October Outtings!

Check this link for October’s Charity Events… BecuzUcan

A Call for Our Loves

In the instance of natural disasters we often tend to neglect the effect of damage caused on pets, as the struggle humans face usually leads to a domino effect on animals in their custody. But just as much as people, if not more, natural causes for devastation such as flooding can affect pets. As a result of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 over 200,000 pets were forced to move to shelters, since their owners had nothing left and no means to take care of or house their pets.

Recently a similar phenomenon has occurred again in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when one of the city’s water pumps broke causing an exponential level of damage, causing many of the locals, roughly 4,200, to live at hotels, shelters, and even out of their cars. As a result of this many pet owners have had no choice but to drop their animals off at shelters. Quickly the shelters became over crowded, causing the veterinarians and volunteers to move the operation to a local community college in order to save as many animals possible, logging in at over 25,000 hours of service. A national outpouring of help and donations of supplies from various chain stores has enabled this team of miracle workers to care for and feed the over 1000 animals in housing.

As of now the shelter’s population has dropped down to 620 animals after the water levels receded and life in Cedar Rapids has returned to a more normal state.

Saera Murtaza

Director of Neighborhood Challenge

BecuzWEcan

Economic Crisis Affects Also Affects Pets

People aren’t the only ones affected by the economy lately; their pets also have to cope with changes, which could be less expensive food, less frequent veterinarian visits, or a new home at a local shelter.  Rising gas and food prices are leading to less money available for what some see as luxuries, and housing foreclosures are leaving some pets on the street.

Some shelters have started to offer free pet food to those families in need to help avoid them having to give their pets up for adoption.  Traditional food pantries have also seen a rise in the amount of requests for pet food.  Shelters and rescue organizations across the country are reporting dramatic increases in the number of animals given to them, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

We can help by donating to or promoting organizations like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and HSUS.  PETCO Foundation, a charity run by PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc., has established a fund called “We Are Family Too” that aims to help local programs that address the difficulty of properly keeping a pet in these difficult times.  They’ll grant up to $5000 to shelters in need and offer food bank programs, product donations, veterinarian, spay, and neuter services, and housing counselor resources.

We can also help by adopting from a local shelter if in the market for a new pet.  If a friend is considering giving up their pet, consider letting it stay with you for a while until they’re in a better position to take care of their pet.  If you’re having trouble and need to move from a house into an apartment, for example, you might be able to convince a potential new landlord to loosen his or policy on having a pet by providing information such as it’s health records and an obedience class diploma and assuring that you will always have the pet on a leash while outside or will at least be supervising.

Please research associated costs with adopting a pet from any source to be fair to your new animal and yourself.  Account for immunizations, spaying/neutering, food, supplies, grooming, fencing, medication, veterinary care, and occasional boarding in addition to any upfront costs.

Michael Lehmann

Director of Animal Welfare

BecuzWEcan

Have you ever consider limiting how much meat you consume?

Maybe you’ve heard the horror stories of those inhumane slaughter houses, or even seen the videos, which, excluding only the wicked, should have stirred a sort of cerebral conflict. Perhaps an outspoken vegan has tried to convince you to give up on that meat by stating a few hackneyed animal rights slogans, which, up until you witnessed that video were, well, hackneyed. Or is it possible that you actually have enough faith to believe that the animals you obtain that necessary protein from are here solely for your consumption just as God intended. Now that is some extraordinary faith; that type of devotion ought to help you quell any second thoughts you may have had about consuming that tasty mass of flesh and neurons. Whatever your thoughts may be about animal rights, eating meat, and so forth, something that seems to go unmentioned in the attempt to convince the masses to consume less meat is the impacts the livestock industry has on the environment. So read on, you may be surprised how much goes into that cute little piece of flesh on your plate, and at least you will be better equipped to make a more objective decision, next time, if ever, you find yourself in a bout of cognitive dissonance.

The livestock industry impacts many important environmental issues relating to air, water and soil quality as well as the preservation of biological diversity. When considering environmental problems relating to both the raising of livestock (i.e. waste management, land degradation, etc.), as well as the processing and transportation of livestock products (i.e. fossil fuel consumption, emissions, etc.), the environmental implications are far-reaching and highly varied. The major environmental issues of concern, both locally and globally, that the livestock industry may contribute to include global warming, acid rain formation, tropospheric ozone formation (not good for your lungs), stratospheric ozone depletion (not good for your skin), acidification and eutrophication of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems (not good for most living things), ground water contamination, land degradation and the depletion of biodiversity. These problems may be a result of or combination of the pollutants produced during any one of the following processes relating to livestock production: gaseous emissions from livestock during expiration, excretion and defecation; volatilization of chemicals from manure during storage and/or handling; volatilization from manure after application to the land as a fertilizer and nutrient overloading of ecosystems via leaching from manure stores and/or manure fertilizers which may also contain heavy metals and pathogens.

The amount of pollutants produced by the livestock industry depends on many variables, both inclusive to (i.e. animal type, feed type, farming practices, etc.) and exclusive of (i.e. climate, local economy, etc.) the industry. An important distinction to be made within the industry is the type of farm on which the livestock are reared. Given the same set of parameters (i.e. same animal, same climate, etc.) these different farms will emit different amounts of pollutants and are generally a compromise between quantity and quality of production. There are three types of well defined farming systems in the livestock industry: mixed farming systems, grazing systems and industrial systems.

Mixed farming systems integrate livestock and crop production on the same farm; the crop provides feed for the livestock and the livestock provides manure for the crop. Grazing systems are like mixed farming systems except there are no crops grown on the farm and the livestock graze on the native grasses. In theory both of these farming systems are of no great threat to the environment because the waste product (manure) is used to fertilize the crop or grassland. These systems are closed – nutrients and energy are cycled between the livestock and the crop or grass, thus requiring no external in-puts to the system. Industrial systems are those systems where the livestock are not free to graze and are held in high density animal pens. These systems are open, requiring various waste management strategies as well as external resources for raising the livestock. Industrial systems pose the greatest danger to the environment because the pollutants per livestock product produced are the highest. As land availability decreases and the human population increases, livestock production from industrial-type systems is expected to grow in order to keep pace with the rising demand for food. Industrial-type systems produce the greatest yields of livestock per dollar invested, thus, as long as the demand is high, these systems will become more prevalent and continue to thrive.

Wow, all this for a piece of overrated meat! So what if you can not stop that meat obsession but actually do care about the environment? Minimize, minimize, minimize. Supplement your diet with the wealth of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains…etc, that are available to us very fortunate peoples of America; contrary to popular believe, obtaining sufficient protein is not a problem. And remember it takes a lot more energy to produce a pound of beef than it does a pound of anything that obtains its energy directly from the sun. So if you move towards a more vegetarian-type diet, you will free-up some energy for children of generations to come. But if you just can’t break tradition I will ease your conscience with a sort of paradox: how supporting the livestock industry may in fact perpetuate the existence of those animal species you are killing. If we all stopped eating meat, wouldn’t that lead to the extinction of those domesticated animals that are only here for your consumption anyhow? Hey, at least they had a prime. And if that is the case, then the Lord truly does work in mysterious ways

Robert DeCamp

Treasurer

BecuzWEcan

Giorgio Armani for our Troops

This is real and these are our Troops, watch this video and make some calls.

Tell everyone you know… our Troops/Heros deserve free rooms at the Giorgio Armani in the least!

YouTube Proof

LI’s 5th Wolf EXPO

Aug 3rd 2008
From 10am-5pm
Long Island’s 5th Wolf Expo
Sponsored by “Running With The Wolves” Inc.
Expo Director/President Teresa DeMaio
631.732.WOLF • 516.982.0640

Heald at the Sheraton LI Hotel’s Grand Ball Room
Smithtown, NY 11787

Come at 11am & meet “Atka” a beautiful white Arctic Wolf and at 1pm meet “Ukia” & “Sitka,” two beautiful gray Timber Wolves.

Events, Vendors & Workshops all day for adults & children of all ages!!

Pet Adoption 1-5pm
Food Drive 11-5pm
Wildlife Exhibit 1-5pm
Save the Wolves Petition

STOP THE DEPORTATION OF U.S. WAR RESISTER COREY GLASS

NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY — Today, Wednesday, July 2nd

Our friends at the War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada have asked us to help build support for U.S. Iraq War resister Corey Glass. He is facing deportation to the U.S. on July 10th, even though the Canadian Parliament has passed a non-binding motion to let Corey and other U.S. war resisters stay in Canada.

War ResisterIt takes courage to say that you will not fight — especially if you are a soldier. As more members of the U.S. military step up to oppose the war in Iraq, the peace movement must step forward to support them. UFPJ recognizes and supports military resisters as true patriots, defending the values this country is supposed to stand for.

The Canadian government and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration must respect the will of Parliament and enact the motion which calls on the government to “immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members […] to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and … the government should immediately cease any removal or deportation actions … against such individuals.”

Today, July 2nd, the War Resisters Support Campaign urges supporters in the U.S. and Canada to call Minister Diane Finley and ask her to:

* STOP deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and all U.S. Iraq war resisters; and
* IMPLEMENT the motion adopted by Canada’s Parliament to allow U.S. Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status.

Call and/or email NOW:
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley: 613-996-4974
MP Diane Finley’s constituency office: 519-426-3400
Or email her at: minister@cic.gc.ca or finled1@parl.gc.ca

Announcing the Summer 2008 Stop the War

Long Island Mall Tour
featuring the
4000 Troops 1 million Iraqis DEAD. ENOUGH!
T-shirt

On Easter Sunday, March 23, the US casualty count in Iraq reached 4000 dead.

On Saturday March 29 we went to Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove to stand for peace. Two people were arrested inside the Mall. They were wearing T-shirts with our message: 4000 Troops 1 million Iraqis DEAD. ENOUGH!

In the month of April, an additional 52 Americans were killed.

On Saturday May 3 we went to Sunrise Mall in Massapequa. We walked around inside the Mall wearing our T-shirts and displaying photos of the 33 Long Islanders killed in Iraq. We were told the photos had to be put away.

By the end of May, 19 more Americans had been killed.
As of mid-June, 14 Americans have been killed.
The overall US casualty count in Iraq is now 4098.

Do you want to end this war? Were you with us at the Malls? Will you be there in the future? Join the Summer 2008 Stop the War Long Island Mall Tour

** June 28 Walt Whitman Mall 2:00 to 3:30 PM **
Route 110 south of Jericho Turnpike
Huntington Station 11746

July 26 Roosevelt Field Garden City
August 23 South Shore Mall Bay Shore
September Grand Finale! Back to Smith Haven Mall Lake Grove

Join us at Walt Whitman Mall. Save the other dates. Sign-up to be on the mailing list for future details. Order a T-shirt. Contact Janet Egan: e-mail workforpeace@optonline.net or call 631.424-4647

Slippery Slope to War…

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a new resolution that could effectively demand a blockade against Iran — an act that would be widely seen as an act of war and could invite Iranian retaliation, possibly leading us into a shooting war.

Over the last three weeks, 77 House Democrats and 92 Republicans have agreed to cosponsor this resolution, but we think many do not realize its dangerous implications.

This resolution (H. Con. Res. 362) was introduced by Representative Gary Ackerman. The most alarming provision “demands that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.”

Such a blockade imposed without United Nations authority (which the resolution does not call for) would be seen as an act of war. Congressional sources say the bill might first go to committee, which gives us a little more time to pressure our representatives. But whether or not it goes first to committee, or directly to the floor of the House, action on H. Con. Res. 362 is needed now. We urge you to ask your representative not to support this dangerous step toward war with Iran.

Congressional leaders seem to have assumed that there would be little opposition to this punitive measure against Iran, and they have put it on a fast track to passage. But due to the threat of war, many organizations and reasonable members of Congress are working overtime to stop this bill. Won’t you join them?

Please take action now — ask your representative to oppose this dangerous path that could lead directly to war with Iran.

You can find the full text of the resolution and list of co-sponsors here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.CON.RES.362:

Project Independence

Women Survivors of War…
(Soroptimist International & Women for Women International)

80% of all refugees and displaced persons are women and children.
20,000 Bosnian women were raped during the Balkan war between 1992 and 1995.
Rape is consciously used as a tool of genocide and weapon of war.
500,000 Rwandese women were raped in the 1994 genocide.
One in six women under Taliban – controlled Afghanistan tried to commit suicide.
70% of the 1.2 billion people living in desperate poverty are female.

There are many ways for Soroptimists to get involved with Project Independence. Use the links below to explore how Soroptimists around the world are already raising awareness and funds and how you can help women survivors of war create change in their own lives.

Women4Women