Very little of the great cruelty shown by men can really be attributed to cruel instinct. Most of it comes from thoughtlessness or inherited habit. The roots of cruelty, therefore, are not so much strong as widespread. But the time must come when inhumanity protected by custom and thoughtlessness will succumb before humanity championed by thought.
Dr. Albert Schweitzer
There were 20 members
in attendance.Agenda item 1: Announcements of June 2005 events
Sunday, June 12: 12N-2PM---Carol Adams book signing at Moe’s Southwest Grill (4700 W. Park Blvd, Suite 100, Plano).
Monday, June 13: 6:30PM---Anthony Marr speaks at the Spiral Diner (1314 W. Magnolia St., Ft. Worth).
Saturday, June 25: 12N---Red Lobster Canadian seafood boycott demonstration (10290 Technology Blvd, Dallas). 2-4PM---PETA “Get Active for the Animals” event with free lunch (Doubletree Hotel, 4099 Valley View Ln, Dallas); RSVP with name, e-mail and phone to Stephanie (PETA) at 757-962-8247 or at stephaniew@peta.org.
Sunday, June 26: 12N---KFC demonstration (6130 E. Mockingbird Ln, Dallas).
Monday, June 27: 6:30PM---ACT Ft. Worth monthly meeting at Spiral Diner (1314 W. Magnolia St., Ft. Worth).
Agenda item 2: Recaps by ACT members
Report from a member on her visit to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. She volunteered to assist with special needs cats. A general discussion of the mission and activities of Best Friends followed.
The first ACT Ft. Worth meeting was held on Monday, May 30, 2005 at Spiral Diner. There were 15 attendees, about half of whom were new members. Specific interests and willingness to lead programs were discussed. Initial efforts included sign preparation for the June 09 Canadian Consulate seal demonstration, plans to urge Central Market to offer dog foods other than Iams, and possible actions against the Beltex horse slaughter plant in Ft. Worth. The ACT/NTARN letter writing campaign was reviewed. Members will suggest other campaigns and educational programs.
Reviewed the June 09 Canadian seafood boycott demonstrations in Houston and Dallas. There was a 10-car funeral motorcade in Houston, and the 7 cars traveling to Dallas were joined by 3 more cars at the Dallas Canadian Consulate. There was good media coverage in Houston, but none in Dallas. Anthony Marr (a Canadian citizen) spoke with the Canadian consul in Dallas for about 25 minutes. He informed the consul about the evils of the seal slaughter, explained the protests in Houston and Dallas, and described the seafood boycott in detail. This was a very successful event. Thanks to all!
Agenda item 3: Planned actions for the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus (July 07-17, 2005 in Dallas, and the next week in Ft. Worth)
The schedule of performances was included in the meeting agenda. After discussions, it was agreed that ACT will demonstrate at the Dallas elephant walk (probably Tue July 05), on Saturday July 09 (11:30AM performance), on Saturday July 16 (7:30PM performance), and at the elephant loading Sunday July 17. We also plan to leaflet every evening performance. A signup sheet was circulated for volunteers to select times for participation. We will provide more details and updates on the ACT Yahoo group.
Protesting the Ft. Worth portion of the circus tour will be discussed at the ACT Ft. Worth meeting June 27, 2005.
Other items: We have received information which may permit us to challenge the use of elephants at Scarborough Faire Renaissance Festival near Waxahachie. The 2005 event ended on May 30, but we will try to get rid of the elephants (and maybe the llama and goat rides?) before next year’s event.
Lone Star Vegetarian Network will have its vegan chili cookoff on October 16, 2005 in Austin, TX. They will also have a tubing trip in Groene, TX from July 22-24, 2005.
Injured wildlife found in the Ft. Worth area may be taken to Southlake Animal Hospital (200 W. Northwest Pkwy, Southlake, TX; 817-481-2014). Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is an excellent option for injured or endangered wildlife in the Dallas area (1430 E. Cleveland Rd, Hutchins, TX; 972-225-4000). Injured birds may also be taken to Summertree Animal Clinic in near north Dallas (12300 Inwood Rd, Suite 102, Dallas, TX; 972-387-4168).
Action items: 1. Pursue the Scarborough Faire elephant issue.
2. Check our supply of literature for the circus leafleting.
3. Prepare lanyards for the circus events.
4. Make copies of circus comic books to pass out to kids.
5. Obtain the Dallas city codes regarding the circus, determine the time and location for the Dallas elephant walk, and post updates on the circus events (locations, times, travel directions, parking, etc).
6. We need volunteers to videotape circus events for documentation purposes.
