Bryan Stevenson – The Equal Justice Initiative + Marc Bekoff – The Animals’ Agenda

BRYAN STEVENSON is the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, and a professor of law at New York University School of Law. He has won relief for dozens of condemned prisoners, argued five times before the US Supreme Court , and won national acclaim for his work challenging bias against the poor and people of color. He has received numerous awards, including the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant.

He will be delivering the Convocation Speech to the incoming Freshman Class at MSU Bozeman on August 24, 2017.

Great-grandson of slaves, he attended “colored” schools. As a young attorney, he created The Equal Justice Initiative to address the hierarchies of inequality in the criminal justice system. He says, “America is a post-genocide society.” “The great evil of American slavery was not the involuntary servitude and forced labor, the great evil was how we created this ideology of white supremacy.”

 

Professor MARC BEKOFF

Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. He has published more than 1000 essays (popular, scientific, and book chapters), 30 books, and has edited three encyclopedias. His latest book is THE ANIMALS’ AGENDA: FREEDOM, COMPASSION AND COEXISTENCE IN THE HUMAN AGE, co-written with Jessica Pierce, and published by Beacon Press (2017). http://www.beacon.org/The-Animals-Agenda-P1250.aspx

This interview was prompted by his recent interview with Brooks Fahy of  Predator Defense (predatordefense.org), whose investigative work exposes shocking activity at the US Dept of Agriculture, as well as the complicity of wildlife organizations, such as Defenders of Wildlife and The Humane Society of the US, in the “Administrative Removal”, i.e. killing, of wolves in national forests.

There is a separate posting for our full interview with only Professor Bekoff  and more specific citations referenced here:

https://forthrightradio.wordpress.com/2017/08/16/marc-bekoff-the-animals-agenda-freedom-compassion-and-coexistence-in-the-human-age/

 

 

THE PROFANITY PEAK PACK: SET UP & SOLD OUT

http://www.predatordefense.org/profanity/

EXPOSED: THE USDA’S SECRET WAR ON WILDLIFE

http://www.predatordefense.org/exposed/

Wolves and Cows: Individual and Organizational Conflicts

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201708/wolves-and-cows-individual-and-organizational-conflicts

 

 

Marc Bekoff – The Animals’ Agenda: Freedom, Compassion and Coexistence in the Human Age

Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. He has published more than 1000 essays (popular, scientific, and book chapters), 30 books, and has edited three encyclopedias. His latest book is THE ANIMALS’ AGENDA: FREEDOM, COMPASSION AND COEXISTENCE IN THE HUMAN AGE, co-written with Jessica Pierce, and published by Beacon Press (2017). http://www.beacon.org/The-Animals-Agenda-P1250.aspx

This interview was prompted by his recent interview with Brooks Fahy of  Predator Defense (predatordefense.org), whose investigative work exposes shocking activity at the US Dept of Agriculture, as well as the complicity of wildlife organizations, such as Defenders of Wildlife and The Humane Society of the US, in the “Administrative Removal”, i.e. killing, of wolves innational forests. (See below.)

Some of Professor Bekoff’s articles referenced in the interview can be found here:

Why Some Animals Have Evolved a Sense of Humour https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240223-do-animals-have-sense-of-humour

Inmates, Animals, and Art: Creative Expressions of Compassion and Hope
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201612/inmates-animals-and-art-creative-expressions-hope

Kyle’s chimpanzee

Cody’s Jane Goodall

Troy’s wolf

New Zealand Imprinting Kids for Violence Toward Animals Using Well-Known Psychological Principles
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201707/imprinting-kids-violence-toward-animals

Why Men Trophy Hunt: Showing Off And The Psychology Of Shame  https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201703/why-men-trophy-hunt-showing-and-the-psychology-shame

Who’s Really Defending Wildlife As Wolves Are “Removed” So Cows Can Take Over?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201707/whos-really-defending-wildlife-wolves-are-removed

Wolves and Cows: Individual and Organizational Conflicts

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201708/wolves-and-cows-individual-and-organizational-conflicts

THE PROFANITY PEAK PACK: SET UP & SOLD OUT

http://www.predatordefense.org/profanity/

Not only does science show that killing wolves increases attacks on cattle, but Washington experienced this phenomenon first-hand when they tried to stop wolves in the Profanity Peak Pack from killing a rancher’s cattle in pristine Colville National Forest in 2016. The more wolves they killed, the more cows were attacked, and they ended up destroying the pack. Tragically, they didn’t learn, and they resumed this slaughter in July 2017 by targeting the Smackout Pack for death.

To put their upside-down values in perspective, keep in mind that Washington has over a 1,000,000 cows and only around 120 wolves. And wolves increasingly appear to have no place to live in peace, not even pristine forested public land.

EXPOSED: THE USDA’S SECRET WAR ON WILDLIFE

http://www.predatordefense.org/exposed/

In the award-winning documentary three former federal agents and a prominent Congressman blow the whistle on the strategically misnamed program within the USDA called Wildlife Services. They go on the record showing Wildlife Services for what it really is—a barbaric, unaccountable, out-of-control, wildlife killing machine that acts at the bidding of corporate agriculture and the hunting lobby, all with taxpayer dollars

“Poisons banned since the 1970s, that the official record said didn’t exist, were being bought from the Wyoming Dept. of Ag. to sell to ranchers and predator boards.”  REX SHADDOX  – Former Wildlife Services trapper & special investigator for Wyoming Sting operation

“Government employees shouldn’t be breaking the law [on the job]. And the federal government should not be in the business of predator control on taxpayer dollars.”  GARY STRADER – Former police officer & Wildlife Services trapper

“Wildlife Services is one of the most opaque and least accountable agencies I know of. It is not capable of reforming itself.  They need a mandate for reform… it’s going to have to be imposed on them.” REP. PETER DEFAZIO
Senior U.S. Congressman (D-OR)

Jay Riestenberg: Article V Constitutional Convention of the States

Jay Riestenberg is Campaigns & States Media Strategist for Common Cause, a nonpartisan grassroots organization founded in 1970 dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. They are opposed to an Article V Constitutional Convention of the States, which has never been convened since 1787. Organizations, such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) & the Tea Party, along with billionaires such as the Koch brothers & The Mercer family have already garnered 27 of the 34 state legislatures required for such a convention to be called.

The late Supreme Court Justice, Antonin Scalia, had this to say: ” I certainly would not want a constitutional convention. Whoa! Who knows what would come out of it?” …. (it is) “a horrible idea. This is not a good century to write a Constitution.”

Article V of the United States Constitution:

“The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.”