Blindingly Obvious

Tonight M and I went to see a screening of the movie Blinders, a film by activist Danny Moss, detailing the inside horrors of the horse-drawn-carriage industry. The website states the following about this documentary:

Through original footage taken with hidden cameras and interviews with carriage drivers, veterinarians, accident witnesses, animal rights activists, politicians, tourists, residents who live near the horses and people who have rescued NYC carriage horses from slaughter, BLINDERS takes viewers behind the scenes to expose the truth behind the tradition.

This film was incredibly powerful, detailing the egregious cruelty that is this industry. It told the stories of the many horses who die from accidents caused by living a work-life they were not meant to live, in an urban jungle that is certainly no home for them. Perhaps one of the most moving moments of this film was seeing a couple of the rescued horses living out their lives peacefully at a sanctuary. My partner says that when talking about these horses, or any other exploited animal, it isn't just about the suffering--it's also about their lack of happiness.

The screening tonight was at a huge movie theatre on the Upper East Side. Hundreds of animal advocates came out for this event. There was press there, interviewing people on line, interviewing the panelists and the organization that hosted this event, The League of Humane Voters NYC--a remarkable (and remarkably effective) political group striving to elect animal-friendly politicians.

The film screening was followed by an open mic, where people were encouraged to ask questions. John from LOHV--a dear friend of mine who I love madly--started out by boasting that just before the film, they had to throw some woman out who was from the horse-drawn-carriage industry. Now, knowing John, it is likely possible that the woman was thrown out because she was abusive and out-of-line...but he didn't mention that part...which made me wonder why the opportunity to have opposition at an event like this wasn't seized, or at least attempted. And if it was attempted, it should have probably been mentioned.

Why is it so hard to get opposition at events like this, anyway? Well, probably partially because they might have to face some truths about themselves...but also partly because of behavior like this:

A woman got the mic and stated that she thinks we should start to get violent. This was after she was going on and on, asking many questions--some of which were good ones, like WHY ON EARTH does this teeny tiny industry have such big power?

Listen, if you're gonna have an open mic, it has to be managed. And when this woman said that she thinks we should get violent, there was not proper intervention there. Yes, I'm angry too. Yes, I get it too. But being violent is just perpetuating the same problem--and it's not fixing anything.

It's really sad and scary to me that there was press there. It's sad and scary to me that the one quote they will take from this evening was that a woman said we should get violent on them, since they are violent on the horses.

Then, this:

A man went to the mic and started screaming about how he is PRO-carriage horses. He was immediately heckled, he was immediately put in his place. He was IMMEDIATELY asked to leave, and security IMMEDIATELY came.

I, for one, was interested in what this guy had to say. And I agree with Yetta Kurland, the civil rights attorney/city council candidate/my friend who said that it was a missed learning opportunity to have that man leave so quickly. He wasn't really doing anything wrong--he was just barking a little. The woman who had just been to the mic who said we should get violent was not asked to leave. This is not a good impression, people!! This is why we get a bad reputation.

Obviously we have a huge gigantic fight ahead of us. But we've made some progress, anyway. In NYC, this is largely due to activists such as John from LOHV who engage people on animal issues. But tonight's "festivities" just took away from the real issues at hand: the exploitation of animals, and how we can EFFECTIVELY work together to REACH PEOPLE in order to effect REAL CHANGE.

I do not have Ahimsa tattooed across my left ankle for nothing.

Click here to get more involved with ending horse-drawn-carriage cruelty, and click here to learn about effective animal activist tactics.

Many MENY possibilities....

I just got back from marching across the Brooklyn Bridge in the Marriage Equality New York Wedding March. I had mixed feelings about going at first, since I'm not sure I believe in marriage at all, due to, amongst other things, the privelige, the exclusion-factor (both legally and socially), and the fact that it is rooted in such ickiness. I finally decided to go, both to support my friend Yetta, and because I decided to look at it as a stake-in-the-ground, as opposed to the ultimate success.

Despite the fact that the mainstream media will have you believe that there are just two sides to the gay marriage debate--that it's unnatural or it's about damn time--there is actually another side, which is that gay people should be fighting for an entire new way of ordering relationships, and not model theirs after straight privilege. I like the way Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore says it in the essay, "There's More to Life Than Platinum: Challenging the Tyranny of Sweatshop-Produced Rainbow Flags and Participatory Patriarchy", found in the book That's Revolting! Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation.

"Gay marriage advocates brush aside generations of queer efforts to create new ways of loving, lusting for, and caring fro one another, in favor of a 1950's model of white-picket-fence 'we're just like you' normalcy."

Yes, I agree, Mattilda.

Reading that essay, as well as other essays by Sycamore, was like coming home. Everything I'd ever thought but was never able to express was put so totally eloquently in these essays. But I digress...

The reason I went to MENY despite my reluctance for assimilation (though I agree that there are times it is strategic), is because of the same reason I am a strong advocate of Proposition 2, a hugely historic and important ballot measure on the ticket this fall, which, when passed, will end three of the cruelest confinement systems for farm animals in the state of California--battery cages, gestation crates, and veal crates. Obviously I'm a vegan (I'm "hard-core," as a young man working at MENY observed today) and I work to advocate veganism. But I see Prop2 as a stake-in-the-ground--an unbelievably important campaign that will put farm animals on the map, and create such an impact that will forever change the way this country uses and abuses animals.

Just like gay marriage is something that is...well...better than what we've got now, but by no means the end. Nor is it something I want, personally...but if I did want it, I should be allowed to have it in the same way that my straight friends have it.

These Pleather Boots Were Made for Walking

(and that's just what I'll do...)

We all know that tofutti cuties taste particularly pleasant while watching Late Night Oprah—especially when your girlfriend just broke up with you and you have no other choice but to drown your sorrows in sugar (been there). Yes, of course it’s nice to treat yourself to a mani-pedi after an exhausting day of shopping for a new pair of pleather pumps that will work perfectly with your vintage denim mini. Yeah yeah, me me me. I get it, I do. But for those days when that song gets tired and you realize that there are bigger and better things to fight for than your choice for American Idol, or for moments when you are newly convinced that karma’s a bitch and you’d better do something quick to get some (dairy-free) brownie points, you may be better suited focusing your attention outward—and burning some calories while you’re at it.

Now, with that in mind, what do the following things have in common and why should they matter to you: Central Park in late September; delicious—and deliciously free!—vegan food; stellar live music; and the cutest, sweetest turkeys and cattle and pigs (oh my!) you’ve ever heard of? They are all part of the Walk for Farm Animals, an annual tradition that is not only changing hearts and minds, is not just a fun afternoon in the sun, but also happens to be a totally necessary fund and awareness raiser for Farm Sanctuary.

The Walk for Farm Animals is taking place this year in over 50 cities nationwide, and more than 2,000 people are expected to take part. In honor of World Farm Animals Day on October 2 (and no, unfortunately you don’t get off of work that day), the Walks are held annually throughout September and October. Last year, the national Walk for Farm Animals raised $180,000, with donations going directly to the rescue efforts of Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farmed animal protection organization.

Now, let’s talk about the Big Apple specifically. Last year, I coordinated the NYC Walk, and we wound up raising over $40,000 and had over 350 walkers. It was a total celebration of the farm animals, which is what it will be this year too. This year, I’m co-coordinating all of the national Walks, and I couldn’t be more excited to have something so amazing keep me up at night in anticipation (as I watch Late Night Oprah and inhale mint-chip Tofutti Cuties, but I digress).

As truly awesome as the NYC Walk was last year, this year it is going to be even more outstanding. We have two live bands, the most ridiculously-divine food donated by The Groovy Baker, special speakers including the incomparable State Senator Liz Krueger, and raffle prizes that make me wonder if I should leave my job just long enough to be allowed to buy raffle tickets. (Prizes include a stay at the Farm Sanctuary B&B, gift certificates to your favorite vegan restaurants, handmade jewelry by some of the finest artists in the city, and a subscription to VegNews Magazine.) Oh, and once again, I’ll be MCing along with my co-MC (and BFF, FYI), Marisa.

In all seriousness, the issue of farm animal cruelty is one that is very real, and in huge need of both money and empathic ears. Here’s a personal story of Woe-is-(NOT!)-Me that I didn’t think I’d share, but here we go anyway…

Call it my little-sister identity, my Jewish upbringing, my feminist POV, or call it what you will, but from time to time, I have been known to complain…a little. (Insert the eye-roll of at least 2,000 of my closest friends.) So one day, when even I got sick of listening to my own histrionics, I walked to the tattoo place down the street and got the number “267” tattooed in black ink on my left wrist. This number, which was quoted from an article co-written by my amazingly smart and beautiful partner—is the amount of chickens killed in this country for food, EVERY SECOND. Actually wait, I take that back—the number is now 286 (and no, I will not get another tattoo). The point is, I did not get 267 etched into my body because I think I’m bad-ass, rather, it serves as a reminder to me to keep things in perspective, and to not get so caught up in the minor details that I forget about those struggling for their lives every second. It’s high time to get real and get moving. Welcome to the 21st Century, boys and girls—social justice activism is sexy!

The Walk for Farm Animals is a celebration of the lucky ones who managed to escape the horrors of factory farming. It’s a chill day where people from all over come and stand in solidarity with others who are also making a difference (insert starfish story here). If you live in or around NYC, I hope you’ll come to the NYC Walk this year—it SO beats sugar shock, SO beats reruns of Oprah. If you can’t make it, why not register anyway and just send around an email to your friends/co-workers/family asking them to donate to your online page. It will literally take you 10 minutes or less, right now, to do that, and it will honestly make the world of difference (shit—am I starting to sound like the woman from All in the Family?). If you’re not in NYC, check out some of our other Walk locations, and register for one near you. And if you’re so inclined start your very own Walk for Farm Animals, email me at jsinger@farmsanctuary.org and I'll get you set up.

Below is the info for the NYC Walk. When you register, you’ll also get a really cool t-shirt, and you’ll get a subscription to Sanctuary Magazine—for $15 (in advance; $20 day-of). That’s less expensive than getting just one hand manicured at a so-so nail place!

New York City Walk for Farm Animals

Date: Sept. 28
Time: Registration 10 a.m., Walk 12 noon
Location: Columbus Circle
Local Walk Coordinator: Cody
E-mail: nyc@walkforfarmanimals.org
Phone: 917-670-0347

I’ll leave you with this: Here is a quote I like. Looking forward to seeing you at the Walk for Farm Animals!

“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.”—Samuel Adams

In Solidarity: My Thoughts Against Vivisection

There's little doubt that a small (maybe tiny) victory was won last month when, after thousands of calls and emails from activists throughout the country, the Society of Gynecological Oncologists canceled their "Hands-On Pig Lab". Prior to canceling it, the program stated that procedures that will be performed were to include "ureteral dissection, pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, repair of simulated bowel and bladder injury, bowel resection, ureteral re-anasomosis, and liver resection." These procedures were deemed necessary and appropriate for a sales demonstration of electro-surgical tools.

I said it was possibly a "tiny victory" not only because it involved only a few animals out of millions, but also because though the Society buckled under vocal opposition and called it off, Covidien Electrosurgery, the company that devised the program and is behind many other vivisection experiments, has expressed no intention in ending their mutilation practices. But maybe calling it "little" is not fair--any victories for animals can be perceived as huge since the victories are so few and far between.

When I clicked on Covidien's website, the first thing found was the word "compassion" in big bold blue letters. Apparently, they pride themselves for having it.

Then I found their statement on laboratory animals:

...It is our commitment, policy and highest priority to treat laboratory animals humanely and with respect. Lab sessions are conducted only after the appropriate Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval is obtained. We require that all sponsored sessions are conducted in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act (Title 7 United States Code Section 2131 et. seq.) and the National Academy of Sciences Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

Our position is supported by regulatory standards regarding the use of laboratory animals in the process of developing new drugs and medical devices...

Well. The Animal Welfare Act (which, incidentally, specifically excludes birds, rats, mice, and cold-blooded animals, as well as all farmed-animals raised for slaughter) is the only federal law that addresses extremely minimal standards of care for animals in research environments.Covidien is proud to comply with the Animal Welfare Act, but the Animal Welfare Act requires the consideration of using alternatives, and to my lay mind, surely there are alternatives to using a live animal to demonstrate a product.

More unfortunate than the fact that the legalities involved in vivisection are confusing and unclear, is the fact that it's not unusual. Not only is needless animal testing/mutilation common for Covidien, it's also common for countless other companies. In medical research, over 100 million animals are used every year in the good old US of A to study human disease and other ailments, often being inflicted with these diseases themselves, and thus causing them pain. In animal testing, animals are exposed to harmful products to test how humans may respond if exposed to the same ones. Obvious to even MY "lay mind" is that a human may respond slightly differently than a rodent, which is only one of the many reasons these types of tests can be totally for naught.

The point is, even when these egregious animal tests give us useful information, they are often unnecessary, since there may be viable and reliable alternatives to these tests--alternatives which hurt nobody except maybe the scientist or CEO who stubs his toe on his way to the bank. And what if they do give us useful information--are they moral? In a society where people are killing themselves due to unhealthy, animal-based diets, how can it be moral to torture animals to find cures for the diseases they're causing to themselves?

Not surprisingly, the American Anti-Vivisection Society was founded by a woman, Caroline Earle White, over 125 years ago--a woman who was also instrumental in both the anti-slavery and women's suffrage movements. Reading about White recently, I was reminded of a speech I heard at the Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down last month, where I was set to give a Veganism101 workshop the very next day. I slumped myself into a corner in the back of the room, down the road from hundreds of rescued farm animals--animals saved from factory farms, highly abusive situations, and yes, animal testing. I had no idea how I got to share the bill with some of my heroes and mentors, including Captain Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and Josh Hooten, founder of Herbivore. It was Hooten's speech that I remembered as I was reading about White. Clad in a "hot cop" uniform (he joked that he packed the wrong costume, this one was meant for his Vegas show next week), Josh gave useful advice on activism, including tips such as to not talk badly about your fellow activists, and the thing that rekindled a flame for me, to not be a single-issue activist.

Caroline Earle White must have come from the same line of thinking, because speaking up for slaves, speaking up for women, and speaking up for animals were obvious acts of solidarity, and a way to use her privilege to loan a voice to those who could not or would not be heard otherwise.

As I type this, my dog, Rose, is sleeping on the corner of the couch, all curled up like a fetus, or a bean. She's making little squeaky sounds every now and then, and I wonder, though I'll never know, what little dreams are going on in her pretty head. My heart sinks a little when I think that if a worker in the shelter Rose was brought to, after she was found chained and abandoned, did not fall in love with her and sneak her out to a loving home, she would not be here now. This particular shelter, along with many others, kills all pit bulls, and does not even give them the option of adoption. Rose was one of the lucky ones. As I type this, there are countless other animals of all species, including lots of dogs (especially beagles), being held captive for unfathomable testing and research, and they are relying on us to shed light on these cruel and unjust practices.

As reported by Indymedia UK, in solidarity with Sean Kirtley, who was "imprisoned by the state for supposedly organising legal demonstrations against Sequani's vivisection laboratories, activists will be making a stand for the animals with a march and rally against Sequani labs on September 6th in Ledbury, Herefordshire." I write this blog post today to take part, in my own way, in this "Carnival Against Vivisection," and so that you will do what I have done and continue to do--challenge yourself to learn a little more today about animal cruelty, and in particular, vivisection.

Just as Caroline Earle White did, find the connections between this and other forms social justice, and ask yourself how you can use what you've got to make it a tiny bit better, to help spread the word, and to refuse to be complacent.

All Things Bright and FABULOUS!

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Chloe Jo is a dear sweet friend of mine, and you should know her too. Her newsletter, Girlie Girl News, is by far on the pulse of everything hip, fabulous, "glamazon," and vegan. She's a superstar in the true sense of the word, and if you don't subscribe to her newsletter today, you might as well look under the real estate ads for a rock, cuz that's where you're gonna be living.

Put On Your Vegan Walking Shoes!

Okay folks. Here we go again.

Last year's Walk for Farm Animals was a highlight in my activist life, and I am so grateful that all of you came out to support Farm Sanctuary and raise necessary funds and awareness for the farm animals. Last year, in NYC alone, we raised over $40,000 and had over 350 walkers. Nationally, we raised about $180,000, and had over 2200 walkers. This year, I've handed off the local coordinating of the NYC Walk to my amazing intern, Cody, so that I can focus my attention on coordinating the 50 national Walks we have in store.The details are in place, and now all we need is the MONEY!!!! Boys and girls, the money you donate to this Walk goes DIRECTLY to the rescue efforts of Farm Sanctuary. If you haven't visited the Farm, first of all, GO, and second of all, I can tell you that it's the most magical place on earth. I can't think of anything better for you to do with your money than to donate to my fundraising page, unless you'd prefer to actually register yourself, which is even better! That way you could have your very OWN fundraising page! And you could actually come to the Walk! Speaking of coming to the Walk, I'm one of the MCs again this year, so send me your best jokes and I'll try to work them into the routine!

Thanks in advance for the gigantic donation you're about to make. :) The animals thank you, too. You're superstars.



Love,

jasmin

Advantages

First the good news. Advantage Rent-a-Car refunded the gay-partner
charge. They previously had no policy on waiving the additional driver
fee ($10 a day--pretty hefty) for same-sex couples, but after my
complaint letter, they gave it back. Now I'm working on changing their
policy so others like M and me--as well as special friends and
non-coupled people--don't wind up in this same predicament.

(If you're interested in assisting me in that, send a friendly email to hr@advantage.com asking them to please adopt a policy recognizing same-sex partners and waiving the additional driver fee.)

The bad news is that I'm very upset tonight about how gay people are
continually viewed and treated insofar as marriage. This article did
not give proper justice to one person who spoke up against straight
marriage until it is available to everyone. The comments on this
article--which was reposted WIDELY thanks to the Associated Press--were nothing but abusive and unfair toward her and her POV. If only
people would step back and see that she HAS a POINT. MOST straight
people who get married are completely blind to the fact that marriage
is an antiquated industry that continues to oppress others. The minute
someone stands up to this in a public forum, she is name-called. I'm
sick over it. This kind of name-calling is at the root of gay-bashing. It
stems from the same roots of othering those who are not in the
mainstream, those who have the courage to speak up for the underdog,
and even more unique, to actually act on their behalf (as opposed to
just nod vehemently in fake-solidarity).