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TARP Oversight Committee and Citigroup

See LIVE here. Now. (Will be available on that link tomorrow)

See schedule of all past TARP hearings video archived HERE.

Factory Farming shows its Teeth in WI

Wi farmers are now organizing against the Humane Society of the United States, an organization that advocates for humane treatment of animals. WI family farms are gradually being absorbed by the factory farming agri-business industry led by the University of Wis schools of agriculture.

The University of Wisconsin has the dubious honor of being the most horrific primate experimentation laboratory in the U.S. They have burnt alive small monkeys in the micro wave machine "accidentally" while cleaning cages. No one was disciplined. That is an example of the attitude of their "researchers" whom our tax dollars support. The University of Wisconsin, whose ecology dept is made from hunter teachers and whose primate lab is made up of torturing sadists, continues in this vein throughout the various departments concerned with WI agriculture and veterinary care.

So this coalition of the greedy takes on their real enemy - people who demand decent treatment for animals. Some farm group whose origins are at this point unclear has organized a group of "farmers" to bring empty plates to Wis legislators to chastise them for working with the Humane Society. If you work with animal rights groups, you will get an empty plate from WI agri-business. $$$$

Oh yeah, that is the real problem for sustainable farming in WI - too much concern for the suffering of animals. Those pesky people who want animal confinement to meet minimal humane standards.

First agri business establishes 15 or 20 farms in your state and then immediately starts pouring money into the state legislature to degrade your environmental and animal welfare laws.

The CAFO-based model is most aggressively promoted by the Wisconsin Dairy Business Association. It brings together groups including the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives, the Wisconsin Cattlemen's Association, the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, the Wisconsin Pork Association and the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.

While the association portrays itself as the voice of dairy farmers who merely want to "Keep cows in Wisconsin," much of its funding comes from corporate donors. Its website says they include Land O'Lakes Purina Feed LLC, Pfizer Animal Health, Accelerated Genetics, Wick Builders, Bayland Building, insurers, financial-service firms and a host of other agribusiness interests.

These funders have a clear financial stake in using antibiotics and genetic modification, financing farm expansion, and building expensive new structures to house vast herds of animals.

Laurie Fischer, the association's executive director, rebuffed repeated interview requests. She and the group's communications director, Peggy S. Dierickx [see note at end], even declined to answer a set of emailed questions, claiming the press of other issues was too great.

More forthcoming was Paul Zimmerman, executive director of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, a statewide farm organization based in Madison. Zimmerman defends larger farming operations, saying many of the criticisms against them could be leveled at smaller farmers as well.

"It all depends on management practices," he says. "You can have problems with water quality whether you have 750 cows or 75 cows."

Likewise with the use of pesticides: "CAFO or no CAFO, raising corn and other crops means you have herbicides and pesticides," Zimmerman maintains. "It's the same regardless of farm size.

Zimmerman sees efforts to draw sharp distinctions between CAFO operators and other farmers as divisive and harmful to the cause of agriculture in Wisconsin: "Pitting one farmer against another is just defeating farming."

Win for Porn Industry; Loss for Women; NOW Reverts to the Usual

Please Forward to Whomever Should Know

For the past 20 years, New York State NOW has had an active Task Force, addressing the harms to women and girls from the Pornography industry, and the broader sex industry including the use of women and girls in Trafficking & Prostitution.

The NYS NOW Council has just voted (on 2/20/2010) that the Task Force should drop the word “Pornography” from its Title, and remove all reference to “pornography” from its work. In response, we have resigned as Task Force Leaders.

The following feminists are on record stating that Pornography issues SHOULD be discussed by feminists:
Carolyn Maloney, Gloria Steinem, Alice Walker, Catharine MacKinnon, Norma Ramos, Dorchen Leidholdt, Jane Manning, Phyllis Frank, Robin Morgan, Sonia Ossario, Carol Urban, Phyllis Chesler, Julie Kirshner, Audre Lorde, Shirley Ranz, Molly Yard, Ellie Smeal, Rachellle Suissa, Susan Brownmiller, Marge Piercy, Taina Bien-Amie, Letty Pogrebin, Lois Reckitt, Charlotte Watson, Judy Murphy, Sherry Rogers, Diana Russell, Ariel Levy, Maya Angelou, Rachel Lloyd, Laura Lederer, Meg Baldwin, Evelina Giobbe, Kathleen Barry, Pauline Bart, Gail Dines, Ann Jones, Melissa Farley, Janice Raymond, Twiss Butler, Charlotte Bunch, Peggy Reeves Sanday, Rose Garrity, Clarice Pollack, Kate Millet, Jennifer Robinson, Nancy Henley, Louise Armstrong, Donna Hughes, Christine Stark, Bob Jensen, Ann Simonton, Samantha Berg, Sandra Hunicutt, Susan Hunter, Robert Brannon, Rebecca Wisnant, Sally Roesch Wagner...

For your information, these are some of the statements/arguments, about why to drop use of the word “pornography, that were posted by State NOW Leaders just before the vote:

“We should not have a task force with porn in the title.” “I used to free-lance as the girl-singer in on of the last burlesque shows in Manhattan. Believe me the strippers, some of whom were also prostitutes, were far freer than the women whose husbands they entertained.” “All I’m asking is that we take the puritanical, limiting “pornography” header off our title.” “Objections to "pornography" can portray our organization as prudes, who are upset with the sight of a naked body.” “Our organization should not be in the business of endangering the First Amendment.” “The Right Wing considers lesbians and gays, abortion and birth control, along with AIDS education "pornographic." We need to not play into this.” “Even the courts cannot define pornography and we all define porn differently.” “the fundamentalists are burning Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as “kiddy-porn”

For the feminist - historical record, the following NYS leaders led this campaign to remove pornography as an issue that NOW’s is concerned with: Marilyn Fitterman, Sandy Rapp, Lori Gardner, Barbara Kirkpatrick, Gaby Moreno, & and NYS NOW President Marcia Pappas (NewYorkStateNOW@aol.com).

As the former leaders of the State Task Group, we will continue to study and discuss the harms that occur to women and girls from pornography, the sex industry, and being used in trafficking and prostitution, in conjunction with other feminist organizations that share this concern.

We regret that NYS NOW does not. For those interested, some of our work is attached. Phyllis B. Frank & Dr. Robert Brannon, former Co-Chairs, Task Force on Trafficking, Pornography, and Prostitution PBFrank@aol.com Rbran999@aol.com


Greenconsciousness Notes:People would understand if the Task Force (TF) would teach what the alternative to porn is actually. Meaning a deep discussion of the nature of the product (porn) which they do teach and the alternative (sex ed) which they do not teach.

Porn is the primary, sometimes the only sex educator. Porn cornered the market.

If life drawing of nude models were done in grade school starting with kindergarten, young children would not be so needy of porn to learn and understand what their own bodies look like, as well as the body of the opposite sex.

Dolls should be atomically correct and always used for sex education. No doll should be made without genitalia. NOW should sell such dolls while making the point that education is the alternative to porn. Young children should be taught the names of the parts of the body using the dolls and life pictures.

As they turn 7-12 years old children should be given sex ed complete with videos showing masturbation and intercourse in a straightforward way without the porn aspect. Such videos exist and can be shown in sex segregated classrooms. Parents can attend these lectures - mothers in their daughter’s classroom - fathers with their sons or in a separate class for single parents. But since there are so many sex offenders among the parents it is best not to mix adult genders with children in sex ed classes.

The answer to the porn lie is not repression which never works and not porn or sexual preference advocacy which is slyly done by some teachers. Both homo and heterosexual advocacy should be discouraged. Instead sex ed should consist of definitions and accurate, straightforward, honest information complete with a discussion of the hormonal changes, adolescent lack of impulse control and disease symptoms and consequences.

Such classes should include the reproductive system of sexes and birth control as well as trips to planned parenthood clinics.Parents can teach morality but all citizens in a secular society should be educated about their bodies and the bodies of the opposite sex.

Life drawing with discussions about the human body, pictures, videos, genitally correct dolls; everything available should be used to show the difference between actual sexuality and the commercialized versions sold by cable and films.Children should be educated about the exploitative aspects of sex role commercialization; in other words, what happens to the beauty queens of playboy and hustler?

From 13 to 17 children can learn about STDs and the state laws regarding age of consent and related statutes. I would suggest reading some sex registry cases. They might be taught how difficult a pardon is to obtain.

NOW's porn task force should be sure that it is made clear their objection is to commercialized actions with exploited adult survivors - not to free expression of uncommercialized sexuality.

But more than a lack of teaching alternative sexual self-sufficiency goals on the part of the porn TF is involved in the NY action to eliminate it.

The vote is a political decision reflecting the prevailing ethic in the straight/gay male and transgendered community of NY. The decision to eliminate work on pornography reflects a failure in the intersectional model of feminist expression.

The main criticism of intersectional feminism is that a desire to be accepting and accepted (that is, politically correct) overcomes the analysis of the issue in terms of what is good for women. Analysis should examine the roles assigned to the genders, the consequences of reinforcing childhood trauma by sexualizing the drama, the roots of the need for more; the need itself created by mass culture marketing, often in opposition to the body's natural inclination as we age, to let go of a diminishing desire for sexual contact.

The personal is political. How do women experience porn; what age do they start, how does porn reflect a deepening understanding of an individual's sexuality and what reality can be taught instead, when girls learn about their bodies and how; baby beauty pageants, etc. We look at the women in groups like SAGE to answer the loud voices of the ex strippers many of whom were not born female.

Feminist ask how can we expand freedom and equality, not how can we restrict other born women. First, it is necessary to expose the exploitation that fuels the industry. The victimized have their own definitions of free will and consent. Feminism is their voice. Porn is the voice of the user/exploiter. Feminism tries to express the reality of born women's actual experiences as opposed to the labels that others (users) put on female behavior. Who ultimately defines reality shapes the world in which all women must live.

The vote to eliminate the porn focus reflects an acceptance of a patriarchal model of sexuality based on dominance submission commercialized to sell sex as an addictive drug with chemically treated, altered, women and children as the commercialized sex fantasy objects for sale.

Here, in the vote's outcome, feminist analysis lost to the politically correct demands of left males. Feminism tells the other half of the story - the story of the acted upon objects of porn's fantasy world. Feminism exposes the roots of sexual fantasy in the merging of sexual identity with intense patterns of parental interactions.

This quest for the truth of the experience in the porn industry, will direct subsequent feminist political action. The best of these actions are global laws eliminating pimps and escort services.


UPDATE ..........UPDATE ............................UPDATE

Pro-Pornography Leader likes Prostitution Too

... Marilyn Fitterman (2/23/10): ... One way ( to end Trafficking ) would be to legalize prostitution, hence, no one other than responsible adults would profit and they would also stay healthy... I'd love to hear a discussion about legalizing prostitution ie: sex workers because many of my friends are sex workers, they are educated and intelligent adults who have made the choices in their lives without interference from us or the govt. Let's make them legal.

Marilyn Fitterman(2/23/10) ...there will always be a demand, it goes back thousands of years, so until we can end that maybe we should think about letting those women who chose to make money off of these men do so. I know women who have married men for the comfortable lives they can live, these are just legal prostitutes in my estimation, not much different that others.



We are not surprised that the leader of the campaign to drop pornography as an Issue for NYS NOW discussion, has moved on, very quickly, to glamorize the use of women in prostitution.

The different branches of the sex industry - internet pornography, sex tourism, mail-order brides, strip clubs, and use in prostitution and trafficking - are all inter-related. Those who are oblivious to the harm to women from one branch of the sex industry are likely to be equally unconcerned with harms to women from all the others.

The use of women and girls in prostitution was one on the major concerns of our former NYS NOW Task Group. About one month ago, we submitted our 2010 TF Plan - which was never voted on - and along with it, a paper that we said was for discussion within NYS NOW, Does Consensual Prostitution Exist? The discussion paper was somehow, not distributed. We include that paper below, to prompt a process which NYS NOW clearly needs to have... but we were not permitted to facilitate.

You may be unaware that the Trafficking Law which we worked with the NYSATC to pass two years ago does not require an over-seas origin for the young women, and is actually the strongest, most promising, and most feminist-crafted law in U.S. history against pimping and prostitution. It authorized (but there's still no $...) help and services, not jail, for the women being used, and instead targeted the pimps and johns.


Phyllis B. Frank & Dr. Robert Brannon, former Co-Chairs,
Task Force on Trafficking, Pornography, and Prostitution

Removal of Ferals to Preserve Ecosystems

Galapagos CIMEI Endorsement

SPECIEES is proud to have earned the endorsement of the Interinstitutional Committee for the Managmement and Control of Introduced Species which is mandated to control and manage invasive species in the Galapagos Islands.

CIMEI supports the U.S. based non-governmental organization: SPECIEES
(The) Society (to) Prevent Exotic Contamination (of) Island Eco-Systems (and) Endangered Species

CIMEI is the government organization that controls the introduced animals on the Galapagos Islands. Our work ranges from fumigation preventing mosquitoes from spreading dengue fever to pet registration and sterilization.

The Special law of Galapagos prohibits the introduction of non-native plants and animals to the archipelago. The animals already present are allowed to remain on the islands under very strict rules. Unfortunately not all animals have yet been spayed or neutered and also some animals are being smuggled onto the islands.

CIMEI in partnership with several other organizations is targeting the smuggling operations and continues to inform the people of the need to have their animals sterilized. Unfortunately this is not enough; there is now a need to start moving the animals off the islands as their numbers are still rising.

SPECIEES is exactly the organization we are looking for and timing is perfect. Relocation is the only solution that can assure not only the recovery of the indigenous wildlife; it also prevents the unwanted introduced animals from being euthanized and offers them a second chance in a good home mostly in the US.

SPECIEES founder and president is Allison Lance. Allison has been returning to work in the Galapagos since 2000. She has experience in many of the aspects of conservation due to her work with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Animal Balance.

SPECIEES will be setting up an animal shelter on Santa Cruz Island which will be operated by someone from the local community. The local representative will actively be looking for people to adopt animals from the shelter.

Male Survivor Conference

Greetings to all of our SAGE friends and supporters!SAGE is one of the unique programs including gender-specific programming, specifically for male survivors of violence, abuse and exploitation. In our efforts, we have found a wonderful resource for male survivors that we would like to share with you.

MaleSurvivor is an international organization dedicated to preventing, healing, and overcoming the sexual victimization of boys and men.

Mr. Kelly Tyne, SAGE's Director of Men's and Health Services calls MaleSurvivor "an incredibly useful resource in meeting the needs of this dismissed and invisible population. SAGE has found MaleSurvivor a welcome ally in our efforts to combat and heal exploitation."


MaleSurvivor Conference will offer cutting edge research, best clinical techniques and advocacy strategies on male sexual abuse

New York, NY (February 4, 2010)

MaleSurvivor ( http://www.blogger.com/www.malesurvivor.org), an international organization dedicated to issues surrounding the sexual victimization of boys and men, has announced the details of their bi-annual “Healing & Hope” international conference.

The conference, whose attendees travel from all over the world to participate in workshops and seminars conducted by leading experts, will take place at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City from Thursday, March 18, 2010 through Sunday, March 21, 2010.

Originally geared toward clinicians and behavioral health professionals, many of whom were survivors, the conference has grown to include survivors and their loved ones, attorneys, law enforcement professionals, legal advocates, researchers, educators, and students.

“The range of presenta¬tions has become exceptionally wide and includes workshops, clinical presentations, and survivor presentations about personal experiences,” remarked Dr. Richard Gartner, official spokesperson for MaleSurvivor.

“Research discussions, prevention workshops, and presentations by leading experts from all fields are an integral part of what make the conference such a unique opportunity for those who attend.”

This year’s line-up of guest speakers and authors includes:
Theoron Fleury, Olympic Gold Medalist and Stanley Cup Champion;
Robert B. Oxnam, a dynamic speaker and Asia expert who has advised leaders such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet;
Robert Weiss (LCSW, CSAT), the leading sex addiction expert in the world and author of “Cybersex Exposed”; and
Mikele Rauch (LMFT), author of “Healing the Soul after Religious Abuse: The Dark Heaven of Recovery.

The cost to attend the 2010 International “Healing & Hope” conference ranges from $250 to $449. Members of MaleSurvivor pay a reduced rate. For more information about the conference contact Trish Massa at YTAMassa@aol.com.

About MaleSurvivor

Founded in 1995, MaleSurvivor ( www.malesurvivor.org) is committed to preventing, healing, and eliminating all forms of sexual victimization of boys and men through support, treatment, research, education, advocacy, and activism.

The organization offers a bi-annual international conference, several “weekend of recovery” retreats throughout the year, and web based services including a quarterly newsletter, discussion boards, chat rooms and educational materials.

Memberships are available for both survivors and all who support them.


MaleSurvivor

Earth Wakes to Air: The Quickening

Autumn Cottage has a new website Into the Woods

Porn use and child abuse

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/child-abuse.aspx

The link may be greater than we think, a controversial study suggests.
By Tori DeAngelis December 2009,
Vol 40, No. 11 Print version: page 56
Tori DeAngelis is a writer in Syracuse, N.Y.

Clinical psychologists Michael Bourke, PhD, and Andres Hernandez, PsyD, have been making waves in the psychology and law enforcement communities with the recent release of a paper suggesting that men charged with Internet child pornography offenses and those who commit hands-on child sex offenses are, in many cases, one and the same.

"There is this assumption­in the treatment context, in courtrooms, in investigative circles and in the assessment literature­that these are dichotomous groups," says Bourke, Chief Psychologist of the U.S. Marshals Service, who conducted the research with Hernandez between 2002 to 2005 at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, N.C.

"However, in the course of treatment, these men would disclose to us that their use of the Internet was not the limit of their sexual acting out­it was in fact an adjunctive behavior."

The study, published in the April Journal of Family Violence (Vol. 24, No. 3), analyzed data on 155 men convicted of possessing, receiving or distributing Internet-based child pornography, who took part in an 18-month treatment program.

As part of their intensive therapy, the men filled out assessment measures including a "victims list," where they revealed the number, though typically not the identity, of children they had sexually molested in the past.

At the time of sentencing, 74 percent of the men had no documented hands-on victimization. But by the end of treatment, 85 percent had admitted they had sexually molested a child at least once, with an average of 13.5 victims per offender, the study finds. The numbers are more than twice that of other studies, a discrepancy the authors attribute to the fact that this is the first study to examine offenders who have disclosed secret abuse over time, while other studies mainly look at criminal convictions or at admissions made by people outside treatment settings.

"Our treatment team worked for an average of 18 months with each offender, and the environment was one of genuine therapeutic trust" that encouraged the men to tell the truth about themselves, Bourke says.Before its publication, the paper had been a source of controversy within the Bureau of Prisons. Although BOP had internally vetted the paper and it was accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed Journal of Family Violence, the BOP asked for publication to be halted in 2007, when a public affairs official at BOP discovered that Bourke and Hernandez hadn't modified their paper to include suggested edits made by a BOP lawyer, says Bourke.

Those edits minimized the scientific nature of the work by removing professional language and inserting inappropriate replacements that downplayed the significance of the research, including a statement saying that the results could not be generalized to other child pornography offenders, Bourke notes. (The suppression of the study was covered in a July 19, 2007, front-page article in the The New York Times.)

The team held its ground, however, and refused to change the wording. "We felt it would have been scientifically incorrect to say the findings are not generalizable­we simply don't know the degree to which the results are generalizable to other child pornography offenders," Hernandez explains. "Our study was exploratory, and our aim was to highlight the apparent co-morbidity of two seemingly distinct forms of criminality. "

Once Bourke took his job at the Marshals Service, he contacted the journal and it proceeded with publication.

Reactions to the study

The paper has been met with both caution and enthusiasm here and abroad.Fred Berlin, MD, PhD, director of the Sexual Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins University, says he thinks the team should have more strongly emphasized the preliminary nature of the findings, and noted the lower rates of crossover found in other studies. "These studies have tremendous implications, both in terms of community safety and in terms of individual liberties," he says.

"So we have to be very careful that our conclusions are valid before we get too firmly tied to them." Issues he would like to see addressed in more depth include the possibility that the prisoners over-reported because they were trying to please the therapists or to otherwise seem cooperative, he says. But Graham Hill, head of Great Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre­an independent arm of the Serious and Organized Crime Agency, Britain's equivalent of the FBI­says the findings verify what his agency has seen and suspected for years. "In our view, the therapeutic relationship is the strength of the survey, because these men are more likely to be truthful with therapists they trust than if they're just filling out a questionnaire," says Hill.

So impressed was his agency by the findings that in May it conferred an award on Bourke and Hernandez for outstanding contributions to child protection. The center is now using the findings as a training tool for law enforcement officers, Hill adds. Meanwhile, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer Eakin says the research and the team's in-depth clinical observations have helped to inform investigative practices at the bureau. In particular, the team's finding that men tend to vastly underreport actual child molestation and offend close to home has steered the FBI to conduct more thorough investigations that aren't just based on child sources and other material they find on the men's computers.

"The research was kind of a revelation for us, and made us much better and wiser at refining our investigations," Eakin says. Changing the system? To Bourke, the findings speak to some realities about these crimes and to current flaws in the system.

Because children tend to keep silent about sex crimes, it's easy for men to lie about or to avoid disclosing them, he says. Meanwhile, clinicians, lawyers and others enable this secrecy by accepting these men's innocence at face value, giving expert testimony to that end, and offering arguments like the "'pop up' defense," where offenders maintain they are innocently browsing the Web when links to child pornography spring up out of nowhere. When he confronted these men in treatment, however, Bourke heard a different story.

The men confessed that they never received unsolicited child pornography­that in fact they had actively Googled search terms related to child exploitation, for instance."I've never seen a case that convinces me that the Internet causes an individual to become sexually interested in children, and there are no compelling studies to suggest that, either," says Bourke. "You don't wake up at age 40 suddenly afflicted with a bad case of pedophilia."

Bourke and Hernandez hope others will try to replicate the study, and Bourke is planning to do more research in his role at the Marshals Service. In any case, the study advances the debate on an important and still-shadowy topic, says Britain's Hill. "The only way we'll move this area of crime forward is by promoting people to talk about it openly," he says.

Queenie Still Needs Your Help!

Please Urge U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Take Immediate Action to Protect Endangered Elephant

You will remember that the elephant Queenie, or Boo, was left behind with abusive circus trainer Will Davenport in August as her companions Tina and Jewel were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and sent to the San Diego Zoo for badly needed medical care. All three elephants were victims of Davenport’s negligence and inhumane care, but the agency claimed to only have grounds for taking the two.

We cannot forget the last image we have of Queenie, tied to a tree and bellowing, as the truck holding her companions pulled away, leaving her to an uncertain future.

The USDA filed serious charges against Davenport in October, and we expected the agency to negotiate a prompt settlement which would result in Queenie’s release to a sanctuary, as has happened in other cases. However, Davenport is fighting the charges, and no settlement has been announced. Queenie remains in his hands, although he is not permitted to exhibit her or move her without the agency’s consent.

IDA has grave fears for Queenie’s safety, based on Davenport’s long history of Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations and neglect. The USDA no longer oversees her health and well-being since Davenport gave up his exhibitor’s license, and it appears that no law enforcement authority has checked on her since August. So we have turned to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the government agency charged with enforcing the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and protecting endangered Asian elephants, like Queenie.

IDA is asking the USFWS to investigate Queenie’s health and current circumstances, based on the following troubling facts:
Davenport made public statements indicating that he was low on funds, and elephants cost a great deal to feed. The USDA repeatedly cited Davenport for failing to provide adequate food and nutrition for the elephants.

Queenie’s barn apparently has no heat source or insulation, and the temperatures where she is confined in Leggett, Texas, have dropped into the teens this winter. The USDA cited Davenport for failure to protect his elephants from the cold when they were in New York one December and he did not provide them with heat in their tent, and for failure to meet other sheltering requirements.

Lack of food and consistently cold temperatures can be life-threatening for an elephant. While we cannot state for a fact that Queenie is hungry or cold, we do know that there is a strong possibility she is suffering both.

Davenport has repeatedly failed to provide necessary veterinary care for elephants, and to handle them so as to protect them from harm.

The USFWS is the agency with both the ability and the obligation to send an agent to check on Queenie’s well-being now. They also have the authority to seize her if they find that the ESA is being violated.

Please contact the USFWS and remind them that there is an endangered Asian elephant in the hands of someone with an egregious history of negligent and abusive care of his elephants, and that her safety is their responsibility. Use the points outlined above to describe Davenport’s history and urge the agency to take immediate action.

Mr. Benito PerezChief of the Office of Law EnforcementU.S. Fish & Wildlife Service4401 N. Fairfax Dr., MS-LE-3000Arlington, VA 22203Phone: 202-208-3809Fax: 202-208-3143Email: benito_perez@fws.gov

Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, Southwest Regional Director U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceP.O. Box 1306Albuquerque, NM 87103-1306Phone: 505-248-6282Fax: 505-248-6910Email: RDTuggle@fws.gov

Please continue to contact the USDA and urge the agency to do everything in its power to ensure that Queenie is taken from Davenport’s hands and sent to a sanctuary.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom VilsackPhone: 202-720-3631Fax: 202-720-2166


Acting APHIS Administrator Kevin SheaPhone: 202-720-3861 Email: Kevin.A.Shea@usda.gov

Please make a call or send a fax for Queenie today, and as often as you can until she is rescued.
For more information, see http://www.helpelephants.com/tina_jewel_and_queenie.html.

SEC workers investigated for porn-surfing

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Jim McElhatton


The work computer of one regional supervisor for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed more than 1,800 attempts to look up pornography in a 17-day span: "It was kind of distraction per se," he later told investigators.

But he wasn't alone. More than two dozen SEC employees and contractors over roughly the past two years have faced internal investigations after they were caught viewing pornography on their government computers, according to records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and other public documents.

The activities of porn-surfing SEC workers, a small fraction of the overall work force, have been serious enough to warrant a mention in each of the past four semiannual reports sent to Congress by the SEC's office of inspector general.

In response to the open records request by The Washington Times, the inspector general's office provided more than 150 pages of records and transcripts on the investigations, but declined to identify the employees involved. The office noted that disclosure of the employees' names "could conceivably subject them to harassment and annoyance in the conduct of their official duties and private lives."

Allan Bachman, education manager for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, said such problems are hardly unique to the SEC. He also said the findings are troubling aside from "the egregious nature of what they're doing."

"They're simply just stealing time," he said. "They're getting paid to do something that they're not supposed to be doing."

SEC officials said the inspector general's investigations began as a result of the agency's "sophisticated surveillance and filtering system" aimed at uncovering abuse of government computer resources.

"Any level of misuse of government resources for inappropriate purposes is a matter of serious concern, which is why the SEC provides regular and comprehensive training on the proper use of the Internet," SEC spokesman John Nester said.

"Indeed, each of the cases investigated … was detected by our surveillance systems and referred to the inspector general for investigation," Mr. Nester said.

In the case of the regional supervisor, the inspector general found that during a 17-day period, he received about 1,880 "access denials," wherein the computer system blocked his attempts to view Web sites that were deemed pornographic.

The supervisor later told an IG investigator that despite the blocked attempts, he still had been looking at pornography at work up to twice a day and it had "probably occurred for a long time."

SEC records also provide insight into how some employees were able to bypass the Internet filters inside the SEC that were supposed to keep pornography off government computers.

One worker said the computer system blocked him from visiting some Web sites but that he was able to look up blogs containing pornographic images.

"I would click on it and it went to a blog and it wasn't blocked," he told investigators. "And that's how it started."

While the inspector general recommended disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, the SEC ultimately gave the employee a reprimand instead, records show.

Mr. Nester declined to discuss individual disciplinary decisions, saying supervisors examine the situations on a case-by-case basis and that sanctions generally range from counseling to dismissal.

He said disciplinary action isn't based on the number of "access denials" alone. He said denials are just one of several indicators of abuse and don't always reflect the number of times an individual seeks to view inappropriate Web sites at work.

"In fact, a single click onto one Web site that itself may not be blocked can trigger up to dozens of 'access denial' hits, one for each banner or ad on the Web page that might be blocked by our software, even if the individual has not clicked on to any of the banners or ads on that page," Mr. Nester said.

Still, fraud specialist Nicole Bocra, a former special investigator for the National Association of Securities Dealers who owns and operates a private investigative firm in Virginia, said even the most sophisticated Internet filters won't work all the time.

"People are always going to find a way around it," she said.

Aside from the obvious lost productivity, companies also have an incentive to block employees from perusing such sites because of the risk of potential computer viruses, she said.

One employee caught snooping estimated that he had been spending part of his workday looking up pornography for more than a year, though he added that he tried not to let it affect his work.

"I justified it because I would work late and I rarely would put in for any kind of comp time or anything like that," he said.

In another case, investigators found that an SEC headquarters enforcement employee had received 406 access request denials for pornographic sites from February to April last year. He was suspended for three days, records show.

Managers proposed a one-day suspension in another case involving a regional office branch chief who had received 271 access denials for pornographic sites during work hours.

Other employees resigned before being formally disciplined. One was a worker who told investigators he'd looked up pornography at work about twice a week for up to two years.

It's unclear what, if any, post-employment benefits that employee or other SEC workers caught looking up pornography at work are entitled to receive after retirement.

"We are not aware of any law that permits us in these circumstances to reduce the benefits of an employee who resigned in lieu of termination," Mr. Nester said.

WOMEN IN IRAN - WE ARE ALL CONNECTED - WOMEN ARE A CASTE IN SOCIETY - WHAT HAPPENS TO WOMEN UNDER ISLAM AFFECTS THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN EVERYWHERE

Rose and Fred are Dancing on First Light which is their Anniversary - Together Again Their Joy Is Their Music

July 20, 1918 Sun in Cancer, Moon in Saggitarius, Rising Sign in Libra

I left myself behind in pieces
I know you'll need them when I'm gone

Hail Rose,
Daughter of Grace,
Your Lord is with you once more;
blessed art thou amongst women,
so bless the fruit of your womb, Virginia.
Holy Rose, Mother of Mine,
pray for me and forgive my sins,
now and at the hour of my death.

Amen
----------------------------
My Mother
My Mother

The mothers and the daughters
the mothers and the sons
all together hold the longings
All together
We are One

----------------------------
Song's "Love Never Dies" here

AT LAST ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN WHO WANT TO CONNECT GLOBALLY FOR WOMEN'S LIBERATION

Jacqueline O'Neill
Advocacy Co-ordinator

The Institute for Inclusive (meaning women) Security

You will be able to see a video in a day or two in the C-Span video archives on-line. This organization is training women to be police and military officers in Islamic countries, organizing women in those countries and holding international conferences of those women who are working for equality.

First Light - February 2, 2010 - Welcome the Groundhog King - Protect those who Hibernate

My favorite website is Mything Links

Here is her First Light page which she calls by the old names

MYTH*ING LINKS
An Annotated & Illustrated Collection of Worldwide Links to Mythologies, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Sacred Arts & Sacred Traditions
by Kathleen Jenks, Ph.D.

Imbolc (celtic),
Candlemas (Catholic)

Also:
Lupercus (Strega),
Thryphon Zarezan(Bulgarian),
Disting (Teutonic, Feb 14th)
Valentine's Day (feb 14th)

Author's Note:

Imbolc arrives in early February in what feels like the dead of winter in much of the Northern Hemisphere -- cold and white during the days, and with long bluish shadows falling over the snow as twilight nears. Nevertheless, this day marks the first seed of springtide (whose midpoint will be celebrated later in March).
by Kathleen Jenks, Ph.D.

Greenconsciousness Notes: This is not true for me, but go to the Jenks site, Mything Links, and read it because she has all the beautiful practices and ancient lore of this day from all over the globe. Jenks' site in general is breath taking. Find the home page and look at the Index.

I personally believe this day marks either the near end or the middle of winter in my climate, depending where the Sun is on the horizon (hence the Groundhog's shadow watching). The Sun is born at Yule and light is halfway to equality with the dark at First Light. One thing is constant - this is the time of the quickening. Time of The Change. The old ways say the seeds stir in the ground.

I celebrate First Light/Groundhog Day as the time we can see the light's return. Actually notice it is lighter when we get up and still light on the drive home from work. I want to learn more about the orbit position of the earth in relation to the Sun at this time of year.

Samanthasmom where are you?

It is good to know how this cross quarter day was celebrated by people in other countries in older climates. But blind following of old dogma is better left to religions. That is not for those who seek to live in harmony with the earth cycles and the sky processions in their own environment.

I find it hard to accept February as the beginning of spring in southern Wisconsin, much less further north. March tips winter into spring as far as my experience in this climate can determine. Therefore, I celebrate the last day of winter and first day of spring at the Spring Equinox.

Here at First Light, I celebrate the coming end of winter and the return of the light. If I move south, that might change.

Celebrate the cross quarter day by closely observing what it signals in your climate. To mark our observance of the earth cycles and their meaning in our lives is why we celebrate the earth holidays. So do it and find out what this day means on your part of the earth. One thing is certain. First Light is a day of transition, as are all cross quarter days. Something is shifting into another form. These times are too interesting to let go by unnoticed and unmarked. Pay attention.

Meditate on the tarot card, The Hermit. The light you seek is the one you carry, the one that is always with you.

Spiritually, it is a time to consecrate the wish we made at Yule to be accomplished in this earth cycle. At First Light, purify your wish - connect it with your Source. Surround the wish with conscious intent that it harm none, including yourself; call on those who work for your good to work with you for your wish; the wish grows in purity and power.

From Mything Links

Let the cloth of life be mended.
Let the thread be linked again,
restored, cleansed - the forests growing,
native plants in field and fen.

Let the cloth of life, in beauty,
be restored by will to be.
People with the plants and creatures,
tending earth and sky and sea."

by Rae Beth

http://www.knibbworld.com/rae/spell-start.htm

Greenconsciousness Notes: Traditionally this day is celebrated with dairy products because in rural times, this was the time the sheep, goats and cows were preparing to give birth in the Spring. At this time their udders and teats would begin to swell in preparation for the birth of their babies. Seeds to be used at the spring planting are blessed and organized at this time. Soon they will be planted indoor so as to be ready for planting outdoor in May.

Is milk, in this age of factory farming, really a suitable offering?

The babies taken from the mother - put in veal crates - all the milk sold by profiteers - the mothers calling in their confinement for their babies - the calves in crates across the road crying in return.

Be careful what you offer on this day when we think about dairy product and the mother preparing for birth.

"Silk" is a good soy non-dairy milk product in most all food markets although manufactured by a bad company.

Still better to use Silk than products from abused animals if you must have milk. Try the Silk Nog which tastes like vanilla. Use Silk in bread.

At Imbolc, which I call First Light, for purity in your rites, your celebrations can, in the traditional way, offer to feed guests and earth spirits seeds to eat. Pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds etc., in seed muffins, cakes and scones, braided seed breads and soy milks.

This change, moving away from use of products from degraded animal pregnancies toward products made without cruelty, in honor of the sanctity of the birth process and the production of mother's milk to feed new life, in itself would be a purification at Imbolc

I am looking for poppy seed scones maybe with some fruit and honey in them?

Also when thinking about seeds remember to plant for the pollinators. I have to do this in the front yard because the cats are in the cat -fenced in back yard. But these are attractive gardens so it is fine to have them in front of the house.

To all my friends - read this and laugh till you cry

How to Squander the Presidency in One Year

Hey, Conan Obama: How About Now? Can You Hear Us Now?

by David Michael Green

Chechen Sexism - Islam Ruled - Terrorist Generating

Kadyrov Says Polygamy Reduces Promiscuity

26 January 2010

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said Monday that he supports polygamy among Russian Muslims because it reduces sexual promiscuity and prostitution.“That’s a tradition we’ve always had. God allows Muslims to do so,”

Kadyrov, 33, said in an interview broadcast by state-run RT television. “Is it better to have 20 lovers rather than four lawful wives?”Kadyrov said he was not asking federal authorities to the change law, which prohibits multiple marriages.

Polygamy makes men accountable to their wives and reduces philandering, he said.Kadyrov is “married with seven children,” according to his web site.

(Bloomberg)

Boys who see porn more likely to harass girls

From Dignity:

Maurice Chittenden and Matthew Holehouse

BOYS exposed to porn are more likely to indulge in casual sex and less likely to form successful relationships when they grow older, according to research carried out in a dozen countries.The report, Harms of Pornography Exposure Among Children and Young People, also found that young boys who see pornography are more inclined to believe there is nothing wrong with pinning down or sexually harassing a girl.

Michael Flood, who carried out the study at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, said: “There is compelling evidence from around the world that pornography has negative effects on individuals and communities.“We know it is shaping sexual knowledge. Some people may think that is good. But porn is a very poor sex educator because it shows sex in unrealistic ways and fails to address intimacy, love, connection or romance. Often it is quite callous and hostile in its depictions of women.“It doesn’t mean that every young person is going out to rape somebody but it does increase the likelihood that will happen.”

Research in the UK suggests that 60% of boys under 16 have been exposed to pornography, accidentally or deliberately. The average age at which they first saw porn has dropped from 15 to 11 in less than a decade. The average amount of time they watch porn on the internet is 90 minutes a week.

John Carr, an adviser to the government and secretary of the Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety (CHIS), said: “We had a case in west London where a boy in the first year of primary school was bringing pictures to school and was acting them out in the playground during the break. When they did a home visit the dad was downloading it and it was all over the house.“

It is not an argument for banning it but it is an argument to find better ways to make it harder for kids to get hold of it.”

Such is the international spread of porn through the internet that youngsters in Asian and African countries see blonde white women on screen and then regard tourists with the same attributes as sex objects, Flood says. (Same thing with US movies unrealistic portrayals of women as one dimentional which are distributed globally.)

However, Thaddeus Birchard, a psychotherapist who runs a sex addiction practice in London, said: “We are entering a period of moral panic and this is part of it. Children are not receiving sex education at home. Sexually explicit material on the net can even help educate them.“The internet is a way of being sexually addicted but it does not cause the addiction. What causes it is the relationship between the child and their parents. Almost always they are maternally deprived.”

Petra Boynton, a psychologist, said: “Children are not necessarily looking at porn for gratification. They are doing so because they are bored and not supervised. Often when children look at more extreme porn it is done for bravado so they can laugh and say how disgusting it is.”

Greenconsciousness Notes: If life drawing of nude models were done in grade school starting with kindergarten, young children would not be so needy of porn to learn and understand what their own bodies look like, as well as the body of the opposite sex. Dolls should be atomically correct and always used for sex education. No doll should be made without genitalia.

As they turn 11-12 years old children should be given sex ed complete with videos showing masturbation and intercourse in a straightforward way without the porn aspect. Such videos exist and can be shown in sex segregated classrooms. Parents can attend these lectures - mothers in their daughters classroom - fathers with their sons or in a separate class for single parents. But since there are so many sex offenders among the parents it is best not to mix adult genders with children in sex ed classes.

The answer to the porn lie is not repression which never works and not porn or sexual preference advocacy which is slyly done by some teachers (both homo and heterosexual advocacy should be discouraged). Instead sex ed should consist of definitions and accurate, straightforward, honest information complete with a discussion of the hormonal changes, adolescent lack of impulse control and disease symptoms and consequences.

Such classes should include the reproductive system of both sexes and birth control as well as trips to planned parenthood clinics. Parents can teach morality but all citizens in a secular society should be educated about their bodies and the bodies of the opposite sex.

Blessed Birthday Neda

Your death has become a symbol which strengthens your country's people in their struggle to be free. May they see the wisdom of developing a secular society separate from religious beliefs.

Martha Coakley and Democrat voting

A comment I wrote at Clarrissa's Blog:

You understand that failure to perform for the voters is not because the Dems are incompetent.

They are obligated to perform for their corporate masters who fund their employment in very prestigious and lucrative positions.

All those perks and pensions would be gone without that corporate funding. So theDemocrats use their Harvard educations to twist language in the belief that the working class is too stupid to discern the difference between the words "healthcare reform" and the actuality of insurance subsidies.

They use the word "bi-partisan" to cloak the fact that they cannot offend big pharm and big medicine/insurance. They try to blame republicans; again because they believe we are stupid.
So even with a filibuster proof majority they cannot perform as promised.

Because the promise was a lie, not because they are incompetent.

After believing in Hillary's feminism and identification with the working class despite her do nothing history,

and then finally voting for Obama in order to get health care and because I believed the Republicans were worse for overpopulation and working people,

and then watching Hillary gut all the programs which functioned to assist Muslim women economically and politically, started by Condi Rice in the State Dept., and replace them only with speeches about her commitment to women globally and nothing else,

and after realizing that we were fooled again and would get forced insurance instead of health care reform despite electing an overwhelming Democrat majority to a Congress who used the promise of health care reform to subsidize and increase income for the insurance barons instead of eliminating this unnecessary parasite,

after watching those who fund campaigns deplete every tax dollar ever paid by the working class in order to maintain their elite lifestyles with the assistance of the democrat party,

after watching "don't ask, don't tell" remain as US policy to degrade those who give their lives and limbs for democracy,

and watching the abandonment of equal rights for women in Afghanistan and Iraq,

and after watching Tammy Baldwin sell out women and the working class in Wisconsin in order to do what the Democrat party tells her to do,

then realizing that money and health care benefits and pensions and power is why democrat women politicians campaign although they do fight for their own equal rights,

and that they will play ball with the boys and screw women just like the Republicans at the command of the boys who run and fund the "Party".

Greenconsciousness says:

Work primarily to implement the ballot initiative/referendum in every state. (So we can write the laws and people’s organizations can work across state lines)

Once that is accomplished, ignore the alleged two party system, particularly politicians and their assorted groupies, bullies, and sociopath organizers.

Reduce their corruption by demanding that the benefits given federal workers be shared by the entire population including the student loan forgiveness many federal workers receive along with their health care and pensions.

Demand that federal legislators operate from their own states, not Washington, and communicate with each other by computer.

Demand that all politicians receive as salary the medium income of their state's private sector workers with no benefits.

Demand state government workers get a salary no higher than the medium income of the private sector workers.

Support people's single issue, pressure organizations if they do not have corporate funders or fundraisers on their boards. (Those orgs with corporations on board and some Unions do not work for us or even for their stated objectives. They now work for those corporations who hire their staff)

Fight density and overpopulation whether it occurs by immigration or tax supported breeding. (Despite what the elite tell you, density is not good for the environment, humans, or nature. It is just good for real estate developers. Check out the environment in New York City)

Save the wild places, parks, forests, sanctuaries and trees.

Fight toxic agriculture, grow and eat organically.

Fight child and animal abuse, and:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Health Care Reform????Not for Women

noabortionban.org

When the Fight Is Over

THANKS TO INVISIBLE VOICES FOR THIS:

When The Fight Is Over: Cockfighter Rehabilitation With Miriam Jones

Cockfighting is major news in the United States these days, with almost weekly reports of police raids on the illegal fighting and gambling operations. What happens after the raids, rescue and relocation? On this week’s Animal Voices program, we catch up with Miriam Jones from the Eastern Shore Bird Sanctuary who tells us about the politics and practice of fighting rooster rehab. Though the process can be long and difficult, Jones gives us a clear picture about why it is vital that we don’t give up on animals who have been trained to fight.

From the Website:

“Founded in a rural region dominated by the poultry industry, the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center provides a haven for hens, roosters and ducks who have escaped or been rescued from the meat and egg industries or other abusive circumstances, such as cockfighting.

We work within an ecofeminist understanding of the interconnection of all life and the intersection of all forms of oppression.

Thus we welcome and work to facilitate alliances among animal, environmental, and social justice activists.”

The Eastern Shore Statement on Backyard Birds:

Animal Abuse Links to Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Linked to Animal Cruelty

From planning pet-friendly vacations to spending oodles of money on toys and treats, most people consider their pets members of the family. Unfortunately, when it comes to domestic violence, pets are also deemed part of the family unit and forced to suffer in silence at the hands of abusers. Some studies estimate that 88% of companion animals living in households where domestic violence occurs are routinely threatened, harmed or even killed.

In cases of spousal, child or elder abuse, a beloved family pet can become a pawn for an abuser who is willing to injure or kill the animal as a form of revenge, to create isolation, or to intimidate his or her victims.

ASPCA Special Agents often witness this trend firsthand. "We see a connection between animal abuse and domestic violence all the time," says Special Investigator Diane DiGiacomo. "For example, we'll go out and investigate a complaint of animal abuse and find that the children have already been removed from the home or that the suspect has a history of spousal abuse."

Studies also show that 50% of domestic violence victims delay seeking help for fear that an abuser will harm a pet. Furthermore, most domestic violence shelters are simply not set up to accommodate companion animals—however, in recent years, animal “safe haven” programs, which provide foster care for pets in domestic violence situations, are becoming more common in cities across the country.

And at least 11 states have enacted legislation to allows pets to be included in domestic violence-related orders of protection. This means a court can order an abuser to stay away from an animal or impose other conditions to protect the pet's safety—violations could result in arrest.

Greenconsciousness Notes: There are only 10 states listed and of course Wisconsin is not one of them.

To learn more about the link between domestic violence and animal cruelty, or to find out how you can lobby for stronger legislation to protect animal victims of domestic violence, visit ASPCA.org. If you or your pet is a victim of a violent crime, please call 911 or your local law enforcement.

Greenconsciousness Notes: Half the time it is the cops who kill your pets and they enjoy it as do many hunters. The ASPCA is naive as are most of the animal legal organizations. They are too busy blaming pet owners to actually look at law enforcement as part of the problem. Police are not screened for animal abuse and fire fighters and police are big offenders. See: South Carolina v Rye. The fact is the link between DV & AA is old news. The studies started in the 1970's but still the courts do not take the acts of animal abuse seriously and often punish the victims worse than the abusers.

Megan A. Senatori Posted: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 11:35 am No Comments Posted
The story of a man who allegedly beat his girlfriend’s 5-week-old puppy to death with a flashlight has captured the attention of our community.

The story is heart-wrenching. But the lesson it can teach our community is deeper than many recognize.

Animal abuse and domestic violence are inextricably linked. A 1995 survey of 72 women seeking shelter for abuse in Wisconsin revealed that 86 percent had pets. And in 80 percent of those cases, her batterer had abused her pets.

Batterers routinely abuse animals as a tool of domination and a threat of the consequences if crossed. There is an easy explanation for why batterers use animal abuse to control their human victims — it works.

Three studies have confirmed that between 18 percent and 40 percent of women seeking shelter from abuse report that concern for the well-being of their pets prevented them from seeking shelter earlier. These statistics do not account for victims who never left to protect their pets.

I commend the Fitchburg Police Department and the Dane County District Attorney’s Office for taking swift action in this case.

But when a man pummels a puppy to death as his girlfriend stands helplessly by, unable to save her pet, there are two abuse victims.

That is the lesson I hope our community learns from this horrible incident.

— Megan A. Senatori, Madison, co-founder and president, Sheltering Animals of Abuse Victims Program (http://www.saavprogram.org/)

As I said hunters comprise a large majority of domestic animal abuse. Narurally, the national rifle association has stopped reform in Wisconsin - read their crap below and do the opposite. Note their chosen targets.


Bill Seeks to Make Animal Abuse Equal to Domestic Abuse in Wisconsin

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Senate Bill 162, introduced by State Senators Fred Risser (D-26), Tim Carpenter (D-3), and Julie Lassa (D-24) would make “harm or threat of harm” to an animal a form of domestic abuse. In Wisconsin, being charged with domestic abuse means losing the ability to purchase or possess firearms.

The absurdity of SB 162 is that it not only equates animals to humans, but also does not define what “harm or threat of harm” is. Animal “rights” extremists could argue that the training of hunting dogs or everyday treatment of dairy cattle constitutes abuse. A restraining order filed against you for common activities involving an animal will result in loss of your Second Amendment rights and a violation could put domestic abuse charges on your record.Please contact the members of the Senate Committee of Judiciary and Corrections and respectfully urge them to vote against SB 162 when the time comes.State Senate Lena Taylor (D-4), Chair(608) 266-5810Sen.Taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov State Senator Jim Sullivan (D-5), Vice-Chair(608) 266-2512 or (866) 817-6061Sen.Sullivan@legis.wisconsin.govState Senator Glen Grothman (R-20)(608) 266-7513 or (800) 662-1227Sen.Grothman@legis.wisconsin.govState Senator Mary Lazich (R-28)(608) 266-5400 or (800) 334-1442Sen.Lazich@legis.wisconsin.govState Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-31)(608) 266-8546 or (877) 763-6636Sen.Vinehout@legis.wisconsin.gov

Dane County Animal Rights News

Thursday night is the first part of a discussion by Will Tuttle, Ph.D about his book "The World Peace Diet, Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony". To learn more about the connections between our diet and our lives, tune in at 10pm to WYOU on: Channels 95 cable, 991 digital and http://www.wyou.org/.

Remember it's also on-line, live stream on http://www.wyou.org/

This will be followed at 11 pm by Undercover TV, Episode #58, Beyond the Cage, Is Animal Experimentation Necessary? There was some technical difficulty last week, so this is being repeated.You can also watch it:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5603770683964338376
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The UW-Madison has been in the news hot spot the last 2 weeks- They were cited with 20 oversight violations by the USDA & OLAW and this week the UW "decided" that their research on monkeys is ethical.Read Dave Zweifel ( Capital Times editor emeritus)" Plain Talk:Animal rights folks were right about UW".

Check out the live links: http://www.allanimals.org/

And read Todd Finkelmeyer's report about Friday, Jan 8th's UW All Campus Animal Care & Use Committee's decision.
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/article_7c40cc70-fcc9-11de-baf4-001cc4c002e0.html
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PLEASE share this information with others. Let them know about WYOU's Animals Have Rights & Undercover TV on Thurs nights 10-11:30,http://www.wyou.org/, online livestream and also on 95 & 991

Please ask them to contact their alder and county board supervisor. They should be concerned about what is happening in our community. We all have a responsibility to not let suffering and unnecessary experimentation on innocent animals continue.

Please send copies of any communication (email or letter, or let us know you phoned)

We have an on-line petition that you can sign and forward on to others . Please sign your name and forward it on to everyone you know in Dane County that cares aboutanimals. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/isitethical/

Thank you.
Ann

Mary Daly Died

"More than any other radical feminist thinker, Daly reclaimed language–the “power of naming’ and linked it to the inventive recovery of the hitherto unimaginable. "

"Daly’s Pure Lust: Elemental Feminist Philosophy (1984) and Webster’s First New Intergalactic Wickedary of the English Language (1987) introduce and explore an alternative language to explain the process of exorcism and ecstasy. In Wickedary Daly provides definitions as well as chants that she says can be used by women to free themselves from patriarchal oppression. She also explores the labels that she says patriarchal society places on women to prolong what she sees as male domination of society.

Daly said it is the role of women to unveil the liberatory nature of labels such as “Hag”, “Witch”, and “Lunatic”.

Daly's work continues to influence feminism and feminist theology, as well as the developing concept of biophilia as an alternative and challenge to social necrophilia. She was an ethical vegetarian and animal rights activist. Gyn/Ecology, Pure Lust, and Webster's First New Intergalactic Wickedary all endorse anti-vivisection and anti-fur positions.

Daly was a member of the advisory board of Feminists For Animal Rights, a group which is now defunct." From Wikipedia

Posted at Hecate

"Mary Daly, hugely influential Goddess scholar, widely-read feminist, and a woman whose writings rocked my world and changed my life, is dead at 81. I disagreed with a few of her ideas about sexuality, but she taught me most of what I know about the poison of patriarchy. She lived her ideals, making academia back down once, and quitting rather than violating her principles when the religious right went after her. Just how much the catholics hated her is made clear in catholic "culture"'s post on her death: ...."

I did not know Daly as a goddess scholar. I saw her as a Radical Feminist.

"Studying archetypal forms and prepatriarchal religion convinced Daly that church doctrine consisted of a series of significant "reversals." She explained these to NCR writer Jeanette Batz in 1996:

the Trinity, from the triple goddess once celebrated worldwide;

the virgin birth, from the parthenogenesis that once begat divine daughters;

Adam giving birth to Eve.

Women operating on patriarchy's boundaries, she once wrote, can spiral into freedom by renaming and reclaiming an ancient woman-centered reality that was stolen and eradicated by patriarchy.

She took great delight in castigating the "eight deadly sins of the fathers": processions, professions, possession, aggression, obsession, assimilation, elimination and fragmentation.

"Laugh out loud," she urged, "at their pompous penile processions."

As for God, there's simply no way to rid the language of allusion, she wrote, so, "if you must be anthropomorphic," she preferred “Goddess.” NCR

I think I read Beyond God the Father but Gyn/Ecology:The Meta-Ethics of Radical Feminism was the first Daly book I read that stunned me. This is a book that helped me find the words out of my oppression. Then I read, Wickedary and Pure Lust which added the finishing touches - wrapped it up. I lost interest in reading somewhere at the end of Pure Lust. After that or during that book Mary got deep into lesbian politics and I felt she romanticized women in ways she had not before. Romanticized relationships between women - wrote her hopes rather than reality. Hope and illusion about gender differences. Thought women manage power better than men...

I did and do agree with her analysis of transsexuals as a male problem. She was close to it and had a clear view of it in the catholic church's jealousy and hatred of women. She saw transsexuals as reinforcing and validating gender stereotypes.

Daly's analysis toward transsexual's cannot be dismissed with labels. She demanded individuals have the courage to live their inner realities and challenge society's assumptions about gender rather than cutting off their genitals to conform and fit in with gender stereotypes. Courage rather than cowardice is what real women have to exhibit every day in order to live free in patriarchy. Those who are seduced by the Big Lie hate her because she refused to validate choices that contribute to the slavery of all women.

Left women tried to burn her at the stake for not being diverse enough. Thought she was too white. Yet it was Daly who recognized the global oppression of women in 1974 and she did detailed analysis of the slave status of women of color all over the world, especially in GYNecology. The left women still have not caught up to her brilliance and they probably never will. Women of color in the US are glorifying Africa and Muslim culture. To think people like that could ever criticize such a superior intellect is laughable. Daly spoke out against clitoridectomy and infibulation in the 1970,s while her women of color critics were celebrating Muslim culture and rationalizing the veil.

"And she would say again and again that we underestimate misogyny and talk about the Burning Times, shouting to be heard over the voices of male academics and statistically thwarted historians who wanted proofs and records and details and numbers. Daly looked back and saw women burning, over and over again, burning women disappearing from history, women’s lives and horrible deaths unrecorded, the hatred of women that reached back to the brutal dawn of patriachy."

Daly is right up there with Phyllis Chesler, Andrea Dworkin.... the great feminist theoreticians.

I am doing it - Laughing Out Loud at their absurd labels - their penile processions - it has been dangerous and liberating -- here -- in the Middle East, it has meant the death and torture of my sisters -- I spit on their penile processions and the female camp followers whose ignorance and greed drives them on in their self defeating ambition --- Thank you Mary. I will tell the young girls to read GYN/Ecology when they want to understand Radical Feminism. The world is less for your passing.

While reading some comments on a pagan site, I found this which sums up how I feel
Audrey · 19 hours ago

Mary Daly, the great voice for uncompromising women's freedom worldwide will never be forgotten. She'll always be the great one to me, the woman who said NO MORE to male supremacy, to the rape culture of religions, and she was the true voice of radical lesbian everywhere who wanted lands free to grow without the oppressors anywhere near. And she did it all with wit, with great humor, and no one will ever be able to stop her ideas as time goes by. Quintessentialist is what she would say to the cockaludicrous prickers and plug uglies. She stopped the penile processions and put an end to the witchcraze which is still in the churches today. I raise the double ax to her, and drink of mighty toast...death to patriarchy!