Guest guest Posted November 27, 2003 Report Share Posted November 27, 2003 Hello Vol. 2, Issue 21 November 25, 2003 Table of Contents: 1. Canada Begins Bloody Seal Hunt – Take Action! 2. Speak Out Against Foie Gras 3. Japan Arrests Sea Shepherd Crewmembers; Seizes Cameras, Film, and Video 4. Hold California Veterinary Medical Board Accountable 5. Terrific New Stickers Make Us All Activists! With the holiday season upon us, the IDA staff and I wish you and yours the very best and hope that you have a happy Thanksgiving. We are thankful for your support throughout the year and for all that you are doing on behalf of our animal friends. Please visit the web site: http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/ to find out about vegetarian Thanksgiving events in your area and for some tasty vegetarian recipes. With warm wishes, Dr. Elliot M. Katz, Founder and President, and all of the IDA staff 1. Canada Begins Bloody Seal Hunt – Take Action! On November 15th, the 2003-2004 Canadian seal hunting season began, allowing anyone with a license—and they are all-too-easily obtained—to club or shoot harp and hooded seals to death on the ice off the coast of Labrador and Newfoundland. The Canadian seal hunt has become the largest commercial slaughter of wildlife anywhere. Each year, animal protection campaigners gather footage of the hunts, which consistently reveals that methods of killing are crude and barbaric. These videos expose seals being skinned alive, wounded by gunfire and left writhing in agony for several minutes after being clubbed, caught on sharpened steel hooks, and still more seals clubbed to death with illegal weapons. Government internal reports show that approximately 8 out of 10 seals are just days or weeks old; they can only be killed legally at an age of 12 days or older. Please write letters to government and tourism officials to voice your outrage at Canada's commercial exploitation of seals. The Honourable Robert G. Thibault Minister, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Parliament Buildings, Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 min http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index.htm The Honourable Jean Chretien Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2 pm Canadian Tourism Commission 8th Floor West, 235 Queen Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0H6 ctx_feedback For Canadian residents, please write your MP: For non-Canadian residents, please write the Canadian embassy or mission nearest you: For much more detailed information and photos on seals and the Canadian hunt, visit: www.CanadaSealHunt.ca 2. Speak Out Against Foie Gras As part of an effort to end the sale of foie gras, Sonoma County, CA, residents presented their case for banning the sale of this “gourmet delicacy” in Sonoma. Foie gras is cruelly made by force-feeding massive amounts of grain down the throats of ducks or geese in order to produce a “fatty liver.” At least a dozen countries around the world have banned this cruel practice, and there is currently legislation pending in New York and an IDA-sponsored lawsuit pending in California, which threaten to shut down both foie gras farms in the U.S. Please contact members of the Sonoma City Council and ask them to outlaw the sale of this cruel product. Mayor Dick Ashford, Joe Costello, Larry Barnett, Ken Brown & Doug McKesson City of Sonoma #1 The Plaza Sonoma, CA 95476. 707.938.3743 cityhall Please also sign an online petition to Sonoma’s mayor: Respectfully speak out against foie gras when you see it in restaurants or read about it in the paper. San Francisco Chronicle: USA Today: These were just two of the articles in the Bay Area and across the country that would benefit from letters to the editor. 3. Japan Arrests Sea Shepherd Crewmembers; Seizes Cameras, Film, and Video On October 6th, Sea Shepherd crewmembers exposed the atrocities of the Taiji dolphin slaughter to the world by providing major media the gory images and video of the hunt. This made headlines around the world and fueled a global protest on Nov. 4th in 22 cities. Another protest is planned for Dec 10th. Although the dolphin hunt continues in Taiji, the ruthless fishermen are not able to kill as many as last year due to Sea Shepherd's direct intervention and the embarrassing media coverage provided by their documentation. Rather than helplessly witness and document more dolphins being killed, on November 18 (in Japan) two Sea Shepherd crewmembers—Allison Lance-Watson of the USA and Alex Cornelisson of the Netherlands—jumped into the frigid waters and swam for an hour to untie and sink the nets penning a pod of dolphins awaiting slaughter. Together Allison and Alex were able to save the lives of 15 dolphins by creating an escape route back to the open sea. Sadly, both crewmembers were immediately arrested by police when they swam on-shore and were taken to a jail in nearby Shingu. During the evening of Wednesday, November 19 (in Japan), Japanese police raided the trailer park where the Sea Shepherd crew are based in Taiji. The police then entered and boxed up all the property in the trailer including cameras, film, clothing, and a laptop computer, leaving them stranded in a hostile village in Japan without personal assets. The police have continued to hold Allison and Alex Cornelisson in the jail at Shingu. They have not been allowed to communicate with any persons outside of the jail. Sea Shepherd has been trying to reach them through diplomatic channels. Worse yet, as a result of negative media coverage, it is now illegal to photograph or film the slaughter of dolphins and small whales. Contact the Japanese government offices below and request that they immediately release Allison Lance-Watson and Alex Cornelisson from jail and drop any charges. Return the personal property, cameras, film and documentation belonging to the Sea Shepherd crew in Japan. Reverse any new law or regulation which makes it illegal to photograph, film, or videotape the dolphin slaughter. Ask them to permanently stop the barbaric slaughter of dolphins and whales in Taiji and all coastal fishing villages in Japan. Locate a Japanese embassy or consulate office near you. Mr. Yoshiki Kimura, the governor of Wakayama Prefectural Office of Wakayama 1-1 Komatsubaradouri, Wakayama-shi Wakayama-ken, 640-8269 Japan Tel: +81-73-441-2034 Fax:+81-73-423-9500 Email: teigen-s Prime Minister of Japan Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, 1-6-1 Nagata-cho 1 Chome Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. 100-8968 JAPAN Tel:+81-3-3581-2361 Send an e-message by completing the online form on their site: Learn more about how you can free Allison Lance-Watson and Alex Cornelissen! http://www.seashepherd.org/events/protest031210.html http://www.seashepherd.org/ 4. Hold California Veterinary Medical Board Accountable The California Veterinary Medical Board, the state agency charged with overseeing California veterinarians, needs improvement. The Board is supposed to hold vets accountable when they violate the rules and regulations governing the practice of veterinary medicine, but it rarely does. The Board’s failure to create and maintain accountability by imposing meaningful penalties exposes our four-footed friends to avoidable and unnecessary pain, suffering and death. For example, if you look at the Vet Board’s website, you’ll notice a section called “Enforcement,” and within that a sub-section called “Disciplinary Action.” Because it’s listed by year, rather than by vet, it’s not very consumer friendly. Nevertheless, when you check each year, and see that the vet you’re interested in is not listed, you’ll likely conclude that he or she hasn’t done anything wrong, or at least hasn’t been caught. And then you might conclude that he or she, not having been “disciplined,” is a perfectly safe doctor for your four-legged friend. Unfortunately, the Board’s website does not tell you which vets have been cited for violations of the law unless they referred the matter to the Attorney General’s Office, and the Board doesn’t reveal what it knows about particular vets. The Board’s performance is reviewed every few years by the State Legislature in a process known as “Sunset Review.” The process requires the Board to submit a report to the Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee. The Committee reviews the report and then holds hearings. This is your chance to speak out. Email your comments and ask the California Veterinary Medical Board to stop hiding complaints and begin imposing predictable and meaningful consequences to negligent veterinarians. Ask that the Enforcement Section on their website be made more user-friendly and clearly indicate if a veterinarian has had complaints filed against him or her. Contact: Robin Hartley Consultant Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee robin.hartley Net: La mejor conexión a internet y 25MB extra a tu correo por $100 al mes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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