Support Wetlands Restoration
One year after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Washington still hasn't learned the environmental lessons of this terrible tragedy.
Healthy marshes and barrier islands act as storm buffers.Scientists tell us that every 2.7 miles of wetlands that lie between the Gulf of Mexico and land reduces storm surge by one foot.
Marshes also slow storm water and dissipate crashing waves. Levees protected by wetlands did not fail, while many of the levees exposed to open water failed when waves battered them.
Yet, there has been almost no federal leadership or funding for the restoration of coastal marshes and wetlands in the Mississippi Delta region.
Send an email to President Bush and your members of Congress asking them to protect the Gulf Coast from future storms by supporting wetlands restoration.
Learn more about what's at stake along the Gulf Coast.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/hurricanekatrina
Take Action Against Oil Development in the Arctic Refuge
Oil development planned by President Bush and his allies in Congress would turn this extraordinary wildlife nursery into a polluted oil field. Tell your Senators and Representative to reject this attack on the Arctic Refuge!
Take Action to Defend the Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act is one of America’s most important and effective environmental laws, but the House of Representatives has passed a bill that would severely undermine it. Now, the fight to save endangered species is moving to the Senate. Tell your senators to oppose any legislation that would undermine the Endangered Species Act!
Tell President Bush to Move America Beyond Oil
Join our campaign to Move America beyond oil by signing your petition to the President now. We will use your petition in a nationwide media campaign showing that the American people are resolved to reduce our dangerous dependence on oil.
Take Action to Reverse Global Warming
The U.S. Senate passed a resolution that finally recognizes the enormous problem of global warming and declares that our nation must enact mandatory limits on the pollution that causes it. Tell your Senators to fulfill the promise of this historic resolution by supporting and passing a tough global warming law!
Current Advocacy Campaigns from Wild Alert
 | Three Montana Wild Forests Need Your Help! August 02, 2006 |  | Thank Your Congressperson for Joining National Wildlife Refuge Caucus July 18, 2006 | |
 | Oil and Gas Leasing Would Damage Alaska's Teeming Teshekpuk Lake Region July 25, 2006 |  | Protect Pennsylvania's Wilderness July 11, 2006 | |
 | Ask Your Congressperson to Join the National Wildlife Refuge Caucus July 18, 2006 |
some sites you can sign up to for action alerts:
Animal Defense League Anti-Cruelty Team
Animal Defense League of Arizona
Close Down Huntingdon Life Sciences
Doris Day Animal League Alerts
Federal & State Legislation for Animals
Humane Society of the United States
In Defense of Animals Action Center
International Fund for Animal Welfare
International Organization for Animal Protection
International Primate Protection League
Monthly Action for Animals in Labs
New England Anti-Vivisection Society
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Sea Turtle Restoration Project
Society for Animal Protective Legislation
SPEAK, The Voice for the Animals
Some Victories for Animals
in Mainstream Media
Because there are SO MANY, we post them by category
Animals Used for Sports & Entertainment
For more victories, please visit these sites:
Animals Are Not Our Property, We are Not Their Owners
Humane Society of the United States
Natural Resources Defense Council
New England Anti-Vivisection Society
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
World Society for the Protection of Animals
Other Victory Links
2005 A Year of Working Fearlessly for Animals, HSUS
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Since the 1950s, federal law has required that all livestock be rendered "insensible to pain" before slaughter. Seems like such a modest requirement reflecting our society's belief that animals should not suffer unnecessarily, right? Yet this most basic requirement does not extend to more than 95 percent of the farm animals slaughtered for food in this country - 9 billion a year - simply because the law does not explicitly mention poultry.
We need your help to change this shocking situation.Poultry deserve the same basic protections that cows, pigs, lambs, another livestock have. Join thousands of Americans in urging Congress to amend the law by completing your information at right to sign the petition for Poultry. And then, please, tell a friend.
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/petition_for_poultry
GE Free Maize in Mexico
México is the original home of maize (corn) and over thousands of years around 200 different varieties have naturally developed.Different varieties of maize have different uses. There are maize varieties that are used specifically for tortillas, tamales, atoles, pozole and also varieties that are used for animal feed.
But all this wonderful natural diversity is under threat as companies like Monsanto and Dow are trying to pressure Mexico to allow GE maize to be grown. If Mexico allows GE maize to be cultivated then the natural genetic diversity of maize will be contaminated with unknown consequences.
Help us to defend the home of maize from contamination by writing to the Mexican President, Vicente Fox.
http://write-a-letter.greenpeace.org/47
Stop the clocks
We started a count down for governments to act and publicly support the moratorium and to “stop-the-clock” on deep sea destruction. Many so far failed to follow the advice of almost 1500 scientists from 69countries, NGOs, a growing number of countries and now the UN itself.
We need you help in stopping these clocks. They need to be stopped because we can’t turn back time and if nothing is done the entire area of cold water corals in the deep- sea will be destroyed in just 16years from now.
You can help us to stop the clocks by sending a message below to the ministers of Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain and the USA. (This action sends a message to ALL of these ministers, not just one).
http://ctk.greenpeace.org/od-en/ctk-letters/get-info?letter%5fid=2165130&referrer%5fid=
Top 10 Reasons to Become an Ocean Defender:
1. It's Free!
2. See exclusive video footage straight from the ship (and host them on your own site if you like!)
3. Participate in discussions and live chats with people in the heart of the action on the ship
4. Get your own personal homepage space
5. Receive regular updates from the expedition
6. Take Action! Get special action alerts telling you how you can participate to protecting our oceans (they're yours to keep!)
7. Access the personal blogs of those on board the ship
8. Connect to the ship through the live web cam!
9. Enter to win amazing ocean-friendly prizes
10. Did we mention it's free?
Be an Ocean Defender, Be One in a Million.
http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/ocean-defenders
Save the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle!
But over the last decade instead of the beaches bringing life and a new generation of turtles, the beaches have become a mass graveyard, with over 100,000 washed ashore, dead. They are victims of illegal fishing in no take zones and the thousands that die every year are just afraction of the total, as most are not washed ashore. Industrial development and mega projects that are in the pipeline, particularly large ports, pose another danger to the turtles and their nesting beaches, threatening the very existence of this ecological marvel.
In 2006, the Year of the Turtle, Greenpeace has established the Turtle Witness Camp in the Devi region, a former mass-nesting site, bearing witness to the magic and fragility of an entire Olive Ridley season.
Join us in our campaign to protect the Olive Ridleys of Orissa.
http://ctk.greenpeace.org/od-en/ctk-letters/get-info?letter%5fid=2142626
Denmark votes against the whales
Most people in Denmark are against commercial whaling. So why is their government voting in favor of it?
Help us bring the government of Denmark back on side, and in line with what its own citizens want. Send this message to the Prime Minister of Denmark and ask him to change Denmark's policy.
http://ctk.greenpeace.org/od-en/ctk-letters/get-info?letter%5fid=2217583&referrer%5fid=
ANZ: BAD CREDIT! GET OUT OF LAFAYETTE MINE
ABN AMRO: BAD CREDIT! GET OUT OF LAFAYETTE MINE
In April 2005, the Philippine government granted an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) to the Australian owned Lafayette Mine.This signalled the start of the extraction of gold, silver, copper and zinc within Rapu Rapu Island.
During its few months of operation, as a result of negligence,cyanide and other contaminants from the mine spilled into the sea and around the island, resulting in massive fish kills. In January 2006,Lafayette was fined for violating the Clean Water Act, and violating the conditions of their Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).
After an inquiry the mine was allowed to recommence mining under a30 day “test run”. A leak occurred two days into the test run. Less than two weeks later on July 18, 2006, residents reported a fish kill in the island’s Mirikpitik creek. Moreover, the heavy presence of military, police, and private security around the island belie. Lafayette’s claims of full transparency during the 30-day test run.
David Andrade, a Greenpeace employee sent to investigate reports of a fish kill was detained at gunpoint while on public land - and his water samples were confiscated. Greenpeace is working with the Mineral Policy Institute on this issue.
The Lafayette Project is financed through a syndicate of banks including ANZ Investment Bank and ABN AMRO Bank NV (Australian Branch).
The project clearly violates the social and environmental standards these banks say they stand for. ANZ are a major funder of coal mining expansion in Australia and the region and also prop up destructive logging in Tasmania, Australia and Papua New Guinea, where loggers break the law and abuse human rights. Write to ANZ and tell them this is BAD CREDIT! Urge the bank to stop financing the Lafayette mine.
http://write-a-letter.greenpeace.org/46
http://write-a-letter.greenpeace.org/44
Save the McNeil River bears from trophy hunters
Tell Alaskans you want them to retain the buffer zone that protects the bears in the McNeil River Sanctuary.
Email Governor Frank Murkowski .
Email the Alaska visitors Bureaus .
More contacts at Travel Alaska.com .
Relaxing With Alaska’s Big Brown Bears
Bears And People Get Up Close At Sanctuary, But Will The Animals Know To Fear Hunters?
MCNEIL RIVER, Alaska, Aug. 14, 2006
(CBS) The spectacle plays out each summer at the world’s premier bear-viewing area: Alaska’s massive brown bears posing, wrestling and filling up on migrating salmon in the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary.
CBS News correspondent Jerry Bowen reports there’s not a more camera-friendly group of brown bears in the world,because over time they’ve become very accustomed to having human visitors watch what they do.
And it’s a tough ticket. A lottery system grants admission to just 10 visitors a day, totaling just 200 for the entire summer.
“It’s overwhelming,” says Steve Roberts, who came from Minneapolis to see the bears. “You just don’t know which way to look. It’s a three-ring circus.”
Some people wait years for their chance to visit the sanctuary.Cheryl Parker, of Fairbanks, Alaska, found herself taken with a skinny girl bear who was trying to catch salmon: “There’s a girl out herewho’s a tiny thing, and it takes her a while to get that fish. But once she gets it, she tears off with it.”
The sanctuary is located a float plane ride over Cooke Inlet on the Katmai Peninsula, just past the still-steaming Augustine volcano. Once there, it’s a four-mile hike to experience the ultimate bear tale.
Close encounters are common, and, as Bowen discovered, unnerving.
A young bear looked to Bowen for a little help with other, bigger,bears who wanted his fish. Guides shooed him off, but retired sanctuarymanager Larry Aumiller said it’s another sign these are not your average bears.
“They’re so confident and so unconcerned about what we’re going to do, they’re relaxed enough to play,” Aumiller says. “It’s great.”
Therein lies the problem. McNeil’s bears may be too relaxed forwhat’s about to happen, when, one year from now, adjacent buffer zones that protect them will be opened to trophy hunters. It’s led Aumillerto retire, because he fears he’s set the bears up for disaster.
He says, “When you finally get there, and they finally trust you,and you know that trust is going to be violated, I don’t know how to describe it except to say it’s heartbreaking.”
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
this is the letter i wrote to the governor and to info@anchorage.net, atiamedia@gci.net, info@AlaskaTIA.org...feel free to copy it!!!
I am writing to you in regards to the buffer zone that protects the
bears in the McNeil River Sanctuary. I have been notified from this
site: http://www.friendsofanimals.org/ that these buffer zones will be
opened to trophy hunters one year from now. I strongly urge you to not
let this happen. These bears have become very trusting of human beings
due to the sanctuary allowing visitors to come and view them in their
natural habitat. If you allow hunters into this area, they will be
able to kill the bears easily or might mistake the bears being curious
as attacking. It is not fair to allow hunters who do not need these
animals for food or clothing to kill them for sport. It is inhumane.
Please protect these animals from being slaughtered needlessly.
Thank you for your time,
Angelicque James
Global People’s Petition for Wildlife
We,the undersigned, call upon the leaders of all the world’s nations to ensure the conservation and protection of our World's wildlife.
We call upon world leaders to act, immediately, to eliminate the illegal trade in wildlife and devote far greater efforts to ensure the protection of wilderness areas.
We most strongly and urgently urge the leaders of all developed nations to provide greatly increased financial assistance to poorer nations to aid them in their conservation priorities.
We personally pledge never to knowingly purchase or consume illegal wildlife parts or products.
We say to our leaders: if we all come together we can ensure the children of future generations can experience the beauty and benefits of our natural world – when we all come together, we can do anything.
http://www.wildaid.org/globalpledge/index.asp?ID=sign&PetitionID=1
Help save the rainforest and protect the habitat of jaguars!!!
HelpStop Coal Plants in TexasTrouble's brewing in Texas. Its largest electric utility, TXU, plans tobuild 11 new, highly polluting coal-fired power plants. Theseplants will emit 78 million tons of carbon dioxidepollution. Takeaction—Tell TXU's CEO to stop these plants. |
![[[ Smokestack ]]](http://img.getactivehub.com/an2/custom_images/EDF_Action_Network/takeactoun_txu.jpg)
Ask California Legislature to Fight Global WarmingThis is it! The legislature will vote on the Global Warming Solutions Act this month. If it passes,California would be the first to limit global warming pollution statewide. Take action—Send an email to support passage of this historic bill! |
![[[ Red sun and sky ]]](http://img.getactivehub.com/an2/custom_images/EDF_Action_Network/takeaction_CAglobalwarming.jpg)
 | Be an Eco-Hero - Pledge to Make the Switch! How much global warming pollution can you save by swapping out one regular bulb? You'll be astounded. Help us reach our goal of switching1 million regular bulbs to compact fluorescents. Make the pledge today. |
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 | Tell Automakers to Stop Fighting Progress on Global Warming Instead of burning less gas than the year before, new cars are producing more global warming pollution each year. Despite the increasingly visible effects of global warming, car makers continue to fight state and national efforts to reduce emissions. Ask automakers to support, not block, these policies. |
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 | Global Warming: Undo It Global warming is the #1 environmental issue facing the Earth. And while the world is moving forward against climate change, the U.S.continues to sit out the fight. The best first step to change this inaction is the Climate Stewardship Act, the country's best legislative tool to cut heat-trapping emissions. Sign the petition to let the President and Congress know you want the U.S. to lead -- not follow in-- the fight to undo global warming. Cut the emissions. Sign the petition. |
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 | Keep Our Oceans Alive Teddy Roosevelt left an enduring legacy in protecting our nation’s last great places on land. Today our oceans are in trouble, and many sea animals and plants are in danger of vanishing forever. Send a message to President Bush urging him to become the Teddy Roosevelt of the oceans and take action to restore the health of our seas. |
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 | Have You Seen an Endangered Species? Tell Us! Many of us have been inspired by a bald eagle, manatee, California sea otter, grizzly bear, or other endangered species. Nothing is more powerful than a personal story. So, take a few minutes and tell us yours! |
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 | Tell Congress - Don't Cut Conservation Programs for America's Farmers Congress is considering cutting conservation programs that encourage America's farmers help the environment. These programs help farmers restore wetlands and other wildlife habitat and reduce sprawl.Take action - tell Congress to fully fund conservation programs that reward farmers for environmental stewardship. |
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 | The Bald Eagle is Back The bald eagle, whose numbers had dipped dangerously low, is now. Back from the Brink of extinction. Today, thousands of American bald eagles fly the skies of the lower 48 states - a powerful symbol that shows the Endangered Species Act works. Urge President Bush to act on the five-year-old promise to delist the eagle - Sign the Eagle Pledge. |
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 | Discover Hetch Hetchy Hetch Hetchy Valley, "Yosemite's twin" in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, now sits hidden under 300 feet of water, as its Tuolumne River was dammed in 1923 to form a reservoir. The Tuolumne River's water can be stored further downstream -- outside Yosemite National Park -- to continue the supply of water to San Francisco,allowing us to reclaim this treasured landscape. Sign the Discover Hetch Hetchy Pledge and join our campaign to restore this natural wonder. |
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A Victory for the Birds
On August 3, 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to ban most uses of the deadly pesticide carbofuran -- a substance that has been responsible for millions of bird fatalities,has poisoned farm workers and even been linked to the deaths of peanut farmers in Senegal.
Defenders’ supporters were instrumental to winning this decades-old fight. In the lead-up to the decision:
- More than 20,000 supporters sent messages to the EPA urging the agency to get this deadly product off the market, off our crops and out of our drinking water.
- More than one thousand took time out of their busy schedules to actually call the EPA’s office and urge the agency to not let corporate profits trump concerns over carbofuran’s safety.
- Hundreds called FMC Corporation’s corporate headquarters urging them to let EPA do its job and stop trying to delay action on this deadly pesticide. FMC is the company that makes carbofuran.
More Information
Why should you sign the petition?
You can help us achieve recognition and protection of animals around the world by joining a global voice of 10 million in support of our campaign.
Animals and our treatment of them matters to everyone, including you. Tell your government that animals matter to you.
Help us to collect 100,000 signatures by the end of August by forwarding this link to your friends and family.
We will present this petition to the United Nations at key points throughout the campaign in order to show governments that millions of people around the world support greater global protection for animals.
http://www.animalsmatter.org/
Stop the Slaughter of China's Dogs
In five days at the end of July, more than 50,000 dogs were brutally beaten, electrocuted or shot to death in response to a rabies outbreak in southwestern China. Now, this unimaginable cruelty is set to happen again in the eastern city of Jining.
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AP Photo |
China's lack of animal welfare legislation makes atrocities like this possible. Before hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, China should take notice of worldwide opinion and work with animal welfare groups and public health organizations to implement humane programs to deal with zoonotic outbreaks.
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This cat is housed with Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. BETA is taking the lead in aiding the animals of Lebanon but one of its shelters was partially destroyed in a missile strike. Your support will help BETA rebuild in the aftermath of this crisis, and help animals in other disasters outside the United States. |
Support the International Disastor Fund
Disaster has struck again. Humane Society International (HSI) is supporting the work of organizations on the ground helping animals left injured and homeless in war-torn Lebanon and Israel. The conflict has separated pets from their guardians, damaged shelters, and caused shortages of food and supplies.
The International Disaster Fund enables us to provide grants to local animal protection organizations to help them respond to and recover from such disasters.
Our entire relief effort is funded by donations from people like you, and we desperately need your support. Please make an emergency contribution to our International Disaster Fund today!
Aquarius Full Moon Reflections:
Air Conditioning Moon
by Dana Gerhardt
I like that our ancestors named Full Moons. They didn’t have wall calendars or even zodiacal wheels, so they wouldn’t say "Here comes the August Full Moon" or "What should we do when the Sun in Leo is opposed by a Moon in Aquarius?" They knew exactly what to do because the Moon was labeled appropriately. The Leo/Aquarius Moon was the "Sturgeon Moon," the "Grain Moon," or "Green Corn Moon," because in one region the fish were plentiful, in another the grain was ripening, and in another, the tribe was getting ready for a happy Green Corn festival.
Around here everyone is sweaty and out of sorts, feeling demoralized and somehow less than those thin successful people featured in summer catalogs, happy and hosting color-coordinated outdoor barbecues. Bombs are killing innocents in the Middle East, gas prices are excruciatingly high, and there’s just not enough of Leo’s glory to offset Aquarius’ collective doom. Even without wars or failed leadership, when August comes we tend to think of all the things we hoped to do but haven’t yet achieved. We haven’t lost the pounds, gotten the guy, raised our salary, or turned our children into wunderkinds. And the year is half over. My friend suggests we call this the "Mid-Summer Doldrums" moon. But a proper Moon name does more than describe the time—it reconnects us with its magic. It celebrates the artful ways to keep our lives in balance.
Searching for a more magical Moon name, I take a walk through my neighborhood. The streets are deserted, hot as the surface of Mars, with only the ubiquitous sound of air conditioner engines buzzing from house after house. I’ve never liked air conditioning. I believe artificially cooled cars, malls, and workplaces have made us ill-adaptive and flabby, incredulous and near-to-fainting if we have to trek across an outdoor parking lot in over ninety-degree heat. For years it’s been my summer practice to strategically open windows in the evening and close them in the morning so my house is naturally cooled.
But that was before global warming. And before I bought an older home whose windows require a crowbar to jimmy them open. So last winter, when a friend knew a guy who could get me an energy-efficient air conditioner for nearly half the price, I went for it. I called my electric company, signed up for renewable energy sources, and now, as temperatures surge over 106 degrees, I’ve been enjoying my air conditioner. In fact, I think it’s magic. While our forebears caught abundant fish and cultivated waves of grain, our tribe knows how to Turn Back the Sun. The air conditioner is the ultimate symbol for keeping in balance, for transforming whatever has become oppressive or stifling. It suggests the restorative magic that can cool hot tempers, revive what’s grown lethargic, turning whatever troubles us around.
August brings the Air Conditioning Moon. Or to put it in astrological terms, we can revive whatever has gotten stifled or too hot on the Leo end, with the cool ingenuity of Aquarius. We can turn ourselves around. We can refresh our weary spirits. At this Full Moon, we can revive ourselves to face our problems anew—including the Mideast crisis, global warming, or, the single mother whose rent increased just after she lost her job. Leo brings us passion and creativity and reminds us that we are special and gifted. Aquarius inspires us with other-worldly intelligence, bringing divine, out-of-the-box solutions. Leo likes us to think of ourselves; Aquarius wants us to think of the collective good. At the Full Moon we bring these two interests into harmony.
I like sympathetic magic, but I’m a no-frills sort of pagan. In honor of the Air Conditioning Moon, I’m planning a simple ceremony, one that can be done with or without a power outage. In the morning I’ll empty a small iced tea bottle and whisper into it all my mid-summer complaints (the stuck areas, the not-enough-time, the don’t- kill-everybody-over-there agonies). I’ll whisper into this bottle throughout the day if I need to. Then, when the Full Moon rises through August’s red haze, into the bottle I’ll crush a little fresh mint, pour some iced water, and drink it down. I’ll remember the ingenious ones who came before and invented things like air conditioners. I’ll cheer myself thinking of the ingenious ones working even now to make the world a better place. Ahhhhh. My wish for this Full Moon is that we all find our Cool Magic. Individually and collectively, may we take this moment to start turning things around.
© 2006 ana@mooncircles.com">Dana Gerhardt
All rights reserved
Intuitive Message for the Aquarius Full Moon:
The Divine Fire of Spiritual Inspiration
by Julia Bondi
What have we wrought? In this summer of blazing heat and apocalyptic weather the news is a steady barrage of violence, destruction and hatred. In the newest conflagration in the Middle East and many others across our globe both sides are certain they are right and they are winning as everyone loses. Yet this is the season of Leo, the great archetype of the heartfelt love.
This full moon of Leo/Aquarius is confronting us with the end result of human belief in right and wrong. Personal and national ambitions without the Aquarian dedication to an egoless higher purpose are inevitably dead ends leading to the very despair and destruction we see around us. The special insight of Aquarius is that we are all brothers and sisters who are equally valuable as necessary and individual threads in the larger tapestry of humanity. Leo’s purpose is to develop this spiritual insight and then create from personal passion, strength and love, a love which serves the all.
As we inch ever closer to the Age of Aquarius the fires of experience are forging a new humanity, one which can move beyond our own right and wrong to a choice to bring out the best in everyone. Leo knows the excitement and magic of its own desires to create, to love passionately, to birth its visions, to become great and to powerfully fulfill its destiny. In this larger world of humanity each of us has a destiny, a gift, a talent, an inspiration, a purpose, and our own desire to create and fulfill. The divinity of Leo recognizes this universality of what it feels and lives so personally. Then and only then can Leo take its rightful place as the lion-hearted leader who leads through their own living example and able service by bringing out the best in others. The greatest leaders are able servants of the people who can lead through personal magnetism and divine inspiration. Many current leaders do believe that they and only they have been anointed to carry out a vision for all that is divine only because they personally want it, believe it and insist that it is right for all.
In the Aquarian Age the consent of the governed becomes the standard by which the world is meant to live. It requires strength, purpose and profoundly held belief to lead but if this leadership does not emanate from humility, open hearted love for all and the light of inspiration only available to the ego which has become the servant of Aquarian universality, it is destined to destroy not save, to fail not fulfill.
To enter the Aquarian Age the Leo archetype in each of us must grow, expand and become a fully open heart which can encompass and love all of our brothers and sisters who are each as right and wrong as we are. We are now called to move from our current despair and powerlessness to a conscious creative cooperation. The world is to move beyond individual egos who see themselves as creating right for others to one in which each of us gives our passions, our talents, our resources, and our love to the world so that all are accomplished, and fulfilled. A loving creation that is bold, courageous and wise emanates from the divine fire of spiritual inspiration not the divine right of personal ego. Seek to expand your heart and to open to your own capacity to see beyond the current battle of the egos in our world to what can be in an open hearted and creative world at this full moon moment of spiritual inspiration.
© 2006 Julia Bondi
All rights reserved
Lammas,
Lughnasadh
Author's Note:
Lammas comes between August first and second. It is a hot, lazy, delicious time of the year. Bees buzz in the heat ofthe day, the air is still, and the force of the sun remains strong, even though its sway over the earth is slowly diminishing day by day. In the cooler night time, frogs and crickets keep us company. It is here, in the gloaming, when so many rituals begin.......This is when the powerful gods of the grain harvests are honored. They are in their prime, sometimes generous, sometimes quixotic, and always aware with a bittersweet pleasure that their time will wane, as it always does, and they will die, as they always do, and yet nevertheless they will return to another delicious summer next year, as they always do, and have, and will, for this is the endlessly circling Wheel of the Year, and they ride it proudly.
Yet there is a darker nuance, one that surprised me, for I had thought that this was a purely masculine god's festival. I learned however of Lugh's touching and loving devotion to his foster-mother, the royal Tailtiu, whose fate may be even more intimately woven into this season than his.........
More Lammas Information
It's bad enough that some tuna fishing operations still harm and even kill dolphins by encircling them with nets to catch tuna. Now, it turns out that tuna that's not dolphin-safe could also be hazardous to your family.
Why?More than half of the tuna consumed by American families comes fromnon-U.S. producers. But some of these producers -- particularly inEcuador and Mexico -- use fishing practices that can hurt or kill dolphins and catch tuna with increased levels of mercury, a hazardous neurotoxin.
You can protect dolphins and your family's health at the same time. Urgethe Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration toconduct more comprehensive mercury testing of imported canned tuna.
Independent tests commissioned by Defenders of Wildlife found that some imported light canned tuna from Latin America contained nearly 10 times the allowable dose of mercury for children.
Eatingmercury-contaminated tuna can increase the risk of a host of healthproblems, including brain damage in children and heart attacks inadults.
Take action now to improve mercury testing of imported canned tuna: http://go.care2.com/e/LTL/o3/E_lU
Inthe Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, large, mature yellowfin tuna oftenswim with pods of dolphins -- a relationship that's exploited by somecommercial fishers using purse-seine nets that ensnare tuna anddolphins alike.
Since the late 1950s, approximately seven million dolphins have died from this practice.Asa result, three dolphin populations in the eastern tropical PacificOcean -- the northeastern offshore spotted, the eastern spinner, andthe coastal spotted -- are listed as officially depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Thepractice poses an obvious risk to dolphins, but the large tuna thatswim with dolphins often contain the highest levels of mercury. So, purse-seine nets not only kill dolphins, but also pose a risk to people who are unlucky enough to eat tuna caught this way.
Help save dolphins and protect your family's health -- urge the FDA and EPA to improve mercury testing so we can keep tuna safe for our families and for dolphins.
Dolphins tend to swim with tuna that are high in mercury. To catch the tuna, some fishermenchase the dolphins and encircle them with purse-seine nets, whichcauses not only causes physiological stress, injuries and unseendolphin deaths, but also separates dependent babies from their mothers.
Tell the FDA and EPA to improve mercury testing for tuna to help keep tuna safe for our families and for dolphins.
Also,if you are interested, the NRDC has sent out a newsletter urging peopleto read up on what's happening on Florida's Emerald Coast.
TheBush administration is signaling that it may approve a plan to build asprawling new airport along Florida's Emerald Coast -- without firstmeeting its legal obligation to study the full environmental impacts ofthe scheme and compare them to other alternatives. The administrationis required by law to examine the effects of proposed secondarydevelopment as well, such as dredging seagrass beds and relocatinggopher tortoises to construct a large marina and apartment buildings onthe site of the existing airport. The proposal would also spur thetransformation of 70,000 acres surrounding the new airport site -- anarea dominated by wetlands -- into industrial parks, retail space,hotels and residential buildings.
Ultimately, the airport planwould destroy more than 9,000 acres of fragile wetlands, bury more thanfour miles of streams and destroy habitat for rare wildlife such as theAmerican alligator, eastern indigo snake, gopher tortoise, Floridablack bear and flatwoods salamander. The administration should weighthe full impacts of this proposal against more environmentally soundalternatives before announcing its decision on the plan in September.
» Demandthat the Bush administration perform a complete environmental study ofthe far-reaching impacts of this dangerous proposal.
*caution*This link will take you to PETAs site, directly to the related article,however I must warn you, said article has a link to a videoclip...♣lowers ears♣...you have been warned...
Urgent Update: Wolf Dogs Still at Risk on Texas Breeder's Property
- The Breeder Denies There Is A Problem!
- The Authorities Deny There Is A Problem!
- Peta Sends Out New Alert
- Email Links
*** Please Email The Authorities! ***
This Cannot Be Allowed To Continue
Turning A Blind Eye Is NOT Acceptable!
There Is No Question
This Is An Attack
All attempts to get the breeder and the authorities to act on thisabuse, has been met with excuses and disdain. As we mentioned in ourlast alert, this is CLEARLY an attack and most likely attributable toenergy displacement (see What Is Happening! below).
The FoxNews Network has picked up this story. Phil Keating (Journalist forGeraldo At Large) has been to TX to interview this breeder and hisneighbors. He also went to PA to interview individuals who wereassociated with a woman, killed by her wolf-dogs last week. Last, butcertainly not least, he came to Wolf to interview us about the behaviorof wolves and wolf-dogs in captivity.
This program is scheduledto air on the Geraldo At Large syndication on Friday, July 28th. Weencourage everyone concerned about this situation to view the program.We are not totally sure how all of this will be presented, but believeit will be insightful. You can find the exact channel and time for yourlocal area by visiting the Geraldo At Large web site. Link:
http://www.geraldoatlarge.com/where-to-watch.php?PHPSESSID=7ff7d62887873a074a39db89f77251dc
After viewing the program, please go back to their web site and send inyour comments. This will demonstrate that the public is interested inthis type of programming and they will be more willing to do additionalprograms, in the future, to help animals.
We also encourage youto visit the Peta web site and read their new alert on this situationand view an updated video. The link for that alert and video isreferenced below.
Again, we also ask that you email, fax orwrite a polite letter to the authorities and media in Texas. Theiremail and address links are listed below.
Thank You for your help!
What Is Happening!
Puppy - Victim of Attack
This type of behavior by wolves and wolf-dogs is described by L. DavidMech in his book “The Wolfâ€. It is called energy displacement. Wehave witnessed this type of behavior in person and it has been a majorfactor in the development of our philosophy and mission. Indeed, it isthe main reason why we do NOT believe wolves and wolf-dogs should bebred for a life in captivity. The bottom line, it is unfair to theanimals. It causes aberrant, unnatural behavior.
Wolves possessa very high energy level, extremely high intelligence and arepredators. In the wild these traits are perfect for the role they playin the ecosystem. In captivity these innate qualities are stifled. Asthe unused energy, boredom and lack of a challenge build, the pressurecooker will eventually explode. This is especially true when captivewolves are kept in large groups and there is no attention given toenriching factors in their environment. When the lid blows, they willattack a member of their own pack, usually the omega. This is not anindication of their like or dislike for that individual, they mustexpend the pent up energy.
The animals at Starcross Wolves arenot being cared for properly. There are way too many animals in oneenclosure and the fencing is not suitable or safe. This situation mustbe rectified quickly.
Please HELP!
Please Send An Email, Fax or Letter!
Kaufman County Authorities
Email Addresses:
sharliedavis@kaufmanso.com,
chiefsmith@kaufmantx.org,
902@kaufmantx.org,
jlaney@kaufmantx.org,
sellis@kaufmantx.org,
animalcont@kaufmantx.org,
eblack@kaufmantx.org,
Texas State Vet:
comments@tahc.state.tx.us,
Media Email Addresses:
dbray@dallasnews.com,
jeffdavis@dallasnews.com,
grodrigue@dallasnews.com,
ssmith@dallasnews.com,
wstallings@dallasnews.com,
kdfw@kdfwfox4.com,
metronorth@kdfwfox4.com,
newstips@ktvt.com,
investigates@wfaa.com,
bharris@wfaa.com,
bshipp@wfaa.com,
publisher@themonitor.net,
ttrib@swbell.net
Kaufman County Authorities:
(USPS Addresses & Fax Numbers)
David Byrnes, Sheriff
Deputy R. Widener, Animal Control Officer
Kaufman County Sheriff's Department
100 W. Mulberry
Kaufman, TX 75142
972-932-4337
972-932-9751 (fax)
Deputy Walter Dykes, Environmental Crimes Division
Kaufman County Sheriff's Department
100 W. Mulberry
Kaufman, TX 75142
972-932-4337, ext. 2857
972-932-9751 (fax)
Ed Walton, District Attorney
Kaufman County District Attorney's Office
Kaufman County Courthouse
100 W. Mulberry St.
Kaufman, TX 75142
972-932-0262
972-932-0357 (fax)
Jim Deller, Commissioner, Precinct 4
Kaufman County
P.O. Box 766
Kemp, TX 75143
903-498-2013, ext. 2
903-498-4033 (fax)
Texas State Vet:
(USPS Address & Fax Number)
Dr. Bob Hillman
Texas State Veterinarian
P.O. Box 12966
Austin, TX 78711
512-719-0700
512-719-0719 (fax)
~*~
Help Save Idaho wolves
Thereintroduction of wolves to the American West is one of the crowningconservation accomplishments of the last century. But now thatachievement and the wolves whose lives depend on it is once again atrisk as the state of Idaho plans new “management” activities that couldkill 3 out of 4 wolves in parts of the state.
DISPATCH FROM IDAHO:
ORPHANED WOLF PUPS LIKELY DEAD
Herein Idaho, politicians voted in 2001 for a measure to eliminate wolves“by any means necessary.” Now tragedy has struck again.
Lastmonth, a federal trapper responding to an incident of livestock losskilled two adult wolves in Idaho, ignoring established wildlifemanagement practice and leaving the wolves’ orphaned pups to an inhumane death.
Hoping to find the pups, my daughter Sierra and I drove the 120 miles from Boise to Sawtooth National Forest.
Wehiked the back-country and howled and looked for tracks or other signsof the pups. We searched until nightfall, but couldn’t find them.
Young pups like these need their parents. Alone, they will likely starve to death or be killed by other predators.
Today, we desperately need your help to protect Idaho wolves.
Incidents like these pups’ deaths can be prevented. With public education and careful oversight of state and federal agencies, such needless deaths can be avoided.
That’swhy Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and Defenders of Wildlife areworking hard for common sense wolf management in Idaho:
* In the Courts:We’re ready to stand up and fight in court to save the 3 out of 4wolves that could be killed in an area of Clearwater National Forest ifthe state is allowed to proceed with its wolf control plan for thearea. Already, we’ve helped mobilize tens of thousands of people tosubmit comments in opposition to the state’s plan, which is based oninsufficient science.
* With Ranchers: We’reworking to reduce conflicts between ranchers and wolves by supportingnon-lethal wolf deterrents, purchasing fencing and livestock guarddogs, protecting sheep bedgrounds, providing grazing alternatives andmore.
* With the State: While we oppose many ofthe state’s management choices, we’re working with the Idaho Departmentof Fish and Game to provide non-lethal control alternatives to reduceconflicts and build support for science-based management. These effortshelp protect wolves from being needlessly killed due to politics or badscience.
We’re committed to protecting Idaho wolves and promoting sound wildlife management practices. But we need your help.
Yourfinancial support allows us to keep investigating wolf killings,watchdog state and federal agencies, devise and implement methods toreduce conflicts between wolves and ranchers, and challenge plans tokill wolves in the Lolo District of Clearwater National Forest.
Pleasemake a donation online now to support our important work to protectwolves and other imperiled wildlife in Idaho and beyond.
We’re doing all we can to protect Idaho wolves. I hope you will, too.
For the Wild Ones,
Suzanne Stone, Defenders of Wildlife
Northern Rockies Representative
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
~*~
How do you take the wild out of a wilderness area? Kill the carnivores. That’s what the U.S. Forest Service has in mind.
Tellthe U.S. Forest Service to keep our wilderness areas wild and withdrawtheir proposal to make it easier to kill wolves and other carnivores.
TheForest Service is proposing to make it easier to kill key animals inplaces they were once safe -- and let an agency with a checkered pasttake control over these operations.
They want to use an array ofpoisons, traps and shooting -- including aerial gunning -- to wipe outwolves and other carnivores in federally designated wilderness areas.
Takeaction now. Tell the U.S. Forest Service to withdraw this ill-advisedproposal. Submit your personalized comments before the August 7thdeadline!
Your comments will be most effective if theyare personalized. Tell officials why it is important to you that theydo not go forward with this harmful proposal.
And it's not just wolves -- bears, coyotes, cougars and other carnivores are at risk.
Thesecreatures play an important role in the ecological balance of ourwilderness areas. They are essential species that keep other wildlifepopulations in check by preventing overpopulation and habitat damage.
TheForest Service proposal would upset the natural balance in the mostremote and natural places we have left -- and Wildlife Services, theagency that would be put in charge, has a grim track record. In 2004alone, Wildlife Services agents killed more than 37,000 animals --coyotes, wolves, foxes, and bobcats -- from the air.
Help stop this harmful proposal from becoming a reality! Submit your comments today.
Theproposal allows for the use of the controversial pesticide sodiumcyanide. Baited devices could be used to shoot the highly toxic gasinto a wolf’s mouth, causing a horrible death.
Under theproposal, federal agents could also chase down and kill bears or othercarnivores using planes, helicopters, and all-terrain vehicles --invading areas once safe for these creatures with loud, intrusivemachines.
Submit your comments today. Tell the Forest Service todrop their proposal to loosen restrictions on killing our wolves, bearsand other carnivores.
Wilderness areas were meant to be wild andfree. According to the 1964 Wilderness Act, these special places shouldbe preserved in their natural conditions with little or no humaninfluence. But the Forest Service’s plan could fundamentally alterthese largely untouched areas, allowing low-flying airplanes, trucksand all-terrain vehicles to hunt down populations of wolves, bears andother carnivores.
Write to the U.S. Forest Service today. Tell them to abandon their proposal to take the wild out of our wilderness areas.
Thank you for all you do to protect our wildlife and wild places.
Sincerely,
Rodger Schlickeisen, President Signature
President
Defenders of Wildlife
~*~
Update - The Wide Awake Rescue (2)
Happy Is Still Missing
- Medical Exams
- Test Results
- The Next Step
*** We Need Your Help! ***
(read more below)</center>
Update - Dells Wolf (6)
- Letter From Adrian Wydeven
- Latest News Report
"Dells Wolf May Have Been Killed"
(read more below)
Update - The Wide-Awake Rescue
Medical Exams
Collar Taken Off Atlantis
After allowing the animals some time to settle and get somewhatacclimated to their new surroundings, the day came for their medicalexams, vaccinations and blood draws for testing. Tuesday, June 6thbegan the process of trying to return them to a healthy state. Beforethis could happen however, we needed to be as sure as possible that wehad the right animal located in an enclosure that would put them eitherwith their mate or companion or next to that individual. It had becomequite apparent after receiving the animals from Minnesota that a numberof the travel kennels were labeled incorrectly. Visual examination withphotos from their original location, determined that approximately 10of the kennels were labeled incorrectly.
It is ourunderstanding that the catch-up, of these animals, at the original sitewas accomplished by Gary Tank and his organization (the animaltransport company), which makes this mislabeling totallyunderstandable. The Tank Crew really had no feelings for the animalsand were only in this for the money, so why worry if they had the rightnames or not.
It is extraordinarily important for the wolves'physical and emotional well-being that we try to get them paired asquickly as possible. Wolves are extremely social animals and need thecompanionship of other wolves in order to feel comfortable and at ease.We are still struggling with this evaluation and have beencommunicating with some of Jamie Willard’s friends trying to getaccurate information. We still needed to take our best shot at gettingthe animals as close to their bonded companions as possible, so that asthey re-established bonds with them we could open the fence betweentheir enclosures. This exercise took an exorbitant amount of time.
Finally we were underway, with our vet Priscilla Dressen -- catchingthem up, giving their vaccinations, doing their exams, blood draws anddocumenting our findings. Catching them up was done withouttranquilizers in order to insure that we did not have chemical issueswith animals that were already compromised. Each was cornered, quicklycovered with a blanket and pinned down for the procedures. Once pinnedthe animals totally surrender and then it was our goal to be quick,quiet and efficient. This approach is actually the best one to use withanimals whose health is already in question.
There were only acouple of animals who were defensive, with their fear, and tried tobite. The catch-up team was very good at controlling these situationsand indeed kept all of the animals safely under control.
As weperformed the physical exams it became even more clear how neglectedthese animals had been and how much remedial help they would need.
- 17 are anywhere from 25 to 40 lbs. under weight.
- 17 are suffering from stress & varying levels of dehydration.
- 16 have old frost bite damage to their ears.
- 2 have heart murmurs.
- 2 have hip issues.
- 1 has old brain trauma affecting eyesight and coordination.
- 1 has severe cataracts, which might be operable.
- 1 is missing his left eye.
It also became clear that even more animals than we thought weremislabeled. One that was supposed to be a female turned out to be amale and one that was supposed to be male was indeed female. As wedetermined new identities, finished exams and removed their horriblecollars, we then moved the appropriate animals to their new enclosures.
Now we would have to wait on the blood tests to see what else was going on with them physically.
Test Results - The Next Step
It took a day for the blood work to be processed and the results tostart arriving. Reviewing these reports, indicated the critical natureof their health issues and how far we were from having healthy, happyanimals. These guys were not out of the woods yet and indeed many oftheir issues were life-threatening.
- 14 tested heartworm positive.
- 2 of those are in advanced stages.
- 2 are suffering from severe bacterial infections.
- 2 are suffering from moderate bacterial infections.
- 15 appear to be suffering from extreme stress.
- 8 will have to be retested in a couple of weeks to see if there potassium levels are returning to normal.
The stress issues have severely compromised the adrenal functions ofall the animals. This is not something that occurs from short-termstress, but rather prolonged extreme stress in their lives. At thispoint it is uncertain as to whether their adrenal glands will everfunction normally again. The tests in several weeks should give us someanswers. If the adrenals do not start functioning correctly, it willrequire significant monitoring and medication for the rest of theirlives.
Likewise, the heartworm issue is going to be verycritical to their lives. The normal treatment for heartworm requiresconfinement and little or no exertion. This is not an option for theseanimals -- as that would only exacerbate the stress issues. Afterconsulting with the experts at the CSU Vet Teaching Hospital, we havedecided to take a new path with the treatment for 12 of the animals.This involves using the preventative treatment for heartworm for thenext 3 years of each animal’s life. This approach will effectivelykill all of the new larva and allow the adult parasites to die offnaturally and hopefully be absorbed without affecting normal heartfunctions. Unfortunately, we will have to treat the 2 advanced caseswith the normal treatment, minus the confinement. These 2 animals willnot be able to wait for 3 years for a resolution as the level ofinfestation is too advanced. We are guardedly optimistic that we cankeep their lives calm enough, in order to give them the best chance ofsurvival. This will however, be extremely risky. Because of theintroduction of these diseased animals to the sanctuary we will alsonow have do preventative medication for all the residents at bothlocations.
We have started the 4 animals, with infections, onantibiotics and are giving all the animals adrenal support supplements.We will keep you updated as their conditions change.
We Need Your Help -- Please Send An Email & A Prayer!
Please Send An Email to the Humane Society and ask where the donations went
for these animals!
mgmt@animalhumanesociety.org
crmgr@animalhumanesociety.org
mail@mpr.org
readerrep@startribune.com
readers@pioneerpress.com
jkummer@pioneerpress.com
trish.vanpilsum@foxtv.com
jacqueline.mclean@foxtv.com
tom.lyden@foxtv.com
jeff.baillon@foxtv.com
gennewstips@kstp.com
atissue@kstp.com
investigative@kstp.com
wcconewstips@wcco.com
rbattle@kare11.com
acostantini@kare11.com
jcroman@kare11.com
jrdaniels72@yahoo.com
We have yet to hear from the Golden Valley Humane Society in Minnesotaregarding our inquiries about donations they received for theseanimals. According to their web site they received approximately$24,000 in donations for the care and transport of these animals. Webelieve that the individuals who donated money for these animalsexpected it to be used for these animals. It would appear that TheHumane Society has no intention of forwarding any remaining funds abovetheir actual expenses to Wolf, for the care of these animals. Webelieve that this is not only unethical, but possibly in violation ofthe IRS regulations governing 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.
We encourage anyone who believes that this is improper, to please writeto The Golden Valley Humane Society and express their concerns. We haveincluded email addresses for the Humane Society and the media inMinnesota.
We ask you to please visualize these animals during yourspiritual ceremonies and send them the energy they need to survivethese challenges.
As we progress with their medical treatments, spays and neuters, the bills will increase rapidly.
We need your help to provide essential treatment. Our financialresources will be stretched to the maximum, in order to careeffectively for these animals.
If you can afford even a donation of $5.00, it will help. You can send it via our web site at this link:
http://www.wolfsanctuary.net/10-funding/10-01.htm#donations
or send it to our USPS address:
Post Office Box 1544
La Porte, CO 80535
THANKYOU to all of you who have already helped and to those of you who will.We will be getting your receipts sent out shortly.
MN Humane - TV News Report
(on-line video available)
KSTP TV 5 News from 26 May 2006
http://www.kstptv5.com/article/stories/S16579.html?cat=1
Wisconsin Officials Seize 19 Wolf-Dog Hybrids
KARE 11 TV News from 26 May 2006
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=125646
Animal Humane Society Rescues Wolf Hybrids
MN Humane - TV News Report
WCCO TV 4 News from 26 May 2006
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_146071205.html
Humane Society Houses 19 Wolf-Dog Hybrids
Update - Dells Wolf
What Do We Think Now!
Adrian.Wydeven@dnr.state.wi.us
The latest news on the Dells Wolf has come to us from a supporter who received an email from Adrien Wydeven saying:
Trapping was discontinued after depredations stopped and the animal apparently moved on to another location.
AsI was preparing this update another news story broke regarding our boy.Please demand that the DNR respond to this situation and let us know ifthey believe the animal shot was the Dells Wolf.
Dells Wolf May Have Been Killed
http://www.channel3000.com/news/9351806/detail.html
Thank You, for your help with this situation. I really thought yourefforts gave this boy enough time to do his thing and get on the roadagain. Now we must wait to see what the DNR has to say.</center>
</center> Credit: Viking Project, USGS, NASA
Explanation: The largest canyon in the Solar System cuts a wide swath across the face of Mars. Named Valles Marineris,the grand valley extends over 3,000 kilometers long, spans as much as600 kilometers across, and delves as much as 8 kilometers deep. Bycomparison, the Earth's Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA is 800 kilometers long, 30 kilometers across, and 1.8 kilometers deep. The origin of the Valles Marineris remains unknown, although a leading hypothesis holds that it started as a crack billions of years ago as the planet cooled. Recently, several geologic processes have been identified in the canyon. The above mosaic was created from over 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s.
The pesticide carbofuran is highly toxic to birds. In fact, just one granule of carbofuran is enough to kill a songbird. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to rule on the fate of this deadly pesticide this week. Your efforts could decide whether this toxic pesticide stays on the market or not. Please fill out this form to send your email urging EPA official James Gulliford to protect birds, fish and mammals by removing carbofuran from the market. Your comments will be most effective if they are personalized.If you would like to know more about carbofuran’s effects on birds, just click here. If you would like to know more about carbofuran’s effects on birds, just click here. | ||||||||
Idaho officials are gearing up to kill wolves. You can take action online at the website below:http://actionfund.defenders.org/idwolves
In January 2006, the Bush Administration handed over wolf management to the state of Idaho.
Within a week, state officials announced plans to kill as many as 50 wolves inthe state's Upper Clearwater Basin -- 75% of the wolf population in one National Forest. Now Idaho has asked for permission to kill wolves in areas of Northern Idaho where they are still protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Just weeks ago, Secretary Norton transferred responsibility for wolf management in central Idaho from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over to the state of Idaho - a state that, in 2001, passed a memorandum calling for the eradication of wolves in Idaho "by any means necessary." You can take action online for this issue at the website below:
http://action.defenders.org/nortonwolf
Thanks for helping protect our imperiled wildlife...
a great article on wolves.
do your research, if you care about wolves, please know they are being threatened...take action...donate money to reputable organizations, write to US and canadian officials...URGE THEM to protect these creatures!!!
Reflections on Modern Pagan Spiritual Expression, Injustice, and Exile
Copyright © 2006 By Robin Artisson
* * *
Spirituality is an odd thing. Something in us doesn't feel complete until we express some deeper longing, some connection with the world we live in, and the unseen world.
But it's still odd. I mean, when you stop, take a deep breath, and take an objective look at the range of human spiritual activity, you can't help but be amazed at the breadth and scope of our spiritual imaginations, and our longings.
Every form of spirituality imaginable is out there, looking us in the face. Every God and Goddess you can think of still stands on someone's private altar or shrine. In the "mainstream" religions, every kind of saint, idea of God, activity, and icon is sitting there, staring them in the face. People center, meditate, chant, pray, walk, sit, run, stand, dream, all in the name of spiritual expression. They search the pages of history, they carve new roads to the future, all looking for some cultural expression that "fits" the shape of their heart.
Some are happy with the current mainstream expressions. Some aren't. Some are only happy with radically individual expressions. Some can't stand the fact that others go their own way. Some can't understand how it could be otherwise.
Eyes on Heaven
Is there anything that actually connects or unites people of any and all faiths?
It can easily be stated with some honesty that most mainstream religions are too "transcendent" in the sense that their eyes are heavenward, while they ignore the world around them, and the majesty of Nature. Some spiritual expressions go in exactly the opposite direction. But all serve no actual "practical" purpose in the most direct sense of the word- they are all sprung (mainstream or not) from each person's need to simply feel complete by attempting to express something that might be quite inexpressible.
I mean, "God" and "Highest Reality" and "Fate" and "Goddess" and "Buddha Nature" and "Tao" and "Great Spirit"- all of it seems to be coming from each person's need to connect to something greater, and not just because we hope that there is something greater, but because we feel on the deepest level that there certainly is.
But elements of personality become involved- some of us are just tied, at the spirit-level, to the Land. We can't help but connect "holiness" to the ground beneath our feet. What could be more noble than that? There is nothing "left behind" in our faith, in our spiritual expression- either every leaf on every tree is holy, every stone is holy, every person, every place, every feeling and thing is holy, or nothing is. There is no "escape to heaven" desire to be found in our hearts.
But this is personality. I would say it was Fate, but in human expression, it is personality. It's something about us that we MUST work into spiritual expression.
Why else would adults living in our modern day, in our modern societies, feel the need to look back to Pagan times and feel like we have a living connection to them? To mimic their prayers, chant the names of those Gods, and consciously identify ourselves in terms that include ancient religions? Something in us longs for it, and there is nothing else that can be said but that.
Why the longing? There is no answer. Why do some not long for it? There is no answer. Do we have any choice but to go on being who we are? No, no choice. We don't write this part of the story of our lives. We have to be who we are.
The Madness of the Modern, The Injustice of History
There's a madness here. You can't ever express it the way you feel you should; no modern Pagan is willing to "let go" of centuries worth of pre-Christian spiritual expression, to let it get written off as "pagan error". No, we feel the importance of those countless Pagan prayers, sacrifices, and beliefs that were the center of our ancestors' spiritual lives for so long.
There is a sense of injustice in history- Christianity came and didn't offer people a choice; conversion was forced practically everywhere; it was required by law; after a point, it was not a choice.
That bothers any thinking person. How different things would be today, if Christianity had allowed people to have a choice of spiritual expression, and didn't force itself politically and legally on people!
We'd still have Pagan temples and organizations, and we wouldn't have lost so much literature and so many mysteries, so much cultural heritage. Christianity would still be here, but so would Pagan religions. And choice would still be there.
No Pagan would consider Christianity to be such a big villain if this had happened; we might respect them greatly. But that was never meant to be, and so speculation on it is perhaps fruitless.
The massive loss of cultural spiritual heritage that happened because of Christianity's aggressive spread is a wound in history and in our hearts that can never heal, it seems.
I think everyday on the hands, faces, bodies, minds, lives, words, dreams, hopes, and passions of my Pagan ancestors, who believed, with strong conviction, in their Gods and spiritual teachings. I think of how unfair it is that their voices have fallen silent in the pages of history- or should I say, mostly silent. In the trance, in the depths of our souls and hearts, we can hear their words still. And Nature, ever the great teacher, is willing to share with us the same power She shared with them, if we'd listen and open ourselves.
What we need is a strong, bright, burning conviction in our hearts that the task of opening ourselves and listening to the internal whispers of the past is an honest and profound and serious thing. We can no longer allow the powers of dominant religions to brainwash us with the pervasive subliminal message that they impart to our world, a message that says "new ager... spiritual degenerates... lost sheep... kids playing... rebels from god... they'll come back to church one day... social misfits... wierdos... spiritually immature..."
If I were interviewed on the national news and I said something to the effect of "My Gods expect me to preserve life and recognize my place within the web of sacredness that contains all things", I would be branded a "neopagan" and "new ager", and most people would laugh about it, shake their heads, and change the channel. Many would think "yeah, you keep believing in those Gods; you'll meet them in Hell one day."
Why is such a simple and profound message a thing of mockery or something that the vast majority of people can't take seriously?
Had I said "God wants me to preserve life and recognize my place in his world, a world that is made holy by his Love", most people would nod in approval and think that was fine.
This fact disturbs me. And to be honest, I have no way to resolve it. I must be who I am, and yet, Fate seems to have cast me into a world where what I am is freaky to most. While I don't mind being a freak (because I have great peace being what I am) it simply drives me up a tree to think that the majority of human minds are so calcified and closed to the variety inherent in spiritual expression.
The Myth of Quality Control
Why am I so odd for loving variety in spiritual expression? Is the "God" of the mainstream not great enough to embrace the great variety that he himself is, in theory, responsible for making possible?
Or maybe "God" has nothing to do with this, and what we are running up against is the simple closed-mindedness of human beings, who have a convenient religion that allows them to think that their own closed-mindedness is shared by "God".
Let's face it; there is at least a grand good chance that modern religion is just another face of the Status Quo. That's that.
But why is my experience of the sacred so threatening to the status quo? Why does it not have a place?
Do we even want positive recognition by the "status quo"? Some say that our Pagan faiths are blessed with "quality control" by being outside of the mainstream. To that, I must loudly disagree. "Quality"? It hurts my heart to say it, but most modern Pagans I've met are anything but "quality". They tend to be selfish, ridiculous, egomaniacal and immature on every level. Their "turn to Paganism" is nothing more than a self-interest activity in which they seek to glorify themselves with "high priest" titles and impress others with mysterious-seeming rituals.
Most modern Pagans seem to be born in a cauldron of sexual repression that leads to sexual immaturity and a leap into "libertine" behavior that ends up hurting them and those they interact with, because the truth of the matter is that you can't quickly go from a closed-tight christian sexual moral to a "let's all have sex in the woods" modern neo-pagan sexual liberation attitude.
It takes time to gain control of the strong powers of sexuality that course through us. More Pagan "groups" are destroyed by sexual jealousy, sexual entanglements, and sexual misadventures than any other cause. The inherent force of sexuality, suddenly unrestrained into a modern fairy-tale land of Pagan orgies, is dangerous.
Furthermore, all the emotional hang-ups created by centuries of dysfunctional christian understandings of sex follow each and every "neopagan" regardless of what they say. Even those "neopagans" who claim to "never have been christian" are not exempt- living in the modern western world still allows for the christian worldview to permeate every aspect of our upbringing; our television, our laws, our cultures, even the "secular" culture has unconscious tendencies to see morality and ethics in firmly Judeo-Christian terms.
And on top of that, sexual predators are attracted to neo-paganism by the dozens. People who feel marginalized by society for various reasons come to Paganism by the thousands, not for the Gods, but for a place where they can feel "accepted". Person by person, modern Paganism has turned into a massive "alternative hookup club" rather than mature groups of people who want to express serious spiritual longings and commitments to older or more natural, mystical ways of being a religious human.
Modern Paganism has no "quality" control. It has a decided lack of quality. Truly serious and mature working groups of any sort of Pagan are few and far between. Most Pagans stay "Pagan" for a few years at most before reverting back to the religions of their upbringing. Modern mainstream churches have every reason in the world to laugh and look at young Pagans as kids just "going through a phase". Most of the time, they are quite right.
The Wisdom That Must be Recognized
What does a person do, a modern Pagan, in the face of the FACT that modern Paganism, from top to bottom, offers most Pagans practically no chance to meaningfully connect with serious "others" who share your soul-felt need to connect with the Gods or to express things spiritually as you desire? You are fortunate indeed if you found your way to a serious group of mature Pagans who can help you meet your need for communal spiritual expression. You are more fortunate than you probably know.
I see visions of the Pagan ancestors from the distant past, and I love them. I don't even know their names, and I love them, and I cherish what they stood for, what they believed. I know they weren't "perfect"- but then, what's perfect? Who's perfect? If perfection was the criteria for embracing a religion or a cause, no one ever would.
People who have no spiritual senses left just LOVE to accuse Ancestor-worshipping modern Pagans of "romanticizing" the past. Such a charge is quite absurd. Ancestor worship is about giving worth to the Ancestors and to the wisdom of the past- and there was wisdom in the past. There's wisdom now, but those organizations that represent the mainstream religions- such as the monolithic edifices of Christianity- simply fail for modern Pagans in an important way: they do not admit to the wisdom of the Past.
They won't let the pre-Christian past have its share of wisdom. They can only arrogantly see true divine "wisdom" as coming into the world WITH their church, and they see themselves as the "saviors" of Pagan people from the darkness of spiritual ignorance.
Indeed, while I admit that even christian churches- especially those with long histories of mystical pondering and contemplative orders- can have a share of wisdom, they cannot and do not perform the task that I require of them: they cannot be humble enough to admit that wisdom is a universal feature of human spirituality, including pre-christian spirituality.
If they honored those Ancestors I loved, I would respect them for it. But they do not, so I cannot align myself to them. I cannot tolerate spiritual arrogance of such a savage type. I will NOT abandon my ancestors to the "unenlightened past" and think no more on them; I will remember them with love and honor them for the wisdom they had. I will pray that they help me find THAT wisdom, every day, for I feel that their wisdom is sorely needed today. The fact that it is ignored by so many is a sign of how badly we need it- humans have a curious habit of ignoring precisely what they need to see or realize the most.
Outside the Wall
I don't know what to do except be who and what I am, and well, that's not something that can be otherwise. And who will accompany me in my religious path? Few that I actually desire to see there will, I fear. This is the price of living outside the spiritual walls of the mainstream religions. Those low-quality individuals, those immature and ridiculous, those with solar systems of hang-ups and those disenfranchised will be found wandering around out here as well. I do wish them well, but I don't wish to be counted among them.
I'm not out here because I needed to be initiated into my "great grand high priest" title or wave my ridiculous crystal-tipped wand around, or because I needed to have an impressive "magical name". I'm not out here because a church refused to let me have sex with whom I wanted or because I was mistreated by a church. I'm not out here because I couldn't find acceptance within the mainstream; I'm out here because I have a more inclusive vision of wisdom and spirituality than the mainstream feels comfortable with. I'm out here because I won't break bread with those who call my ancestors "ignorant pagans".
I'm out here because Fate decided to make some late-bursting fireworks in honor of a lost past, and She made my soul into one of them, and I must say, She seemed to care little about my personal sense of comfort. Like most traditional Pagans, I have become a living monument to a faded past.
Perhaps my regret is the very result of the temporal victory of Christianity over the mysteries of the Pagan past. All that loss, all those things we don't know anymore about ancient Pagan religions that had thousands of years of glittering tradition- maybe the regret and loss felt by the Pagans who saw it happen, who watched the temples fall, is echoing through the ages, and I am just on the end of that loss. We are all part of the world, and when we feel regret, the world feels regret, and that affects even the coming of later generations.
I know that I'd rather it be this way than to be inside the walls of a church that found it convenient to overlook the precious aspects of the cultures they were helping to destroy. We're honest out here and we are, in the end, the memory of the world. It might be lonely at times, but I sleep well. What does Fate want next? We'll all see, one day.
I am very much opposed to the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) oil and gas activity plan for the Northeast Planning Area of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). The plan, approved in January 2006, will open 100 percent of the area north and east of Teshekpuk Lake to leasing.
That would not only place the caribou and waterfowl populations there in serious jeopardy but would damage the important subsistence activities of a number of Native villages. The North Slope's residents have expressed strong opposition to the plan. So have sportsmen's groups, scientists, conservationists and the public at large.
The area around Teshekpuk Lake should remain what it is today: an irreplaceable, unbroken, core wildlife habitat for caribou, molting geese and millions of other birds and mammals and a place where generations of Alaska Natives have hunted, fished and pursued their subsistence ways of life.
I ask you to cancel the lease sale now tentatively planned for September 2006 in the Teshekpuk Lake Surface Protection Area. I also ask you to direct the BLM to protect the full range of the area's values, from subsistence to recreation to the health of fish and wildlife populations. It would also ensure strict adherence to environmental standards during every phase of oil and gas operations.
Such a decision would be a fitting way to begin your tenure as Interior Secretary, signaling not only a new face but a new day, one of careful environmental stewardship. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Angelicque James
