- Don Lichterman
- Nov 3, 2019
- 14 min read
Are you ready to vote for animals!
Along with a coalition of hundreds of organizations across the country, we're urging our members to update their voter registrations and to make sure that they have met the qualifications to vote in their communities.
In order to continue to give a voice for animals in the halls of Congress and state houses across the country, we have to ensure we elect humane minded candidates—and you can't do that if you're not registered to vote. So update your voter registration today, ask your friends and family to do the same, and Get Political for Animals!
The Humane Society Legislative Fund is the leading political advocacy organization for animals, making endorsements based on a candidate's records or positions on animal welfare issues rather than on political party or affiliation. We want you to know who among the candidates in New Jersey is standing up for animals and fighting against cruelty and abuse.
Here is a list of candidates that we have endorsed in New Jersey due to their leadership and advocacy on animal protection policies.
New Jersey State Assembly:
District 7: Carol Murphy (D)
District 14: Daniel Benson (D)
District 15: Anthony Verrelli (D)
District 16: Andrew Zwicker (D)
District 16: Roy Freiman (D)
District 20: Jamel Holley (D)
District 26: Christine Clarke (D)
District 27: Mila Jasey (D)
District 27: John McKeon (D)
District 30: Sean Kean (R)
District 31: Nicholas Chiaravalloti (D)
District 35: Benjie Wimberly (D)
District 37: Gordon Johnson (D)
We're encouraging animal advocates in New Jersey to get out the vote because animals only win when humane candidates do, and our candidates need your vote.
Our grassroots power is working. Twenty new representatives have signed onto the PAW and FIN Conservation Act since our national day of action to save endangered species. But your representative hasn’t signed on yet — and they need to hear from you.
Volunteers across the country came together to deliver 500,000 petition signatures to more than 70 congressional offices. These personal visits with signatures from constituents directly translated into members of Congress joining our campaign to defend the Act.
Trump has gutted key protections of the Endangered Species Act. Working together we can make sure Congress takes a stand to restore them.
FYI, on Sunday, MSNBC's Alex Witt reported on the 40 Dead Horses at Santa Anita this year.
Camels used for tourism in Egypt were hit with sticks at least 27 times in just this minute-long video. Many had painful wounds and were bleeding from their nose and mouth.
Take action: peta.org/camel. Tourists from all over the world flock to Egypt to marvel at the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Saqqara’s ancient burial site, and Luxor’s royal tombs, but these sites have a violent side in plain view. PETA Asia’s latest investigation in Egypt has revealed horrific abuse of horses and camels forced to haul visitors on their backs or in carriages at the top tourist sites in the blistering heat without access to food, water, or shade. At the notorious Birqash Camel Market, which supplies camels to some of the tourist spots, animals were severely beaten with sticks.
The rabbit at 0:15 is still struggling as his foot is cut off for a so-called “good luck charm.”
Rabbits’ feet are NOT lucky for you or them, and no one should be forced to go through this nightmare. On fur farms in China, workers hack off rabbits’ feet while the animals are still alive and hit them in the head before slitting their throats and tearing off their fur.
China is currently the largest producer and consumer of fur products, and it has no animal protection laws. PETA’s eyewitness investigations have repeatedly documented that fur farmers confine animals to filthy wire cages—often without access to necessities such as food and clean water.
Last week, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-CA), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Congressman Peter King (R-NY) reintroduced the Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies (ProTECT) Act (H.R. 4804). This important bill would amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to prohibit taking endangered or threatened species in the United States as a trophy and the importation of any endangered or threatened species as a trophy into the U.S.
In 2015, the world was outraged and devastated by the brutal killing of Cecil the lion (pictured above) at the hands of an American trophy hunter. The hunter injured Cecil and then tracked him for hours before finally killing him and dismembering his body. The goal of this brutal activity was clear: the hunter wanted Cecil's head as a trophy – a souvenir of the brutal killing of this majestic animal. Indeed, thousands of wildlife parts are imported into the U.S. every year as "trophies." The U.S. is the world's largest importer of such "mementos," with more such imports than the next nine highest countries combined.
Removing the ability of hunters to take and import trophies of endangered and threatened species, such as the African lion, elephant, and leopard, would help curb trophy hunting, as hunters could neither kill these animals in the U.S. nor import these animals or their parts into the country.
We need you to speak out in support! Write to your member of Congress and ask him or her to cosponsor the ProTECT Act.
Macy’s, Inc. will stop selling fur by 2021, with some changes happening immediately, the company announced Monday.
It’s a major step forward for the department store and its subsidiaries, which are known for selling expensive fur clothing and accessories with four- and five-figure price tags.
But the customer base spoke and Macy’s listened. “Our customer is migrating away from natural fur and we are aligning with the trend,” says the company website.
The fur-free policy is already in effect for Macy’s private brands, and the company plans to stop carrying fur products in all stores, including Bloomingdale’s, as well. Additional changes, including the closure of the company’s Maximilian and Fur Vault locations, will occur gradually. In its announcement about the transition, Macy’s vowed to fully implement the new policy by the end of fiscal 2020.
Macy’s is the biggest department store in the U.S., and animal advocates across the country laud its decision to set an example by going fur-free.
“When a company like this says no to fur, it is a clear sign that the days of this unnecessary commodity are numbered,” Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and CEO of Humane Society International, wrote in her blog.
PETA commended Macy’s new policy and praised animal rights activists who spoke out and demonstrated against fur production and sales over the last several decades.
“If you’ve ever taken a stance against the filthy, horrifying fur industry, then you’re a part of this victory,” an article on the organization’s website states.
Retailers and brands are increasingly adopting fur-free policies, symbolizing a growing disapproval of animal cruelty among consumers. In recent years, big-name companies such as Prada, Burberry, Michael Kors, Gucci, Chanel, and Versace have gone fur-free.
Our New Legal Fight Over Wildlife-killing in Washington
Every year the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Wildlife Services" program kills thousands of native animals in the state of Washington — including bears, beavers, wolves, cougars and bobcats.
The tools of the trade? Leghold traps, strangulation snares, poisons and aerial gunners.
So this week the Center for Biological Diversity sued over the program's killing operations in the state.
"With this lawsuit we're forcing Wildlife Services to consider alternatives to its mass-extermination programs," said Sophia Ressler, a Center attorney. "The science shows that nonlethal methods of addressing wildlife conflicts work. Wildlife Services should acknowledge that and scrutinize its cruel, outdated programs."
The lawsuit is part of our nationwide campaign against Wildlife Services, which killed more than 1.5 million native animals last year.
Wildlife Services, the government's secretive, anti-wildlife program, went on a killing spree in Washington state last year: six black bears, 397 beavers, 376 coyotes, 429 marmots, 448 squirrels and thousands of other creatures were slaughtered using taxpayer money.
This animal-death machine has to be shut down. So we took Wildlife Services to court to save Washington's wildlife.
Wildlife Services is using a cruel and outdated kill-first plan to do the bidding of the agricultural industry, which claims to benefit from the extermination of wildlife.
Our suit aims to force Wildlife Services to follow the science — and stop the needless deaths in Washington.
Animals that aren't even targeted — including pets and protected wildlife — are at risk from the program's crude, indiscriminate methods. Its efforts to take out foxes and coyotes put endangered wolves at risk.
he lawsuit is part of our nationwide campaign against Wildlife Services, which killed more than 1.5 million native animals last year.
These heartless operations cause immense suffering through the use of painful leg traps, strangulation snares and aerial gunning.
We're winning these battles one by one. Earlier this year we secured a ban on the program's use of deadly M-44s — spring-loaded capsules armed with cyanide spray — across more than 10 million acres of public land in Wyoming.
We also helped secure a ban on the targeting of beavers, minks, muskrats and otters by Wildlife Services in Oregon. And in California our legal action got the program to stop shooting and trapping beavers on more than 11,000 miles of river and 4 million acres of land.
County by county, state by state, we're stopping Wildlife Services in its lethal tracks — but we still have a long way to go.
Our Latest Report: Here's Where to Reintroduce Red Wolves
With as few as 14 left in the wild, red wolves are among the world's most endangered mammals. If we're going to save them, we need to get more wolves in more places.
That's why the Center for Biological Diversity just issued a groundbreaking report highlighting 20,000 square miles of public land across six southeastern states that would be well suited to red wolf reintroductions.
The sites we identify in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia could support nearly 500 breeding pairs. We're urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to act immediately to return red wolves to these areas before they go extinct in the wild.
"Without more reintroductions, wild red wolves could disappear within five years," said Collette Adkins, the Center's carnivore conservation director. "These incredibly imperiled animals can't afford more delays."
Get more from KAIT News and consider making a donation to our Endangered Species Act Protection Fund.
Trump Delays Protection Decisions for 46 Species. President Donald Trump's Fish and Wildlife Service has failed to act on the protection of dozens of species that the agency promised, back in 2016, to make decisions on by now. That puts them all closer to extinction.
The species include black rails, birds whose coastal marshes are disappearing amid sea-level rise and development; whitebark pine, losing its high-mountain habitat across the West thanks to climate change and disease; and yellow-billed cuckoos, whose streamside forests are being destroyed by dams, grazing cows and overuse.
"Scientists across the world are sounding the alarm over the extinction crisis, yet the Trump administration won't even let the fire trucks out of the station," said the Center's Noah Greenwald. "These species need protection now." Read our press release.
Yummy, Dog Meat. The mayor of Seoul, South Korea has officially announced the closing of all dog slaughterhouses in the city!
Eight slaughter facilities at Gyeongdong Market and Jungang Market were reported closed earlier this week, and the city's last three slaughterhouses shut down yesterday. If "slaughter activity occurs again, we will use all means to block it," said Mayor Park Won-soon.
Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of LFT supporters who have signed petitions and written letters to end dog and cat meat, and to all of the organizations and activists working so hard to stop the cruelty.
Despite this important step, the fight is far from over. There is still no law banning sale or consumption of dog and cat meat, leaving dog meat restaurants in Seoul still open for business. And in other areas of Korea, innocent dogs continue to be hanged, beaten and burned alive for their meat.
Lady Freethinker will continue working to end the brutal dog and cat meat trade across Korea and around the world with petitions, bus ads, investigations and direct aid to rescuers on the ground saving innocent animals from slaughter.
We will not stop until the horrific industry is shut down completely.
But we can't do it without your help. If you haven't signed yet, please add your name now to the petition to ban ALL dog and cat meat in S. Korea.
With your support, we will continue campaigning tirelessly to end dog and cat slaughter for good. Please help us keep saving lives.
History was made for carriage horses and tens of thousands of other animals in New York City yesterday at City Hall and we couldn't be more thrilled to share this momentous news with you and thank you for helping make it happen!
The New York City Council voted and overwhelmingly PASSED the tremendous package of a dozen animal rights bills that were up for a vote yesterday. We were at City Hall with advocates for a rousing rally before the vote and to joyously cheer when the bills passed.
NYCLASS Rally at City Hall before the historic animal rights VICTORY on Oct 30th
Our signature Bill, Intro 1425A - The Carriage Horse Relief Bill - passed with an overwhelming majority and will ensure that carriage horses will NEVER again suffer another summer of being forced to pull thousands of pounds through scorching streets in humid heat waves. It will now be illegal to force horses to pull heavy carriages on scorching streets when the temperature is 80 degrees and above on high humidity days and the "equine heat index reaches" 150. This is a massive improvement to the outdated, inadequate law that allowed horses to be cruelly worked in brutal heat waves without factoring in humidity in the law. Horses have suffered respiratory heat distress as a result and regularly collapsed on city streets.
This is the first legislative victory for carriage horses in decades, and this is just the beginning of finally ending the suffering the horses have endured for far too long. We applaud Council Member Keith Powers for having the compassion and tenacity to sponsor this bill, all the bill co-sponsors, and for Speaker Corey Johnson for including it in the historic package of animal rights bills.
Intro 1478A, sponsored by Councilmember Justin Brannan, which creates and installs an official Office of Animal Welfare in our City also passed! This means that New York will become the first city in the nation that will have a government office dedicated exclusively to animal welfare issues! NYCLASS has long advocated for a dedicated agency devoted to the myriad of important animal issues that exist, and that are ineffectively handled by other city agencies, and we hope that wonderful progress can result from this bill passing.
Other historic animal rights bills that passed are Intro 1378A, sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera, the bill that BANS the sale of cruel foie gras in New York City entirely! New York will join several other cities and countries around the world who have already banned foie gras, which is literally the result of animal torture from ducks and geese that are force-fed with pipes to induce liver disease.
Bills to better protect and adopt animals in city shelters and strengthen animal cruelty laws also passed, in addition to a resolution to recognize "Meatless Monday" in New York City sponsored by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, and Intro 1202A, sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera which makes it illegal to poach wild birds and pigeons. What an incredible package NYC Council passed!
Margaret Mead famously said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." This is a very fitting quote for yesterday's victory for animals because it could never have happened without all of YOU who have never given up on fighting to gain protections for carriage horses and all animals.
Activism works! The years of holding protests, rallies, testifying at public hearings, educating the public, making phone calls, sending emails and meeting with your elected officials has paid off in a big way and we are committed to continuing with this incredible momentum and making more and more progress for animals.
Your dedicated support made this victory possible and your continued support will make further victories achievable! Please donate any amount you can so that we can continue making the world a kinder place for all animals big and small. Another world is possible, and we pledge to make it real.
The lives of hundreds of black bears in Florida could be at stake if state authorities reauthorize trophy hunting. Public outrage after the killing of over 300 bears in 2015 forced the state Fish and Wildlife Commission to prevent another annual hunt. But now, another proposed hunt is on the agenda. Bear Defenders is a group that is rallying supporters because these black bears’ fate will soon be decided by the FWC. Add your name to their petition telling the Florida FWC no more bear trophy hunts in Florida.
In 2015 a total of 304 bears were killed during the first Florida black bear hunt in 21 years. Among the bears slaughtered were lactating mother bears and cubs. The vast majority of Floridians opposed the 2015 Florida Black Bear Hunt, and after photographs and videos surfaced depicting the brutal and cruel nature of the hunt, the story went viral and outraged ensued not only in Florida but worldwide.
The furor that resulted from the hunt quickly turned into action, and the State of Florida united to fight against future bear hunts. In 2016, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted down the proposal for another hunt due to overwhelming public opposition. Additionally, the FWC Commissioners voted to halt the bear hunt until 2019, at which time they would discuss where they were at with their bear management plan. The black bears will be on the agenda this year in the Fall. We must remind the FWC that Floridians will never accept a bear hunt in their State!
Please sign and share our petition to let the FWC know that trophy hunting bears in our State is not acceptable!!!
For more information visit: https://www.beardefenders.org/
NYC Votes to Ban Foie Gras
In a huge win for the animals, New York City Council has passed Intro 1378, a bill to ban the sale of cruel force-fed foie gras! When signed into law by Mayor de Blasio, this bill will make New York the largest city in the world to ban one of the most barbaric and disgusting food products on Earth: force-fed foie gras.
Countless innocent animals will be spared from this cruel practice, in which a foot-long tube is shoved down the throats of duck and geese, filling them with so much food that their livers swell to 10 times their natural size.
Lady Freethinker is so proud to be part of the coalition -- led by Voters for Animal Rights -- that spearheaded the campaign to pass this groundbreaking legislation.
We thank Council Member Carlina Rivera for championing this bill through the City Council and Speaker Corey Johnson for including it in his landmark animal package.
This victory would not have been possible without you and your support and advocacy. Thank you to all who spoke out to save ducks and geese from cruelty. This victory is yours!
Together, we are building a more compassionate world for animals.
Lawsuit Filed to Protect the Endangered Species Act. Last week, we filed a lawsuit to force the federal government to repeal recently imposed rules weakening one of our nation’s most important animal protection laws — the Endangered Species Act.
How False Advertising Lawsuits Help Animals. Have you heard of “humane washing” — the practice of making a misleading claim about the treatment of animals or the conditions in which they are born, raised, or killed? Learn how the Animal Legal Defense Fund is fighting humane washing in our new legal resource.
Animals as Crime Victims: Development of a New Legal Status. When animals are not considered crime victims, they are robbed of the full protections they deserve. We’re working with prosecutors, law enforcement, and state legislators across the country to ensure that animals are recognized as crime victims.
Leave a Gift of Stock to the Animal Legal Defense Fund. A gift of stock is a simple, yet significant, way to support a future in which animals have the legal rights they deserve.
Take Action, Responsibility & Wildlife...
"Corporations Are People Too My Friends."
Our companies are known for creating products that enhance people's lives. Through Sunset Corporation of America and its companies, we’re equally dedicated to improving lives. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.
The Sustainable Action Network (SAN), A Don Lichterman non-profit organization dedicated to building a global community raising awareness of corruption, injustice and the need for action across a full range of issues impacting people and animal/wildlife welfare around the world, such as conservation, climate change, campaign law, lobbying, government action and rescue work. SAN’s vision is to create safer world, free from political, environmental, and social oppression, where all the inhabitants of Earth can live in harmony within their own natural environments. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.
Activism and Sustainability:
Gun Safety & Gun Laws
Cruelty Free
Death Penalty
Demand Action
Sustainable Action Network
Fairness and Equality:
Privatization
Voters Issues & Gerrymandering
Private Prisons & the War on Drugs
Finance, Housing & the Economy Corporate Responsibility:
Candidates, Bills, Laws & Protections
Wildlife & Oceania
Labeling & Transparency
Comprehensive Captivity & Hunting Results Databases
