Caring human beings are uncomfortable with death, period.

September 30, 2008 | 4 Comments

Gary Francione argues that humanely raised meat will actually increase meat consumption because it will make people feel more comfortable about eating animals. I’m not so sure…

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Miscellaneous
4 Comments to "Caring human beings are uncomfortable with death, period."

Hilarious!

September 30, 2008 | 1 Comment

Thick = http://afunnyfeminist.blogspot.com/
She gets linklove for making my day.

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Miscellaneous
1 Comment to "Hilarious!"

Regarding Hate and Crime

September 30, 2008 | 2 Comments

Your government is more interested in protecting people who abuse animals than in protecting ordinary people:

“[California] Assembly Bill 2296, or the Researcher Protection Act of 2008, makes it a misdemeanor to publish personal information about academic researchers or their family members with the intent to use this information to threaten or attack those researchers.

“The bill also makes it a misdemeanor for protesters to enter researchers’ property for the purpose of interfering with their academic practices.” (source)

So, if ‘intent’ to ‘threaten or attack’ is the issue, then why not make a law like this protect ALL people, not just vivisectors? Hmmm?

As Obama said regarding similar federal legislation years ago:

“I do not want people to think that the threat from these organizations [ALF and ELF] is equivalent to other crimes faced by Americans every day. According to the FBI, there were over 7400 hate crimes committed in 2003 - half of which racially motivated. More directly relevant to this committee, the FBI reports 450 pending environmental crimes cases involving worker endangerment or threats to public health or the environment.” (source)

I think it’s sadly interesting that many feminists and anti-racists would rather spend time criticizing PETA’s marketing campaigns than spending time criticizing the government. If the claim is made that PETA “spits in the face of traditionally marginalized groups,” (source) just stop and take a look at what your own government is doing.

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Animals, Politics, Racism, animal-rights
2 Comments to "Regarding Hate and Crime"

HSUS Promotes Veganism

September 29, 2008 | 2 Comments

The ‘Yes on Prop 2‘ gala dinner - with celebrities and fundraising - was VEGAN.

The measure, of course, assumes people are still eating animals. It deals only with their treatment in factory farming situations. (There was no meat last night — as is the custom at most animal welfare events. The vegan dinner was catered by Madeleine Bistro. And it was good — really.) (source)

So no, the HSUS is not promoting “happy meat.” If anything, they convinced some meat-eaters to eat vegan for one meal.

Yes, I know Prop 2 isn’t going to make a huge difference in many animals’ lives. They will still be slaughtered and eaten. Yes, I wish everyone would go vegan. But that’s not going to happen any time soon.

Prop 2 is a step in the right direction. It gives animals a tiny bit more space so they can turn around in their cages. Prop 2 is a reflection that humans, even the meat-eating ones, are not evil monsters.

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under animal-rights, vegan, vegetarian
2 Comments to "HSUS Promotes Veganism"

Veganism is NOT a boycott

September 29, 2008 | 2 Comments

From The Stanford Progressive via SF Vegan:

Progressive politics have allowed our society to overcome some of the most egregious abuses inflicted upon people of different races, genders, and ethnicities. They encourage us to open our minds and reevaluate how much compassion we extend to others. Unfortunately, we as a society have not yet challenged the way we view animals… We must move our country forward, dismantling the industries that profit from this injustice, like so many before them….

The fact of the matter is that in today’s society, we have a clear choice between supporting companies that torture animals and not supporting them. Every time we go to the grocery store or dining hall, we can vote with our money by choosing one of the many new products available on the market, such as vegetarian barbecue “riblets” or vegan pizza. These tasty and cruelty-free options have all the flavors we love, without supporting companies that destroy our ecosystem, abuse workers, and torture animals.

Yes, but…
“Voting with our dollars” is a concept from Capitalism, not from Progressivism. Progressives don’t rely on the so-called “free” market to solve our society’s ills. The market is but one tool in a huge toolbox for reform.

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Miscellaneous
2 Comments to "Veganism is NOT a boycott"