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Californians! Farm Animals Urgently Need Your Help!

 
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Deborah
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:22 pm    Post subject: Californians! Farm Animals Urgently Need Your Help! Reply with quote

As some of you may already know, I've been volunteering for an organization called Californians For Humane Farms, which has a ballot initiative campaign to place the California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act on the November 2008 ballot.

The deadline to reach the required number of signatures is February 25, and although we're getting close to reaching the goal, it's going to need a big push this last couple of weeks.

I'm posting this message here, even though there aren't many of us Californios here, because I've been out with the flu for over a week and haven't been able to hit the streets and round up signatures.  So I'm asking every humane Californian I know to click on the link above, watch the video, read about factory farming practices, and request a Family and Friends petition package.  This consists of a small number of petitions, a few flyers, some very persuasive pictures, and instructions for circulating petitions.  This is how I started out, just asking my friends and co-workers to sign -- and not one person refused.  If lots of people send in even a few signatures, it counts just as much as a few people collecting lots of signatures.

So please think about the lives that factory farm animals lead and about how much of a difference even this modest measure can make with just a bit of effort on our part.

(You must be registered to vote in California to be a petition circulator.  To meet the February 25 deadline, mail the signed petitions by February 22, or you can bring them on the 25th to your nearest office.)
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Deborah
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I referred to "this modest measure" above.  This is from the summary of the measure at the top of the petitions:

Quote:
Requires that an enclosure or tether confining specified farm animals allow the animals for the majority of every day to fully extend their limbs or wings, lie down, stand up, and turn around.

Most people who sign do so after just a brief explanation, but those who bother to read the summary usually are aghast that that's something that even needs to be requested.

A few states in the US have banned either battery cages (for laying hens) or veal crates, but California could set a precedent in this county by banning battery cages, gestations crates and veal crates.  (We're a bit behind the the E.U., some of whose countries have already banned all three, with the rest in the process of phasing them out.)
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Deborah
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A couple of days ago we reached our goal of 650,000 signatures, which was the number calculated to allow for a certain percentage of signatures that might be considered invalid for various reasons.  But we continued circulating the petitions over the weekend, just in case that percentage should turn out to be higher.  I managed to get about 115 signatures in about 3-1/4 hours today, so I feel pretty good, even though I was inactive for 2 weeks due to having the flu and bronchitis.  Monday is the deadline.
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KSa
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Be careful!!! You can infuriate quite strong and influential lobby!
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Deborah
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

KSa wrote:
Be careful!!! You can infuriate quite strong and influential lobby!

Do you mean you think they might try to retaliate violently?
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KSa
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Deborah wrote:
KSa wrote:
Be careful!!! You can infuriate quite strong and influential lobby!

Do you mean you think they might try to retaliate violently?

I think the farmers are very rich people with established connections in various cirlces (including certain political circles). Fulfillment of the demands = considerable loss of profits. I don't know how they can react but I'm pretty sure they will try to exhaust all possibilities to maintain the status quo.
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Deborah
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

KSa wrote:
I don't know how they can react but I'm pretty sure they will try to exhaust all possibilities to maintain the status quo.

They undoubtedly will, but I don't think I have any reason, personally, to be careful.
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Deborah
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding profits from housing pigs in stalls versus open pens, this article from the Humane Society gives some interesting figures.

http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/farm/econ_gestation.pdf

And even if the profits were less from using pens, I really don’t understand how anyone can read an article like the one linked below and decide that profits are more important than animal welfare.

http://www.aact.org.au/pig_industry.htm
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Lazar
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd certainly sign it if I were Californinan.
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Deborah
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lazar wrote:
I'd certainly sign it if I were Californinan.

Maybe you can temporarily become a Californian and vote for it next November!

I haven't been keeping track of how many signatures I got, but I thought it was about 350-400.  After I turned in my last batch today, I found out that my total was 728!  Imagine what I could have done had I not missed 2 weekends due to illness.
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Tiffany
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd certainly sign if I were registered.  I technically am, but moved recently and need to re-register...


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