Category Archives: Greed

Greed and evil teaming up in attack on African elephants

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Reports indicate 22 elephants were found dead in the Garamba National Park in the Congo. Poachers took the tusks.

According to a New York Times article, it suspected the Ugandan military may be involved.

And there is this troubling paragraph from the article – “” Conservation groups say poachers are wiping out tens of thousands of elephants a year, more than at any time in the previous two decades, with the underground ivory trade becoming increasingly militarized. “”

And it seems China is largely to blame, with upwards of 70 percent of the ivory trade going to China. How can some people – soaked in greed – do this to the animals? How can they accept the total destruction of a majestic species, for the purchase of some oddly evil item for there home or other personal possessions.

It’s a sick mentality and an evil one. But once again, we find another example of blatant greed. GREED is a horrible blight on our planet and on humane society.

World Wildlife Fund introduces new website

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Earlier today, the World Wildlife Fund announced it has revamped its website, which features new page for 90 species and subspecies.

You can also look through a list of endangered species.

This is an important organization that fights for wildlife and wildlife habitat, at a time when greed – worldwide – is a huge problem. Greed is eating away at habitat and the environment and the climate.

Sunday Commentary: Why do we need all of these rescue groups?

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In the last segment of the HBO Documentary “One Nation Under Dog,” text appeared on the screen stating there are hundreds of dog rescue organizations in the US. The documentary was really well-done and I hope it proves to be an eye-opener for those who previously were not aware the realities of homelessness and other issues surrounding animal welfare.

The documentary certainly didn’t pull many punches.

But it struck me that there are actually thousands of dog rescue (and cat rescue) organizations in the United States – not merely hundreds. So just to make sure I wasn’t overstating the numbers in my head, I went to Petfinder.com to engage in a couple of searches.

In the “Search For Animal Welfare Groups” box, I pulled up a list of rescue organizations in my home state of North Carolina. A full 459 matches appeared. Some are not dog-specific, but most of them do rescue dogs. And this is just in NC alone.

In New York – the search yielded 669 groups. But in North Dakota it was only 18 total rescue groups. In SC – 203. In California – 1,258. Florida – 700. Obviously, in general terms, the greater the human population, the greater the number rescue organizations.

The higher the human population, the higher the number of irresponsible humans on hand. Irresponsible people and puppy mills and backyard breeders lead to more homeless pets.

That’s thousands of rescue groups across the nation with probably an average of thousands of volunteers in your average state. And why? – because they’re needed. If homelessness was not such a problem, the list under each state on Petfinder.com would not be nearly as extensive. The number of rescue organizations in my home city has exploded over the last decade.

On one hand, it is disheartening to realize the number of groups are up due to the level of homelessness. But the good news is there are so many compassionate people who are working within these groups to help.

The people responsible for the number of dogs and cats and other pets who become homeless every day need to be held accountable for their actions. Until these people are held responsible, the problems will continue. These thousands of rescue groups will continue to struggle week after week after year to care for and find homes for millions of dogs and cats – every year.

I liken it to a hole filling with water. The rescue groups are trying to empty the hole, cup by cup. But at the same time, puppy mills and greyhound racing and irresponsible people who refuse to spay and neuter and allow their pets to have litter after litter after litter of offspring are standing on the other side of the hole, filling it with more homelessness.

And to a large extent, the federal government and too many state legislatures are doing very little to nothing to stop the perpetrators from filling the hole with homelessness – a seemingly never-ending flow of irresponsibility, largely fueled by greed or selfishness. So while rescue groups by the thousands battle daily against this flood of greed, irresponsibility and their cousin apathy – dogs and cats are dying by the millions every year.

But the groups battle on. Why? – Because the people who work within these rescue organizations have something sorely lacking on the other side of the equation. The rescue volunteers have compassion. They care about other living beings. People who volunteer in animal rescue; human homeless shelters; organizations to stop child abuse and hunger: cancer walks; anti-bullying campaigns; anti-domestic violence campaigns and more have compassion for others.

In this corner of our tag-team match, we have the reining heavyweight champions – Greed and Selfishness, and their manager – Dirty Money. And in the other corner, we have the underdog – Compassion and Caring.

Topics: Factory farming, seal slaughter, kangaroo slaughter – and greed

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What led to current state of factory farming? – Greed. What prompts the annual seal slaughter in Canada and the similar kangaroo slaughter in Australia? – Greed – And then there is the unfortunate market for the products from these mass slaughters.

A new Whole Foods just opened in my hometown. My wife and I roamed through the store over the weekend and I found a section with meat products from animals raised as free-roaming. This – for the most part – is the way it used to be, before factory farming took over the industry.

For the sake of massive profit – pigs, cows, turkeys and chickens, etc are crammed into tiny cages for the entire span of their entire lives. It’s horrible. Why can’t the animals at least be free to roam before their deaths? Why can’t they live free of cruelty at least until the time of their deaths?

The response to these questions from the supporters of factory farms always turns to the cost of production and the increased price on the shelves. It’s always about money. They can’t help it. It’s money and profit and pricing and sales. All things are excusable because finances always come first in the era of factory farming.

Employees need better working conditions? Employees need a raise? – Can’t be done. After all, the CEO needs another multimillion-dollar bonus. The record profit margin must be maintained. The vice-president in charge of what-ever is only making $1.2 million; hardly enough to maintain homes in California and Florida. And have you checked how much it takes to fill the gas tank on a yacht lately?

The employees don’t need a raise. The price of house-brand macaroni and cheese is still pretty cheap in the grocery store. They can eat that every day. After all – they’re only workers. If they want more, they can get a fourth job. What are they doing in the overnight hours anyway – sleeping? That’s pretty lazy.

And for the animals; if they weren’t crammed into crates 24/7, they’d be wandering around outside doing nothing. They can’t read or watch TV and they aren’t allowed in the mall, so what kind of life could they lead?

This is the philosophy of the universally greedy.

US Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced a bill last week that could improve the housing for hens on factory farms – in this case, in mass-production egg farms. The bill is endorsed by the United Egg Producers  and the Humane Society of the United States. It doubles the size of the cages most hens are crammed into today – for at least 124 square inches for each hen.

An editorial this week on the Chicago Tribune website noted the following – “” Major chains like Costco and Wal-Mart already insist on cage-free eggs for their private brands. Food companies General Mills and Kraft are shifting in that direction. Burger King has announced that within five years it will switch to all cage-free eggs. “”

Slowly but surely, progress is being made toward more humane conditions. But there is a long way to go and other facets of the factory farming industry might not be so willing to change their ways.

I referenced the annual seal slaughter and kangaroo slaughter above. Lesli Bisgould, a Canadian animal rights lawyer is making a connection between the two very similar atrocities, on separate continents.

An estimated 90 million kangaroos have been killed in Australia over the last two decades.

Bisgould, reportedly the first lawyer in Canada with a focus in animal rights, has been challenging the Canadian seal hunts and questioning the justifications for the slaughter. I haven’t handed out one these of late, but Bisgould is hereby awarded a Pack of Humane Justice Award.

Interesting comment on TV this morning

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I happened to walk past the TV today as one of the morning news shows was playing a segment on a legal subject. I’m not sure about the specific topic of discussion, other than it was a legal matter. (I didn’t have time to stop and watch the entire segment.)

But one phrase caught my attention and when I reached my desk, I jotted it down so I wouldn’t forget it. “Ethically intelligent” was the phrase the person being interviewed used. He was suggesting that some action might be legal, but not ethically intelligent.

What a great phrase. In too many ways, the world and our own country has degraded – morally and ethically. I’m talking specifically here about GREED. As I’ve noted on a number of occasions, GREED is one of the worst ills we’re facing right now.

Why do I write about GREED (in all caps) on an animal-welfare blog? Because along with the obvious negative impacts on humans, GREED is the key player in wildlife habitat destruction, the horrors of puppy mills, dog fighting, the on-going devastation to the Earth’s rainforests, the number of animals on the endangered species list, global climate change and more.

Take the Rhino for example. Some people are willing to wipe these great animals off the face of the Earth to profit on the material in their horns. Others are more than willing to send sharks into extinction to produce shark fin soup. And what if they killed the last shark and the last rhino tomorrow? –  These greed-soaked and greed-stained individuals would only consider it a loss in short-term profit.

Greed is not ethically intelligent. Killing off species of animals is not ethically intelligent. Torturing animals for any reason is not ethically intelligent. Destroying vital wildlife habitat is not ethically intelligent. These things are not intelligent in any way – ethically, morally or otherwise.