ehathaway19ahsgov-blog

[ehathaway19ahsgov-blog]

Works Cited

“Farm Animal Welfare.” ASPCA, www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/farm-animal welfare.

“Fur Trade Facts.” Last Chance for Animals - Factory Farming, www.lcanimal.org/index.php/campaigns/fur/fur-trade-facts.

“H.Res. 34 — 116th Congress: Expressing support for designation of the first Saturday in October as “National Animal Rescue Day” ...” www.GovTrack.us. 2019. January 13, 2019, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hres34

“H.R. 249 — 116th Congress: To amend the ICCVAM Authorization Act of 2000 to improve reporting about animal testing and ...” www.GovTrack.us. 2019. January 13, 2019, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr249

“Photo Gallery of - Animal Abuse Statistics Graphs.” Animalia Life, animalia-life.club/other/animal-abuse-statistics-graphs.html.

“The Problem of Marine Plastic Pollution.” Clean Water Action, 20 Dec. 2017, www.cleanwater.org/problem-marine-plastic-pollution.

“US Statistics.” Speaking of Research, Speaking of Research, 27 Nov. 2018, speakingofresearch.com/facts/statistics/.

“11 Facts About Animal Cruelty.” DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change, www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-animal-cruelty.

“11 Facts About Animal Homelessness.” DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change, www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-animal-homelessness.

“11 Facts About Animal Testing.” DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change, www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-animal-testing.

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Civic Action Assessment of Issue

1. I see my role as a citizen as an important part of meeting the needs of our community. Personally, I have fostered 23 kittens and 2 puppies at my house who would have been put down if I did not help them. I helped them grow to become animals that can be adopted by feeding and caring for them enough so that they can get to be the correct weight to be spayed and neutered. I see my role as a foster parent an important one because I have helped animals that would not have survived if I hadn’t taken them under my wing. 

2. In this class, I have learned that civic action can take many forms, and even doing something small can help our community a great deal. Civic responsibility is something that applies to everyone living in this country, in order to have civic responsibility, one needs to participate and contribute to the society that they live in. 

3. I do feel like it is my civic obligation to help address the problems my civic action has created because even only being one person, I have saved the lives of 25 helpless animals. I believe that if more people were willing to sacrifice their time, the problem of animals being put down would be a lot less prominent. 

4. This semester, I have not yet volunteered my time, however, I believe that I have fulfilled somewhat of my civic responsibility to my issue by taking care of these animals. Last year, I volunteered at ARF every day for 2 months, while also fostering batches of kittens and puppies.  

5. This semester was not a good time for my family to foster more kittens, however, next semester we will be taking more animals into our home and preparing them for adoption.  

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Executive Action Assessment of Issue

1. President Trump does not take a stance on Animal Rights on his website, however, he eliminated Obama’s Animal Welfare Regulations that benefited animals by giving them more room to roam around. He also made it legal to  import elephant trophies hunted in Zimbabwe.  

2. I do not agree with his decisions regarding animals because he hurts them for his own benefit. He says, “America can help its farmers feed millions more both here and abroad”, so he gives animals less room by putting them back in cages in order to mass produce meat. 

3. The U.S. Department of Agriculture manages Animal Rights.

4. The Cabinet’s mission statement is, “The Department of Agriculture provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues”. It does not relate directly to my issue, but Animal Rights falls under the environmental category. 

5. The secretary of the Department of Agriculture is Sonny Perdue. The only agricultural background that Perdue has is that he  earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine ans worked as a veterinarian for a short time. He seems like a political appointment because his views as senator matched up with Trump’s views.

6. The services that the Department of Agriculture provides Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and Food Safety and Inspection Service. They both inspect the areas that the animals are in and make sure everything is up to code.

7. I am not satisfied with the Department of Agriculture because Sonny Perdue is not qualified to head it. He sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline. Trump does not care about the individual animals, just how much money he can make off of mass producing meat. Trump does want to cut funding for this department, and I do not agree with this decision. Cutting funding could worsen the already bad state of this department. Animals can suffer from budget cuts, but getting better leadership can help them.

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Legislative Action

1. a) Congressman DeSaulnier does not take a stance my particular issue, however, he is trying to expand the John Muir National Park. 

Senator Feinstein does not have any opinions on my issue as well.

b) Congressman DeSaulnier has not sponsored any bills related to animal rights. 

Senator Feinstein sponsored “S. 2633 -  A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to civil forfeitures relating to certain seized animals, and for other purposes.”

2. a) There are two bills that pertain to animal rights.

b) The bill that I chose is HOUSE BILL H.R. 6784.

c) This bill would eliminate gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48 states so that the states can manage their population of wolves. 

d) This will have a big impact on the number of gray wolves in the US, which could possibly lead to extinction. It would also impact farmers, hunters, and state wildlife agencies.

e) I would vote nay because I am against any kind of animal slaughter, especially in the case of an endangered species. 

f) The bill originated in the House, and the House passed it. The Senate has not voted, and the President has not signed this bill.

g) I am not satisfied with the current Federal legislation on my issue because the house did pass this bill, and I believe it should not be implemented. 

3. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/us/alaska-oil-drilling-polar-bears.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FAnimals&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection

Subject: The name of the article is “Drilling in the Arctic: Questions for a Polar Bear Expert”. It is about the reversal of a ban on oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 

Author: The authors are  Henry Fountain and Steve Eder. 

Context: The Trump Administration is reversing this ban, so it is part of the current political issues.

Audience: The audience is the readers of the New York Times, and people who are wondering how this reversal will affect the polar bears. 

Perspective: The authors take the side of the polar bears, explaining that it will be very detrimental to the bears that live in that area. They are opposed to the reversal of the ban on oil drilling, saying that it can destroy the homes of the wildlife. They state that the bears are already struggling because of climate change, and ask if they can withstand another disruption.

Significance: If this ban is reversed, it will decrease the population of polar bears even more. There were previously more than 1,500 bears, now there are only 800 to 900. The article states, “When you remove the ice, it changes the ecosystem. It has these ripple effects that start at the bottom of the food chain and go right up through to the fish and then, of course, to the important thing for the bears — the seals”. I agree with the authors, and believe the ban should not be reversed because many animals will get hurt by taking this action.

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State Action

1. a) Catharine Baker’s doesn’t have a position specifically on animal rights, but she does believe that “ we have a responsibility to preserve and enhance our parks and open space, protect biodiversity, and keep our air and water clean”. She was endorsed by PawPAC, California’s Political Action Committee for Animals. She got an 100% on the Humane Society’s scorecard, which means that she authorized pro-animal legislation. 

Steve Glazer also doesn’t have an opinion on animal rights, but he believes that “in the Bay Area, we sometimes take our beautiful environment for granted. This is risky, because environmental stewardship requires ongoing vigilance. Our clean air and water, bays, forests, grasslands, and creeks won't stay protected unless they are a part of every discussion”. He also got an 100% on the Humane Society’s scorecard.

b) I agree with both of their positions on the environment, and I trust that they both support animal rights because of their endorsements. 

c) Catharine Baker was a co-author of the bill AB 1825, which says, “ Existing law provides for the designation and disposition of certain categories of dogs as potentially dangerous or vicious dogs pursuant to a specified judicial process, and requires that designation to be included in the registration records of the dog. Existing law defines the term “vicious dog” to include, among others, dogs seized pursuant to specified animal cruelty laws.This bill would delete this category of dog from the above-specified definition of “vicious dog”.

Steve Glazer was  an author of the bill AB 797, which “gives people a last resort to save dogs by laying out the steps that a citizen must take prior to entering a vehicle with the intent to save an animal from extreme heat”.

2. a) The bill number is  ACR 153. 

b) The bill was introduced on May 24, 2018. 

c) The last major action of the bill “urges communities in California to implement policies aimed at saving the lives of all healthy and adoptable cats and dogs by 2025″. 

d) I feel like this bill is very good for the animals because it says that “no adoptable animal should be euthanized if it can be adopted into a suitable home and that no treatable animal should be euthanized”. I would encourage my representatives to support this bill because each year 2.7 million animals are euthanized and this bill would lower that number.

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The 3 Ps Assessment: Parties, Political Interest Groups, and PACs

1. a) The Republican Party believes that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has “stunted economic development, halted the construction of projects, burdened landowners, and has been used to pursue policy goals inconsistent with the ESA”. I do not agree with the Republican Party because I think that the ESA is a great movement that helps protect animals the way that they deserve to be protected.

The Democratic Party opposes “efforts to undermine the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act to protect threatened and endangered species”. I agree with the Democratic Party because they are saying that they disagree with the Republican Party and they support the ESA.

The Libertarian Party believes that “protecting the environment requires a clear definition and enforcement of individual rights and responsibilities regarding resources like land, water, air, and wildlife”. I agree with the Libertarian Party because they want to protect the environment.

The Green Party calls for “an intelligent, compassionate approach to the treatment of animals”. I strongly agree with the Green Party because they support animal rights.

The Peace and Freedom Party doesn’t take a stance on animal rights, however, they support the protection of the environment. 

c) I agree with the Green Party the most because they aren’t concerned with the politics of animal rights, they just want to do whatever they can to protect those animals.

2. a) The interest group that I chose is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or the ASPCA. 

b) The ASPCA’ mission is to “provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States".

c) The ASPCA opposes dogfighting, which is where dogs are forced to fight for human entertainment and profit. They want to stop animal hoarding, which is when a person adopts more animals that they can care for, which leads to neglect. They want farm animals to be cared for and not live in a crowded, inhumane factory farm. They also want to stop horse slaughtering.

d) The ASPCA’s website states, The ASPCA “today supported the NYC Council in passing two pieces of legislation intended to improve the well-being of New Yorkers and their pets, while also having the potential to augment funding to address NYC's animal overpopulation problem”. 

e) The ASPCA’s headquarters is located in New York City, but they have shelters all over the US. However, there are only conferences in New York. 

f) To volunteer, you can foster animals or even adopt them. You can also donate to their website.

g) I find it interesting that they are asking for donations of 63 cents a day.

3. a) The interest group is called the PawPAC, or California's Political Action Committee for Animals.

b)  PawPac is a “nonpartisan, nonprofit political action committee dedicated to the passage of humane laws and election of humane legislators”. 

c) They are dedicated to protecting all animals, not just dogs and cats. They help to elect candidates by endorsements, contributions, annual voting charts. They accept donations to stop the cruelty of animals. They keep people informed by social media and email alerts. 

d) They are trying to get people to contact Governor Jerry Brown and show support for a number of bills, one of which is the AB 2362 (Rubio &Cervantes) - Safe transportation for dogs & cats. They are asking that people tell Governor Brown that “Animals have suffered severe injury and death from heat exhaustion during transport. This bill will set minimum care standards for shelter and rescue transport”.

e) PawPac is located in Oxnard, CA. There are no current meetings.

f) To volunteer, you can contact Governor Jerry Brown or sign up for the mailing list or social media feed.

g) I find it interesting that there is no opportunity to donate to the PawPac, you can only volunteer by contacting the governor.

4. The ASPCA seems more organized because their website provides a lot more information and ways to help them. They also seem more successful because they are a well known nonprofit organization, unlike the PawPac who is not very well known. They seem more supported across the country. The ASPCA’s target audience is people that love animals, as well as people who aren’t aware of the horrible ways that many animals are currently being treated. The PawPac’s target audience is only those who want to make a change in the way that the government is protecting animals. Both are supported by animal lovers, and people who think it is wrong to treat animals cruelly. I am concerned with the way that the PawPac’s website looks because it is confusing and doesn’t provide a lot of information.

5. a) The PAC name is Animal Wellness Action.

b) There is no description of the PAC, however, based on the name we can assume that they support the wellness of animals.

c) They have raised $60,750, and they have spent $38,500. On hand they have $22,250. 

d) They have spent $4.5K on Democrats and $3.5K on Republicans. 

e) One of their donors is Josh Balk, and he is the vice president of farm animal protection for The Humane Society of the United States farm animal division. This reflects the views of the PAC because the Humane Society advocates for animal rights. 

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Constitutional Assessment

1. The name of the case is United States v. Stevens.

2. It was decided on Apr 20, 2010. 

3. Robert Stevens was convicted for "knowingly selling depictions of animal cruelty with the intention of placing those depictions in interstate commerce for commercial gain". He was selling videos of illegal dog fighting, but he appealed his conviction by claiming that Section 48 was unconstitutional. His conviction was reversed. 

4. The justices were deciding whether or not 18 U.S.C. Section 48 is unconstitutional under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.

5. Section 48. Depiction of animal cruelty was in question.

6. The supreme court decided that Section 48 is invalid under the First Amendment with an 8 to 1 decision. They ruled that the dog fighting videos that Stevens sold were protected speech.

7. This decision establishes the precedent that “Sec. 48. Depiction of animal cruelty are not categorically unprotected by the First Amendment”. SCOTUS ruled that the law is invalid. 

8. I disagree with the court’s decision because I think Section 48 should be meant to protect animals from cruelty, and no loopholes should be able to be found to protect a person that committed those acts of animal cruelty.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/science/sea-turtles-endangered-fishing.html?nytapp=true&smid=nytcore-ios-share

S- Many turtles are injured and killed because of trash and plastic that humans throw into the ocean. Only 1 of 1000 turtle eggs live to be adults, and the world population of green turtles has declined by 50 to 70 percent since 1990. Although it is illegal, it is part of Kenya’s culture to poach turtles for food and shells, and the law is rarely enforced. However, the Local Ocean Conservation is doing whatever they can to save these turtles.

A- The author of the article is Amy Yee.

C- This article is relevant because this is happening right now, and every human that contributes to putting trash in the ocean is responsible for killing innocent turtles. 

A- The intended audience is animal rights activists as well as people interested in animal rights. 

P- The author’s keeps a neutral tone, however, it is obvious that she disagrees with people that are killing turtles for meat and shells because she puts facts in that would persuade the audience that killing turtles is detrimental to the environment.

S- The significance of the article is to spread awareness about what happens when we throw trash in the ocean. I agree with the author’s viewpoint because she is trying to help the turtles by showing what people are doing to help.

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Media Assessment of Issue

1. NY Times- Volkswagen Vows to End Experiments on Animals

Slate- Are No-Kill Shelters Good for Cats and Dogs?

The Hill- Congress can send the message that dog and cat meat trade is unacceptable

2. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/04/business/volkswagen-animal-testing-peta-monkeys.html   (neutral)  The subject of this article is how Volkswagen is stopping animal testing within their company. The authors are Prashant S. Rao and Melissa Eddy. The context is the controversial scandal that Volkswagen has been dealing with. The intended audience is Volkswagen users to make sure that they know what kind of company they are buying from. There seems to be no bias to this article. The significance of this article is to inform the public the actions that Volkswagen is taking to address their scandal involving animal testing. I agree that they are doing the right thing by stopping the testing because it is not okay to use animals to test things for humans.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/05/no_kill_animal_shelters_and_peta_what_is_the_most_humane_way_to_treat_stray.html  (liberal)  The subject of this article is how different sides are fighting about weather no-kill shelters are humane or not. The author is Brian Palmer. The context is the controversial issure arising today about no-kill shelters. The intended audience is people that care about animals. The bias is towards the no-kill shelters, and how they are humane and should be used. The significance of this article is to appeal to the soft side of people and show them that the no-kill shelters are the best thing for stray animals. I agree with this because every animal deserves a chance at life. 

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/civil-rights/405799-congress-can-send-the-message-that-dog-and-cat-meat-trade-is   (conservative) The subject of this article is that it is necessary to pass laws ending dog and cat meat trade. The author is Kitty Block. The context is the laws that are being considered to be passed against dog and cat meat trade. The intended audience is people that don’t know how badly animals are being treated. The bias is towards passing the law. The significance of this article is that America need to step up and end cruelty of animals by passing laws to prevent it. I agree with this because by making it illegal, it will be more likely to happen.

3. The last two articles are similar because they are biased towards the stopping of animal cruelty. The first article is just informative with no bias. 

4. I identify with the Slate source because I am very familiar with animal shelters, especially ARF because I have fostered many kittens and puppies from there. I agree with the fact that we need more no-kill shelters because the animals seem very happy there, and every single one of them deserves a second chance at life. 

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Conceptualizing the Issue and Assessing Types of Action

1. I chose the Animal Rights Issue because I am very passionate about animals and I love volunteering for animal shelters. I have fostered 23 kittens and 2 puppies over the years, and I have been volunteering for ARF since I was 11. I believe that animals should have similar rights to humans. 

2. Animal Rights is an issue because there are many animals out there suffering because of humans. Former pets are being abandoned on the streets. Millions of rabbits, mice, rats and other animals are forced to test products for humans and almost all of them will die or be killed. Snakes, bears, elephants, and others are being killed for fashion. Billions of ocean animals die from human waste in the water. Humans raise farm animals in horrible conditions just to use them for food. Why is it okay to eat cows and chickens, but not dogs and cats? All animals should be given the same rights as each other, and those rights need to be more humane. 

3. I think that we need to ban animal testing and buy only cruelty-free products. We need to alert the public about the horrible conditions that farmers and lab scientists put animals in. We need to stop animal dissections in the classrooms. Dog fighting needs to stop, as well as hunting for sport. More people need to be aware that animal rights is a big issue that needs to be solved as soon as possible. 

4. On twitter, I follow  ARF, ASPCA, WWF, PETA, and the Humane Society. ARF, or Animal Rescue Foundation, is a local shelter for cats and dogs. They take animals about to be put down by pounds and give them a place to live before someone comes and adopts them. WWF, or World Wildlife Fund, is aimed at saving endangered species and conserving nature. ASPCA, PETA, and the Humane Society are animal rights organizations, and I find their tweets very interesting because they are sometimes controversial.