Please take action on five issues: sharks, consumer rights, greyhounds, fur-bearing animals

Please click on the following:

1. Take Action to Protect Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks

2. Tell Congress to Sign the Consumer Rights Pledge

3. Tell Skechers Not to Promote Greyhound Racing in New Ad

4. TJX Corporation: Stop Selling Animal Fur

5. Tell bebe to Ditch Fur!


1. Background | From Turtle Island Restoration Project

The scalloped hammerhead is a beautiful and mysterious schooling shark that congregates by the thousands over underwater seamounts. This species is extremely vulnerable to targeted fishing by industrial longlines fishing for the shark fin trade. Because of this, its populations are experiencing drastic declines.

Adding this species to the Endangered Species Act will trigger new policies to protect these sharks and their habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) as endangered and warns of a very high risk of extinction for this species in the wild. Like all sharks, scalloped hammerheads play an important role in the health and balance of marine ecosystems. Threatened coral reef ecosystems seriously suffer from the removal of this top predator.

The photo on the right was taken in Cocos Island National Park, where the Sea Turtle Restoration Project and allies conduct research to better understand the habitat use and conservation needs of sharks and sea turtles. Even in this protected area, scalloped hammerhead sharks are illegally caught for their lucrative fins.

Take action today and send the letter HERE, then use the buttons above to share this important action alert with friends on social networks.


2. Background | From Public Citizen

In a set of decisions this fall, the WTO ruled against our country-of-origin labels on meat, dolphin-safe labels on tuna and our ban on candy- and clove-flavored cigarettes. These are the policies we rely on to allow us to protect children’s health and make informed decisions as consumers. Under current rules, the U.S. will have to water down or eliminate these policies, or face trade sanctions.*

Tell your members of Congress to get into the holiday spirit and sign the Consumer Rights Pledge.

Each policy was the result of a hard-fought, decades-long battle against corporations that wanted to deny consumers information and government officials who were in the pockets of Big Business. It is unconscionable that unelected WTO “judges” would impose yet another barrier to the public’s will.

The press and Congress have been asleep at the switch. In the past, when these outrageous WTO rulings were issued, everyone saw it in the press. Not this time. That means it’s up to you to raise a stink. We need to crank up the heat so the Obama administration and Congress do not just quietly follow these WTO orders and gut our laws.

And we need to make sure that they do not extend these anti-consumer rules in future trade deals, like the major Trans-Pacific Free Trade Agreement that the Obama administration wants to sign with a bloc of countries next summer!

It’s the WTO and our other corporate power tool trade agreements that have to change—not consumers’ right to know!

Contact your members of Congress and have them sign the Consumer Rights Pledge.


3. Background | From PETA

PETA recently learned that Skechers filmed an advertisement at a greyhound racetrack. The ad, which will air during the Super Bowl in February, features greyhound dogs in racing jackets and Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

We immediately contacted the company to provide information on how greyhounds suffer when used in the racing industry, and asked Skechers not to air the ad. The company has not been responsive and is moving forward with its plans to air the ad.

Greyhound racing is an industry fraught with cruelty. Greyhounds used as racers typically live their entire lives in cramped cages and are kept muzzled by their trainers at all times. These gentle dogs are extremely sensitive, yet they rarely know the comfort of a kind word or a gentle touch. When too old, injured, or tired to continue racing, the dogs are often discarded like garbage. Since 2001, more than half of American greyhound-racing tracks have closed because of the public outcry against the cruelty inflicted upon dogs. The remaining tracks have seen a decrease in ticket sales.

Using the form HERE, please contact the president and the vice president of media at Skechers and politely ask them not to run this commercial and to agree never to feature greyhound racing in future Skechers ads and promotions.


4. Background | From Change

85% of the world’s fur comes from factory farms where animals are kept in inhumane conditions and skinned alive. Companies that buy fur products to sell in their stores keep this industry going. TJX is one of those companies, selling fur boots, purses, vests, fur-trimmed coats and gloves in T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s stores. Join us in teling the CEO it’s time to go FUR FREE.


5. Background  | From PETA

Cross bebe off your list of stores to shop at this holiday season! Despite knowing about the suffering that goes into every fur hat, scarf, and coat, bebe continues to sell fur. Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages that are so small they prevent animals from taking more than a few steps in any direction. Wire cages cut into rabbits’ delicate foot pads, and the animals are denied the opportunity to engage in natural behavior such as running and burrowing. Fur farmers use the cheapest killing methods available, including neck-breaking, suffocation, poisoning, and genital electrocution. Crude killing methods aren’t always effective, and sometimes animals “wake up” while they are being skinned. One of the best ways that you can help animals who are beaten and tortured for their fur is to tell bebe’s executives that you won’t buy while animals die.

Please don’t shop at bebe this holiday season, and let the company know why! Use the form below to tell bebe’s CEO to dump fur and let him know that you will not shop at bebe until all real fur is off the shelves.



See More:

• Fur | Skin
• Compassionate Eating
• Cruelty-Free
  

A new year
Some lives
To protect
A few clicks here
Shows our
Earth mother
Respect

Karen Lyons Kalmenson