The original article’s author Katrina Sharman asserts that although “it’s not a great day to be an animal in Australia ...there’s hope in the wings - a new social justice movement is emerging. Animal law is now a cutting edge legal discipline..”

On this issue, I think that Animal Law may be subsumed into an already flawed societal system, turning into a toothless tiger!

A broader solution:
#the development of a more mature inter-relatedness between 4 societal powers – Judiciary, Legislature, Executive & PUBLIC!#
(which development can be modeled as I have attempted to do, but haven’t the space to post here.)

This personal ‘thesis’ of mine is premised on my own real-life observation (having spent sufficient years in menial jobs to understand such disempowering cultures) that there's a strong correlation between:-
‘the too-often barbaric nature of modern man’s accepted way of inter-relating with any selected (vulnerable) others, specifically, here, selected-animals’
AND
’the too-often barbaric nature of the 3 constitutionally recognized powers – The (combined)Judiciary, Legislature & Executive’s way of inter-relating with one other societal Power, The Public’.

In other words, a disempowered Public (Power) is too-often ‘accepting’ of what is done to Animals (& certain dis-empowered groups of humans too!) by humans BECAUSE it mirrors what is too-often done to the themselves by the more powerful societal powers! This is where the deepest, deliberately chosen, change needs to happen and it can!

Veganism is (sub-consciously, like any other groundswell social revolution) now pioneering this far-ranging Public-driven empowerment of widespread & SUFFICIENT Empathy and Kindness to ALL (no matter who the ‘other’ is) with ultimately practical benefits for society itself!

If this isn’t what is happening WHY is there so much aggro towards 'an insignificant force' - of, one-by-one, ordinary people choosing to eat, at very least, delicious vegan ‘meat’ substitutes & non-dairy icecreams, cheeses, yoghurts, chocolates .. The vegans I know are ordinary people enjoying delicious foods that haven't involved any more suffering to another sentient being than we could tolerate enduring ourselves!

(For the validity of the way the word ‘barbaric’ is interpreted here, see www.dictionary.com )

So, let’s all have the humanity and the humility, here, (and, to those who think otherwise, yes, you CAN learn this ‘humility=an aspect of spirituality’ from the animals themselves if only you will realize it) to acknowledge that (institutionalized) CRUELTY to animals EXISTS. quote heather.

I wonder how much the many hundreds (yes 100`s) of Indians that are eaten by leopards and tigers in India know about humility,i wonder how much they have learned over the years.Or the 20 thou,(yes 20,000) that die there from snakebite alone,humility? Learning from the animals that kill you?C`mon heather tell us about learning " an aspect of spirituality" from a cobra or a krait.Is this where Ghandi learned his humility? Perhaps he learned more from his hashish bhong instead.
I ask these q`s as animals are animals aren`t they heather,surely you cant differentiate between the different species..under your rules they surely all must be lumped together as Noah did himself.

And while you are formulating an answer for that one please let me know about how to learn that same "aspect" from the bottle reared bull that killed my father in law.

Hmm and yes i do see that that dikie has made another reference to the gryphon,another personal attack perhaps? Dikie "a protected species" allowed to use his choice of abuse and personal attacks? cretins,morons?

Heather

Your post reveals an excellent assessment of the society in which we live. The current WA Corruption and Crime Commission's expose of state and local government's senior officials yielding to improper influences gives one an idea of how those consumed with power and greed are able to exploit the current system and abuse public gullibility.

Happily, more ordinary folk are now on to them, however, they are not yet aware, that only people power can alter the status quo and society must become more vocal in their objections to the abuse of power.

PF, you have again misinterpreted my post. At no point, have I suggested that flank spaying is conducted on "all farms."

The Cattle Council of Australia, in its 2005 policy document requested:

"that the CCA support the NTGA position of cattle spaying viz. that the standard technique of flank spaying on adult cattle be considered for exemption as a veterinary service."

They have also requested that the "electric immobilisation as a restraining device for livestock" be maintained.

Now, I must also welcome Freerangemeat to OLO. I note that he, like Radrage is also a newcomer, having written a mere 3 posts - all on this thread.

Freerangemeat's website is "Aushunt" which encourages the use of the best gun types, ammunition, bow hunting etc for use in taking out other species and it appears that no animal type is spared from this radical sect's lust to kill.

Unfortunately, in the 21st century, we in a democracy, must still endure groups in some communities which have poor intellects (though well-fed), who are obsessed with a gluttonous, lascivious and wanton mentality to kill for no other reason but to pump up their own self-importance.

Heather, you are free to try to use semantics, to make yourself
feel better and justify your philosphical beliefs, by using terms
like "barbaric" and "sophisticated" for your own ends. Quite
frankly, when I see how many city slickers treat their pets,
the word "neurotic" comes to mind :)

I don't have a problem with vegans being vegans, althought IMHO
their opinions are based on flawed philosophy. I tend to see
them more as yet another cult, some with fanatical fervour much
like religious cults. Where I have a problem is when they try to
enforce their beliefs on others, sometimes trying to use the
rule of law. Like I always say " You are free to swing by
your testicles, from your chandelier, as long as neither the
testicles or chandelier are mine" :)

There is an interesting article in this week's Weekly Times,
a Victorian farming paper. A farmer points out that whilst
various animal libber groups protest loudly about mulesing and
similar, they say very little about the packs of wild dogs roaming
Victoria, ripping sheep to bits, which sound like they are out
of control. Its a very good point! Anyone who has seen what
dog attacks can do to sheep, the suffering etc, would know what
I mean. Instead, many badly informed animal libber groups focus
on mulesing, a procedure which actually saves a huge amount of
suffering, if you know the first thing about the merino industry
in Australia. All emotion and lack of reason is dangerous!

Would the world be a better place, if miraculously everyone became
vegans? Well for a start, many animals that now enjoy a life, would
never experience it and enjoy it, and many do, just like humans.

But of course, that will never happen, despite the religious type
of fervour involved. After all, one species consuming another is the
most natural thing in the world. Sophistication IMHO, is about
understanding the laws of nature, not about religious fervour, as
so many vegans tend to display.

Heather, my apologies, I read this entire thread but didn't see the link to the article so I didn't read it. I have now and agree the discussion should centre around the question you pose: "is the solution to an acknowledged cruelty to certain animals to be found in Animal Law?"

Assuming there is such a thing as 'animal cruelty' (discussion on different thread pending) then, YES I would agree that the solution would be partially found in Animal Law if "Animal Law" is clearly defined as "laws that protect animals from cruelty" and the enforcing agencies are equipped to enforce it.

This is already the case in Australia under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

If, however, there are those that believe the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act isn't broad enough, then a discussion must be had relating to (and defining) "animal cruelty", which questions the limitations of the current law and compares them to the ability to enforce the current law. In the examples you cited, the law was broken, was it not? So adding additional laws wouldn't have solved anything as the perpetrators were already breaking "the law", am I right? So no additional laws are needed, yeah? I mean why make new laws when we can't enforce the ones we've got!

It looks to me like the problem is in the inability to enforce the law and those of you donating your hard earned money to terrorist organisations like PETA and the like might find that your money is better spent by donating it to your local RSPCA.

Dickie, no mate, I can assure you, we've never met before. That website isn't mine, OLO asked for a URL so I typed "Peta Sucks" in Google. I'm not responsible for it's content nor have I read through it. I did relate to the front page that reads "There's plenty of room for all God's creatures. Right next to the mashed potatoes" , so I used it when I registered. Well, that and PETA does actually suck but that's for yet another thread.

Maximum impact was surely gained by publishing the photo`s of the mates sheep,some with entrails hanging out,in the Weekly Times 14.2.07 page 17.These were wild dog victims BTW.

What pray tell should we do about this matter,these are free range sheep you know enjoying the comforts of the run,maybe we should have them shedded for their protection as in the case of sharlea fine wool sheep..OOP`S NO! THATS INTENSIVE FARMING! We cant do that,,hmm ok what we have to do is take up the idea`s from animal libs and catch those offending dogs and sterilise the lot of them,just like the `roo`s that are causing problems with their excess numbers...hang on! I have a bright idea lets poison them, that will be better wont it...(AL oftens advocates use of poison) nah bugger it i will shoot them instead...

Bring back The Gryphon,he`s entertaining and not so morose and boring like some of the meat hungry vegans on this forum.