Friday, January 25, 2013

Selling Alaska back to Russia?

SELLING ALASKA BACK TO RUSSIA?



If you are verging on bankruptcy and your house is threatened with foreclosure, but you have a clear-title Ferrari, you sell the Ferrari to keep up your mortgage payments. This is just what the US might eventually have to do.

There might just come a day when the US cannot raise the debt ceiling another inch, and cannot borrow another billion dollars, while the GOP continues to refuses raising taxes on those making more than $250,000. How will the government continue to issue food stamps or pay the seniors and veterans their due? How about selling the Statue of Liberty to France? Or Alaska back to Russia? Or the Yellowstone National Park to Germany? Or the state of Washington to Canada? Or, better yet, the entire electric grid to China? - to prevent a total economic collapse.

This is not pure speculation. It is exactly what Greece has been forced by her financial overlords to do, so as to stay liquid and solvent - temporarily - by selling off her public assets and privatizing her infrastructure. Thus, the big banks get more and more bloated, while Greece becomes daily impoverished.

Back on the personal level, the little guy, even one in the Middle Class, or a farmer, has been victim to Big Banks in a deliberate scheme where by the banks make loans they know the debtor will under certain foreseeable circumstances default, e.g. when a drought hits the farm, when they will foreclose and claim the property for themselves. Thus, the super-rich gets super-richer, and the little guy falls from the Middle Class or the farm to join the food line.

Financial Oligarchy at its finest!



Anthony Marr, Founder and President
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.facebook.com/Anthony.Marr.001
www.facebook.com/Global_Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr13
www.youtube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.DearHomoSapiens.blogspot.com
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress.com

Monday, January 21, 2013

"... unsustainable fiscal path..." - GOA

On January 17, the Government Accountability Office released a report, with the line "... absent policy changes - the federal government continues to face an unsustainable fiscal path... the dollar will collapse..."

A talk show host observed, "... Most Americans are not willing to listen. Even worse, many are not even smart enough to listen..."

Let me acquit myself here. I'm normally not a fan of this talk show host nor those of his ilk. But on this point, he is bang on. This transcends left and right. The consequences will impact everybody in America. And not just Americans, but Canadians, Europeans, and others currently under the U.S. influence.

What does the collapse of the dollar mean? It means that your savings may amount to a fraction of their previous worth, and the dollars in your pocket won't be worth much more than the paper they are printed on, which also means that a gallon of gas may cost $40 rather than $4, which in turn means that the transportation system may grind to a halt.

One thing I do disagree with the report and the talk show host. They advocate a gross reduction of government spending alone. Although this is important, it is only one side of the coin. An increase of revenue is just as important. To raise taxes on only the top 2% making more than $450,000, while those making $390,000 per year can continue to live in luxury, simply won't cut it. If/when the economy falls, they too will fall, and fall the hardest.

But one thing is for certain. This has now hit the mainstream media. There is no place for it to hide.



Anthony Marr, Founder and President
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.facebook.com/Anthony.Marr.001
www.facebook.com/Global_Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr13
www.youtube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.DearHomoSapiens.blogspot.com
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress.com

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Self-Defence for S.H.T.F.

Self-Defence for S.H.T.F.

Kath Worsfold: I live in New Zealand, where the police do not carry guns (we have a special "armed offenders squad" that is sent out for worst case scenarios). Most people do not have guns, except for a minority who have them for hunting. / Do you think it's possible for middle aged people who live out in the sticks to learn enough martial arts to protect themselves when the collapse comes? Or, should we just resign ourselves to our (violent) fate?

Anthony Marr: Hi Kath, for the people in the US where 1/4-1/3 of the population have guns, and even in Canada where, as in NZ, most normally don't, it is inconceivable for police to not carry firearms. In the US, things have gone so far that the last development is the MILITARIZATION of police, starting with arming them not just with pistols, but with assault weapons, and even so, they might still be no match for the armed gangs infesting cities like Chicago (100,000 gang members), Detroit (official warning: "Enter at your own risk!") and LA, much less in an SHTF-type situation where it would everybody-for-himself, gang-members or non-gang-members, armed or unarmed.

I'm not sure how bad things could get for NZ in a national and global economic collapse scenario. But if it is anything like what could happen in the US, and what did happen in Argentina in 2001, it is wise to take some precautions just in case. Since I'm not too familiar with the sociology of NZ, I could exemplify with the US, and you could make adjustments accordingly, the major difference being the absence or prevalence of "civil" weaponry.

In the short run, everything rests upon the stability of the economy, and in the long run, on the integrity of the ecology. Regarding the economy, it depends primarily on whether or not there will be hyperinflation. In a hyperinflational scenario, prices could double in a matter of days, and in severe cases, a matter of hours. If food is still available, a loaf of bread could cost 10 time as much, next week, and that is the good part. The bad part is if fuel prices increase drastically, in which case the transportation system could grind to a halt, nationally and even internationally. Check your local supermarkets and note which items, be it food, drugs or other basic necessities, are imported from overseas or trucked in from other parts of the country. These are what people would have to do without. Consider the social ramifications of hurricane Sandy and stretch it our over months if not years, and you will get some idea as to how chaotic things could get.

Whether or not society would turn violent and chaotic depends on the degree of desperation regarding water, food, fuel, drugs and electricity. Hyperinflation, if it happens, would be sudden and fast. If transportation is halted, things could run out within a week, be it via orderly purchase or looting. Google "Argentina riots 2001" and take some hints from history.

As borne out by Sandy, most people have no more food than about 3 days' worth. For yourself, I would recommend to have enough non-perishable food - canned or dried (esp. rice and beans) - to last for at least 3 months.

As for self-defence, I do believe that martial arts is a fundamental element. To say the least it gives you an air on confidence (not cockiness) which in it itself is a front line deterrent. There are techniques that people of any age can acquire within weeks, and master with practice. Beyond this, I would say that ones means of defence should match the means of any home-invaders' means of offence. If you have family animals, keep them safe!

In the US, the average home invaders if/when the SHTF won't be mom-and-dad-with-children-in-tow, who would come begging, but hungry hordes or organized gangs, likely armed, combing the neighbourhood for their next meal, so some form of communal defence is an element of basic security.

Martial-arts-wise, not meaning to make it look impossible, but here is a 4 minute video showing how incredibly potent it could be. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AM1tf-fVNc


Also, by all means see my blogs on collapse (September) in:
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress.com

Take care and good luck!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

The Lethal 4th Degree


I'm not talking about any Gung Fu Black Belt here, but something infinitely more devastating.

As recently as 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected a global temperature rise of 2 degrees C (3.2 degrees F) by century's end, and the world just shrugged and carried on business as usual. Now, we're talking about 6-7 C (9.6-11.4 F) perhaps as soon as 2050, or even sooner, and at this still without taking the Methane Time Bomb into serious account. And the world still shrugs, saying, "Leave it to our grand-kids."

But to reach 6-7C/9.6-11.4F, we have to first cross 4C/6.4F, perhaps by 2030, or sooner, and by then it would have been game over.

Why 4C/6.4 F? It is the threshold beyond which all phytoplankton in the ocean will die off, and most land plants will shut down. These two groups share the vital task of oxygen regeneration, so when they collapse, we can begin to count our remaining breaths.


Plus, the phytoplankton is the foundation of the marine food pyramid. If/when it gets wiped out, so will all the fish and marine mammals.

The way we are going, perhaps we should begin to count our remaining breaths now.


Anthony Marr, Founder and President
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.facebook.com/Anthony.Marr.001
www.facebook.com/Global_Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr13
www.youtube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.DearHomoSapiens.blogspot.com
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress.com


Ammunition Exhaustion

AMMUNITION EXHAUSTION

I suggest that you perform a simple social experiment. Go to any place where ammunition is sold, and check it out first hand. What you will see, guaranteed, are empty shelves. The early birds have taken all the worms, and no more "worms" will be forthcoming any time soon.

Let me first make one point clear. I am not pro-gun, but I am pro-self-defense in times of social chaos.

Self-defense means different things to different cultures. In Canada, it means the martial arts; in America, it means guns. And in America, you will likely be needing some means of self-defense in the not too distant future.

Back in September, I published my [Economic/Social Collapse Trilogy], in which I stressed the necessity for self-defense. Now, I am still talking about it, but with a greater sense of urgency. The time frame according to most directly addressing this issue outside of mainstream media is 2013-2015. A very few project the national-debt-mounting trend to upwards of $20 trillion by the year 2020, but this is purely speculative extrapolation. I doubt this can happen, not that the borrowing and paper-money printing won't keep on business as usual, but that the already top-heavy house of cards will have collapsed way before then.

A few friends have taken my care-based advice and begun to procure some means of self-defense. For those who have not, it might now be tough to catch up.


Whether you take self-defense seriously or not, it will pay for you to keep your fingers on the pulse of society. On the basis of research alone, I have taken weekly surveys of the ammunition shelves of Walmart, Big-5 and Yeager's. As late as September 2012, the shelves were still fully stocked; ammunition of all calibres were still plentiful. By October and November (but well before the Connecticut school shooting and therefore had nothing to do with gun control), most popular calibre ammo, e.g. .22lr, .223 and 9mm, had become hard to come by. As of early December and especially now, empty shelves have become by and large the norm. All .22lr ammunition, for example, have long been sold out. Demand has overwhelmed supply by horizons. Restocking is nowhere in sight. Any new shipment is gobbled up within hours if not minutes. Waiting lists have become so long that they have been cut off. The waiting period is now measured in months, possibly more time than we have left. Anyone scrambling to procure ammunition now is S.O.L.


I'm not talking particularly about weaponry here. I'm talking about the surging seriousness with which more and more people are taking the probability and potential imminence of the economic/social collapse on which I blogged four months ago.

If you have not yet read the Trilogy and want to read it now, plus the blog titled [The Coming Cat-Dog Holocaust] written for AR people, please look it up in my blogsites:

www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth,blogspot.com and
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress,com

Good luck.



Anthony Marr, Founder and President
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.facebook.com/Anthony.Marr.001
www.facebook.com/Global_Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr13
www.youtube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.DearHomoSapiens.blogspot.com
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress.com

Sunday, January 13, 2013

A Canadian's view on American gun ownership and control


[A Canadian's view on American gun ownership and control]



My esteemed friend Christine Dudley-Chrysler, who will be running for governorship in Arizona, asked for my input on the much discussed gun control. Here are some of my thoughts:

Americans often see us Canadians as softies and pacifists. Except for soldiers, policemen, gangsters and hunters, practically no one owns a gun. We, i.e. most Canadians, don't want it, think about it, talk about it, much less brag about it. We believe that our society has been civil, peaceful and secure, and always will be. We believe that police will serve and protect, and the military comprises defenders and peace-keepers. In the entertainment industry, movies like [Death Wish] would never be Canadian made, simply because the average Joe Canadian is not equipped to execute such a story, nor movies about the gun-slinging Wild West, since we simply do not have such a history. Ironically, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - the most aggressive of animal-defence organization bar none, hailed from Canada, but that is another story.

Conversely, how do we Canadians see Americans? There are of course stereotypes galore, which I'll refrain from naming, but all in all, they can be summed up melodically by the Burton Cummings song [American Woman], haha! Seriously speaking, however, if and when North America comes under external attack, we expect our neighbour down south, bulging with military might, to keep us out of harm's way. On the other hand, somewhat self-contradictorily, there exists an undercurrent of fear about an american invasion, not as much by the military as by hordes of desperate armed-to-the-teeth American citizens swarming across the world's longest undefended border to seize Canadian resources in times of dire need, in which case there is nothing the unarmed Canadians can do but be ransacked, plundered and possibly raped and murdered.

As for me, being also of Chinese extraction, I have a somewhat unique perspective. Some of you know that I've spent a substantial amount of time in the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. As far back as 1987, I conducted a lecture circuit through a number of American universities. Since 2003, I've taken 7 Compassion for Animals Road Expeditions (CARE-tours), covering 25-40 states in 4-7 months each (with occasional jump-backs across the border to cover Canadian provinces). And since 2011, I've spent a sum-total of over half a year in Bellingham, Washington state, as a frequent visitor. So I can claim to have come to know the American people well, at times deeply, and in isolated cases, intimately. My perception of them is both better and worse than that of the average Johnny Canuck, the "better" including personal warmth, social grace, make-yourself-at-home hospitality, and out-of-their-way generosity. Cyber-racism being rampant in the AR movement notwithstanding, on a real-world person-to-person basis, I have never perceived nor received any racial discrimination against my person. The "worse", I will refrain from listing, but I would not exempt all Canadians from same. In fact, except for the factor of guns, I find it often difficult if not impossible to tell an American from a Canadian, at least not at first glance. And, case in point, even though between a quarter and a third of American civilians own some kind of civil weaponry, and I have received death-threats from my professional adversaries, I've never had a gun physically pointed in my direction. One reason could be that most of the Americans with whom I interact are "Animal Rights Activists", and in spite of their being officially classified as "domestic terrorists", they are the least likely to have any weapon in their possession. I have also to point out that the only incident in which I was physically assaulted was a fist attack by a hunter, and that was in Canada, not in America.

Still, permeating America is a love affair with guns, be it for weaponry itself, or, hunting aside, out of perceived or real need for self-defence;. And they do have a point. Go into Netflix, the contents of which reflect, define and even influence the social climate, one cannot miss that most of the hardware displayed in the cover pictures are guns. Statistically, the home-invasion, mugging and homicide rates in America, especially in major metropolises, are magnitudes higher than its Canadian counterpart. In some cities, criminal gangs practically run the show. Chicago, for example, has 100,000 assault-weapons-toting gangsters, 20,000 more than the entire population of a mid-sized city like Bellingham, countered by only 200 pistol-armed police officers in the anti-gang unit. Los Angeles of course is well feared as Gangland West, while Detroit openly warns visitors to "enter at your own risk". Worse, the police forces in many cities that need more protection are being downsized due to the current nation-wide economic crisis. There is much talk about the militarization of police. This could be a reason, though there could be others.

Which brings us to one other factor to consider - the much dreaded social-disintegration-into-anarchy-and-chaos resulting from the not-unreasonably expected Economic Collapse believed by many economists off the beaten track of mainstream media not only to be a matter of mathematical certainty and inevitability, but of imminence, most predicting a time frame of three years maximum, a fair fraction of whom speaking in terms of months. Having studied in sufficient depth the U.S. economic predicament, especially the trillion-dollar annual deficit, the crushing and ever burgeoning national debt, the unstrained and unsustainable mass printing of paper money, and the hegemony of Petrodollar being eroded as world reserve currency, the Dollar is on very shaky ground and hyperinflation could be just around the next corner or two. I myself have been forced by my own logic to give a certain amount of credence to this socio-economic "doomsday" scenario where the Dollar would crash, the transportation system would halt, water, food, medicine, addictive drugs, fuel and electricity would be suddenly beyond reach, and "SHTF" descend upon the land. In such a context, defensive-weapons ownership makes more sense than less, if not all the sense in the world. Were I an American resident, I would not feel a hint of safety without some means of home-protection and self-defence. Neither am I the only person who have reached this unsavoury conclusion. Gun sales since the 2008 mini-collapse, of assault weapons in particular, have sky-rocketed, and shown no sign of remission. Visit the gun section of any Walmart store and you will see empty ammunition shelves. When a new shipment comes in, it'd be gobbled up in minutes. The supply simply cannot keep up with the demand. But an immovable object is about to come down to block this irresistible force. The Connecticut school shooting has triggered the government to deliberate on a new weapons ban. This is an impending collision of the Titans, and something will give.

In general, the gun-ban plan concentrates on four areas: 1. prohibition of specific weapon types; 2. tightening back-ground checks; 3. imposing ammunition limits; and 4. keeping weapons from the mentally ill.

The to-be-banned list, as proposed, is as follows:

Rifles (or copies or duplicates): M1 Carbine, Sturm Ruger Mini-14, AR-15, Bushmaster XM15, Armalite M15, AR-10, Thompson 1927, Thompson M1; AK, AKM, AKS, AK-47, AK-74, ARM, MAK90, NHM 90, NHM 91, SA 85, SA 93, VEPR; Olympic Arms PCR; AR70, Calico Liberty , Dragunov SVD Sniper Rifle or Dragunov SVU, Fabrique National FN/FAL, FN/LAR, or FNC, Hi-Point20Carbine, HK-91, HK-93, HK-94, HK-PSG-1, Thompson 1927 Commando, Kel-Tec Sub Rifle; Saiga, SAR-8, SAR-4800, SKS with detachable magazine, SLG 95, SLR 95 or 96, Steyr AU, Tavor, Uzi, Galil and Uzi Sporter, Galil Sporter, or Galil Sniper Rifle ( Galatz ).

Pistols (or copies or duplicates): Calico M-110, MAC-10, MAC-11, or MPA3, Olympic Arms OA, TEC-9, TEC-DC9, TEC-22 Scorpion, or AB-10, Uzi.

Shotguns (or copies or duplicates): Armscor 30 BG, SPAS 12 or LAW 12, Striker 12

It goes without saying that fully-automatic weapons have long been and will continue to be banned across the board.

Conversely, conventional rifles or pistols of any calibre, bolt action or semi-automatic, with or without scope, as long as they do not have extra hand grips, foldable or telescopic stalks, and detachable magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds, are generally allowed.

Without going into too much detail, most of these models, e.g. the highly popular AR-15 and AK-47, are semi-automatic anti-personnel military-style assault rifles, and most who own them (which I don't) consider them as one of their most prized possessions. Some would defend to the death their right to own these weapons, and would use these weapons to defend themselves if that is the last thing they will do. One big question on their mind is whether the ban would apply only to future sales, or whether it would be retroactive. The former is a given, which is why as soon as the ban plan became public knowledge, assault weapons sales soared. "Get one while you still can!" is their rallying cry. The latter would be a tough proposition, with only two alternatives - buy back or confiscation. In the case of buy back, the question is how much, and what to do with those who do not want to sell back? In the case of confiscation, the question is whether it can be done without causing an armed insurrection?

Let's quantify the "assault weapon" somewhat and see what a buy-back solution would entail. A Congressional Research Service report (Nov. 2012) found that there were approximately 310 million firearms in the United States as of 2009 - 114 million handguns, 110 million rifles, and 86 million shotguns. In 2011 there are upwards of 3.5 million assault weapons in private hands, amongst which there are 2.5 million US-made AR-15s alone, or more than 3.2 million including those manufactured elsewhere. Add the other makes and model such as the also popular AK-47, Mini-14, etc., the the cost of buy back become apparent. To top this off, assault weapon sales have seen an approximate 27% annual growth since 2007. To put things in perspective, the U.S. military has only 2.26 million personnel, including reserves, most of whom using the M-16, the military version of the AR-15.

In terms of buy-back cost, the AR-15 costs $800-$2000 new, ~$600 used. So, even if the buy back price is only $500 a piece, the total buy-back budget for the AR-15 alone would be close to $2 billion. When the annual deficit is over $1 trillion, can the government afford it?

Perhaps partly in anticipation of massive social unrest, the DHS, ICE, FEMA, even NOAA, among other agencies, have reportedly ordered upwards of a trillion rounds of hollow point bullets to be delivered over a 5 year period. Hollow point bullets, which are more expensive than full metal jacket rounds, mushroom upon impact and is lethal with one shot. It is banned by the Geneva Convention for battlefield applications. Which begs the question, often asked, as to who the potential targets are supposed to be. Speculation flies that it would be against American citizens in the homeland. Under what circumstances? Some, citing history, say that disarmament is often followed by a crack down. Some even go as far as to mention the term "civil war". Between whom and whom, what and what, I leave it to your imagination.

As a disclaimer, I'll just say that none of the above is of my own origin, so kindly do not shoot the messenger. I am not making any specific recommendations to the potential governor. What I'm doing is to offer my objective perspective as an outsider to help her decide for herself.


Anthony Marr, Founder and President
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr001
www.facebook.com/Global_Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr13
www.youtube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.DearHomoSapiens.blogspot.com
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress.com

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC) - President's Message for 2013




2012 has been a banner year for the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC), a worthy successor of 2010 when the founder and president of GAHC was honored with the prestigious Henry Spira Grassroots Activist Award at the Animal Rights National Conference in Washington DC.

Throughout the year, the exchange of ideas and infusion of new information within the 6000-members-strong Global Anti-Hunting Coalition facebook groups GAHC-1 and GAHC-2 have been vigorous and invigorating, eye-opening and mind-boggling, resulting from which the images of recreational hunting and trophy hunting have become, and are becoming, more and more tarnished and reviled day by day.

Several GAHC members deserve honorable mention:

GAHC Head Admin Shannon Wright launched a formidable anti-hunting blog series titled [The 12 Most Vile] showcasing the highest profile "Big Game" hunters of her own gender, which caused an uproar in the hunting community as evidenced by her being targeted for ridicule, insults and personal cyber-attacks. Under her capable administration and personable diplomacy, GAHC has gained hundreds of members, enjoyed an elevation of profile in the anti-hunting community, and forged alliances with major anti-hunting groups notably [4A] and [Anti-Hunting in America], and international groups such as [Hand in Hand With Asia's Animal Activists]. In recognition of her tireless work as GAHC admin and her external achievements, the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition is happy and proud to welcome Shannon as its new vice president.

Another honored member of GAHC is Jim Robertson, whose book [Exposing the Big Game] is a milestone of the anti-hunting movement, and worthy of GAHC's highest esteem.

Long time GAHC member Christian Raymond is steadfastly maintaining her powerful expose of hunting cruelty, particularly bow-hunting bearing its pathetic 50% non-lethal wounding rate.

On another front, in the dual capacity as the founder/president of GAHC and a spokesperson for the Vancouver Animal Defense League (VADL, of which Marley Jean Daviduk is founder/president), I have fought on the front line, shoulder to shoulder with Marley Jean, in the SHARK WAR targeting the global atrocity of shark-finning - the hunting/poaching of sharks every bit as cruel as the bow-hunting of deer, and ecologically disastrous to boot - and the shark-fin trade in western Canada, which stems from the demand from a minor sector of the Chinese community centered upon Vancouver and Richmond, BC. While Marley orchestrated the entire campaign and waged her own front-line action, including weekly demos at the Fortune Garden Restaurant in Vancouver and personally confronting the owner of the Jade Restaurant in Richmond, both of which serving shark fin soup, my role in this fight was to make formal shark-fin-ban presentations to the city/municipal councils (over a dozen) in the region - as a Chinese Canadian - in part to show that not only do the vast majority of mainstream Canadians support the ban, but the majority of Chinese Canadians as well. Originally thought by some to be lacking in potential due to the fact that we would be dealing with the local governments by their rules, our campaign achieved tangible and some say phenomenal success in that almost all of the municipalities to which we have made presentations have declared their own intention to ban, or have actually banned, the shark-fin trade within their borders. One municipality - Langley Township - which had voted 2-7 against the ban before our presentation, re-voted 8-1 in favor of the ban after our presentation two weeks later. Due in part of this campaign the hundreds of cities and municipalities of British Columbia voted in the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention almost unanimously in support of a shark-fin-ban province-wide. In 2013, GAHC and VADL will jointly wage a campaign on the federal level to ban shark-fins Canada-wide.

My personal view on and philosophy in the role of the founder and president of GAHC is not to be a "rear admiral", but a front line fighter, exemplified by the ban-shark-fin campaign, and staying true to my 1996 modus operandi of launching road tours, debating 100 hunters at a time. I delight not in presiding over GAHC like a wisdom-dispensing guru, but prefer instead to lead the charge in the field, on point, by example. I want not to be trailed by a horde of echoing followers, but to be accompanied by a dedicated group of fiercely independent free-thinkers and fearlessly committed warriors, each motivated by their own inner fire and governed by their own higher conscience. I am happy to say that these are what I see in the GAHC pages on a daily basis.

To all GAHC members: Together, we shall prevail.

To all GAHC members-to-be: Join us in this fight. Victory is just a matter of time.




Anthony Marr
founder and president
the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition














Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Anthony Marr on Radio Akasha 2013-01-07




Progress Toward Democracy, Radio Akasha, hosts Brian Stetten and Ruthann Amarteifio:

"Anthony Marr, environmentalist, winner of the Henry Spira Grassroots Animal Rights Activist award in 2010, will be our guest for 90 minutes on Monday, January 7, 11 pm Eastern / 8 pm Pacific. Call-in #760-539-3207

"Can the human race survive climate change / global warming?"




Here is the talk show in its entirety:

Listen to internet radio with Radio Akasha on Blog Talk Radio

Monday, January 7, 2013

To Students in Science and Philosophy


Anthony Marr, author of [OMNI-SCIENCE and the Human Destiny], will be speaking at a university near you, on what one scholar has coined "a revolutionary 22nd Century philosophical system for the 21st Century, so that there will be a 22nd Century".


University of California @ Berkeley

- Anthropology, Dr. Tim White: “… Anthony Marr’s OMNI-SCIENCE is formidable…”
- Institute of Human Origins, Dr. William H. Kimbel, President: “… a profound contribution to the fundamental definition of humankind in relation to the broader universe... unifies the fragmented Western scientific disciplines… implications of great depth and breadth for the future course of human actions… too important to ignore.”
- Astronomy and Physics, Dr. Marc Davis: “… a forward looking moral framework… an important contribution to society…”
- Paleontology, Dr. Carole S. Hickman: “… an extraordinary intellectual undertaking… unique… intellectually and aesthetically stimulating… a bold and eclectic piece of scholarship… exceptional… a delight… optimism, concern and compassion for humanity…”
- Botany, Dr. Herbert G. Baker: “… extremely interesting… an important contribution towards understanding cosmology.”
- Paleontology, Dr. Donald E. Savage: “… powerful… erudite synthesis...”
- Zoology, Dr. Richard C. Strohman: “… original… a thoroughly logical system… might indeed fill a large gap in the way we think...”
- Biology, Dr. Richard W. Holms: “… a remarkable broad perspective… great depth... truly deserves the name OMNI-SCIENCE…”

In 1980, Anthony Marr camped out solo in Africa for two months, where he conceived of an original cosmological system, now formally known in scientific circles as the OMNISCIENTIFIC COSMOLOGY - where "omni" means "all-in-one", including not only Astronomy, Chemistry, Geology and Physics as in conventional cosmology, but also Biology, Ecology, Paleontology, Sociology, and, specific to our species, Anthropology. As a philosophical system, it is not derived from pre-existing philosophical systems, much less religion, any religion.

Stanford University

- Geology, Dr. W.R. Evitt: “… sincerity, imagination, intellectualism and scholarship… an immensely logical construct… meticulously thought out… majestic in scope but intrinsically simple, satisfying and optimistic… should have a very broad appeal… these are important ideas with great potential for lessening the conflicts in a troubled world…”
- Sociology, Dr. Alex Inkeles: “… impress me not only with the quality of his presentation, but also the quality of his thinking… authoritative… exceptionally comprehensive…”
- Philosophy, Dr. John Dupre: “… extremely intriguing and provocative… incomparably more edifying than the vast majority of such attempts…”
- Anthropology, Dr. John W. Rick: “… very thought provoking… clearly deserves extensive discussion… a serious, well-founded vision…”
- Physics, Dr. Leonard Susskind: “… I found myself stimulated, educated… worth listening to, even for those of us who are not of the same philosophical bent…”
-Philosophy, Dr. John Bogart: “… compelling… have moral import…”
- Applied Physics and Astrophysics, Dr. Vahe Petrosian: “… elaborate… clearly well thought out and researched… fascinating… a very ambitious task… a beautiful synthesis… captivating… should be of interest not only to experts but to all thinking people of the world…”

Starting February this year, Anthony Marr will be lecture-touring over two dozen western universities on this new cosmological-philosophical system, this time concentrating on students of science and philosophy.

He is also a world known wildlife preservationist ("Champion of the Bengal Tiger")


and winner of the Henry Spira AR Activist Award. For more information on his work, please google [Anthony Marr].



Other topics:

- Working at India's Tiger Reserves - see the NFB production [Champions of the Wild - Bengal Tiger] - www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTkbLeabfRA


- The Meaning of Life according to Anthony Marr (for students in philosophy, seehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTkbLeabfRA)


- The Economic/Ecological Collapse Double Jeopardy (see his blogsitewww.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com)

If your group is interested in sponsoring his talk on any of the above topics, please contact Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE) at your earliest convenience. The standard honorarium applies.


Email: Anthony_Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
Phone: 206-259-9679
URLs:
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr001
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress.com
www.youtube.com/AnthonyMarr

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The Horse-Listener


When I was solo camping in Africa back in 1980, where I conceived of the [Omniscientific Cosmology] which I eventually wrote into the book {OMNI-SCIENCE and the Human Destiny} a quarter century later, an elderly German couple with a small plantation befriended me, and offered, urged more like, for me to take their rescued off-track Thoroughbred out on to the plains for a ride. They practically thrust the bridle into my hands, saying, "Jonas thrives on galloping. He never gets to do that in his paddock. We're too decrepit to do it for him now. Your trial ride has shown us that your are a competent, sophisticated and sensitive rider. You are a godsend to him, and to us." Thus began a two month friendship between Jonas and myself. As of the second week, he would quiver in excitement every time he heard the sound of my jeep approaching, so I was told by them. And once out on the teaming savannah in the company of wildebeests, zebras and giraffes, he would naturally break into a full gallop, for miles, and I did not try to restrain him.


Before my African experience, I had an American Saddlebred mare named Poppy under my care in Canada, and she, too, thrived on interacting with me, and the medium of our interaction was riding. She also knew the sound of my car, and though she might be at the far end of the pasture, my arrival would bring her running to me. I hardly ever brought her carrots or apples. What she came running for was the riding. How do I know? She told me so.

This answers first of all the dictum of those on their high-horse, no pun intended, who maintain that horses should not be ridden at all. Theirs is a human-centred ideology, dreamed up by simplistic humans, propounded by bigoted humans, against horse-loving humans. Not referring to the non-judgemental non-rider, these self-enthroned pseudo-animal-rights ideologues know nothing about horses, domestic or wild. They understand nothing about horse nature. They are often indifferent to the plight of the wild horse and totally ignore the needs and wants of the domestic horse. They have never taken care of a horse. "I would rather see the horse go extinct than to see them ridden," they TALK. They do not LISTEN, least of all to the horse.

Let me first define "riding". I'll start listing what is NOT. Anyone who has no training renting a horse for a one-hour trail ride, typically doing just three things, kicking the horse to go, yanking on the rein to turn and jerking the horse's mouth to stop, is just being an abusive passenger, not a rider. A yeehaw cowboy doing bronco busting, where the man works against the horse, is just macho bullying, not riding. A jockey running the hell out of tender-legged two-year-olds is just making money for the rich and participating in the gambling industry, not riding. By "riding" here I am referring to the INTIMATE PERSONAL HUMAN-EQUINE RELATIONSHIP, where a teenage girl would rather spend her allowance to buy carrots for her horse than candy for herself, where she would spend all her meagre resources on vet bills, where she would rather spend time with her horse than with boys. And this just about attitude - the broad spectrum of attitudes towards the horse. To think of riding as a singularity is ignorance personified. To equate the intimate personal human-equine relationship to rodeo is just pure insult.

Technique wise, there are different schools of riding and different schools of training, and the anti-equestrian ideologue cares not to differentiate and sees no difference. To them, to ride is to sit on a horse, and to train is to "break" the horse, period. They can't be bother to exchange a word with those equestrians who themselves frown on "breaking the horse", do not subscribe to the concept and do not engage in the practice. I'm sure they have heard of the term "horse whisperer", though when questioned, they would show no understanding, saying, "I don't accept riding at all, so what is there to understand?" So to introduce to them my new term "HORSE LISTENER", much less explain what it means, is a waste of energy. But I'm mentioning it here to those who might be interested in becoming humble equestrians who put the horse first, without ideological preconceptions.

So what does the horse say to us? First, the wild horses. What they say to us is to not take over their homeland in favor of cattle, or I should say cattlemen, pure and simple. Even with sufficient land at their disposal, their lives are tough enough, daily faced with a range of physical and mental challenges, for food and water, to evade predators, in heat and sleet, just to survive the day. Theirs is a life of vigor and rigor, of agony and ecstasy, which the domestic horse seldom experiences.

Second, the domestic horses. What they say to us is that they want to be as like the wild horse as possible, most of all, to be challenged physically and mentally. The idle horse, especially one standing in a paddock day in day out, is an unhealthy and unhappy horse, and an unhealthy and unhappy horse will develop all kinds of physical and mental problems, anything from poor condition to unsoundness to pathological behaviour like cribbing and weaving out of sheer boredom. For a sound horse - unsound horses notwithstanding - to maintain a minimum level of condition, he needs to be exercised at least three times a week, an hour or more per session, in all natural gaits, i.e. walk, trot, canter, gallop and jump. A horse cooped up in paddocks or stalls all day, which accounts for the vast majority, can do walking, period. The only way to give them the opportunity to trot, canter, gallop and jump is riding. Many are the horses who have told me that they not only need, but want, to do all of these.

Another thing that the ideologue says is that it is undignified and even demeaning for a horse to have a rider on his back. This again is a human notion about which the horse himself cares not an iota. But even considering the human notion of dignity, the mounted horse has been given a place of high honour in history, even as a maker of history. The level of reverence for the horse is such that, to say the least, he is not considered as food in most cultures and civilizations.

The ideologue objects to putting a bridle on the head of the horse, citing control and dominance, while walking his dog with a leash around the neck. In this he is at best unthinking, worse so hypocritical.

About dominance, my question for him is this: How many wild animals - bears, deer, raccoons, skunks, mice, snakes... live in his house, which occupies that piece of land that used to be their natural habitat? How non-dominantly did he take over their territory and evict them from their homes? The point being that however extreme an ARA one is, one cannot escape some dominance over some animals by his very way of life. So kindly not to too holier-than-thou, or I will play him the Eric Clapton song [Before You Accuse Me, Take a Look At Yourself".

On October 2, 2010, I was the honoured guest of a 2-hour online chat in Animal Rights Zone, the second hour of which, as it happened, became what a heretic under the Inquisition must have experienced, and it was mainly focused on horseback riding. I will present the transcript in its entirety below for your first-hand perusal, with appreciation for my gracious host Carolyn Bailey, and gratitude to those few, especially Connie Robertson, Dominique Landis and Bob Timmons, who leapt to my defence.

See: http://arzone.ning.com/profiles/blogs/transcript-of-anthony-marrs

Transcript of Anthony Marr's ARZone Guest Chat of 2 October 2010 at:
3pm US Pacific Time
6pm US Eastern Time
11pm UK Time
And 3 October at:
8am Brisbane Time


Carolyn Bailey:

ARZone is pleased to welcome Anthony Marr as our chat guest today.

Anthony Marr, environmentalist and animal rights activist, holds a physics degree and has worked as a field geophysicist and an environmental technologist. Anthony is the author of "OMNI-SCIENCE and the Human Destiny" (2003) and “Homo Sapiens! SAVE YOUR EARTH!” (2008).

A full-time wildlife preservationist since 1995 and founder of the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC), and Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE); Anthony also leads HOPE’s Global Emergency Operation (GEO) on mass extinction due to global warming.

A key speaker at the AR Conference since 2004, Anthony is currently on his 7th Compassion for Animals Road Expedition (CARE-7) covering 40 states in 7 months.

Anthony was recently honoured with the title "Best All Round Activist of 2010" by two top U.S. animal rights organizations. Anthony was also honoured at the 2010 Animal Rights National Conference with the
prestigious "Henry Spira Grass Roots Activist Award for his outstanding contribution in animal liberation."

Anthony has generously agreed to engage ARZone members today on topics ranging from his books, to his environmental advocacy, his advocacy for endangered species and more. Please welcome Anthony to ARZone …

Caroline Raward:
Hi Anthony!

Erin:
Hi

Barbara:
Hello Anthony!

Jason:
Hello Anthony!

Carolyn Bailey:
Welcome, Anthony!

Tim:
Hello Anthony!

Anthony Marr:
Thank you, happy to be here.

Nichola:
Welcome Anthony! :-)

Tony:
Hi Anthony

Barbara:
Hi Anthony

Anthony Marr:
Hi all!

Janet:
Love you, Anthony!

Mangus:
Hi Anthony

Dominique:
Hello Anthony:-D

Anthony Marr:
I love y'all!

Carolyn Bailey:
Before we begin, I’d like to request that people refrain from interrupting Anthony during the chat session, and utilise the open chat, at the completion of Anthony’s pre-registered questions, for any questions or comments
you have.

Melissa:
Do you need more tea in there Anthony?

Anthony Marr:
no, I'm fine, missy
"Y'all" learned through touring the south

Carolyn Bailey:
I’d now like to ask Anthony his first question …

Hi Anthony, you’re currently on your 7th Compassion for Animals Road Expedition (CARE-7) covering 40 states in 7 months. Could you please explain the goals of this tour and what you hope to achieve?

Anthony Marr:
The goals of this and every tour are:
a. to understand in depth the state of AR, environment, politics and activism throughout the United States,
b. to network with the top AR, vegan and environmental organizations and activists in every state,
c.to assist these groups and individuals when called upon, in whichever way I can,
d. to speak on AR and the environment (the Methane Time Bomb and Runaway Global Heating and their impact on life on Earth) to as many groups as would host such events,
e. to speak at the Animal Rights Conference,
f. to conduct media events whenever the situations allow,
g. to forge coalitions (e.g. the Global Anti-Hunting Coalition)
That's about it
A chat like this is a bonus

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks, Anthony. Butterflies has a question for you next but hasn't arrived yet, so I'll ask it for her.

What is your prediction for Planet Earth and global warming; which will affect all animals; human and nonhuman?

Anthony Marr:
This is a huge subject, and one that needs to be asked.

The first thing I can say is that the climate situation is much more serious, and urgent, than we have thought. Google “than expected”, and you will see lots of articles where scientists say, “much more serious than expected” or much faster than expected”. To answer why, we have to start with Latent Heat. Take a pot and fill it with ice-water, with 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of ice cubes, and stir it with a
thermometer. The temperature of the ice water is about 0 degrees C (32F). Put the pot on a stove and turn on the heat. The water temperature won't begin to rise until all the ice has melted. It takes 80 calories of heat to melt 1
gram of ice without raising the water temperature by 1 degree. So, the initial
80,000 calories of Latent (hidden) Heat from the stove go into melting the ice
without warming the water. Once the ice has all melted, however, the water
temperature will rise steeply.

The Arctic Ocean is a gigantic pot of ice water with sea ice on top, and the ice is melting fast, which currently is keeping the Arctic Ocean cool. But at the current melt rate, the Arctic ocean will be ice free in the summer some time within this coming decade, as of that point the water will warm up sharply. This will cause havoc in the rest of the world.

The effects are many, but mainly a global drought, food shortage, famine in many places, species extinction. It will also cause the Arctic permafrost to melt big time, releasing large amounts of methane, leading to the detonation of the "Methane Time Bomb" which can drive the Earth into Runaway Global Heating.

Long story, but this would be good for starters.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks for your insight on this topic, Anthony. Tim Gier would like to ask you a question next, go ahead, Tim.

Anthony Marr:
Hi Tim

Tim:
Your CARE-7 Tour blog #22 mentions that if the recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico didn't “deal the almost omnipotent oil lobby a staggering blow, nothing else will.” I live in Florida & haven’t heard a word about it in at least a month. The oil lobby is alive & well. We live in a world where nothing matters unless news of it dominates the internet and TV. How can we work to ensure that a positive message of peace and respect for nonhuman animals gets the attention it deserves?

Anthony Marr:
The "Oil Lobby" you mentioned is probably the most powerful one of all lobbies, including pharmaceutical, meat, insurance and hunting. Right now, there are 4 times more oil lobbyists than there are congressmen in Washington DC. America is caught up in the vicious cycle of the Oil Lobby indirectly controlling the public through mass media and directly controlling the government through political influence, and the controlled public won't support a green government.

To shrug off the oil lobby is the key, but easier said than done. The oil companies are top profiting in the Fortune 500, but the gov still has to subsidize them, rather than putting $$ into developing green tech.

Whereas the EU is doing the right thing to consider developing a super-grid drawing solar from the Sahara and Arabian deserts, wind from the coast, geothermal from the Mediterranean and Iceland, etc. but due to the control of Oil on the US government, no such plan exists, that I'm aware of.

So in the next oil crisis, the EU will be okay, but the US may not be.

You are right, Tim, if the Gulf oil spill fails to ignite people into action, it just means that Big Oil has the people dumbed down and apathetic

Erin:
The next two questions come from Cathy, who cannot be here, each will be asked by Carolyn Bailey.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks, Erin.

Erin:
What are the top three things we can do, as individuals, to fight global warming?

Anthony Marr:
I suppose what will get people moving will be a much more serious thing, such as empty shelves in Safeway. To answer the question:

a. Three top things to fight global warming: beware, care, and act. Being unaware is not an option. Caring for nothing is not an option. Doing nothing is not an option.

Okay, a, be aware, b. live green, and c. save the planet. In other words, just being and even living, is not enough. At this critical juncture, we all have to be activists.

There are 3 levels of action:
a. personal - be Veg, go green, act
b. national: no less than a complete paradigm shift
c. Global: promote international cooperation to recool the planet, including reduce carbon concentration in the atmosphere to below 350 ppm
(currently, it is at 388 ppm, over 110 ppm higher than 130 years ago.

It’s extremely expensive and no single country can do it alone. Must require global cooperation to the tone of >$100 billion per annum. And where does this money come from?

I can see only one source the global military - costing $1.4 trillion ($1,400 billion) if all nations agree to shave their own military budget by 10%, we could liberate $140 billion per year to save the planet and all life on Earth.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks again, Anthony, Catherine's 2nd question is this ~ What steps do you see as necessary for our country to make, to effect change and progress toward stopping global heating and climate change?

Anthony Marr:
For your country (speaking as a Canadian), it must shake off the Big Oil Influence. US government should invest in green technology, instead of, currently, pouring subsidies into oil and coal, which are already top profiting corporations in the Fortune 500, while Europe is developing a super-grid drawing solar power from the Sahara and Arabian, wind power from the coast, geothermal energy from the Mediterranean and Iceland.

Scotland, for example, is declaring 100% green tech by 2025, which is the first I've heard of, and is not soon enough. America currently does not have such a plan. It is still the Oil Economy.

It is said that realizing just 10% of the solar potential of only one desert state, e.g. Nevada, could provide all the electricity needed for the entire nation but Big Oil is snuffing out all such plans.

First ting to do is to stop subsidizing Big Oil and King Coal, then put the money into green tech R&D. AND consider shaving the US military budget by 10% and put the saving into the global Green Fund (not yet established).

Global Green Fund, probably administered by the UN by international treaty.

I believe that Obama understands a lot of the truth, but is currently powerless to shrug off the yoke of Big Oil.

He must!

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks, Anthony. Tammy, who has the next question was unable to be here as well, so Tim Gier will ask on her behalf, go ahead, Tim.

Tim:
Anthony, you campaigned against Makah whaling, as well as conducting anti-whaling missions in Japan. Do you believe a stop will be able to be put to the horrific capture and slaughter of pilot whales and dolphins in Taiji? And what are your thoughts on the mass slaughter of pilot whales in the Faroes?

Anthony Marr:
Hi Tammy!
Abiding by the "Know Thy Enemy" principle, the little known fact is that the enemy is not as formidable as we think. In the entirety of Taiji, there are only one fishermen's Co-op, comprising only 27 fishermen who practice dolphin slaughter with their 13 2-men fishing boats. And that's it. At Futo, the dolphin slaughter was so fragile it was interrupted for several years resulting from only one fisherman turning against the slaughter in favor of whale watching tourism. There are ways of defeating both the Japanese slaughter and the Faroe butchery, as well as the Canadian seal massacre, all in one go. What it needs is collective will and global leadership. The European boycott against Canadian seal products has had a big impact on the Canadian sealing industry.
I believe an orchestrated multi-national coalition against whaling can do it. Currently, there is no such coalition
But we can build it.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks again, Anthony. Another question from Butterflies next …
What made you focus your energy on anti-hunting?

Anthony Marr:
I worked for years in the wilderness, and lived and walked amongst the deer and the bears. I revere the sense of peace and harmony, to which recreational hunting certainly does not belong, with its inherent cruelty, arrogance, disrespect, callousness everything undesirable in the framework of compassionate and respectful society. I have seen animals killed before my own eyes by recreational hunters.

I have also seen the corruptive power of the hunting lobby on all levels of government. The prohunting clauses in the constitutions, the written-in and guaranteed majority of the "at least six out of the 11 voting members of the Fish and Game Council which determines wildlife management policy, six must be hunters, and another 3 must be farmers", pseudo-democracy at its finest

And I am indignant about the hunter harassment laws under which you can go to jail for years for asking a group of hunters hunting on your land to leave, even though you may have NO HUNTING and NO TRESPASSING signs posted on your property - a trampling of ones basic constitutional rights, on top of blood and guts in your own backyard.

Most of all, I oppose bow-hunting for its inherent recreational character (if I hunt for meat, I'd use a rifle), and for its built-in cruelty - statistically, the non-lethal wounding rate of bow-hunting is over 50%, meaning that of every hundred arrow-shot deer, 50 walk around with an arrow embedded in non-vital parts of their body, for days, weeks, months, in rare cases, years.

Also, although domestic animals have some measure of law protection, there is none for wild animals.

Finally, I acknowledge that hunted animals are just a fraction in number of farm animals, but likewise, the number of activists working for farm animals outnumbers those working for wild animals many fold. All animals deserve their champion.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks Anthony, Lorna has a question for you which I'll also ask.

Before you founded Heal Our Planet Earth in 1999, you worked closely with tigers in India, is this something you would consider doing again at some stage?

Anthony Marr:
Yes I would, if someone writes me a big check tomorrow. But this time, there will be a difference. While previously I was trying to save one species at a time, this time, we have to think about thousands or even millions of species at a time.

We are deep in the 6th mass extinction of this planet. 30 years ago, we estimated losing about 20 known species every day, or times 10 for species known and unknown. Now, the estimation is of 100-120 known species every day or up to 1200 species a day known and unknown.

Mass extinction #3 251 million years ago was caused by global warming, and drove 75% of all land species and 95% of all marine species to extinction. If this happens again, we stand to lose 16 million species on account of the irresponsible actions of one species, our own.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks again, Anthony. Roger would like to ask a question now, go ahead, Rog

Anthony Marr:
Hi Roger

Roger:
Hi.
You seem to be a conservationist at heart, mainly concentrating concern at the level of species rather than individual rights bearers.

You once said that the life of one free-living rhino was worth that of a thousand domesticated chickens. Do you still hold to that?

Anthony Marr:
Tough question.

I somehow doubt that I would have used those exact words. But when it comes to driving other species to extinction, our species has no right. I believe that animal rights include the most basic right to exist.

If the rhino species is on the verge of extinction, and especially when the root cause is us, then we have the moral obligation to protect that species.

You would probably feel the same if the planet is down to the last two chickens.

Some years ago, a prominent AR/AW group launched their "Eat the Whales" campaign, right at an IWC meeting, saying that if we eat a whale, the amount of meat would equal that of so many hundreds of thousands of chickens, and therefore would save the lives of the same number of chickens, so we should eat whales and not chickens. The anti-vegan aspect not withstanding, could you tell me where you stand on this?

If you equate the life of a whale to that of a chicken, then would you equate the life of a whale to that of a mosquito? If one has to be killed, would you flip a coin to give the mosquito an even chance?

I understand your view Roger

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks, Anthony. Jason would like to ask you a question now and Jay's here! Go for it, Jay.

Jason:
Thanks Carolyn
Hi Anthony, you seem to do a lot of advocacy focusing on individual causes. Do you also advocate for veganism?

Anthony Marr:
Hi Jason, I absolutely do. In fact, the vast majority of the groups sponsoring and hosting my talks are vegan. And I often say that a vegan world can support 10X more people than a carnivorous world. This having been
said, I'd add that being vegan is undoubtedly a background necessity for being an ARA, but to merely be vegan is not enough. Vegans must also be activists.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks Anthony, very much for your excellent responses to some interesting questions. This concludes the formal pre-registered question session of Anthony’s chat today. I'd now like to open the chat up for all members to engage Anthony.

Janet:
Grist reported this week: "Sen. John McCain, once a champion of strong action to fight global warming pollution, has joined the rest of the Republican Senate caucus in questioning the overwhelming science. He said, global warming is "such a threat to our planet and our future and our children." Now, like every other GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate this year, he opposes the climate policy he once supported.

Your response please?

Anthony Marr:
McCain was probably the first candidate in the 2008 election to champion action to deal with global warming "What if it is real and we do nothing?" But as soon as he brought in Sarah Palin, his credibility is gone completely.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks again, Anthony, Roger has another question for you now, go ahead, Rog

Roger:
You are among a number of animal advocates who have defended riding horses. On the face of it, climbing onto the back of a member of a species selectively bred to tolerate this behaviour is a rights violation. How do you respond to this point, and do you still ride horses?

Anthony Marr:
This is another tough one

First of all, we have to differentiate commercial exploitation of horses, e.g. racing, from the individual human-equine relationships; the latter is more like that of a human-canine relationship. The only difference is the "riding" part.
In terms of riding, I'm not sure how to explain it, except that according to my own experience, the horse himself actually likes being ridden, much like I myself like to carry my little godson on my shoulders. It is the way we interact.

If it is about the factor of humans dominating over other animals, I'd say that we all dominate over other animals in our day to day lives. Our own homes for example, sit on the previous habitat of wild animals. We have to somehow evict them from that piece of land so that we could call it our own. We all do it. At least in the individual human-equine relationship, there is true love between the two participants. I can vouch for this since I have many horse friends who take care of their horses better than themselves.

Connee:
Hi Anthony..12 years ago, I helped to co-teach a class called "Race to Save the Planet" Are you familiar with these videos and accompanying book and would some of us doing talks like this in the communities we live in
help?

Anthony Marr:
Hi Connee, no, I have not seen the material, but I am aware of that program. If you have links, please send them along.

Connee:
Our University had to get permission at the time to use these, but I think they are available now for the public.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks for your response, Anthony, Jose Valle would like to address you next, go ahead, Jose.

Anthony Marr:
Hi Jose

Jose:
Hi. Anthony, can you please explain previously mentioned that you support animal rights. Do you think we can give ANY credibility to that claim when you endorse forcing other animals to carry your weight as these images of you riding an elephant and a horse shows?

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v75/4/39/584150862/n5841...

Is it also true-love with the elephant?

Anthony Marr:
Not a horse show, just exercising. Yes, I did ride an elephant, but that was in the context of my tiger preservation work. The true love was with the tiger, but I love elephants too If you understand the workings of saving the wild tiger, you will appreciate the need to go off road, and the elephant was the only way to do it.
Also, India is different from Thailand, the latter being atrocious, in contrast.
In contrast, the India mahout and his designated elephant have a one-on-one relationship lasting a life time, like a marriage, the mahout is very dedicated to "his" elephant

Jose:
!!

Roger:
Ditto

Anthony Marr:
They give the elephants noon-time massages, for example, and bathing in the river

Janet:
In lifetime servitude to humans—sad

Anthony Marr:
We could look at it this way, yes, and it is sad

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks Anthony, Tony would like to ask you a question next, go ahead Tony.

Tony:
Hi, Anthony. It’s Dee from Free Tony The Tiger. On behalf of FTTT. I’d like to thank you for visiting Tony and Tiger Truck Stop on your CARE 7 tour and bringing more exposure to Tony’s situation, a tiger used as a roadside attraction at a truck stop.

Your great efforts to help Tony are very much appreciated. Do you have any suggestions as to what more we can do to hopefully see Tony relocated to an accredited big cat sanctuary?

Anthony Marr:
Hi Dee, yes, I do, sort of. We've tried all conceivable ways, including my own, which was to try to get Sandlin to let Tony go and establish a tiger conservation museum in place of the current "exhibit", but he refused.

Tony:
Yes, unfortunately.

Anthony Marr:
I think our best bet is to put heavy and unrelenting pressure on the Louisiana authorities until they get sick and tired of the hassle and just cancel the permit

Tony:
Thank you Anthony, we'll continue our fight for Tony.

Anthony Marr:
Yes, we shall.
How just one person can hold us all up, eh? Like the 27 fisherman at Taiji.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks again, Anthony! Mark Jordan would like to ask you a question next. Go ahead, Mark.

Mark:
You analogize riding a horse to having your godson on your shoulders. Did you buck and fight furiously to throw your godson off your back the first few times someone put him there, only acquiescing after being “broken” of the will to fight this violation? Don’t you think this response shows something about how “natural” and loving it is for a horse to have a human on their back?

Anthony Marr:
Right off the bat, I said to differentiate commercial enterprises from individual human-equine relationships. The rodeo is a commercial enterprise that exploit horses commercially. Not so the individual relationship between a girl and a horse. I never use the word "break" a horse. And actually hold it in
disdain.

Dominique:
So is the BLM

Bob:
Could we all speak about the good Anthony has done and his knowledge to help us in our own fight than attack him on some minor items. He's done more than the average vegan!

Mark:
I wasn't speaking of rodeos; I was speaking of riding horses in general. I find "breaking" to be more accurate as it involves the "breaking" of their spirit to not have a human on them.

Anthony Marr:
You said bucking a rider off

Jose:
Bob, it's not minor for the animals who have him on their backs! Doing more than others is not an excuse to violate the rights of some animals

Dominique:
Why is it a problem for you Mark? You have not experienced the interaction of humans with horses obviously to understand what you are asking.

Anthony Marr:
This is not a part of the human-equine relationship. It is almost a love affair. My previous horse-friend runs to me when she heard my car coming and not for a carrot either.

Mark:
Isn't bucking a way in which a horse tries to throw someone off their back? Not a rodeo term, an action.

Anthony Marr:
We have to ask the horse himself/herself what they want.

Those horses I have anything to do with do not try to buck me off.

Connee:
Horses buck even when someone is not on their backs! I have raised horses all of my life.

Anthony Marr:
Yes, Connee.

Connee:
I still have five

Meg:
They've been trained not to, Anthony.

Dominique:

Have you heard of the horse whisperer, his methods are from love and respect with the horse

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks everyone, please feel free to send me a PM if you wish to engage Anthony. Anthony's answered this question; there are other topics worthy of discussion.

Mark:
So, were not these horses trained to have someone on their back prior to you, or did you meet a wild horse that came up to you and knelt down and "asked" you to ride them, showing no discomfort?

Anthony Marr:
I'd say that there is not much difference between putting a halter on a horse and putting a collar on the neck of a dog.

Connee:
My favorite horse loves being ridden. My horses are domestic, but we have had Mustangs in our midst.

Anthony Marr:
A humanely treated horse never wants to buck someone off.

Dominique:
The horses left in the wild are being SLAUGHTERED by BLM

Tim:
Anthony, does the use of the halter include the use of the bit?

Connee:
Yes Dominique and BP!

Anthony Marr:
As I said, it is almost impossible to explain to someone with no experience with horses what a human-equine relationship means and feels like, and, yes, the horse enjoys it. Ask the horse.

Meg:
Many of us here have had horses. Myself included.

They are trained not to buck.

Anthony Marr:
Hi Dominique, yes, the BLM is a huge factor in how we abuse horses.

Mark:
Meg, exactly! Thank you!

Dominique:
Humans have already interfered beyond repair, we have to protect the wild ones left

Bob:
I am not shocked anymore to see vegans attacking vegans. We lose our own credibility when a meat eater sees us doing so too.

Meg:
Bob, we as vegans should be against animal exploitation no matter who performs it.

Anthony Marr:
Thank you, Mark, fair exchange.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks, Anthony, for being willing to address this topic

Meg:
I've heard the same arguments of "love" to justify milking cows.

Erin:
Bob - it is not a matter of attacking fellow vegans as much as clarifying points.

Jose:
I'll look forward to reading the transcript. Have a nice chat and free the elephants & horses!

Dominique:
Not the same analogy Meg

Anthony Marr:
There is a HUGE difference between the loving attitude of a young girl with "her" horse and the cowboy mistreating a horse in a rodeo.

Dominique:
You have never communicated with a horse

Anthony Marr:
Too bad most non-horse people cannot tell the difference.

Dominique:
HUGE difference

Meg:
I haven't? I grew up around them. I spent most of my life around them.

Connee:
So true

Dominique:
One is full of love the other is exploitation

Anthony Marr:
Okay, let's agree to disagree on the horse issue.

Erin:
For example, I want to know if Mr. Marr uses a standard "bit" in the mouth of a horse. From the pictures, it looks like he does. Surely that is wrong?

Meg:
Exploitation is often justified with love.

Dominique:

OMG.. Reasoning, people, reasoning. Balance

Anthony Marr:
Not at all, it is an egg-butt snaffle. It is rounded and smooth, and serves only to transmit a signal to the horse. The signal is supposed to be so subtle that onlookers are not supposed to see it.

Connee:
It works very well

Anthony Marr:
Another is a soft rubber snaffle that is soft.

Connee:
Along with subtle body shifts.

Anthony Marr:
As I said, essentially, there is no difference between a bridle on the head of a horse and a leash on the neck of a dog.

One last comment on the horse issue, again, it is the ideology of one species dominating over another.

I'd repeat that there are no wild animals living in the houses of those who oppose the human equine relationship, even they have to evict the wild animals from their natural habitat so that the houses can be wild-animal-free.

Roger:
Do you mean these bits?
http://www.google.ie/images?hl=en&q=egg%20butt%20snafle&um=...

Meg:
One can rescue animals without further exploiting them.

Janet:
We must put collars on dogs--it is the law--to protect them, not to ride them. There is a difference

Barbara:
You can equate with a lead, not a bit and harness.

Anthony Marr:
I also used the hackamore, which has no bit.

Dominique:
OK, no wonder things don't get done in the AR community if this is what the under educated here focus on

Janet:
My dogs' leashes and collars are not made of leather--it is a relevant discussion because is underscores the speciesist attitude, which must stop

Dominique:
You are all wasting precious time for the animals

Meg:
Dominique, we are talking about an animal rights issue. That is not meant as a personal attack, but "under educated" certainly is.

Dominique:
You are all just harassing, sorry Anthony

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks for your opinion Dominique, I don't think anyone is purposefully attacking anyone else.

Thanks, Anthony. Tim Gier has a question for you, please go ahead, Tim

Anthony Marr:
Anyway, thank you for discussing the horse issue, everyone. If you condemn it, go ahead. But you condemn a huge sector of the AR movement.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks, Anthony. Tim Gier would like to ask another question, please go ahead, Tim.

Tim:
Your CARE-7 Tour blog #19 recounts your 2 hr ordeal with law enforcement personnel on the Louisiana roadside. Can you elaborate on the dangers facing all AR activists as labels like “eco-terrorist” are being used to marginalize and silence us?

Anthony Marr:
Hi Tim, thank you for a good question. There is no doubt that we ARAs are second class citizens in the eyes of the law.

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act is a stark body of law that aims to disable the AR movement, turning what is considered effective activism into terrorism e.g. previously effective activism caused the opponent financial loss. Now, if we achieve this, even with peaceful and non-violent means, it is terrorism. A decline of $10,000 suffered by an animal enterprise can get you 6 months in jail. $1 million, and it could get you 6 years.

Re. the Gulf oil spill, cover-up is the key word. In this context, even taking a picture is a crime.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks Anthony, I'll ask Cathy's last question now, which is this: What are the top three things activists can do to make a difference and effect change in animal rights issues as a whole?

Anthony Marr:
This is not an easy question either.

I can name a few basic ingredients according to my own experience.

First, we must identify the real enemy and engage it to our best advantage.

Second, we should NOT spend a significant amount of time and energy criticising each other for differences that cannot be avoided.

Third, we must be always creative in dealing with the enemy.

Fourth, the Power of One is not to be under-estimated. Under certain situations, a single individual can be more effective than a whole organization

Fifth, we must eliminate financial corruption from within our movement, e.g. lavish salaries from donations meant for the animals.

Sixth, we must exercise more endurance than the enemy.

Seventh, we must seek to Know Thy Enemy, and defeat him via his Achilles' heel.

Eighth, be sensible, but fearless.

Ninth, press on with your own belief - you can't please everyone, so you've gotta please yourself.

Tenth, good luck. :-)

Meg:
Pardon me, but who is this "enemy"? Would you clarify, please?

Anthony Marr:
For me, it is the hunters, and the oil lobby

Dominique:
Meg, if you do not know...

Meg:
I wanted Anthony's definition, Dominique. I do not see anyone as my enemy.

Anthony Marr:
"enemy" is just a word. It could be "the opposition".

Meg:
Seems very loaded.

Anthony Marr:
Could be, but the entire AR movement is loaded.

Meg:
But thank you for your clarification.

Anthony Marr:
Thank you for asking

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks again, Anthony. Do we have any further questions for Anthony?

Anthony Marr:
I would like to thank everyone for their input, positive and negative.

Again, we can't agree on everything so, let's work together on the areas in which we agree.

Michele:
Thanks for giving us your time and as always, being so gracious. :-D

Barbara:
Thank you for your patience with us!

Carolyn Bailey:
I'd like to sincerely thank Anthony for being generous with his time today

Time:
Thank you, Anthony. These are contentious questions about important issues. It is good to have open discussions on them.

Jason:
Thanks Anthony

Meg:
Agreed, Tim.

Anthony Marr:
I enjoy debating, and the tougher the questions, the better. :-)

Carolyn Bailey:
I really appreciate your patience and willingness to engage on all topics, Anthony. Thanks!

Anthony Marr:
Seriously, I love everyone here, and can say sincerely that those who disagree with me do so out of the goodness of their hearts and their own sincere beliefs.

Carolyn Bailey:
Thanks, Anthony!

Anthony Marr:
Any more questions, please feel free to email me at anthony_marr@yahoo.com

Carolyn Bailey:
Also, please feel free to leave any comments on the ARZone transcript.

---------------


Anthony Marr, Founder and President
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr001
www.facebook.com/Global_Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.facebook.com/AnthonyMarr13
www.youtube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.DearHomoSapiens.blogspot.com
www.AnthonyMarr13.wordpress.com