by 9 people |
Avoid cruelty to animals.
There are many ways humans are cruel to animals, and most of them are completely unnecessary. In this lens I will keep you posted on the latest on what you can do.
Book Reviews and more
I have recently had my stomach and life turned by a few books about the meat processing system, and was eager to find more information. Those books were "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair (See review), "Don't Eat This Book" by Morgan Spurlock, and "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser. At first I thought it would only be fast food that I'd be turned away from. But then I realized the meat packing plants don't care if they are slaughtering for home use or fast food use, all the same abuses happen.
This was just the beginning of my journey through animal rights. In this lens you will see how my journey was made possible.
This was just the beginning of my journey through animal rights. In this lens you will see how my journey was made possible.
Show your pride
Cruelty free clothes can express how you feel
Links to campaigns
Here are some simple e-mails you can send to help stop animal cruelty
These links will take you to a campaign in progress and all you will have to do is fill out your email address and send the pre-written message out.
- Take Action: Tell University of Illinois to Stop Cruel Dog Lab!
- A New York Times guest journalist recently toured an animal laboratory run by George Fahey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and found dogs who "had been mutilated for the sake of science." Each of the dogs had undergone a bizarre surgery in which plastic tubing was run from the dog's intestines to a spout outside the dog's body in order to measure metabolism and nutrient absorption. This mutilation is as outdated as it is cruel. TNO Nutrition and Food Research has developed a sophisticated gastrointestinal computer-controlled dog model called FIDO that could replace the dogs in Fahey's laboratory today.
- Take Action: Dozens of Allegedly Neglected Dogs in Meigs County, Tennessee, Need Your Voice!
- PETA has received allegations of serious neglect of numerous dogs at 1627A Sam Davis Rd. in Decatur, Tennessee.
Information provided to our office indicates that at least 20 dogs are locked inside a trailer that may or may not have adequate ventilation. As if that weren't bad enough, the dogs are said to be languishing in their own waste without access to water. An unknown number of dogs in outdoor pens are said to consistently lack water. Given the extreme heat in the region, we fear for the safety, health, and well-being of these dogs. - Take Action: 'Bambi Butchers' Horror
- On August 26, 2007, a PETA investigator filmed the slaughter of deer at Musicon, Inc., a deer farm and venison sales company in Goshen, New York.
Deer are high-strung, extremely nervous herd animals, so any handling-especially by humans in a loud, strange indoor environment-is frightening to them. Our investigator documented that a worker at Musicon was kneeling on frightened deer's backs in order to restrain the animals and then yanking their heads back by their ears and antlers to expose their throats-which were then slit while the deer were still conscious. Some deer also had a restraint door slammed on their heads as they were bleeding to death. The animals remained conscious for up to a minute and a half after their throats were cut, and in one instance, a deer was yanked from the restraint pen by the bleeding hole in her neck while still conscious.
Free the Animals: The Untold Story of the U.S. Animal Liberation Front and its founder, "Valerie" by Ingrid Newkirk
Book Review
How can a law abiding police officer become one of the most wanted Animal liberationists, sought by the FBI, Scotland Yard and many state police? This book tells the story of how the Animal Liberation Front (ALF)'s founder, "Valerie." Moved from a life fighting crime to a highly sought after fugitive.After a police raid on a warehouse where experiments are perfomed on monkeys, "Valerie" sees the injustice in the treatment of experimental animals. The conditions of the facilities and the treatment of the animals as tools and not living creatures forces "Valerie" to seek out the ALF in Europe and begin training in what could almost follow the training of freedom fighters or even military covert operations.
Given the fake name of "Valerie" to protect her identity, we follow her through the training and into forming the U.S. ALF. This book takes the reader on several missions in which cruelly treated, dogs, kittens, monkeys, chimpanzees and more are liberated. At many times it reads as a spy novel when having to break into universities and other facilities performing many cruel experiments.
Not only do you get the thrill of a spy novel but the book also dishes out a heavy dose of realism in the unwarranted animal experimentation business. No matter what your view of animal experimentation I highly recommend you read this book. There are 2 things you can get out of it.
1. A great adventure story comparable to any war story or spy novel.
2. An insight to how animal experimentation does nothing to further the cause of science.
This book made a believer out of me.
Take the Pledge Against Animal Testing
How to re-evaluate the world and your position in it. part 1
"Animal Liberation" by Peter Singer
Peter Singer takes us on a journey of the mind, ethics and morality. The book is broken down into 6 chapters, each independent of each other yet building on one another, so I will break this review down to a chapter by chapter review/summary.Chapter 1. All Animals are equal...or why the ethical principle on which human equality rests requires us to extend equal consideration to animals too.
In this chapter the author presents the idea of "speciesism." This is along the lines of racism, sexism, etc. This argument is presented with simple, straightforward facts and ideas with no emotion tied to them. In fact throughout the book the author does not attempt to influence the readers way of thinking only to spur (pun intended) the thinking process. On the idea of human equality, The principle of equality is not a description of an alleged actual equality among humans: it is a prescription of how we SHOULD treat human beings. This equality should and could be carried over to "non-human" animals. Why should animals be forced to live in conditions we would not allow the lowliest of humans live in? Why should we as humans claim the right to slaughter and eat animals. Why should we as humans think that animals are there for us to pour chemicals on just to see how they react, or "condition" through painful electric shock? The author answers these questions, by saying simply. We shouldn't.
You can be just as active online.
These links should get you started.
KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) Does Chickens Wrong
Explains how KFC has menu of cruelty and recipe of more...0 points
Cruelty to Animals: Mechanized Madness
The green pastures and idyllic barnyard scenes of more...0 points
How to re-evaluate the world and your position in it. part 2
"Animal Liberation" by Peter Singer
Chapter 2. Tools For Research...your taxes at work.
This chapter is one of the 2 extremely disturbing chapters which the squeamish should not only read but ask why we do these things. Or better yet allow these things to happen. I'm talking about using animals for cruel research projects. From shocking monkeys to learn how to fly a plane and then inducing radiation sickness on them to see if they can still fly with little electric shock "reminders" to pouring chemicals into bunnies eyes that we already know are irritants. In this chapter a European scientist after viewing several psychological animal experiments is quoted as calling American Scientists barbarians. The ironic part is that really, European scientists are cruel...just not as cruel as Americans. One quote that I love is that in experiments still going on now to find how much smoking contributes to lung cancer the author asks, "If people continue to smoke, knowing that by doing so they risk lung cancer, is it right to make animals suffer the cost of this decision?" The final outcome of this chapter is that animal research is completely unnecessary. For example, in guinea pigs pennicillin causes adverse effects, if we had accepted this animal research we would never had the use of that extremely useful medicine for humans.
Chapter 3. Down on the Factory Farm...or what happened to your dinner when it was still an animal.
One of the cruelest things discussed in this book is the treatment of veal cattle. These young calves are taken from their mothers (usually machine siphoned dairy cows) and kept in cages/pens which they cannot move because if they did move...the meat would not have that tender veal quality. They are also kept from having the proper nutrients because the nutrients would darken the meat. All for some snobby rich person to have their unique meat. That is just useless waste. The atrocities to other animals are also discussed. (For more on this watch the "Meet Your Meat" Video.)
This chapter is one of the 2 extremely disturbing chapters which the squeamish should not only read but ask why we do these things. Or better yet allow these things to happen. I'm talking about using animals for cruel research projects. From shocking monkeys to learn how to fly a plane and then inducing radiation sickness on them to see if they can still fly with little electric shock "reminders" to pouring chemicals into bunnies eyes that we already know are irritants. In this chapter a European scientist after viewing several psychological animal experiments is quoted as calling American Scientists barbarians. The ironic part is that really, European scientists are cruel...just not as cruel as Americans. One quote that I love is that in experiments still going on now to find how much smoking contributes to lung cancer the author asks, "If people continue to smoke, knowing that by doing so they risk lung cancer, is it right to make animals suffer the cost of this decision?" The final outcome of this chapter is that animal research is completely unnecessary. For example, in guinea pigs pennicillin causes adverse effects, if we had accepted this animal research we would never had the use of that extremely useful medicine for humans.
Chapter 3. Down on the Factory Farm...or what happened to your dinner when it was still an animal.
One of the cruelest things discussed in this book is the treatment of veal cattle. These young calves are taken from their mothers (usually machine siphoned dairy cows) and kept in cages/pens which they cannot move because if they did move...the meat would not have that tender veal quality. They are also kept from having the proper nutrients because the nutrients would darken the meat. All for some snobby rich person to have their unique meat. That is just useless waste. The atrocities to other animals are also discussed. (For more on this watch the "Meet Your Meat" Video.)
Take some time out from saving the world.
Enjoy the latest from my blog.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byHow to re-evaluate the world and your position in it. part 3
"Animal Liberation" by Peter Singer
Chapter 4. Becoming a vegetarian...or how to produce less suffering and more food at a reduced cost to the environment.
Finally someone not only tells you why but how. And really it is just as easy as saying...leave off the meat. The main idea behind becoming a vegetarian is that in becoming a vegetarian a person would increase the amount of grain available to feed people elsewhere, reduce pollution, save water and energy, and cease contributing to the clearing of forests; moreover, since a vegetarian diet is cheaper than one based on meat dishes, they would have more money available to devote to famine relief, population control, or whatever social or political cause they thought most urgent. That's it in a nutshell. Now, keep in mind I'm not a full fledged vegetarian, but I'm working on it. I was back in college and never felt better.
Chapter 5. Man's Dominion... a history of Speciesism.
Here we go off on a tangent of how throughout times (from biblical to modern) we have denied the "non-human" animal freedom. I found this chapter to be dull but informative. It shows how throughout times humans have been cruel...but in an optimistic turn shows how views have slowly changed.
And Finally
Chapter 6. Speciesism today
Basically this shows the progress we are making...and have made in the be nice to animals campaign. Really folks it isn't hard stuff here. Why should we hunt animals for mere trophies? Why should we wear fur when synthetics are just as easily available and look just as nice?
Well what do you think?
Finally someone not only tells you why but how. And really it is just as easy as saying...leave off the meat. The main idea behind becoming a vegetarian is that in becoming a vegetarian a person would increase the amount of grain available to feed people elsewhere, reduce pollution, save water and energy, and cease contributing to the clearing of forests; moreover, since a vegetarian diet is cheaper than one based on meat dishes, they would have more money available to devote to famine relief, population control, or whatever social or political cause they thought most urgent. That's it in a nutshell. Now, keep in mind I'm not a full fledged vegetarian, but I'm working on it. I was back in college and never felt better.
Chapter 5. Man's Dominion... a history of Speciesism.
Here we go off on a tangent of how throughout times (from biblical to modern) we have denied the "non-human" animal freedom. I found this chapter to be dull but informative. It shows how throughout times humans have been cruel...but in an optimistic turn shows how views have slowly changed.
And Finally
Chapter 6. Speciesism today
Basically this shows the progress we are making...and have made in the be nice to animals campaign. Really folks it isn't hard stuff here. Why should we hunt animals for mere trophies? Why should we wear fur when synthetics are just as easily available and look just as nice?
Well what do you think?
"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair
This book made a difference in how people were treated at the turn of the century.
"The Jungle" spurred some reaction from the government when it was written because of the exposing of corruption and "unhealthiness" of the meat packing industry. The public outcry that resulted from this novel led to the 1906 Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. It also, however, led to a report issued the same year by the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Husbandry that refuted the worst of Sinclair's allegations. The public's perception at this time was that the meatpacking industry feared these Acts. What was unrecognized, however, was the fact that meatpackers knew they were viewed with contempt, and facing substantial losses, the industry actually supported the Acts. They just did not want to be the ones to pay for the implementation. These Acts allayed most fears, and ironically, actually favored big business, which was the opposite of Sinclair's intention.Knowing that a novel could have such an impact, I had to read the book. The review follows below.
These are the books & movies that got me on track.
The Jungle: The Uncensored Original Edition
Amazon Price: $8.64 (as of 11/20/2009) 
Fast Food Nation
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 11/20/2009)
Fast Food Nation
Amazon Price: $10.49 (as of 11/20/2009)
Super Size Me
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/20/2009)
Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America
Amazon Price: $21.95 (as of 11/20/2009)
"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair
Book review
In "The Jungle" we follow a family of Lithuanian immigrants as they leave their country and set out to live the American Dream. Soon that dream is realized to be a nightmare. They are robbed by corrupt police upon their arrival in New York City and finally make their way to Chicago and to the stockyards where the main Character, Jurgis Rudkus has a friend that he has heard has "made it" in America. The friend runs a deli just outside of the stockyards where the families in the area all work at the stockyards. In order for any family to survive, as Jurgis finds out, all members must work, including children. They are taken on a tour of the stockyards all the way from the killing floors to the packing rooms. At first Jurgis is impressed by the speed and efficiency of the process. But once he begins work on the killing floor he sees and experiences all forms of corruption.
Jurgis and family are constantly followed by disaster, from Jurgis hurting his back and missing work to the death and disappearance of several family members. We follow Jurgis's plight as he is optimistic and willing to work to support the family, to being blacklisted from the stockyards, to "hoboing it," to a life of crime, to assisting in political graft and finally to becoming a voice for socialism.
Throughout the book nothing good ever seems to happen to Jurgis until (spoiler alert) he discovers Socialism. At this point the book becomes more of primer on Socialism and starts to become a series of philosophical discussions on the same.
Up until the discovery of Socialism the book is a heartstring tugging insight to the working man's world of the turn of the 20th century. The constant battles, struggles and disasters are enough to make the reader want to give all his earnings to the poor man. And serve as a great reminder of where this nation was 100 years ago.
I would normally tell you at this point to either enjoy the book or not to bother. It's hard to enjoy the hardships, but I think this should be a book to include in your must read list.
Jurgis and family are constantly followed by disaster, from Jurgis hurting his back and missing work to the death and disappearance of several family members. We follow Jurgis's plight as he is optimistic and willing to work to support the family, to being blacklisted from the stockyards, to "hoboing it," to a life of crime, to assisting in political graft and finally to becoming a voice for socialism.
Throughout the book nothing good ever seems to happen to Jurgis until (spoiler alert) he discovers Socialism. At this point the book becomes more of primer on Socialism and starts to become a series of philosophical discussions on the same.
Up until the discovery of Socialism the book is a heartstring tugging insight to the working man's world of the turn of the 20th century. The constant battles, struggles and disasters are enough to make the reader want to give all his earnings to the poor man. And serve as a great reminder of where this nation was 100 years ago.
I would normally tell you at this point to either enjoy the book or not to bother. It's hard to enjoy the hardships, but I think this should be a book to include in your must read list.
What do you do to prevent cruelty?
feel free to include your thoughts.
Whether you are an activist or vegetarian or carnivore...or even like to treat animals with cruelty, I want to hear from you. Let's discuss.
submit
-
Reply
- Stinky Stinky Feb 13, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
- Thanks for making this informative and enlightening lens. America's wild mustangs and burros are facing a crisis, now and huge numbers are being sold to slaughterhouses. So many animals need our help. If you would, please visit my lens http://www.squidoo.com/wild-mustang
Any help for them would be so much appreciated.
-
Reply
- karmasherbs karmasherbs Oct 1, 2008 @ 7:47 pm
- Thanks for sharing...Very informative lens
-
Reply
- Lorie Lorie May 8, 2008 @ 5:57 am
- Thanks for helping spread the word against animal cruelty !
LorieAnimals in Sports; State Your Opinion!
-
Reply
- enslavedbyfaeries enslavedbyfaeries Apr 21, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
- Great lens, hopefully people will read it and take it to heart and start working towards a cruelty-free lifestyle. 5 Stars!
-
Reply
- MrLewisSmile MrLewisSmile Nov 13, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
- Great lens. Nice feature of the book 'The Jungle'. I might buy it..
-
Reply
- RebeccaB RebeccaB Sep 17, 2007 @ 12:13 am
- Great lens, wonderful cruelty-free info. 5 Stars. Cruelty-free Recipes
-
Reply
- genglo genglo Apr 6, 2007 @ 8:56 am
- I'm an activist, a vegetarian, and a volunteer. Thanks for this lens!
-
Reply
- DenaGroff DenaGroff Mar 31, 2007 @ 5:40 pm
- I enjoyed your lens and found it very informative.I have always felt passionate regarding the issues involing animal cruelty, but it wasn't until recently that I became a vegatarian. The transision has been fairly easy, and because of that, I am going to begin working towards follwing a vegan diet.
-
Reply
- FruitHelmetCat FruitHelmetCat Mar 22, 2007 @ 5:53 pm
- Thank you for the lens!
-
Reply
- kels kels Feb 17, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
- I LOVE that you chose to post this issue. I have been defending myself on the issue of my choosing to elminate meat from my diet. I haven't been consuming meat for quite a while. I intend to work towards doing the vegan thing, but for now, I do use dairy and eggs. There are lots of veg cookbooks!!
- Load More
New Text / Write module
Learn more at SaveTheSheep.com
by gilwilson
I'm just a DJ (radio not that mixmaster thing in rap music) and production person at a radio station in the Mid-West. I have lots of time on my... (more)
Explore related pages
Vegetarian Bumper Stickers and Resources- Here you'll find a number of bumper stickers promoting the vegetarian or veg...
Would you eat meat if you had to slaughter the animals yourself?- If your meat did not come prepackaged in clean, shiny plastic wrap and you had t...
A Guide To Living Cruelty-Free- It is possible to live without killing and torturing animals. I would like to sh...
Animals in Sports- Are you a "Bambi-Lover", or someone who loves to go to greyhound races, horse ra...
Kindness to Animals- This lens is about promoting kindness toward animals, animal rights and animal w...
Wear Your Dark Heart On Your Pleathered Sleeve- I haven't eaten meat since September of 1992 and the last time I bought anything...
