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Taking a Bite out of Fur in the Big Apple
This morning, during the height of New York’s Fashion Week, I led a press conference in Bryant Park to announce the results of a new HSUS investigation uncovering more deception in the fur fashion industry. Joined by New York State Assemblymember Linda B.
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Congressmen, Canines Honored on the Hill
I previously told you the
heartwarming stories of Reps. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.)
helping military families remember their loved ones by bringing back dogs from
Iraq. At a touching ceremony last night on Capitol Hill, The Humane Society of
the United States honored Hodes and Jones for their work in assisting the
grieving families of Army Spc. Justin Rollins and Marine Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee
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Hoyer Speaks on Our Love of Dogs
One of the most touching moments of last night’s Congressional
Canine Awards was when House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) took the
podium to speak about his late dog, Charlotte. The beloved English springer
spaniel typically came to work with Hoyer on the Hill and even had her own bed
in his office. After many years of loyal companionship, Charlotte passed away
in 2007 at the age of 15.
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Shooting the Bird of Peace into Pieces
I traveled through Iowa today with HSUS state director Carol Griglione, getting the word out in opposition to a bill that would allow the hunting of mourning doves for the first time in 90 years. After meeting with lawmakers at the state capitol in Des Moines, I appeared as a guest on the Jan Mickelson Show on WHO Radio, and visited with other media outlets across the state.
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Be the Change You Seek for Animals
If you are a reader of this blog, or a subscriber to the
HSUS or HSLF email lists, you are already someone who takes action on urgent
animal protection issues. But if you want to get even more involved, there’s no
substitute for joining your fellow animal advocates in person to celebrate the
victories and work together to confront the challenges ahead.
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Together We Can Make Real Change for Animals
A couple weeks ago, I laid out our ambitious Change Agenda for Animals—100 urgent steps that federal executive agencies must take for the sake of animals and their humane treatment. Since then, I’ve seen a mixture of both optimism and reality here in Washington: We hope that change is coming, but we know it’s going to take hard work if we’re going to be part of it.
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Throwing Wolves to the Wolves
On Inauguration Day, while the new president and vice president were still shaking hands and sitting down to lunch on Capitol Hill, new White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was already hard at work. Racing from the ceremony to the White House, Emanuel quickly issued what is now known as the “Rahm Memo”—one of the most important directives of the Obama Administration’s first week in office.
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Your Government Needs You
Last
week, our nation witnessed the peaceful transfer of power which is a hallmark
of our democracy. We have the opportunity to elect the people who represent us
and who make laws on our behalf at the federal, state, and local levels, and we
have to participate in the process in order to have influence.
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What’s Good for the Goose
Birds were in the news last week, and not in a good way. A flock of Canada
geese is suspected of downing a US Airways jet as it left LaGuardia Airport
in New York, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in the Hudson
River. Thankfully, all 155 people aboard the plane made it out.
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Horses Out of the Gate Quickly in 111th
Every month, thousands of ex-racehorses, work horses, and
family ponies are crammed into double-decker trucks where they can barely
stand, and shipped hundreds of miles to Canada and Mexico. After arriving
across the border, they are slaughtered for food exports to Europe and Asia,
where horse meat is considered a delicacy. As Brad Woodard of Houston’s KHOU-TV
exposed
last month, the journey is harsh and the killing methods are brutal. Yet it
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Our Change Agenda for Animals
Senate confirmation hearings are in full swing this week for President-elect Obama’s Cabinet choices. Lawmakers are asking the nominees to lay out their vision for leading the federal agencies, and to explain how they will execute Obama’s plans for confronting the major challenges facing the nation.
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The Kindest Cut
I’ve previously observed that our deteriorating economy cuts both ways for animals—it may result in people abandoning animals or diminishing care for them, but it also may put questionable animal enterprises out of business, because they, too, are facing economic pressure. For instance, some states have terminated programs to allow the cruel and wasteful stocking of tame pheasants for target shooting.
