There will be a protest tomorrow through Sunday starting at 6 p.m. and ending around 8 p.m. against the cruelty towards non-human animals for the sake of human entertainment. The protests are located at the Ringling Brothers Circus, Arrowhead Pond: 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA 92806 (near 57 freeway and Ball Road).

The non-human animals forced to perform in circus events like those put on Ringling Brothers are abused when they are trained to do unatural "tricks." We all are familiar with the techniques for training a dog to sit. But the methods used to train elephants and other circus performers are abusive and cruel. "Bullhooks" are used on the elephants to coerce them to raise their legs in unison or to "dance." When non-human animals are kept behind the curtain, there are reports of intense psychological and physical mistreatment including intimidation, starving, confinement to small cages, and neglect.

These protest have been going on since last week and will continue until August 4th. The police and the Ringling Brothers security have been intimidating and rude. Two arrests have been made so far. Protestors have been dressing up in sad clown outfits to attract attention and carrying signs that say, "Imagine them in the wild," "Tradition is no excuse for animal abuse," "Circus – A miserable life for the animals," "Circus – Cages, chains, bullhooks," and "Your fun is their misery." Some of the audience have left the circus upon seeing the pamplets and literature the protestors have been handing out and some have become irate with the anti-abuse message, claiming it is ruining their "fun." Ringling Brothers is upset because they are potentially losing money and face due to exposure of their cruel means to profit.

Anyone willing to be a watchdog for police abuse should come out and show solidarity.

Anyone interested in coming out to hold a sign or find out information is welcom to joing the protest.



For more general info on circus performer abuse, Ringling Brothers, etc please visit the sites below. Be warned that some images are not intended for those easily disturbed by violent abuse.

http://www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/elephant/story.html

http://www.aeinc-online.org/photo_gallery.html

http://www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/elephant/story.html

http://www.peta.org/liv/animaltimes/atsummer2002/circusspies/

Not to say that animal abuse is unimportant, but it scares me quite a bit that so many people show so much concern for animals while human beings are dying from preventable things left and right. I mean, people are being slaughtered, tortured, maimed, silenced, imprisoned, mutilated, murdered, molested, raped, terrorized, and oppressed all over the world, with you having the information only a few mouse clicks away. And what do people like you do? You hold signs and occasionally "liberate" animals. How does that make any sense?

Talk about honky-ass white folks. You folks take the 1st place honkey prize with ELF coming in at a close second place.

Unfortunately, some believe activists in the animal rights movement do not support or are not involved in the anit-globilization, women's rights or other such social justice movements. It's time people realize that there has been a paradigm shift in the animal liberation movement that is inclusive of all liberation. There is a direct connection between the ideology that supports torturing non-human animals and humans.

Alice Walker: "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites, or women for men."

Mahatma Gandhi: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Cesar Chavez: "Kindness and compassion towards all living things is a mark of civilized society. racism, economic deprival, dog fighting, cockfighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same defective fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves.

Non of those people are honky-white asses.

For more information about organizations that are making connections between the anti-globalization movement, social jusitice and animal rights please visit the following website:

http://www.globalhunger.net

Some great books on issues linking animal rights to human rights:

The Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery by Margorie Spiegel

The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist Vegetartian Critical Theory by Carol Adams

An Unnatural order: Why we are Destroying the Planet and Each Other by Jim Mason

Rape of the Wild: Man's Violence against Animals and the Earth by Andree Collard and Joyce Contrucci

Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust by Charles Patterson

y the way its animals are treated."

Cesar Chavez: "Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves.

For more information about organizations that are making connections between the anti-globalization movement, social jusitice and animal rights please visit the following website: http://www.globalhunger.net

Dear Mr. "revolutionary ideas":

The only thing worse than animal liberationists who use their involvement in animal lib as a way to avoid confronting their white privilege is leftists who point fingers as a way to avoid confronting their species privilege.

Arguments similar to the ones you advance were used to pooh- pooh feminism when women injected it into the anti-war movement in the late sixties. Women were told to shut up and stop distracting from "more important" issues.

Of course it was bullshit that liberating women would weaken the anti-war movement. This was just an excuse used by men who enjoyed denouncing the establishment and didn't want to be inconvenienced by having to confront their own complicity in oppression.

I REALLY suggest that you familiarize yourself with anti-speciesist theory. Animal liberationism is NOT about fuzzy wuzzy animal luv. It is about recognizing that struggles for social justice are completely meaningless if we arbitrarily decide who we do and do not include in our moral community. Why is species any better a basis to determine who we include in our moral community than is race, gender, or sexual orientation?

There is no reason. The only difference is that queers, women, and people of color can stand up and challenge arbitrary discrimination and oppression, and nonhuman animals cannot.

So yeah, many of the people involved in the ar movement are privileged white folks, but many are not. For that matter most of the people involved in the Latin America solidarity movement are white. Does that mean that we shouldn't care about death squads in Colombia, free trade zone sweatshops in Nicaragua, or privatization of social services in El Salvador?

I recommend reading these books to learn more about anti-speciesist theory:

Animal Liberation by Peter Singer (in particular, the first chapter, entitled "All Animals Are Equal, or Why Supporters of Womens Liberation and Black Liberation Should Support Animal Liberation, Too)

The Case for Animals Rights by Tom Regan

Beyond Prejudice: The Moral Significance of Human and Non-Human Animals by Evelyn Pluhar

Created from Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism by James Rachels

to "Scary":

It is a mistake to assume that all animal rights activists are solely concerned with animals-- as Scarier correctly pointed out, there is a connection between violence against people and against animals.

Also, who are you to assume you know the activities of all animal rights protestors and how DESPICABLY RACIST to imply that the animal rights movement is solely for white people. You should be ashamed of yourself.

And, by the way, what have you done lately to further the human rights movement?

According to Scary, all that animal rights activists do is hold signs. Holding signs and protesting is only one aspect to activism. Leafletting, education, legislation, research, caring for rescued animals are also forms of activism that are not usually shown in media. All forms are important because they appeal to a wider audience and disperse efforts over a wider and more effective range.

As far as holding signs, that in itself deserves appreciation. Activists may spend three hours one-way to reach a protest, endure harrassment from police and showgoers, invest time and monetary resources for much needed leafletts and signs, and still manage to pay their bills and maintain personal obligations.

The USDA inspection reports of Ringling Brothers can be seen at Circuses.com. Discover for yourself why so many people have become outraged at the hiddeous treatment of these innocent animals and are taking action now.

It's easy to look into the past and see the grievous errors of your ancestors, but it is much harder to look at yourself and see your own bias and malice. As a black animal liberationist I take offense at the idea that this is a white persons issue, when it is not a human issue at all.

Animals in circuses are treated as slaves. These elephants and tigers who are bound in chains feel the same desire for freedom that my ancestors felt when they were shipped to brazil to be used as machines. The MOVE organization first turned my eyes towards the horror of circuses and other speciesist acts. Perhaps it is time for you to look at your human privelege and alleged biological superiority and realise that you are a modern day defender or slavery- and even worse- a defender of such slavery on the grounds that it is a "white issue."

Zacharia

Dear revolutionary ideas,

Though I do understand how you can say such absurd things, with all due respect, your idea here is anything but revolutionary. In fact, this kind of thinking is what brought our society to the current appauling and oppressive state that it is in. By claiming, "Oh, they're JUST......." (or any equivocal phrase) has been the most successful means of the ones in power to justify their subjective repression of those that are less powerful. Why ever, should we turn around (especially if we are members of a group or class that ourselves have been victims of this same repressive domination) and treat other individuals in such a manner that we know all too well is disrespectful at best, and mostly abominable.

Humans suffer daily; animals suffer daily.

Every day, I involve myself with tackling some aspect of oppression of humans, but one thing that our neighboring nonhuman tribes don't have the luxury that we do, is they have absolutely no voice in which to speak for themselves....so the need to speak on their behalf becomes more imperative and apparent.

I know that some day you will realize that 'others' are not our perception of them, but rather, OTHERS, as important to themselves as you are to yourself.

You will also come to realize that all struggles to end oppression/repression/injustice are good. Perhaps you may not see the inherent value of others work until you've stepped into their shoes.

Finally, you should know that my battles for other individuals doesn't diminish your work, but rather compliments it, for we all (the human and nonhuman advocates that I know) seek to change the very paradigm that this society has accepted (or forced to accept).

Until then, I encourage you to continue to fight against repression but also start educating yourself a bit further---you may then find finally, that you can aptly apply the tag 'revolutionary ideas' to your persona.

Suggested reading: Dreaded Comparison, Marjorie Spiegel

If ethical veganism is so white, why do all the vegans eat at vegetarian and vegan ethnic restuarants operated by chinese, vietnamese, indians, and (in some cities) blacks?

Around the world, there's been a long and interesting history of dietary restrictions. It's something people have done for centuries.

why don't you morons get a life! Ringling Brothers is not your average circus -do you not notice THEIR elephants are performing tricks without the use of the elephant hooks and are rewarded after perfoming their tricks with treats and unlike other circuses Ringling elephants are not chained up when not performing

why don't you idiots investigate before you protest?