From the category archives:

Law

John from LOHV-NYC keyed into my passion for influencing the governments of foreign powers and sent word that there’s a special election coming up for the 40th Council District in New York, and candidate Zenobia McNally is LOHV-NYC’s choice for the councillor who’ll do the most for animals, including supporting a ban on foie gras. Having never managed to vote in a US election, all I have to go by are tales of futuristic voting machines (we use something called a “pencil” to make a “letter” called “X” on a “paper”), so I look forward to a futuristic society where animals are considered in matters of government. Link.

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Texas rep wants blind people to go hunting

by Jason on December 12, 2006

I’m a pretty pro-accessibility guy, but I just snorted tea through my nose when I read darrek’s latest submission. Drinks down? OK. A lawmaker in Texas is trying to make it easier for legally blind people to go hunting. If the bill passes, visually impaired people will be allowed to use laser sights to assist in aiming, and they would be accompanied by a sighted guide who could whisper things like “two inches to the left, a bit higher, no wait, that’s grandma.” It seems like every time I read something about “one shot, one kill” and other “responsible hunting” rhetoric, I stumble across some pro-hunting genius like this guy who shows absolutely no concern whatsoever for the welfare of the animals that’ll be maimed with all the bad shots he’s about to allow. As bill sponsor and no doubt mighty warrior Rep. Edmund Kuempel says, “This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that’s great.” I can only hope that this is a sign of desparation from a rapdily declining hunter population, and we won’t have to deal with any of this in another generation or two. Link.

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Is sex with a dead deer legal? Wait and see…

November 16, 2006

A Minnesota man might be getting off (in the legal sense) after having had sex with a deer. According to the defense, the “animal” had become “venison” by the time the assault took place, as Bryan James Hathaway found the deer’s corpse at the side of the road. According to the public defender, [...]

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Justice has spoken: a burrito is not a sandwich

November 13, 2006

The American legal system has once again proven its worth by stepping in to answer another of life’s Big Questions: is a burrito a sandwich? The answer, assuming there’s no appeal, is no. Now, is a samosa a pie? If you chop the beans up, at what point does chickpea salad become [...]

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Woman arrested for open rescue of dog in poor condition

September 15, 2006

In “poor man’s Digg” style, there’s been a call to move something to the front page. While we don’t have that capability at the moment, there’s always the digital equivalent of the telephone game, wherein I can repeat the information and then add the word “poop” to the end. beforewisdom reports that Tammy [...]

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Fluffers in the school system are under attack

September 12, 2006

heartshapedbox notes that Massachusetts Senator Jarrett Barrios is finally doing something about fluffers in schools, after his 3rd grade son was offered one in the cafeteria. The practice has been around since the 1920s (ironically it was invented in the Senator’s home district), but I’m not sure how long it’s been available at King [...]

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In NZ, omnivores officially drive hearses

July 28, 2006

For more than five years, I’ve been writing about the many many (many) serious and not-so-serious reasons to adopt a plant based diet, and yet the majority of the world continues to eat animals. From time to time I wondered why that was, but it wasn’t made clear to me until I got a [...]

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California looking at mandatory animal evacuations

June 14, 2006

PonderingWillow notes that California lawmakers are looking at a bill that would direct the state’s Office of Emergency Services to add animals into its evacuation plans in the event of a disaster. Now, in addition to the animals who, say, might not drown in a flood, the other prime beneficiary of the law would [...]

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New federal label law smashes California’s mercury warning efforts

May 31, 2006

Steve_L sends news of the US government’s latest efforts to protect consumers from themselves, also known as protecting fisheries from health advocacy groups. A California law requiring tuna companies to place mercury warning labels on their cans has been overturned. What’s more, the decision appears to have been made in part due to [...]

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Italian restaurant fined for lobster display

May 2, 2006

As kunsjoi reports, Italy continues to, as they say over there, rock the animal rights hizzouse. It wasn’t enough to ban goldfish bowls in Rome, or to enforce three times per day dog walking in Turin, now Vicenza has fined a restaurant for displaying live lobsters on ice to attract customers. The restaurant [...]

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