000 year old stampede, don't you think he deserves to be angry after being uprooted and having his habitat destroyed? As for the occasional Japanese resident getting eaten or melted, that all comes down to survival of the fittest don't you think? (You could argue that attacking Gojira with "chemical weapons" is survival too, I'll allow it)
But just because Gojira and so many of the other denzians of the Monster Island are big and ugly and dangerous "monsters" they don't have rights to exist? They aren't allowed to continue to exist simply because the pose a risk to society at large.

Kinda like every time they kill an animal that has attacked a human. Regardless of it's protected status. If the animal is deemed a manhunter, it is hunted and killed, end of story. It's sad to think that just because an animal acts on the instinct it was born with that it must pay the ultimate price for doing nothing more then being itself. Acting as nature intended.
I feel bad just as much as the next person when you hear about the latest shark attack, or bear mauling, but in almost every case these are individuals that have encroached upon the environment of another animal that in all due respect is rightfully there in the first place. When it's not humanity in the wrong place at the wrong time, it's humanity removing the animal from it's natural habitat and placing it into zoos and carnivals and circuses.
Places animals shouldn't be at in the first place. But in all cases, it's the animal that pays the final price. Not just the particular animal, but the species in a whole. Sharks are a great example. Most people I know aren't big on the idea of swimming in an ocean that may be considered a big bowl of soup to some giant fish. Many people are like that (maybe it's a northern thing I don't know) The media paints a picture of sharks as killers, but in reality most sharks are scarred of humans, or mistake them for something else. Yes, there are shark attacks that are more then a simple bite and release, but humans are generally not on the menu for sharks and species gets vilified. The animal gets hunted down and killed. Probably killing many other animals in the process. The shark is doing his own thing in his own environment and pays for it.
We do the same thing with animals humans bring into their own environment. Have you ever heard a story about a circus or zoo animal being hunted or killed after it escaped? I have. Tyke, a circus elephant Hawaii escaped after killing his trainer and rampaged through downtown Kakaako until police put over 80 shots into her eventually bringing her down. (hmmmm...too bad she didn't have nuclear breath)
It's sad, this animal would have probably gone on to cause more death and injury if they hadn't killed her, but at the same time this should have never happened and wouldn't of if we would learn our role in the environment and that we can co-exist peacefully as long as we understand the rules.

All in all, Godzilla sadly is a victim of circumstance. Humanity and it's misuse of the powers it harnesses displaced poor Godzilla and really pissed the big guy off. Is he to blame?
No. I don't think so.
But ultimately he was faced with humanities him or us decision, and thanks to humanity once again playing around with nature, another endangered species bites the dust...

...and every time that happens, its the world that pays the price.

Wait. Hear that? Is that truth ringing?

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Listening to: Henry Rollins - Airport Hell
via FoxyTunes

The dog days of summer...

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Listening to: Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen
via FoxyTunes Michael Vick...

A case many of us who believe in animal rights have been following since the beginning.
It's sad, it's horrible, it's tragic, and yet, it happens all too often. There are people out there that don't see the wrong in what has gone on here. People out there that actually consider this cruelty a sport and don't have any problem with it. It's just a natural part of life. If that's the case, why don't we hunt each other for sport, or better yet, for food! That's a natural part of life for some cultures.
The words Atrocity and Genocide comes to mind.
NAMBLA and many white supremest groups argue their way is just natural way of life too.
I'm sure the government in Myanmar thinks the protests are disrupting the natural way of life in Burma.
In reality there are a thousand different people with a thousand different thoughts, ideas, opinions, and interpretations of life. All making choices and decisions. Some do not stop to see that some choices we make may end up hurting the world around us. Others do not care.
Even me being an outspoken vegan is honestly another opinion, thought, or idea being shared.
Animals are living, breathing, and loving creatures. They feel joy and comfort and pain and suffering. Humanity seems so bent on the lord and master of all we survey, that all life on this planet is theirs to do with as they please. Choosing to play the master role oblivious or apathetic to the impact that everyone has on the environment. The role we share with nature, and the damage that can be done to not only to the beautiful creatures and plants that co-exist here, but the mechanisms itself of the planet that allows us life. At least the millions of us out there that do stand up to defend these ideas, thoughts, and opinions are here.

Which leads me to why I wanted to post in the first place...

Like Is said, I've been following this case since the beginning, have even been politically active, and this is the first bright spot I've seen since the indictment. In most cases, when an animal is deemed too dangerous to society it is euthanized. (Never mind the fact that a: the animal is doing as its been trained, or b: merely acting on instinct.) In this case however, these dogs may actually have a good chance at finding loving homes. After behavioral tests conducted in part by the ASPCA, only 1 of the 49 dogs seized will unfortunately have to be put down. In fact, many of these dogs have been suggested as having potential future in law enforcement, and with the publicity that has surrounded this case, they should have no problems finding good homes with caring and loving people. Nothing is finalized quite yet as things still will need to be approved by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, but from the sound of things, hopefully everything will go well for them. They surely deserve a chance at a full and happy life with companions who will care them.

I wish the best to these dogs and the people that may give them a place to call home.



Mmmmm.... Larro burgers. (LOL, had to do it)


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Listening to: Solitude Aeturnus - Scent of Death
via FoxyTunes

I am the vegan that quacks in the night...

No.

I am not evil.
Nor do I attend any late night circles of black cloaked vegans chanting "Praise Seitan".

(that would be kinda cool though)

We are a select group of people who dress in costumes and patrol the streets at night to make...
...wait that's not right.

Actually I am a vegan and counter-culture goth/punker into the darker side of existence. I care about the world around me and think on a global sense, and beyond. I love melodic death-metal, and good old fashioned punk rawk.

I've been vegetarian for several years now and vegan for about half that same time. Being vegan is a political & a lifestyle choice. It's one I've made because of all the horrible things that the human species sometimes does to both plant and animal life. The way humanity treats this planet honestly scares me sometimes and I really wish as a whole, people would wake up and realize that everyone is a part of the ecosystem and even a single person can make
(or cause) an impact on this planet.
Everyday this happens...
...one vegan at a time.

With that said.

Expect more vegan issues and news, music reviews of both vegetarian and vegan friendly bands, animal rights issues, and strong doses of opinion laced with bias.
Enjoy.