> > To see this story with its related links on the guardian.co.uk site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/06/uselections2008.sarahpalin> > 'This person loves Jesus'> Sarah Palin's road from mayor of a small Alaskan town to John McCain's running mate is littered with casualties. But then she is, she believes, on a mission from God> Ed Pilkington in Wasilla, Alaska> Saturday September 6 2008> The Guardian> > > There is a striking similarity between Barack Obama and his new nemesis, Sarah Palin - and it's not just that they are both big on basketball. They have equally set out on what Obama likes to call an "improbable journey" that will see one of them make it all the way to the White House on November 4.> > In Palin's case, the improbable journey began here: a sprawling wooden compound that looks like a cross between an oversized McDonald's and a prison complex. It occupies a patch of barren ground on the edge of Wasilla, the tiny town in Alaska in which she spent her childhood and cut her political teeth. Above the entrance a banner announces that this is the home of the Wasilla Assembly of God, motto: "To know Him, and to make Him known!"> > It was here Palin was baptised, or "saved", as she describes it, and later had her children baptised. It was here she was inducted into the peculiar rituals of her fundamentalist faith - the charismatic preaching, the laying on of hands, the tears and cries of joy of the Pentecostal church. "I grew up in the Wasilla Assembly of God," she once said. "Nothing freaks me out about the worship service."> > On the night I visit the church, the congregation is huddled in a group, arms raised or clasped around each other, as the senior pastor, Ed Kalnins, leads them in prayer. "Lord, we know that you have made this church a platform," he exclaims. "You are using the wonderful Governor Palin to get your message of the gospel across."> > Pastor Ed, as his flock calls him, moved to Wasilla in 1999 - three years after the town elected Palin as its mayor. What struck him the first time they met, he has said, was that in her eyes religion came first, politics second. He thought to himself: "This person loves Jesus. That's the bottom line. She loves Jesus with everything she has. She is a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ before she is the mayor. Sarah Palin is the real deal."> > Pastor Ed's language may be colourful. But he has put his finger on a central truth about the woman who in two months' time could become the next vice-president of the US. From her earliest days at the bottom of the political ladder in minuscule Wasilla, through to her sudden rise this week into international stardom, she has always been on a mission.> > Her trajectory has run in parallel with that of her party. Her career took off precisely at the moment when the Christian right seized control of the Republican movement, casting out the fiscal conservatives who had traditionally held sway with their focus on such worldly matters as low taxes and small government.> > The shift in the party's focus from mammon to God is illustrated perfectly in Palin's successful campaign to become mayor in 1996. All previous elections had revolved around such existential questions as how to improve the pavements and get litter off the streets. She ignored all that, campaigning instead against abortion and gun control and casting aspersions on her (Republican) opponent about his infrequent attendance of church.> > Victoria Naegele was editor of the local paper, The Frontiersman, at the time and can recall the shock of the Palin revolution. "I remember thinking 'Wow! Are religious issues really germane to the job of being mayor of a town of just 5,000 people?'"> > Naegele remembers vividly too a second shockwave that came swiftly after Palin's election. Instead of easing her way into the role, she went in with guns blazing, demanding that six of the department heads of the council - none of them political appointments, several with many years' service - submit their resignations. When Naegele protested through the editorial columns of the paper at what she saw as the new mayor's heavy-handed style, she felt the heat. "It was a difficult time. I was lambasted as a liberal, when in fact I am a Christian conservative Republican, just like Sarah Palin."> > Then, in an incident that is fast turning into the stuff of political legend, Palin was revealed earlier this week to have attempted to censor Wasilla's library. The idea is almost laughable when you see the library itself. Its small collection of books includes a prominent section on hunting and fishing, and no visible copies of Lady Chatterley's Lover. Yet in 1996, after parents complained about a book their child had taken home, Palin took umbrage. Frustratingly, no one can remember the volume concerned. What we do know is that Palin turned on the then librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, asking her in a council meeting what she would do if she were told by the mayor to remove certain books from the collection.> > Local resident Anne Kilkenny was in the public gallery and heard the librarian's reaction: "She sucked in her breath, and replied that the books in the library were all acquired in accordance with professional criteria and she would resist completely."> > Palin has since claimed her question was purely rhetorical. That is not how Naegele and Kilkenny perceived it at the time. A few weeks later, Palin sent Emmons a letter terminating her employment. "People in the town rose up in anger," Kilkenny recalls. "The library is an important institution in our city, as there's not a lot else to do here in the winter but sit by the fire with a good book. There was real public pressure, and Sarah was forced to rescind the letter."> > Emmons survived. Others were less fortunate. The museum director, city planner and public works director all quit within months of Palin's ascendancy, and the police chief was sacked outright (he sued for wrongful dismissal but lost). Palin said the turnover was needed to clean out the "old boys' club". Others were not so sure.> > Again, she was utterly in tune with the trajectory of her party. By the end of the 1990s the Republican leadership had adopted a modus operandi that also combined religious zealotry with managerial ruthlessness. Yet this development was not without its detractors within the party. One of the loudest critics was the very man who has put Palin on the national stage: John McCain. Paradoxically, it was partly his disdain for the grip that TV preachers came to hold over the Republicans that earned him a reputation as a maverick.> > Since then, Palin has travelled a huge distance in her journey towards the White House. Two years ago she became Alaska's first female governor, with some of the most valuable natural resources in the US under her control. Stylistically, she's become much more sophisticated. But under the surface, the way of operating has changed little.> > The religious mission is still front and centre of her politics. She opposes abortion in all cases other than those in which the mother would die if she were to give birth. She is a vocal opponent of gay marriage, and advocate of the teaching of anti-evolutionary creationism, or "intelligent design", in schools.> > Her religious beliefs extend to a conviction that the Iraq war is God's will. When she returned to Wasilla in June to pray with her old congregation, she said of the troops being posted to Iraq, including her own son, Track: "Our national leaders are sending them out on a task from God. We have to pray there is a plan and that it's God's plan."> > Most poignantly, she will not countenance sex education for teenagers, preferring instead to preach that abstinence is the only complete protection against pregnancy or venereal disease. It would be a cheap shot to suggest that this week's bombshell revelation that her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is herself pregnant was Palin's comeuppance.> > But it would not be unfair to point out that Alaska has the highest per capita incidence of chlamydia in the country, and that the rate of teenage pregnancies across the US, including within her state, has just risen for the first time in 14 years - a trend many blame on George Bush's preferment of abstinence-only education. "It's frustrating we aren't doing more to inform our children," said Brittany Goodnight of the Alaska branch of Planned Parenthood.> > If the religious flame still burns bright, so too does the ruthless determination. In an echo of what happened to the librarian and police chief in Wasilla all those years ago, Palin is embroiled in a full-scale investigation by the Alaskan state legislature into allegations that she sacked the safety commissioner because he in turn refused to act against a police officer whom Palin wanted dismissed. > > The officer, Mike Wooten, was the governor's former brother-in-law, who had been through an acrimonious divorce from her sister. Palin, her husband, Todd, and several of her aides tried to convince the commissioner, Walter Monegan, to fire Wooten, but he refused.> > The casualties scattered along Palin's path continue to mount. Lyda Green, a neighbour of Palin's in Wasilla, has just become the latest. She is stepping down as a state senator after 14 years.> > Green is the leader of the Republicans in the Alaskan senate and an old-style fiscal conservative. She voted against several of the governor's most important initiatives over the past two years, including a move to increase taxes on the big oil and gas companies. Green was surprised by the reprisals that followed. "I found early on that if you disagreed with her it was not taken as a disagreement with policy, but a personal disagreement."> > First came the embarrassment of a radio interview between Palin and a local rightwing shock-jock in which the interviewer called Green a bitch and a cancer within the party. Palin's response on air? She laughed.> > "She knew I'm a cancer survivor - she sent me flowers," Green says. "That was a very lacklustre moment."> > Then Palin arranged for a friend to stand this summer against Green in the Republican party's selection process for her own senate seat. Green decided to stand down rather than go through a primary battle she was sure would be ugly. "There came a point when I thought it was no longer worth it," says Green. "I didn't need, in a community as small as this, to stand in the face of this very popular governor." Then she adds: "But it's not a way to run a government."> > That's a pertinent observation, I suggest, in the light of the next destination Sarah Palin hopes to reach in her improbable journey. "It is pertinent," Green replies.Putin v Palin: who would win in a shoot-out?> > American politicians have a long tradition of talking up their expertise with firearms. Most recently, then-hopeful presidential candidate Mitt Romney was caught boasting he'd "been a hunter pretty much all my life" - by which, it turned out, he meant he'd been rabbit shooting twice. But Sarah Palin's claim seems far more justifiable: a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, she's been caribou hunting on numerous occasions, and footage exists of her firing an A4 assault rifle in Kuwait. She has also taken a close personal interest in "aerial wolf gunning", an Alaskan practice that involves exactly what you'd imagine.> > Vladimir Putin's recent tiger-tranquillising triumph, on the other hand, raises numerous questions. It wasn't caught on camera, even though he was with a TV crew, whose lives he reportedly saved, and footage that was released showed another member of the crew explaining how to hold the weapon. Firing a tranquilliser dart is easier, too: there's less kickback. Putin has been photographed brandishing a rifle in the past, but actual instances of shooting seem curiously absent.> > Gun enthusiasts swooned over Palin in the US, though some noted the rifle in the Kuwait video appears to be a modified one, equipped with a laser; you can't see the targets, but it's likely she was shooting at a simulator screen. Still, as one of the soldiers can be heard to observe, she's apparently "hitting pretty close to dead centre". > > This may not be the most persuasive foreign policy qualification in presidential history, but if Palin had to face Putin in a shoot-out on an ice floe in the Bering Strait, it seems likely she'd win. Unless Dick Cheney was hunting in the vicinity, of course, in which case he'd probably accidentally kill them both.> > Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008>
this has also been shown as true by snopes.com here is the link if you would like to see what they had to say.
snopes.com: A Note to All by Anne Kilkenny
This has been confirmed by the Anchorage Daily News. This is an honest assessment. I got it from politico.com.Dear friends,So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in common: their gender and their good looks. :)You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .Thanks,AnneABOUT SARAH PALINI am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992. Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city.She is enormously popular; in every way she's like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because she is a "babe".It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents for seven months.She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby. There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin's kind of job is highly sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything like that of native Alaskans.Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.She's smart.Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's surplus, borrow for needs.She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren't generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the State's top cop (see below).As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's Police Chief because he "intimidated" her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support.She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn't like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her.When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party) engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club" when she dramatically quit, exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined).As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork".She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative.Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march to the beat of her drum.Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State's lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior's decision to list polar bears as threatened species.McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being President.There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she.However, there's a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it.CLAIM VS FACT*"Hockey mom": true for a few years.*"PTA mom": true years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since.*"NRA supporter": absolutely true*social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconsitutional).*pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to promote it.*"Pro-life": mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation*"Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000.*political maverick: not at all*gutsy: absolutely!*open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions.*has a developed philosophy of public policy: no*"a Greenie": no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.*fiscal conservative: not by my definition!*pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built streets to early 20th century standards.*pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents*pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla's history.*pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union.WHY AM I WRITING THIS?First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny + Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that's life.Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's attempt at censorship.Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.CAVEATSI am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor) from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The day Palin's selection was announced a city official told me that the current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was 5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to 2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90's.Anne KilkennyAugust 31, 2008
Keep Your Animals Safe On July 4th!
The Fourth of July can be one of the most dangerous and frightening holidays for animals. Loud explosions are terrifying to animals who don't understand them.
With proper planning and some common sense, your companion animals can remain safe and secure on Independence Day. Here are some tips:
* First and foremost, leave your companion animals at home when you go to see fireworks! Resist the urge to take them to fireworks displays.
* Before you leave home for the fireworks, make sure your animals are indoors in a sheltered, quiet area. Some animals become destructive when frightened, so be sure that you've removed any items that your companion animal could destroy or that would be harmful if chewed or swallowed. Leave a television or radio playing at normal volume to keep him/her company.
* Make sure your animals are wearing identification tags (and it's even better if they're also microchipped!) so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly.
* Do not leave an animal in your car. With only hot air to breathe, your animal friend can suffer serious health effects, even death, in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air or cooling, but they do provide an opportunity for your animal to be kidnapped.
* If you know that your animal becomes seriously distressed by loud noises, consult with your veterinarian before July 4th for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays.
* Never leave your animals outside unattended, even in a fenced yard, and especially not on a chain. With explosions occuring, animals who normally wouldn't leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death. (There are lots of other reasons to never leave your dog chained! Contact us if you want more information about the negative effects of chaining dogs.)
* If you find somebody else's companion animals running at-large, either take them to the address on the tag, if you feel comfortable doing so, or bring them to the local animal shelter, where they will have the best chance of being reunited with their human families.
And our friends at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center offer the following additional tips, which are appropriate year-round but especially so on Independence Day:
* Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where animals can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison animals. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases.
* Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your animal that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.
* Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of animals' reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing - or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems could develop.
* Keep animals on their normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can cause severe indigestion and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements. And keep in mind that foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes & raisins, salt and yeast dough can all be potentially toxic to companion animals.
* Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression. If inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia in animals.
* Never use fireworks around animals! While exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns and/or trauma to the face and paws of curious animals, even unused fireworks can pose a danger. Many types contain potentially toxic substances, including potassium nitrate, arsenic and other heavy metals.
It’s time once again for the ASPCA’s Annual Humane Awards, and we’re on the lookout for extraordinary people who’ve made larger-than-life efforts for animals this year, and for exceptional pets who’ve performed heroic acts.
Please submit your nominations online for the categories of:
Winners will be invited to New York City this October for our Humane Awards Luncheon at Rockefeller Center’s historic Rainbow Room. The deadline for entries is almost here, so please tell us about these exceptional pets and people by July 15, at noon EST. For more information, please visit ASPCA.org.
Please help create a safe haven for whales
Sign on now to save whales!
Please sign this petition to add your voice to those calling for a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary. Thanks to other IFAW supporters like you, we already have over 35,000 signatures. Please help us reach our goal of 100,000 names in time for the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which meets on June 23rd, 2008, in Santiago, Chile. A commitment to conservationThis year, Commission members will consider a proposal to create a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary that will extend across the South Atlantic, from the coast of South America to the coast of Africa, and on down towards Antarctica. The vote on the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary provides a vital opportunity for the IWC to show that it is committed to whale conservation. Please sign the petition now to convince IWC members to support the sanctuary. Sign on to save whales Although commercial whaling has been banned for more than two decades, Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to fire harpoons into these gentle creatures. More than 30,000 whales have been killed since the 1986 ban on whaling. You can help make the world a safer place for whales by protecting one of the largest whale habitats. IFAW is working hard to convince IWC members to approve the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary. But we can’t do it alone. Please help us secure this protected area for whales. Sign on to help animals and peopleIFAW’s goal in every one of its campaigns is to try to find solutions that benefit animals and people. The South Atlantic is an important whale conservation area because it provides the bordering nations with opportunities to develop whale-watching operations. The tourism income would be especially helpful for these developing nations. In addition, the sanctuary would provide a safe area to conduct humane, non-invasive scientific research. Together we can make the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary a safe harbor for whales, and in the process, help provide economic opportunities for the people in the bordering nations. Thank you for signing on to save whales,Fred O'ReganPresident and CEOp.s. We need to secure as many signatures as possible before the IWC meeting on June 23. Please pass this on to friends and family, and help us convince the IWC to create the sanctuary.
Urge Your Representative to Support Strong Climate LegislationWith your help, momentum is growing in Congress for strong national global warming legislation—just this month, the Senate had their first vote on major climate legislation. Now we need to turn to the House and educate lawmakers about key issues they must address in any final climate policy. Please urge your representative to commit to getting the details right by signing a climate principles letter, which will be sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Strong support for the letter will help the speaker press for a strong global warming bill in the House. The letter contains important recommendations for ensuring that any final legislation succeeds in preventing the worst consequences of warming, moves the United States to a clean energy economy, minimizes economic impacts, and aids vulnerable communities and ecosystems. Send a letter to your representative today!Sincerely,Kate AbendNational Field OrganizerUCS Climate Program
Subject: Please sign climate principles letterDear Representative,I am writing to urge you to sign the Waxman-Markey-Inslee climate principles letter, which will eventually be sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi.Global warming is real and people in the United States and around the world are already feeling the consequences, from droughts, to more extreme weather, to sea level rise. Recently, more than 1,700 U.S scientists and economists issued a statement urging policy makers to ensure global warming pollution reductions on the order of 15-20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050 to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. The statement noted that acting quickly to begin reducing emissions is the most cost-effective response to global warming, with smart reduction strategies offering an opportunity to grow the economy, generate new domestic jobs, protect public health, and strengthen energy security.The Waxman-Markey-Inslee climate principles letter details how global warming legislation can achieve the needed emissions reductions while providing these other benefits. Specifically, the letter includes recommendations for ensuring that our final national climate policy succeeds in preventing the worst consequences of warming, moves the United States to a clean energy economy, minimizes economic impacts, and aids vulnerable communities and ecosystems.Please support these principles by signing on to the letter—contact Melissa Bez at (202) 225-3976. Vulnerable populations and all our children are counting us to get the details right on U.S. climate policy.
Instructions:Click here to take action on this issue.Tell-A-Friend:Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. Tell-a-Friend! What's At Stake:Congressional momentum is growing for action on global warming as UCS activists and others across the country demand a strong national climate policy. Over the last year, UCS activists have sent letters to their lawmakers urging them to support the Waxman Safe Climate Act (HR 1590) in the House, a bill that would ensure the needed 80 percent emission reductions by 2050. UCS supporters have helped raise cosponsorship for the Safe Climate Act to 145 representatives! That bill lays important groundwork by establishing a flexible economy-wide cap-and-trade program—a market-based approach to limiting global warming pollution. The principles letter being circulated by representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Jay Inslee (D-WA) goes a step further by providing the details on how such a program should be structured and will be sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi.Strong support for the letter will help the speaker press for the best possible global warming bill in the House. The letter contains important recommendations for ensuring that any final legislation succeeds in preventing the worst consequences of warming, moves the United States to a clean energy economy, minimizes economic impacts, and aids vulnerable communities and ecosystems. More . . .
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Learn how you can save pets from cruelty and abuse. Read this message online.
Who could hurt an innocent animal?
Prevent cruelty andrescue its victims withyour gift today.
For more than 140 years, the ASPCA, with tremendous support and generosity from people like you, has been making a difference in animals’ lives. Such was the case with a sweet dog named Miss Bea.
An anonymous tip made us aware of Miss Bea’s deplorable situation. When our Humane Law Enforcement Agents arrived on the scene, what they discovered was absolutely awful. Miss Bea was locked in a closet, her coat a solid mass of matted fur, laden with urine, feces, and filth. In addition, she was suffering from an ear infection and nails so long they had curled around and were piercing her paw pads.
As if this was not enough, Miss Bea’s lack of grooming and exercise had caused the muscles in her front legs to atrophy. She had been denied exercise and basic grooming for so long that she could no longer walk or even stand on her own. Given the extent of the neglect in this case, the owner was immediately arrested on animal cruelty charges.
Your support of our efforts at the ASPCA is the best thing, all too often the only good thing, in the lives of abused, betrayed pets like Miss Bea. Find out how that support saved Miss Bea’s life.Read more>>
Always remember to Make Pet Adoption Your First Option®!
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Tell Congress: End Invasive Research on Chimpanzees
The Great Ape Protection Act (H.R.5852) is an important bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on April 17, 2008. The bill proposes a ban on the use of chimpanzees in invasive biomedical research and testing. This long-sought, landmark bill has bi-partisan support and will prohibit the federal government from funding research on great apes, prevent the government from breeding chimpanzees for research, and require the transfer of approximately 600 chimpanzees in federal custody from laboratories to permanent sanctuaries.
That's right, guns in parks. LOADED guns in parks. For some reason, the NRA thinks it's a great idea to let anyone and everyone possess loaded weapons in our national parks. Visitor safety? Who cares, right? You care. And you know that our current policies are smart and sound, and protect the rights of gun owners and visitors' safety equally. Allowing loaded guns in parks poses a threat to wildlife, park visitors, and puts our already over-burdened park rangers at even greater risk. The Bush Administration has opened up the regulations for comment. If they want comments, let's not disappoint them. Submit your comments TODAY and tell them to keep the current regulations in place. Take action!
IDA-Project Hope Helps Rescue 202 Animals from Puppy Mill
Funds are urgently needed for their care at sanctuary
IDA-Project Hope recently aided the Tupelo Lee Humane Society with the rescue of 202 dogs and cats surrendered by Ramon and Janet Barreto, the owner/operators of Luv-A-Puppy, a puppy mill located in New Albany, Mississippi. The puppy mill was discovered when Union County officials removed eight of the Barreto's nine children for protective custody. The couple was apprehended while trying to leave town.
To avoid USDA licensing and any scrutiny, Luv-A-Puppy raised dogs for sale on the internet rather than through pet shops, claiming in classified online ads that the dogs were healthy. Officials who investigated the puppy mill found 181 filthy, matted dogs and puppies and 21 cats and kittens in feces-packed wire cages. In some areas the feces buildup beneath the cages was several feet deep.
Project Hope keeps a number of extra kennels for just such emergencies, and Project Hope Director Doll Stanley delivered them to the Tupelo Lee Humane Society. She also arranged for groomers to donate their services, as most of the dogs are badly matted, and found volunteers who can take in some of the animals.
This and other emergencies have depleted Project Hope's emergency funds. Please make a donation to Project Hope to restore the fund and aid with the medical needs of rescued animals. All donations will be used for the sole purpose of caring for these animals. Should donations exceed the expenses of caring for the animals, they will be used to help other rescued animals.
Thank you for your compassion!
