Kinship Circle Update: June-Sept, 2007

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#1. KC UPDATES: JUNE - SEPT 2007 KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN PART 1: UPDATES / JUNE - SEPTEMBER 2007 Victories * Setbacks * Progress For Animals Past Kinship Circle Updates: http://www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/ THIS EMAIL CONTAINS: PART 1: KC UPDATES / JUNE - SEPTEMBER 2007 1. MEPs Sign On To End Primate

Testing In Europe 2. Mercy’s Killer Faces Bond Increase 3. Big Win! Saint Louis University Phases Out Live Pig Lab 4. SHAC 7 Prisoner Darius Fullmer Free On 9/28! 5. Gratuitous Farmed Animal Assaults On The Rise 6. Canada’s Largest Foie Gras Maker Eludes Cruelty Charges 7. Horse Slaughter Ban Inches Along With Ag Bill Provision 8. PCRM Sues UCSF For Reckless Animal Tests 9. House Passes Resolution Condemning Canadian Seal Hunt If you did NOT get PART 2, request it: kinshipcircle PART 2: KC UPDATES / JUNE - SEPTEMBER 2007 10. House of Reps Tightens Protections for Dogs/Cats In

Farm Bill 11. Anti-Animal Riders Removed From Farm Bill 12. Polar Bear Trophy Hunters Win - Bill Defeated 13. Oregon Outlaws Gestation Crates 14. Louisiana Ends Cockfighting, Sort Of 15. West Hollywood Declaw Ban Upheld By Appellate Court 16. New York First State To Ban Genital Electrocution 17. EU Dog And Cat Fur Ban - A Closer Look 18. Philippines: Ban On Sale Of Dog Meat Now Law =============================================================== =============================================================== 1. MEPs Sign On To End Primate Testing In Europe DATE: 9/7/07 SOURCE: Animal Defenders International, +44 (0)20 7630 3340, http://www.ad-international.org EDITED FOR LENGTH Animal Defenders International's (ADI) campaign to end lab primates' misery has achieved a major victory today as 393 MEPs put their signatures to Written Declaration 40/2007 in the European Parliament -- the requisite number needed to trigger its adoption and end primate testing in Europe. The declaration, sponsored by MEPs John Bowis (UK), Martine Roure (France), Jens Holm (Sweden), Rebecca Harms (Germany) and Mojca Drcar Murko (Slovenia), calls for a ban on the use of Great Apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gorillas), and on the use of wild-caught primates, as well as a phase-out of all primate use in EU laboratories. Jan

Creamer, ADI chief executive said, "This marks a major victory not only for ADI but for all the primates who have been incarcerated in laboratories throughout Europe. Ahead of Thursday's deadline, our relentless campaigning has paid off and today we have achieved signatures of half of Europe's MEPs. This... will end the suffering of some 10,000 primates a year in European labs and the adoption of more reliable modern alternatives." RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: 9/6/07: Urge Primate Testing Ban In Europe http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1679 & seriesfirst=true LETTER LIBRARY: Animal Experimentation http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letters_by_category.asp?CategoryID=7 COLUMNS: Product Testing, Biomedical Research, Non-Animal Research http://www.kinshipcircle.org/columns_articles/topic_vivisection.html FACT SHEET: VIVISECTION - You Paid For It (free, high-res download) http://www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/#3 =============================================================== 2. Mercy’s Killer Faces Bond Increase

DATE: 9/5/07 SOURCE: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20613901/ PHOTO: DeShawn Brown charged with animal cruelty in death of pit bull Mercy. DALLAS -- A judge raised the bond of a man accused of setting a puppy on fire to $150,000 Wednesday, NBC 5 reported. The move took place during a bond hearing held at noon at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas. DeShawn Brown is accused of felony animal cruelty in the 2006 case of the burned and tortured dog Mercy. Brown allegedly tortured the pit bull because she wouldn't mate with another dog. The dog died from her injuries. Animal rights activists applauded the bond increase. "I

think having this high bond does send a message that animal cruelty in Dallas County, the state of Texas, across the nation is not going to be tolerated," said Jonnie England of Operation Kindness. Brown has been in jail since an Aug. 21 hearing when Judge Micheal R. Snipes found Brown's $25,000 bond to be insufficient. The case is expected to go to trial later this month. RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: DEC. 2006 KC DIGEST: Mercy's Killer Will Stand Trial On April 23, 2007 http://www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2006_12.html#8 4/29/06: A World Without Mercy: Justice For Tortured Pup http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1513 & seriesfirst=true =============================================================== 3. Big Win! Saint Louis University Phases Out Live Pig Lab DATE: 8/31/07 FROM: Neal Barnard, M.D., PCRM President, neal-barnard SOURCE: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, http://www.pcrm.org EDITED FOR LENGTH In a letter from the dean of the school of medicine at Saint Louis University (SLU) PCRM was informed that “As of August 15, 2007…animals are no longer used for teaching purposes in the

M.D. curriculum of our School of Medicine.” SLU recently offered a second-year cardiovascular physiology elective using live pigs... In the past two years, 10 schools have abandoned use of live animal labs. It would not have happened without the constant pressure from PCRM, and we could not have done this without you... There are still 11 remaining schools that use live animals to teach physiology and surgery: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine, Bethesda, Md. University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine, Jackson, Miss. Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo. New York Medical College, Valhalla, N.Y. The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio Oregon Health

& Science University, Portland, Ore. University of Tennessee College of Medicine. Memphis, Tenn. Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis. University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wis. RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: 6/25/06: End Old-Fashioned Pig Labs At St. Louis University http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1525 & seriesfirst=true 4/20/06: Dinosaurs: Big Med Schools With Animal Labs http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1489 & seriesfirst=true =============================================================== 4. SHAC 7 Prisoner Darius Fullmer Free On 9/28! DATE: 8/31/07 FROM: Updates on the SHAC 7, updates SOURCE: SHAC 7 Support Committee, http://www.SHAC7.com EDITED FOR LENGTH SHAC 7 prisoner Darius Fullmer is scheduled to be released on September 28. There will be a release party for him on September 29... STATEMENT FROM DARIUS FULLMER: It is hard to believe, but my time here I prison is growing short. In a few weeks, on Friday September 28, 2007 I hit the streets. After over ten months of being away from everyone and everything I care about, a celebration is certainly in order! But, first things first: This experience was made a thousand times easier by the

support I received. My family, old friends, new friends, and strangers; from both within and outside the activist community… I don’t know how I could express my gratitude to all of you. When I walk out those gates a piece of my heart will remain behind these walls. My codefendants -- Andy, Josh, Jake, Lauren and Kevin, as well as all of the other earth and animal liberation prisoners -- will still be waiting for their day. I hope my release reminds them that though it may seem impossibly far away, their day to celebrate will come. Please express your support for them, especially by doing something positive for the animals and the earth in their honor. As for now, I can’t wait to see you all! Here is the plan. First off, everyone is invited; whether you know me or not, are an activist or not -- doesn’t matter. If you want to come, please come. My release falls on a Friday... the main get-together

will be on Saturday. But, if you are available Friday come hang out then as well! Releases happen around 9am. Once I’m out, there are four things I need to see: food, trees, the ocean, and food. Greenlight, a veggie restaurant in Trenton will be the first stop. Then on to a short hike in central New Jersey. Nothing strenuous -- just a stroll around a place without razor wire fences. Then east until we run out of land, and watch the waves roll in. Finally, dinner at Kaya’s kitchen in Belmar... If anyone is coming from a ways and needs a place to crash, my apartment will be available. Nothing will be unpacked so think if as indoor camping. Saturday we’ll be reviving the famous vegan volleyball game/barbeques! Bring some vegan food to share if you can. And don’t worry; none of us are any good at volleyball. It’s just for fun. 1:00pm at Veterans park in Hamilton, NJ. I don’t know what will go down Saturday

night, but it will involve lots of vegan ice cream. For information you can call my buddy Jeff at 609-610-5613. I’ll see you all soon! -- Darius SUPPORT REMAINING SHAC 7 PRISONERS: http://www.SHAC7.com RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: JAN. 2007 KC DIGEST: Wish SHAC 7's Josh And Jake Happy Birthdays http://www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2007_01.html#9 DEC. 2006 KC DIGEST: SHAC 7: Christmas In A Correctional Institution http://www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2006_12.html#6 AUG-OCT 2006 UPDATES: One Inside & Five To Begin Prison Mid-November http://www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_aug-oct_2006.html#1 JAN-APRIL 2006 UPDATES: SHAC 7 http://www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-april_2006.html#6 JAILED: SHAC 7 http://www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_9_12.html INSIDE/OUT: DIARY OF MADNESS http://www.kinshipcircle.org/store/#lit MOVE OVER AL QUAEDA! Animal Defenders Top Most Wanted List http://www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/MoveAlQuaeda.pdf FACT SHEET: Who Is Huntingdon Life Sciences? http://www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/WhoIsHuntingdonLifeScienc.pdf =============================================================== 5. Gratuitous Farmed Animal Assaults On The Rise DATE: 8/24/07 FROM: Farmed Animal Net, info "They just wanted to see what shooting cattle was like," Hickman County

Sheriff Randal Ward said about two Tennessee teens who last year shot and killed 24 cows, many of them pregnant. In California, police are currently investigating the May killing of 15 goats, each shot in the face as they huddled in a portable pen. Residents had called in reports of the sound of "babies crying." On August 17th, an Arkansas teen was arrested for allegedly attempting to run down cattle. When a bull became stuck under the Ford Ranger, the teen, accompanied by two men, reportedly fatally stabbed him. Several cows were wounded and a pregnant one was euthanized. The previous week, nine cows were shot at a nearby farm, five fatally: Ark. teenager arrested for running over, stabbing cows, http://tinyurl.com/2svr3r These are just a few examples of an increasing number of animal cruelty cases being reported nationwide outside

city limits (see also: Animal Abuse Crime Database, http://tinyurl.com/2oolkr ). Authorities say cows, goats, horses and other farmed animals are being killed, often by angry, reckless youths. "Rural kids grow up with guns. They shoot squirrels and coyotes as predator control, so the idea of shooting a rifle from a vehicle is not abnormal," said a lawyer for one teen convicted of shooting horses. A former Fresno County assistant district attorney who prosecuted teen animal killers asserts they had too little adult supervision and too much access to guns. "You see something, you shoot it -- and then you drive down the road for a few more laughs," he said, "It's someone else's problem." Researchers are developing a personality profile of those who kill large animals (other than in the context of legal hunting). Studies suggest that youths who

engage in such cruelty often commit violent criminal behavior as adults. The gratuitous killing of farmed animals gets little attention in the U.S. Although 43 states have passed felony animal cruelty laws, they rarely apply to farmed animals “thanks in part to a strong cattleman's lobby -- as long as ranchers follow 'accepted husbandry practices,' " notes this Los Angeles Times article. "It speaks to a prejudice against certain animals, not based on a rational assessment of their ability to feel pain but on our intended use for them," states Farm Sanctuary President Gene Baur. Although some states do provide some legal protection for these animals, enforcement can vary and prosecutors often settle for convictions on “vandalism” charges. "Most places, you've got to go a long way to be considered cruel to livestock," said Robert Trimble, an attorney for the Texas Humane Legislation Network, "The industry

is paranoid that somehow what they do in their routine animal husbandry could be called cruelty." According to investigators, society is beginning to take a tougher stance on such cruelty. Last autumn, Texas improved protections for farmed animals, creating a legal definition of what constitutes torture that includes inflicting "unjustifiable pain or suffering." A BEASTLY KIND OF CRUELTY, Los Angeles Times, John M. Glionna, 8/17/07: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cruelty17aug17,0,564550.story CATTLE KILLING DRAWS NATIONAL IRE, Batesville Daily Guard, Tony McGuffey, 8/23/07: http://tinyurl.com/25swul RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: FACT SHEET: Animal Victims, Human Victims (police case files)

(free, high-res download) http://www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/#1 ================================================================ 6. Canada’s Largest Foie Gras Maker Eludes Cruelty Charges DATE: 8/23/07 FROM: Farmed Animal Net, info SOURCE: Canada NewsWire, http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2007/23/c9874.html Crown Prosecutors in Quebec, Canada declined charging foie gras producer Elevages Perigord with animal cruelty despite video and

other documentation brought to court’s attention last month (see: http://tinyurl.com/32mcwf ) by Farm Sanctuary and Global Action Network. "The failure to prosecute represents a break down in the enforcement system and does not speak to the legality or the morality of practices at Elevages Perigord," said Gene Baur, President of Farm Sanctuary. PROSECUTORS FAIL TO CHARGE FOIE GRAS PRODUCER ELEVAGES PERIGORD DESPITE DOCUMENTATION OF SICKENING ABUSES, Canada NewsWire, 8/23/07 http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2007/23/c9874.html RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: 9/4/07: Help Philly Go Foie Gras Free http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter%5Flibrary/letter.asp?LetterID=1678 & seriesfirst=true 8/13/07: Foie Gras For Sale On Amazon.com http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter%5Flibrary/letter.asp?LetterID=1669 & seriesfirst=true ================================================================ 7. Horse Slaughter Ban Inches Along With Ag Bill Provision DATE 8/3/07 SOURCE: http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/us_house_votes_to_take.html The U.S. House of Representatives once again agreed to stop slaughtering American horses for human consumption, by adding a provision to the Agriculture spending bill for 2008 that prohibits the use of funds to allow horse slaughter to continue. The funding restriction for horse slaughter was first enacted two years ago, but the USDA has stubbornly refused to implement the law, opting instead to charge horse slaughterhouses a per horse fee for inspection services. Although the federal district court in Washington, D.C. ruled last spring that USDA's scheme to circumvent Congress is unlawful, the ruling is on hold pending an appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, thus enabling horse slaughter to

continue... RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: 3/29/07: 1 Horse Plant Left...And Now There Are None? http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1636 & seriesfirst=true 1/29/07: Horse Slaughter Bill Renewed In 110th Congress http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1628 & seriesfirst=true =============================================================== 8. PCRM Sues UCSF For Reckless Animal Tests DATE: 8/1/07 SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/01/BA54RALJI2.DTL Suit alleges animal cruelty, Jonathan Curiel -- A group of doctors filed suit Tuesday against UCSF, saying university scientists needlessly drill into monkeys' brains and conduct other unnecessary experiments on animals in violation of federal law. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine said UCSF is using state money for research that violates the Animal Welfare Act, which bans inhumane treatment of research animals. In a lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court, the group says that the university has abused animals since at least 1998, and that some of the experiments cover areas already studied by other researchers. The plaintiffs cited

learning and memory tests on macaque monkeys, large primates resembling baboons, that UCSF says could lead to a cure for Alzheimer's disease. UCSF's interim associate vice chancellor for research, Clifford Roberts, said the tests on macaques were necessary to advance Alzheimer's research previously done on mice. RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: AUG-OCT 2006 UPDATES: Monkeys Freed From UCSF Labs - An Inside Job With Outside Help http://www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_aug-oct_2006.html#8 2/10/05: Dogs Die In Futile UCSF Heart Studies http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1299 & seriesfirst=true

FACT SHEET: Sacrificing One Won't Save The Other (free, high-res download) http://www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/#3 PLEASE DONATE toward printing Kinship Circle’s educational literature for national distribution: http://www.kinshipcircle.org/donation/ =============================================================== 9. House Passes Resolution Condemning Canadian Seal Hunt DATE: 7/30/07 SOURCE: Humane Society of the United States, http://humanesociety.org/ EDITED FOR LENGTH The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the resolution condemning the seal hunt today. H. Res. 427, introduced by U.S. Reps. Tom Lantos (D-Calif) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn), had 30 cosponsors... The resolution notes that more than one million seals have been killed over the past three years and that in the last five years, 95 percent of the seals killed were between 12 days and 12 weeks of age, many of them too young to have eaten their first solid meal or taken their first swim... In March, U.S. Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced a similar resolution, S. Res. 118, calling for the end of the seal hunt. That resolution was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and currently has 10 cosponsors. RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE

LINKS: 4/1/07: Rivers Of Blood – Canada’s Brutal Seal Hunt http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1637 & seriesfirst=true 2/25/06: Canada's Disgrace: A Million Seals Slaughtered http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1483 & seriesfirst=true FACT SHEET: BloodPrints On Ice http://www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/BloodPrintOnIce.pdf PLEASE DONATE

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