Amalthea Lalaith's Blog

Prop 2 and 4

Amalthea Lalaith — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:56:34 GMT

Prop 2

Agribusiness corporations rely on deception and scare tactics in new TV ads

SACRAMENTO (October 15, 2008) —Yesterday the factory farming corporations opposing Proposition 2, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, revealed their first television advertisements. The major funders listed include MoArk, which was exposed just yesterday for shocking cruelty to birds at its Riverside County egg factory. Not surprisingly, the ads are chock-full of distortions and scare tactics from an industry that wants to keep cramming animals into tiny cages where they can barely move for their entire lives.

"The arguments from the factory farmers are riddled with misleading and false claims that don't pass the smell test," said YES! on Prop 2 campaign manager Jennifer Fearing. "They cannot defend their inhumane confinement practices, so instead they have launched a campaign of outright lies to frighten voters."

Among the ads' claims that are most egregiously false or misleading:

MYTH: Voice-over and screen graphics relating to higher food prices. One graph specifically shows how much egg prices have increased relative to other grocery items from June 2006 to June 2007 (eggs—19.5%).
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FACT: The very reason egg prices are up more than any other food item is because the opponents of Prop 2 are fixing prices and gouging consumers. Several of the out-of-state egg factory farms opposing Prop 2 are currently under criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for antitrust violations, and at least five class action lawsuits have been filed to recoup the record profits these corporations have reaped at a time when average American's are suffering financially. (Sources: Wall Street Journal—http://...com/4let23 and http://...com/3scov7—and press release—http://...com/4fzneb). While the factory farms are pocketing the profits at the expense of shoppers, a UC Riverside study says it would cost less than a penny per egg to stop cramming birds into tiny cages.

MYTH: Screen graphics that state "Prop 2 will force family farmers out of business."
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FACT: Prop 2 provides a phase-out period of more than six years, giving farmers until 2015 to transition to more humane and sustainable practices. The opposition's alarmist claim is similar to one that that the pork industry made prior to 2007—that the industry simply couldn't stop using gestation crates. However, after Arizona voters banned gestation crates, Smithfield Foods—the nation's largest pig producer—announced it would phase out its use of gestation crates across the nation. One week later, Canada's largest pig producer announced it would do the same. Farmers are innovative people who can meet challenges presented to them. Already, a large number of them—especially in California—are raising laying hens without confining them in battery cages. More than 100 California family farmers support Prop 2.

MYTH: Ad footage showing lines of cars presumably crossing the border into the US from Mexico, along with voice-over claims that eggs will have to come from Mexico.
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FACT: UC Davis Professor Dan Sumner, author of a report touted by opponents, has stated, "I personally think that's unlikely...Mexico doesn't produce much feed corn and that's why Mexico isn't a logical place for production." (Source: Sonoma News—http://...com/3fgrh7). More to the point, the U.S. does not import eggs from Mexico. In 2007, the U.S. didn't import a single egg from Mexico (Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service). California already imports half of its eggs from other states, and making "California Grown" a standard for better animal welfare and food safety will help California egg producers compete in this commodity market.

MYTH: Voice-over claim that Prop 2 will lead to "higher Salmonella risks."
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FACT: In fact, one of the worst outbreaks of Salmonella poisoning from eggs came from Norco Ranch in California – one of the key opponents of Prop 2. And all of the recent scientific evidence shows more Salmonella risk in caged flocks compared to cage-free. In fact, factory farming is considered the reason Salmonella emerged as such a major egg pathogen in the first place. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eggs now infect more than 100,000 Americans every year. The best available data shows that operations which cram thousands of hens into tiny cages are not surprisingly up to 20 times more likely than cage-free facilities to harbor Salmonella infection. (Source: "The Public Health Benefits of Proposition 2: An Evidence-Based Analysis). It's just common sense that cramming animals into tight spaces makes them unhealthy and more likely to spread diseases, and that's just what the scientific literature shows.

Prop Four
The problem

In California, a girl under age 18 can't get a tan at a tanning salon, a cavity filled, or an aspirin dispensed by the school nurse without a parent knowing. But a doctor can perform a surgical or chemical abortion on a young girl without informing a parent.
The answer

Proposition 4 will require a doctor to notify at least one adult family member before performing an abortion on an under-18-year-old girl.
Facts
Medical professionals know that a young person is safer when a parent or family member is informed of her medical situation. Someone who knows the girl and cares about her future can help her understand all her options, obtain competent care, and work through the problems that led her into the situation to begin with.

On a daily basis, older men exploit young girls and use secret abortions to cover up their crimes. More than thirty states currently have parental/family involvement laws like Proposition 4 in effect. States which have laws like Proposition 4 have experienced real reductions in pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among young girls"

http://www.yeson4.net/default.aspx

I'll be honest, I got these straight off of the websites supporting these propositions, so obviously they are biased. but Please at least do the research and consider voting yes on these important props.

End Human Trafficking

Amalthea Lalaith — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 03:25:37 GMT

"Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly

[Chorus]
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside

Dreaming about Providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we've been livin' with our eyes half open
Maybe we're bent and broken, broken "
-Switchfoot

Please check out:
theamazingchange.com (a site inspired by abolitionist William Wilberforce. It has petitions, graphics to link to site etc.)

freetheslaves.net

Alaskan bears need help!

Amalthea Lalaith — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:46:19 GMT

This is a cross-post from care2 connect.
============================================================

LETTER FROM CONCERNED ALASKAN ABOUT HELPING KATMAI’S BEARS !!!PLEASE WRITE LETTERS!!!

THIS VIDEO EXPOSES TROPHY HUNTERS SLAUGHTERING THE KATMAI PRESERVE'S GRIZZLY BEARS, WHO DO NOT HAVE ANY FEAR OF HUMANS; AN "OUTDOOR ADVENTURE" AKIN TO SHOOTING YOUR NEIGHBOR'S DOG.

http://stream.qtv.apple.com/qtv/SeeMoreDZ/katmai_bear_hunt_videos_ref.mov

JOHN, A GOOD FRIEND TO THE WILDLIFE AND A CONCERNED ALASKAN, WRITES ASKING OTHERS TO HELP HIS STATE'S WILDLIFE AND PLEAS FOR THE ALASKAN GOVERNMENT TO STOP THE RAPE...

ADDRESSES TO ALASKAN POLITICIANS ARE GIVEN BELOW HIS LETTER, PLEASE WRITE LETTERS AND FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU CAN!!!

Hello everyone,

My name is John and I live in Homer, Alaska. My wife and I spend
alot of time
camping in Katmai studying the bears and bears are the primary reason
we relocated to
Alaska. Everyone in power in this state is determined to destroy all
of our beautiful
predators (Alaska Gov Sarah Palin recently had her photo on the front
page of the
Anchorage newspaper sitting on her couch with a grizzly bear hide
drapped over her
couch!). The bear viewing guide that wrote the original email below is
a good friend of
ours and he has taught us so much about bears. My heart wept when I
read his email.

I think it's great that there is video out there showing the massacre
of habituated bears
but it does little good for us all to know about this if we don't do
anything about it!
So I've put together a list of the people in Alaska who you need to
contact about this
matter. The list includes both government contacts along with media
contacts for the
Anchorage Daily News. I urge you to contact everyone on this list
including the
newspaper and express your disgust over the trophy hunting of bears
especially habituated
ones. While you're at it espress your disgust over Alaska's predator
control programs.
I've also attached a brochure that we've put together that we're trying
to get bear
viewing operators to hand out to clients. It offers more ways in which
you can help.

The wildlife up here needs you all so much! Please help.

Sarah Palin (Alaska Governor)
Email her from website: http://gov.state.ak.us/govmail.php

Denby Lloyd (Commissioner)
dfg.commissioner@alaska.gov
PO Box 115526
Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526
Phone907) 465-4100
FAX: (907) 465-2332

Kenton Taylor (Deputy Commissioner of Wildlife)
kenton.taylor@alaska.gov

Kristy Tibbles (Executive Director, Board of Game)
kristy_tibbles@fishgame.state.ak.us
PO Box 115526
Juneau, AK 99811
Phone: (907) 465-4110
Fax: (907) 465-6094

Cliff Judkins (Chairman Board of Game)
PO Box 874124
Wasilla, Alaska 99687

Ted Spraker (Vice-Chairman Board of Game)
49230 Victoria Ave.
Soldotna, Alaska 99669

Anchorage Daily News letters to the editor:
letters@adn.com (225 word limit)

Anchorage Daily News Compass Piece, 675 limit words
compass@adn.com

or visit http://community.adn.com/adn/forum/263?sort=asc&order=Created
to post your
letter online

Best wishes,
John
Homer, Alaska