The founder and head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Captain Paul Watson, was arrested in Germany on Saturday, May 12 for extradition to Costa Rica. The Costa Rican warrant stems from a 2002 incident in which the crew of a Costa Rican ship claims that the Sea Shepherds attempted to kill them after uncovering their illegal shark finning. Sea Shepherd states the charges are baseless and that video footage of the incident, which was filmed for the documentary Sharkwater, exonerates Watson. If convicted, Watson could get the death penalty. Sea Shepherd explains, "Should Captain Watson be extradited to Costa Rica, he will certainly not receive a fair trial and his safety cannot be guaranteed."
What you can do: Sea Shepherd is asking supporters to contact German authorities, especially Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, the Federal Minister of Justice in Berlin, Germany. "Let her know that the warrant for Captain Watson's arrest is politically motivated and thus should be ignored by the German government. With international support we can set Captain Watson free, and keep him from the possibility of facing an unfair trial in Costa Rica."
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
Federal Minister of Justice
Deutscher Bundestag
Platz der Republik
11011 Berlin
Telephone 030 - 227 751 62
Fax 030 - 227 764 02
E-Mail: sabine.leutheusser-schnarrenberger@bundestag.de
If you're short on time, you can sign this petition.
More information is available on the Sea Shepherd website, including a sample letter, more people to contact, and how to donate to Watson's legal defense.
Image © Doris Lin 2008, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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I'll be speaking at the Brooklyn Food Conference this Saturday:
Saturday, May 12, 2012, 9am - 6pm
Brooklyn Technical High School
29 Fort Greene Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(map and directions here)
The conference features over 150 workshops in 50 classrooms. I'm speaking in two of the Occupy Wall Street Animal Issues Working Group's series of workshops. The entire series includes:
*Workshop #1: 11:00AM-12:15PM*
Ethics of Eating Animals (Room 5W16)
w/ Gary Francione, Julian Franklin, Lori Gruen and John Maher
(Mariann Sullivan, Moderator)
Animals and the Food Industry: A Left Critique (Room 5W24)
w/ Norman Markowitz, Sachio Ko-Yin, Katie Pryor, and Brian Dominick
(Rachel Kay, Moderator)
Access to Healthy Food and Plant-based Diets in Communities of Color (Room 5E4)
w/ Donnie Smith, Terry Hope Romero, Doris Lin, Konju Oruwari, and Bina Ahmad
(Ruth Santana, Moderator)
*Workshop #2 12:30PM-1:45PM*
Corporate Power, Diet, and Animal Agriculture (Room 5W22)
w/ David Kirby, Caryn Hartglass, Victoria Moran, and Milton Mills
(Nicholas Laccetti, Moderator)
Foraging for Empathy (Room 5E4)
w/ Zaac Chavis
*Workshop #3: 2:00PM-3:15PM*
Globalizing Agribusiness: Free Trade, Factory Farms, and Genetically Modified Food (Room 5W12)
w/ Adam Weissman and John Maher
Women, Feminism, and the Use of Animals for Food (Room 5E6)
w/ Lori Gruen, Caryn Hartglass, and Doris Lin
(Jasmin Singer, Moderator)
*Workshop #4: 3:30-4:45 pm*
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Hide Slaughterhouses (Room 5W8)
w/ Victoria Moran, Gary Francione, and Timothy Pachirat
(Katie Pryor, Moderator)
Taking Action for Global Food Justice (Room 5W12)
(followup to Globalizing Agribusiness: Free Trade, Factory Farms, and Genetically Modified Food)
w/ Christina Schiavoni and Adam Weissman
Other programs include issues such as fracking, free trade and school food. There are also cooking demos and a film room.
The organizers have really made an effort to make the conference accessible to all. The event is free, and includes free child care, activities for kids, and a youth summit. The $8 lunch ($5 for a kid's lunch) includes several vegan options. Organizers are encouraging everyone to pre-register, since they're expecting 5,000 people.
If you're able to attend the conference, I hope to meet you!
Frank Siteman / Getty Images
The Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 (S.2066/H.R. 4089, a.k.a. "Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act") is a drastic and extreme attack on wildlife and the environment, and has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, the bill would:
- Require that the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of the Interior open nearly all public lands to recreational hunting, and provide that they may do so without following the environmental review processes required under the National Environmental Policy Act; and
- Eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to protect wildlife, habitat, and people from lead and other toxic substances released by ammunition waste under the Toxic Substances Control Act, thereby undermining the Agency's obligation to protect public health and the environment.
Also, the National Wolfwatcher Coalition points out:
- It amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to allow for the importation of polar bear "trophies" from Canada that are presented as having been taken prior to the May 2008 Endangered Species Act listing . . .
- It would allow recreational off-road vehicles to invade federally designated Wilderness Areas -- something that has never been allowed before. It would also open the door to new logging, mining and extraction of fossil fuels in these special places;
What you can do: If you are a U.S. resident, contact your U.S. Senators and ask them to oppose S.2066. Your senators' contact information can be found on the official Senate website.
J & L Images / Getty Images
Links:
April 21-29 is World Week for Animals in Laboratories. Here are four things that you can do to help animals in laboratories:
- Support the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, (H.R. 1513/S. 810), which would phase out the use of chimpanzees in laboratories. Learn more about the bill here, then contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives.You can look up your U.S. Representative on the House of Representatives website, while your senators can be found on the official Senate website. A personal communication is always best, but if you're short on time, you can use this webform from the New England Anti-Vivisection Society.
- Boycott products tested on animals, and go cruelty-free. Learn more about cruelty-free products here.
- When donating to health charities, be sure to support only cruelty-free charities that do not fund animal research. Learn more about cruelty-free charities here.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local paper to reach others. You can find sample letters here.
Photo by China Photos / Getty Images.
