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Shocked by the Undercover Slaughterhouse Video? Here Are 5 Things You Can Do
HSUS' recent undercover investigation of a California slaughterhouse is making headlines around the world. Here are 5 things you can do to help end this kind of animal torture.
The Humane Society of United States’ recent undercover investigation of a southern California slaughterhouse is shocking – with cows unable to move being rammed with the blades of a forklift, jabbed in the eyes, stabbed with electric prods and sprayed in the nose with high-pressure water hoses. Animal experts have called this one of the worst cases of animal abuse they have ever seen. Why did Hallmark Meat Packing workers violently torment these animals? Profit. So-called “downed” animals (animals who are too sick or injured to stand or walk on their own) are not allowed into the human food supply, so getting them to stand long enough to pass USDA inspection meant Hallmark could slaughter them for meat.
Unfortunately, this kind of abuse is probably not uncommon. The good news is the public can do something about it. In fact, here are five steps you can take to help end such cruelty:
1. Go vegan. By keeping meat and dairy products off your plate, you are no longer supporting the industries directly responsible for the egregious abuses revealed in the HSUS’ investigation. With so many delicious, nutritious plant-based foods available, being vegan is easier than ever. Visit http://www.GoVeg.com or http://www.TryVeg.com for suggestions.
2. Contact the USDA. Email Secretary of Agriculture Edward Schafer at Edward.W.Schafer [at] usda.gov. Tell him to close the loophole created by inconsistent agency regulations that permits the kind of inhumane treatment of animals demonstrated by Hallmark Meat Packing. Demand that downed animals not enter the food chain, as they pose a danger to consumers (12 of the 15 identified cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy – “mad cow disease” – in North America originated from downed cows). Request that USDA inspectors be present at slaughter plants on a regular basis to ensure humane standards are maintained.
3. Contact policymakers. Urge your legislators to support or introduce legislation to help downed animals. The Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act (H.R. 1726) would set modest animal welfare standards, including humane euthanasia of any downed animals, for producers who sell food to federal government programs, while the Downed Animal Protection Act (S. 394 and H.R. 661) would ban any slaughtering of downed animals for human consumption.
4. Educate yourself. Agribusiness gets away with such animal abuse because it’s carried out away from public view. Visit http://www.hsus.org and learn more about its investigation of Hallmark Meat Packing. Visit http://www.nodowners.org for details on what downed animals are forced to endure. Whatever your views on meat-eating, you’re likely opposed to treating animals so cruelly.
5. Tell others. If you agree that downed animals deserve humane treatment, share your feelings with family, friends and co-workers. Encourage them to speak up for these defenseless creatures – animals whose illness or injuries are the result of callous treatment received even before they reached the slaughterhouse. Write letters to editors of newspapers and magazines expressing your feelings.
We ask an awful lot of the animals we raise and slaughter for food. The very least we owe them is a painless death.
Mark Hawthorne is the author of "Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism" (strikingattheroots.com).
Unfortunately, this kind of abuse is probably not uncommon. The good news is the public can do something about it. In fact, here are five steps you can take to help end such cruelty:
1. Go vegan. By keeping meat and dairy products off your plate, you are no longer supporting the industries directly responsible for the egregious abuses revealed in the HSUS’ investigation. With so many delicious, nutritious plant-based foods available, being vegan is easier than ever. Visit http://www.GoVeg.com or http://www.TryVeg.com for suggestions.
2. Contact the USDA. Email Secretary of Agriculture Edward Schafer at Edward.W.Schafer [at] usda.gov. Tell him to close the loophole created by inconsistent agency regulations that permits the kind of inhumane treatment of animals demonstrated by Hallmark Meat Packing. Demand that downed animals not enter the food chain, as they pose a danger to consumers (12 of the 15 identified cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy – “mad cow disease” – in North America originated from downed cows). Request that USDA inspectors be present at slaughter plants on a regular basis to ensure humane standards are maintained.
3. Contact policymakers. Urge your legislators to support or introduce legislation to help downed animals. The Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act (H.R. 1726) would set modest animal welfare standards, including humane euthanasia of any downed animals, for producers who sell food to federal government programs, while the Downed Animal Protection Act (S. 394 and H.R. 661) would ban any slaughtering of downed animals for human consumption.
4. Educate yourself. Agribusiness gets away with such animal abuse because it’s carried out away from public view. Visit http://www.hsus.org and learn more about its investigation of Hallmark Meat Packing. Visit http://www.nodowners.org for details on what downed animals are forced to endure. Whatever your views on meat-eating, you’re likely opposed to treating animals so cruelly.
5. Tell others. If you agree that downed animals deserve humane treatment, share your feelings with family, friends and co-workers. Encourage them to speak up for these defenseless creatures – animals whose illness or injuries are the result of callous treatment received even before they reached the slaughterhouse. Write letters to editors of newspapers and magazines expressing your feelings.
We ask an awful lot of the animals we raise and slaughter for food. The very least we owe them is a painless death.
Mark Hawthorne is the author of "Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism" (strikingattheroots.com).
For more information:
http://www.strikingattheroots.com/
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This lengthy response to above article is based on prior knowledge of factory farms and reflects how this latest evidence only adds to the countless other undocumented acts of cruelty taking place at factory farms throughout the U.S. and the world. This video will probably not show me anything that i don't already know, though it will certainly inspire me to acts of rage and vengence against those responsible. As i am already overburdened with rage, i will not partake in any new material to add to the fire. The torture of animals at factory farms is nothing new. The community of animal rights activists came about primarily because of these factory farms, and the related topic of animal research. We hear alot about the horrors of factory farms over the years and yet no other option given beside going vegan to end the cruelty of factory farms?
Another option not often heard in this factory farms debate is the restoration of range habitat for the original ungulates (hooved mammals) of the CA central valley ecosystem following the phase out of factory farms. Around the southern sections of the San Joaquin Valley, there are few tiny little reserves for the tule elk (none for the pronghorn), once the dominant hooved mammals of the entire CA central valley (Sacramento/San Joaquin) plains. Their habitat was only in a few decades replaced by industrial agribusiness and factory farms. Needless to say, domestic cattle are imported animals not adapted to this valley ecosystem and require additional inputs from agribusiness (includes fertilizer, pesticides, etc..) in the form of corn, wheat, etc..
Central Valley intro;
"No one knows exactly what the Great Valley looked like before European man came to stay. We do, however, have enough scientific information to develop a pretty clear picture. It was a vast, sprawling plain of a great variety of vegetation and animal life. It was a mosaic of grasslands, marshlands and woodlands, topographically altered by wild river, shallow lakes, and pools. It must have been an Eden for its fauna: everything from insects to mammals. It once supported large herds of deer, Pronghorn antelope and Tule elk. There was even enough space for Grizzly bears to roam (a California variety now extinct). The valley supported huge flocks of herons, egrets, and similar large birds. Bald and Golden Eagles, hawks, and falcons represented organisms high on the food chain. The California Condor must have made frequent visits into the valley in search of food.
Human Impact
We might wonder what crossed the minds of the first white explorers in the Great Valley. It must have been a sight to see. But how could man change in two hundred years what was sculptured by nature in more than ten thousand? How powerful was this man that he could alter the biological course of evolution beyond recognition? Before him, thousands of Miwok, Maidu, and Yokuts lived without significantly altering the landscape. What needs and wants of this man could threaten this one of a kind valley?"
article continues @;
http://riverparkway.org/aboutSanJoNaturalHistory.asp
How odd that the indigenous Native Americans pre-Columbus were able to live in harmony with the pronghorn, tule elk and not overhunt them, to gain nutrition and protein from them yet not subject these animals to the cruel conditions of modern factory farms and also be able to give thanks for their meat when hunted? Why is it that the Euro-american immigrants could not grasp this simple concept of "don't take more than you need" when applied to hunting pronghorn and tule elk? Why are we now in the predicament of factory farms being the sole source of meat while the original herd animals that indigenous peoples depended upon for food are practically non-existant? In addition, the domestic varities of cattle and pigs found in factory farms are unsuited for the ecosystem, while tule elk and pronghorns evolved to meet the climactic conditions of the CA central valley..
My take of all this factory farming mess is that ALL factory farms (pigs, cattle, chickens, etc..) should be permanantly and completely shut down and discontinued. People who choose to be vegan and/or vegetarian should be free and able to do so anywhere, having the complete nutritional option available, not limited to iceberg lettuce and other menu items lacking in nutritional protein content..
However, people who have the desire to eat meat from animals should also have this option without the involvement of factory farmed cruelty. In order to attain this goal of phasing out factory farms completely, other options for meat consumtion need to be reintroduced. The most effective model available is in restoring the conditions of the valley range habitat prior to the arrival of Columbus and Euro-american settlers, with full restoration for pronghorns and tule elk in the central valley ecosystem. This restoration of tule elk and pronghorns needs to be achieved by any means neccesary, come hell or high water (that's coming also!!) The risk of a massive human die-off is far more likely if we continue to depend on industrial agribusiness and factory farming for sources of food and protein. We cannot depend on agribusiness and factory farms in the future, so they are false security options, as are genetically modified (GMO/GE) food crops and agribusiness in general. Not to mention that the factory farming method is also deeply intertwined with agribusiness (corn, wheat, etc..) as most domestics (cattle, pigs, etc..) would not survive on the natural plant growth of the region without supplements from corporate agribusiness (Cargill, ADM, ConAgra, etc..). In order for people to have the option for meat, habitat for elk and pronghorn needs to be restored. Currently the factory farms and agribusiness monopolize the landscape with their monocultura, and there is not enough room for the tule elk and pronghorn herds to attain significant numbers to make hunting a viable option..
Animal rights activists promoting "veganism" would likely oppose any restoration of tule elk and pronghorn habitat if hunting were included in the process, though the current lack of habitat for indigenous ungulates with or without hunting is a form of cruelty in itself. We already have the cattle industry and the agribusiness corporations in opposition to any restoration of rangeland habitat for indigenous ungulates, so why would "vegans" give the corporations more support by being opposed to hunting? At least give the elk and pronghorn the chance to run about their range before imposing "animal rights" sanctions on them ever having their land back..
Another myth promoted by corporate media to encourage continued dependency on corporate factory farmed food products is that returning to the indigenous lifestyle pre-Columbus by phasing out agribusiness and factory farms would result in a massive human die-off from starvation. We would instead witness an increase in indigenous food sources, both plant and animal and with these indigenous food sources providing people with greater nutritional content than the current monocultura found with industrial agribusiness. As in indigenous tribal societies, those people disabled or elderly and not able to hunt for themselves were taken care of by the people who were able to hunt, as tribal society was communal (not communist, not capitalist). These myths that promote the indigenous pre-Columbus lifestyle as ineffective of feeding large groups of people are the capitalists and the communists, both "statists" to the core, ganging up on the freeminded indigenist and eco-anarchist ideologies. In addition, if we look at what some historians claim, there were many more indigenous peoples living in North America prior to the arrival of Columbus than previously believed. That means over the last few centuries of European occupation of North America, a genocide in far greater magnitude than Hitler and the trans-Atlantic African slave trade was waged against the indigenous populations of North America. What can be learned from this sad knowledge of genocide is that the landscape itself was capable of feeding larger human populations that previously believed if only allowed to remain in a semi-wilderness condition and the greed and consumption of humans were regulated by the indigenous people's motto of "don't take more than you need" and the Earth will continue to provide. Under industrial factory farming conditions, we have done the exact opposite of this cautionary motto, and will soon be reaping the consequences of our collective greed if we don't change our ways. These sorts of predictions are often ignored until after the writer or speaker is long dead, so be it..
Personally if i had enough dyn-o-mite skills (ya'll factory farm workers be thankful i don't) i alone would make my mission in life to destroy every single factory farm on the landscape, workers and pigs and cattle and all sent off into the next spirit realm in a great ball of fire. Though that may appear cruel and inhumane, i doubt the need for "jobs" really justifies factory farm workers poking cattle in the eyes, better they all die a swift death than endure years of torture in the current system of factory farming. If there needs to be torture, maybe capture the CEOs (better hire some good security guards!) of these factory farms and subject them to the same treatment as the cattle before sending them off to the next realm. As with other abuses, the hatred i feel for factory farms and all those involved in the process, from the CEOs to the workers to the consumers of meat products is a result of the decades of abuse unanswered. In addition, i also hate the fact that i've been so starved for protein in rural regions of the U.S. that i myself was forced into eating factory farmed meat products against my wishes. This may appear as weakness or hypocrisy to some, though in my reality it only adds my self-hatred as fuel to the fire of rage, as the monopoly of factory farms as a protein source is just another reason to destroy this system entirely. Factory farms and agribusiness as a system have turned me into a psychotic monster, and now blind rage is my sole method of action. In addition, i have studied the methods of suicide bombers in occupied Palestine and understand why this option becomes needed and is effective in times of crisis. May there be 1,000 more "9/11s" until the imperialist invaders are finally driven into the ground. We need to remind ourselves that for anyone of indigenous North American "Indian" lineage or anyone else (wherever they are "from") who seeks to follow in the lifestyles and cultures of indigenous North American tribal people prior to the arrival of the cursed conquistador Cristobal Columbus and the invading European hordes, we here in the U.S. are also living in occupied land..
We need some sort of an Al-Queda type group for the animal rights movement, beyond the semi-pacifist methods of ALF/ELF using harm-none sabotage. In my mind, it has come to this point. Workers and wage slaves of the factory farming system living in economic misery while torturing animals can find their freedom in death. That is far better fate than what awaits the CEOs of factory farms, as justice demands their lust for profit as justification of cruelty be met with equal treatment. Better to get a clean finish to all the domestication of factory farms and shitty jobs, raze the factory farm buildings with fires of purification and restore the valley ground with tule elk, pronghorn and other ungulates indigenous to the San Joaquin Valley ecosystem. Then all the people; indigenous and immigrants, all the former factory farm workers who needed "jobs" to feed their family can take up archery and at least give the tule elk and pronghorn a fighting chance before killing them for meat to feed their family. So consider your new job as a hunter of wild game animals, a modern day indigenous tribal member in post-industrial North America..
Feel free to discredit this author as an "agent provocatuer" for not being a good commie sympathizer and defending the plight of the worker wage slaves in factory farms, though in the past i did speak up in their defense. Nor am i trying to get indymedia websites in trouble with Dept of Homeland Security for making "terroristic" threats online. We (?still?) have the rights to freedom of speech and the words i use that show intent and desire though lacking ability to physically perform said intent should negate any potential of actual risks of "terrorist" activism. Anyway, just how many CEOS would i be able to detonate before i end up sharing a prison cell with Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski??
With regards to my hatred for the workers at factory farms, it just comes from a general disgust with humanity (myself included) and our willingless to enable the truly evil and destructive corporate elites to go about making profits from the misery of others unopposed. Maybe i expect more genuine compassion coming from the workers at factory farms as they themselves are an economically exploited group of mostly South/Central/Mexican-American immigrants and should "know better" than to maintain their family's health on the income derived from torturing animals. If immigrant workers are themselves so oppressed by the racist system of Anglo-americans, why then do they transfer this cruelty of oppression to the innocent animals? Or does the dominant Catholic theology of many immigrants promote that animals lack souls and are therefore incapable of suffering, thus enabling torture to continue? That doesn't sound like something the indigenous Zapotec people of Mexico would believe, maybe they are lost and should return to Spain? For how long will the "liberals" of the U.S. use economic desperation of immigrant workers as an excuse for jobs that include torture of animals as part of their daily activity? While the U.S. foreign policy dictated by corporations in the form of free trade (NAFTA/WTO/etc..) is primarily responsible for the economic desperation of said immigrant workers, where is the compassion of the workers themselves for the animals they torture daily??
What i observe from immigrant wage slaves is their desire for money and "upkeep with the Joneses" in capitalist U.S. overrides their humanity by enabling them to rationalize working in these cruel jobs of factory farms. After only a few generations, many immigrant workers are assimilated into the materialist values of the U.S. capitalist system. What difference is it to the factory farm animal whether the worker torturing it is either an Anglo-american, African-american or Mexican-american? Makes no difference to me either. Same can be said about the Iraqi who had their house bombed by the U.S. military fighter jets, did they ever ask about the ethnicity of the person flying the plane that dropped the bomb? Would the knowledge of the pilot's race or ethnicity bring back their loved ones? Ever wonder why Al-Queda does not discriminate against U.S. military targets? Once a human being dons the uniform of an invading U.S. military, the race and ethnicity of the soldier becomes a secondary trait. When doing the bidding of the uniformed imperialist, consider yourself an enemy of those fighting imperialism. People would be advised to consider carefully what "jobs" they chose to feed their family..
When looking at the military "jobs" of bombing civilians in Iraq, or nuclear tech "jobs" exposing people to radioactive nuclear waste, or prison guard "jobs" depriving the economically disadvantaged of their freedom, factory farming "jobs" that torture animals or housing development construction "jobs" destroying our shared ecosystems to build private mansions for yuppies, it is clear that the rationalization of "jobs" cannot justify any action, and the workers themselves in addition to the CEOs need to be held accountable for their cruel treatment of animals, peoples and ecosystems..
That being said, the specific targeting of CEOs in a manner similar to Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski style should be looked upon with a fresh perspective, even if it is unpopular and the majority of the fools in the U.S. will actually feel sorry for the CEOs if they get themselves blown up for their cruelty to workers, animals and ecosystems. That is just the opinion of one person driven to these views by helplessness, as a cornered animal in a cage, we will come out with fangs and claws unseathed. Let's get ready for a civil class war right here in the good ol' U.S. of A waged against the executives of corporations and their minions from the top down. Maybe then we'll get the troops home from Iraq, they can then be hired on as security detail to defend the CEOs from people like myself..
and the thoughts of my role model Ted K;
Interview with Ted Kaczynski;
"The big problem is that people don't believe a revolution is possible, and it is not possible precisely because they do not believe it is possible. To a large extent I think the eco-anarchist movement is accomplishing a great deal, but I think they could do it better... The real revolutionaries should separate themselves from the reformers… And I think that it would be good if a conscious effort was being made to get as manv people as possible introduced to the wilderness. In a general way, I think what has to be done is not to try and convince or persuade the majority of people that we are right, as much as try to increase tensions in society to the point where things start to break down. To create a situation where people get uncomfortable enough that they’re going to rebel. So the question is how do you increase those tensions? I don't know."
Kaczynski wanted to talk about every aspect of the techno-industrial system in detail, and further, about why and how we should be working towards bringing about its demise. It was a subject we had both given a lot of thought to. We discussed direct action and the limits of political ideologies. But by far, the most interesting discussions revolved around our views about the superiority of wild life and wild nature. Towards the end of the interview, Kaczynski related a poignant story about the close relationship he had developed with snowshoe rabbit.
"This is kind of personal," he begins by saying, and I ask if he wants me to turn off the tape. He says "no, I can tell you about it. While I was living in the woods I sort of invented some gods for myself" and he laughs. "Not that I believed in these things intellectually, but they were ideas that sort of corresponded with some of the feelings I had. I think the first one I invented was Grandfather Rabbit. You know the snowshoe rabbits were my main source of meat during the winters. I had spent a lot of time learning what they do and following their tracks all around before I could get close enough to shoot them. Sometimes you would track a rabbit around and around and then the tracks disappear. You can't figure out where that rabbit went and lose the trail. I invented a myth for myself, that this was the Grandfather Rabbit, the grandfather who was responsible for the existence of all other rabbits. He was able to disappear, that is why you couldn't catch him and why you would never see him... Every time I shot a snowshoe rabbit, I would always say 'thank you Grandfather Rabbit.' After a while I acquired an urge to draw snowshoe rabbits. I sort of got involved with them to the extent that they would occupy a great deal of my thought. I actually did have a wooden object that, among other things, I carved a snowshoe rabbit in. I planned to do a better one, just for the snowshoe rabbits, but I never did get it done. There was another one that I sometimes called the Will ‘o the Wisp, or the wings of the morning. That's when you go out in to the hills in the morning and you just feel drawn to go on and on and on and on, then you are following the wisp. That was another god that I invented for myself."
So Ted Kaczynski, living out in the wilderness, like generations of prehistoric peoples before him, had innocently rediscovered the forest's gods. I wondered if he felt that those gods had forsaken him now as he sat facing life in prison with no more freedom, no more connection to the wild, nothing left of that life that was so important to him except for his sincere love of nature, his love of knowledge and his commitment to the revolutionary project of hastening the collapse of the techno-industrial system. I asked if he was afraid of losing his mind, if the circumstances he found himself in now would break his spirit? He answered, "No, what worries me is that I might in a sense adapt to this environment and come to be comfortable here and not resent it anymore. And I am afraid that as the years go by that I may forget, I may begin to lose my memories of the mountains and the woods and that's what really worries me, that I might lose those memories, and lose that sense of contact with wild nature in general. But I am not afraid they are going to break my spirit. "And he offered the following advice to green anarchists who share his critique of the technological system and want to hasten the collapse of, as Edward Abbey put it, "the Earth-destroying juggernaut of industrial civilization": "Never lose hope, be persistent and stubborn and never give up. There are many instances in history where apparent losers suddenly turn out to be winners unexpectedly, so you should never conclude all hope is lost. "
"Ted Kaczynski interview found @;
http://www.primitivism.com/kaczynski.htm
May we witness the speedy collapse of all forms of industrial farming, militarism and other destructive manifestations of imperialism..
Another option not often heard in this factory farms debate is the restoration of range habitat for the original ungulates (hooved mammals) of the CA central valley ecosystem following the phase out of factory farms. Around the southern sections of the San Joaquin Valley, there are few tiny little reserves for the tule elk (none for the pronghorn), once the dominant hooved mammals of the entire CA central valley (Sacramento/San Joaquin) plains. Their habitat was only in a few decades replaced by industrial agribusiness and factory farms. Needless to say, domestic cattle are imported animals not adapted to this valley ecosystem and require additional inputs from agribusiness (includes fertilizer, pesticides, etc..) in the form of corn, wheat, etc..
Central Valley intro;
"No one knows exactly what the Great Valley looked like before European man came to stay. We do, however, have enough scientific information to develop a pretty clear picture. It was a vast, sprawling plain of a great variety of vegetation and animal life. It was a mosaic of grasslands, marshlands and woodlands, topographically altered by wild river, shallow lakes, and pools. It must have been an Eden for its fauna: everything from insects to mammals. It once supported large herds of deer, Pronghorn antelope and Tule elk. There was even enough space for Grizzly bears to roam (a California variety now extinct). The valley supported huge flocks of herons, egrets, and similar large birds. Bald and Golden Eagles, hawks, and falcons represented organisms high on the food chain. The California Condor must have made frequent visits into the valley in search of food.
Human Impact
We might wonder what crossed the minds of the first white explorers in the Great Valley. It must have been a sight to see. But how could man change in two hundred years what was sculptured by nature in more than ten thousand? How powerful was this man that he could alter the biological course of evolution beyond recognition? Before him, thousands of Miwok, Maidu, and Yokuts lived without significantly altering the landscape. What needs and wants of this man could threaten this one of a kind valley?"
article continues @;
http://riverparkway.org/aboutSanJoNaturalHistory.asp
How odd that the indigenous Native Americans pre-Columbus were able to live in harmony with the pronghorn, tule elk and not overhunt them, to gain nutrition and protein from them yet not subject these animals to the cruel conditions of modern factory farms and also be able to give thanks for their meat when hunted? Why is it that the Euro-american immigrants could not grasp this simple concept of "don't take more than you need" when applied to hunting pronghorn and tule elk? Why are we now in the predicament of factory farms being the sole source of meat while the original herd animals that indigenous peoples depended upon for food are practically non-existant? In addition, the domestic varities of cattle and pigs found in factory farms are unsuited for the ecosystem, while tule elk and pronghorns evolved to meet the climactic conditions of the CA central valley..
My take of all this factory farming mess is that ALL factory farms (pigs, cattle, chickens, etc..) should be permanantly and completely shut down and discontinued. People who choose to be vegan and/or vegetarian should be free and able to do so anywhere, having the complete nutritional option available, not limited to iceberg lettuce and other menu items lacking in nutritional protein content..
However, people who have the desire to eat meat from animals should also have this option without the involvement of factory farmed cruelty. In order to attain this goal of phasing out factory farms completely, other options for meat consumtion need to be reintroduced. The most effective model available is in restoring the conditions of the valley range habitat prior to the arrival of Columbus and Euro-american settlers, with full restoration for pronghorns and tule elk in the central valley ecosystem. This restoration of tule elk and pronghorns needs to be achieved by any means neccesary, come hell or high water (that's coming also!!) The risk of a massive human die-off is far more likely if we continue to depend on industrial agribusiness and factory farming for sources of food and protein. We cannot depend on agribusiness and factory farms in the future, so they are false security options, as are genetically modified (GMO/GE) food crops and agribusiness in general. Not to mention that the factory farming method is also deeply intertwined with agribusiness (corn, wheat, etc..) as most domestics (cattle, pigs, etc..) would not survive on the natural plant growth of the region without supplements from corporate agribusiness (Cargill, ADM, ConAgra, etc..). In order for people to have the option for meat, habitat for elk and pronghorn needs to be restored. Currently the factory farms and agribusiness monopolize the landscape with their monocultura, and there is not enough room for the tule elk and pronghorn herds to attain significant numbers to make hunting a viable option..
Animal rights activists promoting "veganism" would likely oppose any restoration of tule elk and pronghorn habitat if hunting were included in the process, though the current lack of habitat for indigenous ungulates with or without hunting is a form of cruelty in itself. We already have the cattle industry and the agribusiness corporations in opposition to any restoration of rangeland habitat for indigenous ungulates, so why would "vegans" give the corporations more support by being opposed to hunting? At least give the elk and pronghorn the chance to run about their range before imposing "animal rights" sanctions on them ever having their land back..
Another myth promoted by corporate media to encourage continued dependency on corporate factory farmed food products is that returning to the indigenous lifestyle pre-Columbus by phasing out agribusiness and factory farms would result in a massive human die-off from starvation. We would instead witness an increase in indigenous food sources, both plant and animal and with these indigenous food sources providing people with greater nutritional content than the current monocultura found with industrial agribusiness. As in indigenous tribal societies, those people disabled or elderly and not able to hunt for themselves were taken care of by the people who were able to hunt, as tribal society was communal (not communist, not capitalist). These myths that promote the indigenous pre-Columbus lifestyle as ineffective of feeding large groups of people are the capitalists and the communists, both "statists" to the core, ganging up on the freeminded indigenist and eco-anarchist ideologies. In addition, if we look at what some historians claim, there were many more indigenous peoples living in North America prior to the arrival of Columbus than previously believed. That means over the last few centuries of European occupation of North America, a genocide in far greater magnitude than Hitler and the trans-Atlantic African slave trade was waged against the indigenous populations of North America. What can be learned from this sad knowledge of genocide is that the landscape itself was capable of feeding larger human populations that previously believed if only allowed to remain in a semi-wilderness condition and the greed and consumption of humans were regulated by the indigenous people's motto of "don't take more than you need" and the Earth will continue to provide. Under industrial factory farming conditions, we have done the exact opposite of this cautionary motto, and will soon be reaping the consequences of our collective greed if we don't change our ways. These sorts of predictions are often ignored until after the writer or speaker is long dead, so be it..
Personally if i had enough dyn-o-mite skills (ya'll factory farm workers be thankful i don't) i alone would make my mission in life to destroy every single factory farm on the landscape, workers and pigs and cattle and all sent off into the next spirit realm in a great ball of fire. Though that may appear cruel and inhumane, i doubt the need for "jobs" really justifies factory farm workers poking cattle in the eyes, better they all die a swift death than endure years of torture in the current system of factory farming. If there needs to be torture, maybe capture the CEOs (better hire some good security guards!) of these factory farms and subject them to the same treatment as the cattle before sending them off to the next realm. As with other abuses, the hatred i feel for factory farms and all those involved in the process, from the CEOs to the workers to the consumers of meat products is a result of the decades of abuse unanswered. In addition, i also hate the fact that i've been so starved for protein in rural regions of the U.S. that i myself was forced into eating factory farmed meat products against my wishes. This may appear as weakness or hypocrisy to some, though in my reality it only adds my self-hatred as fuel to the fire of rage, as the monopoly of factory farms as a protein source is just another reason to destroy this system entirely. Factory farms and agribusiness as a system have turned me into a psychotic monster, and now blind rage is my sole method of action. In addition, i have studied the methods of suicide bombers in occupied Palestine and understand why this option becomes needed and is effective in times of crisis. May there be 1,000 more "9/11s" until the imperialist invaders are finally driven into the ground. We need to remind ourselves that for anyone of indigenous North American "Indian" lineage or anyone else (wherever they are "from") who seeks to follow in the lifestyles and cultures of indigenous North American tribal people prior to the arrival of the cursed conquistador Cristobal Columbus and the invading European hordes, we here in the U.S. are also living in occupied land..
We need some sort of an Al-Queda type group for the animal rights movement, beyond the semi-pacifist methods of ALF/ELF using harm-none sabotage. In my mind, it has come to this point. Workers and wage slaves of the factory farming system living in economic misery while torturing animals can find their freedom in death. That is far better fate than what awaits the CEOs of factory farms, as justice demands their lust for profit as justification of cruelty be met with equal treatment. Better to get a clean finish to all the domestication of factory farms and shitty jobs, raze the factory farm buildings with fires of purification and restore the valley ground with tule elk, pronghorn and other ungulates indigenous to the San Joaquin Valley ecosystem. Then all the people; indigenous and immigrants, all the former factory farm workers who needed "jobs" to feed their family can take up archery and at least give the tule elk and pronghorn a fighting chance before killing them for meat to feed their family. So consider your new job as a hunter of wild game animals, a modern day indigenous tribal member in post-industrial North America..
Feel free to discredit this author as an "agent provocatuer" for not being a good commie sympathizer and defending the plight of the worker wage slaves in factory farms, though in the past i did speak up in their defense. Nor am i trying to get indymedia websites in trouble with Dept of Homeland Security for making "terroristic" threats online. We (?still?) have the rights to freedom of speech and the words i use that show intent and desire though lacking ability to physically perform said intent should negate any potential of actual risks of "terrorist" activism. Anyway, just how many CEOS would i be able to detonate before i end up sharing a prison cell with Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski??
With regards to my hatred for the workers at factory farms, it just comes from a general disgust with humanity (myself included) and our willingless to enable the truly evil and destructive corporate elites to go about making profits from the misery of others unopposed. Maybe i expect more genuine compassion coming from the workers at factory farms as they themselves are an economically exploited group of mostly South/Central/Mexican-American immigrants and should "know better" than to maintain their family's health on the income derived from torturing animals. If immigrant workers are themselves so oppressed by the racist system of Anglo-americans, why then do they transfer this cruelty of oppression to the innocent animals? Or does the dominant Catholic theology of many immigrants promote that animals lack souls and are therefore incapable of suffering, thus enabling torture to continue? That doesn't sound like something the indigenous Zapotec people of Mexico would believe, maybe they are lost and should return to Spain? For how long will the "liberals" of the U.S. use economic desperation of immigrant workers as an excuse for jobs that include torture of animals as part of their daily activity? While the U.S. foreign policy dictated by corporations in the form of free trade (NAFTA/WTO/etc..) is primarily responsible for the economic desperation of said immigrant workers, where is the compassion of the workers themselves for the animals they torture daily??
What i observe from immigrant wage slaves is their desire for money and "upkeep with the Joneses" in capitalist U.S. overrides their humanity by enabling them to rationalize working in these cruel jobs of factory farms. After only a few generations, many immigrant workers are assimilated into the materialist values of the U.S. capitalist system. What difference is it to the factory farm animal whether the worker torturing it is either an Anglo-american, African-american or Mexican-american? Makes no difference to me either. Same can be said about the Iraqi who had their house bombed by the U.S. military fighter jets, did they ever ask about the ethnicity of the person flying the plane that dropped the bomb? Would the knowledge of the pilot's race or ethnicity bring back their loved ones? Ever wonder why Al-Queda does not discriminate against U.S. military targets? Once a human being dons the uniform of an invading U.S. military, the race and ethnicity of the soldier becomes a secondary trait. When doing the bidding of the uniformed imperialist, consider yourself an enemy of those fighting imperialism. People would be advised to consider carefully what "jobs" they chose to feed their family..
When looking at the military "jobs" of bombing civilians in Iraq, or nuclear tech "jobs" exposing people to radioactive nuclear waste, or prison guard "jobs" depriving the economically disadvantaged of their freedom, factory farming "jobs" that torture animals or housing development construction "jobs" destroying our shared ecosystems to build private mansions for yuppies, it is clear that the rationalization of "jobs" cannot justify any action, and the workers themselves in addition to the CEOs need to be held accountable for their cruel treatment of animals, peoples and ecosystems..
That being said, the specific targeting of CEOs in a manner similar to Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski style should be looked upon with a fresh perspective, even if it is unpopular and the majority of the fools in the U.S. will actually feel sorry for the CEOs if they get themselves blown up for their cruelty to workers, animals and ecosystems. That is just the opinion of one person driven to these views by helplessness, as a cornered animal in a cage, we will come out with fangs and claws unseathed. Let's get ready for a civil class war right here in the good ol' U.S. of A waged against the executives of corporations and their minions from the top down. Maybe then we'll get the troops home from Iraq, they can then be hired on as security detail to defend the CEOs from people like myself..
and the thoughts of my role model Ted K;
Interview with Ted Kaczynski;
"The big problem is that people don't believe a revolution is possible, and it is not possible precisely because they do not believe it is possible. To a large extent I think the eco-anarchist movement is accomplishing a great deal, but I think they could do it better... The real revolutionaries should separate themselves from the reformers… And I think that it would be good if a conscious effort was being made to get as manv people as possible introduced to the wilderness. In a general way, I think what has to be done is not to try and convince or persuade the majority of people that we are right, as much as try to increase tensions in society to the point where things start to break down. To create a situation where people get uncomfortable enough that they’re going to rebel. So the question is how do you increase those tensions? I don't know."
Kaczynski wanted to talk about every aspect of the techno-industrial system in detail, and further, about why and how we should be working towards bringing about its demise. It was a subject we had both given a lot of thought to. We discussed direct action and the limits of political ideologies. But by far, the most interesting discussions revolved around our views about the superiority of wild life and wild nature. Towards the end of the interview, Kaczynski related a poignant story about the close relationship he had developed with snowshoe rabbit.
"This is kind of personal," he begins by saying, and I ask if he wants me to turn off the tape. He says "no, I can tell you about it. While I was living in the woods I sort of invented some gods for myself" and he laughs. "Not that I believed in these things intellectually, but they were ideas that sort of corresponded with some of the feelings I had. I think the first one I invented was Grandfather Rabbit. You know the snowshoe rabbits were my main source of meat during the winters. I had spent a lot of time learning what they do and following their tracks all around before I could get close enough to shoot them. Sometimes you would track a rabbit around and around and then the tracks disappear. You can't figure out where that rabbit went and lose the trail. I invented a myth for myself, that this was the Grandfather Rabbit, the grandfather who was responsible for the existence of all other rabbits. He was able to disappear, that is why you couldn't catch him and why you would never see him... Every time I shot a snowshoe rabbit, I would always say 'thank you Grandfather Rabbit.' After a while I acquired an urge to draw snowshoe rabbits. I sort of got involved with them to the extent that they would occupy a great deal of my thought. I actually did have a wooden object that, among other things, I carved a snowshoe rabbit in. I planned to do a better one, just for the snowshoe rabbits, but I never did get it done. There was another one that I sometimes called the Will ‘o the Wisp, or the wings of the morning. That's when you go out in to the hills in the morning and you just feel drawn to go on and on and on and on, then you are following the wisp. That was another god that I invented for myself."
So Ted Kaczynski, living out in the wilderness, like generations of prehistoric peoples before him, had innocently rediscovered the forest's gods. I wondered if he felt that those gods had forsaken him now as he sat facing life in prison with no more freedom, no more connection to the wild, nothing left of that life that was so important to him except for his sincere love of nature, his love of knowledge and his commitment to the revolutionary project of hastening the collapse of the techno-industrial system. I asked if he was afraid of losing his mind, if the circumstances he found himself in now would break his spirit? He answered, "No, what worries me is that I might in a sense adapt to this environment and come to be comfortable here and not resent it anymore. And I am afraid that as the years go by that I may forget, I may begin to lose my memories of the mountains and the woods and that's what really worries me, that I might lose those memories, and lose that sense of contact with wild nature in general. But I am not afraid they are going to break my spirit. "And he offered the following advice to green anarchists who share his critique of the technological system and want to hasten the collapse of, as Edward Abbey put it, "the Earth-destroying juggernaut of industrial civilization": "Never lose hope, be persistent and stubborn and never give up. There are many instances in history where apparent losers suddenly turn out to be winners unexpectedly, so you should never conclude all hope is lost. "
"Ted Kaczynski interview found @;
http://www.primitivism.com/kaczynski.htm
May we witness the speedy collapse of all forms of industrial farming, militarism and other destructive manifestations of imperialism..
REACH BILLIONS FOR PENNIES
Some organizations ask their
contributors to fill out will bequest
forms, or they put out buckets
to collect change, or arrange
special deals with rapacious credit
card companies. However
it is possible to reach billions
of people virtually for free.
If your cause is nonviolence, peace, abolition of the death
penalty, women's rights, human rights, animal rights, environment, minority rights, ending hunger, ending homelessness
or other, there are ways to promote it more effectively.
I HUMAN POWER
MEETINGS
Sometimes providing food or having a potluck before
or after a regular meeting causes more numbers.
INTERNS
It is easier than you might think to start up a group
and ask colleges to register your group for interns.
WRITERS are not as likely to enjoy meetings, but will
write essays and letters to the editor on internet etc.
PETA is one of many groups actively building college
chapters.
http://www.collegeactivist.com
The most effective intern programs are those which
grant the most freedom to the interns or other volunteers.
SENIORS
There are many lonely people in the world.. who
welcome the chance to be with others and are happy
to volunteer.
II MEDIA
A PUBLIC SERVICE SPOTS
In the United States through the actions of both Bushes,
Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton's approval of media concentration, public service spots
are no longer required on radio and tv. The people's air
waves.. rented to billionaires for firesale prices, are seldom
accessible. However, since
pharmaceutical promotion groups
such as the Meningitis Foundation
have their psa's aired, it is worth
trying. If there are obstacles, publicity
about FCC and court actions
is recommended.
Electronic pioneers of nonviolent diet in America
include Ace Young of KMET, Alan Bickley of WBBM, Father
Ron Lengwin of KDKA, Bill Gordon of KSDO, Gary Null on WBAI,
Phil Donahue, etc.
There are still good people in American media who can
be contacted to run public service spots.
However the radio and tv networks of other countries
are more accessible to the message.
The Voice of America may be pressured into
B: There are directories listing tv and radio shows
scheduling guests. It is easier than you might think
to be scheduled.
http://www.worldanimalnet.org
C: Anonymity is welcome to many who prefer to call
talk shows and reach millions rather than be guests on
them.
doing its duty.
D: Many have ethical objections to contacting newspaper
and magazine reporters or running newspaper ads since their raw material comes from felled
trees, a process leading to floods, drought, slaughtered
animals, etc. Declining circulation figures and
newspapers going out of business are caused by
the speed of the internet as well as the cost of newspapers
in a country with expanding poverty. If you wish to contact newspapers anyway,
there are as many routes people. For example,
news desk, city desk, state desk, cartoonist, food editor,
etc.
E: Email list buildup (of the committed who want to
be contacted) turns drops into rivulets into streams
into rivers into massive rivers which brook no opposition.
F. For animal rights and vegan
activists:
outreach to
1. yoga 2. spiritual communities
3. nutritionists 4a college book stores
4b. certain college faculty depts.
4c college cafeteria managers
5. vegetarian periodicals
6. health food stores 7. vegetarian
restaurants
F: PRESS CONCENTRATIONS
In Washington, press are concentrated in the National
Press Bldg and in the Senate and House press galleries
(with difficult access)
In New York, 50 Rockefeller Plaza and the UN press galleries
are 2 concentrations.
Embassies often give out lists of reporters from their countries.
G: CROWD LEAFLETS
Fortune cookie sized strips are more likely to
receive the attention of those leafleted. In addition
they kill fewer trees.
H: PLANES
Plutocrats have more access to planes trailing
messages over beach and stadium crowds.
I: PRESS COVERAGE FOR AN EVENT
The wires have dictation desks.. which allow
dictation over the phone of short timely releases.
The daybook of Associated Press maintains
a calendar for Washington events.
Since reporters often don't read their mail, it is good
to follow up with a phone call.
J: INTERNATIONAL WIRE SERVICES
Respected international wire services such as Agence
France Presse and specialty wire services such as the
National Catholic News Svc are listed in some media directories.
The United Nations has a press office
listing those with offices there.
III NETWORKING
Networking is the art of building coalitions which focus
upon not what is disparate in groups.. but common ground.
The most effective coalitions are not hierarchical.
Effective coalitions avoid money fights by having
each group handle its own finances.
In the vegan and vegetarian movements, natural
allies are vegetarian restaurant owners, coops,
spiritual communities, Hindus and Adventists,
alternative healers, health food businesses, etc.
IV PICKETS AND VIGILS
It is more difficult in the US than it used to be to get coverage
for pickets and vigils. One PAX-NBC affiliate
ignored the weekly antiwar protest across the street for over
a year before community pressure built.
V CUTTING DOWN ON WASTED TIME AND LANDFILL
The Direct Marketing Association in New Hampshire is required
to honor requests that junk mail not be delivered to your
home or mailbox.
VI MONEY
More groups are going to fundraising dovetailing
the function of the group .. with messages on
hot drink cups, t shirts, bumper stickers, sweatshirts,
etc.
PRESS RELEASE
A press release can be as short as four sentences.
It should include a contact phone number and address, either
before or after the content.
It can be addressed to many different editors at a newspaper
... e.g. environment, outdoors, news, city desk, state desk,
etc.
It can be addressed to news, programming, etc. at radio and tv.
Wire services such as Assoc. Press have regional bureaus.
National desks of wire services, major metropolitan papers etc.
have dictation desk phone numbers which will take short releases over the phone.
TALK SHOW DIRECTORIES
There are also talk show directories for regional and national.
NETWORKING
Through search engines, petfinder.com, worldanimalnet.org, etc.
find the groups in your state, as well as state contacts
for national groups.
SENATE
Senator Byrd is an opponent of factory farms. Perhaps a staffer
in his office 202 224 3121 can help you.
MEDIA LISTS
Senate and House representatives as well as press offices of some
federal agencies are often willing to give you
copies of their media mailing lists and email press release lists.
Ask animal and environment groups to share their media lists with you.
Physical mail is more and more expensive, time consuming
(as well as harming trees). A combination of email and
follow up telephone calls is good.
The National Press Club is a concentration of many bureaus. It is at 14th and F
in Washington DC. The State Dept. used to publish a directory of international
media based in Washington. 50 Rockefeller Plaza NYC 10020 has several bureaus.
CAMPUS ORGANIZING
High school and teen women
are the most likely of any age
and gender group to become
vegan. Since these women are
motivated not only by
love of animals but a desire to
be slender, it is good to publish
research of Hardinge and others
that vegans weigh 23 lbs. less than
nonvegetarians and 12 lbs less than
dairy vegetarians, while fruitarians
weigh least of all.
Network with existing campus animal rights and environment groups
* Newspapers could avail themselves of the new technology
which is making paper out of mammal waste.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom
http://www.worldanimalnet.org
Some organizations ask their
contributors to fill out will bequest
forms, or they put out buckets
to collect change, or arrange
special deals with rapacious credit
card companies. However
it is possible to reach billions
of people virtually for free.
If your cause is nonviolence, peace, abolition of the death
penalty, women's rights, human rights, animal rights, environment, minority rights, ending hunger, ending homelessness
or other, there are ways to promote it more effectively.
I HUMAN POWER
MEETINGS
Sometimes providing food or having a potluck before
or after a regular meeting causes more numbers.
INTERNS
It is easier than you might think to start up a group
and ask colleges to register your group for interns.
WRITERS are not as likely to enjoy meetings, but will
write essays and letters to the editor on internet etc.
PETA is one of many groups actively building college
chapters.
http://www.collegeactivist.com
The most effective intern programs are those which
grant the most freedom to the interns or other volunteers.
SENIORS
There are many lonely people in the world.. who
welcome the chance to be with others and are happy
to volunteer.
II MEDIA
A PUBLIC SERVICE SPOTS
In the United States through the actions of both Bushes,
Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton's approval of media concentration, public service spots
are no longer required on radio and tv. The people's air
waves.. rented to billionaires for firesale prices, are seldom
accessible. However, since
pharmaceutical promotion groups
such as the Meningitis Foundation
have their psa's aired, it is worth
trying. If there are obstacles, publicity
about FCC and court actions
is recommended.
Electronic pioneers of nonviolent diet in America
include Ace Young of KMET, Alan Bickley of WBBM, Father
Ron Lengwin of KDKA, Bill Gordon of KSDO, Gary Null on WBAI,
Phil Donahue, etc.
There are still good people in American media who can
be contacted to run public service spots.
However the radio and tv networks of other countries
are more accessible to the message.
The Voice of America may be pressured into
B: There are directories listing tv and radio shows
scheduling guests. It is easier than you might think
to be scheduled.
http://www.worldanimalnet.org
C: Anonymity is welcome to many who prefer to call
talk shows and reach millions rather than be guests on
them.
doing its duty.
D: Many have ethical objections to contacting newspaper
and magazine reporters or running newspaper ads since their raw material comes from felled
trees, a process leading to floods, drought, slaughtered
animals, etc. Declining circulation figures and
newspapers going out of business are caused by
the speed of the internet as well as the cost of newspapers
in a country with expanding poverty. If you wish to contact newspapers anyway,
there are as many routes people. For example,
news desk, city desk, state desk, cartoonist, food editor,
etc.
E: Email list buildup (of the committed who want to
be contacted) turns drops into rivulets into streams
into rivers into massive rivers which brook no opposition.
F. For animal rights and vegan
activists:
outreach to
1. yoga 2. spiritual communities
3. nutritionists 4a college book stores
4b. certain college faculty depts.
4c college cafeteria managers
5. vegetarian periodicals
6. health food stores 7. vegetarian
restaurants
F: PRESS CONCENTRATIONS
In Washington, press are concentrated in the National
Press Bldg and in the Senate and House press galleries
(with difficult access)
In New York, 50 Rockefeller Plaza and the UN press galleries
are 2 concentrations.
Embassies often give out lists of reporters from their countries.
G: CROWD LEAFLETS
Fortune cookie sized strips are more likely to
receive the attention of those leafleted. In addition
they kill fewer trees.
H: PLANES
Plutocrats have more access to planes trailing
messages over beach and stadium crowds.
I: PRESS COVERAGE FOR AN EVENT
The wires have dictation desks.. which allow
dictation over the phone of short timely releases.
The daybook of Associated Press maintains
a calendar for Washington events.
Since reporters often don't read their mail, it is good
to follow up with a phone call.
J: INTERNATIONAL WIRE SERVICES
Respected international wire services such as Agence
France Presse and specialty wire services such as the
National Catholic News Svc are listed in some media directories.
The United Nations has a press office
listing those with offices there.
III NETWORKING
Networking is the art of building coalitions which focus
upon not what is disparate in groups.. but common ground.
The most effective coalitions are not hierarchical.
Effective coalitions avoid money fights by having
each group handle its own finances.
In the vegan and vegetarian movements, natural
allies are vegetarian restaurant owners, coops,
spiritual communities, Hindus and Adventists,
alternative healers, health food businesses, etc.
IV PICKETS AND VIGILS
It is more difficult in the US than it used to be to get coverage
for pickets and vigils. One PAX-NBC affiliate
ignored the weekly antiwar protest across the street for over
a year before community pressure built.
V CUTTING DOWN ON WASTED TIME AND LANDFILL
The Direct Marketing Association in New Hampshire is required
to honor requests that junk mail not be delivered to your
home or mailbox.
VI MONEY
More groups are going to fundraising dovetailing
the function of the group .. with messages on
hot drink cups, t shirts, bumper stickers, sweatshirts,
etc.
PRESS RELEASE
A press release can be as short as four sentences.
It should include a contact phone number and address, either
before or after the content.
It can be addressed to many different editors at a newspaper
... e.g. environment, outdoors, news, city desk, state desk,
etc.
It can be addressed to news, programming, etc. at radio and tv.
Wire services such as Assoc. Press have regional bureaus.
National desks of wire services, major metropolitan papers etc.
have dictation desk phone numbers which will take short releases over the phone.
TALK SHOW DIRECTORIES
There are also talk show directories for regional and national.
NETWORKING
Through search engines, petfinder.com, worldanimalnet.org, etc.
find the groups in your state, as well as state contacts
for national groups.
SENATE
Senator Byrd is an opponent of factory farms. Perhaps a staffer
in his office 202 224 3121 can help you.
MEDIA LISTS
Senate and House representatives as well as press offices of some
federal agencies are often willing to give you
copies of their media mailing lists and email press release lists.
Ask animal and environment groups to share their media lists with you.
Physical mail is more and more expensive, time consuming
(as well as harming trees). A combination of email and
follow up telephone calls is good.
The National Press Club is a concentration of many bureaus. It is at 14th and F
in Washington DC. The State Dept. used to publish a directory of international
media based in Washington. 50 Rockefeller Plaza NYC 10020 has several bureaus.
CAMPUS ORGANIZING
High school and teen women
are the most likely of any age
and gender group to become
vegan. Since these women are
motivated not only by
love of animals but a desire to
be slender, it is good to publish
research of Hardinge and others
that vegans weigh 23 lbs. less than
nonvegetarians and 12 lbs less than
dairy vegetarians, while fruitarians
weigh least of all.
Network with existing campus animal rights and environment groups
* Newspapers could avail themselves of the new technology
which is making paper out of mammal waste.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom
http://www.worldanimalnet.org
For more information:
http://www.animalsuffering.com
Ten Ways to Make a Difference
Peter Singer
Excerpted from Ethics into Action, Oxford, 1998, pp. 184-192
The whole forward thrust of the movement Henry has created rests on his shoulders. If Henry disappears tomorrow, there's an interesting question as to how much of it will survive, how much will be nipped in the bud, how much will be lost by there not being some mechanism in place for someone else to pick up that mantle. In the time that I have talked to Henry, he has never come to grips with the issue of who is going to carry on in his footsteps and continue fighting the fight the way he fought it. [1]
This comment was made by Barnaby Feder, who profiled Henry for the New York Times Magazine. But Henry doesn't see the continuation of his work in terms of grooming individuals to take over from him. In many interviews, and in articles he has written himself. Henry has described the methods he has used to bring about change. His methods are what count, not who uses them. The following key points are, therefore, set out here so that others can continue to fight as he has done, whether for animals or for the oppressed and exploited more generally. [2]
1. Try to understand the public's current thinking and where it could he encouraged to go tomorrow. Above all, keep in touch with reality.
Too many activists mix only with other activists and imagine that everyone else thinks as they do. They start to believe in their own propaganda and lose their feel for what the average person in the street might think. They no longer know what is achievable and what is a fantasy that has grown out of their own intense conviction of the need for change. Henry saw this in the Socialist Workers Party, where members were so used to the Marxist- Trotskyist framework that they all accepted that they lost contact with the real world in which they were trying to make a revolution. As Henry put it: "You need to have a crap detector rotating all the time."
Henry grabs every opportunity to talk to people outside the animal movement. He'll start up a conversation with the person sitting next to him on a bus or train, mention an issue he is concerned about, and listen to their responses. How do they react? Can they feel themselves in the place of the victim? Are they outraged? What in particular do they focus on?
2. Select a target on the basis of vulnerabilities to public opinion, the intensity of suffering, and the opportunities for change.
Target selection is crucial. Henry knows that he can run an effective campaign when he feels sure that, as he said about the New York state law allowing laboratories to take dogs and cats from shelters, "it just defies common sense that the average guy in the street would say, 'Hey, that's a real neat thing to do.'"
You know that you have a good target if, by merely stating the issue, you put your adversary on the defensive. During the museum campaign, for example. Henry could ask the public: "Do you want your tax monies spent to mutilate cats in order to observe the sexual performance of crippled felines?" The museum was immediately in a very awkward position. Cosmetic testing made another good target, because you only had to ask, "Is another shampoo worth blinding rabbits?" to put Revlon officials on the defensive.
Keeping in touch with reality is a prerequisite for selecting the right target: If you don't know what the public currently thinks, you won't know what they will find acceptable and what will revolt them.
The other elements of point 2 suggest a balance between the good that the campaign can do and its likelihood of success. When Henry selected the cat experiments at the American Museum of Natural History as his first target, he knew that he would directly affect, at best, about sixty cats a year—a tiny number compared to many other possible targets. But the opportunity for change was great because of the nature of the experiments themselves and the location and vulnerability of the institution carrying out the experiments. In 1976, it was vital for the animal movement to have a victory, no matter how small, to encourage its own supporters to believe in the possibility of change and to gain some credibility with the wider world. With that victory gained, Henry began to give more weight, in choosing his targets, to the amount of suffering involved. Even so, that was never the dominant consideration. If you multiply x by y, but y = 0, then no matter how large x may be, the product will also be 0. So, too, no target should be chosen without considering both the amount of suffering and the opportunities for change.
3. Set goals that are achievable. Bring about meaningful change one step at a time. Raising awareness is not enough.
When Henry first took an interest in opposing animal experimentation, the antivivisection movement had no goal other than the abolition of vivisection and no strategy for achieving this goal other than "raising awareness"—that is, mailing out literature filled with pictures and descriptions of the horrors of vivisection. This was the strategy of a movement that talked mainly to itself. It had no idea how to get a hold on the levers of change, or even where those levers might be located. It seemed unaware of its own image as a bunch of ineffective cranks and did not know how to make vivisection an issue that would be picked up by the media. Henry's background in the civil rights movement told him that this was not the way to succeed:
One of the first things that I learned in earlier movements was that nothing is ever an all-or-nothing issue. It's not a one-day process, it's a long process. You need to see the world—including individuals and institutions—as not being static but in constant change, with change occurring one step at a time. It's incremental. It's almost like organic development. You might say, for instance, that a couple of blacks demanding to be seated at a lunch counter really doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference because most of them don't even have the money to buy anything at a lunch counter. But it did make a difference, it was a first step. Once you take that first step and you have that same first step in a number of places, you integrate a number of lunch counters, you set a whole pattern, and it's one of the steps that would generate the least amount of resistance. It's something that's winnable, but it encourages the black struggle and it clearly leads to the next step and the next step. I think that no movement has ever won on the basis of all or none. [3]
Some activists think that accepting less than, say, the total abolition of vivisection is a form of compromise that reduces their chances of a more complete victory. Henry's view is: "I want to abolish the use of animals as much as anybody else, but I say, let's do what we can do today and then do more tomorrow." [4] That is why he was willing to support moves to replace the LD50 with tests like the approximate lethal dose test, which still uses animals, but far fewer of them.
Look for targets that are not only winnable in themselves, but where winning will have expanding ripple effects. Ask yourself if success in one campaign will be a stepping stone toward still-bigger targets and more significant victories. The campaign against Revlon is an example: Because it made research into alternatives respectable, its most important effects have been felt beyond Revlon and even beyond the cosmetics industry as a whole.
While raising awareness is essential if we are to bring about change, Henry does not usually work directly at raising awareness. (His advertisements against meat are an exception.) Awareness follows a successful campaign, and a successful campaign will have achievable goals.
4. Establish credible sources of information and documentation. Never assume anything. Never deceive the media or the public. Maintain credibility, don't exaggerate or hype the issue.
Before starting a new campaign. Henry spends several months gathering information. Freedom of information legislation has helped enormously, but a lot of information is already out there, in the public domain. Experimenters report their experiments in scientific journals that are available in major libraries, and valuable data about corporations may also be a matter of public record. Henry is never content simply to quote from the leaflets of animal rights groups, or other opponents of the institution or corporation that he is targeting. He always goes to the source, which is preferably a publication of the target itself, or else a government document. Newspapers like the New York Times have been prepared to run Henry's advertisements making very specific allegations of wrongdoing against people like Frank Perdue because every allegation has been meticulously checked.
Some organizations describing experiments will conveniently omit details that make the experiments less shocking than they would otherwise appear. They may, for example, neglect to tell their readers that the animals were anesthetized at the time. But those who do this eventually lose credibility. Henry's credibility is extraordinarily high, both within the animal movement and with its opponents, because he regards it as his most important asset. It is therefore never to be sacrificed for a short-term gain, no matter how tempting that may be at the time.
5. Don't divide the world into saints and sinners.
When Henry wants to get someone—a scientist, a corporate executive, a legislator, or a government official—to do something differently, he puts himself in the position of that person:
[The question to ask yourself is:] If I were that person, what would make me want to change my behavior? If you accuse them of being a bunch of sadistic bastards, these people are not going to figure, "Hey, what is it I could do that's going to be different and make those people happy?" That's not the way the real world works.
Being personally hostile to an opponent may be a good way of letting off steam, but it doesn't win people over. When Henry wanted to persuade scientists working for corporations like Procter & Gamble to develop nonanimal alternatives, he saw their situation as similar to that of people who eat animals:
How do you change these people's behavior best? By saying you've never made a conscious decision to harm those animals. Basically you've been programmed from being a kid: "Be nice to cat and doggy, and eat meat." And I think some of these researchers, that's how they were taught, that's how they were programmed. And you want to reprogram them, and you're not going to reprogram them by saying we're saints and you're sinners, and we're going to clobber you with a two-by-four in order to educate you.
As Susan Fowler, editor of the trade magazine Lab Animal at the time of the Revlon campaign, put it:
There is no sense in Henry's campaign of: "Well, this is Revlon, and no one in Revlon is going to be interested in what we are doing, they're all the enemy." Rather ... he looks for—and kind of waits for, I think— someone to step out of the group and say: "Well, I understand what you're saying." [5]
Without this attitude, when Roger Shelley came along ready to listen to what Henry wanted Revlon to do, the opportunity to change the company's approach could easily have been missed.
Not dividing the world into saints and sinners isn't just sound tactics, it is also the way Henry thinks. "People can change, " he says. "I used to eat animals and I never considered myself a cannibal." [6]
6. Seek dialogue and attempt to work together to solve problems. Position issues as problems with solutions. This is best done by presenting realistic alternatives.
Because he doesn't think of his opponents as evil. Henry has no preconceptions about whether they will or will not work with him to reduce animal suffering. So he opens every campaign with a polite letter to the target organization—whether the American Museum of Natural History, Amnesty International, Revlon, Frank Perdue, or a meatpacker—inviting them to discuss the concerns he has. Sometimes Henry's invitations have been ignored, sometimes they have received an equally polite response from a person skilled in public relations who has no intention of doing anything, and sometimes they have led directly to the change he wanted without any public campaigning at all. But the fact that he suggests sitting down to talk about the problem before he does any public campaigning shows that he isn't just stirring up trouble for the fun of it, or as a way of raising funds for his organization.
Henry puts considerable thought into how the person or organization he is approaching could achieve its goals while eliminating or substantially reducing the suffering now being caused. The classic example of an imaginative solution was Henry's proposal to Revlon and other cosmetics manufacturers that they should fund research into alternatives to the Draize eye test. For more than a year before his campaign went public, Henry had been seeking a collaborative, rather than a confrontational, approach with Revlon. In the end, after the campaign finally did go public, Revlon accepted his proposal and, together with other companies, found that for a very small expenditure, relative to their income, they could develop an alternative that enabled them to have a more precise, cheaper form of product safety testing that did not involve animals at all.
Having a realistic solution to offer means that it is possible to accentuate the positive, instead of running a purely negative campaign. In interviews and leaflets about the Draize test, for example. Henry always emphasized that in vitro testing methods offered the prospect of quicker, cheaper, more reliable, and more elegant ways of testing the safety of new products.
It is always possible to find a positive side if you look hard enough, though it may not be one that will appeal to everyone involved on the other side. There was nothing Henry could propose that would appeal to the cat researcher Lester Aronson, who had spent decades mutilating animals and was too near the end of his career to try something different. But Aronson could not continue to experiment without the support of the American Museum of Natural History and the National Institutes of Health. The interests of the museum and of the NIH were not the same as Aronson's. Henry sought to split his adversaries by arguing that the pointless cruelty of the cat research was actually turning sensitive young people away from the life sciences. Closing Aronson's lab would be an opportunity to put the museum's research funds into something creative and respectful of life, which could inspire people to choose a career in biology. The problem was to convince the museum and the NIH that this really was a better outcome. To do so, Henry had to generate problems for them. For the museum, those turned out to be the prospect of continuing bad publicity and threats to its public funding. For the NIH, it was pressure from Congress that could have had an impact on its overall budget. With such negatives in the offing, the previously spurned positive solution of closing the lab and funding different kinds of research started to look more attractive.
In terms of offering a positive outcome, the difference between the campaigns against the cat experiments and those against the Draize test was one of degree, not kind. If your tube of toothpaste is blocked, whether you will be able to get any toothpaste out of it will depend on how badly blocked the tube is and on how much pressure is exerted on it. So, too, whether an institution or corporation will adopt an alternative will depend on how negatively it views the alternative and how much pressure it is under. The more realistic the alternative is, the less pressure will be needed to see it adopted.
7. Be ready for confrontation if your target remains unresponsive. If accepted channels don't work, prepare an escalating public awareness campaign to place your adversary on the defensive.
If point 6 is about making it easy for the toothpaste to come out of the tube, point 7 is about increasing the pressure if it still won't come. A public awareness campaign may take various forms. At the American Museum of Natural History, it started with an article in a local newspaper, then it was kept up by pickets and demonstrations, and finally it spread through the national media and specialist journals like Science. The Revlon campaign went public with a dramatic full-page advertisement in the New York Times, which itself generated more publicity. The campaign continued with demonstrations outside Revlon's offices. The Perdue and face-branding campaigns relied much more heavily on advertising and the use of the media. Advertising takes money, on which, see point 8.
8. Avoid bureaucracy.
Anyone who has been frustrated by lengthy committee meetings that absorb time and energy will sympathize with Henry's desire to get things done rather than spend time on organizational tangles. Worse still, bureaucratic structures all too often divert energy into making the organization grow, rather than getting results for the cause. Then when the organization grows, it needs staff and an office. So you get a situation in which people who want to make a difference for animals (or for street kids, or for rain forests, or for whatever cause) spend 80 percent of their time raising money just to keep the organization going. Most of the time is spent ensuring that everyone in the organization gets along with one another, feels appreciated, and is not upset because he or she expected to be promoted to a more responsible position or given an office with more windows.
Henry has been able to avoid such obstacles by working, essentially, on his own. That isn't a style that will suit everyone, but it has worked well for Henry. Animal Rights International has no members. It has a long list of advisers and its board consists of trusted close friends whom Henry can rely upon for support without hassles. Henry doesn't need a lot of money, but he does need some. He has been fortunate in finding two donors who support him regularly because they like to see their money making a difference.
When Henry needs more clout, he puts a coalition together—as he did on the repeal of the Metcalf-Hatch Act, in fighting against the Draize and LD50 tests, and now, to persuade McDonald's to take a leading role in improving the welfare of farm animals. Since his early success at the American Museum of Natural History, other organizations have been eager to join his coalitions. At their height, these coalitions have included hundreds of organizations, with memberships in the millions. Here, too, though, Henry keeps hassles to a minimum. Organizations are welcome to participate at whatever level they wish. Some get their supporters out to demonstrate or march, while others don't. Some pay for full-page advertisements, and others ask them to write letters to newspapers, where they may reach millions without spending a cent. What no organization can do is dictate policy. Henry consults widely, but in the end, he makes his own decisions, thus avoiding the time-consuming and sometimes divisive process of elections and committee meetings. Clearly, in the case of major disagreements, organizations have the option of leaving; but if the coalition is making progress, organizations will generally swallow the disagreements in order to be part of a successful team.
9. Don't assume that only legislation or legal action can solve the problem.
Henry has used elected representatives in his campaigns to put pressure on government agencies and to gain publicity. But the only campaign in which he achieved his aim through legislation was the repeal of the Metcalf-Hatch Act. Here, since bad legislation was the target of the campaign, he had no choice. Otherwise, as far as he can. Henry stays out of conventional political processes and keeps away from the courts: "No congressional bill, no legal gimmickry, by itself, will save the animals." No doubt there are other situations, and other issues, on which legislation will make a difference. But on the whole, Henry sees laws as maintaining the status quo. They will be changed only in order to keep disturbance at a minimum. The danger of getting deeply involved in the political process is that it often deflects struggles into what Henry calls "political gabbery." There is a lot of talk, but nothing happens. Political lobbying or legal maneuvering becomes a substitute for action.
10. Ask yourself: "Will it work?"
All of the preceding points are directed toward this last one. Before you launch a campaign, or continue with a campaign already begun, ask yourself if it will work. If you can't give a realistic account of the ways in which your plans will achieve your objectives, you need to change your plans. Keeping in touch with what the public is thinking, selecting a target, setting an achievable goal, getting accurate information, maintaining credibility, suggesting alternative solutions, being ready to talk to adversaries or to confront them if they will not talk—all of these are directed toward creating a campaign that is a practical means of making a difference. The overriding question is always: Will it work?
Notes
1. Barnaby Feder, videotaped interview with John Swindells, Chicago, November 1996.
2. The ten points that follow draw on Henry Spira, "Fighting for Animal Rights: Issues and Strategies," in Harlan B. Miller and William H. Williams, eds., Ethics and Animals (Clifton, NJ: Humana Press, 1983), pp. 373-377, and Henry Spira, Strategies for Activists: From the Campaign Files of Henry Spira (New York: Animal Rights International, privately circulated in 1996), esp. p. 3.
3. "Singer Speaks with Spira," Animal Liberation, January-March 1989, p. 5.
4. Ibid., p. 6.
5. Susan Fowler, videotaped interview with author. New York, December 1996.
6. "Singer Speaks with Spira," p. 5.
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Peter Singer
Excerpted from Ethics into Action, Oxford, 1998, pp. 184-192
The whole forward thrust of the movement Henry has created rests on his shoulders. If Henry disappears tomorrow, there's an interesting question as to how much of it will survive, how much will be nipped in the bud, how much will be lost by there not being some mechanism in place for someone else to pick up that mantle. In the time that I have talked to Henry, he has never come to grips with the issue of who is going to carry on in his footsteps and continue fighting the fight the way he fought it. [1]
This comment was made by Barnaby Feder, who profiled Henry for the New York Times Magazine. But Henry doesn't see the continuation of his work in terms of grooming individuals to take over from him. In many interviews, and in articles he has written himself. Henry has described the methods he has used to bring about change. His methods are what count, not who uses them. The following key points are, therefore, set out here so that others can continue to fight as he has done, whether for animals or for the oppressed and exploited more generally. [2]
1. Try to understand the public's current thinking and where it could he encouraged to go tomorrow. Above all, keep in touch with reality.
Too many activists mix only with other activists and imagine that everyone else thinks as they do. They start to believe in their own propaganda and lose their feel for what the average person in the street might think. They no longer know what is achievable and what is a fantasy that has grown out of their own intense conviction of the need for change. Henry saw this in the Socialist Workers Party, where members were so used to the Marxist- Trotskyist framework that they all accepted that they lost contact with the real world in which they were trying to make a revolution. As Henry put it: "You need to have a crap detector rotating all the time."
Henry grabs every opportunity to talk to people outside the animal movement. He'll start up a conversation with the person sitting next to him on a bus or train, mention an issue he is concerned about, and listen to their responses. How do they react? Can they feel themselves in the place of the victim? Are they outraged? What in particular do they focus on?
2. Select a target on the basis of vulnerabilities to public opinion, the intensity of suffering, and the opportunities for change.
Target selection is crucial. Henry knows that he can run an effective campaign when he feels sure that, as he said about the New York state law allowing laboratories to take dogs and cats from shelters, "it just defies common sense that the average guy in the street would say, 'Hey, that's a real neat thing to do.'"
You know that you have a good target if, by merely stating the issue, you put your adversary on the defensive. During the museum campaign, for example. Henry could ask the public: "Do you want your tax monies spent to mutilate cats in order to observe the sexual performance of crippled felines?" The museum was immediately in a very awkward position. Cosmetic testing made another good target, because you only had to ask, "Is another shampoo worth blinding rabbits?" to put Revlon officials on the defensive.
Keeping in touch with reality is a prerequisite for selecting the right target: If you don't know what the public currently thinks, you won't know what they will find acceptable and what will revolt them.
The other elements of point 2 suggest a balance between the good that the campaign can do and its likelihood of success. When Henry selected the cat experiments at the American Museum of Natural History as his first target, he knew that he would directly affect, at best, about sixty cats a year—a tiny number compared to many other possible targets. But the opportunity for change was great because of the nature of the experiments themselves and the location and vulnerability of the institution carrying out the experiments. In 1976, it was vital for the animal movement to have a victory, no matter how small, to encourage its own supporters to believe in the possibility of change and to gain some credibility with the wider world. With that victory gained, Henry began to give more weight, in choosing his targets, to the amount of suffering involved. Even so, that was never the dominant consideration. If you multiply x by y, but y = 0, then no matter how large x may be, the product will also be 0. So, too, no target should be chosen without considering both the amount of suffering and the opportunities for change.
3. Set goals that are achievable. Bring about meaningful change one step at a time. Raising awareness is not enough.
When Henry first took an interest in opposing animal experimentation, the antivivisection movement had no goal other than the abolition of vivisection and no strategy for achieving this goal other than "raising awareness"—that is, mailing out literature filled with pictures and descriptions of the horrors of vivisection. This was the strategy of a movement that talked mainly to itself. It had no idea how to get a hold on the levers of change, or even where those levers might be located. It seemed unaware of its own image as a bunch of ineffective cranks and did not know how to make vivisection an issue that would be picked up by the media. Henry's background in the civil rights movement told him that this was not the way to succeed:
One of the first things that I learned in earlier movements was that nothing is ever an all-or-nothing issue. It's not a one-day process, it's a long process. You need to see the world—including individuals and institutions—as not being static but in constant change, with change occurring one step at a time. It's incremental. It's almost like organic development. You might say, for instance, that a couple of blacks demanding to be seated at a lunch counter really doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference because most of them don't even have the money to buy anything at a lunch counter. But it did make a difference, it was a first step. Once you take that first step and you have that same first step in a number of places, you integrate a number of lunch counters, you set a whole pattern, and it's one of the steps that would generate the least amount of resistance. It's something that's winnable, but it encourages the black struggle and it clearly leads to the next step and the next step. I think that no movement has ever won on the basis of all or none. [3]
Some activists think that accepting less than, say, the total abolition of vivisection is a form of compromise that reduces their chances of a more complete victory. Henry's view is: "I want to abolish the use of animals as much as anybody else, but I say, let's do what we can do today and then do more tomorrow." [4] That is why he was willing to support moves to replace the LD50 with tests like the approximate lethal dose test, which still uses animals, but far fewer of them.
Look for targets that are not only winnable in themselves, but where winning will have expanding ripple effects. Ask yourself if success in one campaign will be a stepping stone toward still-bigger targets and more significant victories. The campaign against Revlon is an example: Because it made research into alternatives respectable, its most important effects have been felt beyond Revlon and even beyond the cosmetics industry as a whole.
While raising awareness is essential if we are to bring about change, Henry does not usually work directly at raising awareness. (His advertisements against meat are an exception.) Awareness follows a successful campaign, and a successful campaign will have achievable goals.
4. Establish credible sources of information and documentation. Never assume anything. Never deceive the media or the public. Maintain credibility, don't exaggerate or hype the issue.
Before starting a new campaign. Henry spends several months gathering information. Freedom of information legislation has helped enormously, but a lot of information is already out there, in the public domain. Experimenters report their experiments in scientific journals that are available in major libraries, and valuable data about corporations may also be a matter of public record. Henry is never content simply to quote from the leaflets of animal rights groups, or other opponents of the institution or corporation that he is targeting. He always goes to the source, which is preferably a publication of the target itself, or else a government document. Newspapers like the New York Times have been prepared to run Henry's advertisements making very specific allegations of wrongdoing against people like Frank Perdue because every allegation has been meticulously checked.
Some organizations describing experiments will conveniently omit details that make the experiments less shocking than they would otherwise appear. They may, for example, neglect to tell their readers that the animals were anesthetized at the time. But those who do this eventually lose credibility. Henry's credibility is extraordinarily high, both within the animal movement and with its opponents, because he regards it as his most important asset. It is therefore never to be sacrificed for a short-term gain, no matter how tempting that may be at the time.
5. Don't divide the world into saints and sinners.
When Henry wants to get someone—a scientist, a corporate executive, a legislator, or a government official—to do something differently, he puts himself in the position of that person:
[The question to ask yourself is:] If I were that person, what would make me want to change my behavior? If you accuse them of being a bunch of sadistic bastards, these people are not going to figure, "Hey, what is it I could do that's going to be different and make those people happy?" That's not the way the real world works.
Being personally hostile to an opponent may be a good way of letting off steam, but it doesn't win people over. When Henry wanted to persuade scientists working for corporations like Procter & Gamble to develop nonanimal alternatives, he saw their situation as similar to that of people who eat animals:
How do you change these people's behavior best? By saying you've never made a conscious decision to harm those animals. Basically you've been programmed from being a kid: "Be nice to cat and doggy, and eat meat." And I think some of these researchers, that's how they were taught, that's how they were programmed. And you want to reprogram them, and you're not going to reprogram them by saying we're saints and you're sinners, and we're going to clobber you with a two-by-four in order to educate you.
As Susan Fowler, editor of the trade magazine Lab Animal at the time of the Revlon campaign, put it:
There is no sense in Henry's campaign of: "Well, this is Revlon, and no one in Revlon is going to be interested in what we are doing, they're all the enemy." Rather ... he looks for—and kind of waits for, I think— someone to step out of the group and say: "Well, I understand what you're saying." [5]
Without this attitude, when Roger Shelley came along ready to listen to what Henry wanted Revlon to do, the opportunity to change the company's approach could easily have been missed.
Not dividing the world into saints and sinners isn't just sound tactics, it is also the way Henry thinks. "People can change, " he says. "I used to eat animals and I never considered myself a cannibal." [6]
6. Seek dialogue and attempt to work together to solve problems. Position issues as problems with solutions. This is best done by presenting realistic alternatives.
Because he doesn't think of his opponents as evil. Henry has no preconceptions about whether they will or will not work with him to reduce animal suffering. So he opens every campaign with a polite letter to the target organization—whether the American Museum of Natural History, Amnesty International, Revlon, Frank Perdue, or a meatpacker—inviting them to discuss the concerns he has. Sometimes Henry's invitations have been ignored, sometimes they have received an equally polite response from a person skilled in public relations who has no intention of doing anything, and sometimes they have led directly to the change he wanted without any public campaigning at all. But the fact that he suggests sitting down to talk about the problem before he does any public campaigning shows that he isn't just stirring up trouble for the fun of it, or as a way of raising funds for his organization.
Henry puts considerable thought into how the person or organization he is approaching could achieve its goals while eliminating or substantially reducing the suffering now being caused. The classic example of an imaginative solution was Henry's proposal to Revlon and other cosmetics manufacturers that they should fund research into alternatives to the Draize eye test. For more than a year before his campaign went public, Henry had been seeking a collaborative, rather than a confrontational, approach with Revlon. In the end, after the campaign finally did go public, Revlon accepted his proposal and, together with other companies, found that for a very small expenditure, relative to their income, they could develop an alternative that enabled them to have a more precise, cheaper form of product safety testing that did not involve animals at all.
Having a realistic solution to offer means that it is possible to accentuate the positive, instead of running a purely negative campaign. In interviews and leaflets about the Draize test, for example. Henry always emphasized that in vitro testing methods offered the prospect of quicker, cheaper, more reliable, and more elegant ways of testing the safety of new products.
It is always possible to find a positive side if you look hard enough, though it may not be one that will appeal to everyone involved on the other side. There was nothing Henry could propose that would appeal to the cat researcher Lester Aronson, who had spent decades mutilating animals and was too near the end of his career to try something different. But Aronson could not continue to experiment without the support of the American Museum of Natural History and the National Institutes of Health. The interests of the museum and of the NIH were not the same as Aronson's. Henry sought to split his adversaries by arguing that the pointless cruelty of the cat research was actually turning sensitive young people away from the life sciences. Closing Aronson's lab would be an opportunity to put the museum's research funds into something creative and respectful of life, which could inspire people to choose a career in biology. The problem was to convince the museum and the NIH that this really was a better outcome. To do so, Henry had to generate problems for them. For the museum, those turned out to be the prospect of continuing bad publicity and threats to its public funding. For the NIH, it was pressure from Congress that could have had an impact on its overall budget. With such negatives in the offing, the previously spurned positive solution of closing the lab and funding different kinds of research started to look more attractive.
In terms of offering a positive outcome, the difference between the campaigns against the cat experiments and those against the Draize test was one of degree, not kind. If your tube of toothpaste is blocked, whether you will be able to get any toothpaste out of it will depend on how badly blocked the tube is and on how much pressure is exerted on it. So, too, whether an institution or corporation will adopt an alternative will depend on how negatively it views the alternative and how much pressure it is under. The more realistic the alternative is, the less pressure will be needed to see it adopted.
7. Be ready for confrontation if your target remains unresponsive. If accepted channels don't work, prepare an escalating public awareness campaign to place your adversary on the defensive.
If point 6 is about making it easy for the toothpaste to come out of the tube, point 7 is about increasing the pressure if it still won't come. A public awareness campaign may take various forms. At the American Museum of Natural History, it started with an article in a local newspaper, then it was kept up by pickets and demonstrations, and finally it spread through the national media and specialist journals like Science. The Revlon campaign went public with a dramatic full-page advertisement in the New York Times, which itself generated more publicity. The campaign continued with demonstrations outside Revlon's offices. The Perdue and face-branding campaigns relied much more heavily on advertising and the use of the media. Advertising takes money, on which, see point 8.
8. Avoid bureaucracy.
Anyone who has been frustrated by lengthy committee meetings that absorb time and energy will sympathize with Henry's desire to get things done rather than spend time on organizational tangles. Worse still, bureaucratic structures all too often divert energy into making the organization grow, rather than getting results for the cause. Then when the organization grows, it needs staff and an office. So you get a situation in which people who want to make a difference for animals (or for street kids, or for rain forests, or for whatever cause) spend 80 percent of their time raising money just to keep the organization going. Most of the time is spent ensuring that everyone in the organization gets along with one another, feels appreciated, and is not upset because he or she expected to be promoted to a more responsible position or given an office with more windows.
Henry has been able to avoid such obstacles by working, essentially, on his own. That isn't a style that will suit everyone, but it has worked well for Henry. Animal Rights International has no members. It has a long list of advisers and its board consists of trusted close friends whom Henry can rely upon for support without hassles. Henry doesn't need a lot of money, but he does need some. He has been fortunate in finding two donors who support him regularly because they like to see their money making a difference.
When Henry needs more clout, he puts a coalition together—as he did on the repeal of the Metcalf-Hatch Act, in fighting against the Draize and LD50 tests, and now, to persuade McDonald's to take a leading role in improving the welfare of farm animals. Since his early success at the American Museum of Natural History, other organizations have been eager to join his coalitions. At their height, these coalitions have included hundreds of organizations, with memberships in the millions. Here, too, though, Henry keeps hassles to a minimum. Organizations are welcome to participate at whatever level they wish. Some get their supporters out to demonstrate or march, while others don't. Some pay for full-page advertisements, and others ask them to write letters to newspapers, where they may reach millions without spending a cent. What no organization can do is dictate policy. Henry consults widely, but in the end, he makes his own decisions, thus avoiding the time-consuming and sometimes divisive process of elections and committee meetings. Clearly, in the case of major disagreements, organizations have the option of leaving; but if the coalition is making progress, organizations will generally swallow the disagreements in order to be part of a successful team.
9. Don't assume that only legislation or legal action can solve the problem.
Henry has used elected representatives in his campaigns to put pressure on government agencies and to gain publicity. But the only campaign in which he achieved his aim through legislation was the repeal of the Metcalf-Hatch Act. Here, since bad legislation was the target of the campaign, he had no choice. Otherwise, as far as he can. Henry stays out of conventional political processes and keeps away from the courts: "No congressional bill, no legal gimmickry, by itself, will save the animals." No doubt there are other situations, and other issues, on which legislation will make a difference. But on the whole, Henry sees laws as maintaining the status quo. They will be changed only in order to keep disturbance at a minimum. The danger of getting deeply involved in the political process is that it often deflects struggles into what Henry calls "political gabbery." There is a lot of talk, but nothing happens. Political lobbying or legal maneuvering becomes a substitute for action.
10. Ask yourself: "Will it work?"
All of the preceding points are directed toward this last one. Before you launch a campaign, or continue with a campaign already begun, ask yourself if it will work. If you can't give a realistic account of the ways in which your plans will achieve your objectives, you need to change your plans. Keeping in touch with what the public is thinking, selecting a target, setting an achievable goal, getting accurate information, maintaining credibility, suggesting alternative solutions, being ready to talk to adversaries or to confront them if they will not talk—all of these are directed toward creating a campaign that is a practical means of making a difference. The overriding question is always: Will it work?
Notes
1. Barnaby Feder, videotaped interview with John Swindells, Chicago, November 1996.
2. The ten points that follow draw on Henry Spira, "Fighting for Animal Rights: Issues and Strategies," in Harlan B. Miller and William H. Williams, eds., Ethics and Animals (Clifton, NJ: Humana Press, 1983), pp. 373-377, and Henry Spira, Strategies for Activists: From the Campaign Files of Henry Spira (New York: Animal Rights International, privately circulated in 1996), esp. p. 3.
3. "Singer Speaks with Spira," Animal Liberation, January-March 1989, p. 5.
4. Ibid., p. 6.
5. Susan Fowler, videotaped interview with author. New York, December 1996.
6. "Singer Speaks with Spira," p. 5.
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TRANSCRIPT: USDA Officials Hold Technical Briefing Regarding Inhumane
Handling Allegations
Washington January 31, 2008
snip...
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2008/02/0028.xml
> TRANSCRIPT: USDA Officials Hold Technical Briefing Regarding Inhumane
> Handling Allegations
THE title is very misleading. A better title in my opinion would have read ;
HIGHLY SUSPECT BSE, H-BASE, MAD COW BEEF DISTRIBUTED NATIONALLY (35 states
to date), to CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY
USDA CERTIFIED H-BASE MAD COW SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM
http://cjdmadcowbaseoct2007.blogspot.com/2008/02/usda-certified-h-base-mad-cow-school.html
It's the American way $$$
TSS
Contact:
Office of Communications (202) 720-4623
TRANSCRIPT: USDA Officials Hold Technical Briefing Regarding Inhumane
Handling Allegations
Washington January 31, 2008
snip...
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2008/02/0028.xml
> TRANSCRIPT: USDA Officials Hold Technical Briefing Regarding Inhumane
> Handling Allegations
THE title is very misleading. A better title in my opinion would have read ;
HIGHLY SUSPECT BSE, H-BASE, MAD COW BEEF DISTRIBUTED NATIONALLY (35 states
to date), to CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY
USDA CERTIFIED H-BASE MAD COW SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM
http://cjdmadcowbaseoct2007.blogspot.com/2008/02/usda-certified-h-base-mad-cow-school.html
It's the American way $$$
TSS
All of the above are valid points, handing out leaflets is certainly fun and entertaining for a while, and looks of shock and amazement on the face of the average consumer when told the truth about the cruelty of factory farms is good enough for any comedy channel special for those who posees camcorders and are media savvy enough to get the video clips online..
Since i don't want to isolate myself f\from the greater community of comminists and worker solodarity types, i won't blow up and factory farms if there are workers in them. However, i seriously think that the methods of Ted "Una-B" Kz should be applied to the CEOs of factory farms NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK!!
Do you think this is a popularity contest? When Ted K mailed those bmbs to the Exxon CEO (yhey weren't even ExxonMobil back then, that's how advanced Ted was in his thinking back then!)
Since i don't want to isolate myself f\from the greater community of comminists and worker solodarity types, i won't blow up and factory farms if there are workers in them. However, i seriously think that the methods of Ted "Una-B" Kz should be applied to the CEOs of factory farms NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK!!
Do you think this is a popularity contest? When Ted K mailed those bmbs to the Exxon CEO (yhey weren't even ExxonMobil back then, that's how advanced Ted was in his thinking back then!)
Recalled beef from Chino slaughterhouse was used in 466 food products
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/recalled-beef-from-chino-slaughterhouse.html
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS HALLMARK/WESTLAND MEAT PACKING CO.
March 6, 2008
Consumer Concerns
Q. My child/school recently consumed Hallmark/Westland products. What is the
risk to children's health?
snip...
Audit Report
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Surveillance Program - Phase II
and
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Controls Over BSE Sampling, Specified Risk Materials, and Advanced Meat
Recovery Products - Phase III
Report No. 50601-10-KC January 2006
Finding 2 Inherent Challenges in Identifying and Testing High-Risk Cattle
Still Remain
Our prior report identified a number of inherent problems in identifying and
testing high-risk cattle. We reported that the challenges in identifying the
universe of high-risk cattle, as well as the need to design procedures to
obtain an appropriate representation of samples, was critical to the success
of the BSE surveillance program. The surveillance program was designed to
target nonambulatory cattle, cattle showing signs of CNS disease (including
cattle testing negative for rabies), cattle showing signs not inconsistent
with BSE, and dead cattle. Although APHIS designed procedures to ensure FSIS
condemned cattle were sampled and made a concerted effort for outreach to
obtain targeted samples, industry practices not considered in the design of
the surveillance program reduced assurance that targeted animals were tested
for BSE.
snip...
Inherent Limitations in Identifying and Testing High-Risk Cattle APHIS
obtained significantly more samples for testing than they originally
anticipated would be needed to achieve its stated level of confidence in
estimating the prevalence of BSE in the U.S. herd. Because of the voluntary
nature of its program, however, we could not determine how successful APHIS
was in obtaining a representative proportion of high-risk cattle for
testing. Our prior report recognized the significant challenges for APHIS to
obtain samples from the high-risk population because of the inherent
problems with obtaining voluntary compliance and transporting carcasses for
testing. APHIS took steps to obtain facilitated pathways, by entering into
over 100 agreements, to collect and test brain samples for BSE. However,
using USDA published data that estimates the distribution of the cattle
population, as well as those that died or became nonambulatory, we could not
determine whether APHIS achieved either geographical representation or
representation of the desired surveillance stream (clinical suspects, fallen
stock, casualty slaughter fallen stock, and routine slaughter). Findings 1
and 2 present the conditions noted that impact this evaluation. USDA Testing
Protocols and Quality Assurance Procedures In November 2004, USDA announced
that its rapid screening test produced an inconclusive BSE test result. A
contract laboratory ran its rapid screening test on a brain sample collected
for testing and produced three high positive reactive results. As required,
the contract laboratory forwarded the inconclusive sample to APHIS’ National
Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) for confirmation. NVSL repeated the
rapid screening test, which again produced three high positive reactive
results. Following established protocol, NVSL ran its confirmatory test, an
immunohistochemistry (IHC) test, which was interpreted as negative for BSE.
Faced with conflicting results between the rapid screening and IHC tests,
NVSL scientists recommended additional testing to resolve the discrepancy
but APHIS headquarters officials concluded that no further testing was
necessary since testing protocols were followed and the confirmatory test
was negative. In our discussions with APHIS officials, they justified their
decision to not do additional testing because the IHC test is
internationally recognized as the “gold standard” of testing. Also, they
believed that
conducting additional tests would undermine confidence in USDA’s testing
protocols. OIG obtained evidence that indicated additional testing was
prudent. We came to this conclusion because the rapid screening tests
produced six high positive reactive results, the IHC tests conflicted, and
various standard operating procedures were not followed. Also, our review of
the relevant scientific literature, other countries’ protocols, and
discussions with experts led us to conclude that additional confirmatory
testing should be considered in the event of conflicting test results. To
maintain objectivity and independence, we requested that USDA’s Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) perform the Office International des Epizooties (OIE)
Scrapie-Associated Fibrils (SAF) immunoblot test. The additional testing
produced positive results. To confirm, the Secretary of Agriculture
requested that an internationally recognized BSE laboratory in Weybridge,
England (Weybridge) perform additional testing. Weybridge conducted various
tests, including their own IHC tests and three Western blot tests. The tests
confirmed that the cow was infected with BSE. The Secretary immediately
directed USDA scientists to work with international experts to develop new
protocols that include performing dual confirmatory tests in the event of an
inconclusive BSE screening test. We attribute the failure to identify the
BSE positive sample to rigid protocols, as well as the lack of adequate
quality assurance controls over its testing program. Details of our concerns
are discussed in Findings 3 and 4.
snip...
Controls (Firewalls) to Prevent BSE in the Food Supply USDA instituted
proactive procedures to prevent tissues and products that could possibly
contain the infective agent for BSE from entering the food supply. FSIS
performs inspections on cattle before slaughter (ante mortem) to observe
clinical signs that may indicate a central nervous system disorder or other
signs that may be associated with BSE. Such animals are condemned and
prohibited from slaughter for human consumption. FSIS also identified
high-risk beef tissue and products as SRMs, and banned them from the food
supply. FSIS inspects slaughter processes to verify that slaughterhouses
have incorporated controls for handling SRMs into their operational plans;
adequate procedures must be in place for removing, segregating, and
disposing of SRMs. OIG reviewed the SRM plans of several establishments,
observed FSIS inspection procedures, and evaluated the effectiveness of
controls during the slaughter process. We did not identify SRMs entering the
food supply. However, due to the lack of adequate records, we could not
determine whether SRM procedures were followed and/or were adequate in 9 of
12 establishments visited during the audit. There is no requirement in the
United States for the age of animals to be recorded, therefore, APHIS and
FSIS rely on meat establishments to determine the age of cattle slaughtered
using documentation or dentition. SRM restrictions apply predominantly to
cattle 30 months of age or older. FSIS periodically checks the accuracy of
age determinations through dentition; however, we could not determine how
often these checks are made. We found that improvements can be made in the
following areas. • FSIS approved an alternate ante mortem inspection
procedure that limited the number of cattle subject to inspection. FSIS
discontinued this procedure during the audit. • FSIS does not have an
information system capable of readily identifying the scope of, and trends
in, noncompliance violations relating to SRMs. • Most of the establishments
reviewed did not have adequate SRM plans, and FSIS did not always identify
these deficiencies. • Several of the establishments did not comply with
their SRM plans and/or maintain records to support that they follow their
plans. FSIS has addressed the specific cases of noncompliance identified
during the audit. Findings
snip...
Downers and Cattle that Died on the Farm
Our prior audit recognized the significant challenge for APHIS to obtain
samples from some high-risk populations because of the inherent problems
with obtaining voluntary compliance and transporting the carcasses for
testing. USDA issued rules to prohibit nonambulatory animals (downers) from
entering the food supply at inspected slaughterhouses. OIG recommended, and
the International Review Subcommittee33 emphasized, that USDA should take
additional steps to assure that facilitated pathways exist for dead and
nonambulatory cattle to allow for the collection of samples and proper
disposal of carcasses. Between June 1, 2004, and May 31, 2005, the APHIS
database documents 27,617 samples were collected showing a reason for
submission of nonambulatory and 325,225 samples were collected with reason
of submission showing “dead.”
snip...
We also disagree with APHIS/FSIS’ contention that because they have tested
over 375,000 of their 446,000 estimate of high risk cattle, few in the
high-risk population are being missed, including those that might be
pre-screened before entering a slaughter facility’s property. In our prior
audit, we reported that APHIS underestimated the high-risk population;
*** we found that this estimate should have been closer to 1 million animals
(see Finding 1).
snip...
The policy stated in the preamble to 9 CFR 309.2(b)104 states that FSIS has
excluded all nonambulatory disabled cattle from the human food supply,
regardless of the reason for their nonambulatory status or the time at which
they became nonambulatory (emphasis added). If an animal becomes
nonambulatory in route to the establishment due to an acute injury, it must
be humanely removed from the truck, humanely euthanized, and the carcass
properly disposed of. Likewise, cattle that become nonambulatory on the
establishment premises, such as an animal that breaks its leg as it is
unloaded from the truck, are also required to be humanely moved, humanely
euthanized, and the carcass disposed of properly. However, an FSIS notice105
states that if cattle are ambulatory at ante mortem inspection and become
nonambulatory disabled prior to slaughter, the VMO should verify that the
animal suffered an acute injury and allow the animal to proceed to slaughter
and post mortem inspection. FSIS would expect such situations to be
extremely rare because cattle, when handled and moved under proper humane
handling conditions, should not be injured while being moved in pens. For
cattle that become nonambulatory disabled after ante
mortem inspection, if the VMO cannot determine that a specific, acute injury
occurred that caused the animal to become nonambulatory disabled, the animal
is to be condemned and cannot enter the slaughter establishment. There
appears to be inconsistent USDA policies related to slaughtering
downers/nonambulatory cattle. Regarding animals for slaughter, it is clear
that downers will not be slaughtered. In fact, one report106 states: “The
U.S. Policy is to condemn all cattle that are nonambulatory or disabled when
presented for slaughter." The Department has widely publicized that one of
the firewalls put in place to prevent the spread of BSE is the prevention of
downers from entering the food supply. Our review at the 12 plants visited
showed the following variations in application of the policy for condemning
or passing nonambulatory cattle for slaughter.
This was the only documentation of the condition of the cattle available at
the plants. Plant inspection personnel believed that FSIS Notice 5-04
allowed the slaughter of nonambulatory cattle if the cattle had passed ante
mortem inspection and then went down as the result of an acute injury.
Therefore, they had allowed the plant to slaughter these cattle for human
consumption. We observed use of a forklift and a rail above the pens to
transport nonambulatory cattle to the slaughter area.
snip...see full text 130 pages ;
http://www.usda.gov/oig/webdocs/50601-10-KC.pdf
snip...
Science 23 November 2001:
Vol. 294. no. 5547, pp. 1726 - 1728
DOI: 10.1126/science.1066838
Reports
Estimation of Epidemic Size and Incubation Time Based on Age Characteristics
of vCJD in the United Kingdom
Alain-Jacques Valleron,1 Pierre-Yves Boelle,1 Robert Will,2 Jean-Yves
Cesbron3
SNIP...
The distribution of the vCJD incubation period that best fits the data
within the framework of our model has a mean of 16.7 years, with a standard
deviation of 2.6 years. The 95% upper percentile of this distribution is
21.4 years. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of the estimates of the mean
and standard deviation is relatively narrow: The 95% CI for the estimate of
the mean incubation period is 12.4 to 23.2 years, and the 95% CI of the
standard deviation is 0.9 to 8 years (10). The decrease in susceptibility to
infection in exposed subjects older than 15 years, as estimated from the
parameter , was found to be very sharp: 16% per year of age (CI: 12 to 23%).
This means that, under the best fitting hypothesis, an individual aged 20
years in 1981 had 55% less risk of becoming infected than a child aged 15
years (99.9% for an individual aged 70).
http://www.sciencemag.org/
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/usda-questions-and-answers.html
SPECIFIED RISK MATERIALS
http://madcowspontaneousnot.blogspot.com/2008/02/specified-risk-materials-srm.html
March 16, 2008
MAD COW DISEASE terminology UK c-BSE (typical), atypical BSE H or L, and or
Italian L-BASE
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2008/03/mad-cow-disease-terminology-uk-c-bse.html
Communicated by:
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
[In submitting these data, Terry S. Singeltary Sr. draws attention to
the steady increase in the "type unknown" category, which, according
to their definition, comprises cases in which vCJD could be excluded.
The total of 26 cases for the current year (2007) is disturbing,
possibly symptomatic of the circulation of novel agents.
Characterization of these agents should be given a high priority. - Mod.CP]
[see also:
snip...
************************************************************
Become a ProMED-mail Premium Subscriber at
************************************************************
Visit ProMED-mail's web site at .
http://pro-med.blogspot.com/2007/11/proahedr-prion-disease-update-2007-07.html
SEE STEADY INCREASE IN SPORADIC CJD IN THE USA FROM
1997 TO 2006. SPORADIC CJD CASES TRIPLED, with phenotype
of 'UNKNOWN' strain growing. ...
http://www.cjdsurveillance.com/resources-casereport.html
There is a growing number of human CJD cases, and they were presented last
week in San Francisco by Luigi Gambatti(?) from his CJD surveillance
collection.
He estimates that it may be up to 14 or 15 persons which display selectively
SPRPSC and practically no detected RPRPSC proteins.
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/06/transcripts/1006-4240t1.htm
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/06/transcripts/2006-4240t1.pdf
Original Paper
Association between Deposition of Beta-Amyloid and Pathological Prion
Protein in Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Laura Debatina, Johannes Strefferb, Markus Geissenc, Jakob Matschkec,
Adriano Aguzzia, Markus Glatzela, c
aInstitute of Neuropathology, and
bDivision of Psychiatry Research, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich,
Switzerland;
cInstitute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf,
Hamburg, Germany
Address of Corresponding Author
Neurodegenerative Dis (DOI: 10.1159/000121389)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Key Words
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Alzheimer's disease
Deposition of -amyloid
Prion protein
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Abstract
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and prion diseases such as sporadic
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) share common features concerning their
molecular pathogenesis and neuropathological presentation and the
coexistence of AD and CJD in patients suggest an association between the
deposition of the proteolytically processed form of the amyloid precursor
protein, -amyloid (A), which deposits in AD, and the abnormal form of the
prion protein, PrPSc, which deposits in sCJD. Methods: We have characterized
sCJD patients (n = 14), AD patients (n = 5) and nondemented controls (n = 5)
with respect to the deposition of PrPSc and A morphologically, biochemically
and genetically and correlated these findings to clinical data. Results:
sCJD-diseased individuals with abundant deposits of A present with a
specific clinicopathological profile, defined by higher age at disease
onset, long disease duration, a genetic profile and only minimal amounts of
PrPSc in the cerebellum. Conclusion: The co-occurrence of pathological
changes typical for sCJD and AD in combination with the inverse association
between accumulation of A and PrPSc in a subgroup of sCJD patients is
indicative of common pathways involved in the generation or clearance of A
and PrPSc in a subgroup of sCJD patients.
Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Author Contacts
Markus Glatzel
Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Martinistrasse 52, DE-20246 Hamburg (Germany)
Tel. +49 40 42 803 2218, Fax +49 40 42 803 4929
E-Mail m.glatzel [at] uke.uni-hamburg.de
http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000121389
Singeltary, Sr et al. JAMA.2001; 285: 733-734.
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150
words of the full text and any section headings.
To the Editor:
In their Research Letter, Dr Gibbons and colleagues1 reported that the
annual US death rate due to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has been stable
since 1985. These estimates, however, are based only on reported cases, and
do not include misdiagnosed or preclinical cases. It seems to me that
misdiagnosis alone would drastically change these figures. An unknown number
of persons with a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease in fact may have CJD,
although only a small number of these patients receive the postmortem
examination necessary to make this diagnosis. Furthermore, only a few states
have made CJD reportable. Human and animal transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies should be reportable nationwide and internationally.
Terry S. Singeltary, Sr
Bacliff, Tex
1. Gibbons RV, Holman RC, Belay ED, Schonberger LB. Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease in the United States: 1979-1998. JAMA. 2000;284:2322-2323. FREE FULL
TEXT
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/285/6/733?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=singeltary&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
MARCH 26, 2003
In light of the findings of Asante and Collinge et al, there
should be drastic measures to safeguard the medical and surgical arena
from sporadic CJDs and all human TSEs. I only ponder how many sporadic
CJDs in the USA are type 2 PrPSc?
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/eletters/60/2/176#535
Regarding Alzheimer's disease
(note the substantial increase on a yearly basis)
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1988/07/08014001.pdf
snip...
The pathogenesis of these diseases was compared to Alzheimer's disease at a
molecular level...
snip...
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1990/03/12003001.pdf
And NONE of this is relevant to BSE?
There is also the matter whether the spectrum of ''prion disease'' is wider
than that recognized at present.
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1990/07/06005001.pdf
Human BSE
snip...
These are not relevant to any possible human hazard from BSE nor to the much
more common dementia, Alzheimers.
snip...
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1990/07/09001001.pdf
IN STRICT CONFIDENCE
TRANSMISSION OF ALZHEIMER-TYPE PLAQUES TO PRIMATES
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1993/01/05004001.pdf
Subject: Re: Hello Dr. Manuelidis Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 17:47:09 -0500
From: laura manuelidis Reply-To:
laura.manuelidis [at] yale.edu Organization: Yale Medical School To: "Terry S.
Singeltary Sr."
References: <
Dear Terry,
One of our papers (in Alzheimer's Disease Related Disord. 3:100-109, 1989)
in text cites 6 of 46 (13%) of clinical AD as CJD. There may be a later
paper from another lab showing the same higher than expected incidence but I
can't put my hands on it right now. We also have a lot of papers from 1985
on stating that there are likely many silent (non-clinical) CJD infections,
i.e. much greater than the "tip of the iceberg" of long standing end-stage
cases with clinical symptoms. Hope this helps.
best wishes for the new year laura manuelidis
"Terry S. Singeltary Sr." wrote: > > Hello again Dr. Manuelidis, > > could
you please help me locate the 2 studies that were > done on CJD where it
showed that up to 13% of the people > diagnosed as having Alzheimer's
actually had CJD. > trying to find reference... > > thank you, > Terry S.
Singeltary Sr.
==================================
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread13175.html
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?p=156015
TSE UPDATE (SEE LINKS BELOW)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
DOWNER COW BLUES SENATORS WANT CRACKDOWN
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/downer-cow-blues-senators-want.html
Thursday, March 6, 2008
House committee subpoenas Hallmark/Westland CEO - i call for an
investigation of the investigators
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/house-committee-subpoenas.html
Friday, March 7, 2008
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS HALLMARK/WESTLAND MEAT PACKING CO.
March 6, 2008
Consumer Concerns
Q. My child/school recently consumed Hallmark/Westland products. What is the
risk to children's health?
SEE FULL TEXT ;
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/usda-questions-and-answers.html
March 16, 2008
MAD COW DISEASE terminology UK c-BSE (typical), atypical BSE H or L, and or
Italian L-BASE
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2008/03/mad-cow-disease-terminology-uk-c-bse.html
IN FY 2007 TWO FIELD CASES, ONE VALIDATION CASE, AND TWO RSSS CASES WERE
CONSISTENT WITH NOR-98 SCRAPIE. ...
(BRINGS A TOTAL OF 5 NOR-98 CASES DOCUMENTED IN 2007 IN USA. ...TSS)
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/scrapie/downloads/monthly_scrapie_rpt.pps
http://nor-98.blogspot.com/
http://scrapie-usa.blogspot.com/
CWD
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/
TME
http://transmissible-mink-encephalopathy.blogspot.com/
Beyond PrPres Type 1/Type 2 Dichotomy in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Emmanuelle Uro-Coste1#, Hervé Cassard2#, Stéphanie Simon3, Séverine Lugan2,
Jean-Marc Bilheude4, Armand Perret-Liaudet5, James W. Ironside6, Stéphane
Haik7,8, Christelle Basset-Leobon1, Caroline Lacroux2, Katell Peoch'9,
Nathalie Streichenberger5, Jan Langeveld10, Mark W. Head6, Jacques Grassi3,
Jean-Jacques Hauw8, Francois Schelcher2, Marie Bernadette Delisle1, Olivier
Andréoletti2*
1 INSERM U858, Institut de Médecine Moléculaire de Rangueil and Service
d'Anatomie Pathologique et Histologie-Cytologie, C.H.U. Rangueil, Toulouse,
France2 UMR Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)/Ecole
Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT) 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents
Pathogènes, ENVT, Toulouse, France3 Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA),
Service de Pharmacologie et d'Immunologie, DRM, CEA/Saclay, Gif sur Yvette,
France4 Bio-Rad, Research and Development Department, Marnes-la-Coquette,
France5 Hôpital Neurologique, Services de Neurochimie et de Pathologie,
Bron, France6 National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit, Division
of Pathology, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh,
United Kingdom7 INSERM, Equipe Avenir, Maladies à Prions chez l'Homme,
Paris, France8 Neuropathology Laboratory, Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP,
Paris, France9 Service de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire, Hôpital
Lariboisière, Paris (Laboratoire associé au CNR “ATNC”) et EA 3621 Faculté
de Pharmacie, Paris, France10 Central Institute for Animal Disease Control
CIDC-Lelystad, Lelystad, The Netherlands
Abstract
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) cases are currently subclassified
according to the methionine/valine polymorphism at codon 129 of the PRNP
gene and the proteinase K (PK) digested abnormal prion protein (PrPres)
identified on Western blotting (type 1 or type 2). These biochemically
distinct PrPres types have been considered to represent potential distinct
prion strains. However, since cases of CJD show co-occurrence of type 1 and
type 2 PrPres in the brain, the basis of this classification system and its
relationship to agent strain are under discussion. Different brain areas
from 41 sCJD and 12 iatrogenic CJD (iCJD) cases were investigated, using
Western blotting for PrPres and two other biochemical assays reflecting the
behaviour of the disease-associated form of the prion protein (PrPSc) under
variable PK digestion conditions. In 30% of cases, both type 1 and type 2
PrPres were identified. Despite this, the other two biochemical assays found
that PrPSc from an individual patient demonstrated uniform biochemical
properties. Moreover, in sCJD, four distinct biochemical PrPSc subgroups
were identified that correlated with the current sCJD clinico-pathological
classification. In iCJD, four similar biochemical clusters were observed,
but these did not correlate to any particular PRNP 129 polymorphism or
western blot PrPres pattern. The identification of four different PrPSc
biochemical subgroups in sCJD and iCJD, irrespective of the PRNP
polymorphism at codon 129 and the PrPres isoform provides an alternative
biochemical definition of PrPSc diversity and new insight in the perception
of Human TSE agents variability.
snip...
Prion Strains and PrPSc Phenotype
Although prion strains can only be identified definitively by bioassay,
molecular in vitro tools to characterize PrPSc are more and more widely used
for the rapid identification of particular agents, such as BSE in cattle,
sheep, rodent and humans (vCJD) [20],[21]. This has come to be termed
“molecular strain typing” and although widely employed, the exact
relationship between PrPSc biochemistry and the biological properties of the
agents responsible remain to be determined. In sCJD, the presence of four
distinct PrPSc biochemical forms apparently correlated to
clinico-pathological phenotypes as defined by Parchi et al. [2] could be an
indication of the involvement of different TSE agents.
iCJD cases are a consequence of accidental human to human TSE transmission,
most likely representing transmission of sCJD. The identification in iCJD
cases of the four PrPSc signatures identified in sCJD is consistent with the
existence of distinct prions associated with these biochemical forms.
Three examples of human-to-human transmission of variant CJD through blood
transfusion have now been identified. While all blood donors were MM at
codon 129 PRNP, the recipients had either a MM (n = 2) or a MV genotype (n =
1). Despite this genotype difference there appears to have been conservation
of the disease phenotype and PrPres type in all “secondary” vCJD cases
[22]–[25]. These observations could suggest that in case of inter-human
transmission, difference in donor/recipient genotype could result in
un-altered abnormal PrP signature.
Our identification of MM GH iCJD cases harbouring similar PrPSc signature as
a VV1 sCJD case or of a VV dura mater iCJD case similar to MM2 sCJD might
indicate preservation of a specific PrPSc biochemical signature after human
to human transmission between individuals of different codon 129 genotypes.
Treatment with extracts of GH contaminated by CJD has lead to a high number
of iCJD cases in France and the UK. The codon 129 genotypes of the affected
individuals in the two countries differ, with the French cohort
predominantly MM and MV and the British cohort MV and VV [26]. In the
absence of any clear explanation for this finding, it was suggested that it
might be due to contamination of different batches of GH with different
prion strains from individuals of differing PRNP codon 129 genotypes. Our
identification of different biochemical forms of PrPSc in GH French patients
and in UK patients is consistent with this hypothesis. The variability
observed within the French GH cases could signify involvement of different
prion strains, consistent with multiple contaminated GH batches in the
French epidemic.
Conclusion
The identification in this study of different PrPSc species in CJD patients
with the same PRNP polymorphism at codon 129 and WB PrPres profile offers a
new perspective on our understanding of the relationship between PrP
biochemistry, prion disease phenotype and agent strain. We highlight two
novel approaches to analysing PrPSc in sCJD and iCJD and offer evidence that
these analyses provide potentially-strain associated information, which
appears to be lacking from the conventional WB assay.
snip...
SEE FULL TEXT ;
http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1000029
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Singeltary, Sr et al. JAMA.2001; 285: 733-734.
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150
words of the full text and any section headings.
To the Editor:
In their Research Letter, Dr Gibbons and colleagues1 reported that the
annual US death rate due to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has been stable
since 1985. These estimates, however, are based only on reported cases, and
do not include misdiagnosed or preclinical cases. It seems to me that
misdiagnosis alone would drastically change these figures. An unknown number
of persons with a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease in fact may have CJD,
although only a small number of these patients receive the postmortem
examination necessary to make this diagnosis. Furthermore, only a few states
have made CJD reportable. Human and animal transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies should be reportable nationwide and internationally.
Terry S. Singeltary, Sr
Bacliff, Tex
1. Gibbons RV, Holman RC, Belay ED, Schonberger LB. Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease in the United States: 1979-1998. JAMA. 2000;284:2322-2323. FREE FULL
TEXT
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/285/6/733?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=singeltary&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
MARCH 26, 2003
In light of the findings of Asante and Collinge et al, there
should be drastic measures to safeguard the medical and surgical arena
from sporadic CJDs and all human TSEs. I only ponder how many sporadic
CJDs in the USA are type 2 PrPSc?
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/eletters/60/2/176#535
TSS
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/recalled-beef-from-chino-slaughterhouse.html
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS HALLMARK/WESTLAND MEAT PACKING CO.
March 6, 2008
Consumer Concerns
Q. My child/school recently consumed Hallmark/Westland products. What is the
risk to children's health?
snip...
Audit Report
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Surveillance Program - Phase II
and
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Controls Over BSE Sampling, Specified Risk Materials, and Advanced Meat
Recovery Products - Phase III
Report No. 50601-10-KC January 2006
Finding 2 Inherent Challenges in Identifying and Testing High-Risk Cattle
Still Remain
Our prior report identified a number of inherent problems in identifying and
testing high-risk cattle. We reported that the challenges in identifying the
universe of high-risk cattle, as well as the need to design procedures to
obtain an appropriate representation of samples, was critical to the success
of the BSE surveillance program. The surveillance program was designed to
target nonambulatory cattle, cattle showing signs of CNS disease (including
cattle testing negative for rabies), cattle showing signs not inconsistent
with BSE, and dead cattle. Although APHIS designed procedures to ensure FSIS
condemned cattle were sampled and made a concerted effort for outreach to
obtain targeted samples, industry practices not considered in the design of
the surveillance program reduced assurance that targeted animals were tested
for BSE.
snip...
Inherent Limitations in Identifying and Testing High-Risk Cattle APHIS
obtained significantly more samples for testing than they originally
anticipated would be needed to achieve its stated level of confidence in
estimating the prevalence of BSE in the U.S. herd. Because of the voluntary
nature of its program, however, we could not determine how successful APHIS
was in obtaining a representative proportion of high-risk cattle for
testing. Our prior report recognized the significant challenges for APHIS to
obtain samples from the high-risk population because of the inherent
problems with obtaining voluntary compliance and transporting carcasses for
testing. APHIS took steps to obtain facilitated pathways, by entering into
over 100 agreements, to collect and test brain samples for BSE. However,
using USDA published data that estimates the distribution of the cattle
population, as well as those that died or became nonambulatory, we could not
determine whether APHIS achieved either geographical representation or
representation of the desired surveillance stream (clinical suspects, fallen
stock, casualty slaughter fallen stock, and routine slaughter). Findings 1
and 2 present the conditions noted that impact this evaluation. USDA Testing
Protocols and Quality Assurance Procedures In November 2004, USDA announced
that its rapid screening test produced an inconclusive BSE test result. A
contract laboratory ran its rapid screening test on a brain sample collected
for testing and produced three high positive reactive results. As required,
the contract laboratory forwarded the inconclusive sample to APHIS’ National
Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) for confirmation. NVSL repeated the
rapid screening test, which again produced three high positive reactive
results. Following established protocol, NVSL ran its confirmatory test, an
immunohistochemistry (IHC) test, which was interpreted as negative for BSE.
Faced with conflicting results between the rapid screening and IHC tests,
NVSL scientists recommended additional testing to resolve the discrepancy
but APHIS headquarters officials concluded that no further testing was
necessary since testing protocols were followed and the confirmatory test
was negative. In our discussions with APHIS officials, they justified their
decision to not do additional testing because the IHC test is
internationally recognized as the “gold standard” of testing. Also, they
believed that
conducting additional tests would undermine confidence in USDA’s testing
protocols. OIG obtained evidence that indicated additional testing was
prudent. We came to this conclusion because the rapid screening tests
produced six high positive reactive results, the IHC tests conflicted, and
various standard operating procedures were not followed. Also, our review of
the relevant scientific literature, other countries’ protocols, and
discussions with experts led us to conclude that additional confirmatory
testing should be considered in the event of conflicting test results. To
maintain objectivity and independence, we requested that USDA’s Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) perform the Office International des Epizooties (OIE)
Scrapie-Associated Fibrils (SAF) immunoblot test. The additional testing
produced positive results. To confirm, the Secretary of Agriculture
requested that an internationally recognized BSE laboratory in Weybridge,
England (Weybridge) perform additional testing. Weybridge conducted various
tests, including their own IHC tests and three Western blot tests. The tests
confirmed that the cow was infected with BSE. The Secretary immediately
directed USDA scientists to work with international experts to develop new
protocols that include performing dual confirmatory tests in the event of an
inconclusive BSE screening test. We attribute the failure to identify the
BSE positive sample to rigid protocols, as well as the lack of adequate
quality assurance controls over its testing program. Details of our concerns
are discussed in Findings 3 and 4.
snip...
Controls (Firewalls) to Prevent BSE in the Food Supply USDA instituted
proactive procedures to prevent tissues and products that could possibly
contain the infective agent for BSE from entering the food supply. FSIS
performs inspections on cattle before slaughter (ante mortem) to observe
clinical signs that may indicate a central nervous system disorder or other
signs that may be associated with BSE. Such animals are condemned and
prohibited from slaughter for human consumption. FSIS also identified
high-risk beef tissue and products as SRMs, and banned them from the food
supply. FSIS inspects slaughter processes to verify that slaughterhouses
have incorporated controls for handling SRMs into their operational plans;
adequate procedures must be in place for removing, segregating, and
disposing of SRMs. OIG reviewed the SRM plans of several establishments,
observed FSIS inspection procedures, and evaluated the effectiveness of
controls during the slaughter process. We did not identify SRMs entering the
food supply. However, due to the lack of adequate records, we could not
determine whether SRM procedures were followed and/or were adequate in 9 of
12 establishments visited during the audit. There is no requirement in the
United States for the age of animals to be recorded, therefore, APHIS and
FSIS rely on meat establishments to determine the age of cattle slaughtered
using documentation or dentition. SRM restrictions apply predominantly to
cattle 30 months of age or older. FSIS periodically checks the accuracy of
age determinations through dentition; however, we could not determine how
often these checks are made. We found that improvements can be made in the
following areas. • FSIS approved an alternate ante mortem inspection
procedure that limited the number of cattle subject to inspection. FSIS
discontinued this procedure during the audit. • FSIS does not have an
information system capable of readily identifying the scope of, and trends
in, noncompliance violations relating to SRMs. • Most of the establishments
reviewed did not have adequate SRM plans, and FSIS did not always identify
these deficiencies. • Several of the establishments did not comply with
their SRM plans and/or maintain records to support that they follow their
plans. FSIS has addressed the specific cases of noncompliance identified
during the audit. Findings
snip...
Downers and Cattle that Died on the Farm
Our prior audit recognized the significant challenge for APHIS to obtain
samples from some high-risk populations because of the inherent problems
with obtaining voluntary compliance and transporting the carcasses for
testing. USDA issued rules to prohibit nonambulatory animals (downers) from
entering the food supply at inspected slaughterhouses. OIG recommended, and
the International Review Subcommittee33 emphasized, that USDA should take
additional steps to assure that facilitated pathways exist for dead and
nonambulatory cattle to allow for the collection of samples and proper
disposal of carcasses. Between June 1, 2004, and May 31, 2005, the APHIS
database documents 27,617 samples were collected showing a reason for
submission of nonambulatory and 325,225 samples were collected with reason
of submission showing “dead.”
snip...
We also disagree with APHIS/FSIS’ contention that because they have tested
over 375,000 of their 446,000 estimate of high risk cattle, few in the
high-risk population are being missed, including those that might be
pre-screened before entering a slaughter facility’s property. In our prior
audit, we reported that APHIS underestimated the high-risk population;
*** we found that this estimate should have been closer to 1 million animals
(see Finding 1).
snip...
The policy stated in the preamble to 9 CFR 309.2(b)104 states that FSIS has
excluded all nonambulatory disabled cattle from the human food supply,
regardless of the reason for their nonambulatory status or the time at which
they became nonambulatory (emphasis added). If an animal becomes
nonambulatory in route to the establishment due to an acute injury, it must
be humanely removed from the truck, humanely euthanized, and the carcass
properly disposed of. Likewise, cattle that become nonambulatory on the
establishment premises, such as an animal that breaks its leg as it is
unloaded from the truck, are also required to be humanely moved, humanely
euthanized, and the carcass disposed of properly. However, an FSIS notice105
states that if cattle are ambulatory at ante mortem inspection and become
nonambulatory disabled prior to slaughter, the VMO should verify that the
animal suffered an acute injury and allow the animal to proceed to slaughter
and post mortem inspection. FSIS would expect such situations to be
extremely rare because cattle, when handled and moved under proper humane
handling conditions, should not be injured while being moved in pens. For
cattle that become nonambulatory disabled after ante
mortem inspection, if the VMO cannot determine that a specific, acute injury
occurred that caused the animal to become nonambulatory disabled, the animal
is to be condemned and cannot enter the slaughter establishment. There
appears to be inconsistent USDA policies related to slaughtering
downers/nonambulatory cattle. Regarding animals for slaughter, it is clear
that downers will not be slaughtered. In fact, one report106 states: “The
U.S. Policy is to condemn all cattle that are nonambulatory or disabled when
presented for slaughter." The Department has widely publicized that one of
the firewalls put in place to prevent the spread of BSE is the prevention of
downers from entering the food supply. Our review at the 12 plants visited
showed the following variations in application of the policy for condemning
or passing nonambulatory cattle for slaughter.
This was the only documentation of the condition of the cattle available at
the plants. Plant inspection personnel believed that FSIS Notice 5-04
allowed the slaughter of nonambulatory cattle if the cattle had passed ante
mortem inspection and then went down as the result of an acute injury.
Therefore, they had allowed the plant to slaughter these cattle for human
consumption. We observed use of a forklift and a rail above the pens to
transport nonambulatory cattle to the slaughter area.
snip...see full text 130 pages ;
http://www.usda.gov/oig/webdocs/50601-10-KC.pdf
snip...
Science 23 November 2001:
Vol. 294. no. 5547, pp. 1726 - 1728
DOI: 10.1126/science.1066838
Reports
Estimation of Epidemic Size and Incubation Time Based on Age Characteristics
of vCJD in the United Kingdom
Alain-Jacques Valleron,1 Pierre-Yves Boelle,1 Robert Will,2 Jean-Yves
Cesbron3
SNIP...
The distribution of the vCJD incubation period that best fits the data
within the framework of our model has a mean of 16.7 years, with a standard
deviation of 2.6 years. The 95% upper percentile of this distribution is
21.4 years. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of the estimates of the mean
and standard deviation is relatively narrow: The 95% CI for the estimate of
the mean incubation period is 12.4 to 23.2 years, and the 95% CI of the
standard deviation is 0.9 to 8 years (10). The decrease in susceptibility to
infection in exposed subjects older than 15 years, as estimated from the
parameter , was found to be very sharp: 16% per year of age (CI: 12 to 23%).
This means that, under the best fitting hypothesis, an individual aged 20
years in 1981 had 55% less risk of becoming infected than a child aged 15
years (99.9% for an individual aged 70).
http://www.sciencemag.org/
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/usda-questions-and-answers.html
SPECIFIED RISK MATERIALS
http://madcowspontaneousnot.blogspot.com/2008/02/specified-risk-materials-srm.html
March 16, 2008
MAD COW DISEASE terminology UK c-BSE (typical), atypical BSE H or L, and or
Italian L-BASE
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2008/03/mad-cow-disease-terminology-uk-c-bse.html
Communicated by:
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
[In submitting these data, Terry S. Singeltary Sr. draws attention to
the steady increase in the "type unknown" category, which, according
to their definition, comprises cases in which vCJD could be excluded.
The total of 26 cases for the current year (2007) is disturbing,
possibly symptomatic of the circulation of novel agents.
Characterization of these agents should be given a high priority. - Mod.CP]
[see also:
snip...
************************************************************
Become a ProMED-mail Premium Subscriber at
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Visit ProMED-mail's web site at .
http://pro-med.blogspot.com/2007/11/proahedr-prion-disease-update-2007-07.html
SEE STEADY INCREASE IN SPORADIC CJD IN THE USA FROM
1997 TO 2006. SPORADIC CJD CASES TRIPLED, with phenotype
of 'UNKNOWN' strain growing. ...
http://www.cjdsurveillance.com/resources-casereport.html
There is a growing number of human CJD cases, and they were presented last
week in San Francisco by Luigi Gambatti(?) from his CJD surveillance
collection.
He estimates that it may be up to 14 or 15 persons which display selectively
SPRPSC and practically no detected RPRPSC proteins.
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/06/transcripts/1006-4240t1.htm
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/06/transcripts/2006-4240t1.pdf
Original Paper
Association between Deposition of Beta-Amyloid and Pathological Prion
Protein in Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Laura Debatina, Johannes Strefferb, Markus Geissenc, Jakob Matschkec,
Adriano Aguzzia, Markus Glatzela, c
aInstitute of Neuropathology, and
bDivision of Psychiatry Research, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich,
Switzerland;
cInstitute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf,
Hamburg, Germany
Address of Corresponding Author
Neurodegenerative Dis (DOI: 10.1159/000121389)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Key Words
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Alzheimer's disease
Deposition of -amyloid
Prion protein
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Abstract
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and prion diseases such as sporadic
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) share common features concerning their
molecular pathogenesis and neuropathological presentation and the
coexistence of AD and CJD in patients suggest an association between the
deposition of the proteolytically processed form of the amyloid precursor
protein, -amyloid (A), which deposits in AD, and the abnormal form of the
prion protein, PrPSc, which deposits in sCJD. Methods: We have characterized
sCJD patients (n = 14), AD patients (n = 5) and nondemented controls (n = 5)
with respect to the deposition of PrPSc and A morphologically, biochemically
and genetically and correlated these findings to clinical data. Results:
sCJD-diseased individuals with abundant deposits of A present with a
specific clinicopathological profile, defined by higher age at disease
onset, long disease duration, a genetic profile and only minimal amounts of
PrPSc in the cerebellum. Conclusion: The co-occurrence of pathological
changes typical for sCJD and AD in combination with the inverse association
between accumulation of A and PrPSc in a subgroup of sCJD patients is
indicative of common pathways involved in the generation or clearance of A
and PrPSc in a subgroup of sCJD patients.
Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Author Contacts
Markus Glatzel
Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Martinistrasse 52, DE-20246 Hamburg (Germany)
Tel. +49 40 42 803 2218, Fax +49 40 42 803 4929
E-Mail m.glatzel [at] uke.uni-hamburg.de
http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000121389
Singeltary, Sr et al. JAMA.2001; 285: 733-734.
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150
words of the full text and any section headings.
To the Editor:
In their Research Letter, Dr Gibbons and colleagues1 reported that the
annual US death rate due to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has been stable
since 1985. These estimates, however, are based only on reported cases, and
do not include misdiagnosed or preclinical cases. It seems to me that
misdiagnosis alone would drastically change these figures. An unknown number
of persons with a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease in fact may have CJD,
although only a small number of these patients receive the postmortem
examination necessary to make this diagnosis. Furthermore, only a few states
have made CJD reportable. Human and animal transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies should be reportable nationwide and internationally.
Terry S. Singeltary, Sr
Bacliff, Tex
1. Gibbons RV, Holman RC, Belay ED, Schonberger LB. Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease in the United States: 1979-1998. JAMA. 2000;284:2322-2323. FREE FULL
TEXT
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/285/6/733?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=singeltary&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
MARCH 26, 2003
In light of the findings of Asante and Collinge et al, there
should be drastic measures to safeguard the medical and surgical arena
from sporadic CJDs and all human TSEs. I only ponder how many sporadic
CJDs in the USA are type 2 PrPSc?
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/eletters/60/2/176#535
Regarding Alzheimer's disease
(note the substantial increase on a yearly basis)
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1988/07/08014001.pdf
snip...
The pathogenesis of these diseases was compared to Alzheimer's disease at a
molecular level...
snip...
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1990/03/12003001.pdf
And NONE of this is relevant to BSE?
There is also the matter whether the spectrum of ''prion disease'' is wider
than that recognized at present.
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1990/07/06005001.pdf
Human BSE
snip...
These are not relevant to any possible human hazard from BSE nor to the much
more common dementia, Alzheimers.
snip...
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1990/07/09001001.pdf
IN STRICT CONFIDENCE
TRANSMISSION OF ALZHEIMER-TYPE PLAQUES TO PRIMATES
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1993/01/05004001.pdf
Subject: Re: Hello Dr. Manuelidis Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 17:47:09 -0500
From: laura manuelidis Reply-To:
laura.manuelidis [at] yale.edu Organization: Yale Medical School To: "Terry S.
Singeltary Sr."
References: <
Dear Terry,
One of our papers (in Alzheimer's Disease Related Disord. 3:100-109, 1989)
in text cites 6 of 46 (13%) of clinical AD as CJD. There may be a later
paper from another lab showing the same higher than expected incidence but I
can't put my hands on it right now. We also have a lot of papers from 1985
on stating that there are likely many silent (non-clinical) CJD infections,
i.e. much greater than the "tip of the iceberg" of long standing end-stage
cases with clinical symptoms. Hope this helps.
best wishes for the new year laura manuelidis
"Terry S. Singeltary Sr." wrote: > > Hello again Dr. Manuelidis, > > could
you please help me locate the 2 studies that were > done on CJD where it
showed that up to 13% of the people > diagnosed as having Alzheimer's
actually had CJD. > trying to find reference... > > thank you, > Terry S.
Singeltary Sr.
==================================
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread13175.html
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?p=156015
TSE UPDATE (SEE LINKS BELOW)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
DOWNER COW BLUES SENATORS WANT CRACKDOWN
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/downer-cow-blues-senators-want.html
Thursday, March 6, 2008
House committee subpoenas Hallmark/Westland CEO - i call for an
investigation of the investigators
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/house-committee-subpoenas.html
Friday, March 7, 2008
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS HALLMARK/WESTLAND MEAT PACKING CO.
March 6, 2008
Consumer Concerns
Q. My child/school recently consumed Hallmark/Westland products. What is the
risk to children's health?
SEE FULL TEXT ;
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/usda-questions-and-answers.html
March 16, 2008
MAD COW DISEASE terminology UK c-BSE (typical), atypical BSE H or L, and or
Italian L-BASE
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2008/03/mad-cow-disease-terminology-uk-c-bse.html
IN FY 2007 TWO FIELD CASES, ONE VALIDATION CASE, AND TWO RSSS CASES WERE
CONSISTENT WITH NOR-98 SCRAPIE. ...
(BRINGS A TOTAL OF 5 NOR-98 CASES DOCUMENTED IN 2007 IN USA. ...TSS)
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/scrapie/downloads/monthly_scrapie_rpt.pps
http://nor-98.blogspot.com/
http://scrapie-usa.blogspot.com/
CWD
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/
TME
http://transmissible-mink-encephalopathy.blogspot.com/
Beyond PrPres Type 1/Type 2 Dichotomy in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Emmanuelle Uro-Coste1#, Hervé Cassard2#, Stéphanie Simon3, Séverine Lugan2,
Jean-Marc Bilheude4, Armand Perret-Liaudet5, James W. Ironside6, Stéphane
Haik7,8, Christelle Basset-Leobon1, Caroline Lacroux2, Katell Peoch'9,
Nathalie Streichenberger5, Jan Langeveld10, Mark W. Head6, Jacques Grassi3,
Jean-Jacques Hauw8, Francois Schelcher2, Marie Bernadette Delisle1, Olivier
Andréoletti2*
1 INSERM U858, Institut de Médecine Moléculaire de Rangueil and Service
d'Anatomie Pathologique et Histologie-Cytologie, C.H.U. Rangueil, Toulouse,
France2 UMR Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)/Ecole
Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT) 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents
Pathogènes, ENVT, Toulouse, France3 Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA),
Service de Pharmacologie et d'Immunologie, DRM, CEA/Saclay, Gif sur Yvette,
France4 Bio-Rad, Research and Development Department, Marnes-la-Coquette,
France5 Hôpital Neurologique, Services de Neurochimie et de Pathologie,
Bron, France6 National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit, Division
of Pathology, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh,
United Kingdom7 INSERM, Equipe Avenir, Maladies à Prions chez l'Homme,
Paris, France8 Neuropathology Laboratory, Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP,
Paris, France9 Service de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire, Hôpital
Lariboisière, Paris (Laboratoire associé au CNR “ATNC”) et EA 3621 Faculté
de Pharmacie, Paris, France10 Central Institute for Animal Disease Control
CIDC-Lelystad, Lelystad, The Netherlands
Abstract
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) cases are currently subclassified
according to the methionine/valine polymorphism at codon 129 of the PRNP
gene and the proteinase K (PK) digested abnormal prion protein (PrPres)
identified on Western blotting (type 1 or type 2). These biochemically
distinct PrPres types have been considered to represent potential distinct
prion strains. However, since cases of CJD show co-occurrence of type 1 and
type 2 PrPres in the brain, the basis of this classification system and its
relationship to agent strain are under discussion. Different brain areas
from 41 sCJD and 12 iatrogenic CJD (iCJD) cases were investigated, using
Western blotting for PrPres and two other biochemical assays reflecting the
behaviour of the disease-associated form of the prion protein (PrPSc) under
variable PK digestion conditions. In 30% of cases, both type 1 and type 2
PrPres were identified. Despite this, the other two biochemical assays found
that PrPSc from an individual patient demonstrated uniform biochemical
properties. Moreover, in sCJD, four distinct biochemical PrPSc subgroups
were identified that correlated with the current sCJD clinico-pathological
classification. In iCJD, four similar biochemical clusters were observed,
but these did not correlate to any particular PRNP 129 polymorphism or
western blot PrPres pattern. The identification of four different PrPSc
biochemical subgroups in sCJD and iCJD, irrespective of the PRNP
polymorphism at codon 129 and the PrPres isoform provides an alternative
biochemical definition of PrPSc diversity and new insight in the perception
of Human TSE agents variability.
snip...
Prion Strains and PrPSc Phenotype
Although prion strains can only be identified definitively by bioassay,
molecular in vitro tools to characterize PrPSc are more and more widely used
for the rapid identification of particular agents, such as BSE in cattle,
sheep, rodent and humans (vCJD) [20],[21]. This has come to be termed
“molecular strain typing” and although widely employed, the exact
relationship between PrPSc biochemistry and the biological properties of the
agents responsible remain to be determined. In sCJD, the presence of four
distinct PrPSc biochemical forms apparently correlated to
clinico-pathological phenotypes as defined by Parchi et al. [2] could be an
indication of the involvement of different TSE agents.
iCJD cases are a consequence of accidental human to human TSE transmission,
most likely representing transmission of sCJD. The identification in iCJD
cases of the four PrPSc signatures identified in sCJD is consistent with the
existence of distinct prions associated with these biochemical forms.
Three examples of human-to-human transmission of variant CJD through blood
transfusion have now been identified. While all blood donors were MM at
codon 129 PRNP, the recipients had either a MM (n = 2) or a MV genotype (n =
1). Despite this genotype difference there appears to have been conservation
of the disease phenotype and PrPres type in all “secondary” vCJD cases
[22]–[25]. These observations could suggest that in case of inter-human
transmission, difference in donor/recipient genotype could result in
un-altered abnormal PrP signature.
Our identification of MM GH iCJD cases harbouring similar PrPSc signature as
a VV1 sCJD case or of a VV dura mater iCJD case similar to MM2 sCJD might
indicate preservation of a specific PrPSc biochemical signature after human
to human transmission between individuals of different codon 129 genotypes.
Treatment with extracts of GH contaminated by CJD has lead to a high number
of iCJD cases in France and the UK. The codon 129 genotypes of the affected
individuals in the two countries differ, with the French cohort
predominantly MM and MV and the British cohort MV and VV [26]. In the
absence of any clear explanation for this finding, it was suggested that it
might be due to contamination of different batches of GH with different
prion strains from individuals of differing PRNP codon 129 genotypes. Our
identification of different biochemical forms of PrPSc in GH French patients
and in UK patients is consistent with this hypothesis. The variability
observed within the French GH cases could signify involvement of different
prion strains, consistent with multiple contaminated GH batches in the
French epidemic.
Conclusion
The identification in this study of different PrPSc species in CJD patients
with the same PRNP polymorphism at codon 129 and WB PrPres profile offers a
new perspective on our understanding of the relationship between PrP
biochemistry, prion disease phenotype and agent strain. We highlight two
novel approaches to analysing PrPSc in sCJD and iCJD and offer evidence that
these analyses provide potentially-strain associated information, which
appears to be lacking from the conventional WB assay.
snip...
SEE FULL TEXT ;
http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1000029
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Singeltary, Sr et al. JAMA.2001; 285: 733-734.
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150
words of the full text and any section headings.
To the Editor:
In their Research Letter, Dr Gibbons and colleagues1 reported that the
annual US death rate due to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has been stable
since 1985. These estimates, however, are based only on reported cases, and
do not include misdiagnosed or preclinical cases. It seems to me that
misdiagnosis alone would drastically change these figures. An unknown number
of persons with a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease in fact may have CJD,
although only a small number of these patients receive the postmortem
examination necessary to make this diagnosis. Furthermore, only a few states
have made CJD reportable. Human and animal transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies should be reportable nationwide and internationally.
Terry S. Singeltary, Sr
Bacliff, Tex
1. Gibbons RV, Holman RC, Belay ED, Schonberger LB. Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease in the United States: 1979-1998. JAMA. 2000;284:2322-2323. FREE FULL
TEXT
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/285/6/733?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=singeltary&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
MARCH 26, 2003
In light of the findings of Asante and Collinge et al, there
should be drastic measures to safeguard the medical and surgical arena
from sporadic CJDs and all human TSEs. I only ponder how many sporadic
CJDs in the USA are type 2 PrPSc?
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/eletters/60/2/176#535
TSS
For more information:
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2008/03/r...
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