[pyrnet] Humane USA endorses Gore

[Katie Allison Granju <kgranju@yahoo.com>]

> >
> > HUMANE USA ENDORSES GORE-LIEBERMAN
> >
> > Humane USA, the non-partisan political arm of the
animal protection
> > movement, today endorses Vice President Al Gore
for President and
> > Senator
> > Joseph Lieberman for Vice President and urges
animal protection
> > advocates
> > to support them.
> >
> > Humane USA endorses candidates based on a single
criterion: their stands
> > on animal protection issues. The organization is
entirely non-partisan
> > and it is not directly affiliated with any single
animal protection
> > organization.
> >
> > Humane USA has endorsed dozens of Democrats and
dozens of Republicans in
> > races for Congress (www.humaneusa.org).
> >
> > In October 2000, Humane USA received a "statement
of principle and
> > policy" from the Gore-Lieberman campaign on animal
issues. Here are
> > policy positions it sets out, with excerpts of the
letter in quotes:
> >
> > -- Gore opposes commercial whaling and the trade
in ivory. "The
> > Administration successfully opposed a proposal by
the southern African
> > countries to allow the sale of current ivory stock
at the April 2000
> > meeting of the Convention on the International
Trade in Endangered
> > Species (CITES), as well as efforts by Norway and
Japan to resume
> > commercial whaling."
> >
> > -- Gore will promote alternatives to animal tests
and work to validate
> > non-animal tests. "Al Gore will appoint an
Environmental Protection
> > Agency (EPA) Administrator who will end the use of
animal test subjects
> > where alternative, non-animal test methods are
feasible."
> >
> > -- Gore opposes the use of steel-jawed leghold
traps. "As President, Al
> > Gore will continue to oppose the use of these
inhumane devices."
> >
> > -- Gore opposes any trade in bear gall bladders or
other viscera and
> > supports federal legislation to ban any interstate
trade or import or
> > export of bear parts.
> >
> > -- Gore supports federal legislation to bar any
interstate shipment of
> > animals for fighting purposes.
> >
> > -- Gore supports increased funding for enforcement
of the Animal Welfare
> > Act. "The Administration's FY 2001 Budget proposes
$16 million for AWA
> > activities, an increase of $5 million above the
current FY 2000
> > estimate."
> >
> >
> > In the 106th Congress, Senator Lieberman had a 100
percent rating on The
> > Humane Scorecard from The Humane Society of the
United States and The
> > Fund for Animals. He voted to ban the use of
steel-jawed leghold traps
> > on
> > National Wildlife Refuges for commerce or
recreation and voted to limit
> > funding for an international program that
encourages foreign tuna fleets
> > to surround dolphins with deadly nets as a means
of catching tuna. He
> > also cosponsored legislation to combat
cockfighting (S. 345) and the
> > bear
> > parts trade (S. 1109). He has led efforts to
combat whaling by Japan and
> > Norway.
> >
> > Texas Governor George W. Bush has issued no policy
statement on animal
> > issues. What's more, he has received strong
support from constituencies
> > that are overtly hostile to basic animal
protection, including the
> > National Rifle Association and the American Farm
Bureau. Most
> > disturbing,
> > Governor Bush was named earlier this year
"Governor of the Year" by the
> > Safari Club International, an extremist trophy
hunting organization that
> > promotes killing rare mammals throughout the
world. SCI encourages
> > worldwide trophy hunting through its Hunting
Achievement Awards. In
> > order
> > to win all 29 SCI Hunting Achievement Awards, a
hunter has to kill 322
> > different species of big game mammals.
> >
> > Given these political associations, it is not
surprising to learn that a
> > President Bush may make very troubling political
appointments. MSNBC
> > reported on October 26 that Rep. Don Young would
likely leave the U.S.
> > House of Representatives if appointed Secretary of
the Interior. "...I
> > think it [the Secretary's position] will be
offered," intoned Young.
> > Rep.
> > Young, who has a grizzly bear trophy mounted in
his office and who is
> > Congress's only licensed trapper, is virulently
opposed to basic
> > protections for animals. Rep. Young has pushed to
weaken the Marine
> > Mammal Protection Act to promote trophy hunting of
polar bears and, in
> > his capacity as chairman of the Resources
Committee, advocated the
> > opening of even more federal land to hunting
("Hunting Heritage Act,"
> > H.R. 4790). He
> > bragged during a hearing on H.R. 4790 that during
his tenure as chairman
> > not a single national wildlife refuge was created
that did not allow
> > hunting.
> >
> > Though he would undoubtedly assume a number of
pro-animal positions and
> > is particularly strong on trade issues, Ralph
Nader has no realistic
> > chance of becoming president. Beyond that, Nader
has not reached out to
> > the animal protection community. One of his most
notable statements on
> > animals was uttered in support of the treaty
rights of  the Makah Nation
> > to hunt whales off the coast of Washington state.
> >
> > Given that the race for the presidency is so
close, there is a real
> > prospect that voting for Nader will elect Bush. We
strongly urge your
> > support of Gore-Lieberman and hope you will spread
the word to other
> > animal advocates. The full text of the
Gore-Lieberman statement on
> > animals can be found on www.humaneusa.org.
> >
> >               Wayne Pacelle Chairman
> >               Linda Nealon Executive Director
> >               Diana Norris Director
> >               Gene Bauston Director
> >
> >               Humane USA PAC
> >               P.O. Box 19224
> >               Washington, D.C. 20036
> >               Email: contact@humaneusa.org
> >


=====
Katie Allison Granju~ 
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=62-067102762X-0

Knoxville, TN
kgranju@yahoo.com

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?