my patience is thin with people who like to walk the fence when talking about palestine but for one last time. what hamas did was brutal, yes. it was violent, yes. but most importantly it was inevitable. when you push people to such extremes, stripping them of their rights, their land, their dignity, their childhood, their dreams, their whole lives, they are bound to push back. if hamas didn't do it (even though this lazer focus on hamas is also a skewed perception of what's going on, other Palestinian resistance groups are also involved, including marxist/secularist groups) some other group would have, if they didn't do it now, they would have done it later. this kind of violence from the occupied is an unavoidable response to a much greater, much more brutal form of violence done by the occupier. thus the blame for the lost lives of israelis should only be placed on the zionist occupation. if you cannot understand this, or do not accept it, i'm not willing to take anything you have to say about palestine or palestinians or hamas seriously.
Republicans in the Montana House have voted to formally punish Democratic state Rep. Zephyr by banning her from attending or speaking during
I havenât seen a lot of talk about this, and I know weâre all emotionally/mentally exhausted in the USA with rights being stripped, but I think this is important. Sheâs a brave fucking woman, who is no longer allowed to speak for the people she represents.
Much like the Pearson and Jones expulsion, this is a flagrant move against democracy. However unlike P&J, she wasnât expelled, just not allowed into the House meetings and not able to speak. She can vote, at least, butâŚthatâs not much in a republican majority.
Thereâs videos of her colleagues telling her she canât occupy a public space outside of the chamber either. They stand menacingly around her and attempt to intimidate her into leaving the public area. In their formal letter, they claim that her âhate speechâ (really she said that banning gender affirming care would put blood on their hands) would lead to more incidents like the Covenant school shooting. Thatâs a not so subtle way of saying transgender people are dangerous.
I live in her district. The queer community in Missoula just pulled together a massive 24 hour protest and celebration event in less than two days. Despite the shitty situation and rapid descent of our government further into fascism, the organizing power, community support, and trans and queer joy I have seen over the past few days gives me so much hope.
And this sick remix of speaker of the house Matt Regier ordering protesters to leave the galleries of the house (where they are legally allowed) right before telling the riot police to start arresting them.
One thing thatâs important: you have to pair your rage with defiant joy. Theyâre equally powerful.
(First 3 photos are mine; photo cred for the last two)
British Veterinary Association calls for tougher rules as vets report many pets do not have their basic needs met
The British Veterinary Association has urged people to reconsider buying exotic pets because of fears many owners are struggling to look after the animals properly.
More than eight in 10 vets raised concerns about the welfare of exotic reptiles, amphibians, birds and other animals in a BVA report, with most blaming what they called âirresponsible animal ownershipâ.
A survey of council licensing data in England last year identified nearly 2,500 wild animals in the hands of private collectors, including capuchin monkeys, lemurs, mountain lions, alligators, hyenas, zebras, camels, grey wolves, honey badgers and ostriches.
Vets who treated exotic animals said nearly 60% of the pets they saw did not have their basic welfare needs met, while more than a quarter of the vets reported a rise in the number of exotic animals brought in for treatment in the past year, according to the Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey.
âWe understand why so many people would love to have them as pets, as they are often unusual and are a bit different to owning a cat or a dog,â said Justine Shotton, a veterinary surgeon and senior vice-president at the BVA. âBut it is so important not to buy exotic species on a whim as they have very complex needs and it can be both challenging and expensive to look after them properly.â
Many exotic pets have particular environmental, dietary and housing needs and require specialist care that may only be available in certain parts of the country, the BVA said. Some animals have specific heating, lighting or ultraviolet needs that could go unmet if people cut back on their energy usage because of soaring bills, it added.
Exotic pet ownership in the UK has risen dramatically since 2000, according to the wildlife charity Born Free. Its 2021 analysis of Dangerous Wild Animals Act licences revealed at least two elephants, more than 300 wild cats including tigers, leopards and pumas, more than 200 primates, and crocodiles, venomous snakes and scorpions all kept in private collections in the UK.
Chris Lewis, a captivity research officer at Born Free, said the charityâs 2021 report on exotic pets highlighted the need for urgent action on the issue. Its recent UK wildlife conservation and animal welfare manifesto urges the next government to conduct a comprehensive review of the trade in and keeping of exotic pets and give due consideration to regulations in place or in development in other countries.
The research comes as the BVA launches a new policy calling for tougher regulations to ensure only animals that have a high chance of being looked after well and having a good life can be kept as exotic pets.
One idea is to have a traffic light system that ranks how well or not exotic animals can be kept, though the policy emphasises that any animal appearing in a green category âshould not be considered easy to keepâ. The policy goes on to state that anyone who wants to buy an exotic pet should first have to pass a test to prove they understand the animalâs needs and can meet them.
There should be stricter rules around online sales and advertising of exotic animals, the vets say, and an end to imports of reptiles and amphibians caught in the wild for the pet trade. Anyone who sells exotic animals should have to register with their local authority and include their registration details on all advertising material, the policy says.
âWe know people who keep these animals have the right intentions to give them best care they can, but their needs can be difficult to meet, particularly if they are a new pet and owners are not sure exactly what they require,â Shotton said. âWe want potential buyers to take the extra time to really think twice about if they can look after them properly as well as encouraging them to do proper research to ensure they know exactly what the species needs to live a happy and healthy life.â
