Thoughts About Animals and Their Rights II
Golden Drops of Bare Truths - Part 2
Ingrid Newkirk, PETA
"Opportunities abound, not just to avoid making mistakes in the marketplace - which animals pay for with their lives - but to say and do even small things that will make a huge difference in how animals are treated and viewed. Act on the adage, 'All that evil needs to triumph is for enough good people to do nothing.' Wherever you are, if you see something wrong, put yourself in the animal's place and speak up! There are always other people who hold the same view but are waiting for someone else to go first. That someone is you. Even the terminally shy can be shameless salespeople, planting animal rights seeds in others' minds without even speaking to them! In restaurants talk loudly to your companion about how the vegetarian food is the best! On crowded elevators, discuss how 'Sarah' lost 30 pounds since she stopped eating chicken and fish! There is no 'one true way' to animal liberation - all that matters is that you are doing something. Don't fret over failures! REMEMBER: Every single act brings animal liberation that much closer!" (The Animals' Agenda)
Mother Theresa
"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person-to-person."
Rabbix
"No more compromises. No more lies. Every 6 seconds an animal is murdered! If YOU don't act, then YOU condone... If YOU don't fight, then YOU don't win!" (No Compromise Magazine)
John Stuart Mill
"Every great movement must experience three states: ridicule, discussion, adoption."
Richard Calore
"To be an animal lover is great. To be an animal protector is greater!" (In Defense of Cats)
PETA's Animal Times
"'The Artist', a vegan singer, reminds everyone who criticizes activists for 'wasting' their compassion on animals: 'Compassion is an action word with no boundaries.'"
Mother Jones
"If you can't lower heaven, raise hell!" (Quoted in Defense of Animals Magazine)
Adela P.
"Ideas to answer impertinent arguments like: 'You should give your money and work to humans instead of animals.'
'1st Answer: I give to both, DO YOU???
'2nd Answer: Ask the government to stop playing with trips to the planets, stop hoarding war/nuclear weapons, stop meddling in other countries' affairs and use these trillions of dollars to help humans!
'3rd Answer: Use the thousands of dollars you spend on fur, leather and steaks!'"
Adela P.
"Turn your back to insensitive people who machine gun you with challenges trying to 'catch' you wearing leather/eating flesh. They're not interested in your answers! Save your time/energy/ emotion to enlighten reasonable/kind people who don't have the information. But if you have the urge of the last word tell them: 'Even so, we are way ahead of you - at least we help some issues while you help none!'"
Henry Spira
"I don't see us as saints and them as sinners; one sees a universe of pain and suffering and asks what can one do." (Interview in E Magazine)
Gary Francione, Esq.
"To use animal welfare reforms as a 'springboard into animal rights' has the new welfarists chasing their tails to decrease pain/ suffering which are permitted in virtually unlimited amounts and in virtually unlimited ways as long as there is an identifiable human 'benefit'. This is what 'institutionalized animal exploitation' means: ANY ANIMAL INTEREST, HOWEVER FUNDAMENTAL, MAY BE SACRIFICED IN ORDER TO SERVE HUMAN INTEREST, HOWEVER TRIVIAL. We must ensure that incremental changes attack the big problem - the property status of animals." (Friends of Animals' Act-ion Line)
Brigid Brophy
"If, say, your employer had offered to bump you off at thirty, would you be reconciled to him on condition he did it humanely???" (Hackenfeller's Ape)
Adela P.
"'Drawing a line': I don't eat veal but ok chicken/fish; don't support animal experimentation but ok 'necessary' ones, don't wear fur but ok leather, etc. is totally unacceptable to a genuine animal rights group/person! Welfarists/protectionists approve the use of all animals 'if treatead well'! A gigantic absurdity for personal/opportunistic convenience at the expense of the animals they SAY they love! Who is anybody to decide which beings' parts to consume/wear??? Whether you put them in your feet/penis/back/mouth... it's the same crime! The ONLY answer is - LEAVE ALL ANIMALS ALONE!!!"
Adela P.
"There's talk of 'playing God' when forced to euthanize hopelessly homeless animals to spare them a torturous existence. But the very same critics are eating/wearing/using animals/ supporting vivisection and other lowest depths exploitation!!! They are NOT just playing God, they are downright THE EVILS THEMSELVES in all their savagery!"
Adela P.
"Novices in the movement may be at different levels of animal wearing/consuming, and might be only a matter of time for their ultimate enlightenment, though thanks to increased activism AND the multimedia today, it takes almost no time to learn all about the animal plight. BUT: it's fair/logical to expect from societies/activists total abstention or they're not ready for leadership. They confuse the public/discredit the movement/make a mockery of our cause!!! My contention/puzzle: how can anyone continue to wear/consume/use animals after knowing their horrid tragedy?"
Unknown
"Take nothing but pictures - leave nothing but footprints."
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
"Man, do not pride yourself on your superiority (to animals), for they are without sin, and you with your 'greatness' defile the earth."
J. Howard Moore
"A universe is indeed to be pitied whose dominating inhabitants are so unconscious and so ethically embryonic that they make life a commodity, mercy a disease, and systematic massacre a pastime and a profession."
Chinese Proverb
"A tree that falls makes more noise than a forest that grows."
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904)
"Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what's been given. But up to now he hasn't been a creator, only a destroyer. Forests keep disappearing, rivers dry up, wild life's become extinct, the climate's ruined and the land grows poorer and uglier every day." (Uncle Vanya, 1897)
Chief Seattle of the Suquamish
"Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
Mahatma Gandhi
"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall - think of it, ALWAYS."
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."
Carole Etzler
"For you are the sister of each one living there. Of the beasts in the forest, of the birds in the air. May you love and defend them, womanchild, womanchild..."
Aldous Huxley
"The truth does not cease to exist because it is ignored."
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)
"The day will come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights which never could have been withheld from them but by the hand of tyranny."
Unknown
"The cowards behave BECAUSE of fear; the heroes behave DESPITE of fear."
Charles Mackay (British poet 1814-1889)
"Man Without Enemies: You have no enemies you say? Alas, my friend, the boast is poor. He who has mingled in the fray Of duty, that the brave endure, Must have made foes. If you have none, Small is the work that you have done. You've hit no traitor on the hip, You've dashed no cup from perjured lip, You've never turned the wrong to right, You've been a coward in the fight."
Charles Darwin
"Animals whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equals." (Metaphysics, Materialism, and the Evolution of Mind)
Gary Yourofsky, Founder and President ADAPTT (Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow)
"The great philosopher Pythagoras said: 'As long as humanity continues to be the ruthless destroyer of other beings, we will never know health or peace. For as long as people massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed those who sow the seed of murder and pain will never reap joy and love.' Antithetically, here's a comment from Ted Nugent, the world's most outspoken hunter: 'I contribute to the dead of winter and the moans of silence, blood trails are music to my ears. I'm a gut-pile addict. The pig didn't know I was there. It's my kick. I love shafting animals.'"
Marc Bekoff, Prof. Of Organismic Biology, U. of Colorado, Boulder. Editor "The Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare;" author "Strolling with our Kin: Speaking for and Respecting Voiceless Animals" (Satya Magazine)
"In the end, it doesn't really matter what animals look like or how they behave - whether they're similar to us or not. We need to honor and respect all other animals in what David Abram in 'The Spell of the Sensuous' calls the 'more-than-human world.'"
Edward Augustus Freeman
"The awful wrongs and sufferings forced upon the innocent, helpless, faithful animal race, form the blackest chapter in the whole world's history."
Eric
"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything!"
Anti-Vivisection Society, Switzerland
"It's an old, old story: The closer to the Mecca, the farther from Allah; the closer to the church, the farther from Jesus; the closer to the law, the farther from justice."
Unknown
"What a shame not to do anything with the excuse that we can't do it all!"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children... to leave the world a better place... to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
Isaac Bashevis Singer (Nobel Laureate)
"We know now, as we have always known instinctively, that animals can suffer as much as human beings. Their emotions and their sensitivity are often stronger than those of a human being."
Mark Twain
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man."
Rachel Carson
"Unless we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is - whether its victim is human or animal - we cannot expect things to be much better in this world."
Unknown
"I know, O Lord of Life and Love, about the need, Touch my heart with love That I, too, may love and give."
Erienne de Grellet
"I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now, let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
Hans Ruesch, Medical Historian (Author Slaughter of the Innocent, Naked Empress, others)
"But there's little doubt that if the animals believed in the Devil, to them he (the Devil) would look remarkably like a human being!"
Count Leo Tolstoi
"If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals." (Quoted in In Defense of Animals magazine)
Mark Twain
"God created a monkey because He was disappointed in man."
Ingrid Newkirk
"As long as people treat animals as toys, possessions and commodities, rather than as individuals with feelings, widespread neglect and abuse is destined to continue." (Quoted in In Defense of Animals Magazine)
Mark Twain
"In studying the traits and dispositions of the so-called lower animals, and contrasting them with man's, I find the result humiliating to me."
Dr. Suess
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
Rabbi Solomon Ganzfried
"...according to the Biblical account (Gen. 9), it is forbidden, according to the law of the torah, to inflict pain upon any living creature. On the contrary, it is our duty to relieve the pain of any creature, even if it is ownerless or belongs to a non-Jew."
Pope John Paul, II
"It is necessary and urgent that, following the example of the poor man (St. Francis), one decides to abandon inconsiderate forms of domination, capture and custody with respect to all creatures."
Warren H. MacDonald
"St. Jerome advised the unwary about 1,600 years ago: 'Avoid, as you would the plague, a clergyman who is also a man of business.'" (Letters to the Editor)
Unknown
"The missing verse of Genesis: On the 8th Day man took over... and it was NOT good!"
Unknown
"Religion keeps people away from God."
Erma Bombeck
"In Saudi Arabia, a motorist accidentally killed a monkey on a highway in the Khamis Messeit region. Later, while driving home on the same road, he found monkeys still gathered around the dead animal's body. The mourners spotted his car, jumped on it, and smashed his windows!" ("All I Know About Behavior I Learned in Loehmann's Dressing Room")
Ingrid Newkirk, PETA
"Over time, human beings have stopped doing many shameful things to each other. And just as surely as it is now illegal to experiment on orphans and prisoners of war, one day animal abuse - for fur, for food, for entertainment, and for testing - will also be gone. Forever."
Livi French
"To err is human, to purr is feline. To err is human, to grrr is canine."
Wall Street Journal
"Common sense is sometimes called horse sense. For good reason. Have you ever seen a horse at the $2 window betting on how fast a person can run???"
From "Your Health"
"Oriental medicines are big business! But manufacturing them tramples animals, some of which are endangered. For example, tigers, the rhinoceros, pangolin (a protected anteater species) and sea horses all die to make medicines such as Armadillo Counter Poison Pill, Laryngitis Pills or Sea Horse Genital Tonic Pills."
Belizean Proverb
"The crow may be caged, but its thoughts are in the cornfield."
Patty Jaymes, "Why Animals Need You"
"Because they have a voice to cry
Without the words to tell you why;
Or silently their sad eyes plead
For mercy others fail to heed.
Because of crimes few people know
In factory farm and rodeo,
In careless home and puppy mill
That breed the surplus shelters kill,
In laboratory cage and stall
Where pain-racked victims cringe and crawl,
Or scream from cruel restraining chair
To those who can't be moved to care.
Because they are crucified in vain -
Are made to bear unending pain,
They're hunted, trapped, caged and oppressed
Without remorse and without rest;
Because YOU love them - YOU must fight
To erase their pain and end their plight,
And make their waiting dream come true
Because... the ANIMALS NEED YOU!!!"
Voltaire
"This animal is vicious; when attacked, he defends himself."
Times Magazine
"'Is the human species a cancer on the planet?' American Anthropology Society's Symposium Organizer, Dr. Warren Hern, physician and epidemiologist, said that aerial and satellite views of urban centers taken over a period of years bore a striking similarity to images of cancerous tissue invading the healthy surrounding tissue. He added that in many parts of the world the increase in human numbers is rapid and uncontrolled, that it invades and destroys habitats, and that by killing off many species it reduces the differentiation of nature."
Unknown
"Though a cage be made of gold, it is still a cage!"
Italian Proverb
"Break the legs of evil custom."
"All that is best in me I have given to (animals) and I mean to stand by them to the last and share their fate whatever it may be. If it is true that there is to be no haven of rest for them when their sufferings here are at an end, I, for one, am not going to bargain for any heaven for myself. I shall go without fear where they go, and by the side of my brothers and sisters from the forests and the fields, from skies to seas, lie down to merciful extinction in their mysterious underworld, safe from any further torments." (Preface to "The Story of San Michele" by Axel Munthe)
Edward Pape, "Think Again Brother Man"
"This is the voice of the creatures
Calling the one that can speak,
To rouse the few who may listen
On behalf of the dumb and the weak.
Long ago, when our Earth was much younger,
When ice covered valley and hill,
The cold and the maddening hunger
Drove your forebears to hunt and to kill.
And when, after gruesome long ages,
The ice withdrew to the pole,
You failed to resume the clean living
Of a harmless link in the whole.
And now you torture and kill us
For profit, for fun - even furs!
And what you call 'vivisection'
Is a slur on your kind and a curse!
You poison our soil and our water
And the air we breathe to survive.
You plunder and fell all our forests,
Destroying what keeps us alive.
Can't you see that sharing this planet
Was truly a wonderful plan?
Think again - Are you sure you can face God -
Alone on this Earth - brother Man?"
Norman Cousins
"Albert Schweitzer always believed that the best medicine for any illness he might have was the knowledge that he had a job to do, plus a good sense of humor. He once said that disease tended to leave him rather rapidly because it found so little hospitality inside his body." (Anatomy of an Illness)
Patty Jaymes, "Our Endeavor"
"It's hard to change the world, we know,
And yet we have to try,
So long as cruel injustice lives
And gentle creatures die.
While any animals are harmed
By thoughtlessness or plan,
We'll fight - and feel in serving them
We serve the best in man."
Kathy L. Lineaweaver
"I refer to those who describe murders/riots/panics and other catastrophes perpetrated by humans, and who say to be 'acting like animals.' I refer specifically to comments regarding a recent ship hijacking where it was said that the terrorists acted like 'cowardly animals.' These terrorists and guerrilla acts are NOT animal in nature - they are HUMAN in nature. As one who sees the balance, beauty and meaning of the world in which nonhuman animals must face life-or-death situations everyday just to survive and perpetuate their species, I grossly resent and take offense at these statements! When was the last time we saw a gorilla hijack a plane? A pod of whales hijack an ocean liner? A group of nonhuman animals walk down the street and terrorize the neighborhood??? Human animals are the terrorists and guerrillas when they go into the nonhuman animals' homes to slaughter them for fur coats, hunting trophies, plumage and all the other atrocious reasons society gives for the gross lack of respect for life, and murder of our fellow creatures inhabiting this world. If and when man comes off his ego trip, maybe he'll see just how insignificant he is to the total scheme of beings on this planet in which ALL creatures share. Then, the saying will be turned around to 'They behaved like people.'" (Letter to Abigail Van Buren in the York Daily Record)
Lucy Martinez
"Zoologists and others from the scientific industry, plus so-called 'animal lovers' are trying to breed rare species of animals back from the brink of extinction. This means a lot of genetic and medical manipulation, to say nothing of snatching them from their own families and habitats, and keeping them in captivity for exploitation. Any nearly extinct species which makes a 'comeback' in population, will become accessible and disposable and they will be hunted back into low population again. Spaying or neutering is more sensible than breeding... and this goes for everyone, people too!"
"Fox Urine: This horrifically produced product is marketed as a way to keep deer out of gardens, but experts say it doesn't work. On urine-collection 'farms,' foxes, coyotes, raccoons and other animals are crammed into tiny cages. They live on feces-encrusted wire cage floors so their urine can be collected in trays below. On one such 'farm,' PETA investigators found animals with open infected wounds and exposed bones. Most huddled together in fear, but others had gone 'cage-crazy' and circled endlessly, seeking a way to comfort themselves. Some chewed and mutilated their own flesh. Owners then killed them for their fur by using agonizing anal electrocution. Some sporting goods stores sell urine collected from deer crammed into tiny pens for use by hunters to mask their human odor and to lure bucks to the hunters' tree stands. Be a 'deer' - and ask managers of local gardening, department and sporting goods stores NOT to sell bottled urine." ("Ask Carla," PETA's Animal Times)
E. Albertine, Long Island City
"The Health Dept. is not required to be knowledgeable or honest. Insecticides kill weak insects, but the strong ones survive and multiply. Disease is all around us, but we will not be affected by it if we build up our immune systems. If we take responsibility for our lives, we do not have to blame mosquitoes for our illness." (Printed in Queens Tribune)
"t"
"Horrors that only a few years ago belonged in the realm of dystopian science fiction have become common place in today's world - genetically engineered Frankenstein foods are forced down our throats by governments and corporations; animals soaked in a bath of poisonous growth hormones are slaughtered in the name of a quick buck and increased profit; vast warehouses of 'bio-machines' (better known to you and I as pigs) lie in darkness, ready to be harvested for their organs for human transplants; the country side is dotted with concrete bunkers where bloodied vivisectors tirelessly work their way through the guts and viscera of endless animal victims! The horrors are seemingly endless... but they are NOT inevitable!" (Underground Magazine)
Good Medicine
"Animal Parts in Your Herbal Supplement??? Have you read the label on your herbal supplements lately? Despite their natural image, certain brands of supplements contain 'raw animal parts.' In a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Scott A. Norton reported that one product explicitly listed 17 cow organs, including lungs and brain matter. Other manufacturers, however, used terms that may slip by the average label-reader. For instance, Dr. Norton noted the consumer may not realize that 'hypothalamus' refers to brain tissue or that 'orchis' refers to bulls' testicles. Currently, there are no federal safety regulations to protect consumers who use herbal supplements." (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)
Patty Jaymes, "Insects Are Bug People"
"Insects are bug people
Who can't help being small,
That's something hardly anyone
Understands at all!
I think bugs are fun to watch
But aren't meant to touch,
As catching them will frighten them
And hurts them very much.
Sometimes thoughtless children
Will kill them just for fun,
Or break their little wings and legs
So they can't fly or run.
When I see others harming them
I always make a fuss,
'Cause I think bugs are people -
Like YOU, or ME, or US!"
Unknown
"Are animal rights people extremists? Do you think it's not extreme to torture/murder living creatures for lipstick? Do you think it's not extreme to breed more dogs and cats while 7 million die in shelters each year? Do you think it's not extreme to torture/murder a living creature to wear their dead skins? Finally, do you think it's not extreme to torture living creatures without their consent to make a living? If we are ALL extremists. I prefer to be an extremist for justice, compassion and peace, and not for pain, murder, rape and oppression."
Mark Twain
"Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it."
Elic Wiesel
"Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."
Karen Iacobbo, writer /teacher of vegetarianism, animal rights & environmentalism
"The antidote for despair is action!"
Margaret Mead
"The difficult we do at once, the impossible takes a little longer."
Unknown
"Stop Whining... Start a Revolution!"
"In a real way, we must share at least some of the blame and guilt for the killing (of animals) if we do not do ALL we can to stop it! Rather than sacrificing that high ground, thoughtfully-selected direct action affirms it. A few hours in jail, or even days, is NOTHING compared to a day at the slaughterhouse, the research lab or the fur farm." (No Compromise "An Open Letter to Grassroots Activists")
Unknown
"What a shame not to do anything with the excuse that we can't do it all!"
Anonymous
"'Start with Yourself' When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt I tried changing only my family, those closest to me... but alas, they would have none of it. And now , as I lie on my death bed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, Then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world." (Written on the tomb of an ancient Anglican Bishop in the crypts of the Westminster Abbey)
Rosa Parks
"Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others."
Unknown
"A single voice may not be heard, but the voices of many cannot be ignored."
Marc Bekoff
"We don't want to be remembered as the generation that killed nature. Please act! But be patient. Activism takes time, but it's well worth it. Protest gently but forcefully. No one likes to be bullied and changes that come about due to heavy-handedness are usually short-lived and make little difference. Deep-rooted changes take time, and often it takes many efforts to accumulate the momentum that's needed to produce deep changes in attitude and heart that truly make a difference. It's important to listen to all views and master opponents' arguments. Only by knowing the tactics of your opponents can you mount a serious offense." (The Importance of Activism)
Unknown
"An Aspiration. I want to live that I may give No pain to beast or bird, That I may be entirely free From cruel deed or word Renouncing meat, that I may eat Of Nature's bounteous store; And every day this better way Delights me more and more!"
Abraham Lincoln
"To sin by silence when they should protest, makes cowards of men."
Goethe
"Knowing is not enough... we must apply. Willing is not enough... we must do."
S. Dale Smith
"Anger is not evil. It is simply power waiting to be directed." (Quoted by Carla in "PETA's Animals")
Alfred Adler
"It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them."
Ingrid Newkirk, Founder and President of PETA
"We don't mind that people dislike us. We're not here to win a popularity contest. We're here to get a message across."
Bradley Miller
"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar."
Mark Twain
"Get your facts first. Then you can distort 'em as you please."
William Lloyd Garrison
"Reader! are you with the man-stealers in sympathy and purpose, or on the side of their down-trodden victims? If with the former, then are you the foe of God and man? If with the latter, what are you prepared to do in their behalf? Be faithful, be vigilant, be untiring in your efforts to break every yoke, and let the oppressed go free. Come what may - cost what it may - inscribe on our banner which you unfurl to the breeze, as your religious and political motto: 'NO COMPROMISE WITH SLAVERY! NO UNION WITH SLAVE HOLDERS!'" (Posted in Internet ar-nys group)
Animal Liberation Front (A.L.F.)
"There is no justice... Just Us!"
Rabbix
"No more compromises. No more lies. Every six seconds an animal dies!" (No Compromise)
Rabbix
"If YOU don't act, then YOU condone... If YOU don't fight, then YOU don't win." (No Compromise)
"BARRY HORNE - The animal rights martyr: 'People must do what they consider proper in response to my death. But let's not forget that to stop the Nazis was necessary to use a high level of violence.' Barry Horne said, the Great Britain eco-terrorist who took the fight for the rights of the animals the farthest! In 1994 this man, who was born in Liverpool 49 years ago burned in the Island of Wight several establishments in protest of the use of animals in scientific experiments, causing damage for 800 million pesetas." (But never harming human or nonhuman! He died in 11-01 while in jail in a hunger strike. Adela P.) (Extracted from "El Mundo," by Irene Hdez. Velasco)
GOLDEN DROPS OF BARE TRUTHS collected by Adela Pisarevsky