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With the effects of the HSUS investigation into cruelty to downed animals at a California slaughter plant still being felt, it’s a good time to read Gene Baur’s new book, "Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food." A longtime friend and a . . . 

© The HSUS Last year, Louisiana and New Mexico passed HSUS-backed bills to outlaw cockfighting—the final two states to adopt such bans. Now, we’ve reached another milestone in our efforts against animal fighting. Yesterday, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed legislation to make dogfighting a felony . . . 

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 . . . 

When one rooster delivers a gaff or short knife thrust into his combatant’s lung in an enclosed cockfighting pit, the victim suffers—no matter if the staged fight occurs in a jurisdiction that allows or outlaws the practice. If locals cheer the bloodletting, the laughter and . . . 

Kindness and compassion are infectious. A child who embraces the ethic of compassion for animals is typically a child who is more respectful and empathetic toward other people. We’ve long known that inculcating a concern for animals builds character and fosters a sense of responsibility. . . . 

Readers commended 11-year-old Haley Ham of Tennessee who, after losing her two dogs to antifreeze poisoning, spearheaded the introduction of legislation to help prevent such a tragedy. Among the comments we received: Way to go Haley! Taking action through your pain took a lot of . . . 

There is always something that’s disturbed us more about cannibalism than mere homicide. In either circumstance, the victim is dead, but the consumption of the corpse multiplies the level of social disgust by a major factor. It not only offends our aesthetic senses, but also . . . 

We are in the thick of the presidential primaries, and no candidate has a lock on his or her party’s nomination. These next three weeks are likely to be decisive in the selection of the major party nominees, with more than 20 states conducting primaries . . . 

I am not the target demographic for "Skinny Bitch." It’s aimed at the stomachs and waistlines and the hearts of the women of America. But even men are picking it up. NBA star Jerry Stackhouse of the Dallas Mavericks went vegetarian after reading "Skinny Bitch." . . . 

Readers responded to 2007’s achievements for animals and legislative advances with encouraging words for the year ahead. Among the comments we received: I just finished reading this summary of what transpired with HSUS over the past year and even though I have watched it unfold . . . 

Surely one of the best traits that humans possess is altruism—a willingness to help others, even at some personal risk or cost to us. © iStockphoto It’s a powerful and good emotional response, and that other-centered behavior is at the very heart of the animal . . .