DOGMEAT

I just received this as SPAM in my mailbox:

“Paralyzed under a crush of bodies. Fighting for breath in the stifling heat. Mouths cinched tight by plastic rope.

These horrifying images greeted our investigators when we rescued nearly 100 dogs bound for the dog meat trade in the Philippines. The dogs had been piled on top of each other in a small cage hidden in the back of a truck. Watch our exclusive video of the seizure now, and then take action to help end such terrible cruelty.

These animals were victims of the dog meat trade — a trade banned by law in 1998 but still active in certain regions of the country due to lenient fines and other light penalties.

Our team, comprised of police, volunteers from local animal protection groups, and Humane Society International staff, worked for hours to pull these dogs from the truck. Tragically, a few had already perished, smothered and over-heated. The team moved the survivors to shelters in and around Manila.

Thankfully, a new law passed this year finally gave police the tools they need to stop this cruel trade for good. But we need your help to make this law work. Please watch our video; then ask Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to increase funding and training for enforcement of this new law.

The large majority of Filipinos do not condone the consumption of dog meat. While some bill it as a “cultural practice,” the commercial trade is anything but. Local organizations successfully lobbied to strengthen the laws against it, but they are looking to us to help bring awareness to this problem and end it for good.

The dogs used in the trade are rounded up in the streets, stolen, or even bought from their unknowing owners for a paltry sum. All the dogs pulled off that truck were friendly, wagging their tails. Even after their experience, they still trusted us. They still hoped for a pat on the head, a word of kindness, someone to care.

Let these dogs know there is still hope. Help us stop the illegal dog meat trade.

Thank you for all that you do to help animals.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States”

Am I the only one that finds this email mildly ironic, coming from a society that euthanizes millions of animals a year? So it’s okay to kill them, just don’t let them suffer?

I asked a friend, “what if we did that with our homeless?” She replied, “Isn’t that part of Rudy Giuliani’s platform?”

Really, what’s the difference between eating a dog, cow, or chicken? They are all life, no? The difference is one of culture.

I have an idea! Maybe the Humane Society of America could sell the euthanized animals to the Philippines! It’s a win-win!

Unless you’re a dog.
Anyone want my famously hearty Labrador noodle soup recipe?

I’m Kinda Pregnant!

Ever been complimented and offended at the same time?

I hadn’t, until today…

A woman I didn’t know asked me:

“So when are you due?”

As in pregnant!

:p

It Must Be In My Blood

I’m not sure why, but I’m really excited about the October 12th release of Elizabeth, The Golden Age.

Maybe it’s because my mom’s side are Doughertys (Irish) and my dad’s side are Abernatheys/Abernathys (Scot), but there’s something about that time and place in history that pulls at me. Then again, maybe it’s just the sepreme acting of Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush. Whatever the reason, I can’t wait for it to come out. I’m planning on going to the opening of it here in Indy. Most people that know me, know that I don’t see many movies or watch very much TV.

Anyone want to go?

Makes Sense To Me

Check out this video: The Most Terrifying Video Youll Ever See

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Asian Art, Bills, and A Hot But Beautiful Day

Because I had to go pay my electric bill, I made a detour after I paid my bill and went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I took this pic while i was waiting for the tour on Asian art…

I love tours so much more than just walking around. It gives you so much more texture and history behind the art.

Even the grounds are beautiful…

All you need is…

All in all a good, relaxing day.

Rosie Cruise

You might be wondering why the hell I’ve not been blogging at all this week. Well, I’m on a boat with Rosie O’donnell! Well, me and approximately 2500 other GLBT people. The R family cruise is the brain child of Rosie’s partner, Kelli.

I can’t even begin to say how empowering, inspiring, and downright beautiful it is to see so many loving, committed families on board. Every anti-gay stereotype is blown to smithereens by the folks on this ship. Something that I noticed at Indy Pride this year was how diverse it was. Black, white, lesbian, gay, trans, bisexual, young, old, you name it, they were there. This cruise is exactly like that.

The feeling of hope that I’ve felt on this ship is something I hope to carry with me a very long time.

Granola Lesbians Rule!

While in Washington DC an activist friend said I was “granola.” I was so pissed, I about knocked the shit out of with her with my birkenstocks.

Counting The Dead

I’m probably going to feel “the wrath” from this post. Hell, I figure it’ll probably get me put on a watch list, if I’m not already on one. But if I didn’t post this I would be a hypocrite, if only in my own mind. I feel someone has to say this.

Personally, I find counting the number of dead soldiers offensive. Hundreds of Iraqi’s are murdered IN MASS, and the response by most Americans is a numb shrug of the shoulders. Yet, when 32 people are killed at Virginia Tech it’s a sad and disturbing event!?!??? This kind of irrational nationalism makes me ill. The Iraqi’s that have died are not much different than you, except for location. How is it that we can strip the humanity from anyone outside our borders? 9/11 sucked and was horrifying, but how does it compare to the war in Iraq? Estimates are that the Iraqi body count is from 50,000 to 600,000. That’s 16 to 201 times the number of dead from the 9/11 attacks.

I’d never wish ill on any soldier, but really, who should I feel sorry for? If you are a soldier in the US military, you have made a conscious choice to join the most powerful killing machine that this planet has ever seen. I’m not a fan of Rush Limbaugh, but he said it best… the military exists to “kill people and break things.” In contrast, the dead Iraqi civilians only crimes were location and existence.

Protests, as they are carried out now, have no weight behind them. The protests of the sixties mattered because they were bold pronouncements against the popular consensus. They also were very disruptive in the lives of your average Joe. The protests of today do neither. Permits are accessed, rules are followed, people talk, then go home. Protests today aren’t disruptive, don’t cause any disturbance, and in that, I don’t think they actually have impact or notice to your average every day Hoosier.

The reality is that those things that have impact, because they come at a cost. Jail time, personal safety, or other personal sacrifice usually follow such a sacrifice. The question is, are people fed up enough to make that kind of sacrifice?

The answer reminds me of a quote from “V for Vendetta”

“Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well, certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now High Chancellor…”

“More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives.”

I don’t know what the answer is. I don’t know what we SHOULD do, I just know that protests and demonstrations aren’t the answer.

I’ve come to a point in my life where I am horrified by what my country is, yet inspired by what it could be. Right now the only thing I know I can give are my words.

The Next YouTube?

I really dig this thing… I found OUTFOXXED on it..but there’s sooo much more. It seems way more put together than youtube. I’m gonna investigate it a bit more….

In the mean time…enjoy…

Find this video and thousands of others at vSocial!

I’m Not Your Son

The video below, is a dream for me. One that I’ll probably never come true, and that’s why it’s a tough one to see. In my struggle through this journey one of the hardest parts has been the loss and the loneliness. I’ve pretty much given up on any chance of having a relationship with my mom because she can’t seem to accept that this isn’t a phase, that this isn’t going away. For better or worse, this is path is one that allows me to find peace and fulfillment in my path as a human being. I’m just saddened every time I realize that my mom isn’t part of my life to witness the beautiful side of it. She won’t ever get to know that person that I’ve buried inside me all those years.

Zoey comes out to her mom

Part I

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Part II

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