The Amazing Story of Esther the Wonder Pig

I Too Am an Animal - Modern Warrior: Damien Mander

This is one of the best and most succinct explanations of speciesism, sexism and the need to go vegan; ending with one simple, but the most important, question.

Get Animals OFF the Menu - Phillip Wollen

One of the most succinct and informative speeches I've come across yet.

Click here for the full debate.

Phillip Wollen on hunting.

Phillip Wollen - What can one individual do?

Interview with Phillip Wollen. This man gives me hope. Not all corporate moguls are sociopaths.
He is truly and inspiration

Same speech as the first, but with additional comments and a more relaxed forum.

Rise of the Animal Welfare Industrial Complex

Rise of the Animal Welfare Industrial Complex

Source Humane Myth

2005 17 Animal Organizations endorse Whole Foods' Animal Compassionate Standards

2005 Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur and PETA Director of Vegan Campaigns Bruce Friedrich participate in development of Whole Foods' "Animal Compassionate Standards" for the use and killing of animals


2005 Whole Foods receives PETA "Proggy" award as "best animal-friendly retailer"

2005 Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) CEO Wayne Pacelle and HSUS Farm Animal Program Director Paul Shapiro (also co-founder of Compassion Over Killing) privately meet with egg industry operators to collaborate on launch of "cage-free" egg initiative

2005 Whole Foods CEO John Mackey featured as keynote speaker at animal conference and introduced as a vegan by Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur

2005 VegNews magazine names John Mackey Corporate Executive of the Year

2006 Major media coverage, including article in New York Times, cements Whole Foods' reputation as an "animal compassionate" meat retailer with a "vegan" CEO, and the role of animal advocacy organizations in promoting "humane" labeling schemes.

2006 HSUS's affiliate, Humane Society International, announces "Humane Choice"program, offering products from animals who "basically live their lives as they would have done on Old MacDonald's farm"

2007 Taking Action for Animals Conference features three animal farmers as speakers, including rancher Nicolette Hahn Niman. Major sponsors of conference include HSUS, Farm Sanctuary and Whole Foods.

2007 HSUS and Farm Sanctuary lead formation of advocacy-industry Prop. 2 legislative coalition "Californians for Humane Farms" with Niman Ranch amongst industry partners

2007 HSUS and Farm Sanctuary partner with restaurateur Wolfgang Puck to promote new standards for the use and killing of animals

2007 Farm Forward is founded, with board members including Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich

2008 Eggology announces HSUS endorsement of their egg products, HSUS denies endorsement despite numerous confirming documents
2008 Restaurateur Wolfgang Puck named guest of honor at HSUS Genesis Awards

2009 Whole Foods CEO John Mackey appointed to HSUS  Board of Directors

2009 Wayne Pacelle joins the board of Whole Foods' Global Animal Partnership

2009 Former HSUS Vice President (and co-founder of Compassion Over Killing) Miyun Park assumes leadership of Whole Foods' Global Animal Partnership

2010 HSUS and Farm Sanctuary lead legislative coalition Ohioans for Humane Farms, which includes animal-exploiting corporations such as the Great American Lamb company

2010 HSUS promotes fundraising event at which meat is served from the very animals the organization claims to be advocating for

2011 Bruce Friedrich leaves PETA to join the staff of Farm Sanctuary as Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives

2011 Whole Foods' Global Animal Partnership announces 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards for the use and killing of animals, and releases promotional video featuring Miyun Park as a spokesperson. At the time of the announcement, HSUS, PETA, Compassion in World Farming and the World Society for the Protection of Animals are represented on the GAP board.

2011 HSUS appoints pig farmer Joe Maxwell to staff position of "Director of Rural Development and Outreach", with goal of expanding market for "humane" meat

2011 Whole Foods CEO John Mackey featured as speaker at Farm Sanctuary conference on eliminating "factory farming"

Let's Not Give Up Before We Get Started: James LaVeck

Please listen to these incredibly important lectures connecting the lessons learned from other social justice movements based on this Mother Jones Article: Against All Odds The first great human-rights campaign -- the movement to end slavery in the British Empire -- had no business succeeding. But the legacy of its extraordinary achievement lives on today.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Pattice Jones: Intersections of Oppression: Speciesism/Misogyny/Racism/Heterosexism

Commonalities of Oppression by Pattrice Jones

Honoring Rocco

Pittsburgh PA is grieving the loss of Rocco, a K-9 police dog who was recently stabbed to death during an arrest. A funeral was held in the city for Rocco, complete with a bagpipe procession and full dress blues. Over 1200 people attended to pay respect to him.

Prima facie this outpouring of grief seems like a victory for nonhuman rights. After all, it is extremely rare that nonhumans are paid tribute to in such a manner. My remarks that follow are in no way intended to convey disrespect toward Rocco or anyone grieving for him. 

When I heard about Rocco, I found myself asking a lot of questions. What is it that makes Rocco different from the billions of nonhumans who suffer violent deaths at the hands of humans? Was Rocco different because he was trained by humans to perform tasks for humans that helped save humans? Is it the bond Rocco shared with his partner? Why do we pay such homage to one nonhuman while, at the same time, overlooking the suffering and death of billions of others? What is it that makes Rocco's murderer any more guilty than anyone else who kills a nonhuman?

The short answer is species bias, or speciesism. In all of our dealings with nonhumans there is a presumption that we matter more. Since Rocco served us in a way that seemed to honor this prejudice, he was given a hero's burial. But all nonhumans who die at the hands of humans are serving humans in one way or another. How they are honored, or more commonly forgotten, is calculated within the parameters of speciesism. 

I don't believe Rocco's funeral is a victory for nonhumans. In fact, I think that in the long run it only exemplifies anthropocentric norms. Was Rocco a hero? Perhaps. But honoring him shouldn't be about his service to humans. Honoring Rocco should be about his inherent value as a being whose life (like countless others) matters.

The most common response I've been hearing in discussions about Rocco is that this sort of fanfare is held for all police officers. Well, that's not entirely true, but even if it is true on occasion, those formal funerals certainly aren't as well publicized. The fact that Rocco is a dog is what makes it "newsworthy." In any case, the whole thing reminds me of the fanfare that is staged for soldiers killed in the middle east. No fanfares are being held for the civilians that are being killed. It's a hurrah for the military, not the actual soldiers. It's all about who matters more according to the powers that be. Iraqi civilians matter less than U.S. soldiers and "beef" cattle matter less than a K-9 police dog.

Just like Rocco, billions of nonhumans are violently slaughtered by humans. They are murdered by criminally backed packing house workers. Their funerals consist of unceremonial "processing" and "packaging."

Their headstones are plates and forks. Their graves are our stomachs. I am glad Rocco was honored! What a beautiful example of human - nonhuman kinship. It is the lesson of this kinship we need to take away from his tragic death and begin to honor all of our nonhuman brothers and sisters. Thank you Rocco!