I absolutely loved the video from Annie Leonard called The Story of Stuff. Now she has come out with another video I love explaining why Cap and Trade is a rotten deal all around. I have been against it for awhile now since it puts the responsibility for cleaning up our planetary act directly in the hands of corrupt businessmen… think Enron and Goldman Sachs. It allows them to become profiteers in the business of saving the world all the while giving the worst polluters a bunch of free passes and not ensuring that third world countries aren’t left holding the bag for the wild pollution party we have been having for decades.

If you don’t quite understand why this is such a short sighted solution then this video should make it all very clear. Enjoy!

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It amazes me that with so many animals living in shelters that we STILL have a need for pet stores and puppy breeders. It bothers me on so many levels. Even people who don’t profess to be “green” will often talk a good game about recycling and reusing because it is smart and efficient. But that’s resources. We can’t waste resources. But can we waste lives either? Why on earth would we choose to buy “new” when there are living, breathing, animals in shelters waiting for adoption. They go on waiting for homes while people who have to have a certain breed choose to shop at pet stores (many of which treat their animals badly) or they patronize breeders (many of which run their operations like factory puppy mills). It boggles my mind that we even have an industry for breeding specific animals or selling expensive animals when anyone who wants a pet can go right into their local shelters and adopt a pet for cheap… a pet who NEEDS you. Even if you think you HAVE to have a specific breed you may be able to find a rescue operation that caters to specific breeds. They have greyhound rescue centers, Labrador rescue centers, Rottweiler rescue centers, etc. You may just have to travel if you want a dog that way.

We have a new puppy in our lives (not ours, a relatives) and I love her like crazy but I admit I was a little peeved when I found out she came from a breeder. I mean you DO have a shelter less than 2 minutes from your door, hint, hint! I generally don’t like to guilt people but in this case… they can wallow in the guilt till their fingers get pruney.

Anyway, this new puppy has been making me want one and I swear I never thought I would. My two labs that I had since I was a kid died last year. One was a shelter animal  who had been abused and the other was her pup. I found my relationship with them changed after I had kids… and I feel guilty saying it but they seemed like more work I had to do and I resented them after awhile. I thought I would never want another but now that my kids are growing up I am feeling that twinge of puppy love.

Since we will likely be moving across country (yep that’s the plan) now is not a good time but when we get settled we “could” go shelter shopping. The kids would be thrilled. I have got to give it more thought but it would not even be a possibility that we could go order a dog from a breeder or go to a pet shop when so many animals are out there looking for homes.

According to the Shelter Pet Project:

• Each year approximately 4 million pets are adopted.
• Of the 8 million pets that enter animal shelters each year, approximately 3 million healthy and treatable pets are euthanized.
• It is estimated that 17 million people will acquire a pet within the next year. 
• To save all the healthy and treatable pets that are euthanized, we just need 3 million of these people to adopt.

So if you are looking to get a pet… got to a shelter. If you know someone who is thinking about getting a pet… encourage them to go to a shelter. Email them sad puppy photos if you have to! This is too important an issue. Anyway I got an email about this shelter project and had to write a quick post about it. If you are a die hard teacup poodle person and you breed or buy from breeders sorry to offend but animal shelter animals need to come first. With 17 million people buying pets there is NO reason we should ever have to euthanize good pets because nobody wants them.

This post is for my fellow Buckeyes (Ohio). No matter what side of the isle you are on… liberal or conservative I would hope that anyone who cares about the ethics and safety of food in Ohio will vote NO on Issue 2 come November.

This issue is no doubt being presented to us out of fear. Agribusiness in Ohio fears that one day they will be faced with legislation like what just went through California with Prop 2. Basically those dastardly Californians actually decided that livestock should have to be raised humanely. 

Ohio factory farmers want to head this type of legislation off by giving themselves a position of power NOW. By voting yes on Issue 2 in Ohio we will give agri-business representatives and their appointees the ability to create an agricultural board with unchecked power over livestock rules and regulations. Their power would be locked in by the constitution and never again would they have to worry about the people choosing for themselves how they want their food to be raised. It is a power grab. This issue will help ensure that they hold all the cards from now on.

If in the future the citizens of Ohio determine that some widely accepted agricultural practice is inhumane or unsafe for food production, we will have no recourse to fight it. Agribusiness will simply bring it to the board composed of all their own people, decide in their own favor,  and keep doing business as usual. There would be no plublic input, no forum for public comments, and no appeal. Their decision is FINAL.

Not only is it likely this board will be used to support unethical and inhumane production methods it could also be used to make it harder for small family farmers to operate, essentially allowing BIG agribusiness to weed them out.

Why should you care? Well, since we all eat food… and many of us try to eat lots of local food… I think we should have a say in the ethics and safety of our food production. We also have a right to choose our own food sources and we don’t want factory farms putting the little guys out of business and limiting our options. Even vegans will want to make sure that factory farms aren’t making their own rules for the humane treatment of animals. In short, factory farms and big agribusiness have no right to hijack our state constitution. If you are in Ohio vote NO on Issue 2!!

Well, it is official. I am now a Credo Mobile customer. I signed up for a 30 day trial a few weeks back.. you may remember me mentioning it.

During my trial I heard that my current cell company, Verizon, was funding an anti-environment rally and I knew I had to make this switch permanent. On Labor Day, thousands of people will be gathering for the coal-powered “Friends of America Rally” in Holden, WV. Don’t you love the name? Obviously if you support clean energy you must NOT be a friend of America… puhlease. They plan to rail against clean energy legislation and talk about how clean and green energy is a job killer.

The sponsors of this ridiculous event are oil, gas, and coal companies… AND Verizon. My NEW cell company, CREDO, launched a campaign calling on Verizon to drop its sponsorship.

It all boils down to this being yet another choice to send my money to a place where it will do the most good. It is an easy decision really. So far I really like the service, their online account interface is awesome, they have paperless billing, and EASY online bill pay, and since 1985 they have donated over $60 million to groups working for progressive change. Every time I pay my bill a percentage goes toward causes I believe in and certainly NOT to anti-environment rallies!

For anyone else thinking of switching… I think they are only offering to buy out your existing cell contract if you sign up by September 4th… just so you know.

If anything can get me riled up and hotter than a brushfire in Texas it is the idea of vaccinations being required or forced on us. We are a non vaccinating family so I like to keep up to date with what is going on in the vaccine world and this issue came up on the radar recently. According to Mike Adams at Natural News:

A new bill, the “Pandemic Response Bill,” S. 2028, has passed the Massachusetts state Senate and is now awaiting approval in the House. This bill suspends virtually all Constitutional rights of Massachusetts citizens and forces anyone “suspected” of being infected to submit to interrogations, “decontaminations” and vaccines.

It also sets fines up to $1,000 per day for anyone who refuses to submit to quarantines, vaccinations, decontamination efforts or to follow any other verbal order by virtually any state-licensed law enforcement or medical personnel. You can read the text yourself here.

It is outrageous that the government can force anyone to inject themselves with any substance but especially a potentially dangerous one.

According to the Organic Consumers Association, a leaked memo revealed that the swine flu vaccine has been linked to paralysis. It also contains contains novel adjuvants, including dangerous squalene which was in all probability responsible for Gulf War syndrome.

Visit the OCA web site to send a message to legislators that this NOT acceptable. They have a letter for MA residents and those in other states.