Author: Brian Carnell

House Subcommittee Approves Flag Desecration Amendment

On May 24, 2001, a House of Representatives subcommittee approved an amendment that would make it a crime to desecrate the American flag. To become a part of the Constitution, the amendment would have to receive approval by a two-thirds majority of both houses of Congress and ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.

Last year, the House passed the amendment by the requisite two-thirds majority, 305-124, but the amendment fell four votes shy of a two-thirds majority in the Senate in a 63-37 vote.

So far, 49 state legislatures have at one time or another passed nonbinding resolutions asking Congress to pass the amendment, and there is little doubt that if the flag amendment ever squeaks its way past the Congress that it will quickly become part of the Constitution.

Freedom Forum‘s Phillip Taylor notes that the recent defection of Sen. James Jeffords from the Republican Party could kill the amendment altogether in the Senate this time around. With Democrats in control of the Senate Judiciary committee, the odds are that a similar party line vote will kill the proposal in committee.

Source:

House subcommittee waves through flag amendment. Phillip Taylor, FreedomForum.Org, May 25, 2001.

Zimbabwe’s Rapid Descent

A few years ago Zimbabwe was one of the few promising lights in southern Africa. The country has an abundance of natural resources and with the adoption of a democratic constitution and political liberties, it seemed Zimbabwe was on its way to escaping the plight of many of its neighbors. Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe has managed to reverse that trend in only two years and place Zimbabwe on a path to disaster.

Two recent events illustrate just how far Zimbabwe has fallen. In early May, the country confirmed that it had stopped all international debt repayments. This action was necessary since Zimbabwe’s economy has been in a tailspin for the past two years, due in large measure to the hardline tactics of Mugabe. When he hasn’t been encouraging military veterans to seize white-owned farms for compensation, he has been dabbling in an expensive intervention in the civil war raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Combined with other factors, the often violent seizures of white-owned farms helped contribute to the other piece of bad news coming from Zimbabwe in May — a drastic decline in maize and other crops that could potentially cause serious food shortages. In 2000, farmers in Zimbabwe produced more than 2 million tons of maize. This year, however, production of maize will be less than 1.5 million tons.

Along with food, fuel and energy supplies are becoming erratic in Zimbabwe. The Independent Petroleum Group of Kuwait, from whom Zimbabwe imports most of its oil, recently suspended oil shipments due to the government’s nonpayment. Meanwhile South African power company Eskom, which provides 13 percent of Zimbabwe’s electricity, recently announced that Zimbabwe would have to pay up front for any future electricity due to concerns about its inability to pay.

Meanwhile, civil liberties are quickly eroding in Zimbabwe and Mugabe comes to resemble a dictator in all but name day by day. Last year’s parliamentary elections were marked by violence against opposition parties and politicians. At least 32 people were killed. Mugabe has attacked the press, judges and anyone else who criticizes or interferes with his increasingly autocratic rule.

So rather than being one of Africa’s shining jewels, it is highly likely that Zimbabwe will soon surface on the list of countries for which the United Nations and the World Food Program regularly issue emergency aid appeals.

Sources:

Southern Afridca leadership ‘failing’. The BBC, May 16, 2001.

Mugabe sued for election violence. Craig Swan, April 23, 2001.

Zimbabwe condemns laywer’s report. The BBC, April 23, 2001.

Zimbabwe rejects judges criticism. The BBC, April 23, 2001.

Zimbabwe denies reports of maize shortfall. The BBC, May 7, 2001.

Zimbabwe falls behind with debt repayments. The BBC, May 10, 2001.

Canada suspends aid to Zimbabwe. The BBC, May 11, 2001.

Another Zimbabwean judge resigns. The BBC, May 8, 2001.

Animal Activists to Protest the Tony Awards

This Sunday, activists plan on protesting at the Tony Awards, which are scheduled to take place at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. Here’s the odd chain of command that will be bringing the activists to Georgia: Coca Cola is a major sponsor of the television broadcast of the awards. Coca Cola is also a major contributor to endowments at Emory University. Emory University researcher Harriet Robinson recently announced yet another breakthrough in AIDS research. A vaccine she developed helped prevent a simian form of the disease from developing in laboratory animals for 18 months.

Of course it goes without saying that activists consider such medical advances to be intolerable, so they will be out in force to let the world know that Coca Cola supports animal suffering.

The press release announcing the protest can’t even manage to be truthful (surprise, surprise, surprise). The release claims that, “Earlier this year, Emory announced Harriet Robinson, PhD. had once again made progress in an AIDS vaccine. Emory, Yerkes, and Robinson failed to mention the vaccine worked only in monkeys against a laboratory developed disease and that humans are unlikely to ever be exposed to this laboratory disease.”

In fact the releases sent out by Emory clearly noted that the research subjects were monkeys and described in detail the differing survival rates for the primates in the control group versus the primates who were given the disease. Apparently the animal rights activists were the only ones who, typically, were unable to tell the difference between human beings and animals, as numerous news stories about the breakthrough mentioned that the research subjects were non-human primates and included the standard caveat that such results are not directly transferable to human beings.

On the other hand, it is irrelevant that SIV is not quite HIV. The two diseases are extremely similar in the way they attack the immune system and the knowledge that was gained from this breakthrough provides very important information about how to tackle HIV in human beings, regardless of whether or not Robinson’s approach translates directly to human beings (preliminary clinical trials designed to test a human equivalent of the vaccine for safety purposes will probably get underway in late 2001 or early 2002).

Source:

Atlanta animal activists to attend a live broadcast of Broadway’s Tony Awards. Jean Barnes, EmoryLies.Com, Press Release, June 1, 2001.

PETA: A Boy Is A Dog Is A Fish

Over the past month or so People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has been trying to buy billboard space for its new anti-fishing campaign, which features a picture of a dog Photoshopped to look as if it has been captured on a fish hook (PETA has a JPEG version of the billboard here).

In its anti-fishing propaganda, PETA endorses a twist on an old animal rights saying. According to PETA, “When it comes to feelings, a boy is a dog is a fish.” In fact, PETA quotes marine biologist Sylvia Earle as imputing individual personality to fish.

A fish is not a fish is not a fish. They are all different as individuals. Like all Labrador retrievers have certain waggly tail kinds of characteristics that identify them as Labrador retrievers, but every one is different. Some are more shy, some are more aggressive, some are more curious. Some kinds of fish, like groupers, have a particular kind of personality that makes it very tough to eat fish once you’ve gotten to know them on a one to one basis. I certainly don’t eat anyone I know personally anymore.

Earle is a well respected scientist, but perhaps the thousands of hours she’s spent underwater are beginning to cloud her judgment a bit. I wonder if she would go as far as PETA does in its literature when it claims that, “Bass and basset hounds, cods and collies, all animals treasure their lives and feel pain.”

Leaving aside the issue of whether or not fish feel pain, claiming that a dog treasures its life is an absurd claim that is supportable only through the most extreme form of anthropomorphizing animals.

Source:

Why do we throw a frisbee to some animals and a barbed hook to others?. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Fact Sheet, 2001.

Ark Trust Genesis Awards

Ark Trust recently announced the winners of its Fifteenth Annual Genesis Awards, given to individuals and programs in the media that further the cause of animal rights. The award show aired on May 12 and May 13 on Animal Planet.

From an Ark Trust press release announcing the winners,

“Politically Incorrect” won in the Outstanding Television Talk Show category for fearlessly dissecting the arguments of those who defend Hunting, declaring that animals’ right to live supersedes a dying child’s wish to kill. The discussion followed a policy change by the |Make A Wish Foundation| that denies last wishes involving firearms.

“I thank you all for having me, for giving me this, for noticing, for joining in,” said “Politically Incorrect” host and Executive Producer [Bill] Maher upon accepting his award. “The animals are the most innocent, most speechless, most defenseless creatures and they deserve a mean, take-no-prisoners son-of-a-bitch like me talking for them.”

The Make A Wish Foundation caved into activists a couple years ago in announcing it would no longer consider requests from young people for hunting trips. Philosophically the argument offered by Maher and others makes no sense unless they also are going to start targeting the Make A Wish Foundation for paying for meals for dying kids that include meat — does an animals right to live supersedes a dying child’s wish to have a hamburger at McDonald’s?

And, of course, Maher and other activists are on record as opposing the sort of ongoing animal research aimed at the treatment and prevention of the diseases that are killing these kids in the first place. Maher’s view is closer to saying that a child’s right to live does not supersede an animals right to live.

As with most animal rights “victories,” by the way, their conquering of the Make A Wish Foundation really didn’t amount to much. Ted Nugent and other hunters quickly set up the Hunt of a Lifetime Foundation to specifically fulfill hunting wishes of dying children, and the Safari Club International stepped in to pay for the costs of a bear hunting trip for Erick Ness whose requested started the controversy (hunters in Minnesota raised the $18,000 necessary in three days).

Source:

Genesis Awards Celebrates 11 Years on TV!. Ark Trust, Press Release, March 10, 2001.

WNBA Tries Marketing to Lesbians

In a move unprecedented in professional sports, the Women’s National Basketball Association is explicitly reaching out to the lesbian community to try to increase both ticket sales and television ratings. The Los Angeles Sparks recently participated in a rally and market promotion at a West Hollywood lesbian bar, the Girl Club.

Last year the WNBA’s Seattle Storm featured a controversial Gay Pride Night event, but this year the league seems to be taking the homosexual community more seriously as a market, with reports that marketing to the lesbian community was a major issue at a recent league meeting.

About to begin its fifth year, the WNBA has begun to see its popularity stagnate. Average attendance at games has stalled at a mere 9,100 and last year its TV ratings on NBC earned only a 1.4 share. It is true that this is a higher share than the NHL on ABC or even women’s college basketball on CBS, but the WNBA doesn’t have the sort of competition from other sports events that the NHL and women’s college basketball have. The bottom line, however, is still that the WNBA has yet to turn a profit.

Some marketers believe that the gay community is a promising demographic for sports teams. As Howard Buford, CEO of New York-based advertising agency Prime Access, told ESPN, “Many of these households don’t have children and thus there’s a higher dispensable income, especially for entertainment. In addition, there’s a higher amount of dispensable time that is available. It’s the perfect fit and is one of the reasons sports is so attractive to the gay community.”

The fear and the risk of such promotions, however, are the possibilities that more conservative fans who disapprove of homosexuality will stay away from the league because of its outreach efforts. Personally, I can see how that might have been an issue 15 or 20 years ago, but that sort of reaction is becoming increasingly irrelevant. This is a very smart move by the WNBA which really does nothing more than acknowledge what has been widely known about the WNBA for the past couple years — a large number of its fans are lesbians. Big deal.

Source:

A coming-out party for professional sports. Wayne Drehs, Espn.Com, May 24, 2001.