Archive for February, 2008
Greed vs. Good Sense
Yesterday was a big day for farm animals. © USDA First, Californians for Humane Farms—a statewide ballot initiative committee that The HSUS helped to create—turned in to the state of California nearly 800,000 signatures in support of a prospective November 2008 petition to phase out . . .
Talk Back: Calls for Reform
I am heading over to Capitol Hill now to testify at a U.S. Senate Subcommittee hearing, which was called to discuss the recent HSUS investigation into cruelty to downed dairy cows at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., the subsequent beef recall, and USDA oversight issues (to . . .
Young Voices Heard
Young advocates are a powerful force in our movement. We saw evidence of this last week, when two teenage boys testified at an Oregon Senate hearing to help toughen penalties for dogfighting. Oregon State Rep. Brian Clem said it best to the Statesman Journal: "This . . .
Day to Spay
Today is Spay Day USA, and it’s our biggest series of events and promotions urging people to spay and neuter pets as a means of reducing and eventually eliminating euthanasia of healthy and adoptable animals. This year’s Spay Day—which is really spread over a month’s . . .
Smoke and Mirrors
Newly appointed Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer was just on his second day at the job when The HSUS released the results of our investigation into a southern California slaughter plant that had made its core business the slaughter of "spent" dairy cows. Obviously, any missteps . . .
Talk Back: Systemic Cruelty
As reaction to The HSUS’s investigation at Hallmark/Westland Meat Co. and news of the massive recall of beef from the plant continues to reverberate, readers continue to write in. Among the comments we received: Thank you to The HSUS for all your hard work with . . .
Cycle of Violence
For humanitarians, the resurgence of dogfighting in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, which had suppressed such activities, was a terrible irony. Last Sunday, that irony gave way to tragedy as a suicide bomb attack took the lives of at least 80 people and . . .
Constant Against Cruelty
Your HSUS is big enough and strong enough to carry on the fight on multiple fields of battle. We are still immersed in the follow-up to the hidden camera investigation that exposed appalling abuses of downed cows, the slaughter plant’s gross disregard for the law, . . .
Recall Recoil
It was President’s Day yesterday. But from my perspective, it was also a day of false assurances. See the undercover video that led to the recall. Arguably the top story across the country for the last two days has been the nation’s largest ever recall . . .
Precedent Set, Message Sent
I just got out of a press conference in San Bernardino with District Attorney Michael Ramos. At the press conference—which was crowded with print, radio, and television reporters—he announced his filing of charges against two individuals, including felony animal cruelty charges against one, for the . . .
Sea Change in Animal Testing
USA Today had an important and exciting story in yesterday’s paper about the move away from the use of animals in certain toxicity tests. I am truly enthused about the possibility of innovation in this arena making animal testing obsolete. © iStockphoto Since the 1970s . . .
