On July 9th, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), a living legend in the
Senate now in his eighth term, delivered an extraordinary, pro-animal
speech on the Senate floor in which he publicly acknowledged the rampant,
institutionalized cruelty that is being inflicted upon animals today. In
a tribute to the virtues of companion animals, Senator Byrd started off
proclaiming, “The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in
this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never
proves ungrateful or treacherous, is the dog.” Byrd’s pleas for
compassion extended to farm animals, who are so often ignored by
legislators as well as the general public:
“Our inhumane treatment of livestock is becoming widespread and more and
more barbaric. Six-hundred pound hogs. . . raised in 2-foot-wide metal
cages called gestation crates, in which the poor beasts are unable to turn
around or lie down in natural positions. . . veal calves are confined to
dark wooden crates so small that they are prevented from lying down or
scratching themselves. These creatures feel; they know pain. They suffer
pain just as we humans suffer pain. Egg-laying hens are confined to
battery cages. Unable to spread their wings, they are reduced to nothing
more than an egg-laying machine.”
Concluding his impassioned speech, Byrd condemned the widespread
violations of the Humane Slaughter Act, calling upon the USDA to put an
end to slaughterhouse cruelties:
“Last April, the Washington Post detailed the inhumane treatment of
livestock in our Nation’s slaughterhouses. . . . these animals are
sometimes cut, skinned, and scalded while still able to feel pain. . . .
The law clearly requires that these poor creatures be stunned and rendered
insensitive to pain before this process begins. Federal law is being
ignored. Animal cruelty abounds. It is sickening. It is infuriating.
Barbaric treatment of helpless, defenseless creatures must not be
tolerated even if these animals are being raised for food–and even more
so, more so. Such insensitivity is insidious and can spread and is
dangerous. Life must be respected and dealt with humanely in a civilized
society.”
Senator Byrd’s statements are especially powerful because he is President
Pro Tem of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee,
and they mark one of the first instances when a U.S. Senator has publicly
acknowledged that all animals, including farm animals, “suffer pain just
as we humans suffer pain,” calling for “respect for life, all life, and
for humane treatment of all creatures. ” His speech preceded his actions
to amend the Supplemental Appropriations bill, providing an extra $3
million for enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act and the Humane Slaughter
Act.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Contact Senator Byrd and THANK him for taking a strong stance to protect
all animals. Let him know that his compassionate stance is meaningful to
Americans, and urge him to pursue his commitment to ending cruelty against
animals. Senator Byrd can be reached by writing to:
The Honorable Robert Byrd
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3954
email: senator_byrd@byrd.senate.gov
To read the entire text of Senator Byrd’s
speech, go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?r107:./temp/~r107zRWdCt
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