Powered by Max Banner Ads
Video: Undercover Video Shows Hatchery Grinding Up Live Baby Chicks
I love to eat meat, but the brutal and inhumane methods that companies use to give us meat are outrageous and sick. Companies could use much more humane methods of killing cows, pigs, and other animals — but they choose not to.
It’s as if many companies go out of their way to be as cruel as possible to the animals they process. I can’t imagine how the CEO’s of these companies can look themselves in the mirror knowing they run an outfit like this.
I love to hunt deer, but the deer I hunt for food die instantly. Imagine if my preferred method for hunting deer was to snare them in a net, then skin them alive while they screamed. Yeah, I would belong in jail.
So, why then is it okay for companies to throw a live pig in a vat of boiling water? Why is it okay for a hatchery to throw live baby chicks into a grinder? The answer is — it’s not.
I can’t stand these left-wing Berkeley types that are always crusading for global warming all that crap, but the animal cruelty issue is one I agree with them on.
Organizations like PETA often do over-the-top things to get their message out (many of which are counterproductive), but I applaud their efforts to get videos like this out.
I don’t agree that people should become vegans (I’m certainly not) but I think we should research and choose wisely the companies we support with our food dollars.
Torturing animals makes me sick, torturing terrorists — not so much.
-Chris Jones
Video: Teens Sentenced For Gruesome Cat Mutilation
I would not want my child to come back home with me if I knew he was responsible for savage acts of cruelty like this. It’s a scientific fact that kids who treat animals that way are emotionally disturbed and usually treat humans in a similar fashion as they get older. I would insist that my kid be remanded to psychiatric facility for at least a couple of years.
You simply cannot let the little bastard run wild, because any person capable of that kind of savagery would think nothing of bashing someone’s head in. His crocodile tears in court are simply an act. Some people are born without the ability to feel impathy or compassion and they’re the most dangerous people in the world.
Video: Blind Horse Tortured And Dragged To Death
Anyone who would do something like this to an animal should be killed.
Marines Investigating Video Of Puppy Being Thrown Off A Cliff
Slaughterhouse Video Prompts Largest Beef Recall In U.S. History
This video is only a piece of the slaughterhouse video that prompted the massive beef recall. Even putting aside the fact that sick cattle were allowed into food supply, what’s more important is the way we continue to allow the barbarism that goes on inside these slaughterhouses.
I enjoy eating meat, but with every passing month I get closer and closer to giving it up. The way these animals are treated is becoming an issue that is impossible to overlook or sweep under the rug.
It simply doesn’t make sense for meat companies to kill cattle in such a grotesque and inhumane manner. It would not cost the company more money to put the animal down humanely. Yet it seems as though these companies actually prefer to kill cattle in the most gruesome and savage ways possible.
These slaughterhouses are nothing more than assembly lines of torture and mass murder. I say this not as a PETA nut, but as a lifelong meat eater and hunter.
The difference between these meat companies and hunting is quite simple. When I shoot a deer I kill it with one shot and it dies immediately. If I were to employ the same tactics to hunting as are employed by slaughterhouses, I would shoot a deer in the leg and then chain it to my truck and drag it to death.
The public was rightly outraged over the Michael Vick dogfighting case and his torture and killing of dogs. Why then is there not similar outrage over the torture and killing of cows? Or Chickens? Or any other meat Americans consume?
Why are cows considered throw-away animals that don’t deserve even an ounce of compassion or sympathy? Why is it okay to kick and electrocute a cow, but not a dog? I can assure you that cows feel the same sense of terror and agony when they’re tortured as dogs do.
The bottom line is that the American meat industry needs to be reformed and new regulations need to be put in place, both from a consumer safety standpoint and an animal cruelty standpoint.
-Chris Jones
Dead Dog Found Tied To Barbed Wire Fence
Humane Society Auctions Off Vick’s Note to Self From Press Conference
On August 27, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick plead guilty to a dogfighting charge, and the following day held a press conference in Richmond, Virg., apologizing for his involvement in the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting ring.
After Vick’s four-minute speech, a rep with the Humane Society of the United States went up to the podium to retrieve his microphone, and found the note left by Vick containing his talking points.
Vick’s big idea: apologize, apologize, apologize. The six-point speech calls for him to “apologize for what I’ve done;” apologize to his coach and team; tell young kids that “I acted immature;” ask for “forgiveness and understanding;” “take full responsibility for my actions;” and remind people that “we all make mistakes.”
At the very bottom of the note was a reminder that “dogs have suffered.”
“Watching video of the event, I recall Vick reading through his talking points. I don’t recall him getting to those words at the end. No, for some reason, he didn’t get to the dogs on whom he inflicted such tortures,” wrote Humane Society blogger Wayne Pacelle on A Humane Nation. “The biggest apology of all was left unspoken-to the dogs who suffered and who died so horribly at his hand.”
The Humane Society has put the note up for auction. Proceeds will benefit the Humane Society’s Animal Cruelty Response and Reward Fund.
[TMZ]
Vick Issues Apology After Guilty Plea
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Michael Vick apologized Monday for “using bad judgment and making bad decisions” and vowed to redeem himself after pleading guilty to a federal dogfighting charge.
“First I want to apologize for all the things that I’ve done and that I have allowed to happen,” the star quarterback said at a news conference following his appearance in U.S. District Court to formally enter the plea.
Sentencing was set for Dec. 10 and Vick could be sent to prison for one to five years. Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL last week.
In Atlanta, the Falcons said they would not cut Vick immediately because of salary-cap issues. The team intends to pursue the $22 million in bonus money that he already received in a record $130 million contract signed in 2004.
“We cannot tell you today that Michael is cut from the team,” owner Arthur Blank said.
Saying he was speaking “from the heart,” and looking somber, Vick made his first public statements on the dogfighting ring:
“I made a mistake of using bad judgment and making bad decisions. Those things just can’t happen. Dogfighting is a terrible thing, and I do reject it.”
He singled out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Blank, coach Bobby Petrino and his teammates for personal apologies, saying “I was not honest and forthright in our discussions.”
He also apologized to “all the young kids out there for my immature acts and what I did – and what I did was very immature. So that means I need to grow up.”
“I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player,” he said.
He concluded by saying, “I offer my deepest apologies to everyone. And I will redeem myself. I have to.”
Vick took no questions.
He said little in court, standing erect and softly answering “Yes, sir” and “No, sir” to U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson’s questions. Family members occupied the front row of the packed courtroom for the 15-minute hearing.
The plea by the suspended quarterback was accepted by Hudson, who asked: “Are you entering the plea of guilty to a conspiracy charge because you are in fact guilty?”
Vick answered yes.
Hudson emphasized he is not bound by sentencing guidelines or the recommendations of prosecutors and can impose the maximum sentence. Prosecutors proposed a 12- to 18-month prison term.
“You’re taking your chances here. You’ll have to live with whatever decision I make,” Hudson said.
“A first-time offender might well receive no jail time for this offense,” U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said in a statement. “We thought, however, that the conduct in this conspiracy was heinous, cruel and inhumane.” Vick is one of four defendants in the case.
The first defendant to plead guilty left the conspiracy in 2004 and is not as culpable, Rosenberg said.
In his written plea filed last week, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. He said he did not personally place any bets or share in any winnings.
Shortly afterward, the NFL suspended him indefinitely and without pay. Merely associating with gamblers can trigger a lifetime ban under the league’s personal conduct policy.
The case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick’s cousin raided the former Virginia Tech star’s rural Surry County property and seized dozens of dogs, some injured, and equipment commonly used in dogfighting.
A federal indictment issued in July charged Vick, Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach, Quanis Phillips of Atlanta and Tony Taylor of Hampton with an interstate dogfighting conspiracy. Vick initially denied any involvement, and all four men pleaded innocent. Taylor was the first to change his plea to guilty; Phillips and Peace soon followed.
The details outlined in the indictment and other court papers fueled a public backlash against Vick and cost him several lucrative endorsement deals, even before he agreed to plead guilty.
The Falcons were to play an exhibition game at home against the Cincinnati Bengals later Monday. This will be the first chance for the team to see what effect Vick’s case has on attendance at the Georgia Dome. Vick wears the biggest-selling jersey in team history and is given much credit for its 51 consecutive sellouts.
[AP]
Michael Vick Pleads Guilty in Dogfighting Case
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A judge accepted Michael Vick’s guilty plea Monday to a federal dogfighting charge and scheduled a Dec. 10 sentencing date that could send the fallen NFL superstar to prison.
The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
“Are you entering the plea of guilty to a conspiracy charge because you are in fact guilty?” Hudson asked.
Vick replied, “Yes, sir.”
Hudson also emphasized that he is not bound by sentencing guidelines and can impose the maximum sentence of up to five years in prison.
“You’re taking your chances here. You’ll have to live with whatever decision I make,” Hudson.
In his written plea filed in federal court Friday, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. He said he did not personally place any bets or share in any winnings.
The NFL suspended him indefinitely and without pay Friday after his plea agreement was filed. Merely associating with gamblers can trigger a lifetime ban under the league’s personal conduct policy.
The case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick’s cousin raided the former Virginia Tech star’s rural Surry County property and seized dozens of dogs, some injured, and equipment commonly used in dogfighting.
[AP]
Michael Vick Pleads GUILTY in Dog-Fighting Case
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a dogfighting ring, according to a statement from his attorney.
In the statement by attorney Billy Martin, Vick agreed to plead guilty and accept a plea deal and will “accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made,” ESPN and Fox News reported Monday.
Vick is expected to be sentenced next Monday at US District Court here. He could face up to five years in prison and fines of more than 250,000 dollars as a result of the charges, although a lesser sentence is likely from the deal.
“After consulting with his family over the weekend, Michael Vick asked that I announce today that he has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors regarding the charges pending against him,” Martin’s statement said.
“Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made.”
“Michael wishes to apologizes again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter.”
A grand jury was hearing evidence Monday on more possible charges that could have been filed against Vick, including racketeering gambling charges that would have greatly raised the stakes and possible prison term Vick might face.
The agreement also brings into question Vick’s National Football League future. Vick had been banned from the Falcons’ training camp by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell until his role in the scheme was more fully explained.
Goodell was expected to inform Vick about any possible banishment because of the guilty plea later on Monday, according to reports.
Three co-defendants of Vick had agreed to plea deals in exchange for contributing evidence to the case against Vick, who was charged with taking animals over state lines as part of a dogfight gambling ring.
Graphic details of his abuse of the dogs, including brutal methods of killing the animals, led to protests against him outside the courtroom and the club’s headquarters.
[AFP]
Teen Girls Accused Of Setting Kitten Ablaze, Laughed About It
A three-month-old kitten is fighting for his life after allegedly being set afire by two teenage girls last week.
The male shorthaired kitten, named Adam, received second- and third-degree burns over 75 percent of its body and was being treated at the Animal Hospital in Cotati, located in Northern California’s Sonoma County, officials said.
The kitten has undergone two surgeries and had its tail and the tips of its ears amputated.Two girls have been charged with cruelty to animals in connection with the case.
They were arrested last Friday after allegedly pouring flammable liquid on the cat, only 8 weeks old at the time and setting it on fire.
A boy and his friend said they saw the smoke and heard the cat shrieking while the girls laughed.The girls are being held in Sonoma County’s Juvenile Hall. The maximum penalty carried by the charges against them is three years of confinement.
[ABC]
Michael Vick Indicted For Illegal Dogfighting
A federal grand jury in Richmond indicted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three other men yesterday on charges related to their alleged operation of a dogfighting ring based at a property Vick owns in southeastern Virginia.
Vick, one of the NFL’s most exciting players, was charged with competitive dogfighting and conducting the venture across state lines. The 19-page indictment alleged Vick was highly involved in the operation, alleging that he attended fights and paid off bets when his dogs lost. It said he also was involved in the executions of dogs that did not perform well.
If convicted, Vick could face a total of up to six years in prison and $350,000 in fines. He could face additional discipline by the NFL, even if he is not convicted.
Vick’s associates, Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor, were indicted on the same charges.
The NFL said the matter would be reviewed under the league’s toughened personal conduct policy. “We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him,” the NFL said in a written statement. “We will continue to closely monitor developments in this case, and to cooperate with law enforcement authorities. The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal. Michael Vick’s guilt has not yet been proven, and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts.”
Federal officials twice searched the property — which was purchased by Vick near Smithfield, Va., in 2001 — after suspicions were initially raised in late April. Officers reportedly found equipment associated with dogfighting, blood stains on the walls of a room and a bloodstained carpet stashed on the property. They reportedly removed more than 60 dogs from the property.
According to the indictment, Vick decided in his rookie season of 2001, with Phillips and Taylor, to start a dogfighting operation. Vick, who grew up in Newport News, paid $34,000 in June 2001 for a property at 1915 Moonlight Rd. and, according to the indictment, “used this property as the main staging area for housing and training the pit bulls involved in the dogfighting venture and hosting dog fights.”
The men, who named their enterprise the “Bad Newz Kennels,” developed the property for their dogfighting operation, building a house, “a fence to shield the rear portion of the compound from public view [and] multiple sheds used at various times to house training equipment, injured dogs and organized fights,” the indictment said.
The indictment details a series of dogfights in which members of the operation allegedly participated, including several fights in the fall of 2003 when Vick was sidelined with a broken leg.
The indictment said that in April 2007, Peace, Phillips and Vick “executed approximately eight dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions by various methods, including hanging, drowning and/or slamming at least one dog’s body to the ground.” Vick also is alleged to have consulted with Peace before Peace killed a losing dog by electrocution in 2003.
Vick, 27, who is a registered dog breeder, reportedly has agreed to sell the house. He told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution while in New York for the NFL draft in late April that he was not aware of dogfighting activities on the property, saying he rarely visited it.
Vick and his representatives declined to comment about the case after that and were not available to comment yesterday.
Dogfighting is a felony in Virginia and 47 other states. Transporting dogs over state lines for dogfighting is a federal crime.
“There have been cases in Virginia where there have been convictions and people sent to prison with far less evidence,” John Goodwin, a dogfighting expert with the Humane Society, said recently. “They can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that dogfighting took place on that property.”
In a statement, the Falcons, who open their training camp next week, expressed disappointment “that one of our players — and therefore the Falcons — is being presented to the public in a negative way, and we apologize to our fans and the community for that.”
NFL officials said throughout the investigation that they were monitoring the case closely. Members of the league’s security department reportedly offered their assistance to investigators in Surry County, Va.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with Vick in New York at the draft and, Goodell said later, received a promise from Vick that “he’s going to make changes in his life.”
Goodell toughened the league’s conduct policy in April and suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones for all of the 2007 season and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry and former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson for the first half of it. The league’s amended conduct policy says that Goodell may discipline a player even if the player has not been convicted of a crime.
AirTran Airways recently decided against renewing Vick’s contract as a company spokesman. Vick reached a settlement last year with a woman who charged in a lawsuit that he had knowingly given her herpes. Last season, Vick was fined $10,000 by the NFL and agreed to donate another $10,000 to charity for making an obscene gesture toward fans while leaving the field after a game at the Georgia Dome in November.
In January, authorities said that a water bottle surrendered by Vick at a security checkpoint at Miami International Airport had a marijuana-like substance in a secret compartment. Later they announced that laboratory tests showed no evidence of drugs and that no charges would be filed. Vick said the compartment was used to store jewelry.
Posts
