Interview: Kim Socha “Women, Destruction, and the Avant-Garde: A Paradigm for Animal Liberation”

February 5th, 2012

The 11th Annual Institute for Critical Animal Studies Conference is coming up soon at Canisius College (Buffalo, NY) from March 2nd to the 4th. We thought it would be a great time to contact some of the people pushing ICAS forward to find out about how they got involved, and how their work is shaped by, and shaping, Critical Animal Studies. The first up in this series is Prof. Kim Socha (Normandale Community College). Kim is a Director with ICAS and just released a book “Women, Destruction, and the Avant-Garde: A Paradigm for Animal Liberation” as part of the Critical Animal Studies series at Rodopi Press. We thank Kim for taking the time to answer some questions for us and look forward to her upcoming presentation at the Conference!

Can you talk a bit about your background in animal advocacy and your entry into the academy?

It took me a while to really get involved in animal advocacy in an intensive way, as opposed to dabbling in groups here and there. I was a vegetarian for a long time, but struggled with going vegan for the simple reason that I liked cheese; I won’t even try to pretend I had some great philosophical purpose for not going vegan sooner. My reasons were purely self-indulgent. It was when I began my Ph.D. program in 2006 that I began to work more ardently as an animal advocate. I took a course in Critical Vanguard Studies—which entails exploration of aesthetic and political groups such as Dada, Surrealism, the Black Arts Movement, etc.—to solidify what I have come to see as my personal conception of the animal liberation movement (ALM). While taking that course, I also began to read about the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) via Anthony Nocella II and Steven Best’s Terrorists or Freedom Fighters. I became convinced that the ALM is a contemporary manifestation of the avant-garde, those groups and individuals who see reality in advance of mainstream popular conceptions (i.e. war is an inevitability of human existence and humans must eat nonhumans to live), and we strive to help others see the world differently as well. At that time, I began to volunteer at a no-kill animal shelter and speak on campus about nonhuman animal issues. And, of course, I went vegan. My timidity had also held me back from being a stronger advocate for years, but viewing Shannon Keith’s documentary Behind the Mask, about the ALF, allowed me to put my social anxieties aside and realize that my fears of being misunderstood and mocked were far less significant than the institutionalized brutality of animal treatment the world over. Once moving to Minnesota from Pennsylvania in 2009, I joined the Animal Rights Coalition (ARC), a grassroots abolitionist animal advocacy group with a thirty year history. I now sit on ARC’s board, and I am also on the board if the Institute for Critical Animal Studies (ICAS).

Can you tell us about what drew you to the Institute for Critical Animal Studies?

ICAS’s Rodopi book series was the second publisher to whom I sent my book manuscript. And the only reason they were not the first is because I was not immediately aware that they had a book series. I had faith in ICAS because of their stated mission to abolish exploitation in a holistic way, including animals, humans and the environment, and I was pleased that their book series accepted manuscripts from academics and activists. I did not see ICAS as trying to establish yet another esoteric theory that with no real world applications (all deference to the Deconstructionists) that will only hold meaning in higher education. Plus, I was a follower of Nocella’s work, so his association with ICAS as co-founder and Executive Director made me confident that this was a sound organization. I feel honored to have published through their Rodopi series, edited by Drs. Vasile Stănescu and Helena Pederson, two of the best editors I can imagine working with.

You are also involved in prison abolition advocacy as well as radical education advocacy. Can you tell us a bit about the projects you are involved in?

I believe that our overflowing prisons are society’s problem, and not necessarily the problems of individual prisoners. In many ways, our culture produces prisoners because it is fundamentally unjust and set up for certain demographic groups to “fail” at the American dream (i.e. African Americans in poor urban communities). This is especially true in terms of America’s drug laws, with about half of U.S. prisoners sitting in jail cells for drug-related crimes. I should also explain that I do support anarchism, as well as the legalization of all drugs. (The anarchy/drug connection is a much longer story that I don’t have time to discuss here.) This is why I am interested in prisoner advocacy work. The incarcerated are not evil individuals, but rather, individuals who have been forced by an inherently flawed system to engage in illegal activities. Due to prison overpopulation, the term “correctional” facility has become laughable. Not enough prisoners are given the chance to actually transform. Rather, they often leave prison more hardened then when they first got there. I’m not talking about the Ted Bundys of the world, of course, but those who break laws in a country where laws are set by a few privileged people who often have financial motives for establishing those laws. In other words, we live in a plutocracy, not a democratic nation, and until the broken system is fixed, prisons will never be the answer to social ills.

As to my advocacy work, I am involved with Minnesota Circles of Support and Accountability (MnCoSA), a program that helps recently paroled sex offenders integrate back into society so that they do not repeat their offenses. I have worked with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault before, so my interest in MnCoSA—which has about a 75% success rate in helping offenders not to repeat their crimes—is not just about the individual offender, who may have committed a crime that I personally find revolting; it is about making sure that those in the community remain safe from sexual violence. And again, it is the crime that is revolting, not the offender.

I am also a part of Twin Cities Save the Kids (STK), which Anthony Nocella was a part of in New York and has now brought to Minnesota. This award-winning program enters youth detention facilities to help children develop skills and perspectives that will keep them out of incarceration and break the school-to-prison pipeline. Some of this is done through hip hop pedagogy and poetry, which the kids find much more relatable than what they were learning in school (which may be why many stop going to school). We are also beginning to develop a program at local jails where we can work with teaching adults, some of whom are going to be in prison for life, through group building activities and education (i.e. obtaining a GED). Change is possible if people are given access to the means of transformation. I don’t want to sound too Pollyanna-ish, as I don’t think that I or any of these programs will change every individual or the world within my lifetime. My realistic goal is simply to let the incarcerated know that alternatives exist. There are many who want to take advantage of these alternatives, which are what MnCoSA and STK offer.

As to our educational system, from kindergarten to higher education, it is a fucking mess. Based on Euro-American models of learning, students are taught early on to stifle creativity and learning is cordoned off into disciplines (English, History, Math, Science) with very little thought to the intersectional, holistic nature of learning. I am part of the problem. I work as a community college instructor because I believe that education should be open to and affordable for everyone. However, I am also an English instructor, and in order to keep in step with the policies of my institution, I teach many traditional modes of writing, which are formulaic and based upon Western conceptions of reason-based rhetoric and logic. I struggle with this on an ideological level, but I also want to give my students what they want—preparation for the world we currently live in, not Kim Socha’s vision of what that world should look like.

There is a belief that much of the confusion around “Human Animal Studies” and “Critical Animal Studies” can be traced back to disciplines “English” and “Cultural Studies.” As someone from the academy who works in those disciplines do you feel like this criticism is unfair? Or do you struggle with finding peers who keep their work rooted in liberatory praxis?

I think the criticism is fair. I’d also like to think that although my doctoral diploma says “English Literature and Criticism,” that my degree is really in Cultural Studies (when I discuss my book, this will become clearer). I’ve met those academics who continue to look at English via New Criticism and Formulism, but I also see a massive shift away from those out-dated modes and into the arena of Cultural Studies, which is less Euro-centric and more holistic. However, I think that to be a real Cultural Studies scholar, one must be an activist. Many aren’t. I’ve met these individuals in higher education and looked at them for mentorship, but all I found was careerism. In kind, I think that street-level activists are engaged in Cultural Studies on a fundamental plane that scholarship alone will never reach.

The same can be said for the rift between Human Animal Studies (HAS) and Critical Animal Studies (CAS). Some facets of HAS seem to look at animals as curiosities, as objects with very little agency, which is not to discount those vegan HAS scholars who are sympathetic to nonhumans. However, much of HAS seems divorced from, as you say, “liberatory praxis.” (Ok, so an anthropology scholar has analyzed the use of snake symbolism throughout human history. So what? How does this help animals now?) I have been on HAS discussion boards, and I have seen those who support vivisection identifying as HAS scholars, even if they want to make animal research more “humane.” Even the term Human Animal Studies seems to reinforce the binary between humans and animals. In contrast, CAS scholars and activists are just that—critical of human use of nonhuman animals and active in their protest of that use. Yes, I write CAS scholarship, but I also “hit the streets” to take part in protests, leaflet, organize events, etc. CAS also considers how oppressed human animals and the environment factor into a more encompassing view of domination. When I look at the term “Critical Animal Studies,” I include humans in that conception of animals, and I think that part of our goal as activists and scholars is to destroy the binary by reminding others that humans are animals too, though animals with greater social agency and, thus, greater responsibility to end oppression.

You just released the first book in an ICAS series, entitled, “Women, Destruction, and the Avant-Garde: A Paradigm for Animal Liberation.” Can you tell us about the book and do you think it will be useful for people trying to bridge these two communities of thought/resistance?

Women, Destruction and the Avant-Garde: A Paradigm for Animal Liberation (WDAG) attempts to integrate the animal liberation movement into the history of the avant-garde, which refers to those politico-aesthetic groups who use(d) the arts as a means of social protest. The term avant-garde literally translates from the French as “advanced guard,” in military terms, and it has been used to refer to social critics who are ahead of their time, who see a reality that the popular mainstream either cannot see or chooses to ignore. For example, early twentieth-century Dada and Surrealism arose in response to the massive loss of human lives in WWI, and these individuals were fierce social critics as well as poets and artists. The animal liberation movement (ALM) arose in response to the indefensible way that humans use nonhumans, and we are a political movement that relies on the symbolism of the artist. To wit, my book looks at protests and ALF/ELF actions as symbolic acts that attempt to help others see the dangers of speciesism, capitalism and environmental destruction. I consider WDAG interdisciplinary, factoring in literary analysis, feminist manifestos, popular culture, radical political theory, true crime and, of course, animal liberation theory and praxis. Whether or not this can bridge the chasm between HAS, CAS and other academic disciplines remains to be seen.

Now, on to the problem. As visionary as they were, the Surrealists were (justifiably) accused of misogyny, so to the ALM. This is a movement dominated by women, but the patriarchal, rationalist male voice continues to govern the movement (though some contest this idea). Thus, WDAG looks at how avant-garde female writers and performance artists have responded to patriarchy and misogyny in marginalized vanguard culture, considering how their performances can act as a “paradigm” for the ALM. Quite often, these women have used their bodies to protest their cultural impotence on the social hierarchy of rights, but often times the ways they use their bodies simply mirror the position that patriarchal culture has put them in: as objectified beings desired for their bodies but ignored as independent individuals with social agency. PETA does this with women as well, hoping that by exploiting one group of animal, women, they will liberate other species. In contrast, there are those artists who have used their bodies with integrity (i.e. Carolee Schneemann and Coco Fusco), so I look at the ways in which the ALM can adopt their attempts at liberation.

I am drawn to the notion of “destruction” that runs through the your new book as the term itself carries such power. Do you see “destruction” as a narrative that can lead us out of stalled understandings of “reform” vs. “abolition.”

The first chapter of WDAG looks at a mid-ish twentieth-century anti-capitalist avant-garde movement known as the Destructivists, for through destruction, they claimed, rebirth and renewal are possible. They didn’t go around destroying things for the sake of destruction alone, but to dispute the commodification of art. They would, in fact, destroy their own art as a way to protest art as object desired and “corporatized.” I relate this aesthetic to both a true crime event—the mutilation and torture death of Sylvia Likens—and the work of three female writers who have written about destruction in the sense that if you destroy what keeps you oppressed, you will be free. In 1914, Mina Loy’s “Feminist Manifesto” declares that when girls hit puberty, their hymens should be destroyed, for virginity held cultural capital during that time period. In 1967, Valerie Solanas, famous for shooting Pop artist Andy Warhol, wrote the SCUM Manifesto, in which she explains that the only hope for a culture in decline is to scrap the whole thing and start over, and this included the mass genocide of all men. Next, I look at a novel by Katherine Dunn called Geek Love; there is a lot going on in this interesting text, but here I want to focus on a character named Miss Mary Lick, a wealthy woman who pays attractive women to make themselves undesirable through horrible acts of disfigurement. She believes that only by making women unattractive to men can they became independent beings. These are fascinating ideas, but ethically unviable, as well as presented tongue-in-cheek (one hopes). Still, these varied writers touch on a significant point: destroying the cause of the problem may be the only avenue for renewal.

This is why I am against reform, though not reformists, as I believe that they do work that is in keeping with their compassion for animals, however misguided I find them to be. However, reform is just that, a way of reforming what already exists—laws and standards developed by those with financial interest in maintaining animals as machines. When that power is kept in the hands of the power brokers, real change is off the agenda. The recent agreement between the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and United Egg Producers (UEP) is a perfect example of this agenda, and the moderate changes the UEP promises to make in egg production still maintain animals as property, product and machine. I think the legal system and humans’ views of nonhuman animals need to be destroyed before there is any chance for liberation, and this destruction can manifest in varied ways: from helping someone go vegan at outreach event to starting a revolution that topples the legal system and the animal/global industrial complex. Destruction need not be a bad word. In fact, I find it liberating, whether one is vandalizing public property to leave an animal liberation message or breaking into a research lab to save a nonhuman animal from his/her life of torture.

As to whether or not destruction “can lead us out of stalled understandings of ‘reform’ vs. ‘abolition,’” I have my doubts because reformists and even some abolitionists will not be able and/or willing to divorce that term from the violence that seems to go along with it, which is not necessarily the case. That said, I hope that those who read my book gain a better understanding of destruction as an avenue out the desperate situations into which we’ve imprisoned nonhuman animals, the environment and ourselves.

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In Response to the Steve Best’s Stockholm Syndrome Watch – “Sakar the Faker”

January 21st, 2012

I read Steve Best’s post last night and struggled over the last twenty four hours about what the post means and what responsibility I have, if any, to respond. What is written below is crafted in a way that I hope moves dialogue forward, asks important questions, upholds accountability, provides context and also negates the seemingly on going internet battles that mar the animal liberation movement.

After reading Steve’s post, and thinking about this post, I had to think back to when I first met John Sakars. I think our first meeting was in December 2008 at a potluck event. Not long after John played a fundraiser event for me that raised funds for the AETA 4 (John has always supported direct action and has supported numerous Animal Liberation Prisoners). From the beginning it was clear that John loved attention and that “John the Performer” and “John the Activist” were two wildly different people. “John the Activist” was a shy, soft spoken person who was originally known in the community as someone who was always around to lend a hand and do thankless tasks. He would be the first to set up events and always one of the last to leave. He was open minded, challenged himself and grew as an activist in a growing community. Throughout this process John began to use social media sites, mostly facebook, to develop a network of people to market his book, his writings, his art, his music and eventually his videos. Although there were people in the community who distanced themselves from John back in 2009, most people were okay with the fact that John wrote, performed and acted in ways that weren’t always productive as they could chart the positives of his character as well. Over time and largely up to Dec 2010 there were numerous times when community members attempted to hold John accountable for his behavior in his videos and performances. These ranged from overt misogyny and racism (blackface) in videos as well as queer phobic videos that celebrated male to male rape as “funny.” As these processes failed, John’s internet persona gained followers and over time John completely replaced the community he was once active with relationships he made over social media. As an organizer, I look back on that process not just as a failure on John’s part but also as a personal failure and a community wide failure. In creating a supportive community things were over looked and not confronted earlier when they should have been. After repeated attempts, by different people with different tactics, no one was able to provide a space that transformative and accountable for John. This is an issue that comes up a lot in community building and organizing – but not something that gets talked about a lot publicly.

Since removing himself from the animal liberation community in Niagara John has traveled extensively. Although I know John has said negative things about the community he left behind, and people in it such as myself, I have largely kept silent when asked by others what my feelings are about John or where he is. I hoped then, as I do still now, that John can find a space that is transformative and I don’t want his past to make that process impossible. John is well aware of his attention seeking behavior and through extensive conversations he knows how to trace that urge within his personal history. I think most people who are aware of John’s videos and his behavior know that there are issues that need to be resolved – the divide seems to be over what the best course of action is to encourage that space. Personally, I don’t think publicly shaming people will get us there.

As for Steve’s post, Steve and I do not agree on a host of issues. I actually still have an email from Steve were he threatened, “Would love to meet you in person to express my sentiments to you through some direct action.” That said, I have at least four of Steve’s books in my bookshelf and I am grateful for his contributions to animal liberation theory. As a academic I was most surprised that Steve would address someone the likes of John Sakars. John is a fourty year old person with very few well known contacts in the animal liberation movement, no post secondary education, and little to no resources to respond. Steve co-edited a great anthology under the title of “Academic Repression.” I am saddened that someone who could so easily see the power structures that exist within academic structures would not also be reflexive enough to understand the position of power and privilege that they hold as an academic. I hope that if Steve continues on with his series “The Stockholm Syndrome Watch” that he does so with such knowledge and, ideally, confronts others with a capacity to respond. There is a disgusting element in the animal liberation movement where careerism and networking allows academics great space in our movement with very little accountability. A book chapter, a positive review, a book on a course list, a conference space, all create a vertical structure wherein tenured professors are able to silence and manipulate others within that system. The overall weight of career writing also creates a space without accountability as junior academics are supposed to read the entirety of a senior academics work before challenging a position. I don’t work in this structure, refuse it, and simply do not care if my writing closes doors. If we are actually going to go to the length to use the internet as a resource to “expose” others then I call on people to expose this issue and hold people accountable (this is in no way limited to Steve.)

As a whole this issue highlights many things that have stalled our movement. Are we critical of power structures that develop in our movement? How do we hold people accountable while still creating communities that are supportive and transformative? How do we perceive individuals in our movement? How do we understand opportunistic, egotistical, attention-seeking behavior in our movement? There are no easy answers to those questions, but I find those questions much more important than creating caricatures of others in our movement to serve ideological ends.

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Portland Meat Collective: Judas

January 14th, 2012

News broke tonight that 17 of the 18 rabbits taken from Levi Cole’s residence were being returned via the organization Rabbit Advocates.

Writing commentary about this process, and most public cases that include other animals, brings to light so much of the conflict that exists in society about our relationship with other animals. All of the familiar rationalizations come to the forefront – the depth of domination being it’s own justification (i.e. people will always eat animals), the terrorism rhetoric, caged animals are safe animals, other animals actually prefer domination, the arbitrary distinction between “meat” rabbits and “other rabbits,” etc. I could write endless commentary on reactions alone. Some of my favorites have come from the messageboards “Homesteading Today” and “Rabbit Talk” – “Rabbit Talk” featuring the tagline “Rabbits for profit, rabbits for fun, rabbits for just about everyone.” Rabbits occupy a weird space in terms to their social construction of worth – i.e. speciesism – in that they are common pets, but are also commonly eaten for their flesh. This presents a unique narrative that is far more sadistic and perverse than most narratives around the use of other domesticated “farmed” animals. Although the title refers specifically to the role that Rabbit Advocates have played in delivering these rabbits back to Levi Cole and the Portland Meat Collective – much of our cultural narrative around rabbits relies on intimate betrayal. Claims of victory for those supporting the Portland Meat Collective are indicative of this as well. Much of the triumphalism has centered around comments of destroying those animals in celebration.

As for how this has been handled in the press, there is a notable difference bewteen the Portland Meat Collective’s website post about the rabbits return and the story run by KATU. The KATU story states that Rabbit Advocates were aware of the issue after receiving a call from Levi Cole looking for a foster mom for the alleged ten (day old) baby rabbits. This is left out of the Portland Meat Collective story which suggests contact comes from Rabbit Advocates to the PDX Meat Collective. Either way, the timeline is highly suspect as these 18 rabbits had all been rehomed by the time they realized these were the rabbits that Levi Cole and the PDX Meat Collective raise for their sadistic rituals. This is yet another inconsistency that would suggest to me that the alleged 10 babies never existed.

As it currently stands there is one rabbit that has not been returned. We hope that there is at least one decent person involved in “Rabbit Advocates” who is actually interested in the well being and protection of an innocent creature.

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Vegan In Lebanon: Part 8

January 12th, 2012

Visitors to this site should remember the great series that Rasha Taha wrote about here “Vegan in: Lebanon.” Although that series touched on many issues of animal use in Lebanon, the focus was mainly food. Rasha is back with a new story to tell about Lebanon and it focuses on the specifics of animal use as well as the efforts to combat it. We are happy to have Rasha write for us again and to be able to share important stories like this.

Right off the bat, I would like to say that during a 12-day vacation, I have gathered enough information to write a book, but I must be brief and straight to the point. I have no time for anecdotal stories of feeding stray cats or being slobbered on by horses. Every sentence needs to deliver a message about animal cruelty and abuse in Lebanon.

All aboard the murder boat

The ethics behind the consumption of meat are on a different level in Lebanon. When we, in North America, exclaim that people are not aware of where their meat is coming from, we are discussing being oblivious to factory farm horrors, slaughterhouse nightmares, and all the unnecessary cruelty in between. However, cattle here have an extra ordeal to endure: transportation by sea. Because space and resources are limited compared to the demand for beef, cows cannot be raised in Lebanon to supply the population. The few 10,000 cows raised in Lebanon are for small-scale butchers to sell in neighborhoods, as well as for supermarkets to sell labeled under local meat. Because of this dilemma, cows are transported from countries such as Brazil and Argentina by ships; their journey takes approximately 40 days. Regulations on these ships are less than stringent: there are stories of dead and sick cows being thrown off board, dead and living cattle washing up on shore, or ships having to dock elsewhere along the journey and prolonging the cows’ suffering. Once they arrive to the shoreline, they are sent to the slaughterhouses. The word used to explain to me the state of the slaughterhouses is ‘a joke’. By that, I can assume that there are absolutely no regulations being followed, and by the time a cow reaches the slaughterhouse, it might as well be wishing it was still on board the ship.

With chickens, the scenario is reversed to that of cattle: very few are imported, whereas the majority of chickens are raised and slaughtered in the country. As expected, they are kept in dismal conditions where their numbers are unmonitored and their needs are ignored. Battery cages are common and difficult to regulate the size of due to the lack of information on an ‘ideal’ size. Following the phasing out of battery cages in Europe, Lebanon can hopefully jump on the bandwagon in the future and improve the state its chickens are kept in. The only issue that is tolerable is that farms are usually within close proximity to slaughterhouses, so the chickens don’t have to travel for long distances. Their destination, however, makes up for it.

Daddy, I want a monkey

This is, by far, the most shocking piece of information I have obtained about animals in Lebanon so far; I doubt anything can steal that title from it. The smuggling of exotic species is a common practice, and it doesn’t look like it is quieting down anytime soon. Money can get you anything: lions, tigers, cheetahs, hyenas, apes, bears, and several others are illegally smuggled from Africa as babies. These animals are bought by the wealthy and are treated as their property. They are often on the residence of the rich, displayed in cages for their guests to be impressed by. The owners can claim they have a private zoo and all is settled since there are no regulations for zoos in Lebanon. There is currently a young man of a prestigious family running around with a teenage lion in downtown Beirut; he walks him on a chain in one hand and his dog in the other. The man is clearly oblivious of the consequences of owning a wild animal, let alone a growing one who needs the savannas to roam and hunt in. But everything has a price in Lebanon, and the price of a lion cub is a humble 10,000 American dollars. I am sure everyone in Lebanon is dying to win the lotto to buy their little one a mini version of Africa.

I know I said I wouldn’t include any personal stories, but this one is a must. I had the honor of holding hands with a gentle-eyed creature: the vervet monkey. Sitting in a cage smaller than his head to tail length, this monkey literally reached out to me, knocked my glasses off, then held my hand tightly. I cannot begin to describe to you how much his touch, grip, and fingers resembled those of my newborn nephew. He and a younger monkey are being sold for $450 and $500, respectively. The pet store employee claimed they are brought in from Sri Lanka and India, but trusted resources are very doubtful of that due to the hardships one has to go through in order to obtain monkeys from those countries. I learned that the monkeys were brought in from Africa. The pet store I went to is one of many that sell monkeys, and they make a large profit out of it too. The way the story goes is as following: people buy a monkey for a decent price, take him home and then realize he is not what they expected; a few weeks later, they return him but for a lesser price, thus enabling the pet store to make money off of him over and over again.

An unbroken cycle

It is a rare coincidence for a day to pass by without seeing a stray animal attempting to forage in the garbage bins on the side of the road. Within the capital, the feline population is undoubtedly on par with that of humans’. I have seen –and weaned- several kittens stranded in dumpsters, plant pots, and hidden atop car tires. The reason this problem is so rampant is because people often refuse to spay or neuter their cats due to lack of knowledge, pride, or financial issues. Because of these factors, cats continue breeding and spreading throughout cities. It is heartbreaking seeing mangy-looking, limb-missing cats who deserve loving homes as much as the next ‘purebred’ cat people shell out money for.

In cities and villages across Lebanon, stray dogs are found in abundance. They are often former pets who got lost or were abandoned by their owners. According to the Lebanese police, the appropriate way to take care of the stray dog population is to shoot them; the latest shooting happened late 2011. Unfortunately, stories of dogs being shot are common. Just last month, a pack of dogs was shot in public –including their owner- over a personal dispute. These scenarios show how there is a lack of respect for both animal and human life within these cities.

Swimming in blood

Waste treatment is a neglected issue in Lebanon. The Mediterranean Sea is considered a favourite dump site, withholding a large chunk of the country’s waste. When not occupying the sea, garbage is being dumped into uncontrolled landfills. The disaster at hand here is the waste of slaughterhouses: their idea of disposing blood and liquid waste is pouring it down the public sewer system, which leads to the sea; solid waste is sent –untreated- to open dumps. So the cycle is as follows: cows are slaughtered, their blood pollutes the sea, marine life is poisoned and destroyed, people consume the fish and the cattle, and so it continues. To further complicate the problem, it is estimated that in order to build a modern waste treatment facility, the cost for one slaughterhouse would be nearly 7 million dollars. Even for the brightest optimist, the future is looking bleak for the Lebanese marine ecosystems.

A voice for the voiceless

Roughly 90% of the information I have presented has been provided to me by a dedicated group called Animals Lebanon. Founded in 2008, they are an established and well-respected organization in the Middle East. Through campaigning against animal abuse, raising awareness, and taking issues to parliament, Animals Lebanon has been effective in delivering its message about animal welfare. In November 2011, they presented their draft legislation to parliament lobbying against animal abuse, targeting issues such as zoos, circuses, the pet trade, and others. So far, they have been able to successfully shut down 3 zoos and are constantly working towards abolishing private zoos in Lebanon. They also run an adoption centre for homeless pets out of their head office as well as in foster homes; I had the privilege of meeting with over 40 happy, healthy cats waiting for loving homes. For a measly $40 adoption fee for all of their vaccinated, fixed animals, one wonders why on earth anyone would ever pay money for a companion animal! It was an honor meeting with and talking to compassionate, head-strong individuals who are at the forefront of changing how animals are viewed and treated in Lebanon. For more information about Animals Lebanon, visit www.animalslebanon.org

I am not proud of how Lebanon treats its animals. I am not proud of how it treats its people either. With hard work, fair play, and being mindful of respect at all times, the country can improve its living conditions for all of its inhabitants.

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PDX Meat Collective Redux

January 10th, 2012

After responding in the comments section of the site PDX Meat Collective founder Camas Davis has written a new post on the site explaining the alleged deaths of 9 baby rabbits “Case of the Missing Rabbits – Day Two” (it’s actually day three).

First, some things that this clears up. It is now stated that Levi Cole does breed rabbits on site in his backyard. There was an unwillingness by Camas to acknowledge Levi as a breeder, but much of that seems to stem from the fetishizing of happy meat and the desire to use different language to separate oneself from large scale farming. Camas states that she did not talk about Levi’s rabbit breeding in her 2010 article on Levi because it was just beginning and she felt it “wasn’t relevant.” It would be interesting to hear Levi explain his operation, how it began, how it operates, etc. but they most likely will not happen – unless you take a $100 butchery course.

The most important element here, in the face of this post, is the inconsistency in timing. The rabbits were allegedly taken between 1:30am – 8 am on January 8th. On January 8th, the Portland Meat Collective issued a brief statement and there was one piece written in Oregon Live about the incident, “23 Rabbits Stolen from Meat Collective Farmer.” That article stated there were 23 rabbits taken and that “The nine babies died Sunday when Cole was unable to find anyone to foster them.” This article did not state that the babies were supposedly a day old.

On Sunday night at 11:10 PM we ran a story challenging inconsistencies we saw in the PDX Meat Collective’s claim. We posted it all over their social media and site and they were immediately aware of, and responding to, those challenges.

On Monday this story ran in many outlets, however, it was notably different than the story that ran on Oregon Live. The number of animals taken was now reduced to 18 and it was explicitly stated that the alleged babies were only a day old and that the PDX Meat Collective attempted to save them. The move from 23 to 18 is an easy way to chart the possible delivery of two separate press releases sent on the part of the PDX Meat Collective. I believe they may have wrote that second release in direct response to challenges posted here and by others.

In one response on the PDX Meat Collective page Camas attempted to educate me on the media and also established herself as a journalist. Camas has a financial motivation to spin this issue and she also has the skill to do so as well. At this point I think it is important to wait for a claim of responsibility or a communique. If these rabbits were taken, and if these rabbits were taken by someone hoping to liberate them, they will have to respond to claims that 10 babies were not only seen but supposedly removed and set on a doorstep (something which would be against animal liberation front guidelines.)

There is a counter story developing that other rabbits were taken in that same neighborhood that night and if these babies did exist it would appear that this would have been done by someone not motivated to liberate these rabbits – but interested solely in their flesh (they didn’t want to raise the babies.)

Bluntly, if these babies did exist I do not think this was an act of liberation. If it was an act of liberation, I think the PDX Meat Collective may have concocted a story about baby bunnies being left behind.

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Challenging the Portland Meat Collective’s “9 Baby Bunny” Claim

January 9th, 2012

News broke tonight that 23 rabbits destined for a Portland Meat Collective Butchery class were taken from the back yard of an instructor. Full text below.

Rather conveniently, right before today’s rabbit class, 23 rabbits were stolen from a PMC instructor’s backyard. Unfortunately, whomever stole the rabbits left 9 still-nursing baby rabbits without a mom. Because the baby rabbits lacked a food source, the nine babies died. We’re not sure whether the robbery was politically or economically motivated or both, but we would like to try and find out who did it and why. If anyone has any information or leads regarding this, please contact us at info@pdxmeat.com. Thank you.

I want to challenge the claim made by the Portland Meat Collective that 9 baby rabbits were left at the scene and have died as a result. There has been no claim of responsibility yet, nor a communique that I am aware of, but there are a lot of inconsistencies that would lead me to believe that this claim is false.

The butchering class was to be run by Levi Cole a “rabbit rearer and DIY butcher.” This suggests that Levi has some experience raising rabbits – most likely in a backyard setting (even though an article in 2010 in Oregon Live states that he does not have his own farm or raise his own animals.) Although the rabbits were taken from his backyard and he is presented as a “rabbit rearer,” Levi was seemingly incapable of keeping baby rabbits alive (assuming they existed in the first place.) In an article with Oregon Live about the incident he relays that the babies died because he “couldn’t” find a foster home. From that article we are also led to believe that these rabbits were not actually the source of the rabbits to be used for the butchery class and that with PDX Meat Collectives extensive network of breeders these rabbits were left to starve to death (within 24 hours) – even though caring for newborn rabbits is fairly commonplace.

Aside from the fact that the way the story is crafted it is actually Levi who would have let these babies die, it seems extremely odd that a lactating mom would be separated from her babies and be with the 22 other rabbits. If there actually were babies it would be very odd to not have them in a separate location with their mother. It is also odd that Levi would have a breeding operation instead of just a backyard operation – the choice of “rearer” instead of “breeder” points to this as does his complete inability to keep (real or imagined) baby rabbits alive. If they weren’t separated it would make no logical sense for 23 rabbits to be rescued and to have these 9 babies left. They are easier to handle, easier to carry and they already have their mother with them to raise them.

All of this is far too inconsistent. There is absolutely no press story and no public sympathy with a story of 23 rescued rabbits saved before death, even though this spin is some kind of twilight zone bullshit anyways. I think it is much more likely that Levi has a small backyard operation that is supplied by a breeder and that these 23 rabbits were destined to be a part of his farm to fridge nightmare – the fetishization of local prefers a selling point of the “closest possible” and it only fits the narrative.

I think there are a lot things that would suggest that the story of 9 baby rabbits was concocted in an attempt to gain public sympathy and dismiss the people who took the 23 rabbits. There is a long history of this being done by those who have been visited by liberators. It is important for people to always remain critical of the press that comes out of direct actions and to place the onus back on those attempting to spin their exploitation into victimization. Until we learn more about Levi Cole’s operation and/or the steps taken by the people who removed the 23 rabbits I would remain highly skeptical of anything presented by the Portland Meat Collective.

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2012: The Year of Walt

December 31st, 2011

This past month I have been deeply touched by stories that have flooded my news feed and listserves about the life and tragic death of animal advocate Walt Rave. I immediately found myself drawn to Walt’s story because of the veracity with which he lived and his constant willingness to illustrate his passion – regardless of how it would be perceived.

A Vietnam Vet, after returning Walt dedicated his life to advocating for other animal species and the planet. This is important to note as Vietnam veterans and anti-war organizers play a vital, and largely unreported, role in the development of the North American animal rights movement.

Although painted largely as a misanthrope (which is absurd), Walt also ran a DIY tool service which made tools available to people in his community for no cost. His ideas were provocative and radical, but they were driven by a deep conviction – we are all connected in this world.

Visited by friends in the hospital the first question Walt asked was about his cats – some believe his injuries were so severe because he was intent on getting his six cats out of the fire that consumed his house.

This movement lacks historians and it also lacks longevity. Walt Rave brought a resolute conviction and perspective that was rare to this movement and his influence can be charted in everything from the initial development of some of North America’s largest animal advocacy groups to a mountain of grassroots initiatives. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Walt I want to carry Walt’s memory into the new year and have it shape our actions. I want to see an influx of rescued animals named Walt, I want to see a vibrant movement full of people who are unafraid to speak truth and I want to see a movement of people who honour and respect our history.

Here is to 2012. The year of Walt.

xo,
Dylan

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Losing the Shark Fin PR War

December 25th, 2011

Coming on the heels of the alleged “shark fin threat” letter delivered to the Toronto Chinese Business Association the pro-shark fin lobby counted another PR success story last week with a story alleging that the municipal shark fin ban in Mississauga had been overturned – “Missasauga backtracks on shark fin ban.” The story also ran in Toronto Life, Vancouver Sun and City TV among others. Although vague, most sources stated that the ban had been repealed.

Why do I call this a PR victory? Well, the ban was not repealed at all. In fact, nothing changed with the ban. Mississauga only set their ban enforcement date (June 2012) and left open an option for the municipality to acknowledge the federal ban currently being promoted by Fin Donnelly (NDP). That is radically different then what these news stories ran. There is actually little to no “good news” for the shark fin lobby, however, they managed to spin nothing into something and, as with the “threat” letter, the press didn’t stick around to do their job. Only the Toronto Star actually followed up on this story, publishing a letter from two Mississauga Councillors – “Shark fin ban not repealed: Re – ‘Backtrack on Shark Fin Ban.”

The introduction of the federal ban has put the Toronto Chinese Business Association on high alert and they have diverted a lot of time to and effort into trying to gain leverage in the press. They are fighting an uphill battle as the vast majority of Canadians do not eat shark fin soup. If they are going to mount a significant defense to this ban they are going to continue to use race as a wedge issue and also continue to pre-empt and spin news stories with the hopes that they can use the age of copy and paste journalism to their advantage. They have already succeeded in turning two non-stories into something positive for their side – almost every story about the supposed repeal signaled that Toronto could or should follow suit, and they have found a sympathetic ear with the Conservative party who is forever trying appear “multi-cultural.” Also, the more they play the “eco-terror” angle, the more they further Jason Kenney’s (Conservative) agenda as he is cozy with the “anti-terrorism” (read pro-Israel, pro-industry) lobby.

It may sound odd to speak so frank about defeats in the press, however, for those paying attention the pro-shark fin lobby has controlled the media message ever since Fin Donnelly announced his push for a federal ban. For those with established press contacts in the Toronto area (especially those working on this ban) there needs to be a high regard for media literacy in the coming months. In talking with journalists who ran stories on the supposed “threat” letter all acknowledged that they did not think that the “threat” had substance. However, when issues are framed with the looming threat of racism it is extremely hard to run a counter article.

If this ban is to gain steam and actually pass I think it is time that it’s authors and our movement acknowledge that it’s scope was not broad enough and that it needs to be more comprehensive – no shark products (cartilage pills) and no captive sharks. By centering on shark fin’s only, this attempt was (rightly) seen as cultural imperialism – people made the tactical choice to target a particular use that the dominant cultural majority had no attachment too and which centered on one specific cultural community. A more comprehensive ban sets the stage for a larger battle – shark cartilage pills are used as a cure all for everything from Cancer to Arthritis and beyond, and shark species, especially small shark species, are common at restaurants/marine parks/aquariums. Both cross cultural barriers and bring in a large pool of opposition. However, if the message is that sharks belong in the ocean then we should be consistent with that message. Until that happens people from this movement will be fighting a losing battle in the press. If this truly is about saving sharks then we need to move beyond just fins.

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Seal Hunt Update: China – “Unsealing the Deal”

December 18th, 2011

I’ve written extensively about the EU Seal Hunt Ban on this site and also covered moves by the Canadian Government to shore up this industry outside of the EU. Almost a year ago I wrote some commentary on the supposed development of Chinese markets for Canadian Seal Products. At the time of that announcement, the Canadian Government and the Seal Industry wrote of the new partnership as an industry savior. In line with Government/Industry press constructions that we have already covered – this has largely turned out to be bogus. As we mentioned in the post at the start of this year, activists on the ground in China had already mobilized in resistance against this “dump” of seal products. However, the story “Unsealing the Deal” that broke in China Daily on December 6th, 2011 paints a fuller picture. Resistance and outrage has been widespread – but so much more than previously thought. I would encourage people to read the whole story, but important points are highlighted below. Most importantly, Chinese people know that they will most likely decide the fate of the industry.

“It’s a trend that industries involved in animal cruelty look toward China’s massive market potential as their sales slump elsewhere,” Zhang says.

The Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail quotes seal-oil supplement manufacturer DPA Industries’ chairman Wayne MacKinnon as saying, “The Chinese eat anything. And they simply don’t understand why you would put one animal above another.”

Other foreign reports say the Chinese have no regard for animal welfare and no relevant legislation.

“Because of prejudice, they believe most Chinese don’t care about animals and eat anything,” Zhang says.

“But they’re perfectly wrong.”

…

“Now, you have the opportunity to terminate the massacre of seal pups in Canada. You are at a crossroads to open to the dying cruel industry, or stand with other countries to ban the seal products.”

…


HIS’ China policy consultant Li Jianqiang said the Canadian government had “rushed” to release the “good news” about the trade deal with China to enable politicians to win votes.

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Shark Fin Poison Threat and “Eco-Terrorism” in Canada

December 11th, 2011

It’s Friday November 25th and on the heels of the Toronto Municipal Shark Fin Ban, Fin Donnelly (NDP-Westminster-Coquitlam) sits with leading shark protectionists and announces that his party will be tabling a federal petition to ban the importation and sale of shark fins. After winning the shark fight in municipalities with very little industry – (Brantford, Pickering, Missisauga, London, etc.) – Toronto was the sign that this issue had enough momentum to reach the federal stage. There was an overwhelming sense that the public was in favor of the ban and it was only a matter of political will.

Fast forward to another press conference on Thursday December 1st. To a room full of reporters the Toronto Chinese Business Association, led by Barbara Chiu, presented a letter which they claimed to have received on Tuesday November 29th. The letter, addressed to the TCBA, was supposedly sent by Animal Liberation Canada/USA and threatened to poison food at Mandarin Restaurants in response to resistance to the shark fin ban in some parts of the Chinese community. That press conference elicits dozens of stories in Canadian Media, outlets from Huffington Post Canada to the Toronto Star, National Post, Toronto Sun, CBC, CTV, etc. Only one source, that I know if, actually calls on any source from the Animal advocacy movement – with one reporter checking in with the notoriously inept North American Animal Liberation Front Press Office. Instead of calling question to the letter and it’s use – which should have been obvious – the press office only offered that they had not been made aware of the threat. With no questioning of the letter, and a media which is not well versed in the history of animal liberation tactics – the story ran as if this letter was a legitimate threat.

Dec 2nd. Quick to save face after introducing some of the most retrograde immigration legislation this country has ever seen, Jason Kenney, the Immigration Minister (Conservative – Calgary Southwest) jumps on this issue, calling the letter “eco-terrorism” and offering to arrange a photo op and dine-in on Sunday December 4th at the Forestview Chinese Restaurant in Toronto. The move on Kenney’s part is followed up by Wai Young (Conservative – Vancouver South) who stood up in Parliament on Dec 2nd to again repeat the claim of “eco-terrorism” and present the letter as a legitimate threat.

Before going into the substance of the letter, there are specific reasons why this reaction is important. First, Kenney already has a cozy relationship with so called “anti-terrorism” lobby groups in Canada and he has also helped author specific anti-terrorism legislation (as part of C-10). He is also the member of a political party that currently holds majority in parliament. If this faux-letter is used as a springboard to pursue and present “eco-terrorism” legislation in Canada you can expect to see Kenney involved.

Now, onto the substance of the letter. There are endless reasons of why this letter is not a legitimate threat and many reasons why the origin of this letter and it’s political use has to be given critical scrutiny. First I will address the letter as a tactic.

This letter was delivered solely to the Toronto Chinese Business Association and no other source. It was not delivered independently to a press source, not sent to the ALF Press Office nor sent to any other source within the animal advocacy movement. Poison threats are not a tactic that have been widely used in the history of the Animal Liberation movement – but for those who are aware of their use, this is an obvious red flag. Poison threats originate with the Animal Rights Militia in the UK in 1980’s and culminate with the Mar’s Candy Bar hoax of 1984. Canada also has a short history of poison threats, with threats going out to the media against the “Cold Buster” bars invented at the University of Alberta in 1992 and a rat poison threat in turkeys in Vancouver in December 1994. One thing all poison threats share in common is the use of media. Every single poison threat is directed at the media – not at the source of the threat. It is the media which will create the hysteria necessary to economically impact a business or industry. If a threat is only delivered to a business they could very well bury that threat – or do their own research and recognize that poison threats have always been returned as hoaxes. With the Cold Buster hoax of 1992, the Animal Rights Militia actually went beyond merely sending a release and instead also sent samples of poisoned bars to the media. This should illustrate the vital role of media during a poison threat. The notion that someone would use this tactic – forgo contacting media themselves – and instead allow a target to have absolute control over how their threat is spun is absurd.

Second, the name of the group Animal Liberation Canada/USA suggests it was conjured up by someone with absolutely no knowledge of the radical animal liberation movement. There is absolutely no homogenous underground that reaches across borders and there have never been any co-ordinated cross border actions. Almost every poison threat ever delivered by the Animal Liberation movement has been delivered by the Animal Rights Militia and this is done specifically because a poison threat does not follow Animal Liberation Front guidelines (you have to take all care to not harm or injure any human or other animal speices.) How are we to believe that a group that; a) has never existed prior b) suggests cross border co-ordination c) does not recognize the ALF guidelines, is presenting a credible threat?

Third, the location and target for the threat is suspect. Toronto has been a relative dead zone for animal liberation front actions for the past decade. We are supposed to believe that a group that never existed prior would come forward with a tactic that is actually outside of guidelines – in order to threaten people AFTER a ban is placed on a product? Also, the place they threaten to poison does not sell shark fin soup – has never sold shark fin soup – and is large chain which presents white washed version of Chinese food for a mainly white audience. Of all the possible targets and tactics this is again absurd.

Fourth, the overt racism and overall rhetoric and tone of the letter do very little to serve any legitimate interests for someone hoping to instill actual fear in a target. Littered with spelling mistakes, this threat has no real comparison in the history of ALF or ARM communiques. It is not actually written as a document that could be believed – they assert they are going to ship e. coli from their “head office” in the U.S. – and this is relayed in statements from the press conference on Dec 1st. Poison threats are crafted statements that are intent on presenting the danger as plausible – remember the Cold Buster action actually involved sending tainted candy bars to the media. Racist tirades do not serve that purpose – however, as this press conference illustrated, they do serve the needs of a business community hoping to slow down the momentum of the shark fin ban.

Was this letter written by someone within the Toronto Chinese Business Association? We will most likely never know. However, there is a wealth of precedent of so called “victims” of the ALF using the ALF as a shield to promote or protect their interests – everything from bomb threats to arsons. When talking about faux threats influencing legislation – which this could actually do – one only has to look to recent examples like the University of Califonia – San Diego bomb threats that were actually traced back to a former employee and not the Animal Liberation Front. Those threats came during the crafting of State Bill 2296 which was a bill presented to “protect” vivisectors. This letter – the way it was worded, the way it was presented and the timing of it’s presentation lead me to think that it was not authored by anyone within the animal advocacy movement. For now, we wait and see what implications this latest round of “eco-terrorism” will have. If Jason Kenney, or anyone else from the Conservative party wants to use this non-threat as their platform they can at least be aware that we are mindful of their schtick. They, along with this letter, fool no one.

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