Written by Alisa Mullins
"Tea partiers" aren't the only ones who've been fixed with the gimlet stare of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Social-action groups such as Greenpeace, the NAACP, and PETA have also been targeted by the agency, and PETA is calling on the U.S. Department of the Treasury to expand the recently announced criminal probe into the IRS' activity to include several audits that targeted PETA's tax-exempt status.
PETA has been subjected to three lengthy, expensive, and disruptive IRS audits, including a 20-month one during the George W. Bush administration, which IRS agents conducting the audit admitted was the result of the agency's bowing to pressure from members of Congress with ties to the meat, the experimentation, and other industries being targeted by PETA campaigns and/or seeing their workers forced to answer to cruelty-to-animals charges as a result of PETA investigations.
PETA came through each IRS audit with a clean bill of health, but it doesn't say a lot for our democratic process when Congress, at the behest of powerful industries, uses tactics worthy of the East German Stasi to harass and intimidate social-change advocates. For years, PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk could not re-enter the U.S. without being escorted into a back room, having her bags rummaged through, and being detained—sometimes for hours—resulting in missed flight connections.
It doesn't stop there—ever more repressive state laws are being proposed, the latest of which are arguably unconstitutional "ag-gag" bills designed to prevent undercover investigations on factory farms and in slaughterhouses as well as bills to prevent "interference" with or new regulations regarding hunting and fishing.
What You Can Do
Please visit our action alerts page for opportunities to combat cruelty on factory farms, in laboratories, and wherever else animals are being abused.
Written by Michelle Kretzer
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today vetoed the state's "ag-gag" bill, an attempt by the agriculture industry to prevent American consumers from learning about the cruelty inherent in factory farming. The governor agreed with animal advocates and legal scholars who loudly criticized the bill, acknowledging concerns that it was "constitutionally suspect" and that it "actually makes it more difficult to prosecute animal cruelty cases."
Even when it appeared certain that Haslam would sign the bill into law, animal advocates in Tennessee and across the country refused to back down. Tens of thousands of kind people like you reposted PETA's action alert, spoke out against the bill, and flooded Haslam's e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter accounts with messages urging him to veto it. A long list of celebrities also voiced their opposition, including Emmylou Harris, Carrie Underwood, Wynonna Judd, Miley Cyrus, Tish Cyrus, Ellen DeGeneres, Tony Kanal, CMT President Brian Philips, and Republican strategist Mary Matalin—who also sent lawmakers a video in which she highlights the importance of PETA's undercover work in prosecuting animal abusers.
And we won.
Please take a moment to tweet @BillHaslam and thank him for showing some mercy to animals on factory farms.
We think animals would agree with Maxim readers' choice for the top spot on the "Hot 100" list of the sexiest women in the world. Besides being a model guardian for her rescued dogs and a staunch adoption advocate, Miley Cyrus has worked to get horses who are forced to pull carriages off New York City's streets, shown her fondness for pigs, helped raise money for animal shelters, spoken out against "ag-gag" bills, and earned PETA's Compassionate Citizen Award for rescuing chickens. She even inspired PETA's mascots to twerk on Hollywood Boulevard! If that isn't beautiful, we don't know what is.
© StarMaxInc.com
Actually, animals would probably be pretty pumped about the rest of the Hot 100 list, too—it's loaded with PETA poster gals, including Daniella Alonso, Rocsi Diaz, Ke$ha, Joanna Krupa, Eva Mendes, Yvonne Strahovski, Lea Michele, Charlize Theron, Olivia Munn, and our reigning Sexiest Vegan Female Celebrity, Jessica Chastain.
Lovely ladies who subscribe to healthy vegetarian lifestyles also made the list, including Kellie Pickler, Lake Bell, and Olivia Wilde. And let us not forget the long list of celebrities who always adopt and never buy, including Zooey Deschanel, Kat Dennings, Ashley Greene, Zoe Saldana, Amanda Seyfried, Kaley Cuoco, and Emma Stone.
Hats off to you, gals, and thank you for making compassion for animals so sexy!
Written by Jeff Mackey
Will farmed animals forced into a life they didn't choose lose their protections in the Volunteer State? Not if PETA and music legend Emmylou Harris have anything to say about it!
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With your help, PETA has been able to kill off six state "ag-gag" bills, designed to prevent undercover investigations on factory farms and in slaughterhouses, this year alone. In fact, one such proposal (which had already been gutted and declared unconstitutional) just died in Indiana—despite attempts to revive it in the final hours of the session—after Mary Matalin, Bob Barker, Tony Kanal, and many more concerned folks pressed legislators to oppose the bill.
But an "ag-gag" bill in Tennessee has passed both houses and now sits on the governor's desk, so we asked PETA pal Emmylou Harris to raise her (unforgettable) voice in behalf of farmed animals. In response, Emmylou sent the governor an urgent letter calling on him to veto the measure, Senate Bill 1248, explaining:
Instead of protecting animals on farms from abuse, Senate Bill 1248 is a thinly veiled attempt by the agriculture industry to paralyze the efforts of those concerned about the treatment of animals to collect evidence of a pattern of routine cruelty, which has helped officials win convictions against animal abusers around the country, by forcing them to turn over evidence of single instances of abuse almost immediately. … Because there is no government inspection of farms for cruelty violations and because workers who report abuse are frequently ignored, investigations are often the only way to hold farm workers and managers accountable to existing laws.
Although this is a state bill, meat from slaughtered animals crosses state lines, so it becomes a national issue. Even if you don't live in Tennessee, you can help stop this bill. The governor needs to hear that concerned people everywhere are watching. Please join Emmylou Harris, Miley Cyrus, Carrie Underwood, Wynonna Judd, Tish Cyrus, and many others by speaking up against Tennessee's "ag-gag" bill today.
Carrie Underwood isn't hiding her disgust about Tennessee's "ag-gag" bill—and and rightfully so. She strongly disagrees with making cruelty investigations on farms illegal and said she may just show up on the governor's doorstep if he signs the bill into law. But state Rep. Andy Holt took it upon himself to insult Carrie for voicing her opinion, saying, "I would say that if Carrie Underwood will stick to singing, I'll stick to lawmaking." That jab didn't sit well with the always-informed Underwood, who tweeted, "I should stick to singing? Wow…sorry, I'm just a tax paying citizen concerned for the safety of my family."
She then tweeted to Ellen DeGeneres, thanking her for discussing "ag-gag" bills on Ellen. And Wynonna Judd, Miley Cyrus, Tish Cyrus, and Tony Kanal all hopped on Twitter, too, to show their support for Carrie and to bash "ag-gag" bills.
Beth Stern, host of the new Nat Geo Wild show Spoiled Rotten Pets and wife of Howard Stern, is piping up, too—about Kim Kardashian's penchant for fur. "It makes me really sad," she said. "I know her sister was a poster child for PETA. I don't watch the Kardashians; I'm very aware of them, but I do know that the sister was involved, so of course that entire family would know what goes on, what happens to animals when they're wearing a fur coat."
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Republican Jim Patterson introduced "ag-gag" Assembly Bill 343 to the California Assembly—if passed, the bill would have likely shut down undercover investigations on factory farms. As it turned out, the bill was what got shut down. There was so much opposition to Assembly Bill 343 that Patterson yanked it out of consideration himself after admitting to the Los Angeles Times that he does care about animal treatment. He is now free to consider measures that protect animals from abuse rather than hide it.
Not surprisingly, the bill was sponsored by the California Cattlemen's Association. But the public outcry against the bill was deafening. Legislators were flooded with e-mails from advocates for animals and free speech, and Republican legislators also got hit with a personal appeal that GOP strategist Mary Matalin filmed for PETA and sent to each legislator herself:
Animal advocates are also making great strides in Indiana, where a proposed "ag-gag" bill has had most of the wind sucked out of its sails. After legislators there also heard from Mary Matalin and throngs of disapproving voters, House Speaker Brian Bosma deemed the bill unconstitutional and legislators promptly gutted it, removing penalties for filming or taking photos on farms. Now we need your help to bring about a similar victory in Tennessee, where legislators passed a proposed "ag-gag" bill, which is now heading to Gov. Bill Haslam's desk for his signature. Tennessee Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris and singer Carrie Underwood have both harshly criticized the unconstitutional measure, and they need everyone's help to stop this bill before it becomes law and makes taking pictures or filming on factory farms illegal. No matter what state you live in, please e-mail Haslam and urge him not to sign Senate Bill 1248. You can also send polite tweets to @BillHaslam.
Tennessee lawmakers passed the state's proposed "ag-gag" bill, which would require video shot on factory farms in order to expose animal abuse to be turned over to law enforcement within 48 hours. The governor has 10 days to sign or veto the bill, and Tennessee resident Carrie Underwood is determined to stop the unconstitutional bill in its tracks. She expressed her outrage over Twitter: "Shame on TN lawmakers for passing the Ag Gag bill. If Gov. Bill Haslam signs this, he needs to expect me at his front door. Who's with me?"
Advocates for animals and free speech can join Carrie by tweeting polite messages to @BillHaslam.
As always, scores of celebrities reached millions of Twitter users with animal-friendly messages this week:
The mercury is just now starting to rise, but Eva Mendes is already devising ways to make the fall fur-free. Disappointed that designers continue to use real fur, she is releasing her own animal-friendly evening-wear collection. Eva, who proved that she would rather go naked than wear fur, told Look magazine, "Within the fashion industry I can't believe designers still use real fur in their designs when it's so easy to make faux fur. It's cheap and looks great."
And speaking of rising mercury, feast your eyes on PETA India's newest spokesperson, Vidyut Jammwal. You may not be familiar with this Bollywood star and his veggie-powered bod just yet, but you will soon want to be. As one PETA director put it, "Everyone deserves to be able to cast their eyes on him."
Had enough heat? If not, then check out our buds, fellow adoption advocates Mickey Rourke and Kellan Lutz, in their hot new thriller, Java Heat.
Update: Well, that was fast! Shortly after Mary Matalin sent a personal appeal on PETA's behalf urging lawmakers to shelve bills intended to prevent undercover investigations of factory farms, legislators in Arkansas have scrapped their proposed "ag-gag" measures.
Now, let's keep the momentum going—if you live in California, Indiana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, or Vermont, please tell your state legislators to drop "ag-gag" bills and protect animals, consumers, and free speech.
The following was originally posted on March 28, 2013:
Republican strategist Mary Matalin and her husband, Democratic consultant James Carville, differ on most political issues—but when it comes to legislative attempts to block undercover investigators from PETA and other organizations from revealing how animals suffer on factory farms, the couple stands united in opposition to "ag-gag" bills.
To that end, Matalin filmed a PETA appeal and sent it to Republican legislators—the primary sponsors of these measures—in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont, highlighting the importance of PETA's undercover work in prosecuting abusers and stopping institutionalized cruelty. After she introduces a video clip about a case that revealed routine beatings and even the sexual abuse of pigs on a Midwestern factory farm and which led to criminal convictions, Matalin states, "A meat-trade magazine called the case a 'wake-up call' for the industry. Unfortunately, factory farms keep hitting the snooze button, and instead of fixing the problems, they're trying to blame the messenger."
Thanks to the support of concerned citizens, "ag-gag" bills have already been killed in several states, but we can't rest until all lawmakers stop trying to shield lawbreakers. Please join PETA, Mary Matalin, James Carville, Bob Barker, Cloris Leachman, Katherine Heigl, and many other figures from both sides of the aisle in urging legislators to protect consumers' right to know the truth about factory farms. If you live in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, or Vermont, please take action.
Update: The New Mexico legislature adjourned without voting on the proposed "ag-gag" bill, effectively killing it for this year. Four other states are still considering making it a crime to record video on farms, so residents of Nebraska, Arkansas, Indiana, and Pennsylvania should let their legislators know that they oppose these unconstitutional bills.
The following was originally published on March 14, 2013:
Not content to stop after his successful campaign to get Wyoming's "ag gag" bill thrown out, Bob Barker has set his sights on the other proposed "ag gag" bills in New Mexico, Nebraska, Arkansas, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.
As a longtime animal advocate and vegetarian, Bob knows that by making it illegal to record video on factory farms, such measures would threaten efforts to document workers' abuse of animals and to provide evidence that authorities need to win cruelty convictions. The lifelong Republican has written to fellow members of the GOP to let them know why the Grand Old Party needs to give these bills the old heave-ho. In a letter to state legislators, Bob wrote:
Since there is no government inspection of factory farms for cruelty violations and workers who report abuse to supervisors are routinely ignored, evidence from undercover investigations is critical to exposing abuse and helping officials prosecute abusers. … Americans today want better treatment of animals killed for food, not for their legislators to hide illegal cruelty on farms behind locked doors.
Bob's name certainly carries a lot of weight, but animals who are suffering on factory farms need all the help they can get. People who live in states where "ag gag" bills are currently on the floor should let their legislators know that they support the constitutional rights of whistleblowers to expose abuse.
After all, animal abusers—not whistleblowers—are the ones who should be treated like criminals.
Update: Thanks to all of you who responded to PETA's action alert, New Hampshire House Bill (H.B.) 110 has stalled in committee, meaning that investigators can continue to uncover cruelty on factory farms in the state. H.B. 110 is likely to come up again this fall, so please keep checking back here to learn how you can help PETA continue to defeat this and other attempts to shield abusers from exposure!
Originally posted on January 31st, 2013:
How badly do corporate animal abusers want to keep the public from knowing what happens on factory farms and in slaughterhouses? Bad enough to enlist accomplices in government to try to stop any efforts to document their cruelty. But after a New Hampshire state legislator reportedly made a false allegation about PETA in support of his bill to block undercover investigations, we're more determined than ever to make sure that animal suffering can be documented and the abusers are held accountable.
PETA has written Rep. Robert Haefner, the sponsor of House Bill (H.B.) 110, New Hampshire's "ag gag" bill (which would require evidence of abuse to be turned over to authorities in 24 hours, shutting down long-term undercover investigations), asking him to retract a false statement that he reportedly made about our Aviagen Turkeys, Inc., investigation. PETA turned over evidence of animal abuse from its investigation of Aviagen's West Virginia turkey factory farms two business days after the end of the investigation—not 13 months, as Haefner allegedly claimed at a public hearing on the bill last week. Within three months of receiving the video footage, grand jurors issued the first-ever felony indictments for cruelty to turkeys on factory farms. All three former Aviagen workers were later convicted. At the hearing, Haefner used this false claim to justify to New Hampshire citizens his proposed bill to stop long-term undercover investigations on factory farms, according to witnesses.
Investigations conducted by PETA and other organizations on factory farms have been instrumental in opening people's eyes to the cruelty inherent in intensive animal agriculture and have led to successful prosecutions of the perpetrators, but Haefner's bill would make it practically impossible for whistleblowers and undercover investigators to secure sufficient evidence to show a pattern of cruelty, as preferred by police and prosecutors.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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