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Animal Rights?
Vote NO on SB 880
By Tony Hale
Humaneness is a goal for any great society, and humane education for children, has long
been associated with the development of kind and caring adults.
It was this understanding that guided humane movements across America, starting as early as 1886 with the
creation of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Developing programs for
children to learn about animals in schools, and taking action for protection of animals was
the focus of the SPCA. By 1923, there were 140,000 chapters of this organization with a
membership of more than four million children in American schools. What contribution this
movement made to the Twentieth Century’s enlightenment’s of environmental awareness
and human equality we cannot say, but equally we cannot disregard its role.
Children learning about compassion for animals in public schools, lost out to the strains of the
Great Depression and competing interests for school resources. After recovering from the
Depression, we have seen the start of a new humane movement. The Humane Society of
the United States (HSUS) was started in 1954, and now we see many new kinds of groups
tanking on the issues of animal rights. As Democrats, we may not support every action
to the HSUS or every group that supports animals, but I think we can find common
interest in our concerns for the environment and wildlife, as well as our pursuit of just and
humane society.
Please call Betty Karnette and ask her to vote No on SB 880.
SB 880 a bill backed by the Adidas Corporation, would remove the 37-year ban on importation of kangaroo skin and products into California. Adidas would like to open the California market to their Predator soccer shoe, which has an upper kangaroo skin cover.
Why Kangaroo hunting is inhumane
Over the past 5 years 16,876,343 kangaroos were killed for commercial use. Not included
in this official count, were some 7 million Joeys (or baby kangaroos); they were not counted
because they are not used. By Australian law, when female kangaroos with young are shot,
their young must also be killed. These Joeys are killed on the spot, and left in the Australian
bush.
Kangaroos are wild animals that are hunted at night, this makes identification of endangered
species of kangaroos difficult. Concerned groups in Australia fear that increased kangaroo
hunting will threaten endangered species and their habitats.
This bill would also open the door to removing other animals from California’s list
of protected animals. Adidas argues that it is unfair that California is the only state that
has this ban on kangaroo products. But isn’t it unfair that this international corporation
should try to overturn California law? This will be the third time Adidas has tried to pass this
bill, it has been stopped in the Senate twice before, but this time it has made it through.
Now in the Assembly, Adidas’s $500,000 dollar lobbying effort is likely to pay off. Please don’t
let Adidas set the standard for environmental law, call your Assembly-member and tell them
to vote no on SB 880.
For more information on this Bill visit www.DemocraticActionCenter.com and click the
Kangaroo menu item.
Simply say I want Betty Karnette to vote NO on SB 880 (Karnette has voted to import
kangaroos before, your call could change her mind)
Assembly Member Betty Karnette
3711 Long Beach Blvd. Suite 801
Long Beach, CA 90807
(562) 997-0794
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