Deep Roots: Animal Rights Blog

No excuses, the Carnival is simply late. Despite the fact that I’ve been collecting blog post links for the past few months, I’m only going to include items from June. Enjoy! And remember to send your submissions for the 9th edition to chris [at] deeprootssanctuary.org or at blogcarnival.com.

I decided not to break the posts into categories this edition because there were a lot of posts that didn’t easily fit into a box. I guess that’s a downside to seeing the interconnectedness of everything:)

Animal Rights 101 [An Animal-Friendly Life]
Eric Prescott has started a series of posts to introduce people to the fundamentals of the abolitionist approach to animal rights. The series now consists of three parts. Part One: The Need talks about why we need to clearly define animal rights. The second part, Rights, breaks down the differences and connections between legal and moral rights. And part three, Animal Rights, delves into the notion of sentience and the basis of equal consideration.

I really should have mentioned this earlier, but things have been busy around here. This weekend, June 6-8th, we are hosting the Stop I-69 Pledge Camp and Music Festival. I will write more later about why Deep Roots is excited to work with the Stop I-69 campaign, but for now here is some info about the Pledge Camp and Music Festival from stopi69.wordpress.com:

Join folks from around Indiana for a weekend of socializing, sharing skills, discussion, and music! It is a critical time for opposition to Interstate 69, so let’s get together, meet one another, and learn skills and information to help us stop this road. As a culmination of the efforts and energies of hundreds of people who have over the past year signed pledges to resist construction of the road, this camp is sure to be an exciting and empowering space. The Pledge Camp and the I-69 Music Festival have teamed up for a wonderful weekend of education and fun!

Go vegetarian to save money [MSN]
Staples such as rice, corn and beans can make trips to a grocery store less expensive. But the biggest savings may come in health-care costs years later.

One city’s fight over biomed plans [Christian Science Monitor]
When Covance, a multinational drug-testing company, elected to build a $44 million laboratory here – where it will test chemical and medical compounds on animals – residents, as well as national and international animal rights groups, mounted a vigorous campaign to block it.
To learn more about Covance, go to http://www.protectchandler.org/

Vick Loses Another Sponsor _ Rawlings [ABC News]
Michael Vick lost another sponsor Rawlings. The sports goods company said Tuesday it was ending its relationship with the Atlanta Flacons quarterback because of dogfighting conspiracy charges.

Nike suspends Vick’s endorsement deal [The Oregonian]
A week after seemingly standing by accused dogfighter Michael Vick, Nike said Friday it is suspending without pay its multimillion-dollar endorsement contract with the embattled NFL quarterback.

Mad Cow Disease In Soil Lives On … And On [The Daily Green]
New research shows that the prion — a mysterious infectious agent that is neither bacterium nor virus — is 700 times more infectious when combined with common minerals found in dirt.

Federal Agency Agrees to Issue New Rules Protecting Whales from Fishing Gear Entanglement [ENN]
New rules to protect endangered whales from fatal fishing-gear entanglements will be in place this fall after environmentalists sued to end the delay.

Battle rages over bill to require pet fixes [DailyBreeze.com]
“There were 2,800 bills introduced in the Legislature this year,” said state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, “and if you were to ask me which one I’ve received the most reaction to, this is at the top of the list.”

Quebec Foie Gras Investigation [Global Action Network]
Several months ago, Global Action Network, in collaboration with Farm Sanctuary, embarked on an extensive undercover investigation of Canada’s largest foie gras farm – Elevages Perigord.

Environmentalism and animal liberation have always been inextricable in my mind. When you destroy or disturb ecosystems, the result is almost certainly the death of animals. The greater the destruction, the more animals that die as a result. The New York Times recently published an article about how ski resorts have had a devastating effect on bird populations because they destroy high-elevation habitat.

The NRDC and BioGems Defenders are now embarking on a campaign to protect the endangered Grizzly Bear. Grizzly habitat in the lower 48 states is being targeted for oil and gas drilling. In combination with the Bush administration’s proposal to remove the Grizzly from the endangered species list, this could mean the end of the Grizzly Bear. The irony is that the administration is likely removing the Grizzly from the list so that corporate interests can exploit the Grizzly habitat for profit (at the expense of the Grizzly population).