Wayne Pacelle and I Agree
Dear Colleagues: For many years now, I have been arguing that the large animal protection groups are, for the most part, partners with institutional exploiters and are, in effect, lobbying arms of the food industry. They do not challenge animal use; in fact, they actively support institutionalized animal use, and claim that it’s only the […]
Some Thoughts for the New Year
Dear Colleagues: It is the obligation of all who embrace veganism to educate others in creative ways about the fundamental moral truth of not exploiting the vulnerable. We must all become teachers of nonviolence in our homes, social circles, schools, workplaces, and communities. We start teaching by our own example. Ethical veganism is nonviolence in […]
The Necessity of Theory
Many animal advocates seem to think that we don’t need any theory. We just need to act “for the animals”; we can worry about theory later on. That view is mistaken in at least two respects. First, if we do not have a theory, how are we to choose what things we should promote? If […]
A Simple Thought for Christmas 2010
We will never have peace on earth as long as we have suffering and death on our tables or on our backs. Peace begins with what you eat, wear, & use. Being vegan is not sufficient for leading a nonviolent life—but it is most certainly necessary. If you are not vegan, go vegan. It’s easy; […]
No, Ethical Veganism is Not Extreme
Dear Colleagues: There is nothing extreme about ethical veganism. What is extreme is eating decomposing flesh and animal secretions. What is extreme is that we regard some animals as members of our family while, at the same time, we stick forks into the corpses of other animals. What is extreme is thinking that it is […]
The Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights in China!
Dear Colleagues: A number of you have written to ask about getting abolitionist theory into countries like the People’s Republic of China. Well, here is a photo of my book, Introduction to Animal Rights: Your Child or the Dog?, translated and published in China by the China University of Political Science and Law Press in […]
I Hate to Say It, but Sarah Palin is Right: A Response to Aaron Sorkin
December 9, 2010 Aaron Sorkin The Huffington Post Dear Mr. Sorkin: In a recent blog post on The Huffington Post, you criticize Sarah Palin, whom you quote as stating, in response to criticisms of her hunting and killing a caribou on her reality TV show: “Unless you’ve never worn leather shoes, sat upon a leather […]
The Absurdity of Competing “Humane” Labels: HSUS v. Perdue
Dear Colleagues: Sometimes one does not know where to begin. This is one such time. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has apparently filed a class action suit against Perdue Farms: The Humane Society of the United States announced the filing of a class action lawsuit against the nation’s third-largest poultry producer, Perdue […]
On Veganism From a Medieval Arab Poet
Dear Colleagues: A reader sent me the following, written by medieval Arab poet Abu ‘L’Ala Ahmad ibn ‘Abdallah al-Ma’arri, known as Al-Ma’arri. He was born in 973 and died in 1057. He was blind. The translation was obtained from here. I No Longer Steal from Nature You are diseased in understanding and religion. Come to […]
Peter Singer and I Agree on One Thing: Nonviolence
Dear Colleagues: Peter Singer recently posted the following Tweet in response to the receipt by a UCLA vivisector of razor blades allegedly infected with contaminated blood: Ugh…how will this help the animals? All it does is give the animal movement the worst possible image. http://tinyurl.com/27xmlkr I agree with Singer that violence like this provides a […]
A Thought for Thanksgiving, 2010
Today, as you give thanks for what you have, please do not celebrate by participating in the suffering and death of another. Please do not take what is not yours to take. Please do not participate in the injustice of animal exploitation. Give thanks by appreciating the peace in your heart that you celebrate today […]
“Humane” and “Compassionate” Pedophilia
Dear Colleagues: For many years, I have been making the argument that if animal exploitation cannot be morally justified (and I do not think it can be), then we ought, as an individual matter, to stop our direct participation in animal exploitation by going vegan and we ought, as a social matter, to advocate the […]
Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman
Dear Colleagues: In this Commentary, I discuss three issues. First, I talk about my new book, The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation?, co-authored with Professor Robert Garner, and published by Columbia University Press. This book focuses on the debate ongoing in the animal advocacy community: should we pursue welfare reform as a means to […]
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The New York City Bar Association Sets a Low Bar for Balance
Dear Colleagues I just got an announcement that on November 11, 2010, the New York City Bar Association, Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining to Animals, is having a program that is described in this way: Happy Cows Come from California’ – Puffery or Consumer Fraud? Thursday, November 11, 2010 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Labeling […]
Mary Bale, Michael Vick, and Moral Schizophrenia
Dear Colleagues: Mary Bale dropped a cat into a dumpster where the unfortunate animal was trapped for approximately 15 hours before being released. Her callous act was captured on video and it was disseminated on YouTube. One report described the public reaction in this way: The “cat bin woman” from Coventry became reviled around the […]
The Friendly Face of Torture, Death, and Animal Exploitation
Dear Colleagues: If you question whether animal welfare reform is in the interests of industry, look no further than the October 21, 2010 article in the New York Times about controlled-atmosphere stunning of poultry, which, as I discussed in an essay here in 2008, is promoted by PETA and PETA award-winning slaughterhouse designer, Temple Grandin. […]
A Welfarist Dream Come True: The Animal Abuse Registry
Dear Colleagues: Imagine you want to find a single-issue campaign that will allow you to fundraise endlessly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so that you (and, more important, your donors) can “help the animals.” Imagine that this campaign will not require anyone to change their behavior toward animals. They can continue to […]
Blessing Exploitation
Dear Colleagues: If you promote being a “conscientious omnivore” as the “compassionate” choice, guess what? People will continue to eat animal products. They will continue to participate directly in animal exploitation and see nothing wrong with it. After all, the “experts,” the “animal rights” people have blessed their consumption of animal products. If you promote […]
“Unnecessary” Suffering and Death
Dear Colleagues: We all agree that “unnecessary” animal suffering and death are morally wrong. If that means anything at all, it must mean that we cannot justify animal suffering and death by reasons of pleasure or convenience. But what is our best justification for imposing suffering and death on the 56 billion animals (excluding fish) […]
New French Abolitionist Approach Mirror Site
Dear Colleagues: Marc Vincent, Meryl Pinque and Valéry Giroux have created a mirror site in French. I am delighted that French-speaking animal advocates will now have a site that is an exact replica of our original site. Although there are sites that regularly present authorized translations of my blog essays in Spanish, Portuguese, and German, […]