Elections /
Election Wrap-Up for Animals
Last night was another exciting moment in the election season, and not just for the historic presidential race. There were several other federal and state races of interest to the Humane Society Legislative Fund and animal advocates around the country, and I’d like to provide a wrap-up of the returns.
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From Barry Bonds to Big Brown
When professional baseball players were accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs, it was a national scandal. When steroids are used in horse racing, it’s business as usual.
As The New York Times wrote in an editorial today:
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Uniting to Take Down Animal Fighting
I was delighted this week to see that a group of middle schoolers from my hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., was honored for the anti-dogfighting rap song they entered in The Humane Society of the United States’ Hip Hop for Hounds contest.
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Signs of Progress in Annapolis
Last week, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed a bill that will help animal shelters in the Free State treat dogs and cats more humanely. Maryland’s previous law gave shelters access to the drugs used to euthanize animals, but not the drugs needed to sedate animals prior to euthanasia. The federal government yanked the licenses for shelters to obtain the sedatives last year, which left some animals seizing and partially awake during painful deaths, and made the process more dangerous for shelter workers.
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Farm Bill is a Boon to Animal Protection
It was a hectic week in Congress leading up to the Memorial Day recess. The House voted 316 to 108 and the Senate voted 82 to 13 this week to override President Bush’s veto of the massive Farm Bill. The bill was not without its controversy, and there was even an inadvertent error in omitting 34 pages of the bill, which the Congress will have to remedy after the break ends.
Elections /
Oregon Animal Advocates Come Through
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama split primary wins in Kentucky and Oregon last night, but their contest was not the only one with national implications. Democratic voters in those two states also chose their party’s candidates for U.S. Senate, setting the stage for competitive races against Republican incumbents this November.
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Get Downers Out
Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will close a gaping loophole in its regulation on processing sick and crippled cows for human consumption.
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Conservation Legislation: From Cats to Cranes
Like a tiger stalking its prey through the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, good legislation can quietly sneak up on you.
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Polar Bears Listed as Threatened, but Still on Thin Ice
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced yesterday that the polar bear would be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, ending months of speculation over the fate of this proposed listing.
Talk Back /
Talk Back: Questions and Comments
Today I’d like to post a few comments that have come into the blog, and answer a couple questions as well.
In response to the problem of crippled cows at livestock auctions:
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NRA is the Poacher's Best Friend
When the NRA walks the halls of the U.S. Congress these days, it may stand for “No Rational Argument.”
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Crippled Cows Need Protection at Every Step of their Journey
The Humane Society of the United States yesterday released the next wave of its groundbreaking investigation into rampant mistreatment of sick and crippled cows. Last time, the downed animals were tormented and processed at a California slaughter plant for the National School Lunch Program.
