Dog abuse, friends being deported.

Wow. Crazy past few days. First off, I still don't have the internet, so no daily updates for a while. I'm pirating someone else's internet currently.

Secondly, I'm doped up on pain meds. Yesterday, I stepped in between a man abusing his dog and he turned his aggression towards me. I spent a good deal of time in the ER- and the dog at the vet- but we're both OK, on the way to healing. I'll be seeing the man in court. As much as I disagree with the court system, I'm going to try to see if I can get him mandated counseling or something.

Thirdly, my friends are being deported to Poland and I wrote up a quick speech to say at their benefit party. It's written how I said it, so it's a bit different than had I written it to be read. Tell me what you think.

Hey everybody! I just wanted to say a little something about this benefit, privilege and other movements.

First, I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight and supporting M and F. I’m sure some of you came because you know them- and they are absolutely amazing- or maybe you’re here because you’re vegan and want to support fellow vegans- and they are tireless animal rights crusaders- or maybe you’re here because you’re sick of this government and how it treats people who come here to improve their lives and this world. In any case, I want everyone here to really think about the many implications that this case has for this great couple, their animals, the Chicago animal rights scene and more.

I’ve never actually talked to M and F about why they came here, but I personally don’t think the whys matter. They came, and they deserve more respect than living in fear about when the cops would kick them out, with absolutely no help from the government to help get them or their companion animals get back to Poland. To be cliche, we are a nation of immigrants. Personally, my father was born in Mexico, the maternal side of the family immigrated from Ireland and Germany and worked in the stockyards during The Jungle era. As a nation, we are living on stolen land that the mostly rich, old, white men in power- with some tokens- have made into their very own playground with confusing rules that try to make it so that no one can play except for them.

We have to fight to stop this. I choose animal rights and women’s rights, especially pertaining to access to abortion and other reproductive health services, but it doesn’t matter what your personal fight is- we must realize that these issues are all connected. How can you be anti-violence while murdering animals for meat? How can you fight for women’s rights and not empathize with cows being raped for milk, chickens being bred to produce more and more eggs for humans? How can we care about global warming but make personal excuses for buying cars, not supporting better public transportation, or riding a bike if you can? How can we be anti-police brutality and anti-war but support the occupation of Tibet and Palestine along with corporations like Boeing and Blackwater? How can we encourage equality between species when we’re so freaked out be people who play with their own gender, or love people of the same sex?

Last winter, after a racial slur was used against one of the animal rights activists that often comes to Animal Defense League events, we declared an emergency protest of the racist woman’s store- not only for selling leather and fur, but for being, well, a racist. We actually got an email from a member of our listserve who was dismayed that we were bringing others issues up at our protests. I’m sorry, but I can’t leave the fact that I’m a person of color at home when I’m at a protest. I get very different things yelled at me at demonstrations because I’m female, versus when a male speaks on the bullhorn. I can’t just ignore the fact that I’m bisexual or that I grew up in public housing and on welfare, nor can I dismiss my light skinned privilege or the fact that because my mother gave birth in this country, I have so many more rights I am “entitled” to than many, many others around the world. Each one of us holds within us our privileges and oppressions, and it’s important we realize how connected we are- to other people, other movements, other lives.

So, as you end the night- give money to M and F, they need it! But don’t forget the animals- so go vegan, stay vegan and get active for them. Don’t forget the protesters at the RNC, which were horribly brutalized for opposing this, well, brutal government. Please, get active in fighting the war and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and fight to stop the war in Iran before it starts. Believe women who tell you they’ve been raped or abused and support them. Feed stray animals and donate vegan food to a food pantry. Fight for immigrants rights and workers rights and acknowledge the fact that you’re on stolen land whose original people are still some of the most marginalized, victimized people in this country and who are still being murdered by the U.S.A.’s policies. Get active for what fight you are most drawn to, but remember that it’s all connected. Because if we don’t do it, who will?

Thank you.