Some people on social sites like to accumulate 'friends', hoarding as many as they can. This is good for networking and spreading the word on causes you are involved in. But I prefer 'friends' to be people I at least remotely know. With every friend request, I scrutinize their page and decide if I could be friends with them in the physical world as well. Usually yes. On rare ocassions, no. On sites like facebook where you can't always see their page before confirming a friend request, I will add them and then read their page. If it is offensive somehow, I un-friend them right away.
On care2 I receive ocassional friend requests and approve most. One person I rejected three times was a lady who is probably nice but had disturbing political stuff all over her page which I did not want to be associated with. Other than rare things like that, I have developed one basic criteria. I do not add people that have stuff on their page which would hurt my causes or reputation as an animal welfare advocate. There is one animal rights group which I never want to be tied in with, even though they are very large. Their name is like a bad word and creates a stigma I can't afford to have on my work. So instead of un-friending the supporters of this group, I will say right here and now that I do NOT support peta in any way. The other group is a very wonderful group but is unfortunately illegal in this country. Many do not understand that. Several of their leaders are in prison right now, charged as so-called 'domestic terroists'. If I lived in another country it would not matter, but no thanks to the risk of the fbi spying on my emails or worse. People who wish to risk this- thanks for caring about animals. Just do not link to me. I have removed six contacts so far due to this, one of which had over 1,000 friends. Sticking to my guns is more important to me than friend hoarding or blind networking.
At least one fellow advocate has taken great offense to this little policy of mine, and does not belive what I said about it. Sorry. As us factory workers say : C-Y-A...cover your ass.
Hope I have not offended or incensed anyone yet again. Just a little explanation.
Good luck to all in their causes, however they choose to do it.
this is my new post on my vegan blog. if you eat meat you will not like it, but this is how i feel so i am putting it out there anyway- if people will like it or not.
Why do people eat meat anyway? After putting a lot of thought into this for several years, I have boiled down the answers to a few important reasons:
1. They were lied to when they were little kids, and brainwashed by their parents and t.v. Society backed up the lies and schools reinforced it. See older posts for lists of such lies. So they are brainwashed with nonsensical lies, and conditioned into thinking it is okay somehow for their health, the environment, and the animals.
2. They simply never make the connections that people with normal brains do. Meat is the muscle tissues that were ripped off the carcass of an animal. When animal tissues die, as from the death of the entire animal, they begin the process of decomposing. Unless they are preserved by infusion of caustic chemicals- such as leather. Is meat leather? No, it is non-preserved,dead tissues. Decomposing/rotting flesh. Refrigeration is a slow-down measure is all. Although these statements are obvious and should be considered common-sense, very few realize them. The connection to reality just isn't there for meat-eaters.
3, They are lazy. Eating meat is easy and cheap, and becomes a habit they just don't want to bother breaking. Too much trouble.
4. They are akin to drug addicts. Willpower is very low in meat eaters, and they just can't stop it, or so they think. They crave it like drug addicts crave their dope, or a smoker cravestheir next cigarette. It is a routine for them and changing it is beyond question- it just will never happen in their minds.
5. They have a serious mental problem. If you learn of extreme cruelty and then laugh it off or block it out, you are by definition psychotic or sociopathic. It is well established that cannibals and serial killers have a common mental problem stemming from injury to the pre-frontal cortex/frontal lobe. But excessive smoking also damages the pre-frontal cortex. So do heavy smokers eat more meat??? It sure seems like it to me. After years of heavy smoking, they lose their sense of right and wrong, and develop similar attitudes as cannibals/serial killers. Not too much of a stretch, really. Killing and eating animals is just as cruel, painful, horrifying, and evil as killing and eating humans is. So laughing off the fates of the animals they eat, supporting hunting, and acting arrogant and closed minded towards vegetarians is all part of their mental illness. Their brains are damaged and the brainwashing reinforces the errant beliefs. Tying together smokers and heavy meat eaters is not really too ridiculous if you think about it. How many vegans smoke? How many hunters smoke?....Not all carnivores smoke, but mental problems can occur in anyone, reinforced by delusions (societal brainwashing) and aggravated by second-hand smoke, chemicals in the meats, and other toxins. (This illness/addiction is well illustrated in a fictional yet unintentionally realistic movie called Ravenous.)
These are the main reasons people eat meat. It can be any one of or a combination of these. But at least one of these factors will be present in any carnivore's mind.
Beware of people that are simply petition-pushers. Petitions carry little weight, and online ones are easily deleted by their targets. There are so many better ways to help animals and the environment than signing online petions. Create websites. Make comments on blogs and web articles. Write letters to editors of newspapers. Write (snail-mail) to public officials. Call them. Research info on laws, precedents, etc. Talk to people you know. Talk to people you dont know. Create Facebook and MySpace groups. Research, create, think! Whatever you can do to help the animals and/or environment, and get others to help you.
While I have created 4 web pages and a 750+ member Facebook group, one person on here is saying I do nothing because I wouldnt sign one petition she demanded. As well as blocking me... what nonsense. The research I have done has been used by many to further our causes for animals. If you feel strongly about a cause, sign a petition for it. There are so many ways to help animals besides petitions, generally more effective. I have signed 11 petitions and created two. They have their place but should be one small part of what you do for your causes, not your only action.
Maria Davidson has been sending a form letter to everyone about Tony. Here it is: The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries appreciates your interest in the well being of the Tiger, but now that the truck stop has a local permit we have begun the process for a state application. It is our Department policy not to comment on pending applications, but we will always consider the well being of the cat to be our top priority. Again, thank you for your concern, Maria Davidson
Now, we know her boss's name, phone number, and email address:
"My supervisor is Fred Kimmel. You are welcome to give him a call. His office number is 225-765-2355. "
You can also email him at: fkimmel@wlf.la.gov
So let's call him. Remember to bring up important legal issues, such as: >is Tony microchipped? >the fence is NOT five feet from the cage >Yogi and Friends facility was written up by Davidson for not having 15' high fences. TigerTruckstop's fence is 8' high. >since they claim the well being of the cat is their top priority, are they planning on sending a wildife expert, such as a certified zookeeper, and a veterinarian, to look him over? >will they consider the exposed electrical wires as a chewing hazard?
AND let us start asking sandlin's fuel supplier if they really want all of this bad publicity to be under their signs:
It is a PDF file, and will download. If it doesn't work, use original link from this page. (where it says: " Get the 29 page court case HERE " )
Notice from pages 10-26 that it is illegal to keep a tiger in Louisiana. This started on 6/07- see page 26 for dates. On page 27 you will see that the state denied sandlin a permit on 10/08. And again on 11/08- page 28. On 12/15/08, they ordered him to remove the tiger from the state and denied his request for an extension of time-page 29. On 12/15/08 he filed a lawsuit against the state- page 1.
He obviously planned ahead, and his lawyers acted fast. The extension may have been officially denied- but an extension he got...the tiger remained there for about 2 1/2 years- illegally- after that suit was filed. Then the parish authorities changed their regulations saying it was ok for him to violate the ordinance against it. After that he continued to keep the tiger, and still does to this day.
Now, the official in charge of things like this- the "Large Carnivore Program Manager"- Maria Davidson with the LA Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries- has been dragging her feet on this ever since.
Is the state shaking in their boots because one person filed a suit against them, which basically states 'I don't like your new law and don't think I should have to follow it'? It seems to be the case, because NOTHING has been done since.
Maria Davidson's personal office: 5652 Hwy. 182 Opelousas, LA 70750
TIPS: write snail-mail letter, write "personal" on envelope so she reads it first- not a secretary, write it soon!
The mayor of Grosse Tete has been silent through all this. Now that his email address has been obtained, let's tell him what we think. Be creative.....
Mayor of Grosse Tete:
Michael Chauffe
P.O. Box 98
18125 Willow St.
Gross Tete, LA 70740
225-648-2131
mchauffe@gt.brcoxmail.com
a few talking points you may want to bring up to him:
-roadside zoos are very unpopular and politically incorrect these days. -a very small town that has to keep a tiger in a parking lot to get people to stop there is not likely to attract new businesses to the area. -a mayor should be very concerned about the town he is responsible for: safety issues, reputation, etc.... -why is he allowing one rich guy to cause all this trouble, esp. when the keeping of this tiger has been illegal for years? -is he in charge of his town, or is he a mere figurehead that allows the parish council to make all of the decisions about Grosse Tete?
After reading this article awhile back, I posted the last two comments onto the page. I also wrote to Sonic in Baton Rouge, and asked if this creep- Larry Tucker- sill owns any of them. Not surprisingly, there was no response. Which indicates yes. Since this creep probably owns some or all of the Sonics in Baton Rouge, I submit that a boycott by residents and a public awareness campaign be started. On one of my previous shares I listed all of the Baton Rouge media outlets- use those for starters.
The 225 article has a picture of a killed zebra on it, and clicking on that will show much more of what this creep has done.
I have just sent a letter to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. I wanted to share it, so others would do the same. Use this as a form letter if you want, or personailize it. Just ask him to step in somehow.
" Honorable Governor Jindal,
In 2007 a new law was enacted in Louisiana and someone in Iberville Parish was not in compliance with it. Instead of enforcing this law, the person in questtion was allowed to continue the violation until there was a public outcry. Then the parish council changed their ordinance that addressed the same subject, as a favor to this violator. This person who was not in compliance has also not complied with the new ordinance, specially revised to accomodate him. Now the council there says they are waiting on him to obtain a state level permit; the state agency says they are waiting for him to obtain the parish level permit. This man is in violation of both state law and the parish's revised ordinance- and both levels of govt. are waiting on each other to do something about it.
Will you PLEASE step in and do something about it? Or at least look into it?
I am referring to a tiger being kept illegally (title 76, partV) at a truck stop in Grosse Tete. After nearly 20 years of USDA violations, this tiger's owner is not, in most people's opinion, fit to keep one anyway- not to mention the laws being broken and/or not enforced. At the very least, the 30 day deadline has passed as the revised ordinance was enacted on March 17th.
One very informative webpage on this is called savetonythetiger.blogspot.com Please look it over if you have time, or perhaps contact Iberville Council President Mr. Mitchell J. Ourso, Jr. at 225-806-5856, to discuss Ordinance 3-91- Revised.
So how many people have actually read the laws about keeping tigers in Iberville Parish, Louisiana? They are pretty interesting. Upon reading them, one starts wondering a few things....
State law:
1. does sandlin have the insurance- 100,000. by a class A insurance company?
2. does the owner live on site? we know he does not, but state law requires it.
3. is there both a gun and a tranquilizer gun on the premises? easy to envision a rifle there, but do they have a trank gun?
4. is this tiger microchipped? he is supposed to be.
5. is the outer fence at least 5 feet from the cage? not according to recent measurements...
Parish law:
reiterates state law, plus a few more things...
1. they want the insurance to be 500,000. who is his insurance company--anyone?
2. is someone who is trained in the care, feeding, and escape plans, there 24 hours a day? this probably includes gun use, so who is there at three AM that can use a rifle? anyone?
3. is this tiger now allowed unfettered access to all areas of the entire enclosure at all times? he has been seen in the middle grassy area lately but are the other 3 of 4 cage sections open for him?
More questions:
- Now that he has a small horse tank crammed into his cage, one has to wonder why a larger tank was not placed into the grassy area instead. Since he is supposed to have permanent access to that area anyway, why not give him a more reasonable sized tank?
- Tony is supposed to have a regular veterinarian who does checkups and other care. Who is this vet, and what do the records say- if there are any? It is time for another exam, as Tony is emaciated. In domestic cats this can indicate worms, liver problems, and other maladies.
- Thanks to Google Analytics, we know that sandlin has viewed the Tony site twice, and someone in the Plaquemine courthouse read the page for over 14 minutes. Do they not have anything to say about it?
- Has sandlin obtained a permit, on or before April 19, 2009 from the parish? If so, what is the permit number, and who verified the stipulations needed to obtain it? If not, then why isn't the law being enforced? The Revised Ordinance says that he has 30 days to comply. It was approved on March 17 and enacted/entered on March 19. If he is not in compliance now, then it is too late.
Let's start asking the authorities these questions. It took them four months to release the revised ordinance; hopefully they will answer these questions sooner!
Focus:Indigenous Rights
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