a simple lesson: how to tell the difference between hatred of a people and criticism of a nation's policies

All right, boys and girls, put your thinking caps on. There will be a quiz.

Jews are people.

Whether they are adherents to the religion of Judaism, or identify as ethnically Jewish, or both, Jews are people.

Advocating harm, discrimination, or the infringement of rights of Jewish people = anti-Semitism.

Hatred of people because they are Jews = anti-Semitism.

Pre-judging people because they are Jews = anti-Semitism.

Characterizing a person one does not know as having certain traits because he or she is Jewish = anti-Semitism.

Israel is a country, a modern nation-state.

That country is run by a government.

That government has policies.

Criticism of those policies is no different than criticism of the policies of the US, Canada, France, South Africa, the Netherlands, or any other country.

You see? It's actually very simple. Here's the quiz. Let's do it together.

"Death to Jews" ? Anti-Semitism.

"Jews are cheap and will try to swindle you." ? Anti-Semitism.

"Jews control the US government." ? Anti-Semitism.

"But you're OK, you're not one of those real Jew-y Jews." ? Anti-Semitism. (This has been said to me.)

"Palestinians deserve equal rights." ? Not anti-Semitism.

"I oppose Israel's policies towards Palestinians." ? Not anti-Semitism.

"I believe Israel's policies towards the Palestinian people constitute an apartheid regime." ? Not anti-Semitism.

"Boycott, divest, sanction against Israel to help the Palestinian people." ? Not anti-Semitism.

You may disagree with the characterization of Israel as an apartheid regime. But the belief that Israel is an apartheid regime is not anti-Semitism. Because Israel is a country. It is not "the Jews".

Why is that so hard to understand?

It's not.

The political posturing of various Canadian politicos is a self-serving crock of shit. They know perfectly well that opposing Israel's policies regarding the Palestinian people is not anti-Semitism. But they care infinitely more about their political careers than they do about justice. They won't go up against the US, the Israel lobby, and what is maddeningly, condescendingly called "the Jewish vote".

One day, when Israeli apartheid is dismantled the way South African apartheid was, this condemnation of anti- Israeli apartheid activity will be exposed, then forgotten.

Until then, we can only continue to speak out.

I am Jewish.

I condemn anti-Semitism.

I condemn Israel's apartheid policies.

I am not anti-Semitic.

I am pro-justice.

[Two excellent pieces linked above, by the way: Siddiqui and Dr. Dawg.]

jungle cat world

Earlier this week, we visited Jungle Cat World, about an hour east of Toronto, with our friend J. Last summer, J and I discovered we shared a love of wild canines, and when I told her there was a wolf centre in driving distance from Toronto - long on my to-do list - we immediately started making plans.

In July, J and her partner C (who are both war resisters) and Allan and I had a great day at the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre, and we all vowed to return in the winter, when the wolves' coats are thick and the animals are much more active. Since then, I had been planning on doing this - we started to make plans - then learned the Wolf Centre is only open on weekends in the winter. I was sooo disappointed. There's no way I can take a day off work for that.

Somewhat as a consolation prize, J suggested we go to Jungle Cat World. J is a regular visitor there - the staff knows her by name, and she knows all the animals' names, their histories, and their personalities. It was pretty amazing to see two wolves trot over to the fence and greet J with obvious signs of canine happiness! J has known the male wolf since he's a cub - she has cuddled with him and rubbed his belly more than once. But now that he's in a breeding pair, no play allowed.

First we walked through the park and saw all the animals, then we did another walk-through to watch the daily feeding. The keeper, dragging a sled full of raw meat behind her, told us about the different animals, both the individuals we were seeing and their species, which are all at high risk for extinction. She is clearly very attached to all the animals and committed to their welfare.

When we were walking around by ourselves, before the feeding, we spent a long time admiring the magnificent arctic wolf. She's alone right now, as the park works on finding her a partner (apparently it takes a very long time to transfer an animal from one facility to another).

Suddenly, Bianca, the white wolf, threw her head back and started to howl. The other wolves in separate enclosures all picked it up and began to howl, too. The three of us looked at each other in amazement, and just stood there drinking it in for as long as it lasted. The sound was so beautiful; it gave me chills. When they finished and I could breathe again, J said, You guys have seen something special. That doesn't usually happen.

After the animals ate, we had our "meet-and-greet", which J arranged in advance. You can interact with your choice of three animals. (That is, three of those that are available for human interaction. I don't think they let you in the enclosure with full-grown lions.) We chose the tiger cubs (which counts as one), the fox and the bobcat.

The tiger cubs are about 5 months old and weigh around 60 pounds. J played with these same cubs when they were only six weeks old, and the size of housecats! We saw a pair of tigers that are about one year old, and look pretty big... until you see the full-grown pair, which clock in at about 600 pounds each. The female is pregnant again, and J and I are going back as soon as the babies are old enough to handle.

Even though I had a great day, I still have mixed feelings about seeing wild animals in captivity. These animals are very well cared for, they have interaction with other animals, and with humans. Most of them were hand-raised, and they clearly enjoy the stimulation of human interaction. Some were rescued from neglect or abuse; our fox friend was rescued from a fur farm. The rest were all born in captivity in zoo breeding programs. All their species are heavily endangered. Jungle Cat World does outreach and education about endangered species, especially big cats. All good.

But still, there's something painful about seeing a captive wolf. This is the main reason I haven't yet been to the Toronto Zoo. I used to love zoos, and I hear the Toronto's is a wonderful place, but... I don't know. It makes me a little sad.

On balance, I think it's a great place and I'm definitely going back to play with baby tigers.

Not least of why this was such a great day: I took a day off. A real day off, not a "day off" getting my hair cut or going to the dentist. It was heavenly - and my last one until my term ends on April 6.

A selection of our photos is here. We only had our crappy digital camera, so they're not great, but you'll get the idea.

A few of J's photos are here.

facebook survey

I'm still working out my own Facebook friend policy. I'm also curious about yours. Facebook users, I have three questions for you.

1. How do you deal with friend requests on Facebook?

a. I confirm all friend requests.

b. If I don't know the person, I try to find out why they are friending me (how they know me, what circles we have in common). Depending on their answer, I might confirm or might ignore.

c. If I don't know the person, I always ignore the request. I only friend people I know.

d. I ignore all friend requests.

e. Some other answer. Which is...?

2. To whom do you send friend requests?

a. I friend anyone I know.

b. The above, plus anyone who my friends know.

c. The above, plus I look at the friend suggestions and may send requests to some of those.

d. I am very selective about who I friend.

e. Some other answer. Please share!

3. Have you ever ignored a friend request from someone you know or used to know?

a. Yes.

b. No.

Thanks for sharing.

c-440 help wanted, take two

The War Resisters Support Campaign has distributed our entire first printing of 5,000 postcards. Hopefully we'll receive a large percentage of those back, signed. Now we have a fresh batch of 5,000 typo-free postcards ready to make their way around Canada.

Can you take 30 cards, get them signed, and return them to us by March 31? 25 cards? 10 cards? Every single card counts.

Many US war resisters in Canada are at risk for deportation back to the States, where they'll face court martial and prison time. Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney would rather kiss up to the US military than allow Canada to be a haven for people of conscience. This is a pretty easy way to get involved.

Check out our postcard campaign, and if you want cards, email me: movetocanada at gmail.

iwd: fighting for women is fighting for us all

Monday, March 8, is International Women's Day. It's a celebration of the power of women, and a reminder that the status of women, both globally and at home, is a battle that still needs fighting.

I usually post a historic perspective on this day. This year, as I started to gather information, I realized that next year is the 100th anniversary of IWD!

In Toronto, IWD is a celebration of women's historic - and current - role in the fight for justice: for labour, peace, personal freedom and security. The march, rally and fair is today.

unredacted documents = the smoking gun

Stephen Harper, you can run (which you did), and you can hide (which you did), but not forever.

Federal government documents on Afghan detainees suggest that Canadian officials intended some prisoners to be tortured in order to gather intelligence, according to a legal expert.

If the allegation is true, such actions would constitute a war crime, said University of Ottawa law professor Amir Attaran, who has been digging deep into the issue and told CBC News he has seen uncensored versions of government documents released last year.

"If these documents were released [in full], what they will show is that Canada partnered deliberately with the torturers in Afghanistan for the interrogation of detainees," he said.

"There would be a question of rendition and a question of war crimes on the part of certain Canadian officials. That's what's in these documents, and that's why the government is covering up as hard as it can."

I don't usually just regurgitate news stories without comment but my anger at this government has to go somewhere.

pogge: shorter opposition

Pogge: Shorter opposition parties.

God I hate these spineless Liberals! If I wanted a one-party government, I would have stayed in the US fercrissakes.

"injurious" to whom? to the conservative party, of course

The federal government has asked a former Supreme Court of Canada judge to review whether there would be "injurious" effects if some Afghan detainee documents were made public.

I have no doubt that releasing the documents would have injurious effects. On this Prime Minister Stephen Harper and I agree. The effects could be catastrophically injurious to the Conservative Party of Canada.

Therefore: dissemble, impugn, mock, deny, cover, stall, prorogue, censor, obfuscate, obstruct, smear, refuse, redact, dismiss. Invoke "national security". Repeat as necessary.

rip al weisel, aka jon swift

I was so saddened to hear that a man many of us knew as the blogger "Jon Swift" has passed away.

As a blogger, Jon Swift wrote a hilarious, dead-on, brilliantly satirical, fake conservative blog with the memorable tagline:

I am a reasonable conservative who likes to write about politics and culture. Since the media is biased I get all my news from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Jay Leno monologues.

As a person, he was warm, inclusive and unerringly compassionate. Jon Swift was well known for his "Blogroll Amnesty Day," where, in response to some of the more famous blogs jettisoning unknowns from their link lists, Swift would add anyone and everyone to his. Each year, he would invite readers to submit their favourite post from their own blog, and would post a huge round-up of everyone's self-selected best-ofs. Years later, I still get traffic from those posts.

Jon Swift's real name was Al Weisel. He truly will be missed. I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. They lost Al way too early - and immediately after the death of his own father. Awful.

You can read about Al here.

advice needed on erroneous parking ticket

Last week I parked at what I thought was a Toronto Parking Authority "Green P" lot, but apparently is a lot operated by a private company called Imperial Parking, or Impark.

The machine appeared to take my money (credit card payment) but did not print out a receipt. This had happened to me once before at the same lot, and I learned that I was supposed to call the phone number on the machine. I tried to do so, but couldn't get through.

I left a note on my dashboard saying that the machine wasn't printing receipts.

When I came back, I had a ticket.

I called Impark the next day, and was told that, since I was already on record as having had a ticket cancelled, and at that time had been informed to call from the parking lot, they would not cancel the ticket.

However, since I paid by credit card, when the payment showed up on my statement, I could fax the statement to them and they would accept it as proof of payment.

I found this very annoying. Their machines don't work properly, but the onus is on the customer to prove that she has paid. Surely if the machines weren't printing receipts, I am not the only person this happened to that night. Can't they check the system to see if the machines were off-line or malfunctioning? No. I have to take the time and expense to fax a copy of my credit card statement to Vancouver.

Payment for parking usually appears on a credit card statement in 3-5 days. I've waited a full week, and still no payment has posted. Obviously the machine appeared to take my payment but did not.

Today I called Impark again. They will not cancel the ticket, because they have already cancelled a ticket for me and cannot - make that will not - cancel another. I was supposed to call from the parking lot. I told the agent that I tried, but couldn't get through. She said that's not possible because it's an automated, 24-hour number. I was supposed to leave a message. I heard no opportunity to leave a message.

The agent informed me that she could reduce the ticket from $42.61 to $30, and hold that amount for one week. After that, it will become an unpaid ticket at $74.15.

I offered to pay for the cost of parking, which was $5.00, but she said she can't do that (and acted like I was insane for suggesting it).

I have contacted the Toronto Parking Authority. They have no jurisdiction over Impark, a private company, so I asked for the name of the agency that oversees private parking companies. Presumably Impark is awarded a contract by the City of Toronto, so there must be some oversight. The Toronto Parking Authority said to their knowledge there is no oversight agency.

I'm not paying $30 for $5 parking, which I tried to pay in the first place, because this company's meters are not properly maintained.

Any ideas on what I can do?

uk war resister to be court martialed on friday: one last chance to help him

Sign the letter in support of UK war resister Joe Glenton.

Joe Glenton, the first UK war resister to speak out publicly against the occupation of Afghanistan, will be court martialed this Friday. His support campaign in London will be delivering letters of public support to the Ministry of Defense. Here's one last chance to put your name on the letter.

Glenton faces court martial and possibly two years in jail for going AWOL. Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence estimates that 17,000 soldiers have gone AWOL since 2003.

So why pick on Joe Glenton? Because Glenton, a veteran, has spoken out against the war in Afghanistan. He's made it clear that his refusal to re-deploy is based on opposition to the unjust occupation.

Glenton was jailed in November 2009, then released on condition that he no longer speaks publicly against the war. His wife and his mom have continued to speak on his behalf. And we can speak for him, too.

Tomorrow and Friday, March 4 and 5, actions will take place in the UK, the US and several EU nations in support of Glenton. There isn't much notice, but there's one thing you can do right now to lend your support: sign the model letter. Peace activists in London will deliver it tomorrow, the day before Glenton's court martial.

More from Joe:

jason kenney is a magician, makes gay people disappear

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney has been at it again. He's been re-writing Canadian history, and this time he set his sights - or should I say his blinders - on gay and lesbian Canadians.

It's not the first the man MP Olivia Chow calls the Minister of Censorship and Deportation has rewritten Canadian history to conform to the Harper Conservatives' vision of Canada.

First Kenney's CIC removed from its website all reference to Canada's proud history of welcoming draft resisters and military deserters during the Vietnam War. Then they re-wrote the Canadian Citizenship Guide to emphasize military conflict and no longer characterize Canada as "a nation of peace".

In fact, it's the former change, regarding Vietnam War deserters, that caused a member of the War Resisters Support Campaign to file an Access to Information request, which in turn led to our discovering how closely the Harper Government follows our campaign. If you said they are obsessed with war resisters, you'd not be far from the truth.

Now it's been revealed that Kenney erased from the Citizenship Guide something all good and just people love about Canada: the country's policies of tolerance, inclusion and equality. Kenney opposed same-sex marriage and has made no secret of his contempt for gay rights. So he fashioned some of Canada's official documents to reflect his own views.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney blocked any reference to gay rights in a new study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, The Canadian Press has learned.

Internal documents show an early draft of the guide contained sections noting that homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969; that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation; and that same-sex marriage was legalized nationally in 2005.

But Mr. Kenney, who fought same-sex marriage when it was debated in Parliament, ordered those key sections removed when his office sent its comments to the department last June.

Senior department officials duly cut out the material - but made a last-ditch plea with Mr. Kenney in early August to have it reinstated.

"Recommend the re-insertion of the text boxes related to ... the decriminalization of homosexual sex/recognition of same-sex marriage," says a memorandum to Mr. Kenney from deputy minister Neil Yeates.

"Recommend the addition of 'equality rights' under list of rights. Had noted earlier that this bullet should be reinserted into the list as a means of noting the equality of all based on race, gender, sexual orientation etc ..."

In the end, however, Mr. Kenney's view trumped that of the bureaucrats. The 63-page guide, released with fanfare last November, contains no mention of gay and lesbian rights.

This is infuriating, both in substance and in symbol. Canada's guide for prospective citizens should proudly highlight equal marriage, to welcome all the gay couples who have chosen Canada as their home, and to emphasize what is best about this country. Perhaps equally important, members of the Conservative government should not be allowed to define Canada according to their own personal beliefs.

Because I am an applicant for citizenship, I have received both the old Citizenship Guide, put out by a Liberal government in 1997, and the new guide published by the Kenney-Harper gang. For some time now, I've been planning to conduct a detailed comparison of the two guides and write about it for wmtc. In order to do a thorough job, I'll have to wait until my school term ends. But it will be a priority for late April or early May. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, don't forget to tell the CIC how you feel about this revelation.

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney
613.954.1064 Ministry Office
613.992.2235 Parliamentary Office
minister@cic.gc.ca
Kenney.j@parl.gc.ca

war resister marc hall forcibly deployed to iraq

Volunteer army my ass. From Veterans for Peace:

Two weeks ago, you signed an email to the Army to support Spc. Marc Hall in his struggle to remain in the United States for his court martial for allegedly threatening military officers in a protest rap song he wrote.

Attorneys for Marc had filed a petition with the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Georgia on February 14 in an attempt to stop the Army from transferring Marc to Iraq. The petition was denied by a Georgia Federal Court.

Marc did fly out of Georgia to Iraq this weekend. According to his military defense JAG, Marc was flown from Hunter Army Airfield headed to Balad, Iraq. From there he will be transported to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

Marc's military JAG was formally notified yesterday that he will be appointed to the upcoming Article 32 Investigation in either Kuwait or Iraq.

He reports that the Army is going forward with a General Court Martial which will subject Marc to years in prison and a dishonorable discharge. The Army is now citing 11 violations of Article 132 going into the Article 32 hearing.
The Army set March 6 (a week from now!) for the Article 32 hearing, "even though neither Hall nor I are in country yet," explained the JAG. This is basically an Army tactic to force the defense to ask for a delay (which will be granted). Marc will now be parked in a Kuwait jail on the Army's timeline as the Army can now declare that they offered a "speedy trial"--but the defense declined.

More about Marc Hall at Stop Loss Music.

u.s. peace activist enters canada, world keeps turning

Colonel Ann Wright has crossed the border into Canada.

Canada's security continues unchanged.

You may recall that celebrated peace activist and war resister Ann Wright has been denied entry into Canada several times, part of the Conservative government's lock-step with the US and its general contempt for peace activists (and peace!).

Yesterday, with the help of letters of support from MPs Joe Comartin, Brian Masse, and Bob Rae, Wright managed to get here.

She'll be speaking tonight at the International Student Centre at the University of Toronto, sharing the podium with war resister Patrick Hart and some others; details here.

opposing israeli apartheid is not anti-semitism, but govt censure of free speech is censorship

From Corvin Russell at Rabble:

This year marks the sixth anniversary of Israeli Apartheid Week. Started as a small event at the University of Toronto, the annual week of educational events has grown to include over 40 cities around the world, and has played a major role in building a global anti-apartheid movement. As a result of its success, some university administrations in Ontario have stepped up repression of student activists who organize IAW. They have attempted to deny room bookings for the event and ban student activists from displaying posters, or even from using the words "Israel" and "apartheid" together.

In political and media spheres, a coordinated strategy of McCarthyism now attempts to shut down all criticism of Israel's violent, racist regime by branding such criticism as anti-semitic. At the federal level, a self-appointed pseudo-parliamentary inquisition composed of pro-Israel MPs, called the "Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism", has been staging a charade of public hearings as a prelude to the issuance of its foredrawn conclusion: namely that factual criticism of Israel's human rights record and violations of international law - including many UN resolutions; the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid; and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which makes apartheid a crime under international law - is a form of anti-semitism.

This past week in the Ontario Legislature, Conservative MPP Peter Shurman tabled a motion to condemn Israeli Apartheid Week, arguing that it constitutes something "close to hate speech".

. . . .

While this motion would have no legal effect, it will lend power to the campaign of McCarthyism on the issue. Whether or not you agree with the appropriateness of the term apartheid in describing Israel, it is hard to disagree that a reasonable debate can be had about it. After all, South Africans must know a thing or two about apartheid, and South Africa's Congress of Trades Unions; the South African Human Sciences Research Council; leaders of the anti-apartheid struggle like Desmond Tutu and Ronnie Kasrils; and the racist architect of South African apartheid, prime minster Hendrik Verwoerd, all agree: Israel is an apartheid state. A former Israeli Education Minister and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak also agree. It is, at the very least, a reasonable subject of debate. And only in Canada is our right to freely debate it called into question at the highest levels of political power. Nowhere else in the world. Not in the United States, not in Israel, not in Europe. Only in Canada.

It's time to name this growing threat to democracy for what it is.

Go here for links and quotes.

best of wmtc 2009, the long list

No wonder I think this blog has fallen off a cliff. I had really a good year last year.

Here are my and Allan's candidates for best of wmtc 2009. Perhaps this is too many for a sidebar widget, it may look unseemly. On the other hand, it's good to remind myself that I can write, and I do write, and I should just keep on keeping on.

thoughts on privilege

blog for choice day: providing a safe haven

jeremy hinzman appeal hearing through a campaigner's eyes

why not let them stay? current conservative arguments demolished

an atheist defends theists, part two

we all must support striking city workers

non-recyclable plastics and the dilemma of organic lettuce

internal documents show harper govt obsessed with war resisters

from the archives: on being childfree

you can't find inner peace in a bottle (of iced tea)

have you hugged a man today?

are my hands clean, and can i stand to get them a little cleaner

on becoming a writer, part three (with links to parts 1 and 2)

"the gray area": in which i am detained, harassed and threatened at the border

why i can't watch the olympics anymore

threatened animals in my inbox: please give three clicks

I have three recent emails about animals that are threatened with almost to the point of extinction because of human selfishness and stupidity.

Sometimes I'm amazed that humans aren't past this by now, that trophy hunting hasn't been discarded as the insane ignorance of a bygone era. But then, our species is still killing each other en masse, and seems intent on trashing the only home we will ever know. So what makes me think humans would learn to stop destroying other species.

For each animal - grizzly bears, beluga whales and bobcats - there's a simple action you can take to add your voice in protest. Please click.

From the David Suzuki foundation:

Grizzly bears are at risk of disappearing or are already extinct in many parts of the world. British Columbia's wilderness provides one of the last global safe havens for these bears. Sadly, trophy hunting is threatening their ability to survive here – including hunting in provincial parks, where most people expect grizzlies to be protected. The government can change this by banning sport hunting across the province and turning provincial parks into true sanctuaries for threatened wildlife.

Join an international network of groups – representing more than 15 million members and constituents from over 40 countries – calling on the B.C. government to end the slaughter of bears for sport.

With your help, we can maintain B.C. as one of the last safe havens for grizzlies and save these iconic bears from disappearing. Click here to tell Premier Gordon Campbell and Minister Barry Penner to ban the sport hunt and protect B.C.'s bears!

From the NRDC:

Industry giants are pressuring the Obama Administration to abandon endangered beluga whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska. We need your urgent action to help protect these rare whales from extinction.

Please tell the National Marine Fisheries Service to finalize its proposal to designate an area of more than 3,000 square miles as critical habitat for Cook Inlet beluga whales.

Cook Inlet belugas live in one of the most populated and industrialized regions in Alaska. Their health and habitat is continuously threatened by the devastating effects of development and pollution.

In fact, this genetically distinct population of beluga whales has plummeted in number from 1,300 in the 1980s to fewer than 400 today.

Following years of advocacy by NRDC and others, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed designated critical habitat for Cook Inlet beluga whales under the Endangered Species Act this past December.

Without these habitat protections, which are backed by decades of scientific research and data, Cook Inlet beluga whales could be wiped out forever.

Yet powerful industries are falsely claiming that designating critical habitat will hurt local development.

In truth, this designation simply helps ensure that new development projects will move forward with safeguards necessary to protect belugas and their habitat.

Please make your voice heard right now.

And from the Humane Society International:

In just a few weeks, delegates from 175 countries that have signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will meet to discuss more than 40 proposals to increase or decrease protection for internationally-traded animal and plant species.

For the fourth time, the United States is proposing to remove CITES protection for bobcats. Each time before, their proposal has failed or they have withdrawn it in the face of strong opposition. Help us ensure they fail again: Tell the U.S. government to withdraw its proposal to remove international protection for bobcats!

The bobcat, one of only two iconic American wild cat species, is the most heavily traded cat species in the world. More than 50,000 bobcats are trapped and killed each year so their skins, or items made from their skins, can be traded internationally.

Bobcats were first listed on CITES Appendix II because their skins cannot be distinguished from those of other lynx species, some of which are critically endangered. Delisting bobcats would reduce control of the trade in their fur and leave other small spotted wild cats more vulnerable to illegal international trade.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is once again bowing to pressure from trappers who want to sell bobcat skins internationally without any federal or international regulation. We cannot let a small group of people who profit from killing these animals for their skins remove international protection for wild cats everywhere!

Please sign our petition to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar by March 1st, urging him to withdraw this proposal from consideration at CITES.