Anna Keeve: Many call this historic in the animal rights’ movement, and if passed it will be pivotal; California has long been seen as a leader on progressive animal rights initiatives, and when California moves, so do other states.
Animal Rights
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) maintain that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way. Whether you embrace their philosphy or some version of it, the articles, opinion pieces, and investigative reports on humans' treatment of animals on this page offer a view into the many ways we can improve in the treatment of the non-human beings with whom we share the planet.
America’s Cowardly Prison in Cuba
WJ Astore: Incredibly, some of these so-called alien enemy combatants have been imprisoned for up to 15 years without benefit of trial; indeed, without even being charged with a crime. How is this possible in a democracy? What does it say about our country?
Elephant Friends Cheer Council Motion to Free Billy
A motion calls for the Los Angeles Zoo to immediately cease efforts to use Billy to breed baby elephants for captivity in other zoos
Santa Monica Pony Protester Prevails
Marcy Winograd: I thank the Court of Appeal for siding with ordinary citizens exercising the right of petition to change the law and for not allowing this chilling lawsuit to go forward.
What’s New in this Zoo? Elephant Guardians of Los Angeles
Marcy Winograd: If we want to protect elephants in their natural habitat, we shouldn’t build prisons for them in urban centers but instead donate to elephant sanctuaries.
Journalists, Animal Defenders Support Santa Monica “Pony Ride” Activist
Marcy Winograd: The Reporters Committee defended the rights of citizens, journalists, and this pony ride activist to publicly disagree with the opinions of government employees and challenged the lower court’s interpretation of defamation law.
Canned Pleasure: The Thrill of the Kill
Walter Brasch: If giraffes are your thing, you can go to South Africa and, like a woman from Idaho, kill the world’s tallest animal, pose with it, and post it onto your Facebook page.
Decade-Long Tethering Ends at Main Street Market
Marcy Winograd: The City of Santa Monica is seeking new activity vendors — those offering cooking demos, arts and crafts, painting and more.
USDA Report Reveals Feces, Flies, Vermin in Santa Monica Pony Ride Facility
John Schiff: While the excitement of the Farmer’s Market is a joy for humans, it is a torment for the sensitive animals bombarded by its color, noise, and movement.
Actor Martin Sheen Signs Petition to Free the Ponies in Santa Monica
Marcy Winograd: Sheen, Kennedy, and Wexler join the list of 1,955 signatories to the petition objecting to the tethered pony ride and cramped petting zoo occupying the prime real estate of the market entrance and exit.
In the Name of Free Speech: Winograd Fights Back — UPDATED
Marcy Winograd: Thursday, in the late afternoon, I filed my anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss a meritless law suit challenging my right to express my OPINION that tethering ponies, butt to nose, to a metal carousel, forcing them to walk in circles on concrete for 3.5 hours is abusive.
Gun Control Politics of Virtue
Walter Brasch: The Pennsylvania Senate, possibly for the first time in its history, stood up against the NRA leadership and extreme gun-rights groups, and voted to ban pigeon shoots.
The Politics of Animal Cruelty
Walter Brasch: Pennsylvanians can still butcher, braise, and broil their pet cats and dogs because a murky mixture of politics has left a critical bill on the table in the state senate.
