animal justice party...

it's state election time here in victoria, and there's a new party on the political scene - the animal justice party...

i haven't voted in so long - there hasn't been any one or any party that offered any hope for change - but i knew with the arrival of the ajp that i needed to make my voice heard for the nonhumans today...

it's not the perfect solution to the horrors perpetrated against them, but it shows me there is a growing awareness that animal nations are not here for human use, abuse and 'benefit' - they are sentient beings that deserve to be treated with respect - they are equal to us, not less than - and they need a voice in government...

the ajp is standing 25 candidates across victoria, and even if one of those representatives gets voted in, it's a start - it won't change things overnight - but it's finally a voice for the voiceless of this speciesist society... this is their very first election and i hope for the nonhumans that they make an impact...

"immorality sanctified by tradition is still immorality" ... bernard e. rollin

raising awareness through art...

when jo frederiks paints, she does it with passion and purpose... she has a compelling message to share, evident in this video of her recent exhibition - 'the animal holocaust' - opened by phillp wollen... the art is stunning, breathtaking, heartbreaking, and the words powerful...

while looking for information about jo, who grew up on a remote queensland 'cattle station', became a passionate animal rights activist and a vegan advocate, i came across an interesting article by 'age' columnist sam de brito - 'confessions of a vegan' - in which he shares his vegan awakening (along with some of jo's artwork)...

"Once the light goes on and you realise the food you so blithely eat actually causes massive, life-long, completely avoidable suffering to billions of animals, it’s not an easy epiphany to un-think.

A supermarket never looks the same, butcher shops become very dark places. The perversity of using smiling anthropomorphised animals to advertise packages of their own body parts grows almost chilling."

i find it encouraging, inspiring, uplifting to read of more and more people making the connection, acknowledging the atrocities humans perpetrate against other sentient beings, moving forward, embracing vegan philosophy and sharing what it means to be vegan in mainstream media... veganism is a truth whose time has definitely come...

“In their behavior toward creatures, all men are Nazis. Human beings see oppression vividly when they're the victims. Otherwise they victimize blindly and without a thought." ― Isaac Bashevis Singer

the truth is out there...

there's a 'joke' that nonvegans trot out time and time again which goes along the lines of "how do you know when someone's a vegan? don't worry, they'll soon tell you!" believe me, every vegan has heard it, and every vegan is sick and tired of it - considering we live in a society built on speciesism and the idea of human superiority and we are confronted day in and day out with atrocities committed against nonhuman beings enslaved by humans it's no wonder... ads no matter where you turn encourage the buying, wearing, and consumption of body parts, and nonvegans are only too happy to share their 'culinary delights' with all and sundry... the 'entertainment' industry beckons us to witness the broken spirits of those beaten into submission to 'perform'... zoos confine and display nonhumans as 'exhibits' and call it 'educational'... hmmm...

consequently i couldn't resist buying a t-shirt online a few weeks ago from the vegan street store, a "retro design (that) pokes fun at the prevailing attitudes a lot of people hold toward vegans".- my 'splurge' (which i don't get to do very often because i rarely have 'extra cash' to play with)... well my t-shirt arrived just the other day and this is what it says...

realistically, how can i not tell you i'm vegan? as the author of the blog 'there's an elephant in the room' so eloquently puts it...

"How do you know when someone is vegan? Well I’m guilty as charged. I will soon tell you. But the real reason is probably not the one that the ‘joking’ nonvegan finds so amusing.

When we meet others. even in the most casual of circumstances, we share information about ourselves, glean information about those whom we meet. Through this sharing, we find common interests, experiences and outlooks and we subconsciously assess the nature of any future relationship we may have with them or reaffirm our existing bonds. If I were to list the things that I consider are important about me and my experience in life I will tell you that I’m vegan because it’s the main thing there is to know about me.  It sums up my values and all the lessons life has taught me. Veganism has become synonymous with who I am as a person and to tell you that I am vegan is baring my soul..." read more in the post knock knock

for those who already know me, all i can hope is that my passionate belief in a non-speciesist world and consequent conversation will encourage you to think about the atrocities committed against others for your food, clothing and entertainment...

 "There is absolutely no way for humans to obtain the body parts and secretions of others without causing unspeakable suffering, exploiting their reproductive systems, mutilating and confining them, killing their children and taking from them every single thing that we would define as the things that make our own human lives worth living." ... from the post painful truth or comforting lies - it's up to us...

i grew up on the same lies that everyone else did, i blindly followed the status quo and ate and wore what society sanctioned - until finally i questioned and discovered the answers i needed to open my eyes, mind and heart and realise we are all sentient beings, we all share the quality of self-awareness... please, start asking questions - the answers are easy to find in this age of information... the truth is out there...

one man's journey...

i watched this video yesterday and knew it was something that needed to be shared...

alex hershaft, 85 year old holocaust survivor and animal rights campaigner, talks about his life in the warsaw ghetto, and the connection he couldn't help but make between his harrowing ordeal and the holocaust that continues today... it's a fascinating insight into one man's journey through life, his awakening, his continued activism, his compassion...

"In relation to animals, all people are Nazis; 
for the animals, it is an eternal Treblinka"... Isaac Bashevis Singer

food for thought...

colleen patrick-goudreau is a writer, educator, ethics commentator and articulate, humorous speaker - she is a proud vegan and a tireless advocate for change, and i thought it was worthwhile sharing this recent talk of hers from the conscious eating conference -  "From Excuse-itarian to Vegan"...