9/4/06 JVNA Online Newsletter

Shalom everyone,

This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:

ACTION ALERT: Sept. 6 National Call-In Day for Horses Scheduled

1. You Can Help Save Our Imperiled World

2. Press Release About Our Video

3. Seeking Help Contacting Granting Agencies

4. Orthodox Union (OU) Responds re “Glatt Kosher” Article (That Was Included in a Previous JVNA Newsletter)

5. My Comments Re the Article Criticizing the Orthodox Union (OU) (In the Previous JVNA Newsletter) and the Response Above/JVNA philosophy

6. Seeking Translator(s)

7. Sample Letter to the Editor for Pre-Rosh Hashanah Jewish Weeklies/Please Write

8. Greenpeace Relates Animal-Based Agriculture to Global Warming

9. Three Recent News Items About Global Warming

11. Can We Form Alliances With Other Religious Leaders and Groups?

14. Jewish Vegetarian Produces CD With Vegetarian Songs

15. Help Maintain First Amendment Freedoms For Animal Rights Activists

17. Many Experts Speak Out About Meat at a Forum

18. Spreading Our Message To New Audiences/My Letter To The Editor

Some material has been deferred to a later update/newsletter to keep this one from being even longer.

[Materials in brackets like this [ ] within an article or forwarded message are my editorial notes/comments.]

Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the JVNA, unless otherwise indicated, but may be presented to increase awareness and/or to encourage respectful dialogue. Also, material re conferences, retreats, forums, trips, and other events does not necessarily imply endorsement by JVNA or endorsement of kashrut, Shabbat observances, or any other Jewish observance, but may be presented for informational purposes. Please use e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites to get further information about any event that you are interested in.

As always, your comments and suggestions are very welcome.

Thanks,
Richard

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ACTION ALERT: Sept. 6 National Call-In Day for Horses Scheduled

Mark your calendars for Sept. 6, 2006, the National Call-In Day for Horses. With a vote on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503) expected when Congress returns from its recess that week, your support is needed to permanently move American horses beyond the reach of slaughterhouse butchers. (To find your representative's contact information, visit Congress.org or ask us at mail@jewishveg.com.)

Help us lay the ground work for our day of action next week. Visit https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2006_horses_cosponsorhouse4/ to send an email now to your U.S. Representative in support of H.R. 503.

Please encourage your friends and family to take action, too. Your emails and calls will not only make a difference, they will help make history. Help us end horse slaughter in the United States forever.

Join other action takers at the Rally for Horses Sept. 5 in Washington, DC. This rally will be one of many events and opportunities during this year's Taking Action For Animals conference, a leading event for the animal protection movement, to be held Sept. 2-5 in Washington.

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1. You Can Help Save Our Imperiled World

There is a Jewish teaching that we should look at the world as evenly balanced between good and evil, so that if we perform a good deed it will tip the world to the positive side and vice versa. This demonstrates the power of each individual to make a very positive difference in the world.

You now have a chance to make a very positive difference in the future of humanity and our imperiled planet. As you well know and as many previous JVNA newsletters have tried to provide background information on, (1) the world is threatened as perhaps never before by global warming and many other environmental threats, there is an epidemic of diseases in the Jewish community and other communities, and billions of animals are being very cruelly treated on factory farms, (2) Judaism has many powerful teachings that can (and should) be applied in responding to these problems, but (3) like most communities, the Jewish community is generally not actively involved in applying our values to seek solutions.

This is why, with the help of multi-award-winning movie producer Lionel Friedberg, we are producing a movie tentatively titled “Our Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values To Save The World,” a movie that we will distribute freely and widely, because it has great potential to reduce ignorance and apathy and get our issues squarely on the Jewish agenda and other agendas.

To meet our great potential your financial help is urgently needed. Fortunately, Lionel is taking no professional fee, because if we had to pay even a fraction of what his efforts and experience are worth, we could never even contemplate making the video. However, there are many expenses that still have to be met. Lionel is seeking additional background footage, so that our movie will be very dramatic, and not just a series of talking heads, and this is very expensive (around $30 or more per second, for example, for historical footage procured from various stock footage archives). Also this stock background footage must be properly formatted; editing must be completed; a narrator must be hired; music has to be added; and much more must be done to complete the production of the video and then to distribute it. We can easily use $40,000 or more for all that remains to be done. The more money we receive the better we will be able to effectively get our important messages into the mainstream. I have already contributed over $25,000, and have nearly reached the limit of funds that I can easily contribute.

I can assure you that we will use all contributions to continue to make a unique, provocative, very professional video of which we all, as Jews, can be justifiably proud. Al Gore, with his film, “An Inconvenient Truth,’ should not be the only one presenting important agendas to the public. As Jews, this is an essential mission for each of us.


Please make a tax-deductible donation to the JVNA by sending a check made out to JVNA or the Jewish Vegetarians of North America to
Israel Mossman
6938 Reliance Road
Federalsburg, MD 21632

If you prefer to make a donation by credit card, click on the "Make A Donation" button at the bottom of the page at http://JewishVeg.com/action

Any amount will be welcome, appreciated and acknowledged. Donations of $1,000 or more will also be acknowledged in the credits at the end of the movie.

Thank you for your understanding and support.


If you have suggestions re possible granting agencies and/or other potential sources of funds, or any other aspect of this project, please let me know.

Many thanks.

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2. Press Release About Our Video

[Please feel free to share this press release with others who might find it of interest. Many thanks to our newest JVNA advisor Steve Schuster, a PR professional, for his excellent suggestions which greatly improved this press release.]

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Richard Schwartz
President, Jewish Vegetarians of North America
718-761-5876
president@jewishveg.com

NEW DOCUMENTARY APPLIES JEWISH VALUES TO REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS, HEALTH CRISES, ANIMAL ABUSES

The Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) announced it will produce a documentary video designed to show how applying Jewish values can help shift our imperiled world onto a sustainable path, improve our health, and reduce the rampant abuse of animals.

Tentatively titled “Our Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values To Heal The World,” the film will illustrate how teachings found in the Torah, Talmud, and other traditional Jewish sources can create practical responses to specific problems facing our contemporary world. Already in production with multi-award winning moviemaker Lionel Friedberg, “Our Sacred Duty” presents a highly positive Jewish perspective and demonstrates how Israeli and other Jewish groups are actively responding to environmental and health crises and to the cruel treatment of animals on factory farms.

”This documentary will provide the kinds of facts, information, and thoughtful analysis needed to help us reassess our place in the world as humans, as shomrei adamah (guardians or custodians of the earth), and as Jews,” said JVNA president Richard Schwartz. “The Torah teaches that all life is sacred, and we want to show how that factors into our everyday lives at a time when the world is increasingly threatened by global warming, extinction of species, deforestation, water shortages, desertification, environmental devastation, resource depletion, global epidemics and animal mistreatment.”

Because the group’s aim is to disseminate the Jewish message of compassion, respect for all life, environmental stewardship, and tikkun olam, as widely as possible, the video will be globally distributed at no cost to universities, synagogues, schools, clubs, private homes, mainstream media and other institutions.

"We have the potential to break through the apathy and ignorance to put environmental issues onto the Jewish agenda, and eventually onto other vital agendas worldwide," said moviemaker Lionel Friedberg. "I believe our movie can be a major American and international award winner, and as Jews, we would all benefit from the publicity that this would generate for our community."

Friedberg and JVNA are currently seeking additional stock footage to augment the background footage and interview material Friedberg has already shot and assembled in Israel and the United States. In order to accomplish this and the many other tasks required to complete and freely distribute the documentary, JVNA is initiating a major fundraising campaign.

About Lionel Friedberg

With an initial background in cinematography - including 18 feature film credits as Director of Photography - Lionel Friedberg has worked all over the world on both dramatic and non-fiction productions. For the past 25 years he has concentrated on supervising, producing, writing and directing documentaries, reality, investigative report and educational programs. He has won two Emmy Awards, the American Association for the Advancement of Science 'Westinghouse' Award for Science Programming, three Columbus and two Golden Eagles for Best Documentaries, and various awards as a dramatic and episodic TV director.

About JVNA

Founded in 1979, Jewish Vegetarians of North America is a non-profit group with about 600 members who receive an email newsletter about once a week. The group is dedicated to making Jews aware of the many benefits of plant-based diets and of the inconsistencies between animal-based diets and agriculture and basic Jewish teachings. More information about the group and the Jewish case for vegetarianism, along with vegetarian recipes, archived newsletters, and much more can be found at the JVNA web site (JewishVeg.com).

People can contribute financially to Our Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values To Heal The World,” or provide fund raising suggestions, by contacting Richard Schwartz at president@jewishveg.com.

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3. Seeking Help Contacting Granting Agencies

We have lists of groups that might provide grants for our movie project. If you can help re researching some of these groups and making an initial contact, or if you have suggestions regarding potential granting groups, please let me know. Many thanks.


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4. Orthodox Union (OU) Responds re “Glatt Kosher” Article (That Was Included in a Previous JVNA Newsletter)

Orthodox Union Clears the Air on "Glatt Kosher"
Rabbi Menachem Genack | Fri. September 01, 2006
Article in the Forward

In an August 18 opinion article, Marc Shapiro takes the Orthodox Union to task for, over the last 30 years, having "adopted a new standard in kashrut, one that defines only glatt kosher as acceptable" ("Glatt Kosher Meat Is Not All It Is Cut Out to Be"). The era that Shapiro laments as having passed, however, was unfortunately one frequently rife with fraud.

What he terms "regular kosher" meat — in other words, non-glatt — is unquestionably kosher when reliably supervised and regulated. But there were ongoing problems with both the production and the distribution of kosher meat. Discerning kosher consumers began to demand glatt kosher meat, which was more carefully controlled — not because they wanted glatt per se, but because they wanted to be assured that the meat was indeed kosher. Thus it was consumer demand that made glatt the dominant standard in the marketplace, not some fiat by the O.U.

Since "glatt kosher" is a phrase that is often used but not always understood, let me elucidate it further. As Shapiro notes, the term glatt in America has also become a consumer phrase meaning unquestionably kosher, even beyond the context of meat. glatt is actually the Yiddish word for smooth, and indicates that an animal’s lungs are smooth and have no adhesions.

The Torah forbids consuming treifa meat. A treifa is an animal with one of 18 possible anatomical defects, the most common of which is a puncture in its lung.

Therefore, even a properly kosher slaughtered animal has its lungs inspected to make sure that there is no puncture or adhesion that may result in a puncture, or might be the result of a puncture. Each lung is visually inspected, and is then inflated and placed in water to find any holes, much as you would do to a tire with a leak.

While the discovery of a puncture renders the animal unquestionably a treifa, there is a disagreement regarding the permissibility of adhesions between the "Beit Yosef," the forerunner to the "Shulchan Aruch," and the Rama, Rabbi Moses Isserles. The "Beit Yosef" rules that virtually any adhesion is treif, while the Rama ruled leniently, permitting certain adhesions.

The glatt standard of the "Beit Yosef" is generally relevant only to Sephardim, and is sold with the designation "Beit Yosef glatt." In prewar Europe, this was known as kalbene *glatt*, because young calves have no adhesions.

However, there is another reason for glatt, and the demand for it. The Talmud interprets a verse in Ezekiel as saying that the prophet never ate meat concerning which a decision had been rendered as to its kosher status — even if the determination was that it was indeed kosher.

Non-glatt meat always requires such decisions to be made, because the adhesions that are removed must be carefully evaluated by the bodek, or onsite kosher examiner, as to their status. Meat classified as glatt does not require such evaluations, as any adhesions that might be present are minor, uncomplicated and obviously kosher.

The glatt standard currently in use permits such minor adhesions, or ririn. Despite Shapiro’s assertion to the contrary, this was the standard of glatt for centuries in Europe, and is so codified by the "Beit David" and the "Simla Chadasha," the two primary works on the laws of shechita, or kosher slaughter.

Mixing meat and dairy, Shapiro also criticizes the OU-D designation, as if to imply this is part of a further rightward move by the O.U. The OU-D designation was created so that the consumer could easily identify dairy products and not have to rely on reading, and at times interpreting, ingredient listings. Products that contain no dairy ingredients, but which are produced on dairy equipment, are also designated OU-D so as to ensure that they will not be eaten at a meat meal. There is no hidden ideology here, just honest information.

Shapiro, in short, misses the forest for the trees. The O.U.’s kashrut supervision program, with 400,000 products certified worldwide, has made it relatively easy for the kosher consumer to keep kosher in the ever-changing global economy and despite the increasing complexity of the world of food technology. The ubiquitous O.U. symbol makes it possible to find reliably kosher products throughout the length and breadth of the United States and around the world, and at no additional cost.

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik once commented that the O.U. symbol on a product testifies to the vitality of the American Jewish community, and we at the O.U. are proud of the sea change we have brought about in the availability of kosher products and the maintenance of kosher standards in America.

Rabbi Menachem Genack is the rabbinic administrator and CEO of O.U. Kosher.

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5. My Comments Re the Article Criticizing the Orthodox Union (OU) (In the Previous JVNA Newsletter) and the Response Above/JVNA philosophy

It is not my intention to single out the OU, or any other group, for criticism. While previous JVNA newsletters have been critical of some aspects of the OU’s responses to the Postville, Iowa slaughterhouse controversy, there have also been statements of appreciation for their efforts to improve things at that facility. If the OU is discussed more often in JVNA newsletters than other Jewish organizations, it is because they are the leading group in certifying the kosher status of foods and because they have been so involved in the Postville situation. Just by chance, yesterday I received a copy of the OU’s magazine “Jewish Action” and it was filled with articles and reports about its varied positive activities for klal Yisrael, so I think that they are to be commended for the many good things that they do.

However, while appreciative of the many positive things that the OU and other Jewish groups are doing, I believe that the highest form of patriotism and respect is to challenge one’s country, people, and religion to live up to its highest ideals. Jonathan Wolf, founding president of JVNA reminds me of the statement by Orthodox Rabbi Yitz Greenberg that: (paraphrasing) “one should be the most critical of and dissatisfied with and aware of the flaws and failings of one's OWN groups and movements and ideologies within Judaism-- that loyalty and identification and belief require constructive criticism and attentive focus and acknowledgement of mistakes and shortfallings, and NOT blind support or uncritical, unquestioning endorsement!” (Jonathan’s quote)

Jonathan adds his own thoughts: “We help advance Judaism and the Jewish people best by working for their advancement and welfare, in a dissatisfied and critiquing way, not by passively accepting the way things are. We help bring Mashiach by nudging, campaigning, and demanding the best and highest in ourselves, our communities, and our nation, NOT by being quiet or uncritical.” [I hope that Jonathan will expand on these thoughts and relate them to vegetarianism in a future newsletter.]

With this, and all of my own shortcomings, in mind, I believe, very respectfully, that not only the OU but virtually every Jewish organization (as well as almost all non-Jewish organizations) deserve some criticism for ignoring that animal-based diets and the agriculture associated with it seriously violate at least 6 basic Jewish mandates and contribute significantly to an epidemic of diseases in the Jewish community (and other communities) and to global warming, widespread water shortages, and many other societal threats. When leading climatologists and other experts tell us that climate change may spiral out of control within a decade, that over half of the world’s people will lack adequate clean water by the middle of this century, and that the combination of global warming and widespread water scarcity will threaten global food security (just to mention a few threats), I think that it is scandalous the Jewish groups and other groups are not making the saving of the global environment a central focus in our synagogues, schools and other religious and secular institutions.

Some may wonder why I included the discussion of the glatt kosher issue in a previous JVNA newsletter. Well, I think that such food-related articles are of interest to at least some JVNA newsletter readers. But, perhaps more important, I wanted to show that we should use such articles as a chance to get our central messages out. Hence, after the article, I included the following letter that I sent to the Forward.

Editor, The Forward
letters@forward.com

Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Glatt Kosher Meat Is Not All It Is Cut Out To Be” (August 18, 2006 issue):
Whether meat is glatt kosher or just plain kosher, it is a product that has been linked to an epidemic of heart disease, stroke, several types of cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases, and whose production contributes to global warming, widening water shortages, destruction of tropical rain forests and other environmental threats. In addition, the production and consumption of meat violate basic Jewish mandates to guard our health, treat animals compassionately, protect the environment, conserve natural resources and help hungry people.

So for our health and that of our precious, but imperiled planet, and to best fulfill the spirit of the Jewish kosher laws, why not shift toward a nutritious plant-based diet?

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Unfortunately, my letter was not published – even a relatively progressive publication like the Forward, not just the Jewish establishment, is apparently not willing to address our respectful challenges. As you know, for a long time we have tried to engage in a positive dialogue with rabbis and others in the Jewish community, but with very limited success. Our offer still stands. Certainly with all the learned rabbis and other scholars out there, there must be some willing to engage in an attempt to discredit our arguments. If not, they should admit that we are correct and act accordingly.

As is well known, one is forbidden to yell fire in a crowded theater. Except if there really is a fire that threatens everyone. Well, today there is a “fire,” in fact many fires, that threatens all of humanity, and failure to yell “fire” – and to seek active engagement in order to alert people to the dangers-- is a luxury that we can no longer afford.

I believe that JVNA’s efforts enhance the image of Judaism by showing that eternal Jewish values can be applied in responding to current crises.

If anyone would like to receive an email copy of the chapter in my book “Judaism and Global Survival” which discusses our obligation to be involved in societal issues and to protest when appropriate, please let me know.

Comments/suggestions very welcome. Thanks.

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6. Seeking Translator(s)

There has been a lot of interest on the part of leaders of the European Vegetarian Union (EVU) about my fictitious debate with a rabbi. They have posted the article in their publication at:
http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=14773〈=en

They are seeking volunteers to translate the article into French and into German. If you would like to volunteer for either task, which I think would only take a few hours, please let me know. Many thanks.

The editor also plans to interview me for their year-end issue.

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7. Sample Letter to the Editor for Pre-Rosh Hashanah Jewish Weeklies/Please Write

Below is a letter (in a longer and shorter version) that I have sent to editors of Jewish weeklies. Please consider using it and my articles re Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot (please see the holiday section at JewishVeg.com/Schwartz) to write your own letters to editors. Many thanks.

Dear editor:

Rosh Hashanah reminds us of God’s creation of the world. Hence, it is an excellent time to consider the state of the planet’s environment and what we might do to make sure that the world is on a sustainable path.

When God created the world, He was able to say, "It is very good." (Genesis 1:31) Everything was in harmony as God had planned, the waters were clean, and the air was pure. But what must God think about the world today, when, for example, the rain He provided to nourish our crops is often acid rain, the ozone layer has been significantly diminished; species of plants and animals are becoming extinct at such an alarming rate, and the climatic conditions that He designed to meet our needs are threatened by global warming?

Fortunately, there are many Jewish teachings that can be applied to shift the earth to a sustainable path. Briefly, these include:

* Our mandate to be shomrei adamah (guardians of the earth), based on the admonition that we should “work the earth and guard it” (Genesis 2:15);
* the prohibition of bal tashchit, that we should not waste or unnecessarily destroy anything of value (Deuteronomy 20:19. 20);
* the teaching that,"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" (Psalms 24:1), and that the assigned role of the Jewish people is to enhance the world as "partners of God in the work of creation." (Shabbat 10a);
* the ecological lessons related to the Shabbat, sabbatical, and jubilee cycles.

As co-workers with God, charged with the task of being a light unto the nations and accomplishing tikkun olam (healing and restoring the earth), it is essential that Jews take an active role in applying our eternal, sacred values in struggles to end pollution and the waste of natural resources. So at the start of a new year, we should seek to reduce our environmental impact by, for example, using recycled paper, eating less meat, driving our cars less and using more fuel efficient bulbs and other items. The fate of humanity and God’s precious earth is at stake.


Shorter version of the letter:

Dear editor:

Rosh Hashanah reminds us of God’s creation of the world. Hence, it is an excellent time to consider the planet’s environment and steps toward shifting the world to a sustainable path.

When God created the world, He was able to say, "It is very good." (Genesis 1:31) Everything was in harmony as God had planned, the waters were clean, and the air was pure. But what must God think about the world today, when, for example, the rain He provided to nourish our crops is often acid rain, species of plants and animals are becoming extinct at such an alarming rate, and the climatic conditions that He designed to meet our needs are threatened by global warming?

Fortunately, there are many Jewish teachings that can be applied to shift the earth to a sustainable path. Briefly, these include:

* Our mandate to be shomrei adamah (guardians of the earth) (Genesis 2:15);
* the prohibition of bal tashchit, that we should not waste or unnecessarily destroy anything of value (Deuteronomy 20:19. 20);
* The assigned role of the Jewish people is to enhance the world as "partners of God in the work of creation." (Shabbat 10a);
* the ecological lessons related to the Shabbat, sabbatical, and jubilee cycles.


It is essential that Jews take an active role in applying our eternal, sacred values in struggles to end pollution and the waste of natural resources. So at the start of a new year, we should seek to reduce our environmental impact by, for example, using recycled paper, eating less meat, driving our cars less and using more fuel efficient bulbs and other items. The fate of humanity and God’s precious earth is at stake.

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8. Greenpeace Relates Animal-Based Agriculture to Global Warming

forwarded message from author and JVNA advisor Dan Brook:

Greenpeace is finally advocating vegetarianism, though their single page on the issue is not easy to find and is not yet linked to their "solutions" page at http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/green-solutions (you can e-mail Director Amy Larkin at solutions@wdc.greenpeace.org to encourage her to do so). In any event, Greenpeace's page is a good first step for them.

On your plate

Chances are that as someone who cares about the environment, you are always searching for things you can do to help protect it. But did you know that you can help protect the environment by simply making modifications to your diet?

Greenpeace has been an advocate for keeping Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) out of our food supply and encouraged consumers to only buy foods that are GMO-free. Additionally, concerned individuals can lower their impact on the planet by cutting down on the meat they eat each week. Not everyone realizes the impact that raising animals for food has on the environment. Consider these facts:

* In the United States, more than one third of all fossil fuel and raw material consumption is used to raise livestock.

* It can take up to 15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does to produce protein from plants. According to author John Robbins in his book The Food Revolution, you could save more water by not eating a pound of California beef than you could by not showering for an entire year.

* Animal agriculture contributes significantly to global warming by producing more than 100 million tons of methane annually.

* Livestock operations generate roughly 130 times as much bodily waste as the entire human population of the United States, which makes its way into the environment without going through the sewage treatment systems found in our cities and towns. This untreated waste pollutes American waterways more than all other industrial sources combined.

* It takes up to 10 pounds of grain to produce just one pound of meat. In the US, we feed more than 70 percent of the grains and cereals we grow to farmed animals, only a fraction of which is actually converted into the meat that people eat. The world’s cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people — more than the entire human population on Earth.

* More than 260 million acres of US forests have been cleared to grow grain for livestock. In the Amazon, more than 2.9 million acres of rainforest were destroyed in the 2004-2005 growing season to raise crops that were used to feed animals in factory farms. Up to 220 square feet of rainforest are sacrificed to produce just one pound of hamburger.

* Due to the amount of land required to raise animals for food and the destructive effect livestock has on the land, animal farming is the leading threat to endangered species and the number one cause of species extinction in the US and around the world.

* According to the Worldwatch Institute, the meat industry is directly responsible for 85 percent of all soil erosion in the US.

So whether you decide to go vegetarian or simply cut down on the amount of meat you consume, eating more plant-based foods is a powerful action you can take to help protect the environment. Finding delicious and healthy meatless alternatives has never been easier with the variety of options that are now available in supermarkets, health food stores and restaurants.

In addition to saving vital chunks of rainforest, consuming less raw materials, saving water and generating less pollution, eating less meat can also provide significant benefits to you and your family. Leading health organizations agree that a balanced plant-based diet can support a lifetime of good health and can help protect against diseases such as cancer and heart disease. So the next time you go food shopping, think about the planet and buy green!

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9. Three Recent News Items About Global Warming

a. Taking the Issue Of Global Warming To the Streets

Bill McKibben | Finally, Fired Up Over Global Warming

Bill McKibben thinks it is time to take global warming activism to the streets. He will be joining a group of Vermonters in a Labor Day protest march across the state. He says, "We hope our example will spread elsewhere, as more of the quietly freaked-out turn into the noisily committed."


Let us hope that the recent agreement in California re reducing greenhouse gas emissions will have a very positive effect.]

b. Mother Nature Ups the Ante
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/082506EB.shtml
Global warming is changing the insurance industry. Says Allstate CEO Edward Liddy: "We are in a period of increased land and sea surface temperatures. When you couple that with more people living along coasts and dramatically increased home values in those areas, that's when you step back and you say, 'Wait a minute. This is not yesterday's game.'"

c. Feinstein Unveils Democrats' Plan to Cut Greenhouse Gas
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/082506EC.shtml
In a speech to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco Thursday night, Senator Dianne Feinstein offered a new Democratic outline of a plan to attack global warming in the next session of Congress - and put political opponents on the defensive headed into the fall campaign season.

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11. Can We Form Alliances With Other Religious Leaders and Groups?

Forwarded article:

Pope Benedict XVI Urges Better Care for the Environment
August 28, 2006 - By Associated Press

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged better care for the environment, saying it was being endangered by lifestyle choices causing its deterioration.

Such deterioration, the pontiff said during his traditional Sunday blessing, "make the lives of poor people on earth especially unbearable."
Benedict remarked that the Italian Catholic Church has chosen Sept. 1 to celebrate it first Earth Day.

"Along with Christians from all denominations, we must commit to taking care of creation, without squandering its resources and sharing them in a convivial manner," the pope said.
Source: Associated Press

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14. Jewish Vegetarian Produces CD With Vegetarian Songs

I had the pleasure of meeting Jewish Vegetarian Musician Bob Pyle at the AR2006 Conference last month and since then I have enjoyed hearing the wonderful songs on his CD “Apples and Oranges.” Many of the songs are humorous and all are thought-provoking and Bob does an excellent job of presenting vegetarian-related messages.

There is more information about Bob and his work at his website: www.bobpyle.com

The CD is available through his web-site, amazon.com, cdbaby.com, and
veganstore.com ( Pangea Vegan Store).

One of the songs called "I've Been Restored", has been made into a national TV commercial for a company called Farmers Insurance.

Bob’s favorite song on the CD (and mine also) is Gentle Creatures, because it evokes the idea of compassion for animals.

Bob wrote me: “I tried to make a CD with an animal rights and vegetarian theme, that was not too preachy or angry but came from a positive place. I wanted to make it as entertaining as possible so that it could be listened to over and over again. Also, children friendly. Although no one has contacted me yet and said " I bacame a vegan because of Apples and Oranges", I hope this CD will contribute to the process of helping people realize the harm and cruelty of eating meat. It was a process for me to stop eating meat and I'm sure for others too. Someone once told me that a person has to hear a commercial message seven times before they act on it! Maybe this will be one of the seven times! Also, I like the idea of using songs and the media to spread the animal rights message.”

I think that Bob has been very successful in fulfilling the objectives above, and I strongly commend him for his important efforts and I recommend that you gat a copy of his CD. I am sure that you will enjoy it and find it entertaining and thought-provoking.

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15. Help Maintain First Amendment Freedoms For Animal Rights Activists

Forwarded message from Armaiti:

Please forward widely among friends of animals and those who wish to continue enjoying First Amendment freedoms.

Go to http://www.stopaeta.org/ to write your elected representatives declaring your opposition to HR 4239.

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (H.R.4239) with companion bill (S1926), was drafted to shield animal-use corporations from legal protest.

If H.R. 4239 is enacted, non-violent objection and civil disobedience, boycotts, and even influential media campaigns would become terrorist activities if linked to "loss of profits" for agribusiness, research laboratories, fur farms, circuses, and other "animal enterprises."

Under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, citizens who exercise their First Amendment rights to free speech, free assembly and free expression are labeled terrorists and face significant time behind bars.

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Hello friends,

You've probably received the email alerts I sent out recently in connection with the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act pending in our legislature at this time.

I have been working closely with a few activists to create a website http://www.stopaeta.org/ designed to make it easy to contact one's reps opposing the bill.

We currently need a few AR people to volunteer a couple hours of time to help submit the letters via the congresspersons' on-line forms. It won't be difficult work and will help a tremendous amount to make sure they get submitted in a timely fashion. If you are interested in helping with this project or know someone who is, please email me at kind_dvm@yahoo.com.

Thanks for your time and for all you do for animals!

~Armaiti (kind_dvm@yahoo)

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17. Many Experts Speak Out About Meat at a Forum

One Thing to Do About Food: A Forum
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/083106HA.shtml

What single thing could change the US food system? This article, featured in the Nation, highlights the answers from Eric Schlosser, Marion Nestle, Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry, Troy Duster, Elizabeth Ransom, Winona LaDuke, Peter Singer, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Carlo Petrini, Eliot Coleman and Jim Hightower.

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The responses are all interesting. The one that is most pro-vegetarian is below, by Peter Singer

There is one very simple thing that everyone can do to fix the food system. Don't buy factory-farm products.

Once, the animals we raised went out and gathered things we could not or would not eat. Cows ate grass, chickens pecked at worms or seeds. Now the animals are brought together and we grow food for them. We use synthetic fertilizers and oil-powered tractors to grow corn or soybeans. Then we truck it to the animals so they can eat it.

When we feed grains and soybeans to animals, we lose most of their nutritional value. The animals use it to keep their bodies warm and to develop bones and other body parts that we cannot eat. Pig farms use six pounds of grain for every pound of boneless meat we get from them. For cattle in feedlots, the ratio is 13:1. Even for chickens, the least inefficient factory-farmed meat, the ratio is 3:1.

Most Americans think the best thing they could do to cut their personal contributions to global warming is to swap their family car for a fuel-efficient hybrid like the Toyota Prius. Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin of the University of Chicago have calculated that typical meat-eating Americans would reduce their emissions even more if they switched to a vegan diet. Factory farming is not sustainable. It is also the biggest system of cruelty to animals ever devised. In the United States alone, every year nearly 10 billion animals live out their entire lives confined indoors. Hens are jammed into wire cages, five or six of them in a space that would be too small for even one hen to be able to spread her wings. Twenty thousand chickens are raised in a single shed, completely covering its floor. Pregnant sows are kept in crates too narrow for them to turn around, and too small for them to walk a few steps. Veal calves are similarly confined, and deliberately kept anemic.

This is not an ethically defensible system of food production. But in the United States - unlike in Europe - the political process seems powerless to constrain it. The best way to fight back is to stop buying its products. Going vegetarian is a good option, and going vegan, better still. But if you continue to eat animal products, at least boycott factory farms.

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18. Spreading Our Message To New Audiences/My Letter To The Editor

There are opportunities daily to write letters to editors to help increase awareness of the negative effects of animal-based diets and the benefits of vegetarianism and veganism. And the “letters to the editor” section is one of the most popular sections of newspapers and magazines. So, please consider writing letters, whenever you see an opportunity. Thanks.

In response to an article re Buddha eating meat
(http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45446.asp), I sent the following letter to the editor:

Re "The Buddha ate Meat," the key question today is, should we continue to produce and consume meat when these practices are causing an epidemic of chronic, degenerative diseases, greatly increasing medical costs, and contributing significantly to scarcities of water, energy and grain, and also having major impacts on global warming, deforestation, rapid species extinction, desertification and other environmental threats. At a time when there seem to be almost daily reports of record heat waves, severe droughts and major forest fires, the melting of glaciers and polar ice caps, an increase in the number and severity of hurricanes and other storms, and other effects of global warming, and some veteran climatologists are warning that we may reach a "tipping point" or "point of no return" with regard to global warming within a decade, it is essential that there be a reevaluation of typical animal-based diets. For our own health and that of our precious, but imperiled, planet, it is urgent that there be a major move toward vegetarianism.

Sincerely,
Richard Schwartz
President, Jewish Vegetarians of North America.

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