Still Waiting...

We're waiting for the answer...

Although no opinion has yet been issued, based upon the questions asked by the Supreme Court justices today, it sounds as though they are leaning in favor of striking down the law created by Congress related to videos and photos that portray extreme abuse to animals. Apparently the law may be considered "too vague"...though there's certainly nothing at all vague about the horrendous acts portrayed on the material in question.

I'll reserve further comment until the final decision is rendered, but at this point, things are not looking good.

Will Justice Be Served?

Image from United States Supreme Court website

Today the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of the United States v. Stevens.

In 1999, Congress passed a law to bar the creation, sale, or possession of material depicting animal cruelty in order to block so-called "crush videos" that show women in provocative dress stomping on and killing small animals. The statute criminalized any conduct that involves animal cruelty.

In 2005, Robert Stevens became the first person convicted under the statute for commercially selling videos depicting dog fighting. According to the Humane Society of the United States, he also authored a "how to" manual on dog fighting. Stevens is appealing the conviction, claiming that the films were educational in nature and therefore protected under the First Amendment.

As you can imagine, this is a hot button topic that has created much discussion.

Free speech advocates claim that to limit these images prevents public discourse and could be wrongly applied to many documentary films.

Animal activists say the government has an obligation to prevent the inhumane treatment of animals and that these images have no redeeming social or educational value.

According to Newsweek Magazine, the United States Supreme Court has not declared a category of speech to be unprotected by the First Amendment since 1982, when it decided that child pornography did not deserve constitutional protection.

Will they do the same for images that portray animal cruelty?

My hope is that the law and the conviction will be upheld by the court. Animals are not given the ability to refuse participation in these heinous, bloody, and obscene spectacles. I fear that decriminalization would encourage production of such material out of profit-making and greed.

Does our country need to be even more desensitized to suffering and pain?

I don't think so.

Past Time for Change

Lottie, former circus performer and current resident of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

Yesterday PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) released a video shot by an undercover employee for Ringling Brothers Circus. The video shows workers repeatedly beating elephants for no apparent reason other than to bully them. Though I don't always agree with PETA's tactics or all of their positions on animal issues, I don't believe anyone can look at the video and not be disturbed.

There has been heated debate for years about the use of wild animals trained to perform tricks for the amusement of spectators. I understand that people love to look at them. However, I strongly feel that using animals such as elephants, tigers, lions, bears, apes, and others is just plain wrong. Witness the times an animal returns to its natural behavior (it is, after all an undomesticated creature) and attacks a trainer/handler. The animal is labeled vicious, but whose fault is it really?

Certainly not the animal. It wasn't meant to live in a small confined space and perform tricks on command. And gross mistreatment from handlers doesn't do anything to improve this powder keg of a situation. In fact, other countries have outlawed or restricted this type of entertainment.

As consumers, we need to let circuses and carnivals know that it's time to evolve their acts into ones that are both civilized and humane. Bring on the trapeze artists, jugglers, high wire acts, and illusionists, but allow the animals to live as they were meant to live.

Cirque du Soleil is the perfect example of an organization able to put on a fine show without the use of critters.

Can't other such groups learn something from them?