Pete Bethune on Sea Shepherd, Japanese Whaling and How Jail Changed Him

Pete Bethune

Sea Shepherd’s 2009/2010 campaign to disrupt Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean will be remembered for two names: the ship Ady Gil and its skipper, Pete Bethune of New Zealand. Pete had been captain of the carbon-composite, high-tech trimaran when it was called Earthrace and purchased for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) by millionaire Ady Gil. The futuristic-looking vessel sank after the Japanese harpoon ship Shonan Maru II rammed it on January 6. A month later, Pete managed to leap from a Jet Ski and board the Shonan Maru II while the whaler was making 14 knots and avoid anti-boarding spikes along the way. His objective was to attempt a citizen’s arrest of the captain of the Shonan Maru II for the destruction of the Ady Gil and attempted murder of the six Ady Gil crewmembers. Or maybe not. Pete was promptly taken into custody by the ship’s crew, held for 24 days and returned to Japan for trial. Charges included trespassing and assault on a whaler (apparently Japanese poachers don’t like being hit with rancid butter). Pete received a two-year sentence, which was then suspended, and he returned to New Zealand in July. He’s now working on a book. The other day I had the chance to chat with him.

What was your involvement in the anti-whaling movement prior to Ady Gil buying Earthrace for Sea Shepherd?

None really, other than being pissed off at the Japanese. In New Zealand, we all know [illegal whaling] happens in our backyard, but we feel powerless to do anything. SSCS gave me an opportunity to do something. Whaling remains deeply offensive to Kiwis and Aussies.

You’ve been writing a book. What it is about?

It is about how I got involved with SSCS, getting to Antarctica, getting rammed, prison in Japan and coming home. It also has a lot of my ideas on how we are stuffing things up these days and my views on energy, the planet and conservation.

When will it be published?

It will be published in New Zealand and Australia in November this year, and then the USA, Canada and UK next year.

There’s been a lot of debate about whether or not Captain Komura of the Shonan Maru II deliberately ran down the Ady Gil. Do you have any doubts it was intentional?

It was definitely intentional. I think he wanted to hit our front and put us out of the campaign, but maybe not hit us so far back. He was a really aggressive little bugger, all through the campaign, and a smack on our bow would have been a great result for him. Get the boat that is wreaking havoc out of the campaign. But he misjudged it, we never went into reverse, and the rest is history. I hope he wasn’t trying to kill us! Incredibly dangerous what he did, regardless.

Paul Watson has said that banning you from Sea Shepherd was a legal ploy, and that you are welcome to rejoin the group. Do you think you’ll go back?

I hope so. I am in talks with them at the moment about joining the next campaign and possible tactics, but nothing definite.

You must have known you would be arrested the moment you set foot on the Shonan Maru II. Was there a larger plan at work?

The plan was always to go to Japan and get media there. The Japanese public are very hard to connect with. By getting to Japan, we hoped to get traction with the Japanese media.

 

Protester outside courthouse / Getty

How well do you think that worked out?

We got massive media there, but much of it was negative.  But overall it was certainly a success.  You can’t please everyone.

In court, there was no discussion of why you boarded the Shonan Maru II, and Captain Komura was not called as a witness. Was there ever any question what the outcome of the trial would be?

It was always inevitable I would be found guilty. The conviction rate [in Japan] is over 98 percent! That they sank my boat had no bearing on the trial. It is irrelevant to the Japanese.

You received a two-year suspended sentence. How much jail time did you have to serve?

I did 5 months locked up, which included 24 days on the Shonan Maru II.

How did your fellow prisoners treat you?

They thought I was evil and dangerous and steered well clear of me.

Did anything good come out of the experience for you personally?

Yes. I have a healthier outlook on life. Every day is a blessing now, and I am a little more focused than before. And my tolerance is really high now: I have not been pissed off about anything since coming out.

Update: In January 2013, it was announced that Pete had sold the rights of his book to a movie producer.

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Transforming People through Humane Education

Zoe Weil has been a fixture in the animal rights movement for more than 20 years. The president of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE), Zoe has taught tens of thousands of young people about living with respect and compassion for others, and she has trained thousands of adults to be humane educators. IHE offers the first Master of Education program in Humane Education as well as a Humane Education Certificate Program and weekend training workshops across the U.S. and Canada. Zoe has served as a consultant on humane education to people and organizations around the world, and she also serves on the advisory board of the Food Empowerment Project, which seeks to create a more just and sustainable world by recognizing the power of one’s food choices.

In July, Zoe was inducted into the U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame. That same month, I saw her give an inspiring presentation at Taking Action for Animals (TAFA) in Washington, DC, where she focused on what she calls the three I’s: inquiry, introspection and integrity. She emphasized the importance of inquiring about our choices (what we eat, wear, etc.), and then being introspective about how those choices impact others, the planet and ourselves. Finally, we should live with integrity: if our choices have a negative impact, remember that there are always other, less negative choices we can make.

Her many books include Most Good, Least Harm and Above All, Be Kind. Zoe kindly took some time from her busy schedule to field some questions about her activism and philosophy.

First of all, Zoe, congratulations on being inducted into the U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame this year. You’re up there with Paul Watson, Ingrid Newkirk, Henry Spira, Karen Davis, Bruce Friedrich and Cleveland Amory, to name just a few. Which activists have inspired you and your work?

All of the people who just mentioned have been an inspiration to me! Each of them has done so much for animals, and I’m in awe of their efforts and achievements. Perhaps the activist who has had the biggest impact on me, and who was also inducted into the AR Hall of Fame a couple of years ago, is Paul Shapiro. Every day, Paul faces the worst atrocities perpetrated on animals because he works on factory farming issues, yet he remains non-judgmental, funny and kind to everyone — even those “opponents” who hurl expletives at him. I’ve seen him turn those “opponents” into allies with his warmth, clarity, reasoning and non-defensive attitude. That combination of tenacity, commitment and unrelenting effort with humor, positivity and compassion toward everyone is what will create a humane world. He’s taught me so much.

Yes, at TAFA, you read an email exchange Paul had with an angry meat-eater. It was amazing how he completely disarmed the guy by being compassionate, rather than defensive. You began your presentation there by saying we are all educators. What can animal activists do to become better educators?

We need to remember that no one wants to learn or consider changing because they’re being browbeaten or judged or yelled at. Most people do want to learn and grow, and almost everyone wants to be happier, healthier, more at peace, more aligned with their values and part of a group of joyful people. Yet, many animal activists are so angry — rightfully so, mind you — and this rage is off-putting and counterproductive. We need to find ways to deal with our sorrow, despair and fury about what’s being done to animals, but we need to do so with our friends and colleagues, not as activists trying to create change in the world. Good educators enthusiastically invite people to learn new things and act on what they learn in positive ways; they don’t tell others what to do or shame them.

“‘The world becomes what you teach’ is one of the taglines for the Institute for Humane Education,” says Zoe Weil, pictured. “I look forward to the day that humane education becomes an integral part of all education.”

You say that as activists we need to deal with our anger, sorrow, etc., with friends and colleagues. How do you deal with it?

Joan Baez once said, “Action is the antidote to despair,” and Mahatma Gandhi once responded to a reporter asking, “What is your message?” by saying, “My life is my message.” These two quotes are my mantras. I have been lucky to find the perfect action to deal with my despair and anger: I became a humane educator. Humane education is so heartening and positive and effective that it constantly helps dissipate anger, feed hope and foster good communication. I’m one of those people who can be very reactive and angry. Being a humane educator requires that I practice being kind and respectful all the time. I’m not always successful, but I’m always making an effort. Remembering that my life is my message helps me to model what I hope to create. I do vent with my husband, friends and colleagues, and this helps tremendously to blow off steam, but venting is a relief valve, not a strategy for creating change. It’s critical to find healthy ways to make a difference that promote kindness and joy in ourselves and others.

Another point you stressed in your presentation at TAFA is that it’s important that kids not simply believe what you tell them. Can you explain?

I believe that education — specifically humane education, which draws the links between human rights, animal protection and environmental preservation, and provides the tools for people to become more conscientious choicemakers and engaged changemakers for a better world — is the most effective strategy for solving all our problems and creating a humane, peaceable and sustainable society. Humane education goes to the root of all our challenges and problems and invites learners to become what we call solutionaries. But education is not indoctrination. My biggest goal as a teacher is for my students to be creative and critical thinkers. Only with these skills will they be able to solve our problems effectively and wisely. We humans believe so much that is unsubstantiated and false, and if students just believe me, then I have not done my job, because even though I endeavor to always speak the truth and share what, through my research, I believe to be accurate, my students have no way of knowing whether the information I share is true unless they are prepared to follow up and learn for themselves. If I give them anything at all, it should be the capacity to discern fact from opinion and to be lifelong learners who seek the truth so that they are able to live with integrity.

What’s the philosophy behind “most good, least harm”?

For years when I did assembly programs in schools, I’d bring in a canvas bag filled with things that represented choices, like a Styrofoam cup and a ceramic mug, or a shampoo tested on animals and a cruelty-free shampoo. I’d ask the students which of the two choices did the most good and the least harm to themselves, other people, animals and the environment. Over time I realized that this had become the guiding principle for my life. I’m always asking myself how I can do the most good and the least harm through my various choices, from what I eat, wear and buy, to what I do for work, to how I engage in democracy and activism and so on. I call this the MOGO — most good — principle. I ended up writing a book called Most Good, Least Harm because, while this is a simple principle in theory, it’s really challenging in practice and I wanted to give people the tools and tips I had discovered. At the Institute for Humane Education we have a month-long, distance-learning course called A Better World, A Meaningful Life, which is coming up in September. It’s an opportunity for people to explore how to use this principle, deeply examine their values, passions, goals and talents and create a life that is both meaningful and makes a difference in the world.

You’ve been a role model and educator for both children and adults. Which group is more receptive to your message?

Kids are way more receptive! Before co-founding the Institute for Humane Education and focusing on training adults to be humane educators, I focused my humane education efforts at the middle school through college levels. This was because youth were always eager to learn what I had to teach. They never said to me, “Oh, Zoe, please don’t tell me about x, y or z. I don’t want to know.” Adults, however, are constantly saying such things. Youth are in the process of defining themselves and developing their values. They don’t like to be hypocrites, and they don’t have decades of entrenched habits to break. Adults, on the other hand, have often built up all sorts of rationalizations and defenses along with their habits. With that said, I now spend my time teaching adults, but these are self-selected adults who want to learn how to be humane educators and want to explore how to live in ways that are more deeply aligned with their values. With that said, everyone has to find the group that they relate to best. For some, it’s young children; for others, it’s the elderly; for others, it’s parents. The one group that I would say is challenging for most people is their own families of origin.

You bring up a good point: a lot of activists tell me that they can reach out to total strangers, but family members and friends are the biggest challenge. Do you have any advice for those who want to nudge the people closest to them toward more ethical living?

My advice is to let go of trying to influence or change family and close friends. It’s amazing how often, when we are truly able to let go of our attachment to our loved ones’ choices, they are most likely to be receptive to what we have to share. We need to realize that if we’ve learned something and changed, that change may have negative effects on our loved ones. Our new choices may be inconvenient, threatening and cause defensiveness. This isn’t true with strangers or students in a classroom. In those cases, there’s no “charge” around learning from you. One of the ways in which we at the Institute for Humane Education try to help activists and humane educators is to give them tools for non-judgmental and positive communication, but most people will say that it’s still hardest with family and close friends.

For more about Zoe’s work, check out ZoeWeil.com.

I Brake for (and Assist) Animals

I could not have slept tonight if I had not given those two little birds to their mother.

— Abraham Lincoln, who stopped to return two fledglings to their nest

If there’s anything that upsets me more than seeing an animal on the road who’s been hit by a car, it’s knowing that the driver simply kept going. Maybe ― in the case of a squirrel or other small animal — the driver wasn’t aware of what he’d done. But no one could miss the thud of a 30- or 40-pound raccoon. Such was the scene I came upon early this morning: an adult raccoon who had been struck by a car, bleeding from her mouth, lying in the middle of a busy two-lane road. I slowed as I passed and thought I detected some movement — a twitch of her tail, perhaps. I pulled over and called Animal Control, but the dispatcher said there was nothing they could do to help a raccoon; he suggested I call the county wildlife-rescue center. No thanks, I thought; I’ll do something myself. Who knows how long before someone runs over her.

Chris Young/State Journal Register

I got out of my truck and approached her carefully; she was clearly alive, the hair on her abdomen rising and falling with each breath. I silently cursed everyone who had been too busy or just too insensitive to stop for this poor creature.

There was no way I was going to leave her in the street to die, though I felt woefully unprepared to pick her up and transport her: all I had was a bath towel. What I also needed was a cardboard box, like an animal carrier you get from shelters, and some thick gloves. Draping the towel over her, I tucked the ends of the cloth under her body and gently lifted her, letting one edge of the towel fall over her eyes. She didn’t even stir as I placed her on the floor of my truck. I could only imagine the pain and fear she was suffering. I drove straight to a 24-hour pet hospital in my city, and they agreed to euthanize her. (When I offered to pay, the technician said they have a Good Samaritan policy and don’t charge for euthanizing injured wildlife. Nice.)

Perhaps people don’t stop because they don’t know what to do to help. A little preparation can go a long way, so here are a few tips:

• Know the locations and phone numbers of your local pet hospital and wildlife-rescue center.
• Keep a cardboard box with air holes (like this one) in your vehicle, as well as thick gloves and a large towel.
• Carry these items with you as you move toward the animal.
• When approaching an injured animal, move slowly and quietly; resist the urge to speak to him.
• Wearing gloves, gently lift the animal unto the towel and place him into the box and close the lid. If he won’t fit into the box, wrap him in the towel and cover his eyes.
• Back in your vehicle, keep the radio off. If it’s cold outside, leave the heater on. Don’t speak to the animal.
• Note the location where you found him. If he can be rehabilitated and released, this will help rehabilitators return him to his home territory.

Remember, even if the injured animal does not vocalize, she is scared and in pain. Drive her to your local animal hospital, animal shelter or wildlife-rescue center. If injuries are severe (which would be consistent with being struck by a car), staff will likely euthanize her. That’s not a happy ending, of course, but it’s much better than the fate that would await her lying in the street.

NOTE: PETA offers a rescue kit — including a cardboard box, leash and towel — for $14, though it doesn’t include gloves.  

Follow @markhawthorne

 

Site Provides Free Animal Videos to Media and Activists

Footage of battery-caged hens. Video taken inside research labs. Undercover shots of circus cruelty. Activists probably understand better than anyone the transformative power of images, and such videos are readily accessible on YouTube, Google, Yahoo and social-networking sites. Sometimes the resolution is excellent and other times, well, not so much. Television news programs doing a story on animals, however, prefer broadcast-quality video ― and if they can download clips for free from the Internet, all the better.

But high-quality video of animals can be hard to acquire, especially when the subject is animal exploitation. Stepping in to meet this demand is the recently launched site FreeAnimalVideo.org. A tool for animal activists as well as mainstream media outlets, FreeAnimalVideo.org is a digital library of video clips offered to anyone at no charge.

The site is the brainchild of two Los Angeles-based activists, Sandra Mohr and Patty Shenker. Sandra has been shooting, directing and editing videos for animal causes since the mid-‘90s (among many other projects, she edited the documentary Behind the Mask); Patty is a longtime fixture in the animal-rights movement, well known for her tenacity and generosity.

Sandra Mohr

“We wanted to start the website for three reasons,” explains Sandra. “First, to get everyone’s footage off the shelf and have it reused by students, media and documentarians to help animals. Second, to create a site where the press could immediately get video of animals and animal issues — with no strings attached — so that they can create their news packages and put them on TV. And third, to help distribute breaking news about animals instantaneously via the Internet.”

Although the site has only been active since July 1, CNN’s “Headline News” has already used their footage to cover a story about rescued Bolivian lions, and they now host the FreeAnimalVideo.org link on their main page for the show “Issues” with Jane Velez-Mitchell.

Patty Shenker and friends

Videos on FreeAnimalVideo.org are provided by animal-protection organizations, animal sanctuaries and individual activists. Categories include farmed animals, animals used in entertainment, marine animals, pets, animals used in research, wildlife and animals used for fashion and sports. In addition to lions, the site currently offers downloadable clips of tigers, elephants, bison, cows, chickens, pigs, horses, turkeys, sheep, goats and monkeys, as well as shots of animal activists in action. Some of the videos are heartwarming, and some of them are heartbreaking.

If you have a high-resolution video depicting animals or animal activism, even if it’s unedited, uploading your clip to FreeAnimalVideo.org is a great way to help our message go mainstream. Videos promoting an animal-related cause or organization are also welcome. “We want activists to call us first when they have video they want distributed to the media,” says Sandra. “This is where we can really help. We know how to put the video up so that news stations can grab it and use it in minutes.”

Wisconsin Group Takes on Pig Wrestling

The idea of humans going mano a mano with a four-legged animal is certainly nothing new. No doubt inspired by the debauchery of ancient Rome — where countless lions, bears, elephants, tigers, and other creatures died in games for human amusement within massive amphitheaters — today’s contests involving animals may be much less grand, but the oppression is the same. From bullfighting and rodeos to kangaroo boxing and lion “taming,” animals are unwilling participants in the trivial pursuit of entertainment.

Justin Connaher/Sheboyganpress.com

One of the lesser-known games with several variations is pig wrestling. One variation, held in locations throughout Wisconsin every year, calls for participants to catch a pig in a mud-filled pit and attempt to drop him or her into a barrel. There are both men’s and women’s divisions, and the team that gets the pig into the barrel in the shortest time wins. If you have any doubt about whether these events are inhumane, I urge you to study the faces of the pigs in the accompanying photos.

One group campaigning to stop this abuse is Alliance for Animals (AFA). If that name sounds familiar, it may be because last month AFA was instrumental in getting a judge to determine that UW-Madison officials may be subject to criminal penalties for fatal decompression experiments involving sheep. Based in Madison, the nonprofit now has its sights set on pig wrestling; they’ve conferred with an attorney and contacted event organizers throughout the state.

Lynn Pauly, co-director of AFA, says these contests are in violation of the Wisconsin Crimes Against Animals statute 951.08, which states that “No person may intentionally instigate, promote, aid or abet as a principal agent or employee, or participate in the earnings from, or intentionally maintain or allow any place to be used for a cockfight, dog fight, bullfight or other fight between the same or different kinds of animals or between an animal and a person. This section does not prohibit events or exhibitions commonly featured at rodeos or bloodless bullfights.”

“Since pig wrestling is between an animal and a person and is not commonly featured at rodeos or bloodless bullfights, we feel this is a crime against animals as per Wisconsin Law,” says Lynn. Moreover, she notes, not only are those who run or participate in pig wrestling competitions breaking the law, but a spectator of such an event is also in violation of Chapter 951 and could face felony charges.

So far, the Shawano County Fair, scheduled for Labor Day weekend, cancelled its pig-wrestling event shortly after receiving AFA’s letter.

James Roh/Daily Herald

Other organizers haven’t been as cooperative. “When the Stoughton Fair in our own Dane County did not cancel its event, we contacted Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard,” says Lynn. “Mr. Blanchard called upon Stoughton Police Department to investigate the planned event, and based on their report said, ‘I do not believe that what is occurring here could be described as a ‘fight.’ I also strongly suspect that what is described here is akin to exhibitions commonly featured at rodeos. For these reasons, this office declines to take further action at this time in this connection.’”

Alliance for Animals was founded in 1983 shortly after thousands of animal rights activists marched past the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center during a nationwide protest. AFA is hoping to get a national group or a donor to help them financially so they can hire an attorney to file charges against organizers of pig-wrestling events.

“Compassion and kindness to animals must be taught by example,” says Lynn. “These events do just the opposite.”     

For information on how you can help, please visit nopigwrestling.org.

YEA for Young Activists!

No one could ever accuse Nora Kramer of being a quitter. When she was laid off from her job last year, the longtime animal activist took advantage of the extra time she had to jump right in and start something new. The result is a summer program developed around young people who want to make a difference. Youth Empowered Action Camp (YEA) got off to a great start last summer, and this year promises to be even better.

“We will have camp in Oregon and two sessions in California, so we’ll reach three times as many kids,” explains Nora. “And we are clarifying our focus on four things that all of our core activities are geared around: building knowledge, skills, confidence and community to empower effective activism.” This year, campers will be asked to take on a project and spend at least an hour a week on it after camp.

Nora says there will also be more attention on animal rights issues. “We have gotten a lot of media recently from the AR/veg community, and as a result, we have more youth who are choosing that issue this year than we did last year.” Other social justice issues covered at YEA Camp will include racism, gay rights and poverty, with each camper choosing his or her area of interest.

The California camp will be located at the Quaker Center in Ben Lomond and will be divided into two sessions. Session I is July 25 through July 30, and Session II is July 31 through August 5. The Oregon camp will be August 14 through August 21 at Camp Onahlee in Molalla, 25 miles from Portland.

YEA Camp costs $800 for the full program. The price includes comfortable cabin lodging, nutritious vegan food, all activities and workshops, a highly experienced adult staff and inclusion in the post-camp mentoring program, through which campers will apply what they learn to real-world activism opportunities. Nora says that scholarships are available for those who might need financial assistance.

Campaign Raises Awareness About Forgotten Mothers

Some days of the year just seem custom made for activism. Easter, for example, is a great time to ask people not to give their children rabbits, ducks or chicks as gifts. And what better day than Thanksgiving to explain how friends and families can celebrate a holiday without contributing to the suffering of turkeys? Activists have many ways to get the word out, from letters to editors and leafleting, to bringing delicious vegan treats to the office and family gatherings.

To help consumers make the connection between Mother’s Day and dairy cows, Liberation BC is asking advocates to wear a special ribbon the group has created. With so many ribbons used to raise awareness these days, this eye-catching, cow-inspired accoutrement is both a simple memorial to millions of exploited cows and a wonderful conversation-starter.

Activists can explain that the dairy industry impregnates cows so they’ll “give” milk for human consumption. And to ensure as much milk as possible ends up in dairy cases, newborn calves are taken from their mothers less than a day after mama gives birth. Few sounds are as heart-wrenching as a mother cow bellowing for her calf after they’ve been forcibly separated. She searches for the baby she carried for nine months, plaintively calling for her lost calf. If the calf is a male, he will eventually be killed for meat, often ending up locked in an isolating veal crate until he’s slaughtered about six months later; if the calf is female, she’s taken away to become another in an endless chain of dairy cows.

Glenn Gaetz, who runs Liberation BC with his wife, Joanne Chang, says the Cow Ribbon campaign is a way to remind people of the suffering cows endure. “As a culture,” he says, “we seem to have forgotten that dairy cows are mothers ― over and over again ― but they never get to be mothers. In order to take their milk from them, we impregnate them and then take their babies away too. The cow ribbon is symbolic of the mothers of the dairy industry, but it can also be worn as a symbol of all the animal mothers whose reproductive systems have been hijacked for our use.”

Those other mothers, of course, include hens. The US produces 90 billion eggs and kills nine billion chickens each year, and every single one originates from a hen who has been denied the freedom to raise her young. Instead, the eggs are incubated in industrial hatcheries that breed chickens either for meat or eggs. Because they can’t lay eggs, 200 million male chicks in the American egg industry are killed shortly after hatching; many of these birds are ground up in large machines called macerators while still alive. The females, meanwhile, are born into a bleak life of intensive confinement and suffering; they will most likely spend up to 24 months crammed into a battery cage and laying eggs for human consumption until, their bodies depleted, the hens will be yanked out of their wire prisons and slaughtered for dog food or some other low-grade chicken product. Turkeys, ducks and other “food” birds may not be bred in the same high quantities as chickens, but these babies are also raised in artificial environments and never know their mothers.

Glenn says the response to this new campaign, which Joanne dreamed up, has been extremely positive. “We’ve gotten orders from all over Canada and the United States and from as far away as Singapore. This is just the first year of this campaign, and we’re hoping that it will spread. Maybe other groups will pick it up and promote it or make their own cow ribbons.”

The cow ribbons are available for a $5 donation, which goes to support Liberation BC’s work in the Vancouver area. To learn more about Liberation BC’s Cow Ribbon campaign, please visit http://cowribbon.com/, where you’ll also find e-cards, downloadable graphics, flyers and more.

Peanut Butter Activism

As far as I’m concerned, peanut butter is the perfect food, and I would happily eat it at every meal. It is also a lip-smacking way to raise awareness about our planet and the animals who live on it.

With tomorrow being Earth Day, the nut-loving folks at the PB&J Campaign have teamed with Sodexo ― a food-service company with 10 million customers at college campuses, corporate cafés, hospitals and senior residences ― to encourage diners to eat low on the food chain. That means enjoying a peanut butter sandwich with your favorite accompaniment: jelly, jam, banana, chocolate chips, etc.

Environmental advocates estimate that if all of Sodexo’s customers choose one plant-based meal, the PB&J For A Day campaign could save 1.3 billion gallons of water, 12,400 tons of carbon emissions and about 5,500 acres of land. And of course, whenever humans opt for plant-based food, animals benefit.

“More people relying directly on grains and legumes for protein means less consumption of animal products,” says Bernard Brown, who runs the PB&J Campaign. “Lower demand for animal products should mean fewer cattle, chickens and pigs consuming an outsized quantity of resources and producing pollution; of course, that also means fewer animals subject to the cruelty of our agricultural system.”

So get active and enjoy one of nature’s tastiest gifts!

Free Speech v. Animal Cruelty: Supreme Court Rules on Ban

Today the US Supreme Court ruled that images of animal cruelty are expressions of free speech and that those who profit from such depictions can hide behind the First Amendment of the Constitution. It’s an unfortunate decision by the nation’s highest court, and it’s a tragedy for the animals who will suffer the consequences.

The ruling centered on the case of Virginia resident Robert Stevens, who was convicted of animal cruelty four years ago after he sold videos depicting dogfights and so-called “hog-dog fighting,” including graphic footage of a pit bull mutilating the lower jaw of a live pig. He also provided voiceover narration on each video and even marketed the videos in underground dogfighting magazines. Authorities charged Stevens with violating a 1999 law that prohibits the creation, sale or possession of depictions of animal cruelty if the offender intends to place such depictions into interstate commerce for commercial gain. Stevens’ lawyers argued that he is actually against dogfighting.

Stevens was sentenced to 37 months in prison, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit threw out his conviction and struck down the law in 2008, saying it violated the constitutional right to free speech. The Supreme Court has declared that speech can be restricted when the government has a compelling reason to do so; child pornography, for example, is not protected by the First Amendment. But in its decision, the appeals court stated that the government did not have a “compelling interest” in limiting scenes of cruelty to animals and said that “Preventing cruelty to animals, although an exceedingly worthy goal, simply does not implicate interests of the same magnitude as protecting children from physical and psychological harm.” Last April, the high court agreed to a request by the United States Solicitor General, Elena Kagan, to review the appeals court decision.

The decade-old law Stevens violated — the federal Depiction of Animal Cruelty Act ― was intended to ban so-called “crush” videos, which depict puppies, kittens and other small animals being tortured and crushed to death, typically beneath the spiked heel of a woman’s shoe. These highly disturbing videos appeal to equally disturbed humans, who derive sexual pleasure from watching defenseless animals writhing and squealing in pain. According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), before the law was enacted, there were about 2,000 crush videos available in the marketplace, selling for $15 to $300 each. Over the last 10 years, the market for such animal snuff films had all but vanished. After the Stevens conviction was reversed in 2008, however, sales of crush videos online made a comeback. One can reasonably speculate that the peddlers of these twisted videos will now be getting even richer.

Of course, most observers predicted how this case would turn out from the very day the Supreme Court heard oral arguments and appeared to believe the 1999 law was overbroad. On October 6, 2009, Justice Antonin Scalia, known to be an avid hunter, said that the court needed to consider “the right of people who like cockfighting, who like dogfighting and who like bullfighting to present their side of the debate” just as passionately as the critics of these cruel activities. “What if I am an aficionado of bullfights,” Scalia added, “and I think ― contrary to the animal cruelty people — they ennoble both beast and man, and I want to persuade people that we should have them? I would not be able to market videos showing people how exciting a bullfight is.” His comments were widely reported, and you could almost hear the collective “WTF?” from the animal rights community. We could see the writing on the blood-stained wall.

In addition to his legal team, Stevens was supported by some of the brand names of animal exploitation, including the National Rifle Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Safari Club International. These special-interest groups have a powerful presence and deep pockets.

Only Justice Samuel Alito dissented in the case, observing that the harm animals suffer in dogfights was enough to sustain the law. He also singled out crush videos and noted that “The animals used in crush videos are living creatures that [sic] experience excruciating pain.” In his dissent of the Court’s opinion, Alito refers to the 1999 law that has now been declared unconstitutional, writing that “Congress was presented with compelling evidence that the only way of preventing these crimes was to target the sale of the videos. Under these circumstances, I cannot believe that the First Amendment commands Congress to step aside and allow the underlying crimes to continue.” The courts, Alito noted, have “erred in second-guessing the legislative judgment about the importance of preventing cruelty to animals.”

Chief Justice John Roberts suggested that if Congress passes a law explicitly banning crush videos, it might be constitutional, since it would be narrowly focused on a specific type of commercial enterprise. That is precisely what animal protectionists will be now pushing for. “The Supreme Court’s decision gives us a clear pathway to enact a narrower ban on the sale of videos depicting malicious acts of cruelty, including animal crush videos and dogfighting,” says Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of HSUS. “Congress should act swiftly to make sure the First Amendment is not used as a shield for those committing barbaric acts of cruelty, and then peddling their videos on the Internet.”

Though I know advocates will continue to fight on behalf of animals and will likely introduce new legislation to combat these videos, it is lamentable that our nation’s highest court has, for the moment, silenced those trying to speak for victims who have no voice.

Getting Active for Animals with Facebook

Clay Shirky, writing about how Web 2.0 affects group action in Here Comes Everybody, observes that “Our electronic networks are enabling novel forms of collective action, enabling the creation of collaborative groups that are larger and more distributed than at any other time in history.” No kidding — just ask Betty White.

If you’re on Facebook — and chances are good that you are — you’ve probably seen the never-ending stream of petitions, invitations and calls to action urging you to support a cause or join a group. I use my Facebook account almost exclusively to promote a variety of animal causes, from rescues and rallies to veganism and votes. Granted, social media has dramatically affected animal activism. But how?

Thanks to a massive base of more than 350 million registered users, coupled with the site’s free tools, Facebook is one of the Internet’s most powerful activist assets. It’s become the place to share video links, post articles, generate buzz and gather support for a cause.

Last year, for a VegNews article about the impact of Web 2.0 on animal activism, I interviewed HSUS’ Jennifer Fearing, who told me about the impact Facebook had on the enormously successful Proposition 2 campaign, the California ballot initiative to eliminate battery cages for egg-laying hens, gestation crates for pregnant pigs and veal creates for male calves. The Humane Society of the United States recognized the value of social networking, and they recruited Jennifer’s personal Facebook account as one of the official Prop. 2 pages. “Some people don’t befriend groups or a cause online,” she told me, “and since people were hearing me on the radio or reading my name, we wanted them to be able to be able to find me.”

Jennifer linked her Facebook page to a Twitter account so she could constantly update her site from anywhere. “We had a huge group of very active volunteers in California who had such a thirst for information about everything that was going on in the campaign. Social-networking sites provided our über-advocates, county leaders and others with instant information.”

Knowing whether or not your efforts on Facebook make a difference can be frustrating. Fortunately for Marisa Miller Wolfson, people let her know directly. “It’s the comments and personal feedback from people that tells me that my Facebook activism is making an impact,” she says. “I’ll get thank you’s for posting resources or products that people didn’t know existed.” The director of outreach for Kind Green Planet, Marisa advises activists to share stories and not simply tell users what they should do. “I think ‘Show, don’t tell’ applies to activism on Facebook. I could put ‘Go vegan!’ in my status update every day, but then I’d come across as super preachy. Instead, I’d rather post an article or resource and let someone read it in their own voice and come to their own conclusion. I have yet to see a comment under an activist’s ‘Go vegan!’ status update that says, ‘Okay!’” Marisa also suggests focusing on the positive. “I see some activists using Facebook as a place to vent frustrations about people who aren’t veg. Getting consolation or encouragement from other activists is valuable, but I don’t see how their non-veg friends on Facebook wouldn’t be turned off by it — that is, if they still have non-veg friends. I keep those kinds of vent sessions private and within my veg community.”

Activist Amy Devine takes a personal approach to Facebook. “I firmly believe in interaction, whether that means to post a picture or note with info and tag people — actually, I think that develops the highest quantity of interaction — or just letting people who are active know that you are friends and that you love and support them … that you think of them. That’s what makes a big difference — to develop a Facebook family and stand by them, stick up for them when they are in a tough debate with the opposition, etc. Or just simple gestures to let them know you have taken a personal interest in getting to know them and that you’re not just there to shove posts down their throat.”

Sometimes, those Facebook posts turn into bigger things. Gary Smith frequently posts animal-related links on the site. “Due to my posts,” he says, “I was asked by Elephant Journal to write an article on wool. That has turned into a regular gig of being the animal rights blogger for the online magazine. I was able to get over 4,000 views on two of my articles. The usual view average for their site is around 500. I know that most of those views are due to my activism on Facebook. I will not only post the article on my wall, but I will post it on other friends’ walls and private message friends and activists and ask them to post it. This has been quite effective.” Asked what sorts of Facebook posts get the biggest response, Gary says fellow advocates seem to appreciate his thoughts on activism. “I think that a lot of activists are looking for better ways to address animal rights issues with friends and colleagues. What are the most effective arguments, approaches, etc.? I find this helpful, and people seem to respond favorably when I share musings and thoughts.”

Shelter Showcase

One of the best examples of virtual outreach turning into real-world change is the case of animal shelters. Humane societies are using Facebook to post animal photos and stories, helping get the word out in their communities. Recently The Washington Post reported on a particular shelter that has seen an increase in adoptions, donations and volunteers thanks to Facebook.

That’s only one shelter, of course, so I checked with a few others to learn how they are using Facebook in their adoption and outreach efforts. The biggest benefit seems to be in letting potential adopters scroll through available animals. “Facebook allows us to post pictures and profiles of animals who might not otherwise be seen,” says Heather Mehi, manager of the Dearborn Animal Shelter in Michigan.

Julie Goff agrees. “We have been using Facebook for about a year to promote our different events, but in the last three weeks I have started doing daily updates,” says Julie, special events manager for Operation Kindness, a no-kill shelter in Carrollton, Texas. “Since we have begun the daily posts, most of which highlight a specific animal available for adoption, we have had one adoption in which the new owner saw the animal on Facebook — not bad for just the time period we have been doing it. We also mentioned that we were going to start needing additional animal foster homes for the upcoming ‘kitten season,’ and we had four new volunteers sign on to start fostering.” Julie also notes that the shelter gets a tremendous response when their Facebook status is updated to reflect the latest adopted animal. “People really like to know there are happy endings out there for homeless animals.”

Individual activists further boost shelter efforts by cross posting profiles of animals who need forever homes.

And woe betide the shelter that runs afoul of an Internet-armed society. Earlier this month, animal activists bombarded the Facebook page of North Carolina’s governor, Bev Perdue, urging her to investigate abusive conditions at an animal shelter in Robeson County. Governor Perdue responded on Facebook, saying her office had contacted the Department of Agriculture and the Robeson County sheriff, and that an inspector was being dispatched. (Shelter staff have denied they mistreat animals.)

Herd Mentality?

Beyond anecdotal evidence, it’s difficult to determine just how effective Facebook is as an activist tool, and the site has its share of skeptics. Some detractors argue that people who engage on Facebook by joining groups, for example, are more interested in connecting with others and being part of a group effort than in the effort itself. Last year, Anders Colding-Jorgensen, a psychologist at the University of Copenhagen, created a Facebook page complaining that the city’s historic Stork Fountain was going to be demolished and replaced with a clothing store. In two weeks, his “No to Demolition of Stork Fountain” group had attracted 27,000 people, all of whom signed a petition to protest the landmark fountain’s destruction. But there were never any plans to tear down Stork Fountain, which is a listed monument, and the Facebook group was clearly labeled fake. Colding-Jorgensen says he believed that most of those who signed on did so because they thought it was a real cause. In the group’s forum he explained that the group was a social experiment. “But people just went in and joined,” he says. “They didn’t read anything.”

Does this little online test mean we’re just interested in doing what our peers do, or is it another reflection of our busy lifestyle? I mean, if we were asked to join a group called, say, “Tell NASA We Don’t Want Pigs Sent to Pluto,” it seems likely many of us would join without reading the fine print. After all, animal activists care about pigs, and it only takes a second to join a group to help our porcine friends. Yet the take-away message of Colding-Jorgensen’s experiment is that people on Facebook may be more motivated by appearances than real-world activism, and animals need us to be their spokespeople ― very outspoken, vocal spokespeople ― not merely people along for the ride.

Used in conjunction with Twitter, blogs, Flickr, online videos and other social media, Facebook is an incredibly powerful tool. But it’s up to us to make it work for animals. We each have the ability to make a meaningful difference for animals every day, if only we’d commit a little time, whether it’s with friends on Facebook or face to face with strangers. On that note, I’ll conclude with the words of one of my Facebook friends, animal activist Sandra Lubrano. “Everything we do, no matter how seemingly small the response, has a ripple effect,” says Sandra. “Much of my activism is, of medical necessity, online and from a bed-bound position. It does not prevent me from playing my part, living cruelty-free and doing whatever I can do to make a more compassionate world.”

Further Reading

• DigiActive, a social-network consulting firm, offers a free guide to using Facebook in your activism.
• Erik Marcus has written a free eBook for anyone who wants to get active on the Internet: Building Online Audiences: The Surprisingly Complete Guide to Lassoing a Large and Passionate Following.

Keep in mind that Facebook is not the only tactic we can use. There’s simply no way the Internet can take the place of such models as leafleting, tabling or using delicious vegan food in your outreach.