STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemnn
Nebraska Extension Educator

     While most people were opening presents or eating Christmas dinner something else was going on that caught my attention. You and most other people would probably think this is a little crazy, but believe me these folks do not. I know you all have heard of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Mercy For Animals (MFA), Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM), Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), Animal Liberation Front (ALF), American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Farm Sanctuary to name just a few of hundreds of organizations around the world dedicated to animal rights, animal welfare, and Vegan agendas. Believe me these groups don’t care about farmers, ranchers or our livelihood.
     We have lately heard of another group called SHARK whose acronym stands for SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness who have made themselves known particularly the Clay County area and are still stirring the water. This group is well known for their films, drones and their campaign against rodeos, “factory farms” and now with their continued interest in the Meat Animal Research Center and, from what I understand, peripheral livestock facilities. We could spend a lot of time talking about them or a lot of the other groups, and I have over the years. However, another group that I honestly had not heard much about before got my attention. This group is called “The Humane Party.” Now what do they have to do with Christmas you might ask?  It really is not about Christmas, but instead something that merits our attention.
     First a little background. The Humane Party, which launched in 2009, is the U.S.’s first fully abolitionist political party. With the racial unrest in today’s society it should not surprise you that this avenue is being used. Here is what they are after though. The Humane Party platform is actually calling for abolishing the property status of all animals throughout the United States of America. The Humane Party on Christmas day published the first full draft of the Abolition Amendment, a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. This draft will now be available for comments, criticisms, and editorial suggestions from the public for the next thirty days. After expiration of the initial public-comment period, the text of the Abolition Amendment will be revised, if necessary. The revised draft will then be subjected to another public-comment period of thirty days and then repeated as necessary until completion of a final draft has been achieved.
     The Abolition Amendment, upon ratification, will abolish slavery with respect to all animals, thereby putting an immediate end to the meat, dairy, egg, and other exploitation- and killing-based industries. In so doing, the Abolition Amendment represents the fruit of decades of labor by animal rights activists, environmentalists, and vegan advocates in the U.S. If you don’t think this is serious I suggest you go to the Humane Party’s main website at www.humaneparty.org   or its social media page at www.facebook.com/humaneparty
 You will see that they are dead serious about what they are doing.
     The Humane Party’s announcement comes approximately three weeks after its first annual celebration of American Abolition Day. American Abolition Day both commemorates ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and promotes emancipation of all other animals. The 13th Amendment abolished human slavery throughout the United States of America. The text of the 13th Amendment served as a model for the initial draft of the Abolition Amendment. Publication of the final draft of the Abolition Amendment is scheduled for American Abolition Day, December 6, 2016.
     I took the liberty to find the actual wording of the Amendment. I quote it here, not because I think it will be enacted, but because it illustrates the subversive belief system–the absolutist ideology–that drives “animal rights. -- ”Full Text of the Abolition Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude of any sentient being shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2. Congress may, from time to time, refine the definition of 'sentient being' for the purposes of this article in accord with advances in science, except that in no event shall this definition be altered so as to exclude from this definition any species or individual organism that is, or would have been if existent, classified in the kingdom animalia as of the date of ratification of this article. Section 3. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
     We may laugh at this, and some of the words may be a little strange to us, but please remember we live in a different world than what many of us started our lives with. Realize that even flies are sentient. Fish are sentient. Heck, even oysters are sentient, which is why they make a pearl out of an irritating grain of sand. That would mean no cattle ranching, fish farms, animal research, zoos, or pets. After all, our dogs and cats are owned by us. Animal rights isn’t about being nicer to animals it goes far beyond that. Lots of well-meaning folks buy into this and send hard earned dollars towards this agenda.
     For an eye-opening experience I encourage you to watch the following video entitled “A "Vegan Fox" Explains Animal Rights”, you might find it both amusing and a little troubling:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRIxk_KIuDY . As the “Vegan Fox” explains in the video, it is about elevating all fauna to equal legal and moral status with humans. It’s a frightening illustration of our dissipated times and unfortunately millions of people support this nihilism. They have lots of money, time and an agenda that is not conducive to how we live our lives and how we in the animal industry make a living. Hold on to your hat and your seat. We are just at the infancy of something like we have never seen before!

The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer, which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or Nebraska Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, Nebraska Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email: dlienemann2@unl.edu or on the web at: http://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster