FARM WORKERS AND ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS LOSE FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Despite massive opposition from public interest groups and civil libertarians, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, AETA, became law on November 27, 2007 upon receiving President Bush's signature. Its stated purpose is "to provide the Department of Justice the necessary authority to apprehend, prosecute, and convict individuals committing animal enterprise terror." But AETA is not limited to acts of violence or property destruction. It extends to anyone who attempts to, or conspires to, interfere with an animal enterprise. AETA offers no defense to activists who expose illegal activities. Animal researchers and factory farms that are operating illegally can use AETA to protect themselves from whistle blowers. The effect of AETA is to label social justice activists as terrorists when they work to expose animal cruelty, poor labor conditions, or environmental violations in agribusiness or the biomedical industries. It's time to repeal AETA.

Learn more and take action: www.organicconsumers.org/artic...59.cfm

Oh my GAWD!!

I cannot believe they have a sequel to AVP, but apparently I have been a VERY good girl because AVP2 is being released on Christmas Day!! Ok now I know that may not seem like a wonderful thing, but oh... it is!!

Just imagine it... aliens AND predators... explosions... weapons... stuff popping out of people... my heart is racing just thinking of this.

Now to begin the countdown!!!

Forgot to add the URL to the site www.avp-r.com/US/

I have a problem… but it’s a weird one where the solution may be trickier than the problem.

I’m not an athletic person by any stretch of the imagination. But for the past 2 years I’ve been fighting this weird growing hunger. I want to run. Not jog. RUN! I’m starting to fantasize about marathons (complete with the theme music from Chariots of Fire.)

At first I thought it was just a phase (I have many of them) so I tried jogging. But it didn’t quite do ‘it’ for me. I want to feel the wind in my face, to feel the impact of my feet hitting the ground after that small glimpse into weightlessness. I want to run where there are trees, jump over rocks. You know someplace that encourages inner contemplation allowing you to become one-with-the cosmos.

Back while I was in high school both my mom and brother ran daily. They’d come back all hot and sweaty, pumped up on endorphins talking about the birds singing and how the world was alive for them. I secretly thought they were just returning from the meth lab at the end of the street… or that they were finally certifiable. Now I find myself craving what they tried so hard to get me to do.

Most people would not think this was a problem. Just run. Buy a good pair of shoes, find someplace safe and run.

For any other person I’d agree. But I’m special.

I have a physical disability that is true cause of my not running yet. Now looking at me you may think it’s the 50lbs of fat I have covering my torso. But I believe my body could adapt to that. And with enough time I just may lose an ounce or two. My problem is that I was born with one leg smaller, shorter and weaker then the other. At first they thought I had polio then decided it was Muscular Dystrophy. They fitted me with an ugly metal brace on my right foot and said I’d be in a wheelchair by my teens “if I was lucky”.

Off I went into the world… me and that awful brace. The girls didn’t like it when I played hop scotch with them (they said I ‘cheated’ because I couldn’t hop on my right.) I remember on girl who would try and stick a branch in my brace to try and trip me up. I didn’t feel different from the other kids… it had to be the brace that didn’t allow me to hop. I hated that brace.

When I was 5 I was picked to appear with Jerry in a national campaign. But even then I was a vain child, and refused to be photographed with my brace. No amount of reassurance from Mr. Lewis could convince me otherwise. No brace no photo. I hated that brace.

Finally at 13 I said no more! I threw away the brace. By then it was being made from some plastic and was more ‘discreet’. But I knew it was there, and with the wrong pair of jeans, everybody knew it was there. I hated that brace.

Turned out I didn’t have MD and that the brace didn’t really do anything. I still hate that brace.

Fortunately my physical limitation doesn’t affect my day-to-day living and I rarely limp (except when physically exhausted). And for some strange reason it’s not noticeable when I jog. But when I run… WHOA! I look worse than Phoebe running in the park!

34 years later and I’m still facing my vanity demon. I want to run but I fear the onslaught of puzzled looks, the peals of laughter, the pointing and staring it may be too much for me. Do I play it safe and keep the vanity demon happy?

Or do I eschew the naysayers and my vanity demon and go for it? To revel in both the endorphins and the personal satisfaction knowing that my dream did not die.

What’s a vain gimp to do?

Wahooo!!! I finally have confirmation as to when Cleo and I will be dragging our asses up to D.C. and can hardly wait! Now I have to look at my DVD collection and decide which ones to take because I sure as hell can't go 32 days without one! Hmmmm I wonder... does that mean I need a 12 step program for belly dance videos :-D