Animal lovers and environmentalist, please check in here. No graphic photos please!

If you’re checking in, most likely, your primary concern over Palin is, where she stands with wildlife and the environment, and I most certainly share your concerns!
We need to come up with a plan of action.
Let’s talk about the most effective way to bring to light Palin’s many failings in these areas.

I have two suggestions.

First off, when dealing with the general public, don’t send out or show graphic photos of dead or slaughtered animals. A lot of people will immediately turn away and not read the content of your publication.
If you want to grab and keep their attention, it is much more effective to use this instead:



Or this:



Second, don’t attach any strings; that is to say, don’t make it a platform for your own personal agenda, like why we should all become vegetarians. This is also a turnoff to the average voter.

If you have more good ideas, like what we should say about her record, and who to send it to, let’s hear them.

The runoff from such sites often is highly acidic (pH<2) and has a huge burden of toxic metals.

I find it inconceivable that she or anyone would oppose this legislation, but it was defeated.

I hadn't considered the runoff, and how it affects wildlife. It's time to hammer her record on these things (and McCain's too!)

... that is toxic to lab rats when given in doses equivalent to a truckload per day per person. Mining waste runoff sterilizes streams for miles. It leaves disgusting residues. The metal burdens are potentially toxic to every living organism that consumes this water containing high concentrations of mercury, chromium, cadmium, nickel, arsenic, and on and on.

Only those who think about profits first would oppose such legislation.

and I've been spreading the word...:hi:

I'm fully aware of the horrors out there... I had signed up for receiving emails from a group (which shall remain nameless), but quit their mailings after receiving tons of emails with graphic photos. I DO believe that the pics turn people off and hurt more than they help. A compelling photo, without the gore, is much more convincing. That new WWF ad with the polar bear mom and baby in the ocean, is not graphic, and yet it drives home the point in a powerful way (and I cry everytimg I see it.) LIke the Purina ad with the dog in the animal jail wondering why it was there "I'm a good dog, I don't understand why I'm here", (I'm tearing up just thinking about it.)

So I am totally with you on this. McCain/Palin is a disaster for animals.

I often leave the room because they get to me. And I get lots of e-mails from rescue groups, as well, and I agree. I avoid a lot of them...;(

I could have wrote what you wrote.

The League of Conservation Voters has a list of questions that Sarah Palin needs to be asked. Here is a link http://www.lcv.org/newsroom/press-releases/five-questions-for-sarah-palin.html .

I copied this from the site: Five Questions for Sarah Palin

WASHINGTON, DC - As her party’s nominee for the Vice Presidency, too little is known about Governor Palin’s views and plans to protect the environment, stop global warming, end America’s addiction to oil and create a clean, renewable energy future. The League of Conservation Voters, which works to turn environmental values into national priorities, presents five important questions for Governor Palin.

Question 1: As Governor of Alaska, you have done nothing to make cars cleaner and save consumers hundreds of dollars per year in fuel costs. California and 14 other states have adopted higher clean car standards, Alaska has not. With gasoline prices at $4/gallon, do you support a national increase in fuel efficiency standards?

Question 2: 26 states have adopted renewable electricity standards to boost production of renewable energy. Do you support a national renewable electricity standard, requiring utilities to get at least 20 percent of their power from wind, solar and other clean sources?

Question 3: Given the oil industry's record profits, do you support cutting the more than $13 billion in taxpayer subsidies they receive?

Question 4: On January 15, 2008, you proposed a windfall profits tax on oil companies to give more money to Alaskans, and you used some of that money to invest in renewable energy. Barack Obama proposes a similar plan. John McCain opposes it. Will you support McCain’s energy plan or stand by a good policy?

Question 5: On Friday, August 29, 2008, you said “A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made.” The Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that global warming is the result of human activity and that we must act now to avoid its worst effects. John McCain agrees, though his proposals fall far short of the IPCC’s pollution reduction goals. Though you admit global warming is a threat and other states have taken action, Alaska has not set emission reduction goals or joined as a participant with states of the Western Climate Initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

If elected, would you continue to ignore the advice of the world’s best scientists or will you accept that global warming is caused by human activity and work to protect the American people from economic and national security threats of global warming by cutting emissions by 80% by 2050, the target set by the IPCC?

3 horses, 3 dogs and 3 cats, Palin's blatant disregard for the lives of animals worries me greatly. I am involved with the horse industry in a very republican north central Florida...virtually every republican I know has pets, and is a self-professed animal lover, sadly...I can't see any of them caring about this.

Most of the republicans that I know in the horse business around here are gun owners, they hunt and/or trap. Most are also pro-horse slaughter...they are ok with sending the horses that have served them well thousands of miles in packed, hot trailers to be shot in the head with a captive bolt, and processed for human consumption in Europe. They are ok with their horses dying in fear...they would rather make $250 for the meat than spend $250 to humanely euthanize the animal that trusted them, and served them well.

Obviously...I can't say that all republicans think this way, but I can say that most of the republicans that I know in my area do. Bringing to light Palin's poor environmental record, and love for killing animals may help turn an idependent, or possibly a city-dwelling republican though, so I'm all for getting it out there. We need to throw everything we have out there until something sticks!

I contribute to NRDC regularly. With their last polar bear campaign, I donated as much as I could afford. In response, as they did with all contributors, they sent a card featuring a beautiful polar bear with a simple caption, Thank you. It's on my wall in my office, right where I can see it. This tells me I made a difference in a positive way.

If NRDC had sent a photo of slaughtered wolf pups, with the caption "It's not too late to save the others," it would not have done anything to increase my motivation, but certainly would have distressed me.

Positivity works, because "warm and fuzzy" feelings make us feel good about ourselves and what we're doing. I don't know how we're going to balance that against informing people that Palin paid people a bounty for shooting wolves from helicopters, for example.

:thumbsup:

Palin opposed legislation prevent messes like these.

Wherever possible, mention people.

I say this may sound strange because this is in part a thread for animal lovers (which I am). However, some people won't pay attention unless you're talking about people. When someone brings up polar bears, they think it's a choice of polar bears or us: "The environmentalists care more about the polar bears than human beings."

So, for example, Buzz Clik mentioned the following above: "The metal burdens are potentially toxic to every living organism that consumes this water containing high concentrations of mercury, chromium, cadmium, nickel, arsenic, ..."

Zero in on the people aspect of "every living organism" in that statement. In other words, "These things harm you and your children." If possible, say specifically how they do harm, and the consequences that result.

My $0.02. But I have noticed more than one commentator recently deriding Nancy Pelosi for not wanting to drill oil because she wants to "save the planet." The implication being that she cares more about dirt and rocks than humans.

social conservatives place man above nature

remember James Watt in Regan's admin?

killing the environment is good and wiping out bio diversity is good from their perspective

electing them would kill in more than mere animal slaughter

they'll start WWIII, for starters

and drilling for oil?????

so the price is lower????????

so people use more and release ever more co2??????????

Gerald Ford said the price of gasoline should be increased, he was so right

I'm a hardcore animal lover, what upsets me most about Palin is her blood lust. I was considering sending out the goriest pictures I could find to some of my animal loving acquiantances that are repukes but I'll give it some thought first. I know I don't like looking at those pictures but I thought maybe I could shock them into realizaton of what this woman on the ticket means. Of course you're right that if they toss it without reading then it's just a waste. I'll have to figure out a tactic to use on them to get them to vote for Obama.

save one animal, in a way I'm saving them all. I'd go crazy otherwise.

I understand food chains and the laws of nature. I don't understand gunning down animals you do not need for food just for the fun of it. That pic of Miss Congeniality (fake claim) with her kids posing grinning for a pic with a dying animal reminded me of a similar scene from "Planet of the Apes" where the apes were posing and laughing with their human prey. The apes were more sympathetic - and her attitude tells me all I need to know about her.

She turns my stomach. But I certainly agree with you. Showing the beautiful, hopeful vision of wildlife has such a positive impact, while images of animals in pain just make me look away in horror.