Now, as the Environmental Protection Agency is set to release the first part of the dioxin risk assessment it’s been working on since 1985, food industry lobbyists are attempting to block EPA action yet again. Why? The EPA is likely to confirm what the FDA has reported:

“Although dioxins are environmental contaminants, most dioxin exposure occurs through the diet, with over 95% coming through dietary intake of animal fats.”

The food industry doesn’t want you to know that you can easily exceed the daily dioxin limit proposed by the EPA by consuming a single large meal of non-organic animal products. Most of all, the food industry doesn’t want to have to take responsibility for the dioxin contamination. If they did, they would have to submit to common-sense food safety measures, like those embraced by the organic industry, that ban toxic pesticides and slaughterhouse waste from animal feed.

Tell the EPA to release its report on schedule and to not bow down to food industry lobbyists who don’t want us to know what we’re eating. Then watch this NutritionFacts.org video to learn which foods are most likely to contain dioxin.

Take Action & Watch the Video

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“The new regulations from HUD will help protect LGBT people and our families in one of the most fundamental aspects of life – finding and keeping a home,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “This common sense action will help some of the most vulnerable people in our community in trying to make homes for themselves and their families.”

The new rule makes three important changes to federal regulations. First, it includes language that ensures same-sex couples and their children are recognized as families covered by HUD programs, including affordable housing assistance. Second it prohibits owners and operators of HUD-assisted housing, or housing whose financing is insured by HUD, from inquiring about the sexual orientation or gender identity of an applicant or basing a decision on their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Third it prohibits consideration of factors other than creditworthiness, including sexual orientation and gender identity, in the awarding of mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

As part of its Blueprint for Positive Change, HRC submitted more than 70 recommendations for executive action which would improve the lives of LGBT Americans to the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. Since the administration began, HRC staff have met and communicated with numerous federal agencies on how to implement these policies. Addressing discrimination in federal housing programs was part of HRC’s recommendations for HUD.

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Americans and Afghans alike are rightly outraged over a video circulating on the Internet that allegedly shows U.S. Marines urinating on Taliban corpses. Pentagon officials are scrambling to do damage control, fearing that the video will hinder peace talks, and military officials are promising that those involved will be punished to the highest extent. But another video that surfaced recently also merits outrage and action: It shows a soldier viciously beating a sheep with a baseball bat while other soldiers laugh and cheer. 

Blow after metallic, stomach-churning blow rains down on the terrified sheep’s skull. The convulsing and kicking animal tries in vain to rise and flee, but the man with the bat just keeps swinging. A local boy in the background jumps up and down in apparent delight while the sheep struggles on the ground. After much public outcry, military officials are finally investigating the video.  

Animals don’t start wars. They don’t have political views, militaries or weapons. Yet they are often the victims of cruelty in combat zones. In 2008, video surfaced of a smiling Marine who hurled a live puppy off a cliff while another Marine laughed. Thankfully, after a massive public outcry and pressure from PETA, the puppy-tossing Marine was expelled, and another Marine in the video faced disciplinary action. 

The same year, video that was allegedly taken from a CD found in Baghdad’s Green Zone depicts what appear to be U.S. soldiers taunting and tormenting a dog whose back legs were apparently crippled. The laughing men threw rocks at the dog, who snarled and yelped in pain before making a desperate attempt to flee on two legs. One of the men in the video said the dog’s attempt to run was “the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” Many other similar incidents of abuse have been recorded on video, and many more likely never see the light of day. 

Whether the abuser is a military service member or a regular Joe, cruelty to animals isn’t “normal” behavior, and it must be taken seriously, for everyone’s safety. People who find pleasure or humor in harming animals aren’t just cruel; they’re also cowards because they target “easy victims” who don’t have any hope of fighting back. 

Mental-health and law-enforcement professionals know that animal abusers’ disregard for life and indifference to suffering indicate a dangerous psychopathy that does not confine itself to animal victims. A history of cruelty to animals regularly shows up in the FBI records of serial rapists and murderers, and a study by Northeastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA found that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans. Violence is a fact of war, but the depravity shown by the sheep-beating soldier and the sick pleasure the onlookers seemed to derive from watching the beating are red flags.  

All the students who have opened fire on their classmates have histories of cruelty to animals. “BTK” killer Dennis Rader, who was convicted of killing 10 people, admitted that he was cruel to animals as a child and apparently practiced strangling dogs and cats before moving on to human victims. Serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer tortured animals and impaled cats’ and dogs’ heads on sticks. The Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo, used arrows to shoot cats and dogs who were trapped inside crates. 

Whether it occurs at home or in a war zone, there is never an excuse for harming animals. The stakes of cruelty to animals are far too high to ignore it, to excuse it or to let those who commit it go unpunished. It’s time for the military to treat acts of cruelty to animals with the seriousness that they deserve. 

Lindsay Pollard-Post is a staff writer for the PETA Foundation.

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Some parts of the state law were upheld, and it is still illegal to buy or sell downed animals outside the slaughterhouse, or to transport a downed animal to a slaughterhouse. In addition, the Court made clear that state cruelty laws can still apply to federal slaughterhouses, as long as they don’t differ from federal regulations. Further, the Court said that this ruling is not in conflict with appellate court rulings upholding state bans against the slaughter of horses for human consumption. But the bulk of the ruling is adverse, and has enormous implications for food safety and animal welfare.

“This is a deeply troubling decision, preventing a wide range of actions by the states to protect animals and consumers from reckless practices by the meat industry, including the mishandling and slaughter of animals too sick or injured to walk,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. “The fact is, Congress and the USDA have been in the grip of the agribusiness lobby for decades, and that’s why our federal animal handling and food safety laws are so anemic. California tried to protect its citizens and the animals at slaughterhouses from acute and extreme abuses, but its effort was cannibalized by the federal government.”

“Since the meat industry and the Obama administration argued that states are powerless to prevent disabled and abused animals from ending up in the food supply, they must now do more at the federal level to crack down on abuses of downed animals and take away the incentive for producers to torment animals unable to stand or walk to get them into the kill box,” added Mr. Pacelle.

The Obama administration has stalled on HSUS’ 2009 petition to eliminate the slaughter of downer calves – a problem that came to light after an HSUS investigation of a Vermont slaughter plant. In addition, the USDA has taken no substantive action on a 2010 petition from Farm Sanctuary that applies to down pigs and other livestock.

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“No minority should have their rights subject to the passions and sentiments of the majority.  This is the fundamental bedrock of what our nation stands for.”  Newark Mayor, Cory Booker

In recent weeks, outrageous statements targeted at minority citizens have come out of the mouths of a number of conservative politicians – everything from the assertion that African Americans prefer food stamps over pay checks to the claim that “black people” are using “other people’s money” to get ahead.
 
But last week, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey may have topped them all when he declared, “People would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South.”  The Governor’s statement was made in the context of his proposal that the issue of same-sex marriage in New Jersey be settled by a voter referendum.  But his words amounted to an insult to generations of men and women who put their lives on the line for equal rights.  They also ignore the fact that the sole purpose of any civil rights struggle is to gain rights for minority citizens that the majority has historically and consistently denied.
 
The nonsense of Christie’s statement was made all the more apparent by the fact that during the heyday of lynchings, poll taxes and “separate but equal schools”, any referendum on voting rights and civil rights for African Americans would have excluded many of the very people seeking those rights.  In fact it was only because the majority for centuries had first enslaved and then discriminated against African Americans that it became necessary for people of conscience to organize in protest against such treatment.  Christie should remember that in the 18th century, it was not a referendum but a revolution that formed the United States of America.  In the 19th century, it was not a referendum, but a civil war that ended slavery and unified our nation. And in the 20th century, it was not a referendum, but a series of non-violent civil rights struggles that defeated Jim Crow and secured voting rights for women, African Americans and other disenfranchised minorities.
 
Sheila Oliver, New Jersey’s first African American woman Assembly Speaker, correctly saw Christie’s proposal to submit same-sex marriage rights to the whims of voters as a shirking of responsibility.  She said, “The major issues of our time such as women’s suffrage and civil rights were rightly decided legislatively. We are elected by the people of New Jersey to protect civil rights. We do not pass on such tough decisions.” Oliver also took issue with Christie’s characterization of the civil rights struggle, adding, “Governor, people were fighting and dying in the streets of the South because the majority refused to grant minorities equal rights by any method.  It took legislative action to bring justice to all Americans, just as legislative action is the right way to bring marriage equality to all New Jerseyans.”
 
It is almost unthinkable that a sitting governor would either be so uninformed, so callous to suggest that civil rights movements have not played a necessary and positive role in ensuring that the promise of freedom, equality and democracy is made real for every citizen.  We think the Governor owes the people of New Jersey and all Americans a clear explanation.

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“Since repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ last year, military leaders have testified that our nation’s military is stronger,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “It’s surprising that an Air Force veteran like Representative Reynolds would disagree with our nation’s military leaders and seek to weaken Oklahoma’s National Guard by introducing this legislation. This legislation serves no purpose but to prevent qualified individuals from serving their country and their state.”

“Mike Reynolds has a long-standing history of representing fringe views that rarely have the best interests of all Oklahomans at heart,” said Laura Belmonte, chair of The Equality Network. “This legislation is demoralizing to Oklahoma’s LGBT community and our supporters, and it sends a message that it is acceptable to discriminate against people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. At a time of growing momentum for equality at the national level, this legislation will turn back the clock on advancements at the state-level.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen said the day after implementation of repeal: “…with implementation of the new law fully in place, we are a stronger joint force, a more tolerant joint force, a force of more character and more honor, more in keeping with our own values.” Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said: “Thanks to this change, I believe we move closer to achieving the goal at the foundation of the values that America is all about:  equality, equal opportunity and dignity for all Americans.”

If the bill were to become law, Oklahoma would join countries like China, Iran, Syria, North Korea and Pakistan in prohibiting gays and lesbians from serving their country.

Oklahoma’s new legislative session begins February 6.

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I would like to propose a simple resolution that requires almost no effort and will prevent countless animals from suffering: Keep your cats indoors. Allowing cats to roam outside unsupervised puts both them and other animals in peril. 

Case in point: Late last month, a cat miraculously survived a terrifying four-hour, 200-mile trek under the hood of a car in Ohio. The cat was discovered when the car’s driver stopped at a rest area after smelling something burning. With the help of a passing police officer, the driver was able to free the cat, who was wedged in the engine compartment and had suffered burns to his right side. He was rushed to a veterinarian, underwent surgery and is expected to recover. 

This story is unusual only in that the cat survived. During the winter months, many animals are maimed or killed when they crawl inside car engines, seeking warmth, and are slashed by fan blades when the unsuspecting driver starts the car. (That’s why, in wintertime, it’s always a good idea to bang on the hood of your car a few times before starting it to give any animals who may be hiding underneath it a chance to jump out.) 

This cat’s close call is also a reminder of the many outdoor dangers that await our feline friends. Every day, animals are kicked, beaten, poisoned by intolerant neighbors, used for target practice and worse after being left outside alone for “just a few minutes.” Some animals are stolen and sold for use in painful experiments. Others are used as “bait” by dogfighters. 

Random acts of cruelty are common: Most of the 400-plus new cruelty cases that PETA receives each week involve animals who were victimized while outside unattended. 

Many people have learned the hard way never to let their cats outside alone. In Washington, D.C., a cat let out for her daily stroll returned covered with burns from hot cooking grease. In California, a woman searching for her cats found that both had been shot with arrows. In Florida, more than a dozen cats were mutilated, gutted and skinned before police charged a local teen with the crimes. The list goes on and on. 

Cats who are left outside may also be hit by cars or attacked by other animals, or they may ingest antifreeze—which tastes sweet to them but is potentially lethal. They are also more likely to contract debilitating diseases such as feline leukemia, distemper and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and to become infected with parasites. 

Other animals are also at risk when cats are allowed outdoors. According to the American Bird Conservancy, cats kill hundreds of millions of birds every year and more than a billion squirrels, rabbits and other small mammals. A study last year in The Journal of Ornithology found that cats are the number one killer of fledgling gray catbirds. 

Now before anyone starts calling me a “cat hater,” you should know that I share my home with three rescued cats. Both of my boys had been strays—and neither was exactly thriving in the “great outdoors.” Mochi was skin and bones when he was found and had a nasty wound on his back leg, most likely from a dog attack. 

To keep your cats content in the great indoors, set aside daily play time—crumpled-up paper, catnip balls and Cat Charmers will get your cat’s heart and mind racing—and make sure that they have access to windows. You can also provide safe outdoor excursions by training your cat to walk on a harness and leash (yes, really). 

Please, resolve to keep your cat safe this year—by keeping him or her indoors. Your feline friend would surely prefer to cuddle up on your lap than in an engine compartment anyway. 

Paula Moore is a senior writer for The PETA Foundation.

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“While we still have concerns about the millions of families who have lost their homes or are currently facing foreclosure, we commend the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the states’ Attorneys General for their dogged pursuit to genuinely help American homeowners of all races and ethnicities and see that justice is served,” said Hilary O. Shelton, the Director of the NAACP Washington Bureau and the Senior VP for Advocacy and Policy.  “We are especially pleased that there will be an immediate influx of $25 billion in relief for those families who lost their homes in the reckless rush to mass foreclosures, as well as $17 billion for principal reductions, which is an important first step toward helping people whose houses have gone ‘under water’ to stay in their homes which in turn is a clear benefit not only to families, but also to neighborhoods, the economy and the nation.” 

The NAACP is also pleased to learn that the agreement contains key reforms to address unfair mortgage servicing practices, outlaws “robo-signing”, and that the agreement does not preclude homeowners from bringing individual claims against banks nor does it shield financial institutions from prosecution related to criminal activities, fair lending lawsuits or claims based on mortgage securities violations.  Director Shelton has testified before the U.S. Congress several times on behalf of the NAACP on the need to reform the mortgage servicing industry and to prevent this type of predatory lending from devastating American families again.

“In light of the disproportionate number of racial and ethnic minorities who have been adversely affected by the foreclosure crisis, this settlement is clearly, from the perspective of the NAACP, a step in the right direction,” said Mr. Shelton.   “It is the hope of the NAACP that this first step will lead to further investigations and compensation for people who were targeted by predatory lenders because of their race, age, gender or any other characteristic.”

Mr. Shelton concluded his remarks by saying, “There still is much to do, and we will continue to encourage the Administration and other government officials to take additional bold actions to help protect additional American families from losing their homes.  As we continue to lift up the problems facing our communities, we hope that concerns of others who represent areas that have been particularly hard hit, such as Kamala Harris, the Attorney General for California, are fully addressed.  The NAACP pledges to continue to work with all of those involved in the settlement to target the relief on the communities which have been especially hard hit by the foreclosure crisis.”

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Though the original proposal, issued in March 2010, called for a ban in trade of nine species, the administration moved ahead with a trade ban for just four of them – the Indian python (including Burmese python), Northern African python, Southern African python and yellow anaconda. These four species represent only 30 percent of imports of the nine species identified as posing a significant risk to the environment by the U.S. Geological Survey. After dragging its feet for 22 months, the Obama administration ultimately failed to include in its rule reticulated pythons, which have killed more U.S. citizens than any other constrictor snake, boa constrictors, green anaconda, DeSchauensee’s anaconda and Beni anaconda.

“This rule was swallowed up in the federal bureaucracy for 22 months, and put through a political meat grinder, leaving us with a severely diminished final action,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS, which was one of dozens of groups pushing for the enactment of the original proposal. “We expect trade to shift to the species omitted from the trade ban, and we can only hope that the Interior Department takes a careful look and revisits the issue.”

Large constrictor snakes have been released or escaped into the environment and have colonized Everglades National Park and other portions of south Florida. The United States has already spent billions of dollars to restore the Everglades, including protection efforts for endangered species, such as the Florida panther. The U.S. Department of Interior expected to spend $100 million in 2011 controlling invasive species, including the pythons breeding wild in Florida.

This original rule proposed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and supported by a bipartisan group of congressional leaders, as well as nearly all major Florida newspapers, would have closed a major pathway of introduction and helped prevent the spread of these animals to new areas and the establishment of additional species in areas where constrictor snakes already pose a problem. The HSUS has long advocated for policies to restrict the trade in dangerous wild animals as pets.

Wild animals kept as pets can injure and kill, can spread disease, and the average pet owner cannot provide the sophisticated care needed to maintain these animals in a humane and healthy manner. Though often marketed as low maintenance pets, constrictor snakes can suffer from starvation, dehydration and other symptoms of neglect.

This important rule had been delayed and weakened by the very industry that peddles high-maintenance dangerous predators to unqualified people at flea markets, swap meets and over the Internet. Constrictor snakes have killed 15 people in the United States, including seven children.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey report, imports of large constrictor snakes from 1977 to 2007 were more than 1.1 million, including the following species:
• P. sebae – African rock pythons: 32,738 – 2.9 percent
• P. molurus – Burmese python: 297,443 – 26.8 percent
• B. reticulatus – Reticulated python: 147,485 – 13.3 percent
• E. notaeus – Yellow anaconda: 1,968 – 0.2 percent
• E. murinus – Green Anaconda: 13,262 – 1.2 percent
• B. constrictor – Boa constrictor: 618,872 – 55.7 percent

The White House’s final rule addresses just 30 percent of the problem, while leaving 70 percent unchecked—including reticulated pythons and boa constrictors which represent more than two-thirds of large constrictor snakes in the U.S. trade. The U.S. Geological Survey report also noted that all nine species present ecological risk, concluding the following (emphasis added):

“High-risk species are Burmese pythons, northern and southern African pythons, boa constrictors, and yellow anacondas. High-risk species, if established in this country, put larger portions of the U.S. mainland at risk, constitute a greater ecological threat, or are more common in trade and commerce. Medium-risk species were reticulated python, DeSchauensee’s anaconda, green anaconda, and Beni anaconda. These species constitute lesser threats in these areas, but still are potentially serious threats. Because all nine species share characteristics associated with greater risks, none was found to be low-risk.”

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“We hope what youngsters get out of the story is that under some dire circumstances we prevailed.  We performed successfully and we opened doors that they don’t have to fight to.”  Col. Charles McGee, “Red Tails” technical consultant and surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen

Last week, I attended the New York premiere of a new George Lucas film about the heroic exploits of the all-black fighter pilot squadron that helped America defeat the Nazi’s in World War II.  I am not in the business of promoting new movies.  But, there are several reasons that compel me to highlight the release of “Red Tails,” the story of the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen.  First, the movie has a virtually all-black cast with black male heroes – a rare depiction by Hollywood.  Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, and NE-YO all play key roles. Lucas has said that the black theme and black cast were major reasons Hollywood repeatedly declined to back the film.  He struggled 23 years to get major studio financing.  “I showed it to all of them,” he said, “and they said no, we don’t know how to market a movie like this.”  He wound up pouring $58 million of his own money into the project.  

The second reason I am excited about this film is that recent comments by political candidates denigrating the African American community and reviving outdated stereotypes, make it more important than ever to spotlight the historic contributions and public service of black Americans.

In just the last few weeks, two presidential candidates, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, have perpetuated false and destructive racial stereotypes in desperate attempts to score political points.  In a discussion of social assistance programs, Santorum said he doesn’t want to “make black people’s lives better by giving them someone else’s money.”  Santorum’s appalling comment implied that people of color are a drain on resources mainly provided by whites, even though about 70 percent of food stamp recipients are white.  

Santorum’s statement was followed a few days later by a comment from Newt Gingrich that “African Americans should demand pay checks not food stamps.”  Gingrich has called Barack Obama “The best food stamp president in American history.”   We are outraged by the comments of both candidates and denounced them in separate statements.  The fact is, social safety net programs serve families in dire circumstances from all walks of life.  Many of those who now find themselves in need, whatever their ethnic background, are the very people who have paid into these programs and made sacrifices to support their families and our nation throughout their working lives.  Which brings me back to the Tuskegee Airmen.

In the 1940s, before our armed forces were integrated, the Tuskegee Airmen became the first black aviators in the United States military.  They were trained at Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University in Alabama.  Despite discrimination, during World War II, these brilliant airmen fought fascism abroad and returned to fight racism back home.  

Lucas teamed with black co-executive producer, Charles Floyd Johnson, and black director, Anthony Hemingway to create a film they all hope will inspire a new generation of African American youth.  The message of the movie…the lesson of the Tuskegee Airmen is clear:  We have the power to overcome any barrier to serve our nation and achieve our dreams. One movie won’t solve the problem, but we think it’s an important step in the right direction.

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