FWD: (CN) Real Situation for Dogs

[Guest guest]

Dear John,

 

The situation here is not as what it seems or what the government

propaganda machine would like you to believe. I feel that I need to let

you know the real situation.

 

Unfortunately in Beijing and Tianjin, the campaign to " better dog

management " really means rounding up stray dogs, going into people's

homes to confiscate the dogs that are bigger than regulation size and

also dogs that are not registered. Instead of punishing people, the

authorities are punishing dogs. Those that are confiscated seldom can

survive the brutal and horrible treatment of the detention centers.

 

The authorities are cracking down both on the dogs as well as anybody who leaks

information to the outside. There is even a media black out on this.

 

Thank you.

[Guest guest]

>The situation here is not as what it seems or what the government

>propaganda machine would like you to believe. I feel that I need to let

>you know the real situation.

>

>Unfortunately in Beijing and Tianjin, the campaign to " better dog

>management " really means rounding up stray dogs, going into people's

>homes to confiscate the dogs that are bigger than regulation size and

>also dogs that are not registered. Instead of punishing people, the

>authorities are punishing dogs. Those that are confiscated seldom can

>survive the brutal and horrible treatment of the detention centers.

>

>The authorities are cracking down both on the dogs as well as

>anybody who leaks information to the outside. There is even a media

>black out on this.

>

>Thank you.

 

 

There are several aspects of this anonymous message that I

find problematic, not the least of which is that it appears to be

from someone who speaks and writes English as a first language, not

as a second language learned in adulthood.

 

Anonymity can be a way to hide from censors, but it can also

be a way to disseminate misinformation without accountability.

 

In the Internet era, tracing e-mails back to source is

relatively easy for a technologically sophisticated police state that

happens to have a monopoly on electronic communications. Therefore,

anonymity does not protect this poster so much from repression as

from questions.

 

Such as, how does this person realy know any more than

anyone else what the truth is?

 

Are we to believe that the government propaganda machine

includes not only all the journalists with state media, but also all

of those with foreign media who are reporting similar things?

 

Are we to believe that there is a conspiracy afoot in China

to cover up brutality by dogcatchers, when many of the major Chinese

news media have published detailed exposes of same, with

photographs, and have even published photos and accounts of citizens

fighting back against the authorities on behalf of their dogs,

without a hint of condemnation?

 

The Beijing media have made no secret that large dogs and

unlicensed dogs are being confiscated. This is what animal control

officers do here in the U.S., too, though the legal definition of

" dangerous " here is keyed to behavior rather than size (unlike the

insurance definition, which often is keyed to size.)

 

The animal control statistics published by the Beijing media

appear to be in the plausible range. The public explanation of the

importance and methodology of vaccination given recently by Beijing

vice mayor Ji Lin sounded quite well informed.

 

As to the alleged " brutal and horrible treatment of the

detention centers, " no doubt they are not all alike, but Betty Zhou

of the Association for Small Animal Protection started a volunteer

program in 2004 that works in some of those shelters, and has been

visited and assisted several times since by trainers from the Cat

Fanciers Association and other U.S. organizations.

 

The reports, photos, etc. that have come my way from inside

the Beijing shelters show facilities and activity that would compare

well with most animal control centers in the U.S.

 

I have been observing developments in China pertaining to

both animal welfare and human rights with keen interest since 1970,

when I began two years of rooming with some of the first mainland

Chinese to make their way to the U.S. to get an education.

 

I was aware of many of the abuses of the Mao era long before

mainstream Middle America, & was later involved in efforts to

bootleg do-it-yourself printing knowhow into China to help encourage

early experiments at opening up press freedom. I am quite well aware

of Chinese repression of journalists and dissidents that continues to

this day.

 

However, I am also familiar with the patterns that such

repression tends to take. In this instance, all of the claimed

factual information in the anonymous e-mail was already on record in

the official Chinese news media, many days ago, except for the

claim of a cover-up. It's rather hard to cover up something that has

already appeared in the China Daily, with only a few million

readers, worldwide.

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

for free sample, send address.]

[Guest guest]

I was born in a third world country where animals were rounded up and killed, or

just put poison in the street and the hungry strays would be found dead in the

morning. I do believe that in China animals are not given the least opportunity

and are made to suffer. Knowing that dogs and cats are skinned alive is only

proof that there's alot that the Chinese Govt. needs to do to repair their bad

reputation.

 

Being a foreigner doesn't mean it's not possible to express one's self like a

native.

 

Liz

OAARS

 

Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl wrote:

>The situation here is not as what it seems or what the government

>propaganda machine would like you to believe. I feel that I need to let

>you know the real situation.

>

>Unfortunately in Beijing and Tianjin, the campaign to " better dog

>management " really means rounding up stray dogs, going into people's

>homes to confiscate the dogs that are bigger than regulation size and

>also dogs that are not registered. Instead of punishing people, the

>authorities are punishing dogs. Those that are confiscated seldom can

>survive the brutal and horrible treatment of the detention centers.

>

>The authorities are cracking down both on the dogs as well as

>anybody who leaks information to the outside. There is even a media

>black out on this.

>

>Thank you.

 

There are several aspects of this anonymous message that I

find problematic, not the least of which is that it appears to be

from someone who speaks and writes English as a first language, not

as a second language learned in adulthood.

 

Anonymity can be a way to hide from censors, but it can also

be a way to disseminate misinformation without accountability.

 

In the Internet era, tracing e-mails back to source is

relatively easy for a technologically sophisticated police state that

happens to have a monopoly on electronic communications. Therefore,

anonymity does not protect this poster so much from repression as

from questions.

 

Such as, how does this person realy know any more than

anyone else what the truth is?

 

Are we to believe that the government propaganda machine

includes not only all the journalists with state media, but also all

of those with foreign media who are reporting similar things?

 

Are we to believe that there is a conspiracy afoot in China

to cover up brutality by dogcatchers, when many of the major Chinese

news media have published detailed exposes of same, with

photographs, and have even published photos and accounts of citizens

fighting back against the authorities on behalf of their dogs,

without a hint of condemnation?

 

The Beijing media have made no secret that large dogs and

unlicensed dogs are being confiscated. This is what animal control

officers do here in the U.S., too, though the legal definition of

" dangerous " here is keyed to behavior rather than size (unlike the

insurance definition, which often is keyed to size.)

 

The animal control statistics published by the Beijing media

appear to be in the plausible range. The public explanation of the

importance and methodology of vaccination given recently by Beijing

vice mayor Ji Lin sounded quite well informed.

 

As to the alleged " brutal and horrible treatment of the

detention centers, " no doubt they are not all alike, but Betty Zhou

of the Association for Small Animal Protection started a volunteer

program in 2004 that works in some of those shelters, and has been

visited and assisted several times since by trainers from the Cat

Fanciers Association and other U.S. organizations.

 

The reports, photos, etc. that have come my way from inside

the Beijing shelters show facilities and activity that would compare

well with most animal control centers in the U.S.

 

I have been observing developments in China pertaining to

both animal welfare and human rights with keen interest since 1970,

when I began two years of rooming with some of the first mainland

Chinese to make their way to the U.S. to get an education.

 

I was aware of many of the abuses of the Mao era long before

mainstream Middle America, & was later involved in efforts to

bootleg do-it-yourself printing knowhow into China to help encourage

early experiments at opening up press freedom. I am quite well aware

of Chinese repression of journalists and dissidents that continues to

this day.

 

However, I am also familiar with the patterns that such

repression tends to take. In this instance, all of the claimed

factual information in the anonymous e-mail was already on record in

the official Chinese news media, many days ago, except for the

claim of a cover-up. It's rather hard to cover up something that has

already appeared in the China Daily, with only a few million

readers, worldwide.

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

for free sample, send address.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

OKINAWAN AMERICAN ANIMAL RESCUE SOCIETY

" LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND "

WWW.OAARS.COM