Be Encouraged!!

I  just received an e-mail from the Care2 petition site. On a typical day I might delete this kind of update e-mail or skim it quickly before trashing it. Not that I don’t care deeply about many causes I hear from in my inbox, but those e-mails accumulate so fast that before you know it you can’t find that one important e-mail from you boss that must have gotten swallowed up by all of the updates from political campaigns, activism sites, fundraisers, catalogs, etc etc. It’s the digital version of the two brown bags I have in my kitchen overflowing with mail for my neighbor that I have been collecting while he is out of town. I’ve told him, “You can go paperless with many of these things,” but on and on it arrives into the NON-metaphorical mailbox outside his house…fliers and advertisements, solicitations and bills, coupons and newsletters.

This is NOT a complaint post, believe it or not. I’m not spending time on this beautiful evening ranting about spam. Actually, what I wanted to share with you was what I mentioned at the beginning…this update from Care2. The subject?: LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE! And in the body of the e-mail is a list of just a few of the game changers in environmental issues, animal welfare, and public health that have occurred all over the world just in July due (at least in large part) to individuals signing petitions on the Care2 petition site. Here are the headlines and links:

FDA Bans BPA in Baby Bottles, Sippy Cups

Santa Monica Mountain Lion Shooting Leads to Policy Changes

Urban Decay Gets Cruelty-Free Status Back

FOUR PAWS Team Rescues Cub From Cruel Fate

Leatherback Turtles Protected in Puerto Rico

Forage Fish Protected in the Pacific

Chevron to Pay $19 Million For Environmental Damages

 

 

 

So BE ENCOURAGED!! You can be an activist and an advocate from the comfort of your own home if that is what feels right to you. Don’t like PETA? No worries! But it doesn’t mean that you can’t stand up for the welfare of animals. Don’t live in the Ukraine? It doesn’t mean you can’t help little Nastia find a better future at Four Paws. Amazing isn’t it? We can impact our world in ways that would have been inconceivable just a few decades ago. You should know that YOUR life has an impact. Always has. Always will.

Do-Good List For Your Looong Weekend

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! Every few weekends I try to post a collection of a few of my favorite petitions/pledges that I have come across. So during this weekend, consider taking just 5 minutes to include your voice to  these worthy uproars…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(I mean, does anyone with any sense even eat Domino’s anymore?) Okay, but for the animals….Tell Domino’s to get with the program and stop contributing to farm animal abuse here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Demand GMO labeling here!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Help battle colony collapse here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think floating garbage islands are disgusting and shameful? Make a pledge to stop contributing to them here.

 

Happy Weekend.

~~~S Wave~~~

Petitions for the weekend

Here are a few petitions from this week that we feel deserve your signature. 

1. Asma Al-Assad: Call for peace in Syria

 

 

 

2. Let Sophia Into School!

 

 

 

3. Protect the Western Arctic Reserve From Big Oil

 

 

4. Tell AT&T: Drop Your Support of ALEC

Petition: No to Rove

The Federal Elections Commission is accepting public comment on Karl Rove’s request for Super Pacs to be able to coordinate directly with presidential candidates. In the wake of the Occupy Movement, this request

seems crazy.

Haven’t the people been clear that we do not want uber-wealthy  entities riddled with corporate interests deciding this election nor public policy??

Sign here to tell the FEC to put true democratic priorities first and to reject Rove’s request.

 

Right To Know! If It’s GMO!

 

The dialogue surrounding Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods continues and momentum toward change in food labeling is accelerating thanks in part to the Occupy movement and the way it has ignited American citizens’ sense of power. The 2012 Food and Farm Bill is currently moving through legislative processes and people are watching. Did you know that it is estimated that 75-80% of processed food contains genetically modified ingredients?This is because so much of our corn and soybeans yields are produced with genetically modified seeds and then that corn and soy ends up in almost every processed item on the grocery store shelf. Remember King Corn? We’re practically walking corn stalks! Yet with all this GMO floating around in our food system and an estimated 90% of Americans supporting mandated GMO labeling, there is still no such mandate in place. Other nations have banned the use of GMOs altogether while we continue to be denied a simple label telling us the amount of GMO in our food. Could that have to do with the superpower, Monsanto, owning the vast majority of these patented crop strains while also being one of the most powerful agricultural lobbyist in Washington? Hmmm…. Monsanto is one of today’s grandest examples of out-of-control corporate influence in government. It represents the status quo that is driving people to the streets in the Occupy movements across the country.

Bottom line for me is, I have a right to know what is in my food. I have a 1-year old niece and her parents deserve to know what is in her food. Each of you has the right to decide what goes into your body. And as much as I would like us all to eat !!GMO-FREE!!, at the very least I demand transparency in labeling. Who will make that happen? Well, you president said he would. Food Democracy Now! has recently posted a 2007 video of President Obama promising to mandate GMO labeling if he became president. Along with the video is a petition that will be sent to the White House. If you think it’s your right to know what you’re buying and what you’re eating, take a second to sign and click.

Tell Obama You Have the Right to Know!

 

Shared by ~~~S Wave~~~

PETA Cries Constitutional Foul on Seaworld

Write to Blackstone now with a click.

Leave it to PETA. I love this group because the out-there actions they take get people’s attention and makes us think about our relationship with animals. In a latest effort to stop the inhumane treatment of wild-caught orcas at Seaworld, PETA is suing the amusement park for violating the 13th amendment of Constitution which prohibits slavery but does not refer to mankind only. Okay, whether you’re a speciest or not, their point hits home. In the wild, orcas live in complex social units and travel hundreds of miles a day with their pod. They are instinctual hunters.

Now picture them at Seaworld. They are held in small pools for hours and hours on end with nothing to stimulate them, nowhere to swim, and nothing to hunt. Dead fish are thrown at them and social interaction with other orcas is often denied.  We’re talking about WILD orcas here…not orcas bred in captivity.  And really that’s a moot point anyway; wild or not, their instinct to hunt and swim great distances still exists.  Check out this picture where Tilikum is kept in a pool where his head and tail almost touch the walls end to end. All this for us to ooh and ahh at them doing “tricks.” PETA claims this is enslavement by definition.

I personally will never take my family to Seaworld. Moreover, I look forward to the day where animals behaving unnaturally, due to what is usually inhumane training techniques, is no longer considered entertainment. Blackstone Group owns Seaworld and PETA has written a letter for you to send to them. The letter demands that these whales be released into the care of sanctuaries that are prepared to care for them the RIGHT way. All you have to do is sign (i.e., type) and click. This PETA campaign is sure to get national attention. Will you be a part of that?

Write to Blackstone now with a click.

Prevent Another Ohio Tragedy

As promised, we will occasionally be offering up a variety of petitions and action opportunities. If you find them intriguing, horrifying, praiseworthy or just fun, please take a moment to add yourself to the effort and see what comes of it.

Petition to Ban Exotic Animal Ownership in Ohio

Today’s petition is in response to the recent killing of 48 exotic animals in Zanesville, Ohio. It is bizarre and mysterious stories like this that grab the attention of the average citizen, causing them to pause and give thought to animal rights. I have had more friends mention this story to me than I expected. There is genuine shock and heartache in their voices and in their eyes as they express their reaction. For those of us more deeply embedded in the world of animal rights advocacy, the photos of dead bears, lions, tigers and wolves may not be as viscerally shocking, but the tragedy is still clear. These animals were kept on land owned by a man named Terry Thompson in a state that is one of only seven that have no bans on ownership of exotic animals. The level of care that was provided to these animals is unclear and the setup itself has been referred to as a “farm,” a “game-preserve,” and a “menagerie,” so it is difficult to know exactly what kind of place this was. What is known is that the animals were released by Thompson, who then committed suicide, and then all but a few were killed by police. The event was preventable.

 

This petition is directed to Ohio Governor John Kasich, asking him to sign legislation that would ban ownership of exotic animals in Ohio. This is the strongest petition I have been able to find for this cause. There are currently over 85,000 signatures! As someone who signs a lot of petitions I can attest–that is a big number for a petition going to a governor’s desk. Since the petition began, legislation called “Phillips Bill” is rushing through Ohio government. If the governor signs, it would create regulations for exotic animal ownership in Ohio, but would not ban it.

The online petition started by Liz Dumler, 22, of Athens, is linked through an organization called Change.org. Each time someone signs the petition, an email goes to Kasich’s office and the Department of Natural Resources as well. Now is your chance to keep the number growing and turn your frustration and heartache into action. Here is where you do that:

Petition to Ban Exotic Animal Ownership in Ohio