Campaign Seeks No Free Trade Deal For Nation That Eats Dogs And Cats

Campaign Seeks No Free Trade Deal For Nation That Eats Dogs And Cats

The following is from a Kinship Circle campaign currently underway. They hope to disrupt Korea's Free Trade Agreement on the basis of the nation's terrible animal welfare record and failure to enforce legislated laws.

A sample letter is further below.

South Korea's cat/dog consumption industry won't end for ethical reasons.
But a blow to South Korean financial interests may finally make them take
notice. Urge the Obama Admin and U.S. Congress to not approve a United
States - South Korean Free Trade Agreement. Send comments now.

SENDING OPTIONS:
1) SEND AN AUTOMATED LETTER:
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new2.asp?LetterID=1889&seriesfirst=true

2) OR -- COPY/PASTE EMAILS & SAMPLE LETTER BELOW.

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EMAIL BLOCK & WEB CONTACT FORMS
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1) U.S CITIZENS ONLY -- SEND COMMENTS TO --
YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND 2 SENATORS IN U.S. CONGRESS:
To identify your federal legislators and find contact info, try:
http://www.Congress.org
http://www.senate.gov
http://www.house.gov

2) EVERYONE -- SEND COMMENTS TO --
U.S. WAYS AND MEANS TRADE SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS,
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA & HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI:

*****ABOUT EMAIL ADDRESSES BELOW*****
Most Congresspersons use constituent-only web contact forms now. However, we
searched documents from various Congressional committees, meetings, and
initiatives to find some personal emails. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT ALL THE
EMAIL ADDRESSES BELOW ARE STILL VALID.

george.dalley@mail.house.gov , Emile.milne@mail.house.gov ,
janice.mays@mail.house.gov , charles.rangel@mail.house.gov ,
rangel@mail.house.gov , waysandmeans@mail.house.gov , slevin@mail.house.gov ,
vickie.walling@mail.house.gov , john.tanner@mail.house.gov ,
christopher.vanhollen@mail.house.gov, Jacqueline.Gosnell@mail.house.gov,
jim.mcdermott@mail.house.gov , james.mcdermott@mail.house.gov ,
richard.neal@mail.house.gov , lloyd.doggett@mail.house.gov ,
bob.siggins@mail.house.gov , rep.earl.pomeroy@mail.house.gov,
bob.etheridge@mail.house.gov , jose.delgado@mail.house.gov ,
linda.sanchez@mail.house.gov , rep.brady@mail.house.gov ,
geoff.davis@mail.house.gov , dave.reichert@mail.house.gov ,
rachel.cariker@mail.house.gov , Derek.harley@mail.house.gov ,
wally.herger@mail.house.gov , kendra.fowler@mail.house.gov ,
damon.nelson@mail.house.gov , devin.hunes@mail.house.gov ,
AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov , sf.nancy@mail.house.gov ,
nancy@mail.house.gov , terri.mccullough@mail.house.gov,
john.lawrence@mail.house.gov , george.kundanis@mail.house.gov ,
d.leadership@mail.house.gov

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-CA: http://www.house.gov/pelosi/contact/contact.html

*****IF A CONGRESSPERSON BELOW IS YOUR REP, USE THEIR CONTACT FORM*****
Charles B. Rangel, D-NY, Ways and Means Chairman: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/singlepages.aspx?NewsID=10470
Sander M. Levin, D-MI, Trade Subcommittee Chairman: http://www.house.gov/levin/levin_contact.shtml
John S. Tanner, D-TN, Trade Subcommittee: http://www.house.gov/tanner/contact.htm
Chris Van Hollen, D-MD, Trade Subcommittee: http://vanhollen.house.gov/Contact/
Jim McDermott, D-WA, Trade Subcommittee: http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/contact.shtml
Richard E. Neal, D-MA, Trade Subcommittee: http://www.house.gov/neal/write_neal.html
Lloyd Doggett, D-TX, Trade Subcommittee: http://doggett.house.gov/
Earl Pomeroy, D-ND, Trade Subcommittee: http://www.house.gov/formpomeroy/zipauth.htm
Bob Etheridge, D-NC, Trade Subcommittee: http://etheridge.house.gov/Contact/
Linda T. Sanchez, D-CA, Trade Subcommittee: http://lindasanchez.house.gov/index.cfm?section=contact
Kevin Brady, R-TX, Trade Subcommittee: http://www.house.gov/brady/contact_page.html
Geoff Davis, R-KY, Trade Subcommittee: http://geoffdavis.house.gov/Contact/
Dave G. Reichert, R-WA, Trade Subcommittee: http://reichert.house.gov/Contact/ZipAuth.htm
Wally Herger, R-CA, Trade Subcommittee: https://forms.house.gov/herger/webforms/landing.html
Devin Nunes, R-CA, Trade Subcommitte: https://nunes.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.ContactForm

***KINSHIP CIRCLE CANNOT GUARANTEE ALL EMAILS WILL WORK***
During campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses.
Emails from government, corporate, or institute websites may be incorrect.

***Kinship Circle believes an animal-free diet is the ultimate way to end
cruelty and the devastating impacts of animal agriculture. We feel
confinement, deprivation, drugging, brutalization, slaughter, dismemberment
and consumption are bad for dogs, cats, pigs, cows, chickens, goats and all
who live. We advocate for an end to the suffering of all.

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SAMPLE LETTER
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RE: Please do not approve the U.S. Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

Dear President Obama and Members of the U.S. Congress:

I respectfully ask the Obama Administration to NOT ratify the U.S.-South
Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Labor unions and automakers oppose the
accord as written, as do many Democrats who want South Korea to eliminate
blockades to U.S. auto exports.

Furthermore, South Korea selectively complies with its own laws and misleads
the global community. Government corruption is particularly evident in its
application of animal welfare policy. For example, South Korea is the only
nation to openly slaughter cats and dogs for human ingestion. It fails to
uphold its own Food Sanitation Law of 1984, which bans dog broths
(Boshintang) as "disgusting foods." Some two million dogs are butchered for
their meat every year.

Amendments to Korea's Animal Protection Act of 1991 stiffen penalties for
animal abuse, but ignore dog meat markets -- the chief source of cruelty. The
law calls extraction of bodily fluids from a living animal unlawful cruelty,
yet doesn't ban the "liquefaction" of cats in pressure cookers to make
elixirs presumed to heal arthritis, neuralgia, and other human conditions.

How can a country unable to enforce its own laws abide by the terms of any
Free Trade Agreement?

Gentle animals, historically bred as loyal companions to people, are
systematically tortured to "tenderize" their tissue and expel the adrenaline
believed to act as a sexual aphrodisiac when eaten. Their bones are slowly
broken with pipes and hammers. They suffer bloodletting, live dismemberment,
hangings, boiling and more brutalities.

Documentation of wet markets reveals dogs (some still with ID collars)
squashed inside fly-infested crates in the hot sun. For decades, South Korea
has flouted international censure of this trade. They have manipulated every
effort to end the agony of stolen or factory-farmed dogs and cats.

While animal protection may seem to be a marginal issue at first glance, I
ask you to consider that in America, roughly 77.5 million dogs and 93.6
million cats live as companions with people (American Pet Products
Manufacturers Association 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey).

U.S. voters, your constituents, oppose favored status for a nation that not
only consumes cats and dogs -- but deliberately torments them as well.
Please do not confirm the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Thank you,

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COMPLETE CONTACT INFORMATION
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Get all names/titles, mail addresses, phone/fax and emails:
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new2.asp?LetterID=1889&seriesfirst=trueShare