________________
AHIMSA TIMES - NOVEMBER 2008 ISSUE - www.jainsamaj.org
Page 6 of 13
intelligence, are cold-blooded, live in the water and show no expression. We are a higher life form, after all.
But we must remember that the notion of higher vs. lower is a human construct, and it does not absolve us from responsibility. Even the oft-quoted biblical injunction, from Genesis, that humans have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the Earth, does not endow us, either explicitly or implicitly, with the right to be cavalier or cruel to other species. Nowhere does it say that might alone makes right. So even those fishermen who jokingly say they release the fish they catch into Lake Canola bear some responsibility for dispatching their catch humanely, with a minimum of suffering.
Of course, some people - whether because of religious or secular beliefs - hold that any use of an animal constitutes abuse. Jainism, an East Indian religion almost 3,000 years old, goes beyond vegetarianism to enjoin its adherents against abusing even plants, while modern vegans shun use of animals for any purpose.
But most people rely heavily on animal products for food, clothing, furniture, decoration, pillow stuffing and more. To those ends, we breed, raise, slaughter and consume untold billions of creatures every year, and we harvest billions more from land and water. We depend on those creatures, and we should respect them if only because we share the gift of life with them. We are, after all, made from the same dust. We still can thank the comedian for the chuckle, and Chuck Shepherd for putting the notice about the Swiss laws in a recent "News of the Weird," but seriously, folks, life may be good and filled with laughter, but respect for it is not a laughing matter. From: "Dr. C. Devakumar" E-Mail: cdevakumar@grouply.com
ANIMALS ARE GRANTED CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS JUST AS HUMAN BEINGS IN EQUADOR, LATIN AMERICA - Equador, a small country in Latin America is the only country in the whole world to grant full constitutional rights to animals, trees, plants, and rivers just as provided to human beings. It is an unique example of highest degree of consciousness and respect to ecology and vegetation. Their constitution has made a provision in their constitution to impart same rights to trees, plants, rivers and animals to live, grow and enhance their life cycle like citizens of the country. Therefore, it has now become a responsibility of the citizens, society and the Government to provide them due care and protection and protect them from any cruelty or mercilessness. Ecologists in the country have felt very happy at this wonderful initiative of the Government of Equador to make such provisions in their constitution. This action has been necessitated due to ever-increasing dumping of waste materials by the mining and oil industries and pollution being caused continuously and the consequent danger to the nation's environment.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
PARAG MEHTA FROM TEXAS IN OBAMA'S TRANSITION TEAM
Parag Mehta, son of Dr. Vijay and Vandana Mehta of City of Temple, Texas gets the rare honor of becoming a part of President Elect Barak Obama's trasition team. Yet another young Indian American Democratic Party activist has been named for United States President-elect Barack Obama's transition team. Parag Mehta, 31, has been named the deputy director of intergovernmental affairs and public liaison of the Obama-Biden transition team, charged with outreach to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other minority groups. His appointment follows close on the heels of the appointments of two Indian Americans -- Sonal Shah, who was named as member of the 15-member official transition board and Nick Rathod, who was named director of the transition team's office of intergovernmental affairs.
The Worcester, Massachusetts-born Mehta said that he was 'absolutely thrilled and excited' to join the Obama-Biden transition team, which could be a springboard to a position in the Obama administration. In an earlier interview, when he was appointed director of external communications for the DNC, Mehta, a passionate and avowed Democrat, said, "My family is in this country because of the Democratic Party- from Robert Kennedy to Barack Obama, it is the Democrats who stood up for the values of fairness, fiscal responsibility and an approach to foreign policy that tries to lead by our principles, rather than rule by chest-thumping."
On the involvement of Indian Americans, particularly the second generation, he said, "It's amazing to see how
http://jainsamaj.org/magazines/november-2008.htm
8/11/2009
