Right-winger "behind the transformation of animal protection into a bi-partisan issue"

Those who have been involved in animal protection for a while are familiar with the work of Matthew Scully. He was a senior speechwriter for George W. Bush and is the author of "Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy." He is a driving force behind the transformation of animal protection into a bi-partisan issue. His article about factory farming: "Fear Factories: The Case for Compassionate Conservatism – for Animals" was the cover story for the May 23 edition of Pat Buchanan's magazine, "The American Conservative. Thanks to him, the magazine cover featured a close-up photo of a sow living trapped in a gestation crate, and the headline, "Torture on the Farm." You will find that article archived on the DawnWatch website at:
http://www.dawnwatch.com/5-05_Animal_Media_Alerts.htm#SCULLY

The July 18 issue of Newsweek has an article by George F. Will headed, "Why, Matthew Scully asks, is cruelty to a puppy appalling and cruelty to livestock by the billions a matter of social indifference?"

I will share a few wonderful lines from the article:
"The disturbing facts about industrial farming by the $125 billion-a-year livestock industry—the pain-inflicting confinements and mutilations—have economic reasons. Ameliorating them would impose production costs that consumers would pay. But to glimpse what consumers would be paying to stop, visit factoryfarming.com/gallery.htm. Or read Scully on the miseries inflicted on billions of creatures 'for our convenience and pleasure':

"'... 400- to 500-pound mammals trapped without relief inside iron crates seven feet long and 22 inches wide. They chew maniacally on bars and chains, as foraging animals will do when denied straw... The pigs know the feel only of concrete and metal. They lie covered in their own urine and excrement, with broken legs from trying to escape or just to turn...'"

I will also comment on the following lines from the article for fear that Scully's stance may be misrepresented or misunderstood. Will writes:
"He does not want to take away your BLT; he does not propose to end livestock farming. He does propose a Humane Farming Act to apply to corporate farmers the elementary standards of animal husbandry and veterinary ethics: 'We cannot just take from these creatures, we must give them something in return. We owe them a merciful death, and we owe them a merciful life.'"

True, Scully isn't trying to "take away" people's right to eat meat. He doesn't see force as the way to bring world-wide vegetarianism. But that doesn't mean he isn't gently encouraging people to stop eating meat, and leading by his own example. He was vegetarian when he wrote Dominion, and now, having learned more about the egg and dairy industries, he is vegan.

I am not sending out the whole article, or even a lengthy summary, because Newsweek tracks the number of hits each article gets, so it is far better that each of us visit the website to read it. Newsweek notes the "most read" story. If this one is the most read of the week, we can expect more stories on animal protection in Newsweek.
Also, at the bottom of the page, there is a spot where you can "Rate this story" by clicking on one of five stars. As I send this out it has been rated by 75 people, and is rated at "4." I hope to see it rated by thousands, at "5." The Newsweek site has a spot where you can "view top rated stories." It would be wonderful if this story was included there. But even if the antis join in, and the rating is low, Newsweek will know that the story was widely read, got loads of attention, and is controversial -- that will encourage more animal coverage.
So please, go to the story on line, so that Newsweek knows you have read it, and please rate it highly. Then share it with your friends either by forwarding this alert or by emailing it to them from the link (just below the rating stars) where it says "Email this." That email will send your friends a link, rather than the full story.

Finally, you can email the author from a link at the top of the web-page. Loads of positive feedback will encourage more animal protection stories from him. And you can keep the issue alive in next week's edition of Newsweek, on the widely read letters page, by sending a supportive letter to the editor at: letters [at] newsweek.com. Always include your full name, address, and telephone number when sending a letter to the editor.

Here is the link to the story:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8525632/site/newsweek/


(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)