Factory Farming

Open Letter To ALL Animal Justice Party Candidates

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Animal Justice Party - VeganPolice.com.au
photo credit: Studio V2 via photopin (license)

This is an open letter to all the candidates of the Animal Justice Party for the House of Representatives, and the Senate.

Dear candidates,

Please allow me to introduce myself.

I am an eligible voter at the coming election.

I care about the plight of other animals.

I understand the complexities of animal rights.

I am also vegan.

This means, according to Facebook, my only option is to vote for you on July 2.

This is why I am writing this letter to you.

I feel there are a few questions need answering.

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The Animal Justice Party Has Failed The Animals Already

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Have the AJP and Mark Pearson failed the animals already?
Mark Pearson, a self proclaimed voice for the voiceless who isn’t ashamed to use them as a prop. Source: Facebook

Five days ago, the Honorable Mark Pearson MLC, gave his maiden speech to the NSW’s Legislative Council. With people watching streamed footage, and a packed public gallery, this should have been a watershed moment for the plight of other animals.

Never again will the animals have a captive audience where a supposed dedicated advocate of theirs would be able to champion their cause in such an open forum.

Missed Opportunity

For all the talk and rhetoric of both him and the Animal Justice Party being a voice for the voiceless, he failed to mention anything about seeking justice for them, or that one things that could help the animals.

Going Vegan.

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The Truth About The Movie ‘Lucent’

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The Truth About Lucent - AusVegan.com.au

All we’re trying to is show people what is happening.
So we’re opening up the doors
And lighting up the dark!

These are the emotive words you hear when you watch the trailer for the movie Lucent by Chris Delforce and Aussie Pigs.

Whilst the movie has been recieved with open arms from animal ‘activits’ around the country, the question needs to be asked, “Are they really showing us what is happening?”

Let me tell you, the answer is surprising.

Two Minds Writing This

When I sat down to write this piece, I really was of two minds about it. On the one hand, as a vegan who wants the use of other animals to cease, part of me wants more movies like this to be made and shown.

Then there is the more pragmatic side of who knows and understands that films like this are only of interest to those who are already vegan, or those who are already thinking of going vegan.

To everyone else, they are just the work of extremists, and those who have no sense of reality.

And this is where the problem lies.

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“Ag-Gag”: Scaremongering or Legitimate Concerns

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Ag-gag. Scaremongering or legitimate concern
Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A little over two months ago I wrote a piece saying that as far as I was concerned, I believed that so-called ‘ag-gag’ laws would be the best thing that could happen to the animal advocacy movement as it would change the focus from treatment to use of other animals.

Since then, more and more ‘animal advocates’ have started to fly the anti ‘ag-gag’ flag.

Even though they are starting to sound like chicken little with their endless preaching of doom and gloom the reality of things is more then a little different to what we are being told.

Sure the media and politicians are branding talk of draft bills as ag-gag, though that hardly means that they are. We all know that sensationalism is what the media thrives on, and politicians only respond to that which will get them votes and time in the media.

That being said, and understanding that both sides will say whatever will get them the most publicity, it is time to sort out fact from fiction

Activists Are Not A Law Unto Themselves.

First and foremost, we need to realise that those new laws have come about because ‘activists’ are ignoring the laws that we currently have.

Despite whatever altruistic reasons are being given for breaking the law, the law is still broken.

If these people are willing to break the law with trespass and property damage to get incriminating evidence, where will they draw the line?

On the other side of the coin, seeing as digital piracy is another issue that is gaining attention, I am sure that these activists wouldn’t mind if a farmer broke in a placed a camera above the area where they use their computer to ensure that have purchased the correct licenses for the software they are using.

After all, fair is fair.

Disregard For Animal Safety

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The Speciesist Nature Of Animal Advocacy

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3345Have you noticed how it is becoming more and more popular and acceptable to ‘advocate’ for a particular animal at the expense of another?

We see it most weekends at our local supermarkets/hardware store where a Save The ‘X’ group is having a sausage sizzle to raise funds for their designated animal.

Unfortunately for the animals, these types of campaigns aren’t only reserved for those ‘small’ groups that don’t know any better.

Animals Australia does it with their Make It Possible campaign, and their continual focus on land based food animals who are kept in factory farms, show total disregard for those animals raised for research or aquatic animals raised in aquaculture.

The Animal Liberation franchise does it in nearly everything that they do.

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Once Again Sam, You’ve Got It Wrong

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Cameron, author of AusVegan.com.au with Holly from Farm Animal Rescue
Cameron, author of AusVegan.com.au with Holly from Farm Animal Rescue

I never thought I would see the day where I actually agreed with something that Sam Trethewey says when he is bagging out animal ‘activists’ and vegans, though that is exactly what has happened with his latest article, Pulped fiction hurts farmers.

Just like Mr Trethewey, I too find it sad when people make decisions about what to eat or not to eat based on assumptions or skewed information about agricultural production. And, It’s hard for people to determine the difference between information that is universally true and that which confirms their bias or values – but even with that in mind, it must take a brain devoid of inquisitiveness to shift ingrained behaviour like eating habits to suit a belief based on misinformation and no personal experience.

Though that is about all where I can agree with him.

In his scathing attack on Sam de Brito’s, Confessions of a vegan, Trethewey is just guilty of the exact same level of self righteousness and ignorance that he has levelled at de Brito.

As much as Mr Trethewey would like to deny it, ALL animal ‘farming’ in Australia is factory farming. It is just that some is more ‘intensive’ than others.

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Open Letter to Angus Taylor, Member for Hume – New South Wales

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Dear Mr Taylor,

I am writing this letter to you out of concern over comments that you have made regarding the actions the alleged extreme animal rights group Aussie Farms, and its operations director, Mr Chris Delforce.

You have said that because Mr Delforce has the view that animal agriculture shouldn’t exist that he is un-Australian and their behavior is unacceptable.

Well Mr Taylor, just like Mr Delforce, I am also of the belief that animal agriculture doesn’t have a place in the modern Australian farming landscape.

Does this also make me un-Australian?

Mr Taylor, whilst the actions of Mr Delforce and Aussie Farms may get the approval of some within the animal advocacy movement, I personally believe that they are actually setting the movement back, and making it harder for those of us who want to have a legitimate discussion about the use of other animals. In fact, the recent piece that I wrote regarding this appeared in the same publication as your comments, some 2 days earlier.

What really concerns me about your comments Mr Taylor is that as a Federal Member of Parliament for the seat of Hume, you are supposed to the people’s representative in Canberra. Not an industry representative as you appear to be.

Mr Taylor, please understand that like Mr Delforce, I will do whatever it take to shut down animal agriculture, an industry that I believe to be archaic and out-dated.

Though unlike Mr Delforce, I will do it within the confines of the law. So please do not tar us all with the same brush.

Mr Taylor, you have said that you have worked hard to understand where the animal welfare lobby comes from, though have you taken any time to understand where the ‘animal rights’ lobby comes from?

Remember they are two totally separate groups with different views and goals.

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