To: National Desk
Contact: Rachel Querry of the Humane Society of the U.S., 301-258-8255, rquerry@hsus.org
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The House Judiciary Committee (news - web sites) today approved a bill to establish felony level penalties and otherwise strengthen federal animal fighting laws, setting the stage for the legislation to be adopted before Congress adjourns later this year.
The bill -- H.R. 4264 -- passed by a voice vote in the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security last Thursday and quickly moved to the full Judiciary Committee, which approved it by a vote of 18-8 today.
"We are grateful to the bill's sponsors, Chairman James Sensenbrenner, and the Committee for recognizing the need to give law enforcement officials the tools to deal more effectively with animal fighting," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States.
Representatives Mark Green (R-WI) and Elton Gallegly (R-CA) introduced H.R. 4264 in May. A companion bill is about to be introduced in the Senate by Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
Rep. Green noted during the mark-up that "more than 150 local police and sheriffs departments from across the country have called on Congress to enact this legislation. They want the federal government to step up to the plate and join with them in cracking down on illegal dog fighting and cockfighting, which so often involve interstate participants."
Rep. Gallegly said, "In addition to the obvious animal cruelty, dog fighting and cockfighting are often accompanied by other crimes, such as illegal gambling, drug traffic, and acts of human violence. And there are growing concerns about the potential of animal fighters to spread diseases that jeopardize poultry flocks and public health. It's time for Congress to pass this bill and ensure meaningful enforcement of the federal animal fighting law."
The legislation establishes felony penalties for animal fighting violations and bans interstate commerce in the sharp metal implements -- knives and gaffs -- that cockfighters strap to birds' legs. The bill is modeled after legislation (H.R. 1532/S. 736) introduced last year in the House by Representatives Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) and Robert Andrews (D-NJ) and in the Senate by Senators John Ensign (R-NV), Wayne Allard (R-CO) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), which has won the support of the Bush Administration and a broad array of law enforcement, agriculture industry, animal protection, and veterinary groups. Two hundred and two Representatives and 52 Senators are now cosponsoring the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act.
"Dog fighting and cockfighting are cruel and barbaric practices, routinely associated with other criminal activities," said Pacelle. "Felony-level penalties at the federal and state levels are the most effective way to crack down on this organized criminal activity. Misdemeanor penalties don't provide a meaningful deterrent. They're considered a 'cost of doing business.' And prosecutors are reluctant to take cases involving only misdemeanor penalties."
Animal fighting involves pitting two animals against each other for the purpose of entertainment and illegal gambling. Animals are often drugged to make them hyper-aggressive and forced to keep fighting even after suffering grievous injuries. Dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states, and is a felony in 48 states. Cockfighting is illegal in every state except Louisiana and parts of New Mexico, and is a felony in 31 states.
The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act will "enhance USDA's ability to safeguard the health of U.S. poultry against deadly diseases, such as exotic Newcastle disease (END) and avian influenza," according to Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, who noted that cockfighting activity contributed to the spread of END in 2002-2003, "which cost U.S. taxpayers nearly $200 million to eradicate, and cost the U.S. poultry industry many millions more in lost export markets." Cockfighting has also been implicated in the deaths of at least three children in Asia in 2004 who were exposed through cockfighting activity to bird flu.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than eight million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS protects all animals through legislation, litigation, investigation, education, advocacy and fieldwork. The non-profit organization, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2004, is based in Washington, DC and has 10 regional offices across the country. On the web at http://www.hsus.org.
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/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
.........even animal rights........
New Pax show debates different religions
Would Jesus be a vegan? Are Christianity and Islam compatible? Is there any evidence of God? Are Mormons Christians?
In a program that its creator describes as “O’Reilly meets religion,” Christians, Muslims, Jews, atheists and even animal rights activists verbally duke it out over who is right about God and God’s intentions.
<snip>
Source: http://www.detnews.com/2004/screens/0409/30/g01-288862.htm
......."Vote buying clearly goes on. You can see it clearly at the meetings."........
According to Eugene Lapointe, a former director of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) has offered to pay the fare of members of the Russian and several west African delegations to next week's meeting in Bangkok.
This, he says, threatens to "contaminate" the international meeting, which next week will attract 160 countries and more than 500 non-governmental groups. Decisions will be taken at the meeting on the protection of lions, elephants, sharks and turtles.
Mr Lapointe, now a professional lobbyist for countries and industries which want to open up the trade in endangered species, said the worldwide animal protection lobby was dominating Cites meetings.
"These protection groups have billions of dollars for propaganda," he said. "Cites is being used as a tool.
"It is being contaminated by inappropriate lobbying and pressure."
A spokesman for Ifaw admitted that the group, which has 140,000 members in Britain, is paying for delegates from three countries to attend, but that they would have no influence on how the countries vote.
"We have been helping Togo, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo," said Peter Pueschel of Ifaw, in Bangkok for the meeting.
"The countries would come anyway, but sometimes there are key people like the directors of national parks who need to go and would otherwise not be able to.
Ifaw was one of 28 animal protection groups which 15 years ago complained to the UN that Mr Lapointe was lobbying to open the trade in endangered species while a Cites employee.
He was fired in controversial circumstances but received a settlement after the UN found his dismissal had been "arbitrary and capricious".
The new row about undue lobbying at Cites meetings mirrors an alleged vote-buying scandal in 2002, when Japan was accused of giving aid to several small West Indian countries in return for their support for whaling.
"This has now extended into Cites," Mr Pueschel said.
"Vote buying clearly goes on. You can see it clearly at the meetings."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,13369,1315993,00.html
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Letters
to the Editor |
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SPCA Editor,
Sun-Gazette: |
Source: http://www.sungazette.com/letters/letter_details.asp?letterID=2797&postdate=9/30/2004
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Extremist link to abusive
letters | ||
| Animal rights
activists are being blamed for malicious letters which have been sent to
several residents of the Ousby area, near Penrith, Cumbria.
The letters make offensive allegations about a person living locally, which police say are entirely false. The same person recently suffered extensive damage to motor vehicles. Officers say the letters may be linked to animal rights extremists who have targeted people linked with medical research in other parts of the country. <snip> Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/3704106.stm | ||