Arrogant, Cruel and Sick Nationwide Tour Golf player Tripp Isenhour Finally Convicted in Killing of a Federally Protected Red-Shouldered Hawk

Intentionally Killed with Golf Ball

As you’ll read this story, you’ll see just how sick and self-absorbed Tripp Isenhour is. Not only did he intentionally kill a protected hawk, he then tried to get out of it, eventually accepting no contest plea. So, a killer and a scofflaw.

As stated below, “…Isenhour, 40, created a national controversy when, while filming an instructional video Dec. 12 at Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, he attempted to quiet the noisy hawk by hitting golf balls with a 7-iron at the tree in which the bird was roosting, about 50 or 60 yards from the set. On about the sixth shot, Isenhour hit the hawk and killed it.”

So, all for a video. Couldn’t he just wait, or even just play with the sounds of the hawk? No, in his mind, his importance outweighed the hawk’s life.

Article:

Isenhour accepts plea deal for killing hawk

http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/8502486/

Isenhour-accepts-plea-deal-for-killing-hawk

by Rex Hoggard, Golfweek.com

Updated: August 29, 2008, 10:51 AM EST 66 comments

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ORLANDO, Fla. - Nationwide Tour player Tripp Isenhour has accepted a "no contest" plea agreement for two misdemeanor charges stemming from an incident last year that resulted in the death of a federally protected red-shouldered hawk.

Golfweek.com

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The agreement requires Isenhour to serve one year of probation, donate $1,500 to the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter, Fla., and pay a $500 fine. The former PGA Tour player also will be required to undergo 40 hours of community service and attend a four-hour anger-management class.

"I'm not denying that the bird accidentally was killed by the golf ball and we're not denying it was wrong," Isenhour told Golfweek in an exclusive interview. "I did something wrong, and I have to take ownership of that."

Isenhour, 40, created a national controversy when, while filming an instructional video Dec. 12 at Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, he attempted to quiet the noisy hawk by hitting golf balls with a 7-iron at the tree in which the bird was roosting, about 50 or 60 yards from the set. On about the sixth shot, Isenhour hit the hawk and killed it.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report, witnesses say Isenhour was angry that the bird, which initially was perched in a tree about 120 yards from the set, was disrupting the filming. Isenhour said he attempted to make the bird fly away by hitting two sticks together. He also said he hit three to four golf balls into the tree but could not see the bird.

In contrast to earlier media reports, when the hawk landed in a tree closer to the set, Isenhour said he started hitting golf balls at the hawk again only after members of the crew attempted to move the bird by banging sticks together and throwing objects into the tree.

Jethro Senger, a sound engineer for the informercial who reported the incident to Fish and Wildlife officials, said it was "basically like a joke to (Isenhour)."

Fish and Wildlife officer Brian Baine investigated the incident and said Isenhour was angry that the hawk was disrupting the filming and that the golfer intended to hit the bird.

"It was one thing if he hit a couple of balls, but two elements give it away," Baine said. "The first is that he was unsuccessful the first time and did it again. The second is he didn't call me and say, 'I did something foolish. I killed a migratory bird and I'd like to make this good.' "

Isenhour and other members of the crew did contact the local Audubon Society to inform officials about the accident and were told that if the hawk was not breathing to then bury it.

Sworn statements from other members of the crew collected by Isenhour's investigators do not corroborate the state's claim the golfer intended to harm the hawk or that he was angry.

"He wasn't angry. He didn't come off to me as being angry at all," said Ryan Krause, a crew member on the set, in a statement to Isenhour's investigators.

"He was just like trying to scare it away. He wasn't like, you know, seriously like trying to like hit the bird or do anything like that. . . . He definitely wasn't trying to kill the bird."

Isenhour was charged with two misdemeanors: cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird. He could have faced fines up to $5,500 and up to 14 months in jail.

In an interview with Golfweek, he said he was happy to have the incident behind him but said he was disappointed in the Fish and Wildlife investigation.

According to Isenhour, whose investigators took statements from eight of the other nine crew members on the informercial set, Baine only interviewed two of the 10 eyewitnesses, Senger and Krause.

Isenhour said Baine attempted to interview him at his home on Dec. 23, but the golfer declined comment until his lawyer was present.

When Isenhour's Orlando-based attorney, David de Armas, attempted to contact Baine in January after the officer had filed his report to the State Attorney's Office, he was informed, "We don't need to talk to (Isenhour)."

"The part that bothers me the most in all this is the conduct of the officer," Isenhour said. "He shouldn't be in a position of authority if you abuse that authority."

Baine said he made a "good-faith attempt" to contact Isenhour's lawyers before submitting his report and also said he interviewed "three or four" witnesses, but he could not recall the names of those interviewed.

"I look at things in perfunctory way. I have no vested interest," Baine said.

Isenhour said he accepted the plea instead of an opportunity to tell his side of the story in court because, "To go through what I went through in March (when the charges were filed), with the media circus and everything I went through, I didn't want to put my family through all that. The fact is, I'm not denying the accident occurred, but it would be very hard for a jury — even though the circumstances are much different than what was reported — it would be very difficult for them to find me not guilty, given the way the law is written."

Reaction to the incident was swift. Animal-rights activists and others called upon the PGA Tour to discipline Isenhour. According to Isenhour, who has played 18 events on the Nationwide Tour this year, the Tour took no disciplinary action. Keeping with its long-held policy, the Tour does not disclose penalties or fines.

Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Tight End - Ninth Consecutive Pro Bowl - Tony Gonzalez, Promotes Vegetarian Diet: Smashes Stereotype of Vegetarians

I wrote about Tony a few months back -

http://geari.blogspot.com/2008/05/

strong-fit-tough-guys-mac-danzig-and.html

As I said before, I’m so glad this stuff is coming out in the open. I too break the stereotype of the skinny, wimpy vegan, as I work out and am nearing 200 lbs while in shape. I love it when people hear that I’m vegan, as they’re pretty surprised. Yes, not all vegans have long hair, a long beard and are hippies. And, even more, as you’ll read below, a vegetarian diet WILL increase your performance and longevity.

Just check out this quote from the article below:

“A year-and-a-half after swearing off most dairy products and meat, the
6-foot-5, 251-pounder is laying waste to the stereotype of the scrawny,
wimpy herbivore.” Very nice. Unfortunately, they should have used the real term – vegetarian.

The story goes on to show that his performance actually increased after his move to a vegan diet:

“Coming off a stellar campaign that included 99 receptions for 1,172 yards
(leaving him 179 yards behind Shannon Sharpe for the NFL's all time lead
among tight ends) and earned him a ninth consecutive Pro Bowl invitation,
the 32-year-old Gonzalez insists he's at his physical peak, with no sign
of a decline.”

"It's unbelievable how good I feel," Gonzalez said. "Seriously, my
recovery is so much better than it's ever been, and my endurance is
tremendous. The best part is that during games I really don't get tired.
I have more focus, too. I'm even staying awake in meetings."

Finally the truth of vegetarianism and vegetarians is acknowledged all because a man with courage, intelligence, compassion and fame dove right into a diet that most would never even consider. Because of this, stereotypes are crushed and the “haters” and detractors lose their ammunition.

The same can be said of another hero of mine, Mac Danzig. He also stands out, as he actually won Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter." Everyone counted him out due to his diet, but he proved them wrong. As you’ll see below, “[l]ast month, on a diet of brown-rice protein, beans, soy, nuts and vegetables, Mr. Danzig defeated the last of his challengers in Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter."” As you’ll read on his website at http://www.macdanzig.net/ “Mac is featured in the new July issue of Men's Fitness magazine (in stores now) as one of the "25 fittest men in America".” Also, stated – “[a] vegan, naturalist, animal lover and serious photographer, Danzig transcends the typical stereotype of a combat athlete.”

So, Tony and Mac, you both are real heroes to me and an inspiration to men everywhere to break the mold and prove that vegan doesn’t equal wimp.

Article:

Gonzalez gives Chiefs steady diet of lectures

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-

thegameface081508&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

By Michael Silver, Yahoo! Sports
August 15, 2008

RIVER FALLS, Wis. – Tony Gonzalez heard the
frantic screams – "He can't breathe! He can't breathe!" a woman sitting
behind him in a Southern California restaurant was yelling last month –
and whisked around to see a man turning blue. Within seconds, the Kansas
City Chiefs' perennial All-Pro tight end was standing behind the stricken
diner and administering the Heimlich maneuver, a lifesaving technique for
which he'd never received any formal training.

As a chunk of filet mignon shot out of 45-year-old shipping company
manager Ken Hunter's mouth and onto the restaurant floor, the first
thought Gonzalez had was, "Thank God he's alive."


His second thought?

I'll bet that beef is full of antibiotics.


An exaggeration? If so it's only a slight stretch. Of all the NFL stars
who could've saved a man from choking, he may have been the only one
who'd be quite so grossed out by the food he managed to dislodge. Just
ask Gonzalez's teammates, who've grown so accustomed to his neo-vegan
diet and the accompanying lectures that they sometimes shy away from him
during meals.


"Eating with Tony is a great way to ruin your appetite," veteran
quarterback Damon Huard said last Saturday from the team's training camp.
"You'll be biting into a piece of meat, and he'll say, 'You know that cow
was probably corn-fed. And because of that, they had to give it
antibiotics, and that probably gave it ulcers. I don't even want to think
about what might be in there.' By then you're pretty much ready to clear
your plate."


An hour later, as he sat in the cafeteria at the team's University of
Wisconsin-River Falls headquarters, Gonzalez expanded upon the carefully
crafted dietary approach that has fueled his second decade of excellence.
A year-and-a-half after swearing off most dairy products and meat, the
6-foot-5, 251-pounder is laying waste to the stereotype of the scrawny,
wimpy herbivore.


Coming off a stellar campaign that included 99 receptions for 1,172 yards
(leaving him 179 yards behind Shannon Sharpe for the NFL's all time lead
among tight ends) and earned him a ninth consecutive Pro Bowl invitation,
the 32-year-old Gonzalez insists he's at his physical peak, with no sign
of a decline.



AccuScore on the Chiefs
The Chiefs defense allowed 20.9 points per game last season and is
forecasted for an identical 20.9 points allowed this season. The team
lost Jared Allen, but added Glenn Dorsey to the defensive line. The good
news offensively is the Chiefs are forecasted for 25 percent more points
in 2008 with the combo of Larry Johnson and rookie Jamaal Charles
generating more than 120 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs this season.
However, a 25-percent increase only results in a 17 point per game
average (up from 14 last season) and an average margin of victory of
nearly negative 4 points per game. The Chiefs are winning an average of
6.5 games per season simulation, up from 4 last year, but it is still
only good enough for third in the AFC West.

The big question in fantasy football is what kind of year can Johnson
have. AccuScore expects Johnson to average nearly 4.5 ypc in 2008, which
is significantly higher than his 3.5 in eight games in 2007. If Johnson
struggles and averages under 3.8 ypc, the Chiefs average season win total
falls to 4 and their chances of making the playoffs plummet to 2 percent.



Projected Record: 6-10
Playoff Probability: 12%
– AccuScore

"It's unbelievable how good I feel," Gonzalez said. "Seriously, my
recovery is so much better than it's ever been, and my endurance is
tremendous. The best part is that during games I really don't get tired.
I have more focus, too. I'm even staying awake in meetings."


There were times last season when Gonzalez felt like closing his eyes
during film sessions, especially during Kansas City's nine-game losing
streak to complete a 4-12 campaign. Frustrated by the motion-laden yet
inflexible schemes of offensive coordinator Mike Solari, Gonzalez chafed
as opponents such as Packers linebacker Brady Poppinga correctly called
out his routes before they were run.


"Sometimes we'd do all that shifting and defenses wouldn't move,"
Gonzalez recalled. "They'd just sit there and wait, and we'd run the ball
into an eight-man front and get stuffed. Even when we had a mismatch, the
quarterback didn't have the freedom to change the play at the line. It's
dumbfounding that we didn't do that."


With Chan Gailey having replaced the fired Solari and an influx of young
players that includes rookie left tackle Branden Albert, the 15th overall
pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the rebuilding Chiefs have reason for
optimism. If star halfback Johnson comes back strong from the foot injury
that short-circuited his '07 season, wideout Dwayne Bowe builds upon the
breakout flashes he showed as a rookie and third-year quarterback Brodie
Croyle justifies the faith coach Herm Edwards has shown in him, Chiefs
fans could at least experience some offensive excitement.


It's a given that Gonzalez, fresh off his fifth consecutive season with
at least 900 receiving yards, will do his part. "He's not slowing down at
all," Vikings safety Darren Sharper says of Gonzalez. "Plus he's such a
crafty tight end – he knows all the little push-off moves, and how to use
his body and post you up."


Another standout Vikings defender, recently acquired All-Pro defensive
end Jared Allen, says his former Chiefs teammate is "one of my biggest
role models in the NFL, because of his work ethic. A lot of people don't
see that – they see Tony Gonzalez, superstar pretty boy, the guy who has
to be dressed just right and have his hair done before he does anything.
But the guy works – he's out there catching 100 balls a day; he never
drops a ball in practice and never lets up. He's an absolute machine."


For Gonzalez, it all goes back to nutrition. When he decided to eliminate
dairy and red meat from his largely organic diet – he still eats fish and
the occasional chicken dish – Gonzalez's peers were highly skeptical.


"They'd tell me, 'You're gonna get crushed. You're gonna get your ass
kicked,'" Gonzalez recalled. "They still think that, too, because I look
so skinny, but I weigh what I've always weighed."


Gonzalez is currently collaborating with a nutritionist on a book
detailing his dietary philosophies, though not necessarily from a vegan
perspective, that will tentatively be published toward the end of '08.
Gonzalez, who was so moved by scientific tome "The China Study" that he
met with author T. Colin Campbell, has spoken to children about the
benefits of maintaining proper nutritional habits, something on which he
wants to expand in the coming years.


In the meantime he is more than willing to lecture his teammates.


"Anything I eat, he'll tell me what's in it," Croyle said. "I tell him,
'Man, I'm from Alabama. I just eat. Leave me alone.' When I hear him ask,
'Could you cook that in olive oil instead of butter?' I say, 'Dude, if
you went to Alabama and said that stuff, they'd ask you to leave.'"


Said Edwards, the Chiefs' third-year coach: "Tony and (veteran linebacker
Donnie Edwards), they both get on each other. They're each on diets, but
different kind of diets, and they argue about which one is better. I walk
by and go, 'You guys are like two women.' "


Bowe, who caught 70 passes for 995 yards as a rookie in '07, is
well-acquainted with The Lecture. "At least twice a week he'll be like,
'Man, what are you eating?' " Bowe said. "I'll look down and say, 'Fried
chicken? Cheese?' and then he'll stop eating his big ol' salad and give
me the talk. He'll say, '1 or 13? You can eat like that and play one year
or eat like this play 13.' And you know what – I listen."


Perhaps, but Gonzalez isn't close to satisfied. As he paused to inspect a
piece of tortellini to ensure that no cheese was inside, the tight end
noted that two nights earlier in a preseason victory over the Bears, the
Chiefs had moved 81 yards in 16 plays in the game's first 8:45.


"I wasn't tired at all," Gonzalez said, "but Dwayne Bowe is out there
tapping his helmet saying, 'Come get me.' And he's in his second year! I
was like, 'Bowe, you're killing me.'"


Spoken like a true lifesaver.


Take it to the ATM

Poignant Article and Accompanying Heartbreaking Photo Speak to the Truth of Diet and Famine: Meat Production and World Hunger

If you view the photo in the story and you don’t feel absolute sadness and sickness then there’s no hope for you anyway. If you view the photo with shock and an internal question of “what can I do to prevent this?” then there is hope for you.

I’ll let the article speak for it’s self, but it comes down to this: “Nutritious plant-based food that could feed humans instead goes to feed animals in a very inefficient use of resources…. The USDA and the United Nations state that using an acre of land to raise cattle yields 20 pounds of usable protein. If soybeans were grown instead, that same acre would yield 356 pounds of protein. Animal agriculture also wastes valuable water resources. Population biologists Paul and Anne Ehrlich note that a pound of wheat can be grown with 60 gallons of water, whereas a pound of meat requires 2,500 to 6,000 gallons.”

So, again, it comes down to selfish motives trumping a truly real problem. If one cares about other humans going hungry, then the reality exposed below should be taken to heart.
Before you read this, please see the photo at http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/71230

Article:

Feast or Famine: Meat Production and World Hunger

Mark Hawthorne

August 12, 2008

Hanging in the Newseum in Washington, DC, is a photo that is about as heart-rending an image as you´re likely to find anywhere. Taken by Kevin Carter for The New York Times in 1993, the photo depicts a starving Sudanese toddler crumpled on the ground, as if her stick-like legs could no longer bear the weight of her large head and swollen stomach, bloated from the malnourishment disease called kwashiorkor. While that alone is disturbing, what makes the tableau truly haunting is the vulture patiently waiting just a few feet behind the emaciated child. This photograph earned Carter a Pulitzer Prize and epitomized the toll famine is taking on developing countries around the world.

Tragically, of course, hunger has only become an even graver issue in the last 15 years -- a point made clear in a report released July 29 from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Recommending urgent action for long-term relief, the CSIS report calls for "a strategic U.S. approach to the global food crisis."

"Food crisis," however, implies some recent, short-term cause and effect, when in fact the "perfect storm" of rising energy costs, grain hoarding, government subsidies, drought and the demand for biofuels diverts attention from an entrenched industry and a remedy neither the CSIS nor many social activists want to contemplate: eliminating meat production.

"Whoa!" you say. "Don´t take away my steaks and cheeseburgers." Meat-eating is such an ingrained aspect of Western culture that proposing its demise, even to save the world, deserves some discussion. Fair enough.

The United Nations estimates that 854 million people -- nearly 13 percent of the world´s human population -- go hungry every day. And the problem is only getting worse. Josette Sheeran, executive director of the UN´s World Food Program, says, "The world´s misery index is rising."

So is our hunger for meat. As Gene Baur observes in "Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food," in 1950, 50,000 farms produced 630 million "meat" chickens in the United States. By 2005, the U.S. had 20,000 fewer farms -- but they were producing 8.7 billion chickens for meat. That´s a lot of chicken feed. In fact, every year industrial animal factories in the U.S. feed 157 million metric tons of legumes, cereal and vegetable protein to livestock, resulting in 28 million metric tons of animal protein for human consumption. Nutritious plant-based food that could feed humans instead goes to feed animals in a very inefficient use of resources.

Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington, DC, states it succinctly: "People go hungry because much of arable land is used to grow feed grain for animals rather than people." He offers as one example the Ethiopian famine of 1984, which was fueled by the meat industry. "While people starved, Ethiopia was growing linseed cake, cottonseed cake and rapeseed meal for European livestock," he says. "Millions of acres of land in the developing world are used for this purpose. Tragically, 80 percent of the world´s hungry children live in countries with food surpluses which are fed to animals for consumption by the affluent."


The demand for meat has been especially dramatic in developing countries. "China´s meat consumption is increasing rapidly with income growth and urbanization, and it has more than doubled in the past generation," says Rosamond Naylor, an associate professor of economics at Stanford University. As a result, land once used to provide grains for humans now provides feed for chickens and pigs.

The USDA and the United Nations state that using an acre of land to raise cattle yields 20 pounds of usable protein. If soybeans were grown instead, that same acre would yield 356 pounds of protein. Animal agriculture also wastes valuable water resources. Population biologists Paul and Anne Ehrlich note that a pound of wheat can be grown with 60 gallons of water, whereas a pound of meat requires 2,500 to 6,000 gallons.

Here´s another way to look at it. According to the aid group Vegfam, a ten-acre farm can support 60 people growing soybeans, 24 people growing wheat, ten people growing corn and only two people producing cattle. Reducing meat production by just ten percent in the U.S. would free enough grain to feed 60 million people, estimates Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer. Sixty million people -- that´s the population of Great Britain, which, by the way, could support 250 million people on an all-vegetable diet.

Not surprisingly, the meat industry has a beef with these statistics. They say, for example, that the grains and soybeans fed to farmed animals are not of the high quality that humans would expect to eat (tell that to a starving child). Yet it´s difficult to dispute the fact that animal agribusiness uses land and water that could be used to grow plant foods for human consumption.

As Rifkin observes, it is ironic that millions of consumers in developed countries are dying from diseases of affluence such as heart attacks, diabetes and cancer, brought on by eating animal products, while the poor in the Third World are dying of diseases of poverty caused by being denied access to land to grow food grain for their families.

"We are long overdue for a global discussion on how to promote a diversified, high-protein, vegetarian diet for the human race," says Rifkin, whose book "Beyond Beef: The Rise and Fall of the Cattle Culture" addresses the moral paradoxes of eating meat.

Are those steaks and cheeseburgers really worth all the lives they take -- human and non-human? It would be naïve to think the world will go vegetarian overnight, or even in a few decades. But looking at Carter´s powerful photograph, I can´t help but believe we have been woefully mistaken in how we treat those with whom we share this planet. If we hope to bequeath a sustainable world to future generations, we´ll have to shake loose this meat-produced disaster and embrace a kinder way of living.

Mark Hawthorne is the author of "Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism" (www.strikingattheroots.com).

Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Amanda Beard Shows Courage and Raises Awareness to the Cruelty of Fur via Photo Shoot in China

I’ve always said that the people I respect the most are those that use their status to actually do something good, even in the face of controversy. This is especially the case with Amanda Beard. In an amazing move, she actually went against the draconian Chinese police and literally avoided their intervention by moving the shoot to a different location.

In a time such as now, and in a place such as China, where control of every movement is the norm, I fully applaud Amanda Beard for her courage in exposing the horrors of fur.

As stated in another article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/7704052, she is aware of the horrible cruelty of fur. "What happens with animals when their skin is ripped from their bodies when they are still alive, it's heartbreaking for me," she said. The Olympics provided a great platform for making those views known, she added.

For more on the horrors of fur, please visit www.furisdead.com

Please also check out her website, amandabeard.net, for her thoughts and a link to a petition.

You can see the photo at http://www.ecorazzi.com/2008/08/06/

bears-adds-animal-rights-to-olympic-agenda/

Article:

Amanda Beard Adds Animal Rights to Olympic Agenda

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2008/08/06/

bears-adds-animal-rights-to-olympic-agenda/

Just when you thought that the Olympics couldn’t handle any more controversies, here comes one that we can all get behind. Despite security concerns, US Swimmer Amanda Beard debuted her brand new PETA ad at the Athlete’s Village in Beijing.

“I have seen a lot of the videos, and (it) brings me to tears,” the four-time Olympian was quoted saying in a PETA statement. “What (some people) think is pretty is actually something that’s very gruesome and gross.”

The photo was scheduled to be unveiled at an indoor press conference but officials feared for Beard’s safety. Undaunted, she just took the whole thing outside.

I’d be happy to tell you more about her anti-fur resume, but you’re probably just looking at the picture anyway, Check out her website, amandabeard.net, for her thoughts and a link to an animal rights petition.

Update: Ridiculous and Unnecessary Live Animal Pig Lab by Covidien to Take Place: How You Can Help Stop It

A couple updates. For one, it SEEMS that the event was not to take place at the hotel. I'm still not fully certain of this, but that's the information I received.

Also, I have been told that the event was canceled. Again, not sure if we can trust a group like Covidien that has been cited with past animal cruelty, but that's the news. I've left the information about the event below.

NOTE: I've added more information below in addition to what was posted yesterday. You'll see new names to contact in addition to the hotel. Very easy actions that should take no more than 10 minutes.

Yes, I’m telling you the truth. This will actually take place in a hotel! The ridiculousness and cruelty never end. Please read below and see how you can easily speak up abut this issue. Turns out that the group sponsoring the event, is Covidien Electrosurgery, a company known for controversy in regard to vivisection.

Action Alerts & Updates

Stop Cruel Pig Lab
August 4, 2008

On August 7, the Omni Interlocken Resort is hosting an event in which pigs will be killed and sacrificed in a "Hands-On Pig Lab" to demonstrate electrosurgical tools.

The Pig Lab is being devised by Covidien Electrosurgery, a company that performs laboratory tests on animals in order to market its surgical tools.

Formerly known as ValleyLab, Covidien has a history of controversy, including an incident that prompted the University of Colorado at Denver to ban all non-research vivisection in 2007.

The August 7 event advertises, "Procedures that will be performed include: ureteral dissection, pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, repair of simulated bowel and bladder injury, bowel resection, ureteral re-anasomosis, and liver resection."

In other words, pigs will be mutilated and cut apart at the August 7 so that Covidien can hawk its wares to buyers.

You Can Help

Please contact Covidien Electosurgery, the Pig Lab organizers, and urge them to remove live animals from their demonstration.

Bryan Hanson
President, Covidien Electrosurgery
ph: 303-530-2300
fax: 303-530-6285
e-mail: bryan.hanson@covidien.com

2. Politely contact the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and urge them to not promote such live animal labs.
ph: 312-235-4060
fax: 312-235-4059
e-mail: sgo@sgo.org and jenna.cummins@sgo.org

3. Please contact your federal representative and urge him or her to co-sponsor H.R. 2193– legislation that will amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the use of animals for marketing medical devices. You can find out who represents you by going to http://action.farmsanctuary.org/legislatorlookup. The sponsors of this bill are Reps. Steve Israel (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and if your member of Congress has already become a cosponsor, please thank them!