Friday, November 7th, 2003
PAWS
Actionline
A weekly opportunity
to make a difference
for animals
PAWS Campaign Against Circuses That Use Performing Animals
Important Links
PAWS Animal Cruelty Resources and Links
Legislative Links
Washington State- House of Representatives
- Senate
Federal
- House of Representatives
- Senator Maria Cantwell
- Senator Patty Murray
Vote Smart is an excellent resource for all sorts of legislation.
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Progressive Animal
Welfare Society
PO Box 1037
Lynnwood WA, 98046
Urgent! Downed Animal Vote Expected in U.S. Senate
Please Call or Fax Today and Ask Your Senators to Support the Akaka Amendment!
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote soon on an amendment offered by Senator Akaka to protect downed animals. It is critical for animal advocates to contact their U.S. Senators to urge them to support the Akaka Downed Animal Amendment.
This amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill seeks to prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture from approving meat from downed animals (animals too sick even to stand) for human food. It will remove the market for downed animals, and it will provide the necessary incentive to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place. Approximately 90% of downed animals can be prevented with better care on the farm and during transit.
Downed animals suffer horribly. They are commonly dragged with chains or pushed with tractors and forklifts on their way to slaughter. Downed animals commonly languish for hours or days without receiving food, water or veterinary care, and many die of neglect.
Using meat from downed animals poses a threat to human consumers. Downers are among the most likely animals to harbor bacteria contamination and to be afflicted with various diseases, including mad cow disease.
Please contact your two U.S. Senators now and urge them to vote Yes on the Akaka Downed Animal Amendment! Or you can say, "please support the Akaka Downed Animal Protection Amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations Bill."
Contact Senator Patty Murray at:
Phone: (202) 224-2621
Fax: (202) 224-0238
Contact Senator Maria Cantwell at:
Phone: (202) 224-3441
Fax: (202) 224-0514
Sorry, no time for letters! Please phone today!
For more information on downed animals, see www.nodowners.org.
If you live outside of WA State, you may call your two Senators at 202-224-3121.
Canadian Seal Hunt Begins Next Week
Tragically, the Canadian government is supporting an escalation of the bloody and brutal sealing industry. The clubbing to death of baby seals for fur became a big issue in the 1970s. However, in recent years the issue has fallen off the public's radar screen. As a result, the Canadian government has built up the commercial seal-killing forces, recently announcing that it will allow almost a million seals to be clubbed or shot to death in the next three years. The seal hunt begins officially on November 10th. As soon as baby seals lose their white fur, somewhere around two weeks of age, they are shot and killed with rifles or with large clubs that have an ice pick attached to break the seal's skull. Even more shocking, estimates show that as many as 40% of the seals killed were skinned alive.
Please help get the attention of the Canadian Government by contacting Canada's Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, to register your opposition to this barbaric slaughter, and remind him what a national shame this is for Canada. Please also contact the Canadian Tourism Commission to say that you will not travel to Canada or purchase Canadian goods as long as this barbarity continues.
Prime Minister's Office
Right Honorable Jean Chrétien
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington St. Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada K1A OA2
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca
Canadian Tourism Commission
55 Metcalfe St. Suite 600 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6L5
613-946-1000
E-mail: Use the Contact Us form on www.canadatourism.com.
If you would like information about other steps you can take to protest the Canadian seal hunt, as well as sample letters, visit this link of the Humane Society of the U.S. www.protectseals.org.
U.S. Post Service to Stop Selling Spay/Neuter Stamps
The USPS is no longer selling or reproducing these popular stamps that send a strong educational message about the importance of spay/neuter. Please write to the USPS and urge them to print more of these wonderful stamps. They have received a great deal of feedback from people who want to continue buying them. The more they hear from people the greater chance there will be that they'll decide to reproduce them. Please write to:
USPS Stamp Development
475 L'enfant Plaza SW, Room 5670
Washington, D.C. 20260-2437
Points to include in a letter:
- 4-6 million homeless animals are put to death in U.S. shelters each year.
- Approximately 65,000 homeless animals are euthanized in Washington shelters each year.
- Spay/neuter surgery is the only humane and effective way to deal with pet overpopulation.
- USPS stamps are an excellent vehicle for public education on this important issue.
Update: Magnuson Sports Complex
The Seattle Board of Park Commissioners, which is an advisory Board to the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, voted its approval of the Magnuson Regional Sports Complex plan as presented, with the exception that the lights on all 11 fields would be turned off by 10:00 pm. (The plan that was presented would have allowed 5 fields to have lights on until 11:00 pm - the vote on this item was 3 in favor, 2 opposed). This vote serves as a recommendation to the Parks Superintendent to move ahead with the plan.
For more details about the sports complex plan, please see the Friends of Magnuson Park website at www.saveourpark.org.
Update: Animals have had two recent significant victories in the U.S. Senate!
The Senate passed an amendment introduced by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) to strengthen the federal animal fighting law, establishing a felony-level penalty for any interstate movement or foreign commerce in fighting dogs or birds. The amendment also makes it a felony to move cockfighting implements in interstate or foreign commerce.
Also, the Senate unanimously passed S. 269, a bill by Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT) and Senator Ensign to ban the interstate transport of captive lions, tigers, and other big cats for the exotic pet trade.
The U.S. House of Representatives will hopefully consider and vote on similar bills soon.
