Uncategorized /
Unfinished Business
The 111th Congress convened this week, and new members were sworn in on Capitol Hill. It is sure to be a busy year on a wide range of subjects affecting the nation, and animal protection is no exception. Among the very first bills introduced this week were two important measures to protect wildlife—both of which passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly last year and should be on the fast track to getting over the finish line in the new session.
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Dogs at Work: A Q&A with Congresswoman Linda Sánchez
It’s a New Year, and many of us have made resolutions to improve our lives and the lives of others. But corporations, too, can resolve to make life better for their employees and for animals simply by creating a dog-friendly workplace.
Uncategorized /
Eaten into Extinction
The killing and smuggling of turtles for their meat and as an ingredient in Asian medicines is taking an astonishing toll on the creatures worldwide. A few years ago, 25 tons of live turtles were exported from Sumatra to China every single week. That’s just from one island to one country, and it gives you some idea of the scale of the problem.
Elections /
Big Picture View of Joe Biden
Vice President-elect Joe Biden announced yesterday on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” that he would soon get a second dog—this time, a shelter dog to share space with him and Jill Biden at the vice president’s residence, the Naval Observatory, which thankfully has a big fenced yard.
Talk Back /
Talk Back: From Puppies to Palin
Today I’d like to share some of your comments in reaction to my recent blog entries, on a wide range of issues affecting pets, farm animals, and wildlife. The first comment came after I posted my blog on the use of taxpayer dollars to stock tame pheasants for sport hunting:
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Obama's Animal Welfare Team
President-elect Barack Obama announced two more Cabinet appointments today—perhaps the two most eagerly awaited appointments for animal advocates because of their relevance to the protection of domestic animals and wildlife. We congratulate former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, the next Secretary of Agriculture, and U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado, the next Secretary of the Interior, who were both named earlier today.
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Serving Sickness to School Kids
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General released its long-awaited audit of slaughter practices and procedures, launched after The Humane Society of the United States uncovered rampant cruelty to sick and crippled cows at the Hallmark/Westland meat packing plant in Chino, Calif., earlier this year.
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Recession is for the Birds
The current economic crisis is taking its toll on animals of all kinds, as pets are evicted from foreclosed homes, livestock are abandoned to starvation, and there’s even a proposed tax on veterinary care. But for some animals, the money crunch has come to their rescue.
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We Need Change at Interior, Not More of the Same
President-elect Barack Obama’s Cabinet is taking shape, and about half of the top jobs have now been filled. The positions likely to come next, such as Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of the Interior, will have the most direct impact on animal welfare. And there’s talk that Interior and other environmental posts may be announced this week.
Uncategorized /
Pardon Me for Poaching?
In the waning days of the Bush administration, there is much speculation over whether high-profile convicts—like former Cheney chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby and former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.)—will receive presidential pardons. But the lame-duck tradition of granting pardons and commuting prison sentences has already begun, and some of the first beneficiaries are poachers who committed federal wildlife crimes.
Elections /
NRA Is Firing Blanks
There’s no doubt it was a rough Election Day for the National Rifle Association. The gun group spent millions of dollars supporting John McCain for President and trying to tarnish the image of Barack Obama—with little to show for it, given that Obama won Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other swing states where the NRA was most active.
