General Interest Meeting

Hello Everyone!

The semester is winding down and finals are just around the corner (like you need me to tell you that). In preparation for next semester, SALDF is going to be having a general interest meeting this Thursday at 1pm in room W302. This will be a very informal meeting and basically just to guage interest and brainstorm some future ideas for the organization and hopefully get them into action for Spring 2011!! Bagels with vegan cream cheese will be served! Hope to see you all there.

For Your Consideration

Okay, so its getting cold out again and that means that mice are starting to make their way off the streets and into the walls of our apartment buildings and ultimately (gasp) into our homes!

Now before you run out and buy the traps at your local hardware store, consider this:
While no one wants mice running around in their personal space, they are living creatures and the average traps kill by either painful asphyxiation or by breaking their little bodies.

I myself prefer to release them outside and at least give them a shot at surviving the winter. So here is what I do:

1)Get a toilet paper tube and crease two lines to form a flat sided tunnel.

2)Put a treat on one end of the tube: A cracker and dab of peanut butter works great.

3)Get a tall (at least 20 inches) bucket. A trash can works well.

4)Balance the tube precariously on the edge of a table or counter with the treat hanging directly over the tall sided receptacle.

5)The mouse will scurry to the treat and fall into the trap.

Then you can take the bucket outside and toss the little critter by some garbage or set it up outside somewhere with some food. Too much work? Maybe, but I just wanted to throw it out there.

This mouse trap was created by Adam Pash and was found off Lifehacker.com

Animal Rights State to Watch: Missouri

This election season, animal rights advocates should be watching Missouri very closely. Missouri is home to the only animal rights ballot measure this year, and it could be a game changing victory for dogs everywhere. Proposition B, or the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act will require breeding facilities to comply with common sense rules regarding the safety and health of the dogs they produce and care for.

This is a huge deal, because Missouri currently produces 1 out of every 3 puppies sold in pet stores each year.

The act would cover any breeding facility with ten or more intact females and would require that each dog have:

1. Sufficient food and clean water;
2. Necessary veterinary care;
3. Sufficient housing, including protection from the elements;
4. Sufficient space to turn and stretch freely, lie down, and fully extend his or her limbs;
5. Regular exercise; and
6. Adequate rest between breeding cycles.
   

The act also limits the number of intact dogs over 6 months of age at any one facility to 50.

This act would ensure what all reputable breeders already know, practice, and do. Healthy puppies must come from healthy mothers, and healthy mothers need exercise, space, veterinary care, quality food and water, and rest between their litters.

Puppies from pet stores are not good deals, and people should encourage adoption from shelters, breed specific rescue, or from a reputable breeder (breed specific rescues keep a list of breeders they consider reputable.)

For more information, please go to: Yes on Prop. B

Please encourage your Missouri friends to vote YES! on Prop. B!

NY Passes the First Animal Abuser Registry in the Nation!

This is really big news and a big step in the right direction! Check out this article from CBSnews posted by Barry Leibowitz:

You've probably heard of Megan's Laws, designed to keep sex offenders from striking again. Now there's a law created to prevent animal abusers from inflicting more cruelty - or moving on to human victims.

Suffolk County, on the eastern half of Long Island, moved to create the nation's first animal abuse registry last week, requiring people convicted of cruelty to animals to register or face jail time and fines.

"We know there is a very strong correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence," said Suffolk County legislator Jon Cooper, the bill's sponsor. "Almost every serial killer starts out by torturing animals, so in a strange sense we could end up protecting the lives of people."
The online list will be open to the public, so that pet owners or the merely curious can find out whether someone living near them is on it. Some animal abusers have been known to steal their neighbors' pets.

Cooper is also pushing legislation that would bar anyone on the registry from buying or adopting a pet from a shelter, pet shop or breeder.

The law was prompted by a number of animal abuse cases in recent months, including that of a Selden woman accused of forcing her children to watch her torture and kill kittens and dozens of dogs, then burying the pets in her backyard.

Animal welfare activists hope the law, passed unanimously Tuesday in the suburban New York City county of 1.5 million people, will inspire governments nationwide in the same way Megan's Law registries for child molesters have proliferated in the past decade.

A spokesman for county Executive Steve Levy said he intends to sign the legislation. It then requires a six-month review by state officials before it goes on the books, said the spokesman, Dan Aug.

More than a dozen states have introduced legislation to establish similar registries, but Suffolk County is the first government entity to pass such a law, said Stephan Otto, director of legislative affairs for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

The Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will administer the database, to be funded by a $50 fee paid by convicted abusers. All abusers 18 or older must supply authorities with their address, a head-and-shoulders photograph and any aliases. Convicted abusers will remain on the registry for five years. Those failing to register face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

As Fred Surbito took his Yorkshire terrier, Sasha, in for grooming at a Farmingville pet store this week, he applauded the legislation.

"It's very, very important," he said. "If you don't love an animal, you should not have an animal. An animal is part of your family. Like your children, they should never be neglected or harmed. Anybody that does should never own a pet again."

Caboodle Ranch

Craig Grant's story has been in the news quite a bit lately. Grant is a retired man living in Madison, FL and who may just be the best thing that has happened to stray cats in a long time. Grant, who disliked cats most of his life, was left with his son's cat when he moved out of his father's house. That cat turned out to be pregnant, and what started as burden to take care of his son's cat turned into a mission to care for as many cats as possible.



Grant discovered a strong affinity and admiration for felines and quit his job to open his own cat sanctuary on a thirty acre plot of land called The Caboodle Ranch. Here is a great article from Yahoo Green:

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/guest_bloggers/69/man-builds-cat-sized-village-for-homeless-cats.html



Here also is the Caboodle Ranch LiveJournal page, where you can read daily updates, buy stuff, and donate:

http://caboodleranch.livejournal.com/

NYLS SALDF's First Event of the Semester: Film Screening of "Your Mommy Kills Animals"

I am very pleased to announce that our SALDF chapter is going to be holding a film screening event!

Film: Your Mommy Kills Animals
Date: September 22; Wed.
Time: 7:00pm-9:30pm
Room: A400



The film we are screening is academy award winning documentarian Curt Johnson's "Your Mommy Kills Animals." The film is a brilliantly unbiased journey in to the world of animal rights, and the many faces it has. Made shortly after the FBI declared the animal rights movement the number one domestic terrorist threat to the United States, the film spans the entire spectrum of people who fight to protect animals, through both legal and illegal means. First hand accounts by both animal rights advoates and those in opposition, as well as undercover footage fleshes out a topic that we often only hear one side of and one that is almost always skewed far from the truth.

I cannot stress enough how great this film is. There are a few graphic scenes, but it comes with the issue. I hope you will all come next Wednesday. Also, for pop-culture fans, look for cameos from Katherine Heigel, Jessica Biel, Joss Stone, and Paul Watson from Whale Wars (wow, I really didn't think how little he fit in to that list of celebrities when I started it...). Don't take it from me, check out what some of the critics have said:


That one can’t quite decide if these charming men are heroes or villains is a mark of Johnson’s calm, even approach to an issue seemingly fueled by emotions run amok.
-Chuck Wilson L.A. Weekly

It's the best kind of documentary, in that if you're a thinking person it is nearly impossible to watch the movie without having your point of view challenged and questioned.
-Jim Hemphill Reel.com

The most accessible, thorough chronicle of animal rights ever put to film.
-Norm Shrager Filcritic.com

It's impossible to watch without having your point of view challenged – no matter which side of the issue you're on.
-Barrett Hopper National Post

And check out the trailer on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoCLt9AR_NI

So I hope you will all come! It's a great film and there will be great food. See you on the 22nd!!!

The Problem with Breed Specific Legislation

Everyone has heard of "Dangerous Breed" dogs. These dogs are often the target of legislation, insurance policy bans, and bad reputations. But this list is growing. There are 75 Breeds of dogs that have been targets of legislation. Many of the dogs listed don't even make sense, such as St. Bernards, which are well known for their ability to rescue humans.

The real problem with breed specific legislation is that it reinforces the idea of a 'safe' dogs. There is no such thing as a 'safe' dog. A dog is an animal, and like any animal, needs the proper love, guidance, and training early in life to become a well adjusted adult dog.

If people think their dog is 'safe' simply by virtue of not being a dangerous breed, they are more likely to not invest in training, or supervise children with the dog, or even take the time to assert their dominance over the dog. While most people understand the importance of asserting dominance over a larger breed dog, very few see the necessity in doing so with a smaller breed. To be entirely honest, I have met far more nasty and ill-mannered small and toy breed dogs than I have large breed dogs.

Additionally, it does not help that an entire industry has been built around people treating their dogs like children, rather than dogs, only reinforcing the idea that they do not need training.

There are very few dogs that terrify me. I have been around dogs of all sizes, all breeds, but the dogs that terrify me the most are those that are not trained.

Regardless of size, an untrained dog is a dangerous dog. This is a fact. A dog that is untrained and unchecked is completely unpredictable, and the owner has no control over this dog.

Breed specific legislation places blanket judgment on breeds that have bad histories or who have been utilized for their strength and size, and does nothing to protect the public from the untrained dogs.

If the studies and reports were different, I think the underlying factor behind dog attacks would be a lack of proper training.

Allison

These are the 75 that have been unfairly targeted:

1. AIREDALE TERRIER
2. AKBASH
3. AKITA
4. ALAPAHA BLUE BLOOD BULLDOG
5. ALASKAN MALAMUTE
6. ALSATIAN SHEPHERD
7. AMERICAN BULLDOG
8. AMERICAN HUSKY
9. AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER
10. AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER
11. AMERICAN WOLFDOG
12. ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD
13. ARIKARA DOG
14. AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG
15. AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD
16. BELGIAN MALINOIS
17. BELGIAN SHEEPDOG
18. BELGIAN TURVUREN
19. BLUE HEELER
20. BOERBUL
21. BORZOI
22. BOSTON TERRIER
23. BOUVIER DES FLANDRES
24. BOXER
25. BULLDOG
26. BULL TERRIER
27. BULL MASTIFF
28. CANE CORSO
29. CATAHOULA LEOPARD DOG
30. CAUCASIAN SHEPHERD
31. CHINESE SHAR PEI
32. CHOW-CHOW
33. COLORADO DOG
34. DOBERMAN PINSCHER
35. DOGO DE ARGENTINO
36. DOGUE DE BORDEAUX
37. ENGLISH MASTIFFS
38. ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL
39. ESKIMO DOG
40. ESTRELA MOUNTAIN DOG
41. FILA BRASILIERO
42. FOX TERRIER
43. FRENCH BULLDOG
44. GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG
45. GOLDEN RETRIEVER
46. GREENLAND HUSKY
47. GREAT DANE
48. GREAT PYRANEES
49. ITALIAN MASTIFF
50. KANGAL DOG
51. KEESHOND
52. KOMONDOR
53. KOTEZEBUE HUSKY
54. KUVAZ
55. LABRADOR RETRIEVER
56. LEONBERGER
57. MASTIFF
58. NEOPOLITAN MASTIFF
59. NEWFOUNDLAND
60. OTTERHOUND
61. PRESA DE CANARIO
62. PRESA DE MALLORQUIN
63. PUG
64. ROTTWEILER
65. SAARLOOS WOLFHOND
66. SAINT BERNARD
67. SAMOYED
68. SCOTTISH DEERHOUND
69. SIBERIAN HUSKY
70. SPANISH MASTIFF
71. STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER
72. TIMBER SHEPHERD
73. TOSA INU
74. TUNDRA SHEPHERD
75. WOLF SPITZ

Obama Where Art Thou? (A Cautionary Whale)

I'm going to be cynical here momentarily:

Some year and a half or so ago now, though it feels like a decade, I was left with the relatively easy decision of voting for the wealthy politician on the left or the wealthy politician on the right. I won't get into my personal views on politics, but suffice it to say that Palin's proposed legislation and cash incentives to promote aerial wolf hunting when she was governor of Alaska were enough to ensure I'd never take that circus sideshow of a President/Vice President nominee combination seriously (amongst the slue of other insults to my intelligence). Through my guarded optimism I still feel I made the right choice that brisk November 4th night in 2008, but no matter what, you have to stay on top of these people. An American President is a fragile thing that can easily be led astray. "We the People" must be ever diligent to keep these little mischief makers we call our leaders on the right path. So, here is what our good and benevolent President is doing now that is really, for lack/censorship of a better word, cheesing me off.


I'll give you the short of it:

On April 22 of this year (ironically Earth Day), The International Whaling Commission (IWC) announced a plan to lift the whale moratorium which has been in place for 24 years. The moratorium was put in place to make most of commercial whaling illegal outside of scientific research and subsistence (absolute neccesity). The decision to possibly legalize commercial whaling again stems from pressure from nations like Norway, Iceland, and Japan who have continued commercial whaling anyway, through loopholes in the IWC's whale moratorium (for example, Japan just claims all their whaling is for "scientific research," which isn't true and also incredibly obvious).

The possible lift of the whale moratorium has been received with harsh criticism (well justified in my opinion). While not perfect, the whale moratorium has undeniably saved the whale populations, particularly the humpback whale, in our oceans. Some environmentalists have even deemed the moratorium one of the great environmental achievements of the 20th Century. Hundreds of scientists have warned that the lift of the moratorium would be devestating to the whale populations (remember the spotted owl from Legs and Regs?) and have pleaded with the IWC to keep the moratorium in place. The wonderful nations of Australia and New Zealand have even gone so far as to threaten to take serious legal actions against Japan if they do not stop their facade of harpooning whales for "scientific research." But what is our fair president Obama doing in the midst of all this? SPEARHEADING THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT TO LIFT THE MORATORIUM!

One would think that with this whole BP situation already destroying uncountable wildlife, much of which on the shores of our own country, our president would be more concerned about preserving what balance of the oceans' ecosystems we have left. Nope, not the case, not at all, not even a little. Obama is currently negotiating terms with Iceland, Norway, Japan, and the IWC to lift the moratorium on commerical whaling for at least ten years and let these whaling companies basically descend on the whale populations with a free-for-all slaughter with no negotiations or plans to reinstate the moratorium after ten years. Basically the current presidency could very well go down in history for contributing in the destruction of our planet's oceans.

I voted for you!! Does it come down to the reality that my vote can only choose to support the salvation of one species and not the other?

But like I said, sometimes our misguided leadership just needs a push in the right direction. Therefore, you all should send this petition from the link below and get your friends and family to do it too (if you care, of course, no pressure, just, you know, 70% of the Earth's surface we are talking about here). I recommend the links to the articles on the petition page also. They are great pieces and far more eloquent than anything I have said in my angry yet reserved rant here (this is a school related blog after all). I hope you will sign this petition and tell others about it. After the recent IWC conference in Morrocco the whale moratorium is safe for another year, but who knows what the future holds, hopefully whales and a few oceans....





http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5154/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3471




P.S. On a similar topic. I hope you all go rent The Cove, a great documentary about a particularly heinous cestacian industry in Japan. Check out my earlier post about it!

The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome

The New York Times has a truly fantastic article about animal cruelty, animal cruelty laws, and why everyone involved in law enforcement should be paying attention and treating crimes against animals just as seriously as those against humans. The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome looks over several aspects of animal cruelty, and how animal cruelty can often be a sign of other issues and crimes being committed, from domestic violence, child abuse, gang related crimes, and many more. The article also discusses the ASPCA's new CSI mobile unit that can help process crime scenes when the victims are animals. The head of the unit also gives lectures to help teach local law enforcement and CSI officials how to preserve the evidence of animal cruelty cases.

Most importantly, 46 states have felony level crimes for animal cruelty, and states are passing laws that require veterinarians to report potential animal cruelty to authorities, mainly because it is so often linked to other criminal behavior. California is currently considering listing those convicted of animal cruelty on the same type of online registry as sex offenders or arsonists.

So what value is this article to us other than knowledge? It can give us a launch-point to urge New York City and New York to go a step further. NY currently shields veterinarians from Civil and Criminal Liability in reporting abuse. NY should take the next step and require reporting by veterinarians. NYC should work with the ASPCA officers and set up a special prosecution office solely for animal cruelty cases. A special prosecutions office would allow those cases to get priority in an office dedicated to them, rather than fall by the wayside as 'people crimes' come in and take priority. It is for these same reasons that offices like the SVU team have been set up.

This article sheds some light on why animal cruelty is absolutely inexcusable.

Allison Gill

***Special Update:Darted Pigeons***

A few weeks ago, a pigeon was spotted with a metal dart protruding from her head above her eyes in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The dart likely came from a blowgun, a hollow tubal weapon in which the propelling force is air. The cruel attack is eerily reminiscent of similar blowgun attacks against a flock of pigeons in Park Slope reported in the New York Times in 1998.

Blowgun darts do not kill pigeons immediately, but often go through their bodies and stay, causing the birds great pain and making them vulnerable to infection and eventual death.

Darting pigeons is a violation of New York State animal cruelty law and the Environmental Conservation Law and can be punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine for each darting.

The public can report animal cruelty to either the New York City Police Department or to the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement department, which can be reached at (212) 876-7700, ext. 4450.

For help aiding darted pigeons in New York City, contact:

Wild Bird Fund: (646) 306-2862 www.wildbirdfund.com

Wildlife in Tribeca: (212) 766-7340 www.wildlifeintribeca.org

For help catching a darted pigeon, contact:
New York City Pigeon Rescue Central: (212)873-6030 http://nycprc.org/

Congrats to the grads!

So long finals (for now)!

We'll be updating throughout the Summer, but see you all in full swing come Fall Semester '10!





Have a great Summer!!!

The Cove

I hope finals are as painless as possible for everyone right now. It's almost over!!



If you are looking for a break, or just a good movie, I highly recommend picking up from the video store (if they still exist), or sending to the top of your Netflix queue, The Cove. The Cove is a film by Louie Pshioyos, a professional scuba diver and prolific nature photographer who has taken many of the incredible pictures you see in National Geographic magazines. The film is incredible. It is shocking and unsettling, but also a film I think anyone could and enjoy and that everyone should see.



The premise is like something out of a Tom Clancy novel (admittedly I've never read a Tom Clancy novel, but I mean, from the covers I assume that comparison...anyway....) and centers around both a person and a place. The person is Ric O'Barry, a former dolphin trainer who trained and befriended the dolphins that played Flipper in the 1960s television show. Barry took great pride in this job until he realized the dolphins were incredibly unhappy. It wasn't until one of the dolphins committed what seemed to be some form of suicide that Barry realized that humanity's fascination with dolphins was slowly killing them. O'Barry quit his job and then, only days later, was arrested off the coast Bimini freeing a dolphin from a confinement pen. He has worked tirelessly since to help liberate dolphins and spread the message of their mistreatment throughout the world.

So Louie meets O'Barry in the place where most of the events take place: Taiji, Wakayama, a beach community in Japan that has long been fascinated by the dolphins and whales living off its coast, but which harbors unspeakable secrets. Together, Louie and O'Barry develop spy techniques, strategically place hidden cameras, and sneak into the hidden cove off Taiji to discover what is really happening to the dolphins and what Taiji's fishing industry is really selling to its customers (seriously people, you can't make this stuff up).

Called "Flipper meets The Bourne Identity," The Cove succeeds on so many levels and really needs to be seen. It won the Academy Award for best documentary this year, and got the unheard of rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes; so if my opinion isn't solid enough, you always have the film industries. Definitely check out The Cove. You won't regret it.

Farmers Markets, Wonderful For All!

If you are a NYC dweller, you have probably walked by at least one farmers market at some point. If you haven't may I suggest seeking them out here!

There are few things more despised by some people than the farmers market. Personally, I blame the McCarthy Era and its anti-communism hysteria that resulted in people thinking of Farmers markets as pockets of communist thinkers who just all want to get along with their neighbors and sell them wholesome food. I also blame big grocery stores that have somehow gotten America to have a Pavlovian response to shiny waxy fruit and vegetables that are misted by the little sprayers every ten minutes or so. As a kid I used to attempt to rush over and get my hands wet before they stopped, but I digress.

The best part about farmers markets is that the things you buy are from local farms. Yes, sometimes the veggies are dirty, but that's because they were just picked! Everything is in season, which means nothing has been shipped, boxed up with butter sauce, or preserved with wax.

It is as fresh as can be. Getting fruits, veggies, and fish at farmers markets is a great way to have a naturally varied diet too. The main reason is that different fruits, vegetables, and fish come into season at different times. Even if you only got apples at a farmers market, the apples available in May are not the same varieties available in September. So what this means is that a person eating only what locally can be grown or caught will have a varied diet, going along with the whole mantra of nutritionists: 'Everything in moderation.' Not to mention that the nutritional value of food is best when it is just picked or caught, giving you more bang for your bite!

Speaking of everything, farmers markets have it all. Aside from the classic fruits and veggies, farmers markets also have Eggs, Bread, Cheese, Meat, Fish, Wine, Fresh Flowers, Plants, Honey, Jams, and so so so much more! Many of the foods are organic. A lot of the farmers of meat offer tours of their farms, so you can check conditions out yourself if you'd like. The fish is all wild caught, straight from the local waters, which means it is heavily regulated and sustainable.

So really, you have nothing to lose by incorporating farmers markets into your shopping regimen. They offer so many benefits health wise, help support the local economy and farmers, and is a great way to spend an hour or two. You may even find yourself only going to box stores for a couple of things rather than everything!

Allison

Vegan Cooking...It's More Useful Than You Think!

The reaction I typically get when I mention that something I've cooked is vegan varies from some sort of groan to a grumbling complaint about how nasty it's going to taste. Which I will admit often leads me to lying and not telling anyone that the food they are tasting is vegan until after they've had it. 99% of the time, they can't tell.

As a disclaimer I am not vegan. I love my cheese and eggs. But I don't mind cooking vegan, and it's really not all that hard to do so. I've been asked why I should even bother learning to cook vegan if I'm not vegan myself. It's a good question, and I think the answer is more complex than most people would expect, because vegan cooking and knowledge can be applied in a much broader sense than being vegan alone.

So why vegan if you are not? Vegan is probably among the most extreme of diet choices since it rules out things that most cooks and bakers love like butter, eggs, refined sugar, and milk. But think about some of the other common food allergies and dietary restrictions many people have. Gluten-free, lactose-intolerant, kosher, diabetes, etc. All of these diets can be accommodated easily with a working knowledge of vegan cooking and substitutes.

For example, since vegan recipes have no milk or dairy, people who are lactose intolerant can eat vegan food. I had someone say she was lactose intolerant, loved frosting, but hated vegan frostings she had tried before. The vegan buttercream frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World impressed her. She can now use this frosting on her cakes and cupcakes without fear of being sick. The benefit of this over store bought vegan frosting is that this is made without the aid of chemicals that we can't pronounce or even really identify what it is.

Enough about baking, what about actual cooking? Can vegan substitutions be used in conjunction with non-vegan recipes? Why not! Vegan Substitutes can make great healthy choices in a meal, resulting in a better tasting, healthier meal all around. Need to make a rue? (For the non-cooks, a rue is usually butter and flour cooked together in a paste. A rue allows milk and cream to thicken into a sauce) Why use butter? Yes it's tasty, but Olive oil does the same thing as butter, is healthier, and is unnoticeable in the finished product. It will still thicken milk. Any milk. Including soy milk and skim milk. It just takes longer to thicken than heavy cream.

Another vegan favorite of mine is Polenta, or corn meal. Polenta can be bought in a box dry or in pre-shaped bricks, ready to be sliced and cooked. Polenta is really delicious with vegetables or pasta sauce, and is so hearty most meat-eaters won't be left with an empty spot in their stomachs. It is also readily available, reasonably priced, and not loaded with chemicals or preservatives.

While it is unquestionable that being vegan is hard, knowing vegan cooking can be helpful in accommodating food allergies and making healthy substitutions in preparing food at home, even if one isn't vegan all the time.

Allison NYLS SALDF

Animal Protection Laws (Complimentary Download)

So I thought I would bring it to the attention of the New York Law School community (or at least the 19 or so people that were kind enough to follow our new blog {thanks by the way}) that ALDF is offering a compilation of all the animal protection laws for the United States and Canada. This is a great resource to have, whether you have an interest in animal protection or not, as these laws protecting animals draw a lot of correlations to laws protecting humans and property. The great part about this, especially for law students, is that ALDF is offering this compilation as a complimentary download off of their website. You can also buy the CD version of it from their store for $8.99. I highly recommend taking advantage of free access to this resource. I posted a link below.

http://www.aldf.org/article.php?id=259

Newt's Nook

Last semester, the New York Law School SALDF held a vegan bake sale to help raise money for Newt's Nook, a winter shelter for pitbulls at the Animal Guardians sanctuary in Celina, TX. The story behind the shelter is kind of interesting. I thought this article from Pegasus News, a Dallas/Fort Worth, TX news source, summed it up nicely:

Newt’s Nook is open for business.

The heated, air-conditioned facility at the Animal Guardians sanctuary, named for former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, provides a safe, healthy environment for injured rescue dogs, particularly pit bulls, to recuperate until they are adopted.

“We’re thrilled to help such a worthy project,” said Dawn Rizos, owner of The Lodge gentlemen’s club in Dallas, who funded the shelter after Gingrich rejected her donation to his political organization. “I wish Newt were here to see these wonderful dogs and know that we’re giving them a chance for happier lives.”

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Lodge and Animal Guardians staffers teamed up for a dedication ceremony, hanging a large “Newt’s Nook” sign on the building and welcoming dogs to the new facility. The sign, created by Lodge bartender Bryan Calloway, features a caricature of a smiling Gingrich and a friendly, content pit bull.

“We were going to throw a bigger party,” Rizos explained, “but we decided to devote the resources to this great cause instead.”

She announced that The Lodge would donate an additional $100 to Animal Guardians for every dog adopted through Valentine’s Day 2010, and give each adopter a gift certificate to The Lodge or Stratos Global Greek Taverna, a popular Dallas restaurant.

The idea for the shelter stemmed from an Entrepreneur of the Year Award that Gingrich bestowed on Rizos, then rescinded. In September Gingrich’s organization, American Solutions for Winning the Future, invited Rizos to receive the honor from him at a private dinner in Washington on October 7. A week before the dinner, the organization said there had been a mix-up and told Rizos not to attend.

The Lodge, the country’s best-known and most-honored gentlemen’s club, helps hundreds of people support their families and further their educations, while setting industry standards for beauty, elegance and integrity.

“So we weren’t surprised to get the award, and we were disappointed to suddenly be rejected,” Rizos said. “But instead of holding a grudge, we decided to make something positive out of his bad manners.”

When Gingrich returned the $5,000 donation that was required to attend the dinner, Rizos redirected the money to Animal Guardians, a home for rescue dogs 40 miles north of downtown Dallas.

“I can’t tell you how much this new building means to us,” said Animal Guardians Director Annette Lambert, who cares for more than 100 dogs at the sanctuary. “Dawn didn’t deserve to be treated like that, but this will do so much for these loving dogs until we find them good homes.”

Source: The Lodge

Thanks Newt!!

Justices Void Law Banning Videos of Animal Cruelty

WASHINGTON — In a major and muscular First Amendment ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a federal law that made it a crime to create or sell dogfight videos and other depictions of animal cruelty. The Full Article (NYTIMES.com)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allison Gill, NYLS SALDF Secretary

This is a terrible blow to the laws that help prevent cruelty to animals. This law basically placed a criminal statute on those selling or trafficking videos of dogfighting or other cruelty to animal videos. It was struck down under the first amendment, saying that the law was too broad, and would also allow for the prosecution of those who do not do anything illegal in making the film, such as hunting.

The government's arguments that this is akin to child pornography laws was rejected because Child Pornography laws are a 'special case' because the underlying market is 'intrinsically related to the abuse.' This has got to be one of the most absurd conclusions, as the videos are intrinsically related. For what purpose could a dog fighting or other animal cruelty video be used? I'm having a hard time coming up with any legitimate reasons that don't further abuse. The law also included several exceptions for religious, political, scientific, news, and other legitimate purposes that are protected by the first amendment, so the overly broad context is equally puzzling.

While it left open the possibility for congress to create a new, narrower law that would pass muster, it also allows for these videos to be legal for at least a little while. The problem is that these videos are now legal in the mean time, and animals are left worse off.

Moral Superiority

Some Summer Reading

With the summer coming up and many of us getting our first opportunity in a long time to read something that isn't published by Thomson, Aspen, or West, I thought it might be a good time to list some recommendations to anyone interested in learning more about animal law, animal rights, or animals in general. Whether you are passionate about the cause, skeptical, or just curious, each of these works are excellent, highly acclaimed, and only a starting point into the topic. Enjoy, and if you happen to read any and have something you want to say, feel free to comment!

BOOKS:

Rattling the Cage (Towards Legal Rights for Animals) by Steven M. Wise

On the topic of animal law, this is about the finest (and arguably only) primer on the topic. Steven Wise is both a practicing lawyer and a Harvard professor who has spent much of his legal career defending the rights of everything from chimpanzees and dogs to goats and dolphins. Wise uses a variety of arguments to support his position that the legal rights of animals are not only worth protecting, but that it is an utter insult and contradiction to the modern values of society not to protect them. Wise strings the mistakes of the past to the stubborness of the present and shows how the same bigoted notions that rationalized slavery, segretation, and women's sufferage, are the same ones that have support the belief that non-human animals possess nothing more than an instrumental value in our modern society. Its a disturbing but eye-opening book. I read it before I went to law school and didn't understand a lot of the legal theory in it, but definitely intend to reread it this summer. Highly recommended.

Animal Liberation by Peter Singer

Peter Singer's "Animal Liberation" is considered by many to be the founding philosophical statement on the idea of animal rights. If you want to start anywhere on the topic, this is a good a place as any. Here is where terms like speciesism were born. Singer takes an utilitarian approach to rationalizing a more ethical treatment of animals, an approach very reminiscent to the first week of criminal law class. The great part about "Animal Liberation" is that it never becomes condescending. It is simply a strong argument that demands an equal rebuttal. If you are for or against animal rights, "Animal Liberation" is a must read before you take too far a stept in either direction.

Oh, and as a side note, if you would like to read an interesting (and I say no more than interesting) rebuttal to "Animal Liberation" you can read Judge Posner's debate against Singer in Star Magazine.

Redemption by Nathan Winograd

Though a much more narrow and biased topic than anything I would recommend at the outset of learning about animal rights, I think it is a relevant and wonderful argument for no-kill shelters in America. The author, Nathan Winograd, is a former lawyer who stopped practicing law to try and revamp the animal shelter system in America. He has had great success in several cities (particularly San Diego, which now has the most successful adoption rate and no-kill system in the country). While much of the material is controverted, I think what really shines through is Winograd's philosophy that the reason that so many animals die in shelters is because of the shelters themselves. We often want to blame people in general for not caring enough about animals, but it is the shelters that need to really change if people are going to come to understand and care more for the lives of abandoned animals in their neighborhoods. If nothing else, is a great story about what one person (a lawyer for that matter) was willing to do to save the lives of as many animals as he could.

Making a Killing by Bob Torres

Bob Torres is a notorious animal rights advocate, and an expert on the subject. He holds a PhD in Developmental Sociology from Cornell, is a professor of animal rights and anarchy at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York, hosts the Vegan Freak radio show (free to listen, highly recommend it) with his equally brilliant wife Jenna, has cool tattoos, interviewed most of the people on this list so far, and is an all around pretty great guy. When he was younger, he worked in slaughter houses and saw first hand all the cruel practices that are business standards in the meat industry. This book is great because it takes a very different approach to exploring the need for animal rights. Using "social marxist anarchist" theory, Torres explores the various facets of animal exploitation in our society and pushes the argument through socioeconomic logic, even though Torres' real passion for defending animals is because he loves them. In the books five chapters, Torres stresses how ethical treatment of animals will make society function more economically and ultimately how the wrong we are doing to non-human animals is destroying both the world and ourselves. There is a particularly great chapter about the "so-called" animal right group PETA, aptly called "You Cannot Buy The Revolution," and the light Torres sheds on PETA (in my opinion one of the biggest scams in history) will have you cancelling your monthly donations and feeling like you've bought the biggest lie ever sold. Its an unsettling work, but not without optimism.

If you enjoy this book, I also recomment Bob and Jenna's primer on being vegan "Hello, My Name is Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World." Its short, cute, funny, and has great resources in it about exploring veganism. The two of them are sometimes a little too biased for me, but they are undeniably brilliant and know more about animal rights and veganism then just about anyone else out there making themselves heard.

As I said before, there is a universe of books, editorials, and essays on the topic of animal law and animal rights, but I think this is a good place to start. I'll try to update regularly when I think of something else. Until then. Start reading!

Useful Links & Resources

Animal Legal Defense Fund

http://www.aldf.org/

Resources for Law Students & SALDF chapters

http://www.aldf.org/section.php?id=100

Bar Association Animal Law Sections and Committees

http://www.aldf.org/article.php?id=277

Humane Society of the United States

http://www.humanesociety.org/

ASPCA

http://www.aspca.org/

Defenders of Wildlife

http://www.defenders.org/

Compassion over Killing

http://www.cok.net/

Equal Justice Alliance

http://www.equaljusticealliance.org/

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