Buffalo to get new slaugherhouse, Despite Neighbors Objections!

Bobby Horton, who runs this sandwich shop on William Street in Buffalo, objects to the plan for a slaughterhouse in the back of the building.
Sharon Cantillon / Buffalo News


Updated: 03/26/09 01:02 PM
Over Neighboring Businessmens Objections; Slaughterhouse in Buffalo wins zoning approval
By Brian Meyer
News Staff Reporter
City zoning officials have approved plans by two Brooklyn businessmen to open a slaughterhouse on William Street where they plan to butcher poultry, goats, lambs, rabbits and calves.
The Common Council will likely approve the business' license, Council President David A. Franczyk said today.

The building at 1285 William St. at Babcock Street also houses a Subway sandwich shop, and its owners are worried the slaughterhouse could put them out of business.

The Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved the plan, but with some conditions. No outdoor animals pens will be allowed. The roof and walls must be insulated to prevent odors from seeping outside, and a vent must be installed. All proper permits will also have to be obtained from the city, county and state.

Mustasa Jaarah said he's pleased with the decision and expects to begin renovations by early May. He hopes the slaughterhouse will be open by August or September. The project will include a butcher shop and farmers' market.

The Zoning Board announced its decision one day after project supporters and opponents faced off at a City Hall hearing. The outcry against the slaughterhouse is "getting louder and louder," said Bobby Horton, who owns a Subway sandwich shop in the same building that would house the new business. Horton said 300 people have signed a petition that opposes the plan.

Any odor from the slaughterhouse could doom his business, he told zoning officials.

"If there's a stench, and even one or two people get a whiff of that, we're done," he said.

His wife, Felicia Horton, said the mere thought of having butchering operations under the same roof as a Subway shop could turn off many of her customers.

"If they're cutting up [animals], are you going to want to come up front an eat some meat?" she asked.

But Jaarah said he's convinced the two businesses can coexist under the same roof and thrive.

"They definitely will not smell anything bad. We're not going to create any problems for them," said Jaarah, who is opening the business with his father, Yousef.



http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/619834.html

If You Are Reading This, You Just Might Be a Domestic Terrorist

You are the homegrown terrorist threat
By Michael Hampton
Posted: May 13, 2007 11:26 pm
If you’re an American reading this, then under expansive definitions being used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and several states in their counterterrorism training, you just might be a domestic terrorist.

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Phoenix, Ariz., distributed a brochure (Images: 1, 2) to local law enforcement agencies a few years ago which defines terrorism as individuals or groups within the U.S. who engage in criminal activity to promote political or social changes. This is correct, as far as it goes, but the brochure then gives a listing of “suspicious” activities, telling law enforcement officers: “If you encounter any of the following, call the Joint Terrorism Task Force.”

Some of the things for which you should be reported as a suspected terrorist include the usual things, like weapons of mass destruction, and hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis, but also includes people who “Make numerous references to US Constitution,” “Claim driving is a right, not a privilege” and “Attempt to ‘police the police.’”

In addition, “People whose political motivation is usually Marxist/Leninist philosophy,” “‘defenders’ of the US Constitution against federal government and the UN,” computer hackers, and “Lone Individuals” should also be reported.

Do you fall under any of those categories? I certainly do; more than one, in fact. So I’m probably under suspicion somewhere as a domestic terrorist.

Last week, the state of Alabama Department of Homeland Security got scrutinized for an interactive terrorism awareness training section of its Web site, which said much the same things. The bureaucrats removed the entire training after it wound up on digg.com, a popular Web site where users can promote news to the site’s front page.

In Alabama, it seems, promoting gun rights can also get you branded a domestic terrorist.

Alabama’s site was based on a similar one from the state of Pennsylvania, which in addition to all of the above, says that promoting jury nullification, secession, or the belief that all governments must ultimately become corrupted by power also makes you a domestic terrorist worth watching.

But it gets worse.

But you see, I once read Unintended Consequences and was quite impressed with the book. Then one day I attended a FBI security briefing for technology security and was confronted with an image of the book — strongly implying those who own or read the book were terrorists.

But now I find I’m considered a terrorist by many other government agencies! Seriously, I wonder when I shall be arrested and “Detained.” . . .

The state of Virginia also says I’m a terrorist. (PDF) Why there? Because I’m a “property rights advocate.” Seriously, in Virginia, you’re a TERRORIST if you advocate for property rights. I think they’re going to need to build more jails to house us all. . . .

Incredibly, none of this is in jest. These various government agencies honestly believe *I* am a “domestic terrorist.” That is so sad. Indeed, this once-great country has nowhere to go but down. — Ogre’s Politics & Views

Ogre also put together a nice interactive quiz which you can use to determine if you are a domestic terrorist. I scored a 70, which apparently means there’s a cell with my name on it in Guantanamo Bay.

So in keeping with my mandate to make fun of government stupidity, I’m offering these web banners so you can identify yourself as a domestic terrorist on your own Myspace, blog or Web site. Just copy and paste the code for the one you want.


Click on title above to see full article, the "Homeland Stupidity" website, and the banners;
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/05/13/you-are-the-homegrown-terrorist-threat/

How an Animal Advocate Explains Her Decision to Take Animal-Tested Drugs

By Simon Chaitowitz, AlterNet. Posted March 23, 2009.


Some people may call me a hypocrite for taking advantage of the benefits of animal research. Let me explain.
One of my doctors has told me to get my affairs in order, which is why I'm writing this column. I want to explain why someone who takes so many animal-tested drugs is opposed to animal research.
I have full-blown leukemia and the chemotherapy I'm taking doesn't seem to be working all that well. And even if it does kick into high gear soon, it's not a cure, only a brief delay of the disease's progression. One way or another, my odds aren't good.

Still, I keep popping pills each morning and night, sitting for many hours each week with an IV in my arm, dealing with all the side-effects of treatment, hoping for a miracle. Some people may call me a hypocrite -- to take advantage of the benefits of animal research. Let me explain.

The truth is that I don't feel I've ultimately benefited from our healthcare system, despite some truly exceptional care and many amazingly compassionate practitioners. Just the opposite.

I first developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in 2004 from the chemo I was prescribed for breast cancer. In 2006, I underwent a stem cell transplant, which gave me two years of remission (albeit with many horrible side effects). This past July, I relapsed -- this time with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). My prognosis is grim.

Throughout the past six years, I have felt terribly guilty about the drugs and procedures I've undergone because I know that so many animals have suffered in their development. I know about these conditions because of my former job -- working for a nonprofit that promotes alternatives to animal research. I know about the conditions from talking with former animal researchers and others who have witnessed the cruelty. In fact, one man I know from an Internet support group remembers hearing lab dogs yelping in pain at the hospital where we both had our transplants.

The truth--mostly hidden from public view--is that animal research is horribly cruel. Despite what the research community claims, federal regulations are extremely weak and poorly enforced, and some species -- mice, for example -- are completely excluded from any protection. Many investigations have shown just how bad conditions are.

But as someone who recently signed up for hospice, I have another major problem with animal research. I wonder if science would have found a cure for my leukemia by now if they weren't sidetracked by misleading animal tests. I wonder if the chemo that I took for breast cancer would have been safer it hadn't been tested in species that are so unlike our own.

The truth is that using animals to develop and test drugs is a system that doesn't work very well. It's an old paradigm, one that is fortunately beginning to change, however slowly. A growing number of scientists are developing some exciting (and more effective) non-animal alternatives. These changes have been inspired partly by concern over animal cruelty but also because animal research and testing have so often failed us. Some government agencies are even starting to call for more alternatives.

More than 90 percent of all new drugs which proved effective in animals end up not working for humans. It's because animals -- however similar they are to us -- have different physiological systems. What works in a mouse usually doesn't work in a human.

History is filled with stories of drugs that didn't work in animals -- Aspirin, for example -- that ended up working in humans. And the obituary pages are filled with stories of people who died from drugs that looked safe in animals. The painkiller Vioxx, for example, tested safe in mice and five other species but ended up killing many thousands of Americans.

If you wonder how I can justify taking the drugs, the truth is that like all living beings ("lab animals" included) I desperately want to live. And because of government regulations, I don't have a choice.

The current drug approval system doesn't yet acknowledge the superiority of human-focused, nonanimal research methods (such as microdosing) and all pharmaceutical companies must use animals to get their drugs approved. Hopefully, this situation will soon change. A coalition of animal protection groups and physicians has petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to accept the results of alternative tests, when available.

If the chemo drugs I'm trying now don't work, I do have one last option. I could try a Phase One trial. That's when a drug looks promising in animals and is first tested in humans. My doctor started to tell me why so many participants die in Phase One trials -- but it turned out I already knew the answer. Drugs that work in animals, he explained, usually don't work in humans.

See more stories tagged with: animal rights, animal research, drugs testing on animals

Simon Chaitowitz is a writer, nature lover, and animal protection advocate who is battling leukemia. She lives in Washington. D.C. She blogs at http://schaitowitz.blogspot.com/.

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/132999/how_an_animal_advocate_explains_her_decision_to_take_animal-tested_drugs/

States cope with rising homelessness

States cope with rising homelessness

Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:31 pm (PDT)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
States cope with rising homelessness
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer

Photo by Scott Sady, The Associated Press
Tent cities are springing up around the country, including this one next to
a homeless shelter in Reno, Nev.Nearly 700 homeless families in
Massachusetts are living in hotels at state expense because emergency shelters are full.
New York City saw a 40 percent rise in families seeking shelter since the
recession began. School districts nationwide reported more homeless kids in the
fall of 2008 than the entire year before. And tent cities have sprung up
throughout Hawaii and in Sacramento, Calif., Reno, Nev., Phoenix, Portland,
Ore., and other cities.

It’s one of the most alarming aspects of the economic crisis: State
officials are seeing levels of homelessness they have never seen before. President
Barack Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus package includes $1.5 billion to
address the problem, but officials say it’s not enough to cover the cost of
housing for millions of families in crisis.

As many as 3.4 million Americans are likely to experience homelessness this
year – a 35 percent increase since the recession started in December 2007 –
and a majority will be families with children, according to the _National
Alliance to End Homelessness_
(http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/article/detail/2158) . The predictions are based on rising levels of unemployment and
poverty, plus a severe shortage of affordable housing created, in part, by the
mortgage industry collapse.

By the time a family shows up in a shelter, they’ve done everything possible
to avoid homelessness – stayed with friends and family members, gone without
food and sold their possessions. They’ve expended every financial and social
resource they have. Some were middle-class families felled by layoffs and
ballooning mortgages.

Nationwide, some 9.6 million families spend more than half of their income
on housing, putting them at high risk of becoming homeless, according to the
_National Low Income Housing Coalition_
(http://www.nlihc.org/template/index.cfm) . In addition, apartment building foreclosures are causing families to be
evicted even when they are paying rent on time, said Linda Couch, the
coalition’s deputy director.

Before the economic crisis struck, states had made progress getting homeless
families and individuals off the street. Homelessness declined 10 percent
between 2005 and 2007, as states and cities began subsidizing permanent housing
for working families and moving chronically homeless individuals with
disabilities into specialized care facilities.

But as homelessness rises, revenue-strapped states will be hard pressed to
maintain those gains.

Experts agree that the only effective method of reducing homelessness is to
quickly move people into permanent homes and pay their rent until they regain
their footing. Without stable housing, people’s lives continue to unravel,
no matter how much state support they get. But paying a family’s rent is an
expensive proposition.

“You need a lot of cash to help these families pay for housing because they’
re so poor and rents are still very high, and many need a year or more to
find jobs,” said Robyn Frost, director of the _Massachusetts Coalition for the
Homeless_ (http://www.mahomeless.org/) .

Obama’s stimulus package includes a nine-fold immediate increase in an
existing grant program that funds shelters. But instead of going to shelters, the
funds are dedicated to either helping families hold onto their homes or
subsidizing housing for those already homeless.

“The emphasis is on prevention, because helping people facing eviction or
foreclosure stay in their homes and keeping kids in the schools they’re
enrolled in will save states money on health care and corrections in the long run,”
said Michael Stoops, director of the _National Coalition for the Homeless_
(http://www.nationalhomeless.org/) .

Before the recession, 41 percent of the homeless population was families
with children and most held jobs. About 25 percent – the most visible,
chronically homeless – suffered from mental illness or drug addiction. “Now, because
of foreclosures and layoffs, we’re seeing middle class families – not just
the working poor – in shelters,” Stoops said.

In addition to shoring up homelessness prevention programs, advocates for
the poor say Congress should have included money for low-income rental
assistance, programs they say languished during the Bush administration. In economic
downturns, rents often get cheaper, making it easier for states to support
homeless families. But in this recession, fueled by millions of home
foreclosures, the supply of housing has tightened forcing rents to go higher.

“In some parts of the country, rental costs are so high that even if people
get their jobs back, they can’t afford housing. There are literally millions
of people that don’t earn enough to afford what the market charges,” said
Barbara Sard, an analyst with low-income advocacy group the _Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities_ (http://www.cbpp.org/) .

Although advocates for the poor urged Congress to include low-income rental
assistance in the stimulus package, many members were concerned that any
expansion of the $40 billion federal housing programs would be difficult to
scale back after the stimulus period ended. So instead, states are negotiating
with landlords for lower rates and many are trying to purchase and rehabilitate
boarded-up homes for low-income families.

Advocates are hopeful that provisions in the stimulus package such as
expanded unemployment benefits, Food Stamps and welfare will help alleviate the
homeless crisis. “But until unemployment goes back down, we’re going to be up
against it. When that gets fixed, things will start getting better,” said
Steve Berg, director of the National Alliance.

The stimulus package includes two other programs that experts say could have
a positive long-term effect on the supply of affordable housing: a $4
billion public housing fund for rehabilitating vacant apartments and a $4.2 billion
neighborhood stabilization program to help communities purchase foreclosed
properties.

But Berg cautioned that the current surge in homelessness will have lasting
repercussions.

A new study from _The National Center on Family Homelessness_
(http://www.familyhomelessness.org/) , which found that one in 50 American children is
homeless, said the disruption and isolation caused by homelessness affects kids
the rest of their lives. Children experiencing homelessness have twice the
rate of health and emotional problems compared to those with stable housing and
they have significantly lower high school graduation rates, the _report_
(http://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org/pdf/rc_full_report.pdf) found.

NE Bat Die-Off Spells BIG Trouble for Agriculture

WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME, BATS - USA (07)
************************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Wed 18 Mar 2009
Source: The Hartford Courant [edited]



Fungus kills about 90 percent of Connecticut's bats
---------------------------------------------------
White-nose syndrome, the mysterious plague that is decimating the
Northeast's bats, killed off about 90 percent of Connecticut's bats
over the winter and is now galloping across the country so quickly
that it threatens the nation's -- and probably the world's -- largest
bat populations in the American South.

Jenny Dickson, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
wildlife biologist supervising the detection and control of
white-nose syndrome in the state, said Tuesday [17 Mar 2009] that
visits to 2 sample caves in Litchfield County in the past 2 weeks
revealed veritable bat catacombs. Dickson's team of wildlife experts
found thousands of dead bats floating like dead fish in standing
water, or stacked on top of each other along the flat ledges of the cave walls.

"It was grim, and you don't have to be a scientist to realize the
implications for the environment inside those caves," said Dickson.
"This is a massive, unprecedented die-off, with significant potential
impacts on nature, especially insect control."

Findings by Dickson's counterparts in nearby states paint an even
more dire picture for Connecticut.

Bats are migratory, and most of Connecticut's bats fly there in the
spring from hibernation caves containing hundreds of thousands of
bats in the southern Adirondacks, the lower Hudson Valley, Vermont
and the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Scientists entering
those caves since February [2009] have found 90 percent to 95 percent
mortality rates, with some caves in New York having death rates
approaching 100 percent. All told, scientists following white-nose
syndrome have calculated that up to a million bats have already died
in the Northeast states.

Scientists say that all bat species are vulnerable to the fungus.
Dickson said Tuesday [17 Mar 2009] that the disease has hit hard
among little brown bats and northern long-eared bats, which are the
ones most commonly seen in Connecticut, but that it has spread to
other species as well.

Combined with the losses of bats that hibernate in Connecticut, the
deaths in neighboring states mean that bats fluttering over evening
barbecues or swooping down to devour insects over cornfields will be
a rare sight this summer.

The syndrome, first discovered in New York state in 2006, is a
condition in which a white fungus coats the heads, legs, and wings of
hibernating bats. To fight the physiological effects of the fungus,
bats deplete their fat reserves before the winter is over, fleeing
from their caves in a desperate search for insects to eat. The
ravenous, emaciated bats are then found lying in the snow or clinging
to the sides of barns, and usually die before enough mosquitoes and
moths hatch for them to eat.

Scientists have not been able to explain why the white fungus
covering the bats, _Geomyces_, appears in the 1st place, but the
impact on the balance of nature is clear. Bats eat an average of more
than 3000 mosquitoes and moths apiece every night. A large die-off of
the species will directly affect activities and industries that rely
on natural insect control -- recreation, dairy farming, and horseback
riding, among others.

Scientists working on white-nose syndrome say that they have detected
no direct health threat to humans. But they do worry about indirect
threats caused by insect-borne diseases, especially after an
especially wet fall and winter that produces favorable conditions for
mosquito breeding. The numbers of cases of such diseases as West Nile
virus have been very low in Connecticut, but scientists do not know
how a larger population of mosquitoes will affect human and animal health.

Dickson said that her team of scientists will be helped by public
reports of bats flying in the daytime during the next 2 weeks, when
there are not enough insects for bats to eat. The telltale white
fungus on the bats will not be present, because it disappears when
exposed to the sun and heat. Reports of daytime sightings, or other
erratic behavior by bats, may be made to the DEP's number, 860-675-8130.

Since it was first detected in New York caves 3 years ago [2006],
white-nose syndrome has crossed state lines, probably carried by
migrating bats themselves. Last year [2008], the range of the plague
had been restricted to the Albany, NY, area and western New England.
But this year [2009] white-nose syndrome has been confirmed from New
Hampshire to southwestern Virginia. The spread of the condition to
Virginia especially concerns scientists.

Crops at risk
-------------
Ecologist Merlin Tuttle of Texas is a bat expert and wildlife
photographer who leads the battle to save the endangered gray bat.
"The number of bats that have died so far, which is probably over a
million now, will be dwarfed by what is going to happen in the next
few years," Tuttle said.

"Virginia is right on the border of perhaps the biggest bat
hibernation areas in the world -- Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky --
where there are caves with such large populations of bats we can't
even measure how many millions are in there. They spread from this
area across vast ranges of the agricultural South. Mortality rates
like those we are seeing in the states already hit by [white-nose
syndrome] would be devastating for the national bat population."

Studies conducted by Tuttle and other scientists have documented the
huge value that bats deliver to farming and forestry. Every June,
over the vast corn and cotton fields of Texas, for example, millions
of corn earworm moths migrate north from Mexico, descending at dusk
to lay their eggs on crop fields. If left unchecked, these eggs would
hatch within a few weeks, and then new moths would lay additional
eggs, multiplying their scourge and smothering the crops.

Using Doppler radar, radio microphones beamed into the sky and feces
studies of free-tailed bats, scientists have documented that
"high-altitude foraging" by the bats intercepted most of the moths
before they could land on crops, saving millions of acres of cotton
and corn. One study concluded that the free-tail bats -- there are at
least 100 million of them in central Texas -- consume more than 2
million pounds of insects every night.

But this balance-of-nature act is not restricted to Texas. "We have
the same corn, the same earworm moths, the same night-feeding by our
bats right here in Connecticut," said Dickson. "And now that we have
this huge mortality of bats, [white-nose syndrome] could have a
severe impact on our crops, but we just don't know yet."

More need for pesticides
------------------------
One scenario that worries wildlife scientists is increased use of
pesticides. If farmers see that a crop-eating insect has landed on
their fields, they call in crop-dusting planes or truck-sprayers
right away, which then encourages other farmers to order spraying.
Without enough bats to protect crops, farmers might be tempted this
year [2009] to use more pesticides, a chemical chain-reaction that
can affect people, wildlife, and nearby streams, Tuttle and other experts said.

Even if the cause of white-nose syndrome is identified soon, the
damage to the bat population has already been substantial. "This is a
species that reproduces very slowly and that lives very long for the
wildlife world -- many bats survive for 30 years," Dickson said.
"Each time you lose a bat, you're losing a very precious benefit to
the environment. It will take generations to replenish this bat population."

[Byline: Rinker Buck]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland

[This particular article highlights some rather far reaching
consequences of the loss of bats, which in many ways mirrors the loss
of the bees with colony collapse disorder. These creatures are
exceptionally important.

What the article does not fully address is the threat of increased
use of pesticides to domestic animals. Many farmers turn cattle and
swine into corn stubble fields for grazing and eating of ears of corn
that fell through the harvesting machines. With an increase in
pesticides on the fields this represents another concern as these
animals can be poisoned by the chemicals to eliminate the insects.

Most fungi are opportunistic by nature, and that is part of the
complicating pattern with the bats. What lowered the resistance of
the bats that they are unable to fend off such a fungus? We hope for
answers soon. - Mod.TG

[The article above includes photographs of bats with white-nose
syndrome; they can be seen at
.
- CopyEd.MJ]

[see also:
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (06): (PA) RFI 20090311.1011
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (05): (PA) 20090309.0975
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (04): (PA) 20090306.0931
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (03): (WV) susp 20090220.0711
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (02): (northeast) 20090208.0578
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA: (Northeast) 20090129.0401
2008
----
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (07): (Northeast) 20081102.3448
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (06): (Northeast) 20080331.1195
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (05): (Northeast) 20080304.0898
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (04): (Northeast) 20080304.0880
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (03): 2004 Dorset bat colony gate 20080221.0709
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA (02): (Northeast) 20080220.0687
White-nose syndrome, bats - USA: (Northeast) 20080219.0675]
...................................tg/mj/dk

Newsweek Editor Goes Vegan!

Submitted by Animal Person

Did you see that Newsweek editor David Noonan went vegan (see “I Can’t Believe I’m Still a Vegan“)? He clearly needs a bit of encouragement as he finds it “sort of a pain in the ass. And kind of boring, too.” But congratulations to Noonan for doing it and writing about it and sticking with it!

There’s already a fairly large number of comments that raise the usual topics against vegans and veganism and I didn’t see any Animal Person readers in there, though there’s no law that says you have to use the same username everywhere so that might not be evidence of anything.

Chime in, and because this article is in the magazine issue dated March 23, write a letter to letters@newsweek.com. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.

Thanks!

JC Penny to Go FUR-FREE @ Last!

Subject: Excellent Anti Fur News & our future plans!

Hello Everyone,
Excellent Anti Fur News!
JCPenney, with more than 1,000 stores in 49 states, has become fur-free,
making it the first multiple location, traditional department store to be
fur-free in stores and on its website. The company is currently fur-free and has
no plans for fur items in the future.
Please keep coming to our events. Protesting and outreach works. Mark your
calendars now:
Our future plans: We are not planning any anti fur protests while the
Ringling circus is in town. There will be many anti circus protests to attend
through late April. Please join us because the animals need us to reach as many
people as we can - we can only do that with alot of activists. Please go to
_http://www.meetup.com/HeartforAnimals/_ () for the anti circus protest
details in NY & NJ.
1st fur protest after circus season:
Sunday, April 19th 1 to 3 pm Bloomingdales 59th and Lexington Ave. NYC
_www.caafgroup.com_ ()
Any questions? Let me know, Julie _info@caafgroup.com_ ()

"The following has just come to my attention:
JCPenney, with more than 1,000 stores in 49 states, has become fur-free,
making it the first multiple location, traditional department store to be
fur-free in stores and on its website. The company is currently fur-free and has no
plans for fur items in the future.
Please confirm this policy and accept my heartfelt acknowledgement and
appreciation for being one of the first major retailers to go cruelty-free and
adopt an environmentally progressive policy concerning the merchandise in your
stores. I will be certain to put JC Penney at the top of my list when it
comes to shopping for the things I need and will recommend that family, friends
and associates do the same. "

_https://shop5.jcpenney.com/jcp/frm_generalinquiries.aspx?VID=&Email=&Referer=
http%3a%2f%2fwww5.jcpenney.com%2fjcp%2fCustomerService.aspx%3fcmResetCat%3dTru
e%26CmCatId%3d&Subject=General+Inquiries&Topic=&CmCatId_ () =
or
_https://shop5.jcpenney.com/jcp/frm_generalinquiries.aspx?VID=&Email=&Referer=
http%3a%2f%2fwww.jcpenney.com%2fjcp%2fCustomerService.aspx&Subject=General+Inq
uiries&Topic=&CmCatId_ () =

----- Original Message -----
From: _Marnie_ ()
Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2009 8:05 AM
Subject: Re: Excellent Anti Fur News & our future plans!

I just emailed JCPenney to thank them for eliminating fur from their
clothing. I looked on their web site to see if they had publicized this wonderful
decision, but couldn't find anything. I asked in my email if they would put
this news on their web site (or in a more prominent location if I was just
unable to find it). I hope this will encourage more companies to say no to fur.
Thank you for sending me these updates. I do respond as much as I can and make
phone calls and write letters and send emails. Maybe you could send out an
alert to ask more people to send a thanks to JCP- and that would reinforce
their decision and also encourage more companies to join them?

Marnie

From
_info@caafgroup.com_ ()

To: _julieo898@yahoo.com_ ()