DawnWatch: USA Today says "Animal rights fight gains momentum" and discusses vegan health 1/28/07

USA Today today (I couldn't resist that opening), Monday, January 28, is all about the animal cause. It includes an article headed, "Animal rights fight gains momentum: Groups report increase in membership as high-profile incidents make headlines." And there is also an article about vegan health issues.

The huge page 3 story on the animal rights movement, by Larry Copeland, opens with:

"The growing influence of animal rights activists increasingly is affecting daily life, touching everything from the foods Americans eat to what they study in law school, where they buy their puppies and even whether they should enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride in New York's Central Park.

"Animal activist groups such as the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) say they are seeing a spike in membership as their campaigns spread. "

Michigan state University law professor David Favre talks of "an explosion of interest," HSUS's Mike Markarian notes that animal issues are "part of the public domain like never before" and PETA's Bruce Friedrich is also quoted, saying, "Animals are made of flesh and blood and bone, just like humans. They feel pain just like we do. Recognition of that grows year by year. The animal rights movement is a social justice movement (similar to) suffrage and civil rights."

The article notes various victories and tells us that the wave of popularity for animal protection has been spurred by the Hurricane Katrina animal emergency, the pet food crisis, and the Vick dog fighting scandal.

It also quotes the food processors who say, "Ultimately, their goal is to eliminate animals being used as food." It ends with an industry representative's claim that that the industry is diligent in handling animals humanely, but "people have different opinions about what constitutes humane handling."

What a great jump off point for letters to the editor about factory farming! If you know little about factory farming, please visit www.factoryfarming.com to learn more and see the pictures of "humane handling."

You'll find the full USA Today article at http://tinyurl.com/22yswz USA Today takes letters at http://tinyurl.com/hvsuz Or if you prefer, you can post a comment at the bottom of the web page.

USA Today also has an article by Kim Painter, in the "Your Health" section, headed "Veganism is Taking Root but is it healthy?" I almost hesitate to call attention to this one due to some of the misinformation it includes, but those with somewhat better knowledge about vegan diets than Kim Painter should respond to the article.

The good news is this line:
"Appropriately planned' vegetarian and vegan diets have nutritional advantages, including low levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, says a 2003 position statement from the ADA (at eatright.org)."

The bad news is the editorializing on that position statement with which she follows it. She makes it seem like healthful vegan diets are hard to plan. Nevertheless, it is refreshing to have the vegan diet discussed in USA Today and given the go-ahead, even with inappropriately strong caveats.

You can read Painter's column at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/painter/2008-01-27-your-health_N.htm
and I hope the nutritionists among us will respond with friendly and informative letters to the editor at http://tinyurl.com/hvsuz

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published. And please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters. Editors are looking for original responses from their readers.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read advance reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals" and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.