"I Am Leaving, I Am Leaving, But the Fighter Still Remains..."

I am leaving/I am leaving/But the fighter still remains

-Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer"

What better lyrics to quote than those immortal lines from Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon's "The Boxer" to describe a tragic defeat? The news from last night was not good. I'm not talking about the Republicans and Super Tuesday.

I'm talking about Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who lost in the Ohio Democratic primary yesterday to Mary Kaptur.

Since 1997, Kucinich has been a tireless advocate for the poor, minorities, working families and progressive reform. He has also been a voice for the voiceless: Animals.

Kucinich is the only vegan in Congress. Moreover, he has spent years sponsoring and supporting animal-friendly legislation. Kucinich has demonstrated "a career-long commitment to animal welfare and active leadership on these issues," said the Humane Society Legislative Fund, the lobbying branch of the United States Humane Society. (Source)

As the Cleveland Plain-Dealer noted:

The group applauded Kucinich for co-sponsoring a law that bans commerce in videos showing the torture of live animals for the sexual titillation of viewers, as well as legislation that would crack down on puppy mills, establish federal penalties for dogfights and cockfights, and phase out the use of chimpanzees in invasive medical research. Kucinich's wife, Elizabeth, who works as public affairs director for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, has been an outspoken advocate of the chimp protection bill. (Source)

In the days leading up the primary election, record executive, humanitarian, vegan and GlobalGrind.com founder Russell Simmons offered the following impassioned plea for Kucinich:

While we watch the Republicans try to drag our country further and further to the Right, there is no other congressmember who fights for a more compassionate America than Dennis. He wants everyone to have healthcare, affordable higher education and quality, sustainable jobs. During his entire political career, he has been a champion for peace and a powerful anti-war activist. He has shown compassion for the planet and all of the animals that inhabit it. He has stood up for the gay community and other under-served communities who often times are forgotten about on the House floor. He has always protected the rights of African-Americans and Latinos, even when it wasn't in his best "political interests." Dennis Kucinich is the People's Congressman. He cannot be bought and sold by any special interest group or any lobbying firm. He goes to work everyday for the people of his district and of this great nation. He has never taken for granted the rights he was given, as he has always fought for the rights of everyone. (Source)

Representative Kucinich's defeat yesterday was indeed a depressing moment in American politics, but not exactly a surprise. The political landscape in Washington, D.C. is not always kind to genuinely humanitarian progressives and gadflies like Dennis Kucinich.

And his defeat comes at a bad time for animals, as more and more state legislatures are trying to pass "Ag-Gag" laws banning videotaping and photographing inside of factory farms and slaughterhouses.

But the fight goes on. Kucinich never gave up. We shouldn't, either. The stakes are too high. Human lives and animal lives hang in the balance. Kucinich understood that human rights and animal rights are two sides of the same coin. One without the other is meaningless.

He'll be missed. But his example will continue to inspire others. On his Facebook page today, Kucinich quoted from an old 19th Century treatise called The Scripture of the Serene Life (1857), by J.W. Lloyd. The words are worth repeating here:

Live truth, work excellence, reach toward your ideal, but trouble not your soul about the meagerness of material results, for all spiritual laborers work along invisible lines to unforeseen and universal results... they always seem to miss their aim and always hit a larger and more eternal mark. Let all things move freely around you, and float you, on eternal currents. (Source)

State of the Animal Union: Not Much to Be Thrilled About

U.S. President Barack Obama used his State of the Union Address to help heal wounds and bridge deep divisions in the United States. He emphasized America's gradual economic recovery, referred to a plan to help military families, and spoke of the need for Americans to rise above their political differences. The following passage was fairly typical:

Amid all the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate, (the Tucson, Ariz., shooting) reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater — something more consequential than party or political preference. We are part of the American family. (Source)

Obama has come under a lot of fire from his critics on the right, no doubt about it. Meantime, those on the other end of the political spectrum tend to circle the wagons around the president and praise his performance in the White House, warts and all.

There aren't many people who are taking the president - or any political leaders, for that matter, Democrat or Republican - to task over the federal government's terrible policies on animals. In fact, when it comes to the issue of animal rights, you'd have a hard time making an argument that one of the political parties in the United States is any better than the other.

Sure, you'll run into the occasional elected official who has made animal rights and/or veganism an issue. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is a prime example. He's a vegan, and a very proud one at that. I'm sure if you racked your brain you could come up with some others.

But animals are not really on the agenda of either political party. The Obama administration has done no more to help (or hurt) animals than the Bush administration. Government subsidies continue to go to factory farms under Obama, just as they did under his predecessors. Meanwhile, the federal government is notorious for failing to protect animals. This is as true under Obama as it was under Bush. In many cases, animals are actually harmed by government policies. Take, for example, the announcement just a few days before Obama's State of the Union address that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) admitted it was responsible for poisoning hundreds of birds in South Dakota. The reason? The birds were targeted because they were eating food at a Nebraska feedlot and leaving their droppings there, too. (Source)

And then there's the Obama administration's policy of rounding up wild horses, which was noted very eloquently on the blog Straight from the Horse's Heart:

While thousands of Americans lost their homes and tens of thousands lost their jobs the Obama administration was spending millions of dollars chasing wild horses, killing some and penning up the rest with no regard to science, proper research or the bottom line.

Sad as it is to say, most liberals aren't any more "progressive" than conservatives when it comes to animals and their well-being. One would think that left-leaning folks, with their emphasis on the "underdog," would be natural allies for the animal rights struggle. Some are, no question about it.

But many aren't. I read a dreadful piece in the left-wing Nation magazine last month, written by Melissa Harris-Perry (professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton), about football player Michael Vick, notorious for his involvement in a dogfighting ring. Oddly, Harris-Perry used her bully pulpit as an opportunity to slam the Animal Rights Movement for not being sensitive to racial issues. At one point, Harris-Perry wrote:

Not only have animals been used as weapons against black people, but many African Americans feel that the suffering of animals evokes more empathy and concern among whites than does the suffering of black people. For example, in the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina dozens of people sent me a link to an image of pets being evacuated on an air conditioned bus. This image was a sickening juxtaposition to the conditions faced by tens of thousands of black residents trapped by the storm and it provoked great anger and pain for those who sent it to me. (Source)

The column was a cheap shot, obviously written by someone who has no awareness whatsoever about the Animal Rights Movement, or the fact that it has numerous African American adherents, both famous and not-so famous.

In December, when Obama gave the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles a high five for giving Michael Vick another chance, the president of the United States made a very deliberate decision that sent out a clear message. The message: Obama doesn't care about the dogs that Vick abused. By extension, it could be argued, he doesn't give much of a damn about animals.

There are some people who are hoping Obama will experience an epiphany or a change of heart on the issue. In Utah, kind-hearted Francis Battista runs the Best Friends Animal Society, which took in many of Michael Vick's traumatized Pit Bulls. The caring folks at Best Friends are now rehabilitating these amazing dogs back to good health and wholeness. The photo (above) was taken at the Society and originally appeared in USA Today. Volunteers at the Best Friends sanctuary have taken to calling the sweet and inspiring rescued Pit Bulls the "Vicktory Dogs" (a play on Vick's name). Battista announced in December that he is waiting for a telephone call of support from Barack Obama, in the wake of Obama giving the Philadelphia Eagles owner the high five. As Battista noted:

While we no longer wait by the phone for a call from Mr. Vick asking after his dogs, the likelihood of a call from the president has brought new esprit to the switchboard team and I've put together some notes on those we call the Vicktory dogs in case someone puts the historic call through to me by mistake. The conversation will go something like this: "Mr. President, what a surprise! Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to commend us for giving the Vicktory dogs a second chance. Sure, I've got a few minutes to fill you in..." Kind of a presidential briefing, I guess. (Source)

Here it is, late January, and that phone call hasn't come yet. If I could give one piece of advice to Battista, it would be this: Don't hold your breath.

Time to change "politics as usual" by putting animals on the national political agenda

In my past life, before I became a vegan, I would've been sitting in front of the television, completely wrapped up in the Midterm Election results. This is a particularly interesting election, with the Tea Party insurgency taking over the Republican Party, and the Democrats are about to suffer a grim setback to their great victory two years ago.

Truth is, I've become appalled with "politics as usual" ever since becoming a vegan and experiencing a heightened awareness of animal rights. Partisan politics has gotten to be so damned ugly. And it's ugly on both sides of the spectrum (although most of the ugliness, at this particular moment in history, is coming from the extreme Right).

Worse yet, neither camp - Democrats or Republicans - seem to be too terribly interested in the well being of animals. It's as if animals are not even on their radar.

Often, the Democrats seem to be more natural kindred spirits than Republicans. You're more likely, I'm sure, to find higher numbers of vegans among Democrats. Most animal rights activists, if they are political, are probably Democrats or somewhere on the left side of the spectrum.

But whenever I turn on the television and listen to the pundits and political talking heads discussing the latest happenings in the hallowed halls of power, I'm struck by the absolute absence - the total and complete absence - of animals on anybody's agenda, Democrat or Republican. Whether commentators are on the Left or Right, they're united by their rigid human-centric worldview.

Animal rights activists are often criticized for not being sufficiently pro-human rights. I've addressed this issue recently on this Blog (see here). For years, foes of the animal rights movement have accused us of not being concerned about human rights. That nonsensical claim has been discredited over and over again by thoughtful animal rights advocates. Maybe it's time for us to more aggressively turn the argument around and point out that the human-centric pundits don't care about animal rights. If they truly give a damn, they'd better start to show some genuine concern for animals.

I'm not just talking about the United States, either. The same thing needs to happen in democracies around the world including here in Canada. I often focus on the United States because I teach American History, I used to live in the United States (indeed, I've actually lived most of my life there), and I think that trends that occur in the U.S. have a way of rippling around the world because the country has so much influence. But these lessons are applicable elsewhere, including right here in Canada.

We get so immersed in our own subculture that it's easy to miss the fact that we have a lot of work to do. Getting animals on the national political radar is an uphill struggle. Brave animal rights activists have made great accomplishments and now the movement for the liberation of animals is taken very seriously in communities across North America. There is still a lot of work to do to get animals on the national agenda, but make no mistake: They are worth it. The key is to keep doing what we're doing, so that our subculture continues to expand, wins new converts and begins to exert real influence on the mainstream.

The Possibility of a Huge Breakthrough in Ohio...

The following alert was sent out from the wonderful folks at Farm Sanctuary in New York. It's fantastic news and has the potential to be a huge breakthrough in animal rights!

If you get a chance, please visit Farm Sanctuary's Website. These people are absolute saints.

Dear friend of farm animals,



For years, Farm Sanctuary has worked with dedicated members like you to help pass some of the most important reforms in the history of the farm animal protection movement. With you by our side, we helped ban gestation crates in Florida, gestation crates and veal crates in Arizona, and, for the first time in U.S. history, gestation crates, veal crates and battery cages with the recent landslide victory of Proposition 2 in California – the nation’s largest agricultural state.

Standing together with you, we continued to build on the momentum gained from these successes as anti-confinement legislation was enacted in more states across the U.S., including Oregon, Colorado, Maine, and Michigan. Now, we have our sights set on passing the most sweeping initiative yet in Ohio, and we need your support to make it happen.

Over the next five months, we will be working to collect 600,000 signatures in the Buckeye State for a ballot initiative that will:

End the use of cruel factory farm confinement systems for tens of thousands of veal calves, 170,000 breeding sows and roughly 27 million egg-laying hens who are denied even the ability to turn around or stretch their limbs.

Stop the slaughter of downed cattle for human consumption, and consequently bring an end to the practice of dragging, prodding, pushing, and beating these sick, weak or injured non-ambulatory animals to move them to slaughterhouse kill floors.

Ban the use of inhumane euthanasia practices that cause tremendous suffering for sick and injured animals prior to their deaths.

Never before has one ballot initiative proposed to do so much to end cruelty to farm animals. But the road ahead will not be easy. Factory farm interests will use every means available to them to maintain the status quo and continue engaging in these egregiously cruel practices. Ohio farm animals are counting on us to stop them, so we must win this fight!

Please find out what you can do now to help us with efforts on the ground. If you live elsewhere, please send this alert on our Ohio initiative to any friends, family and colleagues you have in the state and help us build the network and team we need for a successful campaign to pass this measure.

It is only through your support that we are able to create meaningful change and bring relief to suffering farm animals state by state. Thank you for your dedication and compassion. We look forward to making history with you once again!

Yours for farm animals,



Gene Baur


Co-Founder and President
Farm Sanctuary